Sara did not expect much,and was far too proud tO try tO continue to be intimate with girls who evidently felt rather awkward and uncertain a—bout her.The fact was that Miss Minchin’S pupils were a set of dull,mat_ter——of——fact young people.They were accustomed to being rich and comfortable,and as Sara’S frocks grew shorter and shabbier and queerer—looking.and it became an established fact that she wore shoes with holes in them and was sent out to buy groceries and carry them throughthe streets in a basket on her arln when the cook wanted them in a hurry,they felt rather as if,when they spoke to her,they were addressing an un—der servant.
“To think that she was the girl with the diamond mines,’’Lavinia commented.“She does look an object.And she’s queerer thanerInever liked her much,but I can’t bear that way she has now of looking atpeople without speaking-just as if she was finding them out.’’
“I am,”said Sara,promptly,when she heard of this.“That,s whatI look at some people for.I like to know about them.I think them Overafterward.’’
The truth was that she had saved herself annoyance several times bVkeeping her eye on Lavinia,who was quite ready to make mischief.andwould have been rather pleased to have made it for the ex—show pupil.
Sara never made any mischief herself,or interfered with anvone.She worked like a drudge;she tramped through the wet streets.carrying par—cels and baskets;she labored with the childish inattention of the little ones’French lessons;as she became shabbier and more forlOm一100—king,she was told that she had better take her meals downstairs:she was treated as if she was nobody’S concem,and her heart grew proud and sore,but she never told anyone what she felt.
“Soldiers don’t complain,”she would say between her small.shutteeth,“I am not going to do it;1 will pretend this is part of a war.”change n.变化,换,找回的零钱labor n.劳动;分娩,阵痛;劳工,劳方temper n.脾气,趋向,调剂
V.锻炼,使缓和,调剂;经回火后具有的韧度wanted adj.被通缉的;被征求的domineering adj.极权的;作威作福的commission n.佣金;任务,职权,权限;委任,委托;委员会
V.委任,使服役,委托制作scullery n.碗碟洗涤处,碗碟储藏室personage n.重要人士,名士,显要intimate n.秘密
v.暗示,告诉,通知
adj.亲密的,秘密的,私人的through adv.从头到尾,直达地,自始至终
