That evening, in the little attic room, Sara sat on the bed in her old black dress. She did not cry, but her face was white and she did not move or speak for hours.
Late at night the door opened quietly, and Becky looked in. Her eyes were red from crying. ’Oh, Miss,’ she said. ’All the servants are talking about it. I’m so sorry—so sorry!’ She looked at Sara’s white face, and began to cry again. Then she ran to Sara, and took her hand.
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3
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萨拉终于动了动。她慢慢抬起头看着贝基。“哦,贝基。”她开口说话了,但就说了这么一句。
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3
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At last Sara moved. Slowly, she turned her head and looked at Becky. ’Oh, Becky,’ she said. And that was all.
That first night in the attic was very long. Sara did not sleep. ’Father is dead,’ she whispered, again and again. ’Father is dead. I’m never going to see him again.’
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5
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第二天早上,萨拉开始了她的新生活。她学着拖地板,学着生火,她楼上楼下地跑来跑去,还在厨房里干活。
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5
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The next morning Sara’s new life began. She learnt to clean floors and to make fires. She ran upstairs and downstairs, and she worked in the kitchen.
The cook was a big woman with a red, angry face. ’So,’ she said, ’the little rich girl with the diamond mines is now a servant, eh?’ She looked at Sara. ’Now, I’m making apple pies this morning. Run down to the shops and get me some apples. And be quick!’
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7
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于是萨拉跑到商店里拎回来一大袋苹果。接着又把厨房里的地板拖了,还给楼上的寝室里送了热水。
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7
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So Sara ran to the shops, and carried a big bag of apples back to the house. Then she cleaned the kitchen floor, and carried hot water up to all the bedrooms.
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8
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她每天从早到晚地干活,还在学校里帮忙。
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8
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She worked every day, from early in the morning to late at night. She helped in the school, too.
’You speak French well,’ Miss Minchin said to her coldly. ’So you can teach French to the younger children. But you’re only a servant. Don’t forget that.’
The first months of Sara’s new life were very hard. She was always tired and hungry, but she never cried. At night, in her little attic, she thought about her father, dead in India all those miles away.
’I must be brave,’ she said. ’Father always wanted me to be brave. And I have a bed to sleep in, and something to eat every day. Lots of people don’t have that.’
At first Sara’s only friend was Becky. Every day Becky came into Sara’s room. They did not talk much, but it helped Sara a lot to see Becky’s friendly, smiling face.
The girls in the school were sorry for Sara, but Sara was a servant now, and they could not be friendly with a servant. Lavinia, of course, was pleased. ’I never liked Sara Crewe,’ she told her friends. ’And I was right about the diamonds—there weren’t any!’
Ermengarde was very unhappy. When she saw Sara in the school, Sara walked past her and did not speak. Poor Ermengarde loved Sara and wanted to be friendly, but she was not clever, and she did not understand.
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15
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一天早上,她起得非常早,悄悄下了床,来到楼上的阁间,推开了萨拉的房门。
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15
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One morning, very early, she got quietly out of bed, went upstairs to the attics, and opened Sara’s door.
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16
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“埃芒加德!”萨拉叫道,“你来这里干什么?”
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16
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’Ermengarde!’ Sara said. ’What are you doing here?’
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17
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埃芒加德哭了起来。“哦,萨拉,请告诉我,究竟出什么事了?你现在怎么不喜欢我了?”
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17
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Ermengarde began to cry. ’Oh, Sara, please tell me. What is the matter? Why don’t you like me now?’
’I do like you,’ Sara said. ’Of course I do. But, you see, everything is different now. Miss Minchin doesn’t want me to talk to the girls. Most of them don’t want to talk to me. And I thought, perhaps, you didn’t want to...’
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19
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“可我是你的朋友呀!”埃芒加德哭着说,“我要永远和你做朋友——谁也阻止不了我!”
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’But I’m your friend!’ cried Ermengarde. ’I’m always going to be your friend—and nobody can stop me!’
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20
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萨拉握住埃芒加德的手。她突然感到非常幸福,不过也许她也在暗自神伤。谁又能说得准呢?
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20
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Sara took Ermengarde’s hands. She suddenly felt very happy. Perhaps she cried a little, too. Who can say?
There was only one chair, so the two friends sat on the bed. Ermengarde looked round the attic. ’Oh, Sara, how can you live in this room? It’s so cold and—and dirty.’
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22
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“这里还可以,”萨拉说,“我还有很多朋友。贝基就住在隔壁,还有——快来看。”
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22
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’It’s not so bad,’ said Sara. ’And I’ve got lots of friends. There’s Becky in the next room, and—come and see.’
She moved the table under the window, and then she and Ermengarde stood on it and looked out of the window, over the roofs of the houses. In her pocket Sara had some small pieces of bread. She put her hand out of the window, with the bread on it. ’Watch,’ she said.
’Oooh, Miss!’ she said. ’An Indian gentleman is moving into the house next door. Well, he’s English, but he lived in India for years and years. And now he’s going to live next door. He’s very rich, and he’s ill. Something bad happened to him, but I don’t know what.’
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31
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萨拉笑了。“你是怎么知道这些的?”她问道。
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31
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Sara laughed. ’How do you know all this?’ she said.
’Well, Miss, you know the Carmichael family across the street?’ Becky said. ’I’m friendly with their kitchen-girl, and she told me. Mr Carmichael is the Indian gentleman’s lawyer, so they know all about him.’