本书从19世纪中期至20世纪中叶，一直被广泛用作美国学校的语文教材，据称有10000多所美国学校拿它当作教材。到了21世纪，西方一些私立学校（PrivateSchool)和家庭学校（Homeschool）仍用它作为教材，足见这套书的价值与影响力。据估计，这套书从问世至1960年，至少发行了1.22亿册；1961年后，在西方每年销量仍达30000册以上。应该说，没有哪一套个人主编的教材能超过此发行量了！此套读本的英文原版共分七级，包括启蒙读本和第1-6级。考虑到启蒙读本与第一级篇幅都较少，难易程度也很接近，于是我们将之合并为第1册，其余2-6级与英文原版相同。这样国内出版的这套读本共包括6册。第1册从字母表开始，主要侧重于字母的发音与书写、简单的单词与句型，同时强调英文书写，课文后面附有不少书法练习，让孩子们不仅将英语说得像外国人，而且写得也跟外文书法一样，这是国内英语教学所缺少的一个环节。从第2册开始，均是比较正式的课文，每一课包括词汇和课文，对一些生词有英文解释，让学生学会通过简单英文理解生词，养成用英语理解和思维的习惯。第5册和第6册的课文前增加了作者简介与相关背景知识，内容丰富而有一定深度。此套书为在原版本基础上重新修订精装版，后两册字号较之前有所放大，并且修正了原有的错误之处，以方便学生阅读。

这套书不仅影响了美国的教育事业，也影响了美国的伦理道德。诚如历史学家孔玛格所言：“它们为美国儿童提供了当今明显缺乏的东西，即普遍的引喻知识、普遍的经验和自制意识。”
　　―― 选自《大美百科全书》

LESSON 1 THE GOOD READER
　　朗读者
　　1.It is told of Frederick the Great，King of Prussia，that，as hewas seated one day in his private room，a written petition1 wasbrought to him with the request that it should be immediatelyread.The King had just returned from hunting，and the glare of thesun，or some other cause，had so dazzled his eyes that he found itdiffi cult to make out a single word of the writing.
　　2.His private secretary happened to be absent； and the soldierwho brought the petition could not read.There was a page，orfavorite boy servant，waiting in the hall，and upon him the Kingcalled.The page was a son of one of the noblemen of the court，butproved to be a very poor reader.
　　3.In the fi rst place，he did not articulate2 distinctly.Hehuddled his words together in the utterance，as if they weresyllables of one long word，which he must get through with asspeedily as possible.His pronunciation was bad，and he did notmodulate3 his voice so as to bring out the meaning of what heread.Every sentence was uttered with a dismal monotony4 of voice，asif it did not differ in any respect from that which precededit.
　　4.“Stop！”said the King，impatiently.“Is it an auctioneer's list ofgoods to be sold that you are hurrying over？ Send your companion tome.”Another page who stood at the door now entered，and to him theKing gave the petition.The second page began by hemming andclearing his throat in such an affected5 manner that the Kingjokingly asked him whether he had not slept in the publicgarden，with the gate open，the night before.
　　5.The second page had a good share of self-conceit，however，and sowas not greatly confused by the King's jest.He determined that hewould avoid the mistake which his comrade had made.So he commencedreading the petition slowly and with great formality，emphasizingevery word，and prolonging the articulation of every syllable.Buthis manner was so tedious that the King cried out，“Stop！ are youreciting a lesson in the elementary sounds？ Out of the room！ Butno： stay！ Send me that little girl who is sitting there by thefountain.”
　　6.The girl thus pointed out by the King was a daughter of one ofthe laborers employed by the royal gardener； and she had come tohelp her father weed the fl ower beds.It chanced that，like many ofthe poor people in Prussia，she had received a good education.Shewas somewhat alarmed when she found herself in the King'spresence，but took courage when the King told her that he onlywanted her to read for him，as his eyes were weak.
　　7.Now，Ernestine (for this was the name of the little girl) wasfond of reading aloud，and often many of the neighbors wouldassemble at her father's house to hear her； those who could notread themselves would come to her，also，with their letters fromdistant friends or children，and she thus formed the habit ofreading various sorts of handwriting promptly and well.
　　8.The King gave her the petition，and she rapidly glanced throughthe opening lines to get some idea of what it was about.As sheread，her eyes began to glisten，and her breast to heave.“What is thematter？”asked the King；“don't you know how to read？”“Oh，yes！sire，”she replied，addressing him with the title usually applied tohim：“I will now read it，if you please.”
