茵梦湖:十九By The Roadside The Child Stood4

接着又发现一个装着精致的绣花衬衫的小包；包里还有一些手巾和袖口，最后是母亲和伊莉莎白的几封信。伊莉莎白写道：
Next came to view a little parcel containing neatly embroidered linen, handkerchiefs and cuffs; and finally letters from his mother and Elisabeth. Reinhard opened Elisabeth\'s letter first, and this is what she wrote:

这些美丽的糖字大概会告诉你，是谁帮着做这些姜饼的；为你绣袖口的也是同一个人。我们这儿圣诞夜将变得非常冷清；妈妈总在九点半钟就把纺车捡到屋角里去；今年冬天你不在家真寂寞得很哩。你送给我的那只梅花雀，它上个星期天也死了；我哭得很伤心，我可是一直很好地照料着它的啊。
"The pretty sugared letters will no doubt tell you who helped with the cakes. The same person also embroidered the cuffs for you. We shall have a very quiet time at home this Christmas Eve. Mother always puts her spinning-wheel away in the corner as early as half-past nine. It is so very lonesome this winter now that you are not here.

"And now, too, the linnet you made me a present of died last Sunday. It made me cry a good deal, though I am sure I looked after it well.

下午，一当日光照着它的笼子，这小鸟便唱起歌来；你知道，在它唱得太起劲儿的时候，妈妈常常在笼子上挡一块布，使它不再吱声。这一下房间里更安静了；只有你的老朋友埃利希现在不时来看我们。记得你有一次说过，他这人就像他身上那件褐色外套。每当他跨进门来，我都不由得想起你这句话，真是太可笑了。可你千万别把它告诉我妈妈，她很可能不高兴的。
"It always used to sing of an afternoon when the sun shone on its cage. You remember how often mother would hang a piece of cloth over the cage in order to keep it quiet when it sang so lustily.

"Thus our room is now quieter than ever, except that your old friend Eric now drops in to see us occasionally. You told us once that he was just like his brown top-coat. I can\'t help thinking of it every time he comes in at the door, and it is really too funny; but don\'t tell mother, it might easily make her angry.