(单词翻译:单击)
she caught sight, as she crossed the pavement, of a dingy little figure standing on the area steps,
当她跨过人行道时，忽然瞥见厨房前采光小天井的台阶上站着一个邋遢的小人，
and stretching its neck so that its wide-open eyes might peer at her through the railings.
正睁大眼睛伸长脖子以便能通过栏杆仔细窥她一眼。
Something in the eagerness and timidity of the smudgy face made her look at it,
那污迹斑斑的小脸上所表现的热切与畏怯之中流露出一点什么，使萨拉看向她。
and when she looked she smiled because it was her way to smile at people.
萨拉看她时带着微笑，因为对人微笑正是她的一贯做法。
But the owner of the smudgy face and the wide-open eyes evidently was afraid
可是那张污迹斑斑的脸和睁大的眼睛的主人显然在担心
that she ought not to have been caught looking at pupils of importance.
自己不应被人发现正在窥视那地位优越的学生。
She dodged out of sight like a jack-in-the-box and scurried back into the kitchen,
她像匣子里藏着的那种玩具跳偶般躲藏起来，匆匆回进厨房，
disappearing so suddenly that if she had not been such a poor little forlorn thing, Sara would have laughed in spite of herself.
如此突兀地失去了踪影，若不是因为她是这样一个孤苦伶仃的小东西，萨拉会情不自禁地笑起来的。
That very evening, as Sara was sitting in the midst of a group of listeners in a corner of the schoolroom telling one of her stories,
就在当天傍晚，在教室的一角，萨拉坐在一群听众中间讲故事，
the very same figure timidly entered the room, carrying a coal box much too heavy for her,
这小东西怯生生地走进房间，携来一箱对她来说实在太沉重的煤，
and knelt down upon the hearth rug to replenish the fire and sweep up the ashes.
在壁炉前的地毯上跪下，给炉火添煤、清除炉灰。
She was cleaner than she had been when she peeped through the area railings, but she looked just as frightened.
她比在天井栏杆后面窥视时洁净些了，但看上去还是那么惊惶不安。
She was evidently afraid to look at the children or seem to be listening.
她显然不敢正眼看这些孩子，也不敢显出在听的样子。
She put on pieces of coal cautiously with her fingers so that she might make no disturbing noise,
她小心翼翼地用手指一块一块地添煤，以免发出扰人的响声，
and she swept about the fire irons very softly.
清理火炉用具时的动作也很轻柔。
But Sara saw in two minutes that she was deeply interested in what was going on,
不到两分钟，萨拉就看出她对眼前发生的事深感兴趣，
and that she was doing her work slowly in the hope of catching a word here and there.
正慢慢地干着活，希望东一句西一句地听明白一些内容。
And realizing this, she raised her voice and spoke more clearly.
萨拉领悟到这一点，就提高了嗓音讲述得更清晰了。
"The Mermaids swam softly about in the crystal-green water, and dragged after them a fishing-net woven of deep-sea pearls,"
“那些美人鱼轻柔地在晶莹的绿色海水中游泳，身后拖曳着一张用深海的珍珠编成的渔网，”
she said. "The Princess sat on the white rock and watched them."
她讲着，“公主坐在白色的岩石上望着她们。”
It was a wonderful story about a princess who was loved by a Prince Merman, and went to live with him in shining caves under the sea.
这是个奇妙的故事，说的是一位公主被人鱼王子爱上了，跟他去住在海底闪着珠光宝气的洞府里。
The small drudge before the grate swept the hearth once and then swept it again.
这个小奴仆在壁炉前将炉边的地面清扫了一次又一次。
