The Hundred Dresses (V) 一百条裙子（五）

Eleanor Estes

听了信的佩琪和玛蒂埃深感内疚，她们决定去找旺达，却发现旺达一家都已经搬走了。

Maddie carefully turned this idea over in her head， for if there were anything in it she would not have to feel so bad. But that night she could not get to sleep. She thought about Wanda and her faded blue dress and the little house she had lived in; and old man Svenson living a few steps away. And she thought of the 1）glowing picture those hundred dresses made-all lined up in the classroom.

At last Maddie sat up in bed and 2）pressed her 3）forehead tight in her hands and really thought. This was the hardest thinking she had ever done. After a long， long time she reached an important conclusion. She was never going to stand by and say nothing again.

If she ever heard anybody picking on someone because they were funny looking or because they had strange names， she'd

1） glow [ɡl??] v.发光

2） press [pres] v.压;把……塞入

3） forehead [?f??hed] n.前額

speak up. Even if it meant losing Peggy's friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda， but from now on she would never make anybody else so unhappy again. Finally， all tired out， Maddie fell asleep.

玛蒂埃仔细地、反反复复地琢磨着，但是如果真能想出个什么主意来，她也就不会感到这么难过了。那一夜，她失眠了。玛蒂埃回想着旺达和她那条褪了色的蓝裙子，回想着她曾经住过的那间小屋，回想着住在离她几步之遥的老斯文森，还有那些整齐地排列在教室里的、画着各式各样裙子的五彩缤纷的上百幅图画。

最后，玛蒂埃干脆坐了起来，用手撑着前额冥思苦想，这是她经历过的最艰难的一次思考。过了很久，她终于做出一个重要的决定。她决不再只做一个旁观者了！

如果她再听到谁因为长相不好或者因为名字奇怪而被别人取笑的话，她一定会仗义执言，即使那意味着将要失去佩琪的友谊。她已经没有办法纠正在旺达身上犯下的错误了，但是从现在起，她再也不会让其他人不快乐了。想过了这些，玛蒂埃终于在筋疲力尽中沉沉睡去。