Shortly after the schoolmaster had arranged the forms and taken his seat behind his desk,
老师安排好各年级的座位,在讲台后面的椅子上刚一落座,
a small white-headed boy with a sunburnt face appeared at the door,
只见一位脸上晒得黝黑,长着一头淡黄色头发的小男孩闪身出现在门口。
and, stopping there to make a rustic bow, came in and took his seat upon one of the forms.
他停下脚步,土里土气地鞠了一躬后走进来,找到自己年级的座位坐了下来。
He then put an open book, astonishingly dog's-eared, upon his knees,
他拿出一本没有封皮的书放在膝盖上,
and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, began counting the marbles with which they were filled;
令人惊讶的是书的页脚折了起来,之后他两手插进衣袋,开始数里面装的弹子;
displaying, in the expression of his face, a remarkable capacity of totally abstracting his mind from the spelling on which his eyes were fixed.
他把玩着,脸上现出与他的眼神迥然不同的神情。
Soon afterward, another white-headed little boy came straggling in,
不一会儿,另一位长着一头淡黄头发的小孩也晃晃悠悠地走进教室,
and after him, a red-headed lad, and then one with a flaxen poll,
跟在他后面的是一位留着一头红发的小女孩,之后进来的孩子手里提着一只淡黄色投票箱。
until the forms were occupied by a dozen boys, or thereabouts, with heads of every color but gray,
大约十二个男孩子按照所属年级陆续坐好,这些孩子头发的颜色除了灰色以外,什么颜色都有,
and ranging in their ages from four years old to fourteen years or more;
按顺序排列年龄从四岁到十四岁,
for the legs of the youngest were a long way from the floor, when he sat upon the form;
最小的孩子坐下时双腿与地板隔了很大一块距离;
and the eldest was a heavy, good-tempered fellow, about half a head taller than the schoolmaster.
年龄最大的是个块头很大,性情颇为温和的孩子,要比老师足足高出半头。
At the top of the first form—the post of honor in the school—was the vacant place of the little sick scholar;
在一年级座位的把头——学校的荣誉座位——是专为生病的小学者留的空座位;
and, at the head of the row of pegs, on which those who wore hats or caps were wont to hang them, one was empty.
在高年级那一排座位的把头,坐的是那些戴帽子或习惯戴软帽的孩子,其中有一个没戴帽子。