英语经典散文：幼年的玛丽小姐 Little Miss Mary(3)

In this strange and sudden way Mary learnt that both her mother and her father had died.The few servants who had not died had run away in the night.No one had remembered little Miss Mary.She was all alone.

以这样一种奇异而突然的方式，玛丽得知她的父母已不在人世，活下来的几个用人也趁半夜逃走了。没人想起年幼的玛丽小姐，就只剩下她一个人了。

Because she had never known her parents well，she did not miss them at all.She only thought of herself，as she had always done.

由于她跟父母并不亲近，也并不想念他们。像以前一样，她只想到了她自己。

‘Where will I live?’she wondered.‘I hope I'll stay with people who'll let me do what I want.’

“我该住哪儿呢?”她思量着。“我想跟那些让我想干什么就干什么的人在一起。”

At first she was taken to an English family who had known her parents.She hated their untidy house and noisy children， and preferred playing by herself in the garden.One day she was playing her favourite game，pretending to make a garden， when one of the children，Basil，offered to help.

一开始她被带到一户英国人家，他们认识她的父母。可她讨厌他们凌乱的房间和吵吵闹闹的孩子们，而宁愿一个人在花园里玩。一天，她正玩着最喜欢的造花园游戏，那家的孩子巴兹尔走过来想帮她忙。

‘Go away!’cried Mary.‘I don't want your help!’

“走开!”玛丽大声喊道，“我才不用你帮忙!”

For a moment Basil looked angry，and then he began to laugh He danced round and round Mary，and sang a funny little song about Miss Mary and her stupid flowers.This made Mary very cross indeed.No one had ever laughed at her so unkindly.

巴兹尔呆站了一会儿，很生气，可很快又乐开了。他围着玛丽又蹦又跳，一边唱起一支滑稽的有关玛丽小姐和她愚蠢的花儿的歌。这可把玛丽气坏了，还从来没人这么刻薄地嘲笑过她呢!

‘You're going home soon，’said Basil.‘And we're all very pleased you're leaving!’

“你就快回家了，”巴兹尔说。“我们真高兴你快走了。”

‘I'm pleased too，’replied Mary.‘But where's home?’

“我也高兴，”玛丽答道。“可回哪儿的家?”

‘You're stupid if you don't know that!’laughed Basil. England，of course!You're going to live with your uncle，Mr Archibald Graven.’

“你连这都不知道，可真够傻的!”巴兹尔笑道，“当然是英国!你要去跟你舅舅阿奇伯德·克莱文先生住了!”

‘I've never heard of him，’said Mary coldly.

“我从来没听说过他。”玛丽冷冷地说。

‘But I know about him because I heard Father and Mother talking，’said Basil.‘He lives in a big lonely old house，and has no friends，because he's so badtempered.He's got a crooked back，and he's horrid!’

“可我知道，我听我爸爸妈妈谈论过他。他住在一幢孤零零的、又大又旧的房子里，一个朋友都没有，因为他脾气太坏了，他还是个驼背，可怕极了!”

‘I don't believe you!’cried Mary.But the next day Basil's parents explained that she was going to live with her uncle in Yorkshire，in the north of England.Mary looked bored and cross and said nothing.

“我才不信呢!”玛丽大声说。可是第二天，巴兹尔的父母解释说她将要到英格兰北部的约克郡，跟她的舅舅住在一起。玛丽显得又烦躁又恼怒，可什么都没说。