1 The white bear

Chapter 1 The white bear Far away to the north, where the land is covered in thick, dark forests and the wind blows bitterly cold, there lived a poor family.

在遥远的北方，那里的土地被茂密、黑暗的森林覆盖着，风吹得刺骨寒冷，那里住着一个贫穷的家庭。

Late one afternoon, they sat huddled around the hearth. The firelight flickered over the children's faces. The boys were handsome, the girls pretty- but the youngest, Asta, was the most beautiful of all.

一天下午晚些时候，他们围坐在炉边。 火光在孩子们的脸上闪烁。 男孩们都很英俊，女孩们都很漂亮——但最小的阿斯达是所有人中最漂亮的。

As dusk began to close in around the cottage, there came a knock at the door. "Who's there?" called the father. But there was no answer.

当暮色开始笼罩小屋时，有人敲门。 “谁在那儿？”父亲叫道。 但是没有回答。

So the father rose and opened the door, letting in a rush of icy air. Before him stood a towering white bear. "I have watched your family all summer," said the bear, in a rumbling voice. "And I am ready to make you an offer."

于是父亲站起来打开门，让一股冰冷的空气进来。 在他面前站着一头高大的白熊。 “整个夏天我都在监视你们一家，”熊用低沉的声音说。 “我准备给你开个价。”

"If you give me your youngest daughter," he went on, "I can make you as rich as you are now poor." "I'll not give you my daughter," said the father, blocking the way, "however poor we may be."

“如果你把你最小的女儿给我，”他接着说，“我可以让你像现在这样富有。” “我不会把我的女儿给你的，”父亲挡住了路说，“不管我们多么穷。”