ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had one charming daughter. —
从前有一对国王和王后，他们有一个迷人的女儿。 —

She was so graceful and pretty and clever that she was called Graciosa, and the Queen was so fond of her that she could think of nothing else.
她非常优雅、漂亮和聪明，所以被称为古拉善，王后非常喜欢她，无论做什么都离不开她。

Everyday she gave the Princess a lovely new frock of gold brocade, or satin, or velvet, and when she was hungry she had bowls full of sugar-plums, and at least twenty pots of jam. —
每天她给公主穿上一件漂亮的新衣服，可以是金缎、缎子或天鹅绒的，当她饿了，就有满满一碗的糖果和至少二十罐果酱。 —

Everybody said she was the happiest Princess in the world. —
大家都说她是世界上最幸福的公主。 —

Now there lived at this same court a very rich old duchess whose name was Grumbly. —
现在，在这个宫廷里住着一个非常富有的老公爵夫人，名字叫葛琳布莱。 —

She was more frightful than tongue can tell; —
她比语言能够描述的还要可怕； —

her hair was red as fire, and she had but one eye, and that not a pretty one! —
她的头发像火一样红，只有一只眼睛，而且不漂亮！ —

Her face was as broad as a full moon, and her mouth was so large that everybody who met her would have been afraid they were going to be eaten up, only she had no teeth. —
她的脸像满月一样宽，嘴巴又大，每个见到她的人都会害怕被吃掉，只是她没有牙齿。 —

As she was as cross as she was ugly, she could not bear to hear everyone saying how pretty and how charming Graciosa was; —
由于她又恶心又丑陋，她听到每个人都说古拉善多漂亮、多迷人，都受不了； —

so she presently went away from the court to her own castle, which was not far off. —
因此，她当前离开了宫廷前往她自己的城堡，离得不远。 —

But if anybody who went to see her happened to mention the charming Princess, she would cry angrily:
但是，如果有人去看她的时候碰巧提到了迷人的公主，她会生气地大喊：

‘It’s not true that she is lovely. I have more beauty in my little finger than she has in her whole body.’
“她没有那么可爱。我的小指头里的美丽比她全身都多。”

Soon after this, to the great grief of the Princess, the Queen was taken ill and died, and the King became so melancholy that for a whole year he shut himself up in his palace. —
不久之后，公主非常伤心地得知女王病倒并去世了，国王变得如此忧郁，整整一年时间他都关起门来。 —

At last his physicians, fearing that he would fall ill, ordered that he should go out and amuse himself; —
最后，医生们担心他会生病，建议他出去玩乐； —

so a hunting party was arranged, but as it was very hot weather the King soon got tired, and said he would dismount and rest at a castle which they were passing.
因此，他们安排了一次狩猎活动，但由于天气很热，国王很快就感到累了，他说要下马在路过的一座城堡休息。

This happened to be the Duchess Grumbly’s castle, and when she heard that the King was coming she went out to meet him, and said that the cellar was the coolest place in the whole castle if he would condescend to come down into it. —
这恰好是格兰布利公爵夫人的城堡，当她听说国王要来的时候，她出去迎接他，并说酒窖是整个城堡最凉爽的地方，如果陛下愿意，可以下去一下。 —

So down they went together, and the King seeing about two hundred great casks ranged side by side, asked if it was only for herself that she had this immense store of wine.
于是他们一同下去，国王看到了排列在一起的大约两百只大酒桶，问她是否只是为自己准备了这么多的酒。

‘Yes, sire,’ answered she, ‘it is for myself alone, but I shall be most happy to let you taste some of it. —
“是的，陛下，”她回答道，“这是只属于我自己的，但我非常愿意让您尝一些。” —

Which do you like, canary, St. Julien, champagne, hermitage sack, raisin, or cider?’
“您喜欢什么，加纳利酒、圣朱利安酒、香槟酒、黑武士酒、葡萄干酒还是苹果酒呢？”

‘Well,’ said the King, ‘since you are so kind as to ask me, I prefer champagne to anything else.’
“好吧，”国王说道，“既然您这样好心地邀请我，那我更喜欢香槟酒。”

Then Duchess Grumbly took up a little hammer and tapped upon the cask twice, and out came at least a thousand crowns.
然后格朗普利公爵夫人拿起一个小锤子，敲打了一下酒桶，至少有一千枚金币掉了出来。

‘What’s the meaning of this?’ said she smiling.
“这是什么意思？”她笑着说道。

Then she tapped the next cask, and out came a bushel of gold pieces.
然后她敲打了下一个酒桶，掉出来一整桶金币。

‘I don’t understand this at all,’ said the Duchess, smiling more than before.
“我完全不明白这是怎么回事，”公爵夫人比以前更加笑了起来。

Then she went on to the third cask, tap, tap, and out came such a stream of diamonds and pearls that the ground was covered with them.
然后她接着敲打第三只酒桶，哒哒两声，掉下来一连串的钻石和珍珠，地上都铺满了它们。

‘Ah!’ she cried, ‘this is altogether beyond my comprehension, sire. —
“啊！”她叫道，”陛下，这完全超出我的理解能力。 —

Someone must have stolen my good wine and put all this rubbish in its place.’
肯定是有人偷了我的好酒，把这些垃圾放在原地。

‘Rubbish, do you call it, Madam Grumbly?’ cried the King. ‘Rubbish! —
“垃圾？你称之为垃圾，格兰布利夫人？”国王叫道，”垃圾！为什么那里有足够的财富可以买下十个王国。 —

why there is enough there to buy ten kingdoms.’
“嗯，”她说，”你必须知道，那些酒桶里全是金子和珠宝，如果你愿意娶我，它们全都归你。

‘Well,’ said she, ‘you must know that all those casks are full of gold and jewels, and if you like to marry me it shall all be yours.’
现在，国王对金钱爱得比其他任何东西都多，所以他高兴地喊道：

Now the King loved money more than anything else in the world, so he cried joyfully:
“娶你？当然愿意！明天就行，如果你愿意。

‘Marry you? why with all my heart! to-morrow if you like.’
“但是我有一个条件，”公爵夫人说道；

‘But I make one condition,’ said the Duchess; —
“我必须完全掌控你的女儿，可以随心所欲地对待她。 —

‘I must have entire control of your daughter to do as I please with her.’
“噢，当然，你可以任意处置她；让我们击掌一下，达成协议，”国王说道。

‘Oh certainly, you shall have your own way; let us shake hands upon the bargain,’ said the King.
于是他们握手离开宝藏的地下室，公爵夫人锁上门，把钥匙交给了国王。

So they shook hands and went up out of the cellar of treasure together, and the Duchess locked the door and gave the key to the King.
于是他们握手离开宝藏的地下室，公爵夫人锁上门，把钥匙交给了国王。

When he got back to his own palace Graciosa ran out to meet him, and asked if he had had good sport.
当他回到自己的宫殿时，格拉修莎跑出来迎接他，问他玩得开心吗。

‘I have caught a dove,’ answered he.
“我抓到一只鸽子，”他回答道。

‘Oh! do give it to me,’ said the Princess, ‘and I will keep it and take care of it.’
“哦！把它给我吧，”公主说，“我会好好照顾它的。”

‘I can hardly do that,’ said he, ‘for, to speak more plainly, I mean that I met the Duchess Grumbly, and have promised to marry her.’
“我几乎不能这样做，”他说，“更明确地说，我遇到了格兰布利公爵夫人，答应要娶她。”

