本集演播：槑贰 

后期：荆溪

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第3节

但有一件事更有必要。”

“那是什么，奶奶？”

“去理解别人。”

“没错，奶奶。我得公平一点，不然我也并不值得别人理解。我明白了。既然科迪也没办法，我就不应该生他的气，暂时先等等吧。”

“这才是我的好孩子。”奶奶说，把公主搂得更紧了。

“奶奶，我们上来的时候你怎么不在工作间里？”沉默了一会，艾琳问。

“如果我当时在那儿，科迪就会清清楚楚看到我了。不过，为什么我不在这个漂亮房间，而要在工作间呢？”

“我以为你会在纺纱。”

“现在我做来给谁呢？不知道要给谁纺纱的时候，我从来都不做。”

“对了，有件事情我不明白。”公主说，“你要怎么把那条蛛丝从山里拿出来呢？你真的不用再帮我做一条吗？再做一条可真麻烦！”

老妇人把公主从身上放下，走到火炉边。她把手伸进去，收回来的时候拇指和另一个手指间捏着一个发亮的小球。

“你看，拿回来了。”她说着走回公主身边。“你需要的时候，都为你备好了。”

她走到橱柜边，像之前一样，把蛛丝放进同一个抽屉里。

她又说：“你的戒指在这儿。”她从左手尾指上取下戒指，把它戴在艾琳右手食指上。

“噢！谢谢你，奶奶！现在感觉可安心了！”

“孩子，你累坏了。”老妇人接着说，“你的手给石头擦伤了，我数了一下，有九个伤口。看看你都累成什么样了啊。”

她从橱柜里拿了一面小镜子，举在公主面前。公主一见自己就欢乐地大笑出声。溪水把她打湿了，爬过那条狭窄的隧道时身上又弄脏了。要不是知道那是一面镜子，她就把镜子里的她当作哪个流浪小孩了，那种一个月才洗一次脸、梳一次头的小孩。老妇人也哈哈大笑，把公主抱起来放在腿上，脱掉公主的外衣和睡袍。老妇人抱着公主到房间边上。艾琳想知道奶奶要帮她做什么，但是她一句话也不问。她发现奶奶要把她放进宽大的银浴缸里，这时才开始有点想问。因为这回浴缸看起来还是那么深不见底，星星在千里之外一闪一闪，就像在蔚蓝的深渊里。公主的手不由自主地抓住奶奶抱着她的双臂，却还是不说什么。

PART III

'Yes; but I should have thought Curdie—'

'You are right. Curdie is much farther on than Lootie, and you will see what will come of it. But in the meantime you must be content, I say, to be misunderstood for a while. We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary.'

'What is that, grandmother?'

'To understand other people.'

'Yes, grandmother. I must be fair—for if I'm not fair to other people, I'm not worth being understood myself. I see. So as Curdie can't help it, I will not be vexed with him, but just wait.'

'There's my own dear child,' said her grandmother, and pressed her close to her bosom.

'Why weren't you in your workroom when we came up, grandmother?' asked Irene, after a few moments' silence.

'If I had been there, Curdie would have seen me well enough. But why should I be there rather than in this beautiful room?'

'I thought you would be spinning.'

'I've nobody to spin for just at present. I never spin without knowing for whom I am spinning.'

'That reminds me—there is one thing that puzzles me,' said the princess: 'how are you to get the thread out of the mountain again? Surely you won't have to make another for me? That would be such a trouble!'

The lady set her down and rose and went to the fire. Putting in her hand, she drew it out again and held up the shining ball between her finger and thumb.

'I've got it now, you see,' she said, coming back to the princess, 'all ready for you when you want it.'

Going to her cabinet, she laid it in the same drawer as before.

'And here is your ring,' she added, taking it from the little finger of her left hand and putting it on the forefinger of Irene's right hand.

'Oh, thank you, grandmother! I feel so safe now!'

'You are very tired, my child,' the lady went on. 'Your hands are hurt with the stones, and I have counted nine bruises on you. Just look what you are like.'

And she held up to her a little mirror which she had brought from the cabinet. The princess burst into a merry laugh at the sight. She was so draggled with the stream and dirty with creeping through narrow places, that if she had seen the reflection without knowing it was a reflection, she would have taken herself for some gipsy child whose face was washed and hair combed about once in a month. The lady laughed too, and lifting her again upon her knee, took off her cloak and night-gown. Then she carried her to the side of the room.  Irene wondered what she was going to do with her, but asked no questions—only starting a little when she found that she was going to lay her in the large silver bath; for as she looked into it, again she saw no bottom, but the stars shining miles away, as it seemed, in a great blue gulf. Her hands closed involuntarily on the beautiful arms that held her, and that was all.