The Girl Without Hands
没有手的女孩
A certain miller had little by little fallen into poverty，and had nothing left but his mill and a large appletree behind it.Once when he had gone into the forest to fetch wood，an old man stepped up to him whom he had never seen before，and said，“Why do you plague(plague vt.折磨，使苦恼，使得灾祸)yourself with cutting wood，I will make you rich，if you will promise me what is standing behind your mill.”
有个磨坊主渐渐变穷了，除了他的磨房和磨房后的一棵大苹果树，什么都没有留下。一天，他进树林砍柴，一个从没见过的老头子走过来对他说：“干嘛受这份儿砍柴的罪，我会让你富起来，如果你答应把磨房后的东西给我。”
“What can that be but my appletree，”thought the miller，and said，“yes，and gave a written promise to the stranger.”He，however，laughed mockingly(mockingly adv.愚弄地，取笑地)and said，“When three years have passed，I will come and carry away what belongs to me.”and then he went.When the miller got home，his wife came to meet him and said，“Tell me，miller，from whence comes this sudden wealth into our house.All at once every box and chest was filled，no one brought it in，and I know not how it happened.”He answered，“It comes from a stranger who met me in the forest，and promised me great treasure.I"in return，have promised him what stands behind the mill—we can very well give him the big appletree for it.”“Ah，husband，”said the terrified wife，“that must have been the devil.”He did not mean the appletree，but our daughter，who was standing behind the mill sweeping the yard.
“除了我的苹果树能有什么呀，”磨坊主想，于是说“好的”，并给了陌生人一个书面的允诺。可这人冷笑了笑，说：“三年后我来取属于我的东西。”说罢便走了。磨坊主回到家，妻子迎面跑来，问：“告诉我，当家的，咱们家从哪儿突然来的这么多财富。一眨眼箱子柜子满是钱，又没见谁拿来，真不知是怎么搞的。”“是我在林子里碰见那个陌生人送的，”磨坊主回答，“他答应让我发大财。轮到我，许诺了把在咱们磨房后的东西给他。多半就是那棵大苹果树呗。”“嗨，老头子，”妻子害怕了，说：“那家伙准是个魔鬼。他要的不是苹果树，而是咱们闺女，她刚才正好在磨房后边扫院子啊。”
The miller"s daughter was a beautiful，pious girl，and lived through the three years in the fear of God and without sin.When therefore the time was over，and the day came when the evil one was to fetch her，she washed herself clean，and made a circle round herself with chalk(chalk n.粉笔，白垩).The devil appeared quite early，but he could not come near to her.Angrily，he said to the miller，“Take all water away from her，that she may no longer be able to wash herself，for otherwise I have no power over her.”The miller was afraid，and did so.The next morning the devil came again，but she had wept on her hands，and they were quite clean.Again he could not get near her，and furiously(furiously adv.狂暴地，猛烈地)said to the miller，“Cut her hands off，or else I have no power over her.”The miller was shocked and answered，“How could I cut off my own child"s hands.”Then the evil one threatened him and said，“If you do not do it you are mine，and I will take you yourself.”
磨坊主的闺女是个美丽而虔诚的姑娘，在这三年中她敬畏上帝，没任何罪孽。三年期满，魔鬼来带走她的那天到了，她便洗干净身子，然后用粉笔在自己周围画上个圆圈。魔鬼来得很早，可就是不能靠近她。他怒气冲冲地对磨坊主说：“把所有的水都搬开，叫她再不能洗澡，否则，我就没有力量控制她。”磨坊主怕魔鬼，照着他的话做了。第二天一早魔鬼又到来，姑娘先已把眼泪洒在手上，仍旧把身子洗得干干净净。这样，他还是不能接近她，就怒气冲冲地对磨坊主说：“砍掉她的双手，不然我拿她毫无办法。”磨坊主大为惊恐，回答：“我怎么能砍掉自己亲生女儿的手啊。”“你要不砍，那你就归我所有，”魔鬼威胁他说，“我就把你自己给抓了去。”
The father became alarmed，and promised to obey(obey v.服从，顺从)him.So he went to the girl and said，“My child，if I do not cut off both your hands，the devil will carry me away，and in my terror(terror n.恐怖，可怕的人，恐怖时期，恐怖行动)I have promised to do it.Help me in my need，and forgive me the harm I do you.”She replied，“Dear father，do with me what you will，I am your child.”Thereupon she laid down both her hands，and let them be cut off.
磨坊主害怕了，答应听从他。随后，他走到女儿面前，说：“孩子，我要是不砍掉你的手，魔鬼就要抓走我，我一害怕便答应了他。帮我解除苦难吧。原谅我对你造成的伤害。”“亲爱的爸爸，”姑娘回答，“您要把我怎么办就怎么办好啦，我是您的孩子。”说着，她伸出双手，让他砍掉了。