‘And you call her a dove?’ cried the Princess. ‘I should have called her a screech owl.’
“你把她叫做鸽子？”公主叫道，“我本来会把她叫做猫头鹰的。”

‘Hold your tongue,’ said the King, very crossly. ‘I intend you to behave prettily to her. —
“闭嘴，”国王生气地说。“我希望你对她好一点。” —

So now go and make yourself fit to be seen, as I am going to take you to visit her.’
所以现在去把自己打扮得漂漂亮亮，因为我打算带你去拜访她。

So the Princess went very sorrowfully to her own room, and her nurse, seeing her tears, asked what was vexing her.
于是公主非常伤心地去了自己的房间，保姆看到她的眼泪，问她为什么烦恼。

‘Alas! who would not be vexed?’ answered she, ‘for the King intends to marry again, and has chosen for his new bride my enemy, the hideous Duchess Grumbly.’
“哎呀，谁不会烦恼呢？”她回答，“因为国王打算再婚，并选择了我的敌人，可怕的格兰布利公爵夫人。”

‘Oh, well!’ answered the nurse, ‘you must remember that you are a Princess, and are expected to set a good example in making the best of whatever happens. —
“哦，好吧！”护士回答道，“你要记住你是公主，你应该以身作则，无论发生什么都要尽量做到最好。” —

You must promise me not to let the Duchess see how much you dislike her.’
“你必须答应我，不要让公爵夫人看到你有多讨厌她。”

At first the Princess would not promise, but the nurse showed her so many good reasons for it that in the end she agreed to be amiable to her step-mother.
起初公主不愿答应，但是护士给她解释了很多很好的理由来说服她，最后她同意对继母友善一些。

Then the nurse dressed her in a robe of pale green and gold brocade, and combed out her long fair hair till it floated round her like a golden mantle, and put on her head a crown of roses and jasmine with emerald leaves.
然后护士给她穿上了一件淡绿色和金色织锦的长袍，将她长长的金发梳理得像一件金色的披风一样飘扬，把一顶有玫瑰和茉莉花、翡翠叶子的花冠戴在她的头上。

When she was ready nobody could have been prettier, but she still could not help looking sad.
当她准备好的时候，没有人能够再漂亮过她了，但她仍然无法掩饰自己的悲伤情绪。

Meanwhile the Duchess Grumbly was also occupied in attiring herself. —
与此同时，格伦布利公爵夫人也在忙着打扮自己。 —

She had one of her shoe heels made an inch or so higher than the other, that she might not limp so much, and put in a cunningly made glass eye in the place of the one she had lost. —
她让一只鞋跟比另一只高了一英寸左右，这样她就不会那么一瘸一拐了，并在失去的眼睛位置上安装了一个巧妙制作的玻璃眼。 —

She dyed her red hair black, and painted her face. —
她将她的红发染成了黑色，并画了她的脸。 —

Then she put on a gorgeous robe of lilac satin lined with blue, and a yellow petticoat trimmed with violet ribbons, and because she had heard that queens always rode into their new dominions, she ordered a horse to be made ready for her to ride.
然后她穿上了一件紫丁香色的绸袍，里面铺着蓝色的衬衫，还有一条用紫罗兰丝带装饰的黄色蓬裙。因为她听说女王们总是骑着马进入新领地，所以她命人准备好了一匹马供她骑。

While Graciosa was waiting until the King should be ready to set out, she went down all alone through the garden into a little wood, where she sat down upon a mossy bank and began to think. —
在格拉修索等待国王准备出发的时候，她独自来到花园里的一片小树林。她坐在一个长满青苔的岸边思考。 —

And her thoughts were so doleful that very soon she began to cry, and she cried, and cried, and forgot all about going back to the palace, until she suddenly saw a handsome page standing before her. —
她的思绪如此忧愁，以至于很快就开始哭泣，她哭了个不停，忘记了返回宫殿的事，直到突然看到一个英俊的侍从站在她面前。 —

He was dressed in green, and the cap which he held in his hand was adorned with white plumes. —
他身穿绿色服装，手中拿着的帽子上装饰着白色羽毛。 —

When Graciosa looked at him he went down on one knee, and said to her:
当格拉修索看着他时，他跪倒在一膝，并对她说：

‘Princess, the King awaits you.’
“公主殿下，国王在等您。”

The Princess was surprised, and, if the truth must be told, very much delighted at the appearance of this charming page, whom she could not remember to have seen before. —
公主对这个迷人的少年感到惊讶，而且，必须说实话，非常高兴看到他的出现，她甚至不记得以前见过他。 —

Thinking he might belong to the household of the Duchess, she said:
她想他可能是公爵夫人的家人，于是她问：“你已经成为国王的侍从多久了？”

‘How long have you been one of the King’s pages?’
“我不是国王的仆人，夫人，”他回答说，“我是你的仆人。”

‘I am not in the service of the King, madam,’ answered he, ‘but in yours.’
“我？”公主大吃一惊地说。

‘In mine?’ said the Princess with great surprise. —
“那为什么我以前从没见过你呢？” —

‘Then how is it that I have never seen you before?’
“啊，公主！”他说，“我以前从未敢向您介绍自己，但现在国王的婚姻给您带来了这么多危险，我决定立刻告诉您我已经多么爱您，我希望在以后能够赢得您的喜爱。

‘Ah, Princess!’ said he, ‘I have never before dared to present myself to you, but now the King’s marriage threatens you with so many dangers that I have resolved to tell you at once how much I love you already, and I trust that in time I may win your regard. —
我是奇贝斯王子，你可能听说过我的财富，而我的仙女之赐希望在您的困难中对您有所帮助，如果您允许我伪装成这个样子陪伴你。” —

I am Prince Percinet, of whose riches you may have heard, and whose fairy gift will, I hope, be of use to you in all your difficulties, if you will permit me to accompany you under this disguise.’
如果您允许我伪装成一个侍从，我可以用我的财富，我的智慧，和我的爱来保护您。”

‘Ah, Percinet!’ cried the Princess, ‘is it really you? —
‘啊，佩尔西奈特！’公主叫道，‘真的是你吗？ —

I have so often heard of you and wished to see you. —
我经常听说你，并且希望能见到你。 —

If you will indeed be my friend, I shall not be afraid of that wicked old Duchess any more.’
如果你真的愿意成为我的朋友，我将不再害怕那个邪恶的老公爵夫人。’

So they went back to the palace together, and there Graciosa found a beautiful horse which Percinet had brought for her to ride. —
他们便一起回到了宫殿，佩尔西奈特为公主准备了一匹美丽的马供她骑行。 —

As it was very spirited he led it by the bridle, and this arrangement enabled him to turn and look at the Princess often, which he did not fail to do. —
因为马非常精神，他用缰绳牵着它，这样他可以经常转过头来看公主，而他从未放过这个机会。 —

Indeed, she was so pretty that it was a real pleasure to look at her. —
实际上，她如此美丽，看她真是一种享受。 —

When the horse which the Duchess was to ride appeared beside Graciosa’s, it looked no better than an old cart horse, and as to their trappings, there was simply no comparison between them, as the Princess’s saddle and bridle were one glittering mass of diamonds. —
当公爵夫人骑的马出现在公主旁边时，它看起来比一匹老车马还糟糕，至于装饰，根本无法与公主的马相比，因为公主的鞍具和缰绳全是闪烁的钻石。 —

