Well, after poor Queen Jane died, Henry was very sad and lonely. He wanted a new wife, and he wanted a second son. Children can die at any time, and Edward wasn’t strong. So everybody looked for a beautiful young woman to be the new Queen. Then someone told Henry about Anne of Cleves, a German Princess. They said that she was beautiful, young, and clever. And at that time the King wanted to please the Germans, because he was angry with the French. That all changed later, of course.
Henry couldn’t go and see Anne for himself, so he sent his artist Holbein to paint a picture of her. Holbein painted a fine picture of Anne and sent it back to Henry. Henry immediately fell in love with the beautiful woman in the picture and decided to marry her. So Anne sailed to England, and on her way to London she stopped for the night at a small town called Rochester. Henry couldn’t wait for Anne to arrive in London so he travelled secretly to Rochester to meet her. She knew nothing about this.
When Henry arrived at her house, he wasn’t wearing his fine clothes and he didn’t look like a king. He knocked on the door and went into her room. Oh dear! Poor Henry was very surprised. This wasn’t the beautiful woman in the picture. She had a sad face and a long nose, and she wasn’t very interested in this strange man. He didn’t tell her his name, and she didn’t understand that this was her new husband. What a terrible mistake!
Poor Henry went away to put on his fine clothes, and came back looking like a real king. Anne now saw that this strange man was her new husband. Henry kissed Anne and said his name. Poor Anne smiled at him, but she couldn’t speak any English so she stayed silent. After a few minutes Henry left. He was really unhappy. His new wife wasn’t beautiful, and she couldn’t say a word to him!’
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“哦天呐,”玛格丽特说,她非常喜欢这个故事,“后来呢?”
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Oh dear,’ said Margaret. She was enjoying this story very much. ’What happened next?’
Well, Henry decided that he really didn’t want to marry Anne. Where was the beautiful young woman in the picture? He wanted her! But he couldn’t change things. He had to marry ugly Anne.’
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“国王有没有试着去爱她呢?”玛格丽特问。
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And did the King learn to love her?’ asked Margaret.
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“不,他没有。他总想着和她离婚。”
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No, he didn’t. He wanted to divorce her.’
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“离了吗?”
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And did he?’
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“离了,六个月后。”
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Yes, after six months.’
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“他怎么离的婚?”
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How did he do that?’
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“嗯,他得知安妮在德国时曾一度和另外一个人订了婚。”
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Well, he learned that in her country Anne was engaged at one time to marry another man.’
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“所以他就和她离婚了?”
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And so he divorced her?’
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“是的,可怜的安妮只当了六个月的王后。”
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Yes, poor Anne was only Queen for six months.’
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“他们没有孩子,是吧?”
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And they didn’t have any children, did they?’
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“没有,亨利从未和她同床共枕。”
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No, Henry didn’t sleep with Anne.’
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“但她怎么样了呢?仍然健在吗?”
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But what happened to her? Is she still alive?’
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“哦,是的。咱们读一下她的信,看她说些什么。”
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Oh yes. But let’s read her letter and see what she says.’
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“可能这是封情书。”玛格丽特说。
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Perhaps it’s a love letter,’ said Margaret.
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“如果是的话,我肯定她从未得到过回音!”威廉叔叔大笑着说。他打开信开始读了起来。
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If it is, I’m sure that she never got a reply!’ said Uncle William, laughing. He opened the letter and began to read.
You are a very good brother to me! Thank you for giving me five hundred pounds a year and the Palace of Richmond. I spend hours walking round the gardens here—the trees and flowers are wonderful.
I have decided that I shall not go back to my country. I have thought about it carefully, and I know now that England is my real home. I feel so happy here. How can I leave all my dear English friends and my beautiful garden?
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亲爱的哥哥,快来看看我吧。
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Come and visit me soon, dear brother.
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爱你的妹妹
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Your loving sister
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安妮
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Anne
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“听起来她真的很快乐。”玛格丽特惊讶地说。
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She sounds really happy,’ said Margaret, surprised.
I think she is,’ said Uncle William. ’She didn’t make trouble for the King about her divorce, so he was pleased with her. And then, of course, he was free to marry his next wife.’
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“第五个妻子,”玛格丽特说,“她是谁呢?”
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The fifth one,’ said Margaret. ’And who was she?’
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“凯瑟琳会把她的一切都告诉你的。我现在必须走了,女士们。”他站起身来,过来和我吻别。
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Catherine will tell you all about her. I must leave you now, ladies.’ He stood up, and came to kiss me goodbye.