　　9.The two pages wore about to leave the room.“Remain，”said theKing.The little girl began to read the petition.It was from a poorwidow，whose only son had been drafted1 to serve in thearmy，although his health was delicate and his pursuits had beensuch as to unfi t him for military life.His father had been killedin battle，and the son hada strong desire to become a portraitpainter.
　　10.The writer told her story in a simple，concise1 manner，thatcarried to the heart a belief of its truth； and Ernestine read itwith so much feeling，and with an articulation so just，in tones sopure and distinct，that when she had fi nished，the King，into whoseeyes the tears had started，exclaimed，“Oh！ now I understand what itis all about； but I might never have known，certainly I never shouldhave felt，its meaning had I trusted to these young gentlemen，whom Inow dismiss from my service for one year，advising them to occupytheir time in learning to read.”
　　11.“As for you，my young lady，”continued the King，“I know you willask no better reward for your trouble than the pleasure of carryingto this poor widow my order for her son's immediate discharge2.Letme see whether you can write as well as you can read.Take thispen，and write as I dictate3.”He then dictated an order，whichErnestine wrote，and he signed.Calling one of his guards，he bade himgo with the girl and see that the order was obeyed.
　　12.How much happiness was Ernestine the means of bestowingthrough her good elocution，united to the happy circumstance thatbrought it to the knowledge of the King！ First，there were her poorneighbors，to whom she could give instruction andentertainment.Then，there was the poor widow who sent thepetition，and who not only regained her son，but received throughErnestine an order for him to paint the King's likeness； so thatthe poor boy soon rose to great distinction4，and had more ordersthan he could attend to.Words could not express5 his gratitude，andthat of his mother，to the little girl.
　　13.And Ernestine had，moreover，the satisfaction of aiding herfather to rise in the world，so that he became the King's chiefgardener.The King did not forget her，but had her well educated athis own expense.As for the two pages，she was indirectly the meansof doing them good，also； for，ashamed of their bad reading，theycommenced studying in earnest，till they overcame the faults thathad offended the King.Both fi nally rose to distinction，one as alawyer，and the other as a statesman； and they owed theiradvancement in life chiefl y to their good elocution.
　　
　　【中文阅读】
　　1．传说，一天，普鲁士国王弗里德里希大帝坐在屋里，他的卫兵给他送来一份书面请愿书。书中注明，请求国王即刻阅读。当时，国王刚刚结束打猎回宫，因为阳光刺眼，或某些其他原因，他头昏眼花，一个字也很难看清。
　　2．国王的私人秘书碰巧不在宫内，送来请愿书的卫兵也不识字。当时有位男侍，或者不如说一位乖巧侍童正在大厅当班伺候，国王吩咐他过来。那位侍童是宫廷某位贵族的儿子，可随后证实，他的阅读能力相当糟糕。
