What Marigold Did
玛丽戈尔德的做法
In a small town near the king's palace, there lived a mother and her little girl Marigold.
在王宫附近的一个小镇里，住着一个叫玛丽戈尔德的小姑娘和她的妈妈。
They were very poor, and the mother had to work every day to earn a little money.
她们非常贫穷，妈妈不得不终日劳作挣些微薄的收入。
She worked so hard that she became sick, and poor Marigold was very sad.
妈妈工作很辛苦，都已经累病了，可怜的玛丽戈尔德非常伤心。
The little girl had no money to buy the good food her mother needed, Indeed, there were only a few pennies left in the whole house.
这个小姑娘没有钱买她妈妈所需要的营养品，实际上，家里只剩下了很少很少的钱。
Now it happened that Marigold had often heard about the princess who laughed at everything.
玛丽戈尔德常常听到有人说公主对什么都会笑。
Two or three times she had even seen the young girl riding about on her white pony.
曾有两三次她亲眼看到公主骑着她的小白马。
Marigold wished very much that someone could make the princess cry.
玛丽戈尔德很希望有人能让公主哭出来。
One day, as Marigold was cooking dinner, she suddenly thought of a way to earn some money.
一天，当玛丽戈尔德做晚饭的时候，她突然想到了一个挣钱的法子。
"I will go to the palace and make the princess cry," she said.
“我要去王宫，让公主哭”，她说。
"Then two wonderful things will happen: the princess will be like other people, and I will get the bag of gold.
这样会成就两件好事，公主会变得和其他人一样，而我也会拿到了一袋金子。
With the money I can buy food that will make my mother well again."
有了这些钱我就能买食物，让妈妈好起来。”
As soon as dinner was over, the little girl put on her cape and hood.
一吃完饭小姑娘就戴上了斗篷和风帽。
Then she told her mother that she was going to the king's palace to see if she could make the princess cry.
她告诉妈妈自己要去王宫，看能不能让公主哭出来。
Marigold's mother tried hard to keep her from going and said, "How can you hope to do what so many wise men could not do?
玛丽戈尔德的妈妈极力劝阻她说，“你怎么能做到那么多的智者都没能做到的事情呢？
You are my own dear little Marigold, but it is no use for you to try such a thing. Give it up, dear child."
我亲爱的小玛丽戈尔德，做这样的事情没有意义。亲爱的孩子，放弃吧。
Marigold wanted very, very much to try; so her mother said no more.
玛丽戈尔德非常非常想去试一试；她的妈妈也就不得不同意。
Sadly she watched her little daughter start off for the castle with a small basket over her arm.
她忧心地看着自己的小女儿挽着一个小篮子走向了城堡。
