第 32 节
作者:沸点123      更新:2021-02-27 02:03      字数:9321
  Daylight was hurt。 Alas; she was lying on the ground。 The prince ran to
  her; but she was already up again。
  〃Who are you?〃 she said。
  〃I thought;〃 stammered the prince; 〃you might be hurt。〃
  〃There is nothing the matter。 Go away。〃
  The prince went sadly。
  〃Come back;〃 said the princess。 The prince came。 〃I like you; you do
  as you are told。 Are you good?〃
  〃Not so good as I should like to be;〃 said the prince。
  〃Then go and grow better;〃 said the princess。
  The prince went; more sadly。
  〃Come back;〃 said the princess。 The prince came。 〃I think you must be
  a prince;〃 she said。
  〃Why?〃 said the prince。
  〃Because you do as you are told; and you tell the truth。 Will you tell
  me what the sun looks like?〃
  〃Why; everybody knows that;〃 said the prince。
  〃I am different from everybody;〃 said the princess;〃I don't know。〃
  〃But;〃   said   the   prince;   〃do   you   not   look   when   you   wake   up   in   the
  morning?〃
  〃That's just it;〃 said the princess; 〃I never do wake up in the morning。 I
  never can wake up until〃 Then the princess remembered that she was
  talking to a prince; and putting her hands over her face she walked swiftly
  away。 The prince followed her; but she turned and put up her hand to tell
  him not to。 And like the gentleman prince that he was; he obeyed her at
  once。
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  Now   all   this   time;   the   wicked   swamp   fairy   had   not   known   a   word
  about what was going on。 But now she found out; and she was furious; for
  fear that little Daylight should be delivered from her spell。 So she cast her
  spells to keep the prince from finding Daylight again。 Night after night the
  poor prince wandered and wandered; and never could find the little dell。
  And   when   daytime   came;   of   course;   there   was   no   princess   to   be   seen。
  Finally;   at   the   time   that   the   moon   was   almost   gone;   the   swamp   fairy
  stopped her spells; because she knew that by this time Daylight would be
  so changed and ugly that the prince would never know her if he did see
  her。 She said to herself with a wicked laugh:
  〃No fear of his wanting to kiss her now!〃
  That night the prince did find the dell; but no princess came。 A little
  after midnight he passed near the lovely little house where she lived; and
  there he overheard her waiting… women talking about her。 They seemed in
  great distress。 They were saying that the princess had wandered into the
  woods and was lost。 The prince didn't know; of course; what it meant; but
  he did understand that the princess was lost somewhere; and he started off
  to find her。 After he had gone a long way without finding her; he came to a
  big old tree; and there he thought he would light a fire to show her the way
  if she should happen to see it。
  As the blaze flared up; he suddenly saw a little black heap on the other
  side of the tree。 Somebody was lying there。 He ran to the spot; his heart
  beating with hope。 But when he lifted the cloak which was huddled about
  the   form;   he   saw   at   once   that   it   was   not   Daylight。 A  pinched;   withered;
  white; little old woman's face shone out at him。 The hood was drawn close
  down over her forehead; the eyes were closed; and as the prince lifted the
  cloak; the old woman's lips moaned faintly。
  〃Oh;   poor   mother;〃   said   the   prince;   〃what   is   the   matter?〃   The   old
  woman only moaned again。 The prince lifted her and carried her over to
  the   warm   fire;   and   rubbed   her   hands;   trying   to   find   out   what   was   the
  matter。   But   she   only   moaned;   and   her   face   was   so   terribly   strange   and
  white that the prince's tender heart ached for her。 Remembering his little
  flask; he poured some of his liquid between her lips; and then he thought
  the best thing he could do was to carry her to the princess's house; where
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  she could be taken care of。
  As he lifted the poor little form in his arms; two great tears stole out
  from the old woman's closed eyes and ran down her wrinkled cheeks。
