The Water Babies

　　Once upon a time there was a little chimney sweep named Tom who lived in a city in northern England. He could not read or write and he never washed or said his prayers. He had never been taught to do these things. Mr. Grimes， his master， made him work hard， fed him little， and beat him.

　　从前有一个清扫烟囱的小男孩，他的名字叫汤姆，住在英格兰北部的一个城市里。他不识字。也不会写字，从来不知冲洗，也不会做祷告，因为从来没有人教他做这些事情。他的主人格兰姆斯先生，只叫他拼命干活。给他吃得很少。而且还要打他。

　　One summer day， they were called to clean the chimneys at Harthover——a grand place owned by the rich Sir John. On the way， a mysterious woman with a red petticoat walked with them for a while.

　　夏季的一天，他们受雇到哈特霍弗去清扫烟囱，那里是富有的约翰爵士的一大片产业。在路上有个穿红裙的神秘女人跟着他们走了一阵子。

　　Harthover House was as big as a whole street of ordinary houses. It had many large and crooked chimneys that were connected to each other. While inside one of them， Tom got lost and came down the wrong chimney into a bedroom.

　　哈特合弗府邸很大。有着平常老百姓住家的整条街道那么大，上面有许多大而弯曲的烟囱彼此相连在一起。汤姆钻进去之后就迷了路，他走错了一个烟囱竟下到了一间卧室。

　　Under the snow white coverlet， upon the snow-white pillow， lay the most beautiful little girl that Tom had ever seen. Her cheeks were almost as white as the pillow， and her hair was like threads of gold spread all about over the bed. She might have been as old as Tom， or maybe a year or two older： but Tom did not think of that. He thought only of her delicate skin and golden hair， and wondered whether she were a real live person， or one of the wax dolls he had seen in the shops. But when he saw her breathe， he made up his mind that she was alive， and stood staring at her， as if she had been an angel out of heaven.

　　在雪白的被单下，雪白的枕头上，躺着一个汤姆有生以来从未见过的最漂亮的小女孩。她的双额几乎同枕头一样白，头发像金线般铺洒在床上。她可能和汤姆一样年纪，或许大一两岁，但是汤姆并不注意这些，只想着她那细嫩的皮肤和一头金发，心想不知她是个真人、还是在店铺里见过的蜡娃娃。但当见到她在呼吸时，他这才肯定她是个活人。汤姆站在那里目不转睛地看着她，就住她是从天而降的天使。

　　She awoke to see the black， ragged figure of little Tom. She screamed and a nurse came in. Tom escaped out a window and down a tree. He ran through the park around the house， climbed over a wall， and slowed to a walk. He went for miles through the moors and climbed a mountain. He was hot， tired， and thirsty， but down below was a wonderful sight.

　　她醒来之后看到全身污黑、衣衫褴楼的小汤姆便惊叫起来，于是一个保姆进到房里。汤姆跳窗逃走，攀树而下，穿过围绕在房子四周的庭园，翻过一道墙，然后才放慢了脚步。他走了好几英里路，穿过荒野，爬过一座山，他觉得又热又累，口干舌燥，但是脚下却是一幅美景。

　　A deep， deep green and rocky valley， very narrow， and filled with woods： but through the woods， hundreds of feet below him， he could see a clear stream glance. Oh， if he could but get down to that stream！ Then， by the stream， he saw the roof of a little cottage， and a little garden， set out in squares and beds. And there was a tiny little red thing moving in the garden， no bigger than a fly. As Tom looked down， he saw that it was a woman in a red petticoat！ The name of the place was Vendale. The woman in the cottage was teaching some children the alphabet. She gave Tom a cup of milk and a piece of bread and told him to rest. Being feverish， he could not sleep. He went down to the brook， took off his clothes， and tumbled into the cool， clear water.

　　那是一个非常狭长的绿色深谷，到处是岩石，谷中绿树成林；透过那片树林，可以看到离他脚下几百英尺的地方有一条清澈的小溪。啊，要是他能下到那条小溪该有多好！接着，他又看到在小溪旁边有一所小茅屋的房顶，一座小花园，里面是一方格一方格的花圃，还有个像苍蝇大小的红色小东西在花园里活动。再往下看，汤姆看清那原来是个穿红裙的女人。这个地方叫文代尔。茅屋里的女人正在教小孩子认字母。她给汤姆一杯牛奶和一片面包，并要他去休息一会儿。由于高度兴奋，他睡不着，于是往下走来到了小溪边。他脱掉衣服就地一滚就进入了清凉的水中。

　

　Tom suddenly found himself to be less than four inches long. The fairies had turned him into a water baby. He swam downstream， passing salmon going upstream. On the banks were men fishing. One of them fell into the swift current， rolled over and sank to the bottom of a deep hole. Tom saw that it was his old master， Mr. Grimes. Fairies carried the body away.

