LESSON 69

NO CROWN FOR ME

不要给我花冠

1．"Will you come with us, Susan?" cried several little girls to a schoolmate. "We are going to the woods; do come, too."

2．"I should like to go with you very much," replied Susan, with a sigh;"but I can not finish the task grandmother set me to do."

3．"How tiresome^〔1〕 it must be to stay at home to work on a holiday!"said one of the girls, with a toss of her head. "Susan's grandmother is too strict."

4．Susan heard this remark, and, as she bent her head over her task, she wiped away a tear, and thought of the pleasant afternoon the girls would spend gathering wild flowers in the woods.

5．Soon she said to herself, "What harm can there be in moving the mark grandmother put in the stocking? The woods must be very beautiful to-day, and how I should like to be in them!"

6．"Grandmother," said she, a few minutes afterwards, "I am ready, now." "What, so soon, Susan?" Her grandmother took the work, and looked at it very closely.

7．"True, Susan," said she, laying great stress^〔2〕 on each word; "true, I count twenty turns from the mark; and, as you have never deceived me, you may go and amuse yourself as you like the rest of the day."

8．Susan's cheeks were scarlet, and she did not say, "Thank you." As she left the cottage, she walked slowly away, not singing as usual.

9．"Why, here is Susan!" the girls cried, when she joined their company^〔3〕;"but what is the matter? Why have you left your dear, old grandmother?"they tauntingly^〔4〕 added.

10．"There is nothing the matter." As Susan repeated these words, she felt that she was trying to deceive herself. She had acted a lie. At the same time she remembered her grandmother's words, "You have never deceived me."

11．"Yes, I have deceived her," said she to herself. "If she knew all, she would never trust me again."

12．When the little party had reached an open space in the woods, her companions ran about enjoying themselves; but Susan sat on the grass, wishing she were at home confessing^〔5〕 her fault^〔6〕.

13．After a while Rose cried out, "Let us make a crown of violets, and put it on the head of the best girl here."

14．"It will be easy enough to make the crown, but not so easy to decide who is to wear it," said Julia.

15．"Why, Susan is to wear it, of course," said Rose: "is she not said to be the best girl in school and the most obedient at home?"

16．"Yes, yes; the crown shall be for Susan," cried the other girls, and they began to make the crown. It was soon finished.

17．"Now, Susan," said Rose, "put it on in a very dignified^〔7〕 way, for you are to be our queen."

18．As these words were spoken, the crown was placed on her head. In a moment she snatched it off, and threw it on the ground, saying, "No crown for me; I do not deserve it."

19．The girls looked at her with surprise. "I have deceived my grandmother," said she, while tears flowed down her cheeks. "I altered^〔8〕 the mark she put in the stocking, that I might join you in the woods."

20．"Do you call that wicked?" asked one of the girls.

"I am quite sure it is; and I have been miserable^〔9〕 all the time I have been here."

21．Susan now ran home, and as soon as she got there she said, with a beating heart, "O grandmother! I deserve to be punished, for I altered the mark you put in the stocking. Do forgive me; I am very sorry and unhappy."

22．"Susan," said her grandmother, "I knew it all the time; but I let you go out, hoping that your own conscience would tell you of your sin. I am so glad that you have confessed your fault and your sorrow."

23．"When shall I be your own little girl again?" "Now," was the quick reply, and Susan's grandmother kissed her forehead^〔10〕.

【中文阅读】

1．“苏珊，你一起来吗？”几个小女孩向她们的一位同学呼喊，“我们要去树林里，你也来吧！”

2．“我很想跟你们一起去，”苏珊叹了一口气，回答道，“可是我还没完成奶奶交给我的任务。”

3．“放假还待在家里干活儿多没劲儿啊！”其中一个女孩晃着脑袋说，“苏珊的奶奶太严厉了。”

4．苏珊听到了这句评语，当她转身低头继续干活时，拭去了眼中的一滴泪水，想象着女孩们将在树林里采摘野花，度过一个愉快的下午。

5．很快她对自己说：“把奶奶放在袜子里的标志挪用一下又能有什么害处呢？今天树林里一定很美，而我是多么想和她们一起啊！”

6．“奶奶，”过了几分钟之后，她说，“我做好了，就是现在。”“什么，苏珊，这么快？”奶奶接过苏珊的作品，仔细查看。

7．“没错，苏珊，”她说，每一个字都咬得很重，“没错，我数过了，标志上有二十个圈；而且，因为你从来没有欺骗过我，今天剩下的时间你可以去做你喜欢做的事情了。”

8．苏珊的脸颊红了起来，她也没说“谢谢”。在离开小屋的时候，她走得很慢，没有像平常那样唱着歌走开。

9．“咦，苏珊来了！”苏珊加入女孩们的时候，她们高声喊了起来。“可这是怎么回事呢？你为什么离开你亲爱的老奶奶呢？”她们语带讥讽地问。

10．“什么事也没有。”当苏珊重复这句话的时候，她觉得自己是在试图骗自己。她已经撒了一个谎。同时记起了奶奶跟她说的话：“你从来没有骗过我。”

11．“我骗了她，”她在心里对自己说，“如果她知道真相，肯定再也不会再信任我了。”

12．她们的小聚会转移到树林里的一块空地，同伴们跑来跑去非常开心，然而苏珊却坐在草地上，希望自己是在家里，正在承认自己的错误。

13．过了一会儿，罗斯高声说：“我们用紫罗兰编一个花冠吧，把它戴在这里最好的女孩的头上。”

14．“编花冠不难，可是要决定谁可以戴上它就不容易了。”茱莉亚说。

15．“谁说的，当然是苏珊戴上它，”罗斯说，“难道她不是公认在学校里学习最好、在家里最听话的女孩吗？”

16．“对对对，花冠应该属于苏珊。”其他女孩叫道，她们开始编织花冠，很快就编好了。

17．“来，苏珊，”罗斯说，“仪态高贵地把它戴上，因为你是我们的皇后。”

18．话音刚落，花冠就戴在了苏珊的头上。过了一会儿，她突然把花冠扯了下来，扔在地上，说：“不要给我花冠，我不配戴它。”

19．女孩们惊讶地看着她。“我欺骗了我的奶奶，”苏珊说，泪水顺着她的脸颊流了下来。“我挪用了她放在袜子里的标志，所以我才能到树林里来和你们一起玩。”

20．“你认为这是坏事？”一个女孩问道。

“我很肯定这是坏事，我待在这里一直感到很痛苦。”

21．此时，苏珊往家的方向飞奔起来。一回到家，心还“怦怦”跳着，“噢，奶奶！我应该受罚，因为我挪用了你放在袜子里的标志。请千万要原谅我，我一直感到歉疚和不开心。”

22．“苏珊，”奶奶开口说，“我从一开始就知道，但我还是让你出去玩，希望你自己的良心会告诉你自己的过错。我很高兴你承认了自己的错误，并且为此感到伤心。”

23．“我什么时候可以变回你亲爱的小孙女呢？”“现在！”回答很迅速。奶奶在苏珊的前额印上一个吻。

注释

〔1〕Tiresome, tedious, wearisome.

〔2〕Stress, force, emphasis.

〔3〕Company, a number of persons together.

〔4〕Tauntingly, in a disagreeable, reproachful manner.

〔5〕Confessing, telling of, acknowledging.

〔6〕Fault, wrongdoing, sin.

〔7〕Dignified, respectful, stately.

〔8〕Altered, changed.

〔9〕Miserable, wretched. very unhappy.

〔10〕Forehead, the front part of the head above the eyes.