The King had so many other things to think of that he did not notice this, but all his courtiers were entirely taken up with admiring the Princess and her charming Page in green, who was more handsome and distinguished-looking than all the rest of the court put together.
国王有很多其他事情要考虑，以至于没有注意到这一点，但他的所有侍臣都完全被公主和她那位穿着绿色服装、比整个宫廷其他人都更英俊、更有声望的仆人迷住了。

When they met the Duchess Grumbly she was seated in an open carriage trying in vain to look dignified. —
当他们遇见格兰布利女公爵时，她坐在一辆敞篷车里，徒劳地试图显得庄重。 —

The King and the Princess saluted her, and her horse was brought forward for her to mount. —
国王和公主向她行礼，她的马被带过来给她骑。 —

But when she saw Graciosa’s she cried angrily:
但当她看到格拉西欧萨的马时，她生气地大喊道：

‘If that child is to have a better horse than mine, I will go back to my own castle this very minute. —
‘如果那个孩子能有一匹比我的马好的马，我现在就回自己的城堡去。 —

What is the good of being a Queen if one is to be slighted like this?’
如果一个人要被这样轻视，做一个女王有什么好处？’

Upon this the King commanded Graciosa to dismount and to beg the Duchess to honour her by mounting her horse. —
于是国王命令格拉西欧萨下马，并请求公爵夫人尊荣地骑她的马。 —

The Princess obeyed in silence, and the Duchess, without looking at her or thanking her, scrambled up upon the beautiful horse, where she sat looking like a bundle of clothes, and eight officers had to hold her up for fear she should fall off.
公主默默地顺从了，而公爵夫人则不看她也不感谢她，笨拙地爬上了那匹美丽的马，坐在那里看起来像一堆衣物，八名军官得抓住她，怕她会从马上掉下来。

Even then she was not satisfied, and was still grumbling and muttering, so they asked her what was the matter.
即便如此，她还是不满意，一直在抱怨和嘟囔，所以他们问她怎么了。

‘I wish that Page in green to come and lead the horse, as he did when Graciosa rode it,’ said she very sharply.
“我希望那个穿绿衣服的侍从来引领马，就像格拉西奥莎骑的时候那样，”她非常尖刻地说。

And the King ordered the Page to come and lead the Queen’s horse. —
国王下令让那个侍从来引领皇后的马。 —

Percinet and the Princess looked at one another, but said never a word, and then he did as the King commanded, and the procession started in great pomp. —
卡西奈和公主相互看着，但是什么也没说，然后他按照国王的命令行动起来，队列在盛大的气势中开始行进。 —

The Duchess was greatly elated, and as she sat there in state would not have wished to change places even with Graciosa. —
公爵夫人心情非常高兴，坐在那里庄严地觉得即使是格拉西奥莎她也不愿意换位置。 —

But at the moment when it was least expected the beautiful horse began to plunge and rear and kick, and finally to run away at such a pace that it was impossible to stop him.
但就在最不起眼的时刻，那匹美丽的马开始腾跃、后踢，最终以无法停止的速度狂奔起来。

At first the Duchess clung to the saddle, but she was very soon thrown off and fell in a heap among the stones and thorns, and there they found her, shaken to a jelly, and collected what was left of her as if she had been a broken glass. —
起初公爵夫人紧紧抓住马鞍，但她很快就被摔下来，摔在石头和荆棘堆中，他们发现她像破碎的玻璃一样摔得稀巴烂，他们收拾起她身上剩下的东西。 —

Her bonnet was here and her shoes there, her face was scratched, and her fine clothes were covered with mud. —
她的帽子在这里，鞋子在那里，脸被抓伤，漂亮的衣服被泥土覆盖。 —

Never was a bride seen in such a dismal plight. —
从来没有见过新娘处境如此凄凉。 —

They carried her back to the palace and put her to bed, but as soon as she recovered enough to be able to speak, she began to scold and rage, and declared that the whole affair was Graciosa’s fault, that she had contrived it on purpose to try and get rid of her, and that if the King would not have her punished, she would go back to her castle and enjoy her riches by herself.
他们把她抬回王宫，放到床上，但她一恢复一点精神就开始责骂和发怒，声称这一切都是格拉西奥萨故意安排的，目的是试图摆脱她，如果国王不惩罚她，她就会回到自己的城堡，独自享受财富。

At this the King was terribly frightened, for he did not at all want to lose all those barrels of gold and jewels. —
国王被吓坏了，因为他可不想失去那些装满黄金和珠宝的桶。 —

So he hastened to appease the Duchess, and told her she might punish Graciosa in any way she pleased.
于是他急忙安抚公爵夫人，并告诉她可以任意惩罚格拉梭尔。

Thereupon she sent for Graciosa, who turned pale and trembled at the summons, for she guessed that it promised nothing agreeable for her. —
于是她召唤格拉梭尔，格拉梭尔听到召唤立刻脸色苍白，颤抖不已，因为她猜到这个召唤对她来说并不是什么好消息。 —

She looked all about for Percinet, but he was nowhere to be seen; —
她四处寻找佩尔西内，但他却不见踪影； —

so she had no choice but to go to the Duchess Grumbly’s room. —
因此她别无选择，只能去找格朗布莱公爵夫人。 —

She had hardly got inside the door when she was seized by four waiting women, who looked so tall and strong and cruel that the Princess shuddered at the sight of them, and still more when she saw them arming themselves with great bundles of rods, and heard the Duchess call out to them from her bed to beat the Princess without mercy. —
她刚一进门，就被四个身材高大强壮、凶狠的侍女抓住了，公主看到她们手持一大束杖棍，听到公爵夫人从床上冲她们喊道要无情地打击公主，顿时感到恐惧不已。 —

Poor Graciosa wished miserably that Percinet could only know what was happening and come to rescue her. —
可怜的格拉梭尔非常希望佩尔西内知道正在发生的事情，并前来营救她。 —

But no sooner did they begin to beat her than she found, to her great relief, that the rods had changed to bundles of peacock’s feathers, and though the Duchess’s women went on till they were so tired that they could no longer raise their arms from their sides, yet she was not hurt in the least. —
但是她们刚开始打她一下子，她就发现笞杖变成了孔雀羽毛的捆，尽管公爵夫人的女仆们一直打到她们累得再也举不起手来，但她一点也没有受伤，真是松了一口气。 —

However, the Duchess thought she must be black and blue after such a beating; —
然而，公爵夫人认为她被这样打了一顿后一定青一块紫一块。 —

so Graciosa, when she was released, pretended to feel very bad, and went away into her own room, where she told her nurse all that had happened, and then the nurse left her, and when the Princess turned round there stood Percinet beside her. —
于是，当她被放了出来后，若无其事地装得很糟糕，然后去了自己的房间，向她的保姆讲述了发生的一切，然后保姆离开了她，当公主转过身时，她旁边站着帕里西奈。 —

She thanked him gratefully for helping her so cleverly, and they laughed and were very merry over the way they had taken in the Duchess and her waiting-maids; —
她感激地对他表示帮助她如此巧妙，他们笑了起来，非常高兴地谈论着他们是如何愚弄了公爵夫人和她的女仆们； —

but Percinet advised her still to pretend to be ill for a few days, and after promising to come to her aid whenever she needed him, he disappeared as suddenly as he had come.
但帕里西奈建议她继续假装生病几天，同时承诺在她需要时为她提供帮助，接着他像来的时候一样突然消失了。

