1. The dead mother lay cold and still amid her wretched children. This woman had been despised by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village. Neighbours went hastily to her old tumble-down hut, in which she had secured her half-starving children, three in number.
死去的母親冷冰冰地，一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地躺在那里，她可憐的孩子們就圍在她身邊。這個(gè)女人活著時(shí)，幾乎被村里的每個(gè)男人、女人和孩子鄙視。幾位鄰居匆匆忙忙來(lái)到她那破舊不堪、搖搖欲墜的小屋子里，在那里她曾經(jīng)勉強(qiáng)養(yǎng)活了她的三個(gè)孩子。
2. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was a bright, active girl, out of whom something clever might be made; but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years before, a fall from a window had injured her spine, and she had not been able to leave her bed since. So no one said: "I'll take Maggie", while Kate and John quickly were taken care of by kind, childless couples. After all; who wanted a bed-ridden child?
三個(gè)孩中年齡最長(zhǎng)的是約翰，一個(gè)身體壯實(shí)的12歲大男孩，已經(jīng)能夠與其他農(nóng)夫一起干活謀生。不到11歲的凱特是一個(gè)聰明、活潑的小女孩，她的腦子里總是會(huì)蹦出許多機(jī)靈的想法。但可憐的小瑪吉，年齡最小，卻患上了不治之癥。兩年前，她從窗戶掉下來(lái)傷到了脊椎，從那以后她再也沒(méi)下過(guò)床。所以沒(méi)有一個(gè)人說(shuō)：“我來(lái)收養(yǎng)瑪吉”，而凱特和約翰很快就被善良且沒(méi)有子女的夫婦收養(yǎng)照顧了。畢竟，誰(shuí)會(huì)想要一個(gè)臥床不起的孩子？
3. "Take her to the poorhouse," said a rough man. "For this brat it will prove a blessed change, she will be kept clean, have healthy food, and be doctored, which is more than can be said of her past condition." Joe Thompson, a wheelwright who happened to pass by, paused, and said to him: "It's a cruel thing to put her there." "O, Mr. Thompson!" Maggie cried out, "don't leave me here all alone!"
“把她送到救濟(jì)院，”一個(gè)舉止粗魯?shù)哪腥苏f(shuō)。“對(duì)于這個(gè)乳臭未干的小孩兒，這肯定是個(gè)幸運(yùn)的改變，在那里，她會(huì)有干凈的環(huán)境，吃上健康的食物，生病了有醫(yī)生給她看病，可以說(shuō)這比她過(guò)去的狀況好多了。”此時(shí)，一位名叫喬·湯普森的車匠碰巧從這里經(jīng)過(guò)。他停下腳步，對(duì)那個(gè)男人說(shuō)：“把她送到那種地方太殘忍了。”“啊，湯普森先生！”瑪吉哀求道，“不要把我一個(gè)人留在這里！”
4. Though rough in exterior, Joe Thompson had a heart, and it was very tender in some places. He liked children, and was pleased to have them come to his shop. "No, dear," he answered, "You shall not be left alone." Lifting her in his strong arms, he bore her out into the air and across the field to his home.
盡管外表粗糙，但喬·湯普森是個(gè)非常有同情心的人，而且有時(shí)候還非常溫柔。他喜歡孩子們，很愿意他們到他的店里來(lái)。“不，親愛(ài)的，”他回答說(shuō)，“你不會(huì)一個(gè)人留在這里的。”他用自己強(qiáng)壯的臂膀?qū)⑺饋?lái)，帶她走出門(mén)外，穿越田野來(lái)到了他家。
5. "What have you there?" sharply questioned Mrs. Thompson upon his return home. "Wait a moment for explanations, and be gentle;" Joe said equally sharply back. He carried Maggie to a small chamber on the first floor, and laid her on a bed. Then, stepping back, he shut the door, and stood face to face with his vinegar-tempered wife.
“你手里抱著什么？”湯普森太太急切地向剛剛回到家的湯普森先生發(fā)問(wèn)道。“等一下向你解釋，先別急，”喬用同樣急切的語(yǔ)氣回答道。他把瑪吉帶到一樓的一個(gè)小房間里，把她放在床上。然后，他走出房間，關(guān)上門(mén)，與他那有些尖酸刻薄的妻子面面相覷。
6. "You haven't brought home that sick brat!" Her face was in a flame. "I think women's hearts are sometimes very hard," said Joe. Usually he got out of his cold wife's way, or kept silent and non-combative when she fired up. "Women's hearts are not half so hard as men's!" She said. Joe saw that his sudden resoluteness had impressed his wife and he answered quickly: "Farmer Jones tossed her brother John into his wagon, and drove off. Her sister Kate went home with Mrs. Ellis; but nobody wanted the poor sick one. 'Send her to the poorhouse,' was the concluding cry." "What did you bring her here for then?”, his wife snapped. "She can't walk to the poorhouse," said Joe; "somebody's arms must carry her, and mine are strong enough for that task."
