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第3章02 公主和——谁呢？

老妇人拿着盆和毛巾出去的时候，小公主想看看她有多高多直，因为虽然她年纪很大了，却一点儿也不驼背。她身着黑色的天鹅绒裙子，外面罩着一层厚厚的白色蕾丝；，她的白发在黑色的裙子上闪着银色的光芒。这房间里只有一架纺车，大概是这位可怜的老妇人纺纱糊口的工具，除此以外基本没有别的什么家具。地上没有地毯，没有桌子，除了纺车和纺车旁边的椅子之外，什么都没有。她回来之后一句话都没说，又坐下来开始纺织，艾琳呢，因为是第一次看见纺车，就坐在旁边看着。等老妇人手里的线又开始动起来之后，她才跟公主说话，不过没有看她：

“你知道我的名字吗，孩子？”

“不知道呀。”公主回答说。

“我的名字叫艾琳。”

“我才叫艾琳呀！”公主大声说。

“我知道。你的名字就是从我这儿得的。不是我用了你的。是你用了我的名字。”

“怎么可能呢，”公主疑惑地问，“这一直就是我的名字呀。”

“你的爸爸，国王，问我反不反对把名字给你；然后我当然不反对了。我很高兴把名字给你用。”

“您人真好，把您的名字给了我——而且名字这么好听，”公主说。

“哦，也没有那么好！”老妇人说，“名字是一种你给了别人自己却还能保留的东西。我有好多这种东西呢。你想知道我是谁吗，孩子？”

“是的，我非常想知道。”

“我是你的祖祖奶奶。”妇人说。

“什么？”公主问。

“是你父亲的母亲的父亲的母亲。”

“啊天哪，我搞不清楚了。”公主说。

“我想也是。我也没指望你弄清楚。但是我有必要说清楚。”

“啊天哪。”公主说。

“等你再长大一点儿我会解释给你听，”妇人继续说。“不过你现在记住这一点：我是来照看你的。”

“您来了很久了吗？是昨天来的吗？还是今天来的？因为下雨我不能出门所以您来了？”

“我从你出生的时候就来了。”

“好长的时间啊！”公主说，“我都不记得了。”

“嗯。没错。”

“可我以前从来没见过您。”

“是的。不过你以后会见到我的。”

“您一直住在这个房间吗？”

“我不在这睡觉。我睡在对面。我只在白天坐在这里。”

“我也不喜欢这里。我的婴儿房漂亮多了。如果您是我的祖祖奶奶的话，那您也是个王后了。”

“没错，我是个王后。”

“那您的王冠呢？”

“在我的卧室。”

“我想看一看。”

“改天再看，今天不要看了。”

“为什么嬷嬷没告诉过我呢？”

“嬷嬷不知道，她从没见过我。”

“那有人知道您在这所房子里吧？”

“没有，谁都不知道。”

“您怎么用餐呢？”

“我养了些——鸟儿。”

“您养在哪里了呢？”

“我会指给您看。”

“那谁帮您做鸡汤呢？”

“我绝不杀我的鸡。”

“我又不明白了。”

“您今天早上吃了什么早餐？”妇人问。

“哦！我吃了面包和牛奶，一个鸡蛋——我猜您吃它们的蛋。”

“是的，没错。我吃它们下的蛋。”

“所以您的头发才这么白吗？”

“不，宝贝。是因为上了年纪。我已经很老了。”

“我知道了。您有五十岁吗？”

“有了——比那还要老。”

“那您有一百岁吗？”

“有了——比那还要老。我的年纪大得你都数不过来。来，跟我去看看我的鸟儿。”

她再次停下手里的纺锤。站起身，牵着公主的手，带她走出来房间，然后打开楼梯对面的门。

CHAPTER 3 Part II

The Princess and—We Shall See Who

When she carried away the basin and towel, the little princess wondered to see how straight and tall she was, for, although she was so old, she didn't stoop a bit. She was dressed in black velvet with thick white heavy-looking lace about it; and on the black dress her hair shone like silver. There was hardly any more furniture in the room than there might have been in that of the poorest old woman who made her bread by her spinning. There was no carpet on the floor—no table anywhere—nothing but the spinning-wheel and the chair beside it. When she came back, she sat down and without a word began her spinning once more, while Irene, who had never seen a spinning-wheel, stood by her side and looked on. When the old lady had got her thread fairly going again, she said to the princess, but without looking at her:

'Do you know my name, child?'

'No, I don't know it,' answered the princess.

'My name is Irene.'

'That's my name!' cried the princess.

'I know that. I let you have mine. I haven't got your name. You've got mine.'

'How can that be?' asked the princess, bewildered. 'I've always had my name.'

'Your papa, the king, asked me if I had any objection to your having it; and, of course, I hadn't. I let you have it with pleasure.'

'It was very kind of you to give me your name—and such a pretty one,' said the princess.

'Oh, not so very kind!' said the old lady. 'A name is one of those things one can give away and keep all the same. I have a good many such things. Wouldn't you like to know who I am, child?'

'Yes, that I should—very much.'

'I'm your great-great-grandmother,' said the lady.

'What's that?' asked the princess.

'I'm your father's mother's father's mother.'

'Oh, dear! I can't understand that,' said the princess.

'I dare say not. I didn't expect you would. But that's no reason why I shouldn't say it.'

'Oh, no!' answered the princess.

'I will explain it all to you when you are older,' the lady went on. 'But you will be able to understand this much now: I came here to take care of you.'

'Is it long since you came? Was it yesterday? Or was it today, because it was so wet that I couldn't get out?'

'I've been here ever since you came yourself.'

'What a long time!' said the princess. 'I don't remember it at all.'

'No. I suppose not.'

'But I never saw you before.'

'No. But you shall see me again.'

'Do you live in this room always?'

'I don't sleep in it. I sleep on the opposite side of the landing. I sit here most of the day.'

'I shouldn't like it. My nursery is much prettier. You must be a queen too, if you are my great big grand-mother.'

'Yes, I am a queen.'

'Where is your crown, then?'

'In my bedroom.'

'I should like to see it.'

'You shall some day—not today.'

'I wonder why nursie never told me.'

'Nursie doesn't know. She never saw me.'

'But somebody knows that you are in the house?'

'No; nobody.'

'How do you get your dinner, then?'

'I keep poultry—of a sort.'

'Where do you keep them?'

'I will show you.'

'And who makes the chicken broth for you?'

'I never kill any of MY chickens.'

'Then I can't understand.'

'What did you have for breakfast this morning?' asked the lady.

'Oh! I had bread and milk, and an egg—I dare say you eat their eggs.'

'Yes, that's it. I eat their eggs.'

'Is that what makes your hair so white?'

'No, my dear. It's old age. I am very old.'

'I thought so. Are you fifty?'

'Yes—more than that.'

'Are you a hundred?'

'Yes—more than that. I am too old for you to guess. Come and see my chickens.'

Again she stopped her spinning. She rose, took the princess by the hand, led her out of the room, and opened the door opposite the stair.