金钥匙


The golden key


隆冬,积雪覆盖大地,一个贫苦的小男孩不得不出门,滑着雪橇去拾柴。 拣到柴,把它们捆起来后,小男孩多么希望他不必立刻回家,能就地升上一堆火暖暖身子啊,他快冻僵了。 于是他把雪扒到一边,清理出一块地方来,这时他发现了一把小小的金钥匙。 他想,既然钥匙在,锁也一定就在附近,便往地里挖,挖出了个铁盒子。 "要是这钥匙能配这铁锁就好了!"他想,"那小盒子里一定有许多珍宝。"他找了找,却找不到锁眼。 最后他发现了一个小孔,小得几乎看不见。 他试了试,钥匙正好能插进。 他转动了钥匙,现在我们要等一等,待他把铁盒子打开,揭开盖子,就会知道盒子里有什么好东西了。
In the winter time, when deep snow lay on the ground, a poor boy was forced to go out on a sledge to fetch wood. When he had gathered it together, and packed it, he wished, as he was so frozen with cold, not to go home at once, but to light a fire and warm himself a little. So he scraped away the snow, and as he was thus clearing the ground, he found a tiny, gold key. Hereupon he thought that where the key was, the lock must be also, and dug in the ground and found an iron chest. If the key does but fit it! thought he, no doubt there are precious things in that little box. He searched, but no keyhole was there. At last he discovered one, but so small that it was hardly visible. He tried it, and the key fitted it exactly. Then he turned it once round, and now we must wait until he has quite unlocked it and opened the lid, and then we shall learn what wonderful things were lying in that box.