第11章 Meddlesome Matty 捣乱的玛蒂
Oh, how one ugly trick has spoiled
The sweetest and the best!
Matilda, though a pleasant child,
One grievous fault possessed,
Which, like a cloud before the skies,
Hid all her better qualities.
Sometimes, she'd lift the teapot lid
To peep at what was in it;
Or tilt, the kettle, if you did
But turn your back a minute.
In vain you told her not to touch,
Her trick of meddling grew so much.
Her grand mamma went out one day,
And, by mistake, she laid
Her spectacles and snuffbox gay,
Too near the little maid;
"Ah! well," thought she, "I'll try them on,
As soon as grand mamma is gone."
Forthwith, she placed upon her nose
The glasses large and wide;
And looking round, as I suppose,
The snuffbox, too, she spied.
"Oh, what a pretty box is this!
I'll open it," said little miss.
"I know that grandmamma would say,
'Don't meddle with it, dear; '
But then she's far enough away,
And no one else is near;
Beside, what can there be amiss
In opening such a box as this? "
So, thumb and finger went to work
To move the stubborn lid;
And, presently, a mighty jerk
The mighty mischief did;
For all at once, ah! woeful case!
The snuff came puffing in her face.
Poor eyes, and nose, and mouth, and chin
A dismal sight presented;
And as the snuff got further in,
Sincerely she repented.
In vain she ran about for ease,
She could do nothing else but sneeze.
She dashed the spectacles away,
To wipe her tingling eyes;
And, as in twenty bits they lay,
Her grandmamma she spies.
"Heyday! and what's the matter now? "
Cried grandmamma, with angry brow.
Matilda, smarting with the pain,
And tingling still, and sore,
Made many a promise to refrain
From meddling evermore;
And 't is a fact, as I have heard,
She ever since has kept her word.
啊！一个糟糕的恶作剧能毁掉
最甜美、最好的一切！
尽管玛蒂尔达是个快乐的孩子，
但她有个不可饶恕的缺点，
就像天空中的乌云，
把她所有的优点都遮挡了。
有时候，她会打开茶壶盖，
偷看里面装的东西；
或者倾斜茶壶，如果你
只是暂时转过身去，
你告诉她不要碰茶壶也是徒劳，
她捣乱的本领越来越熟练。
有一天，她奶奶出门，
但是她犯了一个错误，
把老花镜和鼻烟盒
放在了玛蒂的身边。
“哈哈，”她想，“我戴上这个，
奶奶一出门，我就都戴上。”
随后，她把又大又宽的老花镜
放在自己鼻子上，
看了一圈四周，
她又发现了鼻烟盒。
“啊！多好看的盒子！
我打开看看，”玛蒂说道。
“我知道奶奶肯定会说，
‘别乱动我的东西，宝贝。’
但是，她现在已经走远了，
这会儿，我身边也没有人。
再说，我打开这样的箱子
又能有什么错？”
于是，玛蒂开始忙活起来，
拇指食指拉扯紧紧的盒盖，
看啊！她打开了盒子，
就在她打开盒子的一刹那，
天啊！惨剧发生了！
鼻烟全都喷在了她的脸上。
不幸的眼睛、鼻子、嘴巴和下巴
这真是可怕的一幕！
鼻烟进到了鼻子里，
玛蒂打心眼里后悔。
她四处奔跑想舒服点儿，
但除了打喷嚏什么都做不了。
她急忙扔掉老花镜，
擦拭疼痛的眼睛。
就在擦眼睛的时候，
她看见了奶奶。
“嗨！出什么事了？”
奶奶竖起眉毛怒吼道。
玛蒂强忍着刺痛，
还有眼睛的酸胀，
向她的奶奶保证，
以后再也不淘气了。
她的确说话算数，
此后再也没胡闹。