The Duchess was so delighted at the idea that Graciosa was really ill, that she herself recovered twice as fast as she would have done otherwise, and the wedding was held with great magnificence. —
公爵夫人听说格拉西奥莎真的生病了，高兴得她自己康复的速度快了一倍，婚礼也以盛大的气派举行了。 —

Now as the King knew that, above all other things, the Queen loved to be told that she was beautiful, he ordered that her portrait should be painted, and that a tournament should be held, at which all the bravest knights of his court should maintain against all comers that Grumbly was the most beautiful princess in the world.
王知道王后最喜欢听到自己漂亮的消息，所以他命令画出她的画像，还举行了一场锦标赛，让他宫廷中最勇敢的骑士们对抗所有挑战者，宣称格林贝丽是世界上最美丽的公主。

Numbers of knights came from far and wide to accept the challenge, and the hideous Queen sat in great state in a balcony hung with cloth of gold to watch the contests, and Graciosa had to stand up behind her, where her loveliness was so conspicuous that the combatants could not keep their eyes off her. —
许多骑士从远方涌来接受挑战，丑陋的王后坐在一座用金色织物悬挂的高台上，威风凛凛地观看比赛，格拉西奥莎站在她后面，她的美丽显眼得让参赛者们无法将目光从她身上移开。 —

But the Queen was so vain that she thought all their admiring glances were for herself, especially as, in spite of the badness of their cause, the King’s knights were so brave that they were the victors in every combat.
但女王非常自负，她认为所有人羡慕的目光都是献给她自己的，特别是因为尽管他们的事业很糟糕，国王的骑士们都非常勇敢，每次战斗他们都是胜利者。

However, when nearly all the strangers had been defeated, a young unknown knight presented himself. —
然而，当几乎所有陌生人都被打败时，一个年轻的不知名的骑士出现了。 —

He carried a portrait, enclosed in a bow encrusted with diamonds, and he declared himself willing to maintain against them all that the Queen was the ugliest creature in the world, and that the Princess whose portrait he carried was the most beautiful.
他手持一幅描满钻石的蝴蝶结封装的肖像画，声称他愿意和众人对抗，证明女王是世界上最丑陋的生物，而他携带的公主肖像则是最美丽的。

So one by one the knights came out against him, and one by one he vanquished them all, and then he opened the box, and said that, to console them, he would show them the portrait of his Queen of Beauty, and when he did so everyone recognised the Princess Graciosa. —
于是一个接一个的骑士出来与他对战，一个接一个的被他战胜，然后他打开盒子，说为了安慰他们，他将展示他的美丽皇后的肖像，当他这样做时，每个人都认出了格拉西奥莎公主。 —

The unknown knight then saluted her gracefully and retired, without telling his name to anybody. —
然后，这个不知名的骑士优雅地向她致意，退了下去，没有告诉任何人他的名字。 —

But Graciosa had no difficulty in guessing that it was Percinet.
但是格拉希奥莎毫不费力地猜到了那是派西奈。

As to the Queen, she was so furiously angry that she could hardly speak; —
至于女王，她怒火中烧，几乎说不出话来； —

but she soon recovered her voice, and overwhelmed Graciosa with a torrent of reproaches.
但她很快恢复了声音，并向格拉希奥莎连珠炮般的责骂。

‘What!’ she said, ‘do you dare to dispute with me for the prize of beauty, and expect me to endure this insult to my knights? —
‘什么！’ 她说，’你敢和我争夺美丽的奖品，还指望我忍受你对我的骑士们的侮辱？ —

But I will not bear it, proud Princess. I will have my revenge.’
但是，骄傲的公主，我不会容忍的。我要报复。’

‘I assure you, Madam,’ said the Princess, ‘that I had nothing to do with it and am quite willing that you shall be declared Queen of Beauty
‘我向您保证，夫人，我与此事无关，我很愿意您被宣称为美丽的女王，’ 公主说。

‘Ah! you are pleased to jest, popinjay!’ said the Queen, ‘but it will be my turn soon!’
‘啊！你愿意开玩笑，鹦鹉！’ 女王说，’但很快轮到我了！’

The King was speedily told what had happened, and how the Princess was in terror of the angry Queen, but he only said: —
国王很快得知发生的事情，以及公主对愤怒女王的恐惧，但他只是说： —

‘The Queen must do as she pleases. Graciosa belongs to her!’
‘女王可以随心所欲。格拉希奥莎属于她！’

The wicked Queen waited impatiently until night fell, and then she ordered her carriage to be brought. —
邪恶的女王不耐烦地等待到夜幕降临，然后命令她的马车过来。 —

Graciosa, much against her will, was forced into it, and away they drove, and never stopped until they reached a great forest, a hundred leagues from the palace. —
勉强同意的格拉西欧莎，被迫投身其中，马车驶离了皇宫，永不停驶，直到抵达一片幽暗的森林，离宫殿有一百里远。 —

This forest was so gloomy, and so full of lions, tigers, bears and wolves, that nobody dared pass through it even by daylight, and here they set down the unhappy Princess in the middle of the black night, and left her in spite of all her tears and entreaties. —
这片森林阴森恐怖，到处都是狮子、老虎、熊和狼，就连白天也没有人敢通过，而他们在漆黑的夜晚把这个可怜的公主扔在这里，无视她的眼泪和哀求。 —

The Princess stood quite still at first from sheer bewilderment, but when the last sound of the retreating carriages died away in the distance she began to run aimlessly hither and thither, sometimes knocking herself against a tree, sometimes tripping over a stone, fearing every minute that she would be eaten up by the lions. —
公主一开始呆若木鸡站在原地，感到百般迷茫，但是当马车消失在远处的声音逐渐消散后，她开始毫无目的地四处奔跑，有时撞到树上，有时绊倒在石头上，害怕每一分钟都会被狮子吞噬。 —

Presently she was too tired to advance another step, so she threw herself down upon the ground and cried miserably:
不久，她累得再也无法前进一步，于是她扔下自己，痛苦地哭泣道：

‘Oh, Percinet! where are you? Have you forgotten me altogether?’
“哦，帕西奈特！你在哪里？你完全忘记了我吗？”

She had hardly spoken when all the forest was lighted up with a sudden glow. —
她刚刚开口说话，整个森林突然亮了起来。 —

Every tree seemed to be sending out a soft radiance, which was clearer than moonlight and softer than daylight, and at the end of a long avenue of trees opposite to her the Princess saw a palace of clear crystal which blazed like the sun. —
每棵树都似乎发出柔和的光辉，比月光更清晰、比白昼更柔和，在她对面的一条长长的树林小道尽头，公主看到了一座明晰如水晶，熠熠生辉如太阳的宫殿。 —

At that moment a slight sound behind her made her start round, and there stood Percinet himself.
就在那一刻，她身后传来一阵微弱的声音，她吓了一跳，派西内特亲自站在那里。

‘Did I frighten you, my Princess?’ said he. —
“吓到你了吗，我的公主？”他说。 —

‘I come to bid you welcome to our fairy palace, in the name of the Queen, my mother, who is prepared to love you as much as I do. —
“我以我母亲皇后的名义来欢迎你来我们的仙境宫殿，她准备像我一样爱你。 —

