23 Susan Sowerby Saves the Day

CHAPTER 23 Susan Sowerby Saves the Day The children had agreed that Mrs. Sowerby could share their secret. Dickon told his mother how Colin and Mary were getting plumper and rosier every day. But there was a problem: the servants at the manor couldn't find out that Colin was regaining his health. "He and Miss Mary have to do some playacting," Dickon said with a grin. "Mr. Colin complains as usual and acts helpless,

第二十三章苏珊·索尔比拯救了一天孩子们一致同意索尔比太太可以分享他们的秘密。 狄肯告诉妈妈，科林和玛丽一天比一天更丰满、更红润了。 但有一个问题：庄园的仆人们不知道柯林正在恢复健康。 “他和玛丽小姐得演点戏。”狄肯笑着说。 “科林先生像往常一样抱怨，表现得很无助，

and Miss Mary treats him like he's a weak, pitiful thing. When they get to the garden, they burst out laughing." Mrs. Sowerby nodded. "Good healthy laughter's better than pills any day." Dickon said, "They're both so hungry now that they keep asking for more food. But if they ask for too much, the servants and the doctor get curious. The doctor said that he'd write to Mr. Craven about it, which scared Colin. Colin wants to surprise Mr. Craven when he comes back." "Maybe I can help," Mrs. Sowerby said. She offered some fresh milk, extra bread, and currant buns for Dickon to take to the garden. The next morning, Dickon surprised his friends with two tin pails: one filled with rich, creamy milk and the other containing fresh buns wrapped in a checkered napkin.

玛丽小姐对待他就像对待一个软弱可怜的家伙。 当他们到达花园时，他们突然大笑起来。” 索尔比太太点点头。“健康的笑声总比吃药强” 狄肯说：“他们现在都很饿，他们一直要更多的食物。 但如果他们要求太多，仆人和医生就会感到好奇。 医生说他会写信告诉克雷文先生这件事，这把科林吓坏了。 柯林想在克雷文先生回来时给他一个惊喜。” “也许我能帮上忙，”索尔比太太说。 她拿出一些新鲜牛奶、额外的面包和葡萄干小圆面包，让狄肯带到花园去。 第二天早上，狄肯给他的朋友们带来了两个锡桶，一个装满了浓郁的奶油牛奶，另一个装满了用格子餐巾包着的新鲜面包。

The children were grateful for the delicious food and ate hungrily. Colin remarked, "Mrs. Sowerby must have the magic in her, too, that makes her think of ways to do nice things." Now staying inside on rainy days made Colin bored and restless. One dreary day, Mary invited Colin to explore the mysterious old house with its hundred rooms that nobody went into. "A hundred..." Colin said dreamily. "That's as mysterious as a locked garden!" They both laughed. They played in the room with the little ivory elephants and explored rooms Mary hadn't seen, new hallways, staircases, pictures, and strange old things. Back in Colin's room, they ate every bite of lunch. Mary also noticed something odd in his room: the curtain no longer covered the

孩子们对美味的食物很感激，饿着肚子吃着。 科林说：“索尔比太太身上一定也有魔力，能让她想办法做好事。” 现在下雨天呆在屋里让科林感到厌烦和不安。 在一个沉闷的日子里，玛丽邀请柯林去探索那座神秘的老房子，那里有一百间没有人进去的房间。 “一百……”科林梦幻般地说。 “这就像一个锁着的花园一样神秘！”他们都笑了。 他们在房间里和小象牙象玩耍，探索玛丽没见过的房间、新的走廊、楼梯、图画和奇怪的旧东西。 回到科林的房间，他们吃完了每一口午餐。 玛丽还注意到他房间里有些奇怪的东西：窗帘不再盖住房间了

picture of his mother above the fireplace. Colin noticed and said, "I like to see her now. One night I woke up and saw moonlight shining on the curtain—it was like magic filled the room. I opened the curtain, and it was as though she was laughing because she was glad to see me standing up." Mary looked at the picture and said, "You look so much like her now—like her ghost made into a boy." "If I look like her, then maybe my father will be fond of me," he said hopefully.

壁炉上方他母亲的照片。 科林注意到了，说：“我现在想看看她。 一天晚上，我醒来，看到月光照在窗帘上——就像魔法一样充满了房间。 我拉开窗帘，她似乎在笑，因为她看到我站起来很高兴。” 玛丽看着照片说：“你现在看起来很像她——就像她的鬼魂变成了一个男孩。” “如果我长得像她，也许我父亲会喜欢我，”他满怀希望地说。