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我想谁也没创造我。"小女孩短促地笑了笑，回答道。 The idea appeared to amuse her considerably; for her eyes twinkled, and she added, 她似乎觉得这问题挺可笑的，眨了眨眼又说： "I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me."" 我想我是自己长出来的，不是谁创造出来的。" "Do you know how to sew?" said Miss Ophelia, who thought she would turn her inquiries to something more tangible." 你能做针线活吗？"奥菲利亚小姐问，同时心里想着该问小女孩一些更具体的问题。 "No, Missis."" 不能，小姐。" 
那你会做什么呢？你为以前的主人做些什么？" "Fetch water, and wash dishes, and rub knives, and wait on folks."" 打水，刷盘子，擦刀子，侍候别人。" "Were they good to you?"" 他们对你好吗？" "Spect they was," said the child, scanning Miss Ophelia cunningly." 还行吧。"小姑娘答道，她的眼睛机灵地向奥菲利亚溜了一下。 Miss Ophelia rose from this encouraging colloquy; St. Clare was leaning over the back of her chair. 奥菲利亚对她们的谈话颇为满意，她站起身来，圣克莱尔正靠在她椅背上。 
姐姐，你眼前是一块未开垦的处女地，把你的思想撒播下去，你要拔掉的东西相对很少。" Miss Ophelia's ideas of education, like all her other ideas, were very set and definite; and of the kind that prevailed in New England a century ago, and which are still preserved in some very retired and unsophisticated parts, where there are no railroads. As nearly as could be expressed, they could be comprised in very few words: to teach them to mind when they were spoken to; to teach them the catechism, sewing, and reading; and to whip them if they told lies. And though, of course, in the flood of light that is now poured on education, these are left far away in the rear, yet it is an undisputed fact that our grandmothers raised some tolerably fair men and women under this regime, as many of us can remember and testify. At all events, Miss Ophelia knew of nothing else to do; and, therefore, applied her mind to her heathen with the best diligence she could command. 奥菲利亚的教育观点和她的别的观点一样，总是不变更的。这种观点早在一百年前的新英格兰就流行过，至今仍在那些火车不通、偏僻淳朴的地方残留着。用简要的话叙述，大致就是：教育他们--在别人说话的时候，仔细听；做教义问答；做针线活；读书识字。如果说谎，就用鞭子教训他们。显然，在当今教育相当发展的情况下，这种观点已明显落后；但是，我们中的许多人仍记得，我们的祖辈确实用这种方法教育出一批相当出色的人物，这是不可辩驳的事实。不管怎么说吧，奥菲利亚还是用她那套办法对这个野孩子开始施教。 The child was announced and considered in the family as Miss Ophelia's girl; and, as she was looked upon with no gracious eye in the kitchen, Miss Ophelia resolved to confine her sphere of operation and instruction chiefly to her own chamber. With a self-sacrifice which some of our readers will appreciate, she resolved, instead of comfortably making her own bed, sweeping and dusting her own chamber,--which she had hitherto done, in utter scorn of all offers of help from the chambermaid of the establishment,--to condemn herself to the martyrdom of instructing Topsy to perform these operations,--ah, woe the day! Did any of our readers ever do the same, they will appreciate the amount of her self-sacrifice. 家里人都知道托普西成了接受奥菲利亚小姐教化洗礼的新门徒。由于小女孩在厨房里老是遭白眼，奥菲利亚决定把她受训的主要范围限制在自己的卧室。读者恐怕会由衷地赞美奥菲利亚的自我牺牲精神，因为在此之前，连打扫房间都是她亲自动手，绝不让女仆插手，而这次却为了让托普西动手实践而做出让步，只为让小女孩学得一套本领。嗳，这确实不简单--一旦诸位读者有类似的经历，就会切身体会到奥菲利亚小姐的牺牲精神了。 Miss Ophelia began with Topsy by taking her into her chamber, the first morning, and solemnly commencing a course of instruction in the art and mystery of bed-making. 第一个早晨，奥菲利亚小姐把小姑娘领到自己的卧室，极其认真耐心地讲解了理床的艺术和诀窍。 Behold, then, Topsy, washed and shorn of all the little braided tails wherein her heart had delighted, arrayed in a clean gown, with well-starched apron, standing reverently before Miss Ophelia, with an expression of solemnity well befitting a funeral. 大家可以看到，此时的托普西浑身干净整洁，散满头的小辫剪得整整齐齐；她外面套着一条浆洗得很漂亮整洁的围巾，恭恭敬敬地站在奥菲利亚小姐面前，脸上的表情庄重得像在参加葬礼。 
