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Next day, by noon, I was up and dressed, and sat wrapped in a shawl by the nursery hearth.
第二天中午，我起來穿好衣服，裹了塊浴巾，坐在保育室壁爐旁邊。
I felt physically weak and broken down.
我身體虛弱，幾乎要垮下來。
But my worse ailment was an unutterable wretchedness of mind, a wretchedness which kept drawing from me silent tears.
但最大的痛楚卻是內心難以言傳的苦惱，弄得我不斷地暗暗落淚。
No sooner had I wiped one salt drop from my cheek than another followed.
才從臉頰上抹去一滴帶咸味的淚水，另一滴又滾落下來。
Yet, I thought, I ought to have been happy, for none of the Reeds were there, they were all gone out in the carriage with their mama.
不過，我想我應當高興，因為里德一家人都不在，他們都坐了車隨媽媽出去了。
Abbot, too, was sewing in another room, and Bessie, as she moved hither and thither,
艾博特也在另一間屋里做針線活。而貝茵呢，來回忙碌著，
putting away toys and arranging drawers, addressed to me every now and then a word of unwonted kindness.
一面把玩具收拾起來，將抽屜整理好，一面還不時地同我說兩句少有的體貼話。
This state of things should have been to me a paradise of peace, accustomed as I was to a life of ceaseless reprimand and thankless fagging.
對我來說，過慣了那種成天挨罵、辛辛苦苦吃力不討好的日子后，這光景該好比是平靜的樂園。
But, in fact, my racked nerves were now in such a state that no calm could soothe, and no pleasure excite them agreeably.
然而，我的神經己被折磨得痛苦不堪，終于連平靜也撫慰不了我，歡樂也難以使我興奮了。
Bessie had been down into the kitchen, and she brought up with her a tart on a certain brightly painted china plate,
貝茜下樓去了一趟廚房，端上來一個小烘餅，放在一個圖案鮮艷的瓷盤里，
whose bird of paradise, nestling in a wreath of convolvuli and rosebuds, had been wont to stir in me a most enthusiastic sense of admiration.
圖案上畫的是一只極樂鳥，偎依在一圈旋花和玫瑰花苞上。這幅畫曾激起我熱切的羨慕之情。
And which plate I had often petitioned to be allowed to take in my hand in order to examine it more closely.
我常常懇求讓我端一端這只盤子，好仔細看個究竟。
But had always hitherto been deemed unworthy of such a privilege.
但總是被認為不配享受這樣的特權。
This precious vessel was now placed on my knee, and I was cordially invited to eat the circlet of delicate pastry upon it.
此刻，這只珍貴的器皿就擱在我膝頭上，我還受到熱誠邀請，品嘗器皿里一小圈精美的糕點。
Vain favour! Coming, like most other favours long deferred and often wished for, too late!
徒有虛名的垂愛啊！跟其他久拖不予而又始終期待著的寵愛一樣，來得太晚了！
I could not eat the tart, and the plumage of the bird, the tints of the flowers, seemed strangely faded.
我已無意光顧這烘餅，而且那鳥的羽毛和花卉的色澤也奇怪地黯然無光了。
I put both plate and tart away.
我把盤子和烘餅挪開。
Bessie asked if I would have a book.
貝茜問我是否想要一本書。
The word book acted as a transient stimulus, and I begged her to fetch Gulliver's Travels from the library.
“書”字產生了瞬間的刺激，我求她去圖書室取來一本《格列佛游記》。
This book I had again and again perused with delight.
我曾興致勃動地反復細讀過這本書。
I considered it a narrative of facts, and discovered in it a vein of interest deeper than what I found in fairy tales.
我認為書中敘述的都實有其事，因而覺得比童話中寫的有趣。
