it?”

“只有半品脫。” 男孩結結巴巴地用驚恐的聲音回答道。

“only half a quartern,” stammered the boy in a frightened voice.

“而且她今天早上已經喝了同樣多的量了？”

“And she has had just as much this morning already?”

“不，是昨天。” 男孩回答道。

“No, it was yesterday,” replied the boy.

“兩個半品脫就是一品脫了。” 市長說。“她真是一無是處。這些人可真讓人悲哀。告訴你媽媽她應該為自己感到羞愧。你可別變成個酒鬼，不過我看你也會的。可憐的孩子！好了，走吧。”

“two halves make a whole,” said the mayor. “She’s good for nothing. what a sad thing it is with these people. tell your mother she ought to be ashamed of herself. don’t you bee a drunkard, but I expect you will though. poor child! there, go now.”

男孩手裡拿著帽子繼續往前走，風把他金色的頭髮吹得豎了起來。

the boy went on his way with his cap in his hand, while the wind fluttered his golden hair till the locks stood up straight.

他轉過街角，走進通往河邊的小巷，他母親正站在齊腰深的水裡，在洗衣凳旁用一根沉重的木棒捶打著亞麻布。

he turned round the corner of the street into the little lane that led to the river, where his mother stood in the water by her washing bench, beating the linen with a heavy wooden bar.

磨坊的水閘已經拉起，水流湍急，床單被水流拖著走，差點把洗衣凳掀翻，所以洗衣婦不得不靠在凳子上穩住它。

the floodgates at the mill had been drawn up, and as the water rolled rapidly on, the sheets were dragged along by the stream, and nearly overturned the bench, so that the washer-woman was obliged to lean against it to keep it steady.

“我差點就被沖走了，” 她說，“你來了真是太好了，因為我需要點東西來提提神。水裡面很冷，我已經在這兒站了六個小時了。你給我帶什麼來了嗎？”

“I have been very nearly carried away,” she said; “it is a good thing that you a