　　3．一上来，那位侍童发音就不够清晰，那些词语在他嘴里居然咕囔成串，杂乱无章地快速蹦出。听起来，有的词语音节应该很长，可他似乎总是急不可耐地含糊读完。他的发音很糟，无法表现文字的准确含义。与此同时，他所表述的所有话语无不沉闷呆板，毫无抑扬顿挫之感或音调变化，似乎词语间不存在任何差异。
　　4．“停下！”国王不耐心地说，“莫非你是公开清单、急于拍卖物品的拍卖师，那么草草念完？把你的同伴叫来！”很快，大厅门口守候的另一位侍童来到国王身边，国王将请愿书交给了他。那侍童装模作样地清了清嗓子，国王诙谐地问他，是不是他昨晚没在公园里过夜，但睡觉时门却整晚没关。
　　5．第二位侍童颇为自负，对国王的俏皮话，似乎不太在意。他有心避免前面那位同伴的类似失误，开始朗读起来。他的语速迟缓，太过一本正经，所有词语无不辅以重音，逐个音节拉长拼读，他的朗读那么乏味造作，国王不禁大声呵斥，“停下！你难道是小学生背诵课文？滚出去！不，站好！先把坐在喷泉那边的小姑娘给我叫过来！”
　　6．国王点名的那位姑娘是宫廷花师所雇佣人的女儿，那天，她过来帮着父亲给宫廷花圃除草。像普鲁士不少穷人那样，她碰巧接受过良好的教育。听到国王召见自己，她多少有点心存警觉。国王告诉她，由于他眼睛无法阅读，只是让她代劳，她才稍稍鼓起了勇气。
　　7．欧内斯廷（小姑娘名字）喜欢高声朗读，不少邻居经常聚集在她家门口听她读书。那些不识字的人亦总乐意找她，他们带来远方朋友或孩子的来信。因此，她便具有阅读不同手写文体、并能迅速准确朗读的能力。
　　8．国王将请愿书递给她，她快速地浏览了开篇数行，从而获悉文章的大体印象。她读了不一会儿，眼神炯炯有光，呼吸急速。“怎么回事？”国王问道，“难道你不会读？”“不！陛下，”她以国王的尊称回答，“如果你乐意的话，我会继续。”
　　9．两位侍童正准备离开，“站着，别动！”国王下令，姑娘又接着往下读。这份请愿书说的是一位贫苦寡妇的遭遇，她唯一的儿子被抓到军队服兵役，虽然他身虚体弱，志向亦不在行伍。男孩父亲已在一次战役中身亡，那少年还有个梦寐以求的愿望，想成为一名肖像画家。
　　10．请愿书作者以质朴简洁的语言，叙述那位寡妇的悲惨遭遇，文章的真情实感让人动容。欧内斯廷满怀深情地读着，她的语言清晰，音调纯正，抑扬顿挫。读完后，国王眼里充满了泪水，他高声叫道：“天呀！我现在才知道怎么回事，假如听信那些年轻贵族的话，我将压根无从了解，准确地说，从来不会感受到这种请愿书的深刻涵义。现在，我要将那些家伙解职一年，让他们好好学习一下如何阅读。”
　　11．“至于你，我的孩子，”国王接着说，“相信你会高兴地带上我的手令，立刻解除那可怜寡妇孩子的兵役，我想，假若给你其他任何报酬，亦不会比这更开心吧。我要看看，你是否也能准确书写，像你的阅读那样棒。拿这支笔，写下我口授的话。”他接着口授了一份命令，欧内斯廷记录完毕，国王随后签上自己名字。然后他又吩咐一个卫兵过来，安排他与姑娘一同前去执行他的命令。
　　12．通过感情真挚的阅读，获取这种特殊赠与，欧内斯廷简直快乐极了！国王获悉了民情，内心产生共鸣，并最终授于树内。起初，那些贫困邻居们从姑娘那里找到安慰，随后，送出请愿书的那位寡妇不仅能与儿子重新一起生活，还接受了欧内斯廷带来的国王旨意，安排她的儿子前去宫廷为国王画像。不久，那位贫苦人家孩子便迅速得以擢升，并获得更多的发展机会。千言万语无法表达那位少年还有他的寡母对小姑娘欧内斯廷的深深感激之情。
　　13．不仅如此，欧内斯廷的父亲后来成为国王的首席园艺师，在世界园林界赢得了声誉，这一点，让欧内斯廷非常自豪。国王并没有忘记这个小姑娘，花钱让她受到最好的教育。至于那两位侍童，她亦间接帮助了他们。由于对自己阅读能力深感羞愧，他们急切想重新获得学习机会。两人通过读书最终弥补了阅读能力的不足，随后皆获取了提升机会，一位做了律师，还有一位成了政治家，他们把生命升华归功于极有裨益的开卷阅读。
　　
　　LESSON 3 THE GENTLE HAND
　　温柔的手
　　Timothy S.Arthur (b.1809，d.1885) was born near Newburgh，N.Y.，butpassed most of his life at Baltimore and Philadelphia.Hisopportunities for good schooling were quite limited，and he may beconsidered a self-educated man.He was the author of more than ahundred volumes，principally novels of a domestic and moral tone，andof many shorter tales-magazine articles，etc.“Ten Nights in aBarroom，”and“Three Years in a Mantrap，”are among his best knownworks.
　　1.When and where it matters not now to relate-but once upon atime，as I was passing through a thinly peopled district ofcountry，night came down upon me almost unawares.Being on foot，Icould not hope to gain the village toward which my steps weredirected，until a late hour； and I therefore preferred seekingshelter and a night's lodging at the fi rst humble dwelling thatpresented itself.
　　2.Dusky twilight was giving place to deeper shadows，when I foundmyself in the vicinity1 of a dwelling，from the small uncurtainedwindows of which the light shone with a pleasant promise of goodcheer and comfort.The house stood within an inclosure，and a shortdistance from the road along which I was moving with weariedfeet.
