3 A Maid Named Martha

CHAPTER 3 A Maid Named Martha Mary awoke to the sounds of a young housemaid kneeling at the fireplace, sweeping cold cinders into a pan. Mary watched her for a few moments. Then she glanced around the room. Even in the daylight it seemed oddly gloomy. The walls were covered with a tapestry embroidered with pictures of a forest and people in strange clothing. Mary turned to the window. She saw a great stretch of flat, treeless land. It resembled a dull purple sea.

第三章一个名叫玛莎·玛丽的女仆被一个年轻女仆跪在壁炉前把冷煤渣扫进平底锅的声音吵醒了。 玛丽看了她一会儿。 然后她环视了一下房间。 即使在白天，这里也显得出奇地阴沉。 墙上挂着一幅挂毯，上面绣着森林和穿着奇装异服的人的图画。 玛丽转向窗户。 她看到一大片平坦无树的土地。 它像一片暗紫色的大海。

"What's that?" she asked, pointing toward the window. The young maid said, "That's the moor. Do you like it?" "No," Mary said. "I hate it." The maid grinned and said, "You'll get used to it. It looks bare in winter, but in the summer it's covered with wild heather and smells sweet as honey. The air's so fresh and the sky looks so high, full of bees and skylarks. I wouldn't live away from the moor for anything!" Mary was puzzled. In India, the servants never talked so freely. Curious, Mary said, "You're a strange servant. What's your name?" The maid laughed. "I'm Martha, and I know I seem strange to you. I'm a country girl from Yorkshire. If Misselthwaite were like other big houses, I'd have to work in the

“那是什么？”她指着窗户问。 年轻的女仆说：“那是沼地。 你喜欢吗？”“不，”玛丽说。 “我讨厌它。”女仆笑着说：“你会习惯的。 它在冬天看起来光秃秃的，但在夏天它被野生石南覆盖，闻起来像蜂蜜一样甜。 空气那么清新，天空看起来那么高，到处都是蜜蜂和云雀。 我无论如何也不愿离开沼地住下去！”玛丽很困惑。 在印度，仆人们说话从不这么随意。 玛丽好奇地说：“你真是个奇怪的仆人。 你叫什么名字？”女仆笑了。 “我是玛莎，我知道你觉得我很陌生。 我是一个来自约克郡的乡村女孩。 如果米塞斯韦特像其他大房子一样，我就得在

kitchen. But this house has no mistress, and Mr. Craven's nearly always away, so I work upstairs." "Are you my servant?" Mary asked. "I'm Mrs. Medlock's servant," Martha replied, "but I'll clean your room and wait on you a bit." Mary had to listen as Martha, whose friendly voice had a soothing effect, told her all about her large family and their cottage on the moor. "My brother Dickon is twelve, and he's got a young pony. He found it and its mother on the moor. He'd give it bits of bread and grass, and it got to like him. Now it follows him around and even lets him ride it. Dickon's a kind lad, and animals like him." Mary began to take a slight interest in Dickon. This was strange because Mary had never been interested in anyone but herself. Mary had some tea and a little toast. Then

厨房。可是这所房子没有女主人，克雷文先生又几乎总是不在家，所以我就在楼上干活。” “你是我的仆人吗？”玛丽问道。 “我是梅德洛克太太的仆人，”玛莎回答说，“不过我会打扫你的房间，为你服务一会儿。” 玛莎友好的声音给了玛丽一种安慰的感觉，她只好听她讲她的大家庭和他们在沼地上的小屋。 “我哥哥狄肯十二岁了，他有一匹小马。 他在沼地上找到了它和它的妈妈。 他会给它一些面包和草，然后它就喜欢上了他。 现在它跟着他，甚至让他骑它。 狄肯是个善良的孩子，动物们都喜欢他。” 玛丽开始对狄肯产生了一点兴趣。 这很奇怪，因为玛丽从来只对自己感兴趣。 玛丽喝了点茶，吃了点烤面包。 然后

Martha cleared the table. "You wrap up warm and go outside to play," she said. "That will give you an appetite." Mary looked out the window. "Why should I go out on a day like this?" she asked. Everything looked gray and wintry. Martha answered, "If you don't go out, you'll have to stay in. And what will you do here?" Martha was right. There were no toys or books in the nursery or in the bedroom. "Who will go with me?" Mary asked. "You'll go by yourself, of course," Martha said. "Our Dickon plays on the moor alone for hours. He plays with the pony and the sheep that know him. The birds come to eat out of his hand." Mary thought that at least there would be birds to amuse her. Martha helped her into

玛莎收拾桌子。“你穿暖和点，出去玩，”她说。 “那会使你有食欲的。” 玛丽向窗外望去。 “我为什么要在这样的天气出去呢？”她问。 一切都显得灰暗而寒冷。 玛莎回答说：“如果你不出去，你就得呆在家里。 你在这里要做什么？”玛莎是对的。 婴儿室和卧室里没有玩具，也没有书。 “谁愿意和我一起去？”玛丽问道。 “当然，你自己去。”玛莎说。 “我们的狄肯一个人在沼地上玩了好几个小时。 他和认识他的小马和羊一起玩。 鸟儿从他的手里飞来吃东西。” 玛丽想，至少会有鸟儿来逗她开心。 玛莎扶她进去。

her coat, cap, and sturdy boots, and led her downstairs. At the door, Martha pointed to a gate in the bushes. "The gardens are through there. You can play in all of them, except one that's locked up. Mr. Craven shut it when his wife died ten years ago and buried the key." A bell rang, and Martha hurried away. Alone, Mary stepped outside, left to wonder about the locked garden.

她穿上大衣、帽子和结实的靴子，领她下了楼。 在门口，玛莎指着灌木丛中的一扇门。 “花园在那边。 你可以在所有的房间里玩，除了一个锁着的房间。 克莱文先生十年前妻子去世时，他就把钥匙关上了，把钥匙埋了。” 铃响了，玛莎匆匆走开了。 玛丽独自走了出去，留下她对锁着的花园感到疑惑。