托普西，现在我来教你怎样理床，我对这个很讲究，你以后得严格按照我教你的去做。" "Yes, ma'am," says Topsy, with a deep sigh, and a face of woful earnestness." 是，小姐。"托普西深深叹了口气，仍哭丧着脸，表情很严肃。 "Now, Topsy, look here;--this is the hem of the sheet,--this is the right side of the sheet, and this is the wrong;--will you remember?"" 喏，托普西，你看着：这是床单的边，这是床单的正面，这是背面，记住了，嗯？" "Yes, ma'am," says Topsy, with another sigh." 是的，小姐。"托普西又叹了口气。 "Well, now, the under sheet you must bring over the bolster,--so--and tuck it clear down under the mattress nice and smooth,--so,--do you see?"" 好，下面的床单必须包住长枕头--像这样；然后，整齐地掖到褥子下面去--像这样，你看清楚了没？" 
看清楚了，小姐。"托普西回答，一副聚精会神的样子。 "But the upper sheet," said Miss Ophelia, "must be brought down in this way, and tucked under firm and smooth at the foot,--so,--the narrow hem at the foot."" 上面的这条被单呢，"奥菲利亚接着演示道，"必须全部铺下来，在放脚的那头掖好，掖得平平的--像这样，窄边铺在放脚的一头。" "Yes, ma'am," said Topsy, as before;--but we will add, what Miss Ophelia did not see, that, during the time when the good lady's back was turned in the zeal of her manipulations, the young disciple had contrived to snatch a pair of gloves and a ribbon, which she had adroitly slipped into her sleeves, and stood with her hands dutifully folded, as before." 是，小姐。"托普西像先前那样回答着--注意，我们得补上她一个让奥菲利亚毫不察觉的动作：在这位心地善良的小姐背过身去专心示范的时候，她的小门徒竟伸手抓了一副手套和一条丝带，敏捷地塞在了自己袖子里头，接着又像刚才一样，毕恭毕敬地叉着双手，站在那里。 "Now, Topsy, let's see _you_ do this," said Miss Ophelia, pulling off the clothes, and seating herself.Topsy, with great gravity and adroitness, went through the exercise completely to Miss Ophelia's satisfaction; smoothing the sheets, patting out every wrinkle, and exhibiting, through the whole process, a gravity and seriousness with which her instructress was greatly edified. By an unlucky slip, however, a fluttering fragment of the ribbon hung out of one of her sleeves, just as she was finishing, and caught Miss Ophelia's attention. Instantly, she pounced upon it. "What's this? You naughty, wicked child,--you've been stealing this!"" 托普西，现在你做给我看看。"奥菲利亚小姐说着，拉开了上下两张床单，在旁边坐下来。托普西从头到尾非常认真灵巧地实习着，奥菲利亚小姐比较满意。托普西把床单铺得平平整整，扯平每一道皱折，自始至终，表情严肃认真，就连她的老师看着都颇为感动。就在她快要结束的时候，不料一不谨慎，让丝带的一头从袖口飘出来，这东西马上引起了奥菲利亚的注意，她猛扑过来，抓住丝带，质问道："这是什么？你这个淘气的坏孩子，你竟然偷了丝带！" The ribbon was pulled out of Topsy's own sleeve, yet was she not in the least disconcerted; she only looked at it with an air of the most surprised and unconscious innocence. 丝带被扯了出来，可托普西竟毫不慌张，只是以仿佛莫名其妙的、惊诧的眼神注视着丝带，说： 
天哪，这是菲利小姐的丝带呀，怎么会跑到我的袖子里来的？" "Topsy, you naughty girl, don't you tell me a lie,--you stole that ribbon!"" 小家伙，你这顽皮的孩子，不许撒谎，丝带是你偷的！" "Missis, I declar for 't, I didn't;--never seed it till dis yer blessed minnit."" 小姐，我发誓，我没偷，我根本没见过这条丝带。" "Topsy," said Miss Ophelia, "don't you now it's wicked to tell lies?"" 托普西！"奥菲利亚小姐正色道："你知不知道撒谎是可恶的？" "I never tell no lies, Miss Feely," said Topsy, with virtuous gravity; "it's jist the truth I've been a tellin now, and an't nothin else."" 我根本就没撒谎，"托普西回答，一副无辜的神情，"我刚才讲的全是实话，没有撒谎。" 
托普西，如果你还继续撒谎，我就得动鞭子了。" "Laws, Missis, if you's to whip all day, couldn't say no other way," said Topsy, beginning to blubber. "I never seed dat ar,--it must a got caught in my sleeve. Miss Feeley must have left it on the bed, and it got caught in the clothes, and so got in my sleeve."" 天哪，小姐，你就是打我一天，我还是这样说，"托普西开始哭诉了，"我根本就没看见丝带，肯定是我的袖子挂住了，一定是菲利小姐扔在床上，卷在被单里，就钻到我的袖子里去了。" Miss Ophelia was so indignant at the barefaced lie, that she caught the child and shook her. 托普西无耻的当面扯谎让奥菲利亚恼火极了，她一把抓住这个小东西，使劲摇着。 "Don't you tell me that again!"" 别再跟我撒谎了！" The shake brought the glove on to the floor, from the other sleeve. 奥菲利亚这么一摇，竟然把托普西袖子里藏的那副手套给抖了出来，掉在地板上。
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