　　3.Turning aside，and passing through the ill-hung gate，Iapproached the dwelling.Slowly the gate swung on its woodenhinges，and the rattle of its latch，in closing，did not disturb theair until I had nearly reached the porch in front of the house，inwhich a slender girl，who had noticed my entrance，stood awaiting myarrival.
　　4.A deep，quick bark answered，almost like an echo，the sound of theshutting gate，and，sudden as an apparition，the form of an immensedog loomed in the doorway.At the instant when he was about tospring，a light hand was laid upon his shaggy neck，and a low wordspoken.
　　5.“Go in，Tiger，”said the girl，not in a voice of authority，yet inher gentle tones was the consciousness that she would be obeyed；and，as she spoke，she lightly bore upon the animal with her hand，andhe turned away and disappeared within the dwelling.
　　6.“Who's that？”A rough voice asked the question； and now aheavy-looking man took the dog's place in the door.
　　7.“How far is it to G-？”I asked，not deeming it best to say，in thebeginning，that I sought a resting place for the night.
　　8.“To G-！”growled the man，but not so harshly as at fi rst.“It'sgood six miles from here.”
　　9.“A long distance； and I'm a stranger and on foot，”said I.“Ifyou can make room for me until morning，I will be verythankful.”
　　0.I saw the girl's hand move quickly up his arm，until it restedon his shoulder，andnow she leaned to him still closer.
　　11.“Come in.We'll try what can be done for you.”There was achange in the man's voice that made me wonder.I entered a largeroom，in which blazed a brisk fi re.Before the fi re sat two stoutlads，who turned upon me their heavy eyes，with no very welcomegreeting.A middle-aged woman was standing at a table，and twochildren were amusing themselves with a kitten on the fl oor.
　　12.“A stranger，mother，”said the man who had given me so rude agreeting at the door；“and he wants us to let him stay allnight.”
　　13.The woman looked at me doubtingly for a few moments，and thenreplied coldly，“We don't keep a public house.”
　　14.“I'm aware of that，ma'am，”said I；“but night has overtakenme，and it's a long way yet to G-.”
　　15.“Too far for a tired man to go on foot，”said the master of thehouse，kindly，“so it's no use talking about it，mother； we must givehim a bed.”
　　16.So unobtrusively1 that I scarce noticed the movement，the girlhad drawn to her mother's side.What she said to her I did nothear，for the brief words were uttered in a low voice； but Inoticed，as she spoke，one small，fair hand rested on the woman'shand.
　　17.Was there magic in that touch？ The woman's repulsive2 aspectchanged into one of kindly welcome，and she said，“Yes，it's a longway to G-.I guess we can fi nd a place for him.”
　　18.Many times more during that evening，did I observe the magicpower of that hand and voice-the one gentle yet potent3 as theother.On the next morning，breakfast being over，I was preparing totake my departure when my host4 informed me that if I would waitfor half an hour he would give me a ride in his wagon to G-，asbusiness required him to go there.I was very well pleased to acceptof the invitation.
　　19.In due time，the farmer's wagon was driven into the road beforethe house，and I was invited to get in.I noticed the horse as arough-looking Canadian pony，with a certain air of stubbornendurance.As the farmer took his seat by my side，the family came tothe door to see us off.
　　20.“Dick！”said the farmer in a peremptory5 voice，giving the reina quick jerk as he spoke.But Dick moved not a step.“Dick！ youvagabond！ get up.”And the farmer's whip cracked sharply by thepony's ear.
　　21.It availed6 not，however，this second appeal.Dick stood fi rmlydisobedient.Next the whip was brought down upon him with animpatient hand； but the pony only reared up a little.Fast and sharpthe strokes were next dealt to the number of half a dozen.The manmight as well have beaten the wagon，for all his end wasgained.
　　22.A stout lad now came out into the road，and，catching Dick bythe bridle，jerked him forward，using，at the same time，the customarylanguage on such occasions，but Dick met this new ally7 withincreased stubbornness，planting his fore feet more fi rmly and at asharper angle with the ground.
　　23.The impatient boy now struck the pony on the side of the headwith his clinchedhand，and jerked cruelly at his bridle.It availednothing，however； Dick was not to be wrought upon by any sucharguments.
　　24.“Don't do so，John！”I turned my head as the maiden's sweetvoice reached my ear.She was passing through the gate into theroad，and in the next moment had taken hold of the lad and drawn himaway from the animal.No strength was exerted in this； she took holdof his arm，and he obeyed her wish as readily as if he had nothought beyond her gratifi cation.