’ The Princess joyfully mounted with him into a little sledge, drawn by two stags, which bounded off and drew them swiftly to the wonderful palace, where the Queen received her with the greatest kindness, and a splendid banquet was served at once. —
“公主高兴地和他一起坐上由两只雄鹿拉的小雪橇，它们跳跃着，迅速将他们带到了奇妙的宫殿，皇后以最大的善意接待了她，并立即摆上了一顿豪华的宴会。 —

Graciosa was so happy to have found Percinet, and to have escaped from the gloomy forest and all its terrors, that she was very hungry and very merry, and they were a gay party. —
Graciosa非常高兴找到了Percinet，并成功逃离了阴森可怖的森林，她又饥又乐，他们成了一个开心的团队。 —

After supper they went into another lovely room, where the crystal walls were covered with pictures, and the Princess saw with great surprise that her own history was represented, even down to the moment when Percinet found her in the forest.
晚饭后，他们进入了另一个可爱的房间，那里的水晶墙壁上布满了图画，公主惊讶地发现她自己的历史被描绘出来，甚至包括了Percinet在森林中找到她的那一刻。

‘Your painters must indeed be diligent,’ she said, pointing out the last picture to the Prince.
“你们的画家肯定非常勤奋，”她指着最后一幅画对王子说。

‘They are obliged to be, for I will not have anything forgotten that happens to you,’ he answered.
“他们必须如此，因为我不想任何对你发生的事情被遗忘，”他回答道。

When the Princess grew sleepy, twenty-four charming maidens put her to bed in the prettiest room she had ever seen, and then sang to her so sweetly that Graciosa’s dreams were all of mermaids, and cool sea waves, and caverns, in which she wandered with Percinet; —
当公主感到困倦时，二十四位迷人的女仆将她安置在她曾经见过的最漂亮的房间里，并给她唱得如此动听，以至于Graciosa的梦境都是关于美人鱼，凉爽的海浪，以及她与Percinet一起漫游的洞穴。 —

but when she woke up again her first thought was that, delightful as this fairy palace seemed to her, yet she could not stay in it, but must go back to her father. —
但当她再次醒来时，她的第一个念头是，虽然这个仙女宫殿对她来说是多么美妙，但她不能留在这里，而是必须回到她的父亲身边。 —

When she had been dressed by the four-and-twenty maidens in a charming robe which the Queen had sent for her, and in which she looked prettier than ever, Prince Percinet came to see her, and was bitterly disappointed when she told him what she had been thinking. —
当四十二位仙女给她穿上女王送来的美丽礼服时，她看起来比以往任何时候都漂亮。珀西涅王子来看她时，当她告诉他她的想法时，他深感失望。 —

He begged her to consider again how unhappy the wicked Queen would make her, and how, if she would but marry him, all the fairy palace would be hers, and his one thought would be to please her. —
他恳求她再考虑一下邪恶的女王会让她多么不幸，并且如果她肯嫁给他，整个仙女宫殿将属于她，他将全心全意地取悦她。 —

But, in spite of everything he could say, the Princess was quite determined to go back, though he at last persuaded her to stay eight days, which were so full of pleasure and amusement that they passed like a few hours. —
但是，尽管他说了很多，公主决心要回去，虽然最后他说服她再留下八天，这八天充满了快乐和娱乐，过得像短短几个小时。 —

On the last day, Graciosa, who had often felt anxious to know what was going on in her father’s palace, said to Percinet that she was sure that he could find out for her, if he would, what reason the Queen had given her father for her sudden disappearance. —
在最后一天，经常渴望知道父亲宫殿里发生了什么的格拉西亚对帕尔西内特说，如果他愿意，她确定他可以找出为什么皇后突然消失了对她父亲的理由。 —

Percinet at first offered to send his courier to find out, but the Princess said:
帕尔西内特起初提议派他的信使去打听，但公主说：

‘Oh! isn’t there a quicker way of knowing than that?’
“哦！有没有比那更快知道的方法？”

‘Very well,’ said Percinet, ‘you shall see for yourself.’
“很好，”帕尔西内特说，“你将看到真相。”

So up they went together to the top of a very high tower, which, like the rest of the castle, was built entirely of rock-crystal.
于是他们一起走到一座非常高的塔顶，这座塔和城堡的其他部分一样，完全由岩晶建成。

There the Prince held Graciosa’s hand in his, and made her put the tip of her little finger into her mouth, and look towards the town, and immediately she saw the wicked Queen go to the King, and heard her say to him, ‘That miserable Princess is dead, and no great loss either. —
王子握住格拉西亚的手，让她把小指尖放进嘴里，朝着城镇看去，她立刻看到邪恶的皇后走向国王，听到她对他说：“那个可怜的公主已经死了，她不算什么损失。 —

I have ordered that she shall be buried at once.’
我已经下令立即将她埋葬。”

And then the Princess saw how she dressed up a log of wood and had it buried, and how the old King cried, and all the people murmured that the Queen had killed Graciosa with her cruelties, and that she ought to have her head cut off. —
然后公主看到她把一段木头装扮起来并埋葬了起来，老国王哭了起来，所有的人都在低声议论，说女王的残忍行为害死了格拉修瓦，她应该被斩首。 —

When the Princess saw that the King was so sorry for her pretended death that he could neither eat nor drink, she cried:
当公主看到国王为她假装的死而如此伤心以至于吃不下饭，喝不下水，她哭道：

‘Ah, Percinet! take me back quickly if you love me.’
‘啊，珀西内！如果你爱我，请快点把我带回去。’

And so, though he did not want to at all, he was obliged to promise that he would let her go.
虽然他根本不想这样做，但他被迫答应放她走。

‘You may not regret me, Princess,’ he said sadly, ‘for I fear that you do not love me well enough; —
‘公主，你或许不会因为离开我而后悔，’他悲伤地说道，’我担心你对我爱得不够； —

but I foresee that you will more than once regret that you left this fairy palace where we have been so happy.’
但我预见到你将会多次后悔离开这个仙女宫殿，在那里我们曾经如此幸福过。’

But, in spite of all he could say, she bade farewell to the Queen, his mother, and prepared to set out; —
不管他如何说，她向他的母亲女王告别，准备出发； —

so Percinet, very unwillingly, brought the little sledge with the stags and she mounted beside him. —
于是佩西尼特非常不情愿地带着鹿拉着小雪橇，她坐在他旁边。 —

But they had hardly gone twenty yards when a tremendous noise behind her made Graciosa look back, and she saw the palace of crystal fly into a million splinters, like the spray of a fountain, and vanish.
但是他们刚走了二十码，后面传来一阵巨大的响声，格拉西奥莎回过头，她看到水晶宫像喷泉的水花一样四散成了无数碎片并消失了。

‘Oh, Percinet!’ she cried, ‘what has happened? The palace is gone.’
‘噢，佩西尼特！’她喊道，‘发生了什么？宫殿不见了。’

‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘my palace is a thing of the past; —
‘是的，’他回答，‘我的宫殿已经成为过去的事情了； —

you will see it again, but not until after you have been buried.’
你会再见到它的，但在你被埋葬之后才会。’

‘Now you are angry with me,’ said Graciosa in her most coaxing voice, ‘though after all I am more to be pitied than you are.’
‘现在你生我的气了，’格拉西奥莎用最讨人喜欢的声音说道，‘虽然说起来我比你更可怜。’

