今天早上报上的物价栏说，肋条牛肉的价格是每磅六分钱（肉店使用的磅秤），赫蒂被大百货店“免职”的那天，价格却是七分半。正因为这样，这篇小说才有可能存在，不然那多余的四分钱本来可以——
But the plot of nearly all the good stories in the world is concerned with shorts who were unable to cover； so you can find no fault with this one.
不过世界上所有好故事的情节几乎都有不能自圆其说的地方；所以你也不能对这个故事求全责备。
Hetty mounted with her rib beef to her 3.50 thirdfloor back. One hot， savory beefstew for supper， a nights good sleep， and she would be fit in the morning to apply again for the tasks of Hercules， Joan of Arc， Una， Job， and LittleRedRidingHood.
赫蒂拿着肋条牛肉，上三楼后面她那每周租金三块五毛钱的房间里去。晚饭吃一顿热腾腾、香喷喷的酱牛肉，夜里好好睡一觉，明天早上她又可以振作精神，去找一个赫拉克勒斯、圣女贞德、尤娜、约伯和小红帽加在一起的工作了。
In her room she got the granite-ware stewpan out of the 2×4foot china—er—I mean earthenwareearthenware n.土器， 陶器 closet， and began to dig down in a ratsnest of paper bags for the potatoes and onions. She came out with her nose and chin just a little sharper pointed.
她在房间里那个两英尺高，四英尺宽的瓷——嗯——陶器柜里取出搪瓷汤锅，然后在一堆乱七八糟的纸袋中寻找土豆和洋葱。翻了半天，她的鼻子和下巴显得更尖削了。
There was neither a potato nor an onion. Now， what kind of a beefStew can you make out of simply beef？ You can make oystersoup without oysters， turtlesoup without turtlesturtle n.海龟， coffeecake without coffee， but you cant make beefstew without potatoes and onions.
原来土豆或洋葱都找不到。做牛肉嘛，光有牛肉怎么行？ 做牡蛎汤可以不用牡蛎，甲鱼汤可以不用甲鱼，咖啡蛋糕可以不用咖啡，但是没有土豆洋葱就做不成牛肉。
But rib beef alone， in an emergency， can make an ordinary pine door look like a wroughtiron gamblinghouse portal to the wolf. With salt and pepper and a tablespoonfultablespoonfuln.一大汤匙的量 of flour （first well stirred in a little cold water） twill serve—tis not so deep as a lobster a la Newburg nor so wide as a church festival doughnutdoughnutn.油炸圈饼 n.圆环图； but twill serve.
话得说回来，遇到紧急情况，光有肋条牛肉也能使一扇普通药松木门板像赌场的熟铁大门那样，足以抵挡饿狼侵入。加点盐和胡椒面，再加一匙面粉（先用一点凉水调匀），也能凑合——虽然没有纽堡式龙虾那么鲜美，也没有教堂节日的炸面饼圈那么丰盛；但也能凑合着吃。
Hetty took her stewpan to the rear of the thirdfloor hall.According to the advertisements of the Vallambrosa there was running water to be found there. Between you and me and the watermeter， it only ambled or walked through the faucets； but technicalitiestechnicality n.专门性， 学术性 have no place here. There was also a sink where housekeeping roomers often met to dump their coffee grounds and glare at one anothers kimonos.
赫蒂拿着汤锅到三楼过道后面去。根据瓦蓝布罗沙公寓的广告，那里应该有自来水。你、我和水表都知道，水来得很不痛快；但那是技术问题，且不去管它。那里还有一个水槽，自己料理家务的房客们时常在那儿倒咖啡渣子，互相瞅瞅身上的晨衣。
At this sink Hetty found a girl with heavy， goldbrown， artistic hair and plaintive eyes， washing two large “Irish” potatoes. Hetty knew the Vallambrosa as well as any one not owning “double hextramagnifying eyes” could compass its mysteries. The kimonos were her encyclopediaencyclopedia n.百科全书， her “Whos What？” her clearinghouse of news， of goers and comers. From a rosepink kimono edged with Nile green she had learned that the girl with the potatoes was a miniaturepainter living in a kind of attic—or “studio” as they prefer to call it—on the top floor. Hetty was not certain in her mind what a miniatureminiature n.缩小的模型， 缩图， 缩影adj.微型的， 缩小的 was； but it certainly wasnt a house； because housepainters， although they wear splashy overalls and poke ladders in your face on the street， are known to indulge in a riotous profusionprofusion n.丰富 of food at home.