　　25.And now that soft hand was laid gently on the pony's neck，anda single low word spoken.How instantly were the tense1 musclesrelaxed2-how quickly the stubborn air vanished！
　　26.“Poor Dick！”said the maiden，as she stroked his neck lightly，orsoftly patted it with a childlike hand.“Now，go along，you provokingfellow！”she added，in a half- chiding3，yet affectionate voice，as shedrew up the bridle.
　　27.The pony turned toward her，and rubbed his head against her armfor an instant or two； then，pricking up his ears，he started off ata light，cheerful trot，and went on his way as freely as if no sillycrotchet4 had ever entered his stubborn brain.
　　28.“What a wonderful power that hand possesses！”said I，speakingto my companion，as we rode away.
　　29.He looked at me for a moment，as if my remark had occasionedsurprise.Then a light came into his countenance，and he saidbriefly，“She's good！ Everybody and everything loves her.”
　　30.Was that，indeed，the secret of her power？ Was the quality ofher soul perceived in the impression of her hand，even by brutebeasts！ The father's explanation was doubtless the true one.Yethave I ever since wondered，and still do wonder，at the potency whichlay in that maiden's magic touch.I have seen something of the samepower，showing itself in the loving and the good，but never to theextent as instanced5 in her，whom，for want of a better name，I muststill call“Gentle Hand.”
　　【中文阅读】
　　提摩太 ? 斯 ?亚瑟(1809～1885)出生于纽约州纽博市附近，他在巴尔的摩和费城度过生命中的大量时光。他接受正规教育机会相当有限，属于自学成才的类型。他的著述多达一百多部，主要有涉及家庭伦理方面的小说，以及为杂志撰写的大量篇幅更短的文章等。《酒吧间的十个夜晚》和《捕人陷阱中的三年》皆为他的名篇。
　　1．究竟什么时间、地点，现在看来似乎无关紧要--姑且算是从前吧，当我走过一处人烟稀少的地区，不知不觉间，夜幕降临了。由于步行，我不可能指望找到一处乡镇或村庄。又过了一个时辰，我急切地想找处地方过夜，没别的，最先撞见的地方，无论怎样粗鄙简陋，对付一晚足矣。
　　2．昏暗灯火来自深不可测的黑暗，我突然发现附近有户人家，从那扇光秃秃的窗口里，似乎感觉到灯火里透出喜悦的安详。屋子四周有栅栏，离我走的路很近，那时，我可真是走得太累了。3．走下路，跨过那扇歪扭的大门，我走向那处屋子。大门在木质铰链上慢慢晃动，门闩的吱呀声悄无声息，直到最后关门才发出轻微声响。待我走到房前走廊时，才看到一位身材修长的姑娘站在那里，显然，刚才她听到了我的脚步。
　　4．门甫关上，旋即响起一声低沉的狗吠，一条体型硕大的狗幽灵般出现在我的身边。就在它立马扑过来的刹那，一只手轻轻搭在那只狗毛发蓬松的脖颈。