  〃Oh; poor; poor mother;〃 said the prince pityingly; and he stooped and
  kissed her withered lips。
  As   he   walked   through   the  forest   with   the   old   woman   in   his   arms;   it
  seemed to him that she grew heavier and heavier; he could hardly  carry
  her at all; and then she stirred; and at last he was obliged to set her down;
  to rest。 He meant to lay her on the ground。 But the old woman stood upon
  her feet。
  And   then   the   hood   fell back   from  her   face。 As she   looked   up   at   the
  prince; the first; long; yellow ray of the rising sun struck full upon her;
  and it was the Princess Daylight! Her hair was golden as the sun itself; and
  her eyes as blue as the flower that grows in the corn。
  The prince fell on his knees before her。 But she gave him her hand and
  made him rise。
  〃You kissed me when I was an old woman;〃 said the princess; 〃I'll kiss
  you now that I am a young princess。〃 And she did。
  And then she turned her face toward the dawn。
  〃Dear Prince;〃 she said; 〃is that the sun?〃
  THE SAILOR MAN'1'
  '1' From The Golden Windows; by Laura E。 Richards。 (H。 R。 Allenson
  Ltd。 2s。 6d。 net。)
  Once upon a time; two children came to the house of a sailor man;
  who lived beside the salt sea; and they found the sailor man sitting in his
  doorway knotting ropes。
  〃How do you do?〃 asked the sailor man。
  〃We   are   very   well;   thank   you;〃   said   the   children;   who   had   learned
  manners; 〃and we hope you are the same。 We heard that you had a boat;
  and we thought that perhaps you would take us out in her; and teach us
  how to sail; for that is what we most wish to know。〃
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  〃All in good time;〃 said the sailor man。 〃I am busy now; but by…and…by;
  when my work is done; I may perhaps take one of you if you are ready to
  learn。   Meantime   here   are   some   ropes   that   need   knotting;   you   might   be
  doing that; since it has to be done。〃 And he showed them how the knots
  should be tied; and went away and left them。
  When he was gone the first child ran to the window and looked out。
  〃There is the sea;〃 he said。 〃The waves come up on the beach; almost
  to the door of the house。 They run up all white; like prancing horses; and
  then they go dragging back。 Come and look!〃
  〃I cannot;〃 said the second child。 〃I am tying a knot。〃
  〃Oh!〃 cried the first child; 〃I see the boat。 She is dancing like a lady at
  a ball; I never saw such a beauty。 Come and look!〃
  〃I cannot;〃 said the second child。 〃I am tying a knot。〃
  〃I shall have a delightful sail in that boat;〃 said the first child。 〃I expect
  that the sailor man will take me; because I am the eldest and I know more
  about   it。   There   was   no   need   of   my   watching   when   he   showed   you   the
  knots; because I knew how already。〃
  Just then the sailor man came in。
  〃Well;〃 he said; 〃my work is over。 What have you been doing in the
  meantime?〃 〃I have been looking at the boat;〃 said the first child。 〃What a
  beauty she is! I shall have the best time in her that ever I had in my life。〃
  〃I have been tying knots;〃 said the second child。
  〃Come;   then;〃   said   the   sailor   man;   and   he   held   out   his   hand   to   the
  second child。 〃I will take you out in the boat; and teach you to sail her。〃
  〃But I   am the   eldest;〃   cried the   first   child; 〃and   I   know a   great deal
  more than she does。〃
  〃That may be;〃 said the sailor man; 〃but a person must learn to tie a
  knot before he can learn to sail a boat。〃
  〃But I have learned to tie a knot;〃 cried the child。 〃I know all about it!〃
  〃How can I tell that?〃 asked the sailor man。
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  THE STORY OF JAIRUS'S DAUGHTER'1'
  '1' This should usually be prefaced by a brief statement of Jesus habit
  of healing and comforting all with whom He came in close contact。 The
  exact   form   of   the   preface   must   depend   on   how   much   of   His   life   has
  already been given in stories。
  Once;   while   Jesus   was   journeying   about;   He   passed   near   a   town
  where a man named Jairus lived。