5 Tom Learns the Rules of the Palace

CHAPTER 5 Tom Learns the Rules of the Palace Later that afternoon, Lord Hertford brought a group of men to the prince's room. He pointed to a chair and indicated that Tom should sit. The boy did as he was told, but he felt strange. He knew that it was not polite to sit when his superiors were standing. He asked that they sit as well. The men all bowed their heads but remained standing.

第五章汤姆学习宫廷规矩那天下午晚些时候，赫特福德勋爵带着一群人来到王子的房间。 他指着一把椅子，示意汤姆坐下。 男孩照办了，但他觉得很奇怪。 他知道上司站着的时候坐着是不礼貌的。 他要求他们也坐下来。 所有的人都低下了头，但仍然站着。

Tom was about to insist when Lord Hertford whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, do not press the matter. It is not proper for them to sit in your presence. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but we need to speak for a moment," Lord Hertford continued. He stood in front of Tom. "I'm sure you know how important it is for the people of England to have faith in their king." Tom nodded slowly. "And I'm sure you understand that your father's illness has many people worried." Lord Hertford watched as Tom nodded his head again. "Your father has given orders that you should not cause any more problems. He has asked that you no longer mention this boy Tom Canty or Offal Court." Tom nodded. He knew there was nothing he could say. He felt trapped in the prince's clothes. As he watched, Lord Hertford and the

汤姆刚要坚持，赫德福勋爵在他耳边低语道：“陛下，别催了。 他们坐在你面前是不合适的。 “很抱歉，陛下，但我们需要谈一下。”赫特福德勋爵继续说道。 他站在汤姆面前。“我相信你知道，对英格兰人民来说，信任他们的国王是多么重要。” 汤姆慢慢地点了点头。“我相信你也明白，你父亲的病让很多人很担心。” 赫特福德勋爵看着汤姆再次点了点头。 “你父亲已经吩咐你不要再惹麻烦了。 他要求你不要再提这个叫汤姆·康第的孩子和奥弗尔库。” 汤姆点点头。他知道自己无话可说。 他觉得自己被王子的衣服困住了。 在他的注视下，赫特福德勋爵和

men carried out business. Tom listened and nodded in agreement when Hertford indicated that he should. Then all the men except Lord Hertford left, and Princess Elizabeth and Lady Jane walked in. They were both in good spirits. Lord Hertford leaned in to whisper in Tom's ear. "I ask that you keep your father's wishes in mind, Prince Edward. We wouldn't want to alarm anyone further." Tom nodded again and quietly answered, "Yes." Then he turned his attention to Elizabeth and Jane. The two girls were lively and interesting. Their presence helped take Tom's mind off his problems. But, it was not entirely easy for him. The girls spoke of things and people that he didn't know. Occasionally they spoke to him in languages that he didn't understand. Elizabeth noticed that he was having a hard time. She did her

男人做生意。汤姆听着，当赫特福德示意他应该这样做时，他点头表示同意。 然后，除了赫特福德勋爵，所有的男人都走了，伊丽莎白公主和简夫人走了进来。 他们俩精神都很好。 赫特福德勋爵凑过来，在汤姆耳边低语。 “我请求你牢记你父亲的愿望，爱德华王子。 我们不想进一步惊动任何人。” 汤姆又点了点头，平静地回答：“是的。” 然后他把注意力转向了伊丽莎白和简。 这两个女孩活泼有趣。 他们的出现帮助汤姆忘却了他的烦恼。 但是，这对他来说并不完全容易。 姑娘们说着他不知道的人和事。 偶尔他们会用他听不懂的语言跟他说话。 伊丽莎白注意到他过得很艰难。 她做了她的

best to help him when he was confused. She even held his hand when he looked upset. Tom knew that no matter what happened to him while he was stuck in the palace, he would always be glad to have met Elizabeth and Jane. After the girls left, Tom realized that he was tired. It had been a long day. He asked Lord Hertford and the others in the room if he could be alone for a while. "Of course," Lord Hertford said. "It is for you to command and for us to obey." Everyone left the room except the servants. Tom waited for them to exit as well. "Thank you for your help," he said, "but I think I'll take a nap now." "Of course, Sir," one of them said. He took hold of Tom's cape and began to undo the buttons. Tom realized that they were there to help him undress. He remembered Prince

