One night, a week later, Ermengarde got quietly out of bed and went upstairs to the attic. Sara was not there, so Ermengarde sat on the bed and waited. At ten o’clock Sara came slowly up the stairs and into the room.
’It was a hard day, Ermie,’ said Sara. She sat down. ’Miss Minchin was angry with Cook. Then Cook was angry with us. Becky and I had no dinner and no tea.’
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“经常会这样吗?”埃芒加德难过地问道,“你从来没跟我说过。你——你现在饿吗?”
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’Does that happen often?’ said Ermengarde unhappily. ’You never told me. Are you—are you hungry now?’
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5
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萨拉看了看她。“饿,”她低声说,“是的,我饿。我恨不得把那张桌子吃了,恨不得把你也吃了。”
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5
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Sara looked at her. ’Yes,’ she whispered. ’Yes, I am. I would like to eat that table. I would like to eat you.’
Ermengarde jumped up. ’Sara,’ she cried. ’I had a box of things from home today. There’s a big cake in it. I’m going to get it—now! You and Becky can eat it all!’
’You are kind, Ermie,’ said Sara. She laughed. ’It’s magic, you know. When things are very bad, something nice always happens. Here we are, having a party!’
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10
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埃芒加德给了萨拉和贝基一些蛋糕,她们吃了起来。突然,她们停了下来。楼梯上传来了脚步声。她们都听着。
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Ermengarde gave Sara and Becky some cake, and they began to eat. Suddenly, they stopped. There was a noise of feet on the stairs. They listened.
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“哦,不好!”贝基小声说道,“是——是明钦小姐!”
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11
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’Oh no!’ whispered Becky. ’It’s—it’s Miss Minchin!’
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“是她。”萨拉说着脸又变白了。
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’Yes,’ said Sara. Her face was white again.
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门开了,明钦小姐走了进来。
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Then the door opened, and Miss Minchin came in.
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“没错,拉维尼娅说对了,”她生气地说,“跟萨拉公主喝茶!贝基,马上回你的阁屋去!”
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’So, Lavinia was right,’ she said angrily. ’Tea with Princess Sara! Becky, get back to your attic at once!’
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“哦,求你了,明钦小姐!”埃芒加德哭着说,“那是我从家里带来的蛋糕。我们只想开个聚会。”
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’Oh, please, Miss Minchin!’ cried Ermengarde. ’It was my cake, from home. We’re only having a party.’
’Go back to your room, Ermengarde,’ Miss Minchin said coldly, ’and take these things with you. And tomorrow’ —she looked at Sara— ’ there’s no breakfast, no dinner, and no tea for you. Remember that!’
Soon the attics were quiet again. Tired and hungry, the two servant-girls went to sleep. But after an hour or two Sara opened her eyes. Was it a noise from the window perhaps?
’Something is different,’ Sara whispered. ’What is it?’ She sat up in bed and looked round the room. She looked again and again, and her eyes were very big.
Sara slowly got out of bed. ’Is this a dream?’ she said. ’Where did all these things come from?’ She put out her hand to the fire. ’No, it’s not a dream. The fire is hot—I can feel it. And oh! Look at the table!’
There was a red cloth on the table, and cups and plates. There was hot tea, and wonderful things to eat—hot meat pies and sandwiches and cake, oranges and apples.
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萨拉跑到贝基的房间里。“贝基,”她轻声说道,“快过来,奇迹又出现了,快过来看。”
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Sara ran to Becky’s room. ’Becky,’ she whispered. ’Come quickly. The magic is here again. Come and look.’
’I don’t know,’ said Sara. ’It’s magic. At first I thought it was a dream, but it isn’t. Look—these pies are hot. Let’s eat them. Hot meat pies aren’t a dream!’
She ran to look at them, and opened the top book. ’There’s some writing here! Listen. It says, "To the little girl in the attic. From a friend." Oh, Becky!’ Sara closed the book and looked up. ’I have a friend, Becky,’ she said slowly. ’Someone is my friend.’
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第二天早上,贝基在厨房里见到了萨拉。
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The next morning Becky met Sara in the kitchen.
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“哦,小姐,”她轻声说道,“今天早上那些神奇的东西还在吗?还是晚上就消失了?”
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’Oh, Miss,’ she whispered. ’Was the magic there this morning? Or did it go away in the night?’
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“没有消失,还在呢,”萨拉轻声回答,“我吃了一些凉的肉馅饼当早餐。炉火还暖和着呢!”
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’No, it’s still there,’ Sara whispered back. ’I ate some cold meat pie for breakfast. And the fire was still warm!’
Miss Minchin could not understand it. When Sara came into the schoolroom, she looked happy and well. Miss Minchin wanted to see a white, unhappy face, and eyes red from crying. ’How can that child smile?’ she thought angrily. But of course, she did not know about the magic.
And the magic did not go away. Every evening, when Sara went up to bed, she found new things in the attic. There were more warm blankets, for her and for Becky. There were pictures on the walls; there were books, new shoes, and a winter coat. And best of all, there was always a fire, and a wonderful hot dinner on the table.
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“可这些都是从哪儿来的呢?”一天晚上她们在炉火前坐着时贝基问道,“这是谁做的呢,小姐?”
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’But where does it all come from?’ Becky said one night when they sat by the fire. ’Who does it, Miss?’
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“一个朋友,”萨拉答道,“一个善良的、非常好的朋友。可他不想让我们知道他的名字。”
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’A friend does it,’ Sara said. ’A kind, wonderful friend. But he doesn’t want us to know his name.’
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她们拿出一本新书看了起来,过了一会儿贝基抬起头来。
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They began to look at one of the new books, and then Becky looked up.
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“哦,小姐,”她轻声说道,“窗户上有什么东西。是什么呀?”
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’Oh, Miss,’ she whispered. ’There’s something at the window. What is it?’
Sara got up to look. ’It’s the monkey!’ she said. ’The monkey from next door.’ She opened the window, and the monkey jumped down into her arms. ’Oh, you poor little thing,’ Sara said. ’You’re so cold!’
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贝基非常好奇。“我以前从来没见过猴子,”她说,“它不是很好看呀,小姐!你要拿它怎么办?”
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Becky was very interested. ’I never saw a monkey before,’ she said. ’He’s not very beautiful, Miss! What are you going to do with him?’
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“现在天已经很晚了,”萨拉说,“就让它待在我的屋子里吧,我明天早上送它回家。”
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’It’s very late now,’ said Sara. ’He can stay in my room tonight, and I can take him home in the morning.’