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The next day Frank went out into the yard and looked at the flagpole for a long time. Then without a word, he went down into the cellar.
第二天，弗蘭克來到院子里，久久地望著旗桿。然后一句話也沒說就去了地窖。
All the rest of the afternoon Elise heard the sound of Frank's hammer and the rip, rip of his saw. She guessed that he was making something to earn a little money; perhaps it was a dog house for his uncle's new puppy.
一下午的時間，伊莉斯只聽到弗蘭克的錘子聲和鋸割東西的聲音。她猜他在做賺錢的東西，或許是為叔叔的小狗做得狗窩。
Several days later Elise happened to be out in the yard. As she stood looking at the hard concrete, she thought to herself, "It seems pretty lonesome." Then something made her look up at the flagpole. Two little wrens were fluttering around the ball at the top!
幾天后，伊莉斯碰巧到了院子里。她站著看那堅硬的混凝土，想著“它似乎很寂寞”。隨后，有東西經過，她抬頭看向了旗桿。兩個小鷦鷯在桿頂的圓球邊上飛來飛去！
"Well", cried the surprised girl. "I do believe birds would come here to live if they had only half a chance!"
小女孩驚訝地叫道：“嗯，我相信，就算有一點兒機會，鳥兒也會來這里生活的。”
She walked over to the corner of the yard and stood looking down at the foot of the pole. There she saw a low place in the concrete that looked like a huge saucer. All at once a happy thought came to her and she began to smile. "I know what I'll do," she said. "And won't Frank be surprised!"
她走到院子的角落，站在那里，低頭看著旗桿底部。她看到混凝土里有塊洼地，看起來像個巨大的托盤。突然，一個美妙的想法出現在她的腦海，她開始笑起來。“我知道我要做什么了，”她說，“絕對會讓弗蘭克驚訝的！”
That evening she borrowed Frank's blue pencil, and went to her room. When her father came home, she met him at the door; and Frank heard them talking in low voices.
那天晚上，她借了弗蘭克的藍鉛筆去了臥室。當她爸爸回家時，她到門口迎接他，弗蘭克聽到他們低聲說話。
After supper Elise and her mother went for a walk. As soon as they were out of sight, Frank went down to the cellar. When he came back, he was carrying a little wooden house, which he showed to his father proudly.
晚飯后，伊莉斯和她媽媽出去散步。看不見她們后，弗蘭克下樓到地下室去了。他回來的時候帶著一個小木屋，得意地向爸爸炫耀。
"Tomorrow will be Elise's birthday, you know," he said. "I must get up in time to surprise her." Frank wondered why his father smiled as though he knew something funny.
“你知道的，明天是伊莉斯的生日，”他說，“我必須及時起床給她驚喜。”弗蘭克想知道他爸爸為什么笑，就像他知道什么趣事似的。
"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Mr.Gilbert.
“我告訴你我將做什么，”吉爾伯特先生說。
"If you leave the bird house with me, I'll put it up on the pole late this evening. Then the surprise will be all ready for her the first thing tomorrow morning."
“如果你把小鳥屋留給我，我今晚晚點兒就把它掛到旗桿上。那么明天早上給她的第一個驚喜就準備好了。”
Frank went down the street to see a boy, and did not come back until it was too dark to take a look at the bird house. Elise heard him come in, and she smiled to herself as she thought how surprised he would be in the morning.
弗蘭克走到街上見了一個男孩，直到天黑才回來看鳥屋。伊莉斯聽見他進來了，暗自發笑，因為她覺得他明天早上會很驚訝。
While Frank was dressing the next morning, he heard Elise calling him from the foot of the stairs. "Frank," she cried, "I have something to show you."
第二天早上，弗蘭克正穿衣服時，聽見伊莉斯在樓梯底下叫他。“弗蘭克，”她叫道，“我有東西要給你看。”
