Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Balance balance (balance), n. A device used for weighing that has a pivoted horizontal beam from which hang two scales. In statues and paintings, the figure of Justice is often shown holding a balance. "Grandma, can you talk for a minute?" Jessie stuck a moshi pillow behind her head and cradled the phone to her ear. "Sure, Jessie Bean. What's up?" Jessie's grandmother lived four hours away, so Jessie called her on the phone a lot. "Everything's awful," said Jessie, picking at a corner of her bedroom wallpaper that was peeling.

第十五章余额，余额名词。 秤一种用于称重的装置，有一个旋转的水平横梁，上面挂着两个天平 在雕像和绘画中，正义的形象经常表现为保持平衡。 “奶奶，你能说几句话吗？”杰西在头后塞了一个莫希枕头，把电话放在耳边。 “当然可以，杰西·宾。有什么事吗?”杰西的祖母住在四小时车程之外，所以杰西经常给她打电话。 “一切都糟透了，”杰西一边说，一边扒拉着卧室墙纸的一角，墙纸已经剥落了。

She explained to her grandmother about the trial yesterday and the basketball game and Scott kicking the ball into the swamp. She told her how Evan had to hunt for the ball for half an hour before finally finding it, and how he told all his friends to just go home, he'd find it himself, just go home. So they did. And how Evan and Jessie were left to look for the ball, and how Evan didn't talk the whole time they did. "And today he's not even eating, or anything," said Jessie. "Did you know that it's Yom Kippur?" "Yom Kippur, is that the one where the kids dress up?" asked Jessie's grandmother. "No, that's Purim." Grandma was always mixing up things like that, things that sounded kind of the same, but were different. During their last phone call, she was talking with Jessie about the sequoia trees in California, but she kept using the word sequester instead. "Yom Kippur is the day when the Jewish people ask for forgiveness and they don't eat."

她向祖母解释了昨天的审判、篮球比赛和斯科特把球踢进沼泽的事。 她告诉她埃文找了半个小时才找到球，他告诉他所有的朋友回家，他自己会找到的，回家就好。 于是他们照做了。还有埃文和杰西是怎么被丢下去找球的，还有他们说话的时候埃文怎么一句话也没说。 “今天他甚至不吃东西，什么也不吃，”杰西说。 “你知道今天是赎罪日吗？”“赎罪日，是孩子们盛装打扮的那一天吗？”杰西的祖母问。 “不，那是普珥节。”奶奶总是把这样的东西弄混，那些听起来差不多，但又不一样的东西。 在他们最后一次通话中，她正在和杰西谈论加州的红杉树，但她一直用“封存”这个词来代替。 “赎罪日是犹太人请求宽恕的日子，他们不吃东西。”

"Is Evan Jewish now?" asked Grandma. "No, but he's not eating. He says he's not hungry," said Jessie. "Sometimes that happens to me," Grandma said. "I practically forget to eat." "But Evan's always hungry," said Jessie. "Mom says he's a bottomless pit." "He'll eat when he's ready," said Grandma. "Let it go." Jessie hated it when her grandmother said that. She was always telling Jessie to let it go and be the tree. Crazy yoga grandma. How could anyone be a tree? "But... I want to do something to help," said Jessie. "Why don't you bake cookies?" said Grandma. "That'll get him to eat. Right?" "I don't think so," said Jessie. "Not this time." This was bigger than cookies. How could she explain to her grandmother how bad things were? Jessie had believed in the trial. She had thought

“艾凡现在是犹太人了吗？”奶奶问。 “没有，但他没有吃东西。他说他不饿，”杰西说。 “有时候我也会这样，”奶奶说。 “我几乎忘了吃饭。” “但是埃文总是很饿，”杰西说。 “妈妈说他是个无底洞。” “他准备好了就会吃的，”奶奶说。 “随它去吧。”杰西不喜欢她奶奶这么说。 她总是告诉杰西放手，做那棵树。 疯狂的瑜伽奶奶。怎么会有人是树呢？ “但是……我想做点什么来帮忙，”杰西说。 “你为什么不烤饼干呢？”奶奶说。 “这样他就能吃东西了。对吗?”“我不这么认为，”杰西说。 “这次不会了。”这比饼干更重要。 她怎么能向祖母解释情况有多糟糕呢？ 杰西相信审判。 她原以为

the truth would come out in court, and with truth would come justice. But instead of truth in the courtroom, there had been lies, including hers. Instead of justice, there was a crime with no punishment. And now she and Evan were going to have to stand up in front of the entire fourth grade and say that they had been wrong— even though Jessie knew that wasn't true. "Grandma, it's so unfair," said Jessie. "I know Scott Spencer took that money. I know he's lying. And now it feels like I did all this work, just so he'd end up looking innocent!" "Some things are beyond your control, Jessie," said her grandmother. "You need to learn to accept that. You can't run the whole world." I wish I did, thought Jessie. The world would be a better place if she was in charge. But then... she thought of the terrible thing she'd done. "Grandma," she blurted out. "I lied in court." She explained how it had happened. Her grandmother listened to the whole story without interrupting.

