第12章 打火匣 The Tinder－Box【5 / 6】

“每个人都说她非常美丽，” 他暗自想道；

“every one says she is very beautiful,” thought he to himself;

“但如果她被关在一个被许多塔楼环绕的铜城堡里，那又有什么用呢。

“but what is the use of that if she is to be shut up in a copper castle surrounded by so many towers

我有没有办法能见到她呢。

can i by any means get to see her

等等！我的打火匣在哪里？”

stop! where is my tinder - box”

然后他擦出了火，瞬间，那只眼睛有茶杯那么大的狗就站在了他面前。

then he struck a light, and in a moment the dog, with eyes as big as teacups, stood before him

“现在是午夜，” 士兵说，“然而我非常想见见公主，哪怕就一会儿。”

“it is midnight,” said the soldier, “yet i should very much like to see the princess, if only for a moment”

狗立刻消失了，士兵还没来得及四处张望，它就带着公主回来了。

the dog disappeared instantly, and before the soldier could even look round, he returned with the princess

她正趴在狗背上睡着，看起来如此可爱，以至于每个看到她的人都会知道她是一位真正的公主。

she was lying on the dog’s back asleep, and looked so lovely, that every one who saw her would know she was a real princess

尽管他是个真正的士兵，但还是忍不住吻了她。

the soldier could not help kissing her, true soldier as he was

然后狗带着公主跑回去了；

then the dog ran back with the princess;

但是早上，当她和国王与王后一起吃早餐时，她告诉他们她夜里做了一个多么奇特的梦，梦到一只狗和一个士兵，她骑在狗背上，被士兵吻了。

but in the morning, while at breakfast with the king and queen, she told them what a singular dream she had had during the night, of a dog and a soldier, that she had ridden on the dog’s back, and been kissed by the soldier

“这确实是个非常美妙的故事，” 王后说。

“that is a very pretty story, indeed,” said the queen

于是第二天晚上，宫廷里的一位老妇人被安排在公主的床边守夜，去弄清楚这到底是一个梦，还是别的什么情况。

so the next night one of the old ladies of the court was set to watch by the princess’s bed, to discover whether it really was a dream, or what else it might be

士兵非常渴望再次见到公主，于是夜里他又召唤狗去把公主带来，并且尽快带着她跑。

the soldier longed very much to see the princess once more, so he sent for the dog again in the night to fetch her, and to run with her as fast as ever he could

但是老妇人穿上了雨靴，尽可能快地在后面追赶他，发现他把公主带进了一所大房子里。

but the old lady put on water boots, and ran after him as quickly as he did, and found that he carried the princess into a large house

她想如果她用粉笔在门上画一个大十字，这会有助于她记住这个地方。

she thought it would help her to remember the place if she made a large cross on the door with a piece of chalk

然后她就回家睡觉了，狗很快就带着公主回来了。

then she went home to bed, and the dog presently returned with the princess

但是当狗看到士兵住的房子的门上被画了一个十字时，他拿了另一支粉笔在城里所有的门上都画了十字，这样侍女就可能找不到正确的门了。

but when he saw that a cross had been made on the door of the house, where the soldier lived, he took another piece of chalk and made crosses on all the doors in the town, so that the lady - in - waiting might not be able to find out the right door

第二天一大早，国王和王后陪着这位老妇人以及所有的宫廷官员，去看公主去了哪里。

early the next morning the king and queen acpanied the lady and all the officers of the household, to see where the princess had been

“在这里，” 当他们来到第一扇画着十字的门时，国王说道。

“here it is,” said the king, when they came to the first door with a cross on it

“不，我亲爱的丈夫，一定是那扇门，” 王后指着第二扇也画着十字的门说道。

“no, my dear husband, it must be that one,” said the queen, pointing to a second door having a cross also

“这里有一个，那里还有一个！” 他们都惊叫道；

“and here is one, and there is another!” they all exclaimed;

因为四面八方所有的门上都有十字。

for there were crosses on all the doors in every direction

所以他们觉得再继续找下去也没有用了。

so they felt it would be useless to search any farther

但是王后是一个非常聪明的女人；

but the queen was a very clever woman;

她能做的远不止是坐马车出行。

she could do a great deal more than merely ride in a carriage

她拿起她的大金剪刀，把一块丝绸剪成方块，做了一个整洁的小袋子。

she took her large gold scissors, cut a piece of silk into squares, and made a neat little bag

她把这个袋子装满荞麦粉，然后把它系在公主的脖子上；

this bag she filled with buckwheat flour, and tied it round the princess’s neck;

然后她在袋子上剪了一个小口子，这样公主一路走的时候面粉就可以撒在地上。

and then she cut a small hole in the bag, so that the flour might be scattered on the ground as the princess went along