Once upon a time there was a little chimney sweep named Tom who lived in a city in northern England. He could not read or write and he never washed or said his prayers. He had never been taught to do these things. Mr. Grimes， his master， made him work hard， fed him little， and beat him.

　　從前有一個清掃煙囪的小男孩，他的名字叫湯姆，住在英格蘭北部的一個城市里。他不識字。也不會寫字，從來不知沖洗，也不會做禱告，因為從來沒有人教他做這些事情。他的主人格蘭姆斯先生，只叫他拼命干活。給他吃得很少。而且還要打他。

　　One summer day， they were called to clean the chimneys at Harthover——a grand place owned by the rich Sir John. On the way， a mysterious woman with a red petticoat walked with them for a while.

　　夏季的一天，他們受雇到哈特霍弗去清掃煙囪，那里是富有的約翰爵士的一大片產業。在路上有個穿紅裙的神秘女人跟著他們走了一陣子。

　　Harthover House was as big as a whole street of ordinary houses. It had many large and crooked chimneys that were connected to each other. While inside one of them， Tom got lost and came down the wrong chimney into a bedroom.

　　哈特合弗府邸很大。有著平常老百姓住家的整條街道那么大，上面有許多大而彎曲的煙囪彼此相連在一起。湯姆鉆進去之后就迷了路，他走錯了一個煙囪竟下到了一間臥室。

　　Under the snow white coverlet， upon the snow-white pillow， lay the most beautiful little girl that Tom had ever seen. Her cheeks were almost as white as the pillow， and her hair was like threads of gold spread all about over the bed. She might have been as old as Tom， or maybe a year or two older： but Tom did not think of that. He thought only of her delicate skin and golden hair， and wondered whether she were a real live person， or one of the wax dolls he had seen in the shops. But when he saw her breathe， he made up his mind that she was alive， and stood staring at her， as if she had been an angel out of heaven.

　　在雪白的被單下，雪白的枕頭上，躺著一個湯姆有生以來從未見過的最漂亮的小女孩。她的雙額幾乎同枕頭一樣白，頭發像金線般鋪灑在床上。她可能和湯姆一樣年紀，或許大一兩歲，但是湯姆并不注意這些，只想著她那細嫩的皮膚和一頭金發，心想不知她是個真人、還是在店鋪里見過的蠟娃娃。但當見到她在呼吸時，他這才肯定她是個活人。湯姆站在那里目不轉睛地看著她，就住她是從天而降的天使。

　　She awoke to see the black， ragged figure of little Tom. She screamed and a nurse came in. Tom escaped out a window and down a tree. He ran through the park around the house， climbed over a wall， and slowed to a walk. He went for miles through the moors and climbed a mountain. He was hot， tired， and thirsty， but down below was a wonderful sight.

　　她醒來之后看到全身污黑、衣衫襤樓的小湯姆便驚叫起來，于是一個保姆進到房里。湯姆跳窗逃走，攀樹而下，穿過圍繞在房子四周的庭園，翻過一道墻，然后才放慢了腳步。他走了好幾英里路，穿過荒野，爬過一座山，他覺得又熱又累，口干舌燥，但是腳下卻是一幅美景。

　　A deep， deep green and rocky valley， very narrow， and filled with woods： but through the woods， hundreds of feet below him， he could see a clear stream glance. Oh， if he could but get down to that stream！ Then， by the stream， he saw the roof of a little cottage， and a little garden， set out in squares and beds. And there was a tiny little red thing moving in the garden， no bigger than a fly. As Tom looked down， he saw that it was a woman in a red petticoat！ The name of the place was Vendale. The woman in the cottage was teaching some children the alphabet. She gave Tom a cup of milk and a piece of bread and told him to rest. Being feverish， he could not sleep. He went down to the brook， took off his clothes， and tumbled into the cool， clear water.

　　那是一個非常狹長的綠色深谷，到處是巖石，谷中綠樹成林；透過那片樹林，可以看到離他腳下幾百英尺的地方有一條清澈的小溪。啊，要是他能下到那條小溪該有多好！接著，他又看到在小溪旁邊有一所小茅屋的房頂，一座小花園，里面是一方格一方格的花圃，還有個像蒼蠅大小的紅色小東西在花園里活動。再往下看，湯姆看清那原來是個穿紅裙的女人。這個地方叫文代爾。茅屋里的女人正在教小孩子認字母。她給湯姆一杯牛奶和一片面包，并要他去休息一會兒。由于高度興奮，他睡不著，于是往下走來到了小溪邊。他脫掉衣服就地一滾就進入了清涼的水中。

　

　Tom suddenly found himself to be less than four inches long. The fairies had turned him into a water baby. He swam downstream， passing salmon going upstream. On the banks were men fishing. One of them fell into the swift current， rolled over and sank to the bottom of a deep hole. Tom saw that it was his old master， Mr. Grimes. Fairies carried the body away.

