The children were having breakfast. 孩子们正在吃早餐。 This was not a pleasant sight. 这可不是让人看了会开心的一幕。 Mrs. Large took a tray from the cupboard. 庞太太从厨房的柜子里拿出餐盘。 She set it with a teapot, a milk jug, her favorite cup and saucer, a plate of marmalade toast and a leftover cake from yesterday. 把茶壶、牛奶罐、她最喜欢的茶杯，涂了橘子果酱的烤面包片，还有昨天吃剩的小蛋糕放进餐盘里。 She stuffed the morning paper into her pocket and sneaked off toward the door. 再把报纸塞进口袋，偷偷地往门口走去。 “Where are you going with tray, Mom?” asked Laura. “妈妈，你端着餐盘要去哪里？”萝拉问。 “To the bathroom,” said Mrs. Large. “去浴室”庞太太回答。 “Why?” asked the other two children. “为什么？”另外两个孩子问。 “Because I want five minutes' peace from all of you,” said Mrs. Large. “That's why.” “因为我想自己一个人安静5分钟”庞太太回答。“就是这样。” “Can we come?” asked Lester as they trailed up the stairs behind her. 孩子们紧跟在庞太太后面爬上楼“我们可以去吗？” “No,” said Mrs. Large, “you can't.” “不行”庞太太说“不能跟过来”。 “What shall we do then?” asked Laura. “那我们要做什么？”萝拉问。 “You can play,” said Mrs. Large. “Downstairs. By yourselves. And keep an eye on the baby.” “自己在楼下玩，要注意小弟弟的安全。” “I’m not a baby,” muttered the little one. “我又不是小婴儿”最小的那个孩子嘟着嘴说。 Mrs. Large ran a deep, hot bath. 庞太太很快放了一缸满满的，热热的水。 She emptied half a bottle of bubble bath into the water, plunked on her shower cap and got in. 她把半瓶泡泡沐浴精全倒进水里，然后戴上浴帽，“扑通”一声坐进浴缸。 She poured herself a cup of tea and lay back with her eyes closed. It was heaven. 她给自己倒了一杯茶，再闭上眼睛，躺在浴缸里——这就是天堂。 “Can I play you my tune?” asked Lester. “我吹笛子给你听好不好？”莱斯特问。 Mrs. Large opened one eye. “Must you?” she asked. 庞太太睁开一只眼睛，说“你一定要吹吗？” “I've been practicing,” said Lester, “You told me to. Can I? Please, just for one minute.” “我一直在练习呢”莱斯特说，“是你叫我练习的，可以吗？拜托啦，就一分钟。” “Go on then,” sighed Mrs. Large. “那吹吧”庞太太叹了口气。 So Lester played. He played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” three and a half times. 于是，莱斯特开始吹了。他把《小星星》这首曲子吹了三遍半。 In came Laura. “Can I read you a page from my reading book?” she asked. 萝拉进来了。“我可以念一页故事给你听吗？”她问。 “No, Laura,” said Mrs. Large. “Go on, all of you, off downstairs.” “不行萝拉”庞太太说。“出去，你们都到楼下去。” “You let Lester play his tune,” said Laura."I heard. You like him better than me. It's not fair.” “你都让莱斯特吹笛子了”萝拉说"我听到了，你比较喜欢他，不喜欢我，这不公平。" “Oh, don't be silly, Laura,” said Mrs. Large “Go on then. Just one page.” “没有这回事，萝拉”庞太太说“好吧，你念吧，不过只能念一页哦。” So Laura read. She read four and a half pages of “Little Red Riding Hood.” 于是萝拉开始念。她把《小红帽》这本书念了四页半。 In came the little one with a trunkful of toys. 最小的弟弟抱着一鼻子玩具进来了。 “For you!” he beamed, flinging them all into the bath water. “给你！”他微笑着，把玩具一股脑全都丢进水里。 “Thank you, dear,” said Mrs. Large weakly. “谢谢你，小宝贝”庞太太有气无力的说。 “Can I see the cartoons in the paper?” asked Laura. “我可以看报纸上的漫画吗？”萝拉问。 “Can I have the cake?” asked Lester. “我可以吃那个蛋糕吗？”莱斯特问。 “Can I get in with you?” asked the little one. “我可以和你一起泡澡吗？” Mrs. Large groaned. 庞太太发出“哦——哦——”的无奈叹息声。 In the end they all got in. 最后，三个孩子都跳进浴缸了。 The little one was in such a hurry that he forget to take off his pajamas. 小弟弟太急了，连睡衣都忘了脱。 Mrs. Large got out. She dried herself, put on her bathrobe and headed for the door. 庞太太走出浴缸，她擦干身体，穿上浴袍，准备走出浴室。 “Where are you going now, Mom?” asked Laura. “你现在要去哪儿，妈妈？”萝拉问。 “To the kitchen,” said Mrs. Large. “去厨房”庞太太说。 “Why?” asked Lester. “为什么？”莱斯特问。 “Because I want five minutes' peace from all of you,” said Mrs. Large. “That's why.” “因为我想自己一个人安静5分钟”庞太太回答。“就是这样。” And off she went downstairs, 然后，她走下楼， where she had three minutes and forty-five seconds of peace before they all came to join her. 在孩子们还没下楼以前，她安安静静的度过了三分钟又四十五秒。
