A Little Princess- 小公主

ALittlePrincess|小公主Thenextmorning,whenshewentdowntobreakfastshesawthatherseatatMissMinchin’ssidewasoccupiedbyLavinia,andMissMinchinspoketohercoldly.“Youwillbeginyournewduties,Sara,”shesaid,“bytakingyourseatwiththeyoungerchildrenatasmallertable.Youmustkeepthemquiet,andseethattheybehavewellanddonotwastetheirfood.”Thatwasthebeginning,andfromdaytodaythedutiesgiventoherwereaddedto.ShetaughttheyoungerchildrenFrenchandheardtheirotherlessons,andtheseweretheleastofherlabors.Itwasfoundthatshecouldbemadeuseofinnumberlessdirections.Shecouldbesentonerrands2atanytimeandinallweathers.Shecouldbetoldtodothingsotherpeopleforgot.ThecookandthehousemaidstooktheirtonefromMissMinchin,andenjoyedorderingheraboutasshehadbeentreatedassomeonespecialbefore.Theywerenotservantsofthebestclass,andhadneithergoodmannersnorgoodtempers,anditwasconvenient3toblamesomeoneelseifsomethingwentwrong.Duringthefirstmonthortwo,Sarathoughtthatherwillingnesstodothingsaswellasshecouldandaccepttheblameforthingswhichweren’therfaultwouldchangetheharsh4waytheotherstreatedher.Inherproudlittleheartshewantedthemtoseethatshewastryingtoearnherlivingandnotacceptingcharity5.Butthetimecamewhenshesawthatnoonewassoftenedatall;andthemorewillingshewastodoasshewastold,themoretheypushedher,andthemorereadyascoldingcookwastoblameher.Ifshehadbeenolder,MissMinchinwouldhavegivenherthebiggergirlstoteachandsavedmoneybydismissingateacher;butwhilesheremainedandlookedlikeachild,shecouldbemademoreusefulasareliableerrandgirlandmuliti-skilledmaid.Anordinaryerrandboywouldnothavebeensocleverandreliable.Saracouldbetrustedwithdifficultcommissions6andmessages.Shecouldevengoandpaybills,andcleanaroomwellandtosetthingsinorder.Herownlessonsbecamethingsofthepast.Shewastaughtnothing,andonlyafterlongandbusydaysspentinrunninghereandthereateverybody’sorderswasshegrudginglyallowedtogointothedesertedschoolroom,withapileofoldbooks,andstudyaloneatnight.“IfIdonotremindmyselfofthethingsIhavelearned,perhapsImayforgetthem,”shesaidtoherself.“Iamalmostascullery7maid,andifIamascullerymaidwhoknowsnothing,IshallbelikepoorBecky.”Oneofthemostcuriousthingsinhernewlifewasherchangedpositionamongthepupils.Insteadofbeingasortofsmallroyalpersonage8amongthem,shenolongerseemedtobeoneoftheirnumbersatall.Shewaskeptsoconstantlyatworkthatshescarcelyeverhadanopportunityofspeakingtoanyofthem,andshecouldnotavoidseeingthatMissMinchinpreferredthatsheshouldnotbeincontactwiththestudents.