　　突然間，湯姆發現自己縮到了不到4英寸長。仙女們已將他變成小水娃。他往下游，與逆流而上的鮭魚擦身而過。溪邊有人在釣魚，其中一個掉進急流里，翻了個滾，沉入一個深深的洞底。湯姆看到那是他的老主人格蘭姆斯先生。仙女們把他的軀體帶走了。

　　Tom reached the sea in the autumn. One day a man and a little girl were walking on the rocks at water's edge. She was Ellie， the same little girl Tom had seen in the great house. The man groped with his net in the weeds and caught little Tom by accident. Tom bit the man's finger and dropped back into the water. Excited， Ellie slipped and hit her head on a rock. That night， fairies came to her bed and carried her away.

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　　湯姆終于在秋天游到了大海。有一天，一個男人和一個小女孩在水邊的巖石上行走。她叫埃利，就是湯姆在大宅里見到的小女孩。那個男人撒下網子在海草中搜索，碰巧把小湯姆抓了上來。湯姆咬了他的手指，趁機跳回水里。埃利很興奮，沒小心滑了一跤，頭撞到一塊巖石上。那天晚上，仙女們來到她床前將她帶走了。

　　Tom found many water babies living in the sea. A kind fairy lady visited them from time to time. But Tom was naughty： he teased the crabs and anemones and stole sweets from the fairy's cupboard. As punishment， he was turned into a sea urchin. The fairy also found a girl to give Tom some schooling.

　　湯姆發現好多小水娃生活在海里，有個慈祥的仙女時常來探望他們。但是湯姆太頑皮了，常去戲弄螃蟹和?？€到仙女的櫥柜里去偷糖果。他被處罰變成了海膽。那個仙女還找了一個女孩來給他上課。

　　So she taught Tom every day of the week； only on Sundays she always went away home， and the kind fairy took her place. And， before she had taught many Sundays， his prickles had vanished quite away， and his skin was smooth and clean again.

　　于是她每天都來教湯姆，只是每到星期日她總要回家，而由那個慈祥的仙女來代課。她代了不到幾個星期日，湯姆身上的刺就漸漸消失了，皮膚又變得細嫩清潔了。

　　"Dear me！" said the little girl； "why， I know you now. You are the same little chimney sweep who came into my bedroom. "Dear me！" cried Tom. "And I know you， too， now. You are the very little white lady whom I saw in bed."

　　"天啊，"小女孩叫道，"咳，我現在認出你了。你就是那個闖進我臥室的掃煙囪的小孩。" "天啊，"湯姆也叫起來，"我現在也認出你了，你就是那個我看到躺在床上的一身白的小姐。"

　The fairy lady told Tom that he had to find Mr. Grimes. He swam for a long time， asking other sea creatures for directions. One day a ship on the surface was hit by a huge wave. A little black and tan terrier was washed over board. It turned into a water dog and became Tom's companion. Tom followed the dog through a hole at the bottom of the sea.

　　仙女告訴湯姆必須去找到格蘭姆斯先生。他游了好久，一路上向海里的動物打聽方向。有一天，海面上有艘船被大浪襲擊，一只棕黑色的小狗墜入水中，變成了一條水狗，它于是成了湯姆的同伴。湯姆跟著小狗穿過海底的一個洞。

　　They made their way to a large prison building. There they saw Mr. Grimes stuck in a chimney with only his head and shoulders showing. Tom pulled at the bricks， but he could not move even one. The fairy lady appeared and told Grimes that his mother had gone to heaven.

　　他們終于到達了一所大監獄。在那里他們看到格蘭姆斯先生被卡在一個煙囪里，只露出頭和肩膀。湯姆想要把磚塊搬開，但是一塊也搬不動。仙女出現了，告訴格蘭姆斯他的媽媽已經上了天堂。

　　"So my old mother's gone and I never there to speak to her！ Ah！ A good woman she was， and might have been a happly one， in her little school there in Vendale， if it hadn't been for me and my bad ways.

　　"我的老母親死了，可我還一直沒去那里跟她說說話呢。啊，她是一個很好的女人；如果不是為了我和我的惡劣行為，她在文代爾的小學校里會過得很快活的。"

　　"Ah！" said Grimes， "Good reason she had to hate the sight of a chimney sweep. I ran away from her and took up with the sweeps， and never let her know where I was， nor sent her a penny to help her， and now it's too late——too late l" He began to cry. His tears washed the soot off his face， washed the mortar from between the bricks， and the chimney crumbled down， freeing him.

　　"啊，"格蘭姆斯說，"她不喜歡看到掃煙囪的人，這難怪啊。我當初離她而去后干的就是掃煙囪的活兒，我一直不讓她知道我在哪兒，也沒有寄過分文來幫助她；現在太遲了——太遲了！" 他開始哭了起來，眼淚洗去了臉上的煤煙，也洗掉了磚塊間的泥灰，于是煙囪倒了下來，他獲得了自由。

　　The fairy said that Tom's work was done. She took him up to the surface where， on an island， he met Ellie again. They were now grown up into a tall man and she into a beautiful woman. Together they lived happily ever after.

　　仙女說湯姆的工作已經完成，便將他帶出海面到了一個島上。在那里他又見到了埃利。他們現在都已長大。他成了個高大的男子，而她成了個美麗的女人。從此以后他們幸福地生活在一起。

 

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