“你不會(huì)把那病怏怏的孩子帶回家了吧！？”她怒火中燒地問(wèn)道。“我覺(jué)得女人的心腸有時(shí)候很硬，”喬說(shuō)。他通常會(huì)對(duì)他妻子的冷漠不予理會(huì)，或者在她發(fā)火時(shí)保持沉默，不予回應(yīng)。“女人的心還沒(méi)男人的心一半硬！”她說(shuō)。喬看到他突然的堅(jiān)決態(tài)度觸怒了他的妻子，于是迅速回答道：“農(nóng)夫瓊斯把她的哥哥約翰扔進(jìn)他的馬車?yán)铮缓篁?qū)車離開(kāi)了。她的姐姐凱特和埃利斯太太一起回家了。但是，沒(méi)人想要這個(gè)可憐的病孩子。‘把她送到救濟(jì)院去，’便成了最終的呼聲。” “那你把她帶到這里干什么？”他的妻子厲聲說(shuō)道，“她沒(méi)法自己走去救濟(jì)院，”喬回答說(shuō)，“必須有人伸出臂膀把他抱過(guò)去，而且我臂膀非常有勁，足夠完成這項(xiàng)任務(wù)。”

7. "Then why did you stop here?" demanded the wife. "Because the poorhouse’s Guardians must first be seen, and a permit obtained." "When will you see the Guardians?" She asked impatiently. "Tomorrow." "Why put it off till tomorrow?" "Jane," said the wheelwright, with an impressiveness of tone that greatly subdued his wife, "It is a small thing for us to keep this poor motherless little one for a single night; to be kind to her for a single night; to make her life comfortable for a single night."
“那你為什么要把她放在家里？”妻子追問(wèn)道。“因?yàn)榘阉腿ブ埃仨毾纫?jiàn)到救濟(jì)院的管理員，并取得入院許可。”“你什么時(shí)候去見(jiàn)管理員？”她不耐煩地問(wèn)道。“明天。”“為什么要推遲到明天？”“簡(jiǎn)，”車匠用一種令人印象深刻的征服式的口吻對(duì)他妻子說(shuō)，“對(duì)于我們來(lái)說(shuō)，收留這個(gè)可憐的失去母親的小家伙一個(gè)晚上只是小事一樁。只善待她一個(gè)晚上，讓她在這里舒舒服服地呆一個(gè)晚上而已。”
8. The voice of the strong, rough man shook, and he turned his head away, so that the moisture in his eyes could not be seen. Mrs. Thompson did not answer, but a soft feeling crept into her heart. "Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly," said Joe. "Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life." Mrs. Thompson did not reply, but turned towards the little chamber where her husband had deposited Maggie; and, pushing open the door, went quietly in. Joe did not follow; he felt that it would be best to leave her alone with the child. So he went to his shop, and worked until the evening released him from labour. A light shining through the little chamber window was the first thing that made Joe eager to return to the house: it was a good omen.
這個(gè)強(qiáng)壯、粗狂的男人的聲音開(kāi)始顫抖，然后他將頭轉(zhuǎn)向了另一側(cè)，這樣他濕潤(rùn)的眼睛就不會(huì)被看到了。湯普森太太沒(méi)有作答，但一種溫柔的感覺(jué)悄悄進(jìn)入了她的內(nèi)心。“和藹地看著她，簡(jiǎn)，然后和藹地跟她說(shuō)幾句話，”喬說(shuō)，“想想她死去的母親，還有她必須在即將到來(lái)的生活中面對(duì)的孤獨(dú)、痛苦和悲傷。”湯普森太太還是沒(méi)有作答，卻轉(zhuǎn)向她丈夫暫時(shí)安置瑪吉的那個(gè)小房間，推開(kāi)門(mén)，安靜地走了進(jìn)去。喬沒(méi)有跟進(jìn)去——他覺(jué)得最好讓她獨(dú)自和孩子呆一會(huì)兒。于是，他去了他的店鋪，一直工作到傍晚才回家。家門(mén)口透過(guò)小房間的窗戶照射出的燈光，喚起了喬趕快回到家里的渴望——這是一個(gè)好兆頭。
9. He could not help looking in through the little chamber window. Maggie’s eyes were intently fixed upon his wife; her expression was sad and tender; but he saw nothing of her usual coldness, bitterness or pain. On entering, Joe did not go immediately to the little chamber. His wife somewhat hurriedly came to him from the room where she had been with Maggie. "How soon will supper be ready?" he asked. "Right soon," answered Mrs. Thompson in a feigned, cold tone while she began to bustle about.
