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One day I happened to spill water on my apron, and I spread it out to dry before the fire which was flickering on the sitting-room hearth. The apron did not dry quickly enough to suit me, so I drew nearer and threw it right over the hot ashes. The fire leaped into life; the flames encircled me so that in a moment my clothes were blazing. I made a terrified noise that brought Viny, my old nurse, to the rescue. Throwing a blanket over me, she almost suffocated me, but she put out the fire. Except for my hands and hair I was not badly burned.
記得有一天，我不小心把圍裙弄濕了，于是，我把圍裙鋪在客廳的壁爐邊烘烤。濕圍裙不會那么快就被烤干的，所以我就讓它離火源更近一些，結果正好碰到了余燼。圍裙一下子燒著了，火苗圍繞在我身邊，甚至連我的衣服都被引燃了。我驚慌失措的吵鬧驚動了我的老保姆維妮，她急忙跑過來救我。維妮把一條毯子蓋在我身上，我給憋得幾近窒息，不過她還是把火給撲滅了。所以除了雙手和頭發被燒了一下外，我并無大礙。
About this time I found out the use of a key. One morning I locked my mother up in the pantry, where she was obliged to remain three hours, as the servants were in a detached part of the house. She kept pounding on the door, while I sat outside on the porch steps and laughed with glee as I felt the jar of the pounding. This most naughty prank of mine convinced my parents that I must be taught as soon as possible. After my teacher, Miss Sullivan, came to me, I sought an early opportunity to lock her in her room. I went upstairs with something which my mother made me understand I was to give to Miss Sullivan; but no sooner had I given it to her than I slammed the door to, locked it, and hid the key under the wardrobe in the hall. I could not be induced to tell where the key was. My father was obliged to get a ladder and take Miss Sullivan out through the window—much to my delight. Months after I produced the key.
就是在那個時候，我發現自己會使用鑰匙了。一天早晨，我把母親鎖在了儲藏室里，她被迫在里面待了三個小時，因為那時仆人們都出去干活了。母親不停地敲打房門，我能感覺到敲擊房門的震動聲，可我卻坐在走廊的臺階上咯咯地笑。這類令人頭疼的惡作劇使我的父母意識到，我必須盡快接受教育。記得在我的老師蘇立文小姐到來后，我還找了一個機會把她鎖在了自己房間里。當時母親領我上樓去見蘇立文小姐，她想讓我明白她要把我交給老師。可是沒多久我就砰地一下把門關上，而且還上了鎖。然后，我又把鑰匙藏在了走廊里的衣櫥里。家人并沒有哄我交出鑰匙。結果，我的父親只得搬了一把梯子，把蘇立文小姐從窗口接了出來。這出小把戲讓我高興了好一陣兒。幾個月之后我才交出了鑰匙。
