15 The Needy Orphans

The Needy Orphans It's amazing how quickly a day can change. Less than five minutes beforehand, they had all been feeling pretty jolly about life. "I ain't feeling jolly about life," moaned the bird-keeper. "Neither am I," said Bethany. "I'm also far from jolly," added Ebenezer. Like most un-jolly people, all three of them wanted to have some time alone with their

一天的变化真是快得惊人。 不到五分钟之前，他们还对生活感到相当愉快。 “我对生活感到不愉快，”养鸟人呻吟道。 “我也是，”伯大尼说。 “我也一点也不快乐，”埃比尼泽补充说。 像大多数不快乐的人一样，他们三个人都想单独和他们的

thoughts. The last thing any of them wanted to do was make conversation, and so it was highly irritating when they heard the shop door swing open. "Good day!" shouted a voice, which was infuriatingly chirpy. When you are feeling un-jolly, there is nothing worse than having to deal with someone who is in a good mood. Ebenezer, Bethany, and the bird-keeper stumbled to the front of the shop. They discovered that the owner of the chirpy voice was Miss Fizzlewick, and that she had arrived with a box. Each of them groaned. She was unable to tell that her presence was unwelcome. "Good day to all of you!" said Miss Fizzlewick. "Well, two of you anyway," she

的想法。他们最不愿意做的事情就是交谈，所以当他们听到商店门打开的声音时，他们非常恼火。 “你好！”一个声音叫道，那声音快活得令人恼火。 当你心情不好的时候，没有什么比和心情好的人打交道更糟糕的了。 埃比尼泽、宝芬妮和养鸟人跌跌撞撞地走到店门口。 他们发现那个声音的主人是菲兹乐维克小姐，她带着一个盒子来了。 他们每个人都呻吟着。她说不出她的出现是不受欢迎的。 “大家好！”菲兹乐威小姐说。 “好吧，反正你们两个。

added, on spotting Bethany. "Have you had a haircut, Mr. Tweezer?" "No, I'm just an old fart," he answered grumpily. "Why are you here?" asked the bird-keeper, even more grumpily. "That's a very good question!" shrieked Miss Fizzlewick. Her enthusiasm was relentless. "And the answer is that I want to offer you the chance to feel good about yourself." The bird-keeper perked up at this. "As you probably already know, at the Institute for Gentlemanly Boys and Ladylike Ladies, we can't always give as much as we would like," said Miss Fizzlewick. "What with all the money it takes to feed the children and

看到宝芬妮，他又说。 “你理发了吗，镊子先生？”“不，我只是个老屁，”他暴躁地回答。 “你怎么在这儿？”养鸟人更生气地问。 “这个问题问得好！”菲兹乐维克小姐尖叫道。 她的热情是无情的。 “答案是，我想给你一个自我感觉良好的机会。” 看鸟人听了这话，精神起来了。 “你可能已经知道，在绅士男孩和淑女学院，我们不能总是随心所欲地给予。”菲兹乐维克小姐说。 “要花那么多钱养活孩子们，而且

clothe them and keep them in school, we don't have much left to treat them." "Ever," muttered Bethany. Miss Fizzlewick narrowed her eyes but carried on. "Yes, well, we can't always give them the presents and rewards for good behavior that some of them deserve." "Your office seemed awfully nice for someone who can't afford presents," said Ebenezer. "I am a lady, Mr. Tweezer, and I have grown accustomed to ladylike things. My luxurious lifestyle is a necessary expense for the orphanage," said Miss Fizzlewick. The bird-keeper was losing interest. He couldn't see how any of this would help him feel better about the fact that his favorite bird had died in suspicious circumstances.

给他们穿衣服，让他们上学，我们没有多少钱给他们治病了。” “永远，”宝芬妮喃喃地说。菲兹乐维克小姐眯起眼睛，继续说下去。 “是的，我们不能总是给他们一些他们应得的礼物和奖励。” “对于一个买不起礼物的人来说，你的办公室真是太好了，”埃比尼泽说。 “我是一位女士，特威泽先生，我已经习惯了女士的生活。 我奢华的生活方式是孤儿院的一笔必要开支。”菲兹乐维克小姐说。 养鸟人失去了兴趣。 他最喜欢的鸟儿死于可疑的情况，他看不出这一切能让他好受些。

"Now then, you're probably wondering what this all has to do with you," continued Miss Fizzlewick, addressing the pressing issue. "Well, I have been visiting all the business owners in the area, and I have asked them all whether they have anything they might be able to donate to us." Miss Fizzlewick put her box on the counter and showed some of the things that had already been donated. The items in the box included twelve bags of licorice from Miss Muddle's sweetshop, a stack of unwanted books from the local library, a bottle of full-fat milk from the milkman, and a trio of trumpets from Mr. and Mrs. Cussock's theater school. "And so now, I come to you," said Miss Fizzlewick to the bird-keeper. "Is there

“现在，你可能在想这一切和你有什么关系。”菲兹乐维克小姐接着说，谈到了这个紧迫的问题。 “嗯，我一直在拜访这个地区所有的企业主，我问过他们是否有什么可以捐赠给我们的。” 菲兹乐维克小姐把她的盒子放在柜台上，展示了一些已经被捐赠的东西。 盒子里的东西包括从马德尔小姐的糖果店买的十二袋甘草，从当地图书馆借来的一堆不想要的书，从送奶工那里买的一瓶全脂牛奶，以及从库索克夫妇的戏剧学校买的三重奏小号。 “所以现在，我来找你，”菲兹乐维克小姐对养鸟人说。 “有

anything you might be willing to give to those who need it most?" "But Miss Fizzlewick, this is a bird shop!" protested the bird-keeper. "That hardly matters," said Miss Fizzlewick. "Surely, in all your shop, there must be at least one thing you can share?" This sort of request would never have usually worked with the bird-keeper. He was a money-minded businessman, and he was not in the habit of giving away his birds for free. However, on this day, he was suddenly struck with a wonderful idea. The bird-keeper went to the back of the shop and returned, a few moments later, with the hoatzin. He placed it in Miss Fizzlewick's box and smiled. "It's all yours," he said.

你愿意给那些最需要的人什么吗？”“可是菲兹乐维克小姐，这是一家卖鸟店！” “这没什么关系。”菲兹乐维克小姐说。 “在你所有的商店里，肯定至少有一样东西是你可以分享的吧？”这种要求通常不会被鸟饲养员接受。 他是个唯利是图的商人，他没有把鸟免费送人的习惯。 然而，就在这一天，他突然有了一个绝妙的主意。 养鸟人走到商店的后面，过了一会儿，拿着那只鹅回来了。 他把它放在费兹乐维克小姐的盒子里，笑了。 “都是你的了，”他说。