他忍不住透過(guò)小房間的窗戶看了進(jìn)去——瑪吉的雙眼正聚精會(huì)神地盯著他的妻子。他妻子的表情悲傷而溫柔，但他并沒(méi)有從她臉上看到她平時(shí)的冷漠、怨恨或痛苦。進(jìn)入家門(mén)后，喬沒(méi)有立即去小房間。他的妻子卻有點(diǎn)匆忙地從她和瑪吉所在的房間出來(lái)找他。“多久能吃晚餐？”他問(wèn)。“很快，”湯普森太太以一種假裝冷酷的語(yǔ)調(diào)回答道，隨即便忙活開(kāi)了。
10. Joe waited, after sitting down to the table, for his wife to introduce the subject uppermost in both of their thoughts; but she kept silent on that theme, for many minutes. At last she said, abruptly; "What are you going to do with that child?" "I thought you understood me that she was to go to the poorhouse," replied Joe, as if surprised at her question. Mrs. Thompson looked rather strangely at her husband, and then lowered her eyes. The subject was not again referred to during the meal. After they finished Mrs. Thompson toasted a slice of bread and softened it with milk and butter. Adding to this a cup of tea, she took this into Maggie’s room. The hungry child ate with every sign of pleasure possible and gave Mrs. Thompson a look of gratitude that awoke old human feelings which had been slumbering in her heart for years.
喬坐在桌子旁等待他的妻子挑開(kāi)這個(gè)同時(shí)縈繞在他們倆頭腦中的最重要的話題，但過(guò)了好一陣，她仍沒(méi)有提到它。最后，她突然說(shuō)道：“那個(gè)孩子，你打算怎么辦？”“我覺(jué)得你理解我的意思，她會(huì)去救濟(jì)院的，”喬回答說(shuō)，表現(xiàn)出似乎對(duì)她的問(wèn)題很驚訝的樣子。湯普森太太用非常奇怪的眼神看著她的丈夫，然后目光向下看去。晚餐時(shí)這個(gè)話題沒(méi)有再被提起。他們吃完飯后，湯普森太太烤了一片面包，然后用牛奶和黃油把它泡軟了，又砌上一杯茶。她把這些一起帶進(jìn)了瑪吉的房間。饑腸轆轆的孩子一邊吃著，一邊用各種可能的方式表達(dá)著內(nèi)心的快樂(lè)，并向湯普森太太露出了感激的表情，這表情喚醒了她心中沉睡多年的古老的人類情感。
11. "We'll keep her a day or two longer; she is so weak and helpless," said Mrs. Thompson, in answer to her husband's remark, at breakfast time on the next morning. "She'll be so much in your way," said Joe. "I shan’t mind that for a day or two. Poor thing!" In fact, in less than a week Mrs. Thompson would leave all thought of sending Maggie to the poorhouse. She carried her in her heart as well as in her arms; a precious burden. As for Joe Thompson, an angel had come into his house, disguised as a sick, helpless, and miserable child, and filled all its dreary chambers with the sunshine of love.
“我們可以留她多住一兩天，她太虛弱，太無(wú)助了，”湯普森太太在第二天吃早餐時(shí)對(duì)他丈夫前一天的話做出了這樣的回答。“她會(huì)多少影響到你的生活的，”喬說(shuō)，“對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，不會(huì)介意她多住一兩天的，可憐的孩子！”事實(shí)上，此后不到一個(gè)星期，湯普森太太已經(jīng)把瑪吉送到救濟(jì)院的念頭丟到了一邊。但，當(dāng)她把孩子抱在懷里時(shí)，孩子也進(jìn)入了她的心里——真是個(gè)珍貴的負(fù)擔(dān)。對(duì)于喬·湯普森來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)孩子的到來(lái)，就相當(dāng)于家里住進(jìn)了一個(gè)偽裝成一個(gè)生病、無(wú)助、悲慘的孩子的天使，讓他沉悶的家中充滿了愛(ài)的陽(yáng)光。