在法庭上真相会大白，正义也会随着真相而来。 但在法庭上，除了真相，还有谎言，包括她的谎言。 这是一种没有惩罚的罪行，而不是正义。 现在，她和埃文必须站在整个四年级的学生面前，说他们错了——尽管杰西知道这不是真的。 “奶奶，这太不公平了，”杰西说。 “我知道斯科特·斯宾塞拿了那笔钱。 我知道他在撒谎。现在我觉得我做了这么多工作，只是为了让他看起来无辜！”“有些事情是你无法控制的，杰西，”她的祖母说。 “你需要学会接受这一点。 你不可能掌控整个世界。” 我希望我知道，杰西想。 如果由她做主，世界会变得更美好。 但后来…她想起了自己做过的可怕的事。 “奶奶，”她脱口而出。 “我在法庭上撒了谎。”她解释了事情的经过。 她的祖母听了整个故事，没有打断她。

"Lying is wrong," Grandma said, "but at least you did it from a good place in your heart. You don't need to feel ashamed about loving your brother." "I still feel really bad about it," said Jessie. "That's good," said Grandma. "I'd be worried if you didn't feel bad about lying. You do have control over that. Nobody can make you lie. So feel bad for a while, and always remember what you've learned, and then move on and be a better person. But don't beat yourself up, Jessie. You're only seven." "Grandma! I'm eight!" said Jessie. How could her grandmother forget her age? "Really?" said Grandma. "Are you sure?" "I've been eight for almost a whole year. My birthday is next month." "Good," said Grandma, "because I have a book I've been meaning to send you, and it will be the perfect birthday present." "Grandma," said Jessie, her voice sounding a warning. "You're not going to send me The Prince and the Pauper again, are you?"

“撒谎是不对的，”奶奶说，“但至少你这么做是出于好意。 你不必为爱你的兄弟而感到羞耻。” “我还是觉得很难过，”杰西说。 “太好了，”奶奶说。 “如果你不为说谎感到难过，我会担心的。 你可以控制它。 没人能逼你撒谎。所以，难过一段时间，记住你所学到的，然后继续前进，做一个更好的人。 但别自责，杰西。 你才七岁。”“奶奶!我八岁了！”杰西说。 她的祖母怎么会忘记自己的年龄呢？ “真的吗？”奶奶说。“你确定吗？”“我八岁已经快一年了。 我的生日是下个月。” “太好了，”奶奶说，“因为我有一本书，我一直想送你，它将是完美的生日礼物。” “奶奶，”杰西说，她的声音听起来像是在警告。 “你不会又要把《王子与乞丐》寄给我吧？”

"No, Miss Smarty Pants! I remember I sent you that book—twice! You'll never let me forget that, will you?" "Why do you forget things?" asked Jessie. "You didn't used to." "Oh, Jessie Bean, I'm getting old." Her grandmother laughed quietly, and Jessie hugged the phone closer. "And that's something neither of us has any control over. Sorry to say." Jessie heard the doorbell ring downstairs. She knew her mother wouldn't hear it all the way up in the attic office, and she was pretty sure that Evan wouldn't answer it, even if he did hear it. "Gotta go, Grandma," said Jessie. "There's someone at the door." "Okay, Honey Bear. Be the tree! And bake cookies! I love you." Jessie ran downstairs and opened the front door. There was Megan. "Hi," said Megan. Jessie lifted her hand in a short wave, but she

“不，自作聪明小姐！”我记得我给你寄过那本书两次！你永远不会让我忘记这一点，是吗？”“你为什么会忘事？”杰西问。 “你不习惯。”“哦，杰西·宾，我老了。” 奶奶轻轻地笑了，杰西把手机抱得更紧了。 这是我们双方都无法控制的事情。 很抱歉这么说。”杰西听到楼下的门铃响了。 她知道她妈妈在阁楼上的办公室不会听到，她也很确定，即使埃文听到了，他也不会接电话。 “我得走了，奶奶，”杰西说。 “有人在敲门。” “好吧，蜜糖熊。做那棵树！还要烤饼干！我爱你。” 杰西跑下楼，打开前门。 还有梅根。“嗨，”梅金说。 杰西挥了挥手，但是她