When they got near the palace the Prince made the sledge and themselves invisible, so the Princess got in unobserved, and ran up to the great hall where the King was sitting all by himself. —
当他们靠近宫殿时，王子让雪橇和他们自己隐形了，所以公主毫无察觉地进去了，跑到了国王独自坐着的大厅。 —

At first he was very much startled by Graciosa’s sudden appearance, but she told him how the Queen had left her out in the forest, and how she had caused a log of wood to be buried. —
一开始他被Graciosa突然出现吓了一跳，但她告诉他王后把她留在了森林中，并且她让一根木头被埋了起来。 —

The King, who did not know what to think, sent quickly and had it dug up, and sure enough it was as the Princess had said. —
国王不知所措，立即派人挖出来，果然正如公主所说的那样。 —

Then he caressed Graciosa, and made her sit down to supper with him, and they were as happy as possible. —
然后他抚摸了一下Graciosa，让她和他一起坐下来吃晚餐，他们非常快乐。 —

But someone had by this time told the wicked Queen that Graciosa had come back, and was at supper with the King, and in she flew in a terrible fury. —
但是有人已经告诉邪恶的王后Graciosa回来了，并且和国王一起吃晚餐，她愤怒地飞了过来。 —

The poor old King quite trembled before her, and when she declared that Graciosa was not the Princess at all, but a wicked impostor, and that if the King did not give her up at once she would go back to her own castle and never see him again, he had not a word to say, and really seemed to believe that it was not Graciosa after all. —
可怜的老国王在她面前颤抖不已，当她宣称Graciosa根本不是公主，而是个邪恶的冒充者，并且说如果国王不立即把她交出来，她将返回她自己的城堡，永远不再见他时，他一言不发，似乎真的相信这不是Graciosa。 —

So the Queen in great triumph sent for her waiting women, who dragged the unhappy Princess away and shut her up in a garret; —
于是女王在胜利的欢庆中派人召来她的侍女，她们把不幸的公主拖走，关进了阁楼； —

they took away all her jewels and her pretty dress, and gave her a rough cotton frock, wooden shoes, and a little cloth cap. —
她们拿走了她所有的珠宝和漂亮的衣服，给她穿上了一件粗糙的棉布连衣裙，木屐和一个小布帽。 —

There was some straw in a corner, which was all she had for a bed, and they gave her a very little bit of black bread to eat. —
角落里放着一些稻草，这是她唯一的床铺，他们给了她一小块黑面包吃。 —

In this miserable plight Graciosa did indeed regret the fairy palace, and she would have called Percinet to her aid, only she felt sure he was still vexed with her for leaving him, and thought that she could not expect him to come.
在这个可怜的状态下，格拉修萨确实后悔了仙女宫殿，她想召唤佩西奈帮助她，只是她确信他还对她离开他而生气，她觉得不能指望他会来。

Meanwhile the Queen had sent for an old Fairy, as malicious as herself, and said to her:
与此同时，女王派人找来了一位和她一样恶毒的老仙女，并对她说道：

‘You must find me some task for this fine Princess which she cannot possibly do, for I mean to punish her, and if she does not do what I order, she will not be able to say that I am unjust. —
“你必须找到一些对这位美丽的公主来说是无法做到的任务，因为我打算惩罚她，如果她不照我的吩咐去做，她就不能说我不公正。” —

’ So the old Fairy said she would think it over, and come again the next day. —
于是老仙女说她会考虑一下，并在第二天再次回来。 —

When she returned she brought with her a skein of thread, three times as big as herself; —
她回来的时候带着一卷线团，比她自己还要大三倍； —

it was so fine that a breath of air would break it, and so tangled that it was impossible to see the beginning or the end of it.
它是如此纤细，一丝风都能打断它，而且缠在一起乱极了，根本看不清起始点和结束点。

The Queen sent for Graciosa, and said to her:
女王叫来了Graciosa，并对她说道：

‘Do you see this skein? Set your clumsy fingers to work upon it, for I must have it disentangled by sunset, and if you break a single thread it will be the worse for you. —
“你看见这个线团了吧？动动你笨拙的手指给我解开它，日落之前必须解开，要是你弄断丝线，你会遭殃的。” —

’ So saying she left her, locking the door behind her with three keys.
女王说完之后离开了，用三把钥匙把门锁上。

The Princess stood dismayed at the sight of the terrible skein. —
公主一看到那可怕的线团，感到惊慌失措。 —

If she did but turn it over to see where to begin, she broke a thousand threads, and not one could she disentangle. —
只要她一动它，想找出开始的地方，就会弄断一千根丝线，一个也解不开。 —

At last she threw it into the middle of the floor, crying:
最后她一把把它扔到地板中央，大声喊道：“哦，Percinet！如果你不原谅我并再次帮助我，那这条致命的线团将会害死我。”

‘Oh, Percinet! this fatal skein will be the death of me if you will not forgive me and help me once more.’
刚说完，Percinet就像轻而易举地拥有所有钥匙一样，走了进来。

And immediately in came Percinet as easily as if he had all the keys in his own possession.

‘Here I am, Princess, as much as ever at your service,’ said he, ‘though really you are not very kind to me.’
“我在这里，公主，愿意为你效劳，尽管你对我并不太友好。”他说道。“

Then he just stroked the skein with his wand, and all the broken threads joined themselves together, and the whole skein wound itself smoothly off in the most surprising manner, and the Prince, turning to Graciosa, asked if there was nothing else that she wished him to do for her, and if the time would never come when she would wish for him for his own sake.
然后他用魔杖轻轻地抚摸着线团, 所有断裂的线头自动连接在一起，整个线团顺利地收拢，这种奇迹般的方式让王子转向格拉琪萨，问她是否还有什么事情希望他为她做，以及是否会有一天她会为了他自己而希望他。

‘Don’t be vexed with me, Percinet,’ she said. ‘I am unhappy enough without that.’
‘不要生我的气,派西奈,’她说。“我已经够不开心了。”

‘But why should you be unhappy, my Princess?’ cried he. —
‘但是为什么你会不开心呢，我的公主？”他大声说。 —

‘Only come with me and we shall be as happy as the day is long together.’
‘只要和我一起来，我们会像这一天一样快乐的度过一生。’

‘But suppose you get tired of me?’ said Graciosa.
‘但是假设你会厌倦我呢？’格拉琪萨说。

The Prince was so grieved at this want of confidence that he left her without another word.
王子对这种缺乏信任感感到伤心，没有再说什么就离开了她。

The wicked Queen was in such a hurry to punish Graciosa that she thought the sun would never set; —
邪恶的女王急于惩罚格拉琪萨，以至于她觉得太阳永远不会下山。 —

and indeed it was before the appointed time that she came with her four Fairies, and as she fitted the three keys into the locks she said:
她确实是提前来了，带着她的四个仙子，她把三把钥匙插进锁里说道：

‘I’ll venture to say that the idle minx has not done anything at all — she prefers to sit with her hands before her to keep them white.’
“我敢说这个懒散的姑娘什么事都没做过——她宁愿坐着双手放在膝盖上保持它们的洁白。”

But, as soon as she entered, Graciosa presented her with the ball of thread in perfect order, so that she had no fault to find, and could only pretend to discover that it was soiled, for which imaginary fault she gave Graciosa a blow on each cheek, that made her white and pink skin turn green and yellow. —
但是，格拉西奥萨一进来就把整齐有序的线球递给了她，所以她找不到任何毛病，只好假装发现它有点脏，为了这个虚假的过错她给了格拉西奥萨脸颊上每边一巴掌，让她白皙的肤色变成了绿色和黄色。 —