赫蒂看到一个姑娘在水槽旁边洗两个大土豆，一头浓密的金棕色头发颇有艺术气息，眼神哀怨。赫蒂像任何人一样，不需要别具慧眼就能洞察瓦蓝布罗沙公寓的秘密。各人身上的晨衣就是她的百科全书，她的《名人轶事录》，她的有关来住房客的新闻交换所。从洗土豆姑娘那件嫩绿色镶边，淡玫瑰红的晨衣上，赫蒂早已知道她是住在屋顶房间——那些人喜欢称它为“画室”——的袖珍画画家。赫蒂心里并不十分清楚袖珍画是什么；但她敢肯定绝对不会是房屋；因为粉刷房屋的人，尽管穿着斑斑点点的工作服，在街上扛着梯子老是撞到你脸上，谁都知道他们在家里却是大吃大喝，阔气得很。
The potato girl was quite slim and small， and handled her potatoes as an old bachelorbachelor n.单身汉， 文理学士， 幼雄兽 uncle handles a baby who is cutting teeth. She had a dull shoemakers knife in her right hand， and she had begun to peel one of the potatoes with it.
那姑娘相当瘦小，她摆弄土豆的模样就像是没结过婚的老光棍在摆弄一个刚出牙齿的小娃娃。她右手抓住一把用钝的鞋匠刀，在削一个土豆的皮。
Hetty addressed her in the punctiliously formal tone of one who intends to be cheerfully familiar with you in the second round.
赫蒂像是那些见面熟的人似的，一本正经地上前同她搭话。
“Beg pardon，” she said， “for butting into whats not my business， but if you peel them potatoes you lose out. Theyre new Bermudas. You want to scrape em. Lemme show you.”
“对不起，”她说，“我不该管闲事，不过你拿土豆削皮，丢得就太多了。这些是百慕大的新土豆。你应当刮。我刮给你看。”
She took a potato and the knife， and began to demonstrate.
她拿过土豆和刀，开始示范。
“Oh， thank you.” breathed the artist. “I didnt know. And I did hate to see the thick peeling go； it seemed such a waste. But I thought they always had to be peeled. When youve got only potatoes to eat， the peelings count， you know.”
“哦，谢谢你。”艺术家低声说。“我不懂。这么厚的皮扔了确实可借；太浪费了。不过我一直以为土豆是要削皮的。在用土豆充饥的时候，连土豆皮也得算计算计。”
“Say， kid，” said Hetty， staying her knife， “you aint up against it， too， are you？”
“喂，小妹妹，”赫蒂停住手说，“你也很困难，是吗？”
The miniature artist smiled starvedly.
袖珍画画家面有饥色地笑笑。
“I suppose I am. Art—or， at least， the way I interpret it—doesnt seem to be much in demand. I have only these potatoes for my dinner.But they arent so bad boiled and hot， with a little butter and salt.”
“我想可以这么说吧。艺术——或者我所理解的艺术——现在仿佛不吃香了。今晚我只有这两个土豆当晚饭。不过把它们煮得热乎乎的，加点黄油和盐也不坏。”
“Child，” said Hetty， letting a brief smile soften her rigid features， “Fate has sent me and you together. Ive had it handed to me in the neck， too； but Ive got a chunk of meat in my， room as big as a lapdog. And Ive done everything to get potatoes except pray for em.Lets me and you bunch our commissarycommissary n.代表， 物资供应所， 委员 departments and make a stew of em. Well cook it in my room. If we only had an onion to go in it！Say， kid， you havent got a couple of pennies thatve slipped down into the lining of your last winters sealskin， have you？I could step down to the corner and get one at old Giuseppes stand. A stew without an onion is worsen a matineematineen.白天举行的音乐会， 妇女便装之一种 without candy.”