“Iwillnothaveherformingfriendshipsandtalkingtotheotherchildren,”thatladysaid,“Girlsliketocomplain,andifshebeginstotellromanticstoriesaboutherself,shewillbecomeanill-usedheroine9,andparentswillbegivenawrongimpression.Itisbetterthatsheshouldliveaseparatelife—onesuitedtohercircumstance.Iamgivingherahome,andthatismorethanshehasanyrighttoexpectfromme.”Saradidnotexpectmuch,andwasfartooproudtotrytocontinuetobeintimatewithgirlswhoevidently10feltawkwardanduncertainabouther.ThefactwasthatMissMinchin’spupilswereasetofdull,matter-of-factyoungpeople.Theywereaccustomedtobeingrichandcomfortable,andasSara’sfrocks11grewshorterandolder,andhershoesdevelopedholesandshecarriedoutthedutiesofamaid,thestudentsbegantotreatherlikeaservant.“Tothinkthatshewasthegirlwiththediamondmines,”Laviniasaid.“She’squeerer12thanever.Ineverlikedhermuch,butIcan’tbearthatwayshehasnowoflookingatpeoplewithoutspeaking—justasifshewasfindingthemout.”“Iam,”saidSara,promptly13,whensheheardofthis.“That’swhatIlookatsomepeoplefor.Iliketoknowaboutthem.Ithinkthemoverafterward.”ThetruthwasthatSarahadsavedherselfannoyanceseveraltimesbykeepinghereyeonLavinia,whowasquitereadytomakemischief14,andwouldhavebeenratherpleasedtohavemadeitfortheex-showpupil.Saranevermadeanymischiefherself,orinterferedwithanyone.Sheworkedlikeadrudge15;shewalkedthoughthewetstreets,carryingparcelsandbaskets;shelaboredwiththechildren’sFrenchlessons;asherclothesbecamemoreragged,andshewastoldthatshehadbettertakehermealsdownstairs;shewastreatedasifshewasnobody’sconcern,andherheartgrewproudandsore,butshenevertoldanyonewhatshefelt.“Soldiersdon’tcomplain,”shewouldsaybetweenhersmall,shutteeth,“Iamnotgoingtodoit;Iwillpretendthisispartofawar.”她生活的转变不是逐渐发生的，而是一下子全都变了。第二天早上，当她下楼吃早饭时，发现自己在明钦小姐旁边的座位已被拉维妮娅占据了，明钦小姐冷冰冰地对她开了腔。“你要开始干你的新活儿，萨拉，”她说，“你到小饭桌那边和低年级的孩子们一起坐。你要让他们保持安静，让他们守规矩，不要浪费粮食。”这不过刚开个头儿，往后交给她的活儿一天比一天繁重。她要教低年级的孩子们法文，听他们背课文，这只不过是她最轻松的活儿了。人们发现她可以做各种杂事；可以在任何时候、任何天气打发她去办事；可以吩咐她去干别人忘了干的活儿。厨娘和女仆学着明钦小姐的腔调，颇为开心地把这个曾高高在上的小姐差来差去。她们不是什么一流的仆人，既没礼貌，脾气又坏，出了岔子的时候需要身边有几个人可以来当出气筒。头一两个月，萨拉尽可能干好活，受到无端责骂也一声不吭，以为这样就会让为难她的人对她好一些。在她幼小而骄傲的心中，她希望他们知道：她正在努力自食其力，而不是接受施舍。但是她终于明白了，没人会心软；她越是乖乖地按照吩咐干活，他们就越是欺负她，好骂街的厨娘也是动辄劈头盖脸地训斥她。要是她年纪大一点，明钦小姐就会让她去教大一些的女孩，这样可以解雇一名教师来节省开支；不过她看起来还是个小女孩，让她当个可信赖的使女和什么都能做的杂役会更有用。一个普通的童仆不会那样伶俐可靠。人们可以把费尽的差事和复杂的口信托付给萨拉。她甚至能去付账，还可以打扫房间、收拾东西。她自己的功课早已成为过去式了。没有人教她，只有在按照别人的吩咐四处奔波度过漫长而忙碌的白天后，晚上她才被勉强允许带着一摞旧书在空无一人的教室里独自学习。“如果我不复习学过的东西，我就会把它们全忘掉，”她对自己说，“我现在几乎是个帮厨女佣了，如果我是个一无所知的帮厨女佣，那就和可怜的贝姬一样了。”在她的新生活中，最奇怪的事之一就是她在学生中的地位也发生了变化。萨拉在他们当中已不是带有几分王室派头的大人物了，似乎不再是他们中的一分子。人们不停地支使她干活，她甚至没机会和他们说上话。而且她不可能看不出来，明钦小姐希望她远远避开那些学生。“我不许她同别的孩子来往过密，和她们讲话，”这位女士说，“姑娘们喜欢诉苦。要是她编个传奇故事，