And then she sent her back to be locked into the garret once more.
然后她又把她送回到阁楼里重新锁住。

Then the Queen sent for the Fairy again and scolded her furiously. —
接着王后又把仙子叫来，愤怒地责骂了她。 —

‘Don’t make such a mistake again; find me something that it will be quite impossible for her to do,’ she said.
“别再犯这样的错误了，找点对她来说完全不可能完成的事情，”她说。

So the next day the Fairy appeared with a huge barrel full of the feathers of all sorts of birds. —
于是第二天仙子带来了一个装满各种鸟羽毛的大桶。 —

There were nightingales, canaries, goldfinches, linnets, tomtits, parrots, owls, sparrows, doves, ostriches, bustards, peacocks, larks, partridges, and everything else that you can think of. —
有夜鹰、金丝雀、金翅鸟、文鸟、山雀、鹦鹉、猫头鹰、麻雀、鸽子、鸵鸟、鸨鹅、孔雀、云雀、野鸡等你能想到的一切鸟类。 —

These feathers were all mixed up in such confusion that the birds themselves could not have chosen out their own. —
这些羽毛混在一起，乱得连鸟都找不出自己的。 —

‘Here,’ said the Fairy, ‘is a little task which it will take all your prisoner’s skill and patience to accomplish. —
“看吧，”仙子说，“这是一项需要所有你们囚犯的技能和耐心才能完成的小任务。” —

Tell her to pick out and lay in a separate heap the feathers of each bird. —
告诉她挑选出每只鸟的羽毛并分开摆放在一堆。 —

She would need to be a fairy to do it.’
她必须是个仙子才有办法做到。”

The Queen was more than delighted at the thought of the despair this task would cause the Princess. —
皇后听到这个任务会让公主绝望，心里更是高兴得不得了。 —

She sent for her, and with the same threats as before locked her up with the three keys, ordering that all the feathers should be sorted by sunset. —
她把公主叫来，并带着和之前一样的威胁，用三把钥匙将她锁在了里面，命令她在日落之前将所有羽毛分类整理好。 —

Graciosa set to work at once, but before she had taken out a dozen feathers she found that it was perfectly impossible to know one from another.
格拉琪诺莎立刻开始工作，但还没拿出十几根羽毛，她就发现根本不可能辨别出它们哪根是哪个鸟的。

‘Ah! well,’ she sighed, ‘the Queen wishes to kill me, and if I must die I must. —
“啊！唉，”她叹了口气，“皇后想要杀了我，如果我必须死，我就必须死。” —

I cannot ask Percinet to help me again, for if he really loved me he would not wait till I called him, he would come without that.’
“我不能再向佩尔西奈求助了，如果他真的爱我，他就不会等到我呼唤他，他会自己来。”

‘I am here, my Graciosa,’ cried Percinet, springing out of the barrel where he had been hiding. —
“我在这里，亲爱的格拉西奥萨，”佩尔西奈从他一直藏在的桶里跳了出来。 —

‘How can you still doubt that I love you with all my heart?’
“你怎么还能怀疑我全心全意地爱着你呢？”

Then he gave three strokes of his wand upon the barrel, and all the feathers flew out in a cloud and settled down in neat little separate heaps all round the room.
他用魔棒在桶上敲了三下，所有的羽毛都像云一样飞出来，整齐地分散在房间里。

‘What should I do without you, Percinet?’ said Graciosa gratefully. —
“没有你，佩尔西奈，我该怎么办？”格拉西奥萨感激地说。 —

But still she could not quite make up her mind to go with him and leave her father’s kingdom for ever; —
但是她仍然不能完全下定决心与他一起离开她父亲的王国，永远离开。 —

so she begged him to give her more time to think of it, and he had to go away disappointed once more.
因此，她请求他给她更多时间来考虑，并且他又失望地离开了。

When the wicked Queen came at sunset she was amazed and infuriated to find the task done. —
当邪恶的皇后在日落时分来的时候，她惊讶且愤怒地发现任务已经完成了。 —

However, she complained that the heaps of feathers were badly arranged, and for that the Princess was beaten and sent back to her garret. —
然而，她抱怨说堆放的羽毛摆放得很乱，因此公主被打了一顿，被赶回了她的阁楼。 —

Then the Queen sent for the Fairy once more, and scolded her until she was fairly terrified, and promised to go home and think of another task for Graciosa, worse than either of the others.
然后，皇后再次派人去找仙女，并且一直责骂她直到她吓得发抖，答应回家好好想一想，并且给格拉西奥莎找到比之前两个更糟糕的任务。

At the end of three days she came again, bringing with her a box.
三天后，她再次回来，带着一个盒子。

‘Tell your slave,’ said he, ‘to carry this wherever you please, but on no account to open it. —
“告诉你的奴隶，”他说，“让她把这个箱子带到你想去的地方，但是千万别打开。” —

She will not be able to help doing so, and then you will be quite satisfied with the result. —
她会忍不住去打开的，然后你就会对结果感到满意了。 —

’ So the Queen came to Graciosa, and said:
于是皇后来找格拉西奥莎，说道：

‘Carry this box to my castle, and place it upon the table in my own room. —
“把这个盒子送到我的城堡，放在我自己的房间里的桌子上。 —

But I forbid you on pain of death to look at what it contains.’
但我严禁你打开它，否则就是死刑。”

Graciosa set out, wearing her little cap and wooden shoes and the old cotton frock, but even in this disguise she was so beautiful that all the passers-by wondered who she could be. —
格拉西奥莎穿着她的小帽子和木鞋，还有旧的棉质裙子出发了，但即便是这样的装扮，她依然美丽得让路过的人都想知道她到底是谁。 —

She had not gone far before the heat of the sun and the weight of the box tired her so much that she sat down to rest in the shade of a little wood which lay on one side of a green meadow. —
她还没走多远，太阳的炎热和盒子的重量就使她疲倦不堪，于是她坐下来在一片小树林的阴凉处休息。 —

She was carefully holding the box upon her lap when she suddenly felt the greatest desire to open it,
她小心地将盒子放在腿上，突然感到极度想打开它的冲动。

‘What could possibly happen if I did?’ she said to herself. —
“我打开它又会发生什么呢？”她自言自语。 —

‘I should not take anything out. I should only just see what was there.’
“我不打算拿出任何东西，只是看看里面有什么。”

And without farther hesitation she lifted the cover.
毫不犹豫地，她掀开了盖子。

Instantly out came swarms of little men and women, no taller than her finger, and scattered themselves all over the meadow, singing and dancing, and playing the merriest games, so that at first Graciosa was delighted and watched them with much amusement. —
瞬间，成群的小人儿和小女人从盒子里跑了出来，不过比她的手指还矮，它们分散在整个草地上，唱着歌、跳着舞，玩着最开心的游戏，起初格拉西奥莎为之快乐，高兴地观察着它们。 —

But presently, when she was rested and wished to go on her way, she found that, do what she would, she could not get them back into their box. —
但是当她休息好想要继续前行时，她发现无论怎么努力都无法把它们塞回盒子。 —

If she chased them in the meadow they fled into the wood, and if she pursued them into the wood they dodged round trees and behind sprigs of moss, and with peals of elfin laughter scampered back again into the meadow.
如果她在草地上追赶他们，他们就逃进树林里，如果她在树林里追赶他们，他们就躲在树后和苔藓丛中，哈哈大笑地又跑回草地。

