The King gave her the petition, and she rapidly glanced through the opening lines to get some idea of what it was about.
国王将请愿书递给她，她快速地浏览了开篇数行，从而获悉文章的大体印象。
As she read, her eyes began to glisten, and her breast to heave.
她读了不一会儿，眼神炯炯有光，呼吸急速。
"What is the matter?" asked the King; "don't you know how to read?" "Oh, yes! sire," she replied,
“怎么回事？”国王问道，“难道你不会读？”“不！陛下，”
addressing him with the title usually applied to him: "I will now read it, if you please."
她以国王的尊称回答，“如果你乐意的话，我会继续。”
The two pages wore about to leave the room. “Remain,” said the King.
两位侍童正准备离开，“站着，别动！”国王下令，
The little girl began to read the petition.
姑娘又接着往下读。
It was from a poor widow, whose only son had been drafted to serve in the army,
这份请愿书说的是一位贫苦寡妇的遭遇，她唯一的儿子被抓到军队服兵役，
although his health was delicate and his pursuits had been such as to unfit him for military life.
虽然他身虚体弱，志向亦不在行伍。
His father had been killed in battle, and the son had a strong desire to become a portrait painter.
男孩父亲已在一次战役中身亡，那少年还有个梦寐以求的愿望，想成为一名肖像画家。
The writer told her story in a simple, concise manner, that carried to the heart a belief of its truth;
请愿书作者以质朴简洁的语言，叙述那位寡妇的悲惨遭遇，文章的真情实感让人动容。
and Ernestine read it with so much feeling, and with an articulation so just, in tones so pure and distinct,
欧内斯廷满怀深情地读着，她的语言清晰，音调纯正，抑扬顿挫。
that when she had finished, the King, into whose eyes the tears had started,
读完后，国王眼里充满了泪水，
exclaimed, Oh! now I understand what it is all about;
他高声叫道：天呀！我现在才知道怎么回事，
but I might never have known, certainly I never should have felt, its meaning had I trusted to these young gentlemen,
假如听信那些年轻贵族的话，我将压根无从了解，准确地说，从来不会感受到这种请愿书的深刻涵义。
whom I now dismiss from my service for one year, advising them to occupy their time in learning to read.
现在，我要将那些家伙解职一年，让他们好好学习一下如何阅读。
