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They would cheerfully have gone without their dinners any day, rather than refuse a slice of their brown loaf, a cup of new milk,
他們可以不吃飯而高高興興的度過任何一天，而不會拒絕把一片黑面包、一杯新鮮的牛奶
and a spoonful of honey to the weary traveler who might stop at their door.
和一勺蜂蜜給可能會停在他們家門口的疲倦的旅行者。
Their cottage stood a short distance from the village, which lay in a valley.
他們的小屋在一個山谷里，離村莊不遠。
This valley, when the world was new, had probably been the bed of a lake.
起初，這個山谷可能是一個湖床。
There, fishes had glided to and fro in the depths, and the water-weeds had grown along the shore.
那里曾經有在湖水深處來回游動的魚兒和沿岸生長的水草。
But it was now a fertile spot of fields and meadows.
但如今卻是一片肥沃的農田和牧場。
Never was there a prettier or more fruitful valley.
那里再沒有一個更漂亮和多產的山谷了。
The very sight of the beautiful fields and orchards with their rich crops should have made the people kind and gentle, and ready to do good to their fellow-men.
漂亮的田地和果園以及豐富的農作物，應該會使那里的人溫和、善良并愿意幫助他們的同胞。
But, we are sorry to say, the men and women of this lovely valley were very selfish and hardhearted, and had no pity for the poor.
但是遺憾的是，這個秀麗山谷里的男人和女人卻非常自私和冷酷，他們并不同情窮人。
You will hardly believe what I am going to tell you.
你可能不相信我將要講述的事情。
These naughty people used to clap their hands when they saw the little boys and girls run after some poor stranger, shouting at his heels and pelting him with stones.
當看見小男孩和小女孩追趕某個可憐的陌生人，在陌生人身后大喊并向他扔石頭時，這些沒規矩的人經常會拍手叫好。
They kept large and fierce dogs, and whenever a stranger showed himself in the village street,
他們養著又大又兇猛的狗，無論哪一個陌生人任何時候出現在村莊的大街上，
this pack of ugly curs scampered to meet him, barking and snarling.
這群令人討厭的惡狗就會狂吠著，咆哮著向他飛奔而去。
