'Ah!' said Polly, with emotion, 'I knew his legs must be too short.'[qh]

“啊！”波利激動地說道，“我知道他的腿一定太短了。”[qh]

His legs is short,' returned Jemima; 'especially behind; but they'll get longer, Polly, every day.'[qh]

“他的腿確實是短，”杰邁瑪答道，“特別是從后面看；但它們會一天天長起來的，波利。”[qh]

It was a slow, prospective kind of consolation; but the cheerfulness and good nature with which it was administered, gave it a value it did not intrinsically possess. After a moment's silence, Polly asked, in a more sprightly manner:[qh]

這個安慰是一種指望于未來的、過程緩慢的安慰；但是給予這個安慰時愉快的口吻與善良的心意使它具有一種它本來并不含有的價值。在片刻的沉默之后，波利用一種比較輕松愉快的語氣問道：[qh]

'And where's Father, Jemima dear?' - for by that patriarchal appellation, Mr Toodle was generally known in the family.[qh]

“爸爸在哪里呢，親愛的杰邁瑪？”因為在家里通常都是用這個家族的稱呼來指圖德爾先生的。[qh]

'There again!' said Jemima. 'What a pity! Father took his dinner with him this morning, and isn't coming home till night.But he's always talking of you, Polly, and telling the children about you; and is the peaceablest, patientest, best-temperedest soul in the world, as he always was and will be!'[qh]

“哎呀，你看！”杰邁瑪說道，“又是真可惜！爸爸今天早上把晚飯帶著走的，要到夜里才回來。不過他經常談起你，波利，還經常把關于你的一些事情講給孩子們聽；他是世界上最和氣、最耐性、脾氣最好的人。他過去一直是這樣，將來也將會是這樣的！”[qh]

'Thankee, Jemima,' cried the simple Polly; delighted by the speech, and disappointed by the absence.[qh]

“謝謝你，杰邁瑪，”純樸的波利喊道；這番話使她高興，可是人不在又使她失望。[qh]

'Oh you needn't thank me, Polly,' said her sister, giving her a sounding kiss upon the cheek, and then dancing little Paul cheerfully. 'I say the same of you sometimes, and think it too.'[qh]

“啊，你不用謝我，波利，”她的妹妹在她的臉頰上使勁地吻了一下，說道，一邊興高采烈地舞弄著小保羅。“我有時也這樣說到你，心里也是這樣想的。”

注釋： prospective adj. 未來的；預期的 n. 預期；展望
詞組：
prospective study 前瞻研究；預期研究；遠景調查
prospective market 未來的市場
prospective customer 潛在顧客
prospective buyer 準買家
prospective student 未來學生；欲申請的學生
prospective earnings 預期收益
prospective oil 石油儲量
例句：
1. The company has dowered the prospective bride.
我們公司把嫁妝送給了這位前途無量的新娘。
2. "I've got a prospective backer."
“我找到了一個有希望的支持者。”

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