　　突然间，汤姆发现自己缩到了不到4英寸长。仙女们已将他变成小水娃。他往下游，与逆流而上的鲑鱼擦身而过。溪边有人在钓鱼，其中一个掉进急流里，翻了个滚，沉入一个深深的洞底。汤姆看到那是他的老主人格兰姆斯先生。仙女们把他的躯体带走了。

　　Tom reached the sea in the autumn. One day a man and a little girl were walking on the rocks at water's edge. She was Ellie， the same little girl Tom had seen in the great house. The man groped with his net in the weeds and caught little Tom by accident. Tom bit the man's finger and dropped back into the water. Excited， Ellie slipped and hit her head on a rock. That night， fairies came to her bed and carried her away.

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　　汤姆终于在秋天游到了大海。有一天，一个男人和一个小女孩在水边的岩石上行走。她叫埃利，就是汤姆在大宅里见到的小女孩。那个男人撒下网子在海草中搜索，碰巧把小汤姆抓了上来。汤姆咬了他的手指，趁机跳回水里。埃利很兴奋，没小心滑了一跤，头撞到一块岩石上。那天晚上，仙女们来到她床前将她带走了。

　　Tom found many water babies living in the sea. A kind fairy lady visited them from time to time. But Tom was naughty： he teased the crabs and anemones and stole sweets from the fairy's cupboard. As punishment， he was turned into a sea urchin. The fairy also found a girl to give Tom some schooling.

　　汤姆发现好多小水娃生活在海里，有个慈祥的仙女时常来探望他们。但是汤姆太顽皮了，常去戏弄螃蟹和海葵，还到仙女的橱柜里去偷糖果。他被处罚变成了海胆。那个仙女还找了一个女孩来给他上课。

　　So she taught Tom every day of the week； only on Sundays she always went away home， and the kind fairy took her place. And， before she had taught many Sundays， his prickles had vanished quite away， and his skin was smooth and clean again.

　　于是她每天都来教汤姆，只是每到星期日她总要回家，而由那个慈祥的仙女来代课。她代了不到几个星期日，汤姆身上的刺就渐渐消失了，皮肤又变得细嫩清洁了。

　　"Dear me！" said the little girl； "why， I know you now. You are the same little chimney sweep who came into my bedroom. "Dear me！" cried Tom. "And I know you， too， now. You are the very little white lady whom I saw in bed."

　　"天啊，"小女孩叫道，"咳，我现在认出你了。你就是那个闯进我卧室的扫烟囱的小孩。" "天啊，"汤姆也叫起来，"我现在也认出你了，你就是那个我看到躺在床上的一身白的小姐。"

　The fairy lady told Tom that he had to find Mr. Grimes. He swam for a long time， asking other sea creatures for directions. One day a ship on the surface was hit by a huge wave. A little black and tan terrier was washed over board. It turned into a water dog and became Tom's companion. Tom followed the dog through a hole at the bottom of the sea.

　　仙女告诉汤姆必须去找到格兰姆斯先生。他游了好久，一路上向海里的动物打听方向。有一天，海面上有艘船被大浪袭击，一只棕黑色的小狗坠入水中，变成了一条水狗，它于是成了汤姆的同伴。汤姆跟着小狗穿过海底的一个洞。

　　They made their way to a large prison building. There they saw Mr. Grimes stuck in a chimney with only his head and shoulders showing. Tom pulled at the bricks， but he could not move even one. The fairy lady appeared and told Grimes that his mother had gone to heaven.

　　他们终于到达了一所大监狱。在那里他们看到格兰姆斯先生被卡在一个烟囱里，只露出头和肩膀。汤姆想要把砖块搬开，但是一块也搬不动。仙女出现了，告诉格兰姆斯他的妈妈已经上了天堂。

　　"So my old mother's gone and I never there to speak to her！ Ah！ A good woman she was， and might have been a happly one， in her little school there in Vendale， if it hadn't been for me and my bad ways.

　　"我的老母亲死了，可我还一直没去那里跟她说说话呢。啊，她是一个很好的女人；如果不是为了我和我的恶劣行为，她在文代尔的小学校里会过得很快活的。"

　　"Ah！" said Grimes， "Good reason she had to hate the sight of a chimney sweep. I ran away from her and took up with the sweeps， and never let her know where I was， nor sent her a penny to help her， and now it's too late——too late l" He began to cry. His tears washed the soot off his face， washed the mortar from between the bricks， and the chimney crumbled down， freeing him.

　　"啊，"格兰姆斯说，"她不喜欢看到扫烟囱的人，这难怪啊。我当初离她而去后干的就是扫烟囱的活儿，我一直不让她知道我在哪儿，也没有寄过分文来帮助她；现在太迟了——太迟了！" 他开始哭了起来，眼泪洗去了脸上的煤烟，也洗掉了砖块间的泥灰，于是烟囱倒了下来，他获得了自由。

　　The fairy said that Tom's work was done. She took him up to the surface where， on an island， he met Ellie again. They were now grown up into a tall man and she into a beautiful woman. Together they lived happily ever after.

　　仙女说汤姆的工作已经完成，便将他带出海面到了一个岛上。在那里他又见到了埃利。他们现在都已长大。他成了个高大的男子，而她成了个美丽的女人。从此以后他们幸福地生活在一起。

 

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