prep.从头到尾,直达地,自始至终;
直达的,直通的;以,凭借,用;通过;由于,因为
adj.直达的,直通的;完成的,结束的小公主——萨拉
[英]弗朗西斯·霍奇森·伯内特
她的生活不是逐渐改变的,而是一下子就变了。
次日清晨,当她下楼吃早饭的时候,她发现自己在明钦小姐旁边的座位已被拉维妮娅占据了,明钦小姐冷冰冰地对她开了腔。
“你要开始干你的新工作了,萨拉,”她说,“你到小饭桌那边和低年级的孩子们一起坐吧。你要让她们保持安静,让她们举止得当,不准浪费粮食。”
这不过是个开始,之后交给她的任务一天比一天繁重。她要教年纪较小的孩子们法文,辅导她们其他的课程,然而这算是交给她的工作中最轻松的活了。人们发现她可以做各种杂事,可以在任何时候、任何天气打发她去办事。可以吩咐她去干别人不愿干的活儿。厨娘和女仆学着明钦小姐的腔调,颇为开心地支使这个长时间以来受到过分关爱的“年轻小姐”,让她东奔西走。她们不是地位高的仆人,既没礼貌,脾气又坏,身边要是有人可以经常拿来出气,那是再方便不过了。
在开始的一两个月时间里,萨拉愿意尽可能把活干好,受到责备时也i一声不吭,她认为这样就可能会让拼命使唤她的人变得温和些。在她幼小而骄傲的心灵中,她希望她们知道,她正在努力自食其力,而不是接受施舍。但是她后来终于明白了,没有人会因为她的顺从而变得心软,她越是乖乖地按照吩咐干活,那些漫不经心的女仆越是盛气凌人,挑剔刻薄,喜欢骂街的厨娘也就动辄劈头盖脸地训斥她。
要是她年纪大一些,明钦小姐就会让她去教大一些的女孩,这样可以解雇一名女教师来节省开支;不过她看起来还像个小女孩,让她当个上等使女和任听差遣的小女仆会更有用。一个普通的童仆不会像她那样伶俐可靠。人们可以把困难的任务和复杂的口信托付给她。她甚至可以去付账,她还可以帮忙把房间打扫干净,把东西收拾整齐。
她自己的功课早已成为过去的事了。没有人教她,只有在按照别人的吩咐四处奔波度过漫长而忙碌的一天后,才勉强被允许在晚上带着一摞旧书在空无一人的教室里独自学习。
“如果我不复习学过的东西,我可能会把它们全忘掉,”她对自己说:“我现在几乎是个帮厨女佣了,如果我一无所知的话,那就和可怜的贝姬一样了。”
在她的新生活里,最奇怪的事情之一就是她在学生中的地位也发生了变化。她在她们当中已不再是带有几分王室派头的大人物了,她似乎不再是她们中间的一分子。人们不停地支使她干活,她甚至没有机会和她们说上一句话,而且她不可能看不出来,明钦小姐更希望她远离那些在教室学习的女生们,独自生活。
“我不许她同别的孩子亲密往来,和她们讲话,”那位女士说,“姑娘们爱听别人诉苦。要是她给自己编个罗曼蒂克的故事,她会变成一个受到虐待的女主角,这样会给家长们留下个坏印象。她最好单独生活——过与她的境况相配的生活。我给了她一个家,远远超出了她有权指望能从我这里得到的一切。”
萨拉并没有太多的奢望,她的自尊心太强,以至于她不愿意做出任何努力去和那些女孩子们继续来往,她们显然觉得有些别扭,也觉得萨拉难以捉摸。事实上,明钦小姐的学生是一群迟钝而现实的姑娘,她们过惯了富裕而舒适的日子。随着萨拉的衣服越来越短,越来越破,式样越来越古怪,并且,每当厨娘急需某些食品杂货时,穿着破鞋子的她就会被派出去采购那些东西,再挎着篮子穿过街道走回来。当这一切成为既定事实的时候,她们对她讲话时总觉得是在对下人讲话。“想想看,她曾是个拥有钻石矿的姑娘,”拉维妮娅评价道,“她现在看上去可真不成样子!她比以前更古怪了。我从来就不太喜欢她,但是我受不了她现在那种不讲话盯着人看的样子,就像她要看透别人似的。”
“是的,”当萨拉听到这些,立即说,“那就是为什么我要看着某些人的原因,我想要了解她们。以后我会反复地思考她们的一切。”
事实是萨拉时刻留神拉维妮娅,使自己多次免受骚扰,因为拉维妮娅随时准备捣鬼,捉弄这个曾经“出尽风头”的学生让她欣喜不已。
萨拉自己从来不捣鬼,也不骚扰别人。她像苦力一样干活;她拿着包裹提着篮子拖着沉重的步伐穿过湿滑的街道;她费力地给那些稚气的不专心的小孩子们上法语课;因为她的衣服越来越破旧,看上去可怜兮兮的,她被告知最好在楼下吃饭;她得不到任何人的关心,她的内心越来越骄傲也越来越痛苦,可是她从不向别人吐露自己的想法。
“战士从不抱怨,”她会咬紧牙关,从细小的牙缝里挤出这句话:“我不打算这么做,我要假设这是战争的一部分。”
名人名言
The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with compo一$UI.e one heavy mischance after’another.not because he does not feelthem.but because he is a man of high and heroic temper
——Ar4stotle
人们泰然自若地承受接踵而至的灾难,并不是由于感觉迟钝,而是由于具有崇高和英勇的品质,这时,尽管在厄运中,心灵美仍放射出灿烂光辉。
——亚里士多德