最好在他困惑的时候帮助他。 当他看起来心烦意乱的时候，她甚至握着他的手。 汤姆知道，当他被困在宫殿里时，无论发生什么事，他都会很高兴见到伊丽莎白和简。 女孩们走后，汤姆意识到他累了。 这是漫长的一天。他问赫特福德勋爵和房间里的其他人是否能让他单独呆一会儿。 “当然，”赫特福德勋爵说。 “这是你的命令，我们的服从。” 除了仆人，每个人都离开了房间。 汤姆也等着他们出去。 “谢谢你的帮助，”他说，“但我想我现在要睡一会儿了。” “当然可以，先生。”其中一个说。 他抓住汤姆的斗篷，开始解开扣子。 汤姆意识到他们是来帮他脱衣服的。 他想起了王子

Edward's surprise that his sisters didn't have help dressing and undressing. Tom decided not to argue. Instead, he accepted their help with a big sigh. After his nap, Tom suffered the same ordeal again—although this time in reverse. Rather than being undressed for his nap, he was redressed in expensive and heavy clothes for dinner. Then one of the servants led him into a large room with one long table. He sat at one end of the table in a large, comfortable chair. Although Tom was dining alone, he was not alone in the room. He was surrounded by servants and servers. Tom thought it odd that although he finally had enough to eat, it was hard to enjoy the meal. He looked at his napkin. It was made of a frail and delicate fabric. Colorful thread lined the edges. It was quite beautiful. "Please take this away," he said to the butler. "I wouldn't

爱德华惊讶于他的姐妹们没有人帮忙穿衣服和脱衣服。 汤姆决定不争论了。相反，他长叹一声接受了他们的帮助。 小睡过后，汤姆又遭受了同样的折磨——尽管这次是相反的。 他没有脱光衣服去午睡，而是穿上昂贵而厚重的衣服去吃晚饭。 然后一个仆人把他领进了一个有一张长桌的大房间。 他坐在桌子一端的一把舒适的大椅子上。 虽然汤姆一个人吃饭，但房间里并不是只有他一个人。 他被仆人和侍从包围着。 汤姆觉得很奇怪，虽然他终于吃饱了，却很难享受这顿饭。 他看了看餐巾。它是由一种脆弱而精致的织物制成的。 边衬着彩色线。 它非常漂亮。“请把这个拿走，”他对管家说。 “我不会

want to dirty it." The butler took the napkin from Tom without a comment. The servants watched Tom while he ate. It was hard to see their prince in such a state. He used the wrong fork when eating his salad, he slurped from his cup, and he poked at his vegetables. Tom had never seen turnips before or the green leaf called lettuce. The servants watched in horror as Tom put down his fork and ate the rest of his meal with his hands. Midway through his meal, Tom discovered a new problem. His nose was itchy and he didn't know what to do. Should he scratch it himself? If he wasn't allowed to dress himself, was he allowed to scratch his own nose? "Pardon me," Tom said, "can someone please tell me if I am allowed to scratch my nose?" All of the servants stared at him in

我想弄脏它。”管家二话没说，从汤姆手里接过餐巾。 汤姆吃饭时，仆人们看着他。 看到他们的王子处于这种状态是很难受的。 他吃沙拉的时候用错了叉子，喝杯子里的东西时发出声音，还戳蔬菜。 汤姆以前从来没有见过萝卜，也没有见过一种叫莴苣的绿叶。 仆人们惊恐地看着汤姆放下叉子，用手把剩下的饭吃完。 吃到一半，汤姆发现了一个新问题。 他的鼻子发痒，他不知道该怎么办。 他应该自己抓吗？ 如果不允许他自己穿衣服，那他还能挠自己的鼻子吗？ “对不起，”汤姆说，“谁能告诉我，我可以挠鼻子吗？”所有的仆人都盯着他