　　5．“虎子，进去，”姑娘低声说道，声音并不威严，但温柔中含有不得不服从的暗示，与此同时，她轻轻地拍打那狗几下，于是那狗转身闪进屋内。
　　6．“你是谁？”一个粗厉声音响起，一位脸色阴沉的男人在狗的身后闪出。
　　7．“请问，这里离 G 地还有多远？”我问道，乍开口，才觉得并不合适，那时的我不过想找个过夜的地方。
　　8．“到 G 地去，”那男人大声地说，言语间却少了最初的苛厉，“从这到那还有不近的六英里路呢。”
　　9．“路真够远的，我是步行来的，一个过路客，”我说，“如果你们让我在这歇上一晚，我真是感激不尽。”
　　10．我看见那姑娘的手迅速上移，最后搭在那男人肩膀上，现在她贴那男人更近了点。
　　11．“进来吧，看看我们能给你帮上什么忙。”那男人语气的变化让我有点喜出望外。我走进房间，房间很宽敞，火苗轻快地跳跃着。火堆边坐着两位粗硕身材的人，满脸阴沉地打量着我，明显带着不快的神情。一位中年妇女站在桌子旁边，两个孩子在地上逗着小猫玩。
　　12．“妈妈，这位过路客，”刚才在门口粗鲁地与我打招呼的那位男人说道，“他想在这里过上一夜。”
　　13．那妇人狐疑地打量我片刻，冷淡地说，“我们这没有客房。”
　　14．“我，我知道，夫人，”我说，“不过，天太晚了，去G地路实在太远了。”
　　15．“他走得太累了，前面的路那么远，”那好心的姑娘接着说，“别说了，妈妈，我们得给他准备个睡觉的地方。”
　　16．起初，我还真没注意到，悄无声息地，那姑娘仄到她妈妈身边，那些话语很轻，我听不见她对母亲说了什么，不过，我留意到，那姑娘说话的当口，她那小巧美丽的手已搭在那妇人的手上。
　　17．这就是触摸的神奇？那妇人反感冷淡的口吻转瞬变得柔和亲近，“是的，去 G地的路还远着呢，我想，我们是得给他安排住下。”
　　18．就在那个晚上，我确实留心到那双手、那个声音的神奇--温柔中透出强势力量。次日清早，早饭后，我打算告辞，男主人突然告诉我，如果我可以等半个时辰的话，他可以捎带我去G地，他要赶着马车去G地办事。我自然非常高兴地接受了他的好意。
　　19．约定的时间到了，那农夫的马车来到屋前路上，我受邀上车后，这才看见那匹驾辕的马驹，那马驹面部粗糙，属于加拿大品种，具有顽强忍耐的优良品性。农夫上了车，坐在我身边，全家人走出门来给我们送行。
　　20、“狄克！”那农夫严厉地呵斥，一边猛地拉动缰绳，狄克竟然没有挪步，“狄克！你这个懒鬼！快走呀。”农夫鞭子在小马耳边尖锐地乍响。
　　21．依然毫不奏效。接下来，农夫语气变得委婉甚至恳求，小马驹还是无动于衷。然后，主人急躁的鞭子甩在了狄克身上，那马驹只是稍稍后退，接着又来了六七下快速猛烈的鞭笞，那农夫如果早知道他最终束手无策，还不如起先就鞭打那马车罢。
　　22．一位身材粗硕的妇人走过来，她抓住马笼头猛地往前拉，嘴里不停叨唠类似场合那些粗鄙的话，但狄克愈发倔犟，死活不走，甚至还将它的前蹄翘起，死死地抵住地面。
　　23．这会儿，那位不耐烦的男孩用钳子般手掌猛力撞击狄克头部，然后死命猛拽马的笼头，毫不奏效，狄克不会在这样暴力下尥开蹄子。
　　24．“约翰，别这样！”我一转头，那位姑娘的温柔声音传了过来。她正迈过大门，来到路上。姑娘一把抓住那莽撞的家伙，将他从狄克身边甩开。她毫不费力地抓住了他的一只胳膊，他好像也相当乐意地与其配合，好像压根没有忤逆她的意思。
　　25．眼前，那只温柔的手轻轻放在小马驹的脖颈上，姑娘轻声慢语地对它说话。不过转眼间，狄克紧张的肌肉已经松弛，僵持的坚冰终于打破。
　　26．“可怜的狄克，”那姑娘一边说，一边轻轻拍着小马驹的脖颈，或者不如说，用那满怀柔情的孩子般手拍打狄克，“该走了，你这让人生气的孩子！”她的话语中夹杂责备，亦不乏温情脉脉，说话间，她还提了提笼头。
　　27．狄克朝她转过身来，用头朝她胳膊蹭动片刻，然后竖立耳朵，轻快地跑起碎步，接着，尥开蹄子跑开了，好像刚才不曾有任何怪异的念头盘踞在它那固执的小脑瓜里。
　　28．马车跑起来了，“手，该有多么神奇！”我对身边的人说道。
　　29．农夫注视了我片刻，好像我的话使他偶发惊奇，他的脸上闪过一丝喜悦，却只说了句，“她心地仁慈，这里的人和那些牲口都喜欢她。”
　　30．的确，难道她有神奇力量的秘密？抑或她的灵魂高贵？这位父亲的话无疑道出了真相，从那以后，我确实想知道，甚至今天，似乎更想弄明白，那姑娘轻抚的手里究竟存在什么样的神奇魔力。我见过同样的力量诉求，从容地表达爱恋与善行，但从未见过类似这位姑娘手里升起的奇迹，她给我内心带来了惊悚震撼。如果让我用贴切的词语形容，我宁愿称呼她为“温柔的手”。