At last, weary and terrified, she sat down and cried.
最后，她疲惫而恐惧地坐下来哭了起来。

‘It is my own fault,’ she said sadly. —
“这是我的错”，她悲伤地说道。 —

‘Percinet, if you can still care for such an imprudent Princess, do come and help me once more.’
“佩尔西奈，如果你仍然关心这样的轻率公主，请再来帮助我一次。”

Immediately Percinet stood before her.
佩尔西奈立刻站在她面前。

‘Ah, Princess!’ he said, ‘but for the wicked Queen I fear you would never think of me at all.’
“啊，公主！”他说道，“如果不是那个邪恶的皇后，我担心你根本不会想到我。”

‘Indeed I should,’ said Graciosa; ‘I am not so ungrateful as you think. —
“事实上我应该会的，”格拉以克莎说道，“我并没有你想象的那么忘恩负义。 —

Only wait a little and I believe I shall love you quite dearly.’
只需等一会儿，我相信我会完全热爱你。”

Percinet was pleased at this, and with one stroke of his wand compelled all the wilful little people to come back to their places in the box, and then rendering the Princess invisible he took her with him in his chariot to the castle.
佩尔西奈对此感到高兴，他用魔杖一挥，将所有任性的小家伙都控制住，让他们回到盒子里，然后他让公主变得隐形，带她乘坐他的马车去了城堡。

When the Princess presented herself at the door, and said that the Queen had ordered her to place the box in her own room, the governor laughed heartily at the idea.
当公主向门口走来，并说皇后命令她把盒子放在自己的房间里时，总督大笑起来，嘲笑这个想法。

‘No, no, my little shepherdess,’ said he, ‘that is not the place for you. —
“不，不，我的小牧羊女，”他说道，”那不适合你。 —

No wooden shoes have ever been over that floor yet.’
从来没有人穿木鞋走过那块地板。

Then Graciosa begged him to give her a written message telling the Queen that he had refused to admit her. —
于是，格拉希奥莎请求他写一封信给皇后，告诉她他拒绝了她的进入。 —

This he did, and she went back to Percinet, who was waiting for her, and they set out together for the palace. —
他照办了，她就回去了，找到了在等待她的佩西纳特，然后他们一起出发去了皇宫。 —

You may imagine that they did not go the shortest way, but the Princess did not find it too long, and before they parted she had promised that if the Queen was still cruel to her, and tried again to play her any spiteful trick, she would leave her and come to Percinet for ever.
你可以想象，他们没有选择最短的路线，但是公主觉得这并不太长，在他们分别之前，她答应说，如果皇后仍然对她残忍，并再次设法对她恶意陷害，她会离开她，永远和佩西纳特在一起。

When the Queen saw her returning she fell upon the Fairy, whom she had kept with her, and pulled her hair, and scratched her face, and would really have killed her if a Fairy could be killed. —
当皇后看到她回来时，她扑向了一直留在她身边的仙女，拔她的头发，抓她的脸，如果仙女可以被杀死的话，她可能真的会杀了她。 —

And when the Princess presented the letter and the box she threw them both upon the fire without opening them, and looked very much as if she would like to throw the Princess after them. —
当公主拿出信和盒子时，她将它们都扔进了火中，而且看起来好像她也想把公主扔进去。 —

However, what she really did do was to have a great hole as deep as a well dug in her garden, and the top of it covered with a flat stone. —
然而，她真正做的是在花园里挖了一个跟井一样深的大洞，然后用一块平石盖住了它。 —

Then she went and walked near it, and said to Graciosa and all her ladies who were with her:
然后她走过去，在洞旁边走动，对着格拉修萨和所有陪伴她的女士们说:

‘I am told that a great treasure lies under that stone; let us see if we can lift it.’
‘我听说那块石头下面藏着一笔巨大的财宝；让我们看看能不能把它掀起来。’

So they all began to push and pull at it, and Graciosa among the others, which was just what the Queen wanted; —
于是她们开始推拉，格拉修萨也参与其中，这正是女王所期望的; —

for as soon as the stone was lifted high enough, she gave the Princess a push which sent her down to the bottom of the well, and then the stone was let fall again, and there she was a prisoner. —
因为一旦石头被掀起足够高了，她就推了公主一下，把她推到了井底，然后又让石头掉下来，这样她就变成了囚徒。 —

Graciosa felt that now indeed she was hopelessly lost, surely not even Percinet could find her in the heart of the earth.
格拉修萨感到自己真的注定要失去一切了，或许就连佩西内特也无法在地心找到她。

‘This is like being buried alive,’ she said with a shudder. ‘Oh, Percinet! —
“这就像被活埋一样，”她颤抖着说道。“噢，Percinet！ —

if you only knew how I am suffering for my want of trust in you! —
如果你只知道因为我对你不信任而遭受的痛苦有多大！ —

But how could I be sure that you would not be like other men and tire of me from the moment you were sure I loved you?’
但是我怎么能确定你不会像其他男人一样，一旦确信我爱你，就会对我失去兴趣？

As she spoke she suddenly saw a little door open, and the sunshine blazed into the dismal well. —
她说话的同时，她突然看到一个小门打开，阳光闪耀进了阴暗的井底。 —

Graciosa did not hesitate an instant, but passed through into a charming garden. —
Graciosa 毫不犹豫地通过小门，走进了一个迷人的花园。 —

Flowers and fruit grew on every side, fountains plashed, and birds sang in the branches overhead, and when she reached a great avenue of trees and looked up to see where it would lead her, she found herself close to the palace of crystal. —
到处都有花朵和水果，喷泉咕噜咕噜地流淌着，鸟儿在头顶的树枝上歌唱。当她走到一条大道旁边并抬头看着前方时，她发现自己已经离水晶宫很近了。 —

Yes! there was no mistaking it, and the Queen and Percinet were coming to meet her.
是的！不会弄错，在她的走向中，王后和Percinet 正走过来迎接她。

‘Ah, Princess!’ said the Queen, ‘don’t keep this poor Percinet in suspense any longer. —
“啊，公主！”王后说道，“不要再让这个可怜的Percinet 担心了。 —

You little guess the anxiety he has suffered while you were in the power of that miserable Queen.’
你完全没想到在你被那个可怜的王后控制的时候，他所受的焦虑。”

The Princess kissed her gratefully, and promised to do as she wished in everything, and holding out her hand to Percinet, with a smile, she said:
公主感激地亲了亲他，答应在一切事情上都听从他的意愿。她微笑着向帕西内递出手，说道：

‘Do you remember telling me that I should not see your palace again until I had been buried? —
“还记得你曾告诉我，直到我下葬后才能再次见到你的宫殿吗？ —

I wonder if you guessed then that, when that happened, I should tell you that I love you with all my heart, and will marry you whenever you like?’
我想知道那时你是否猜到了，当那件事发生时，我会告诉你我全心全意地爱你，并愿意随时与你结婚？”

Prince Percinet joyfully took the hand that was given him, and, for fear the Princess should change her mind, the wedding was held at once with the greatest splendour, and Graciosa and Percinet lived happily ever after.
帕西内王子喜悦地握住了她递过来的手，为了防止公主改变主意，他们立即举行了最辉煌的婚礼，格拉修萨和帕西内过上了幸福快乐的生活。