内容简介

短篇小说《那个奇怪的小女孩》是由美国女作家Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley (笔名V.M.) 于1911年出版的儿童读物。虽后来在国外仍有再版，但由于年代久远，还未被国内译者翻译过。这部小说主要讲述成长在宫殿内的一位公主憧憬外面的世界，跟随音乐家来到下层社会，从不被底层人民理解到坚持不懈给人们灌输爱与希望的讯息。

第1章：很久很久以前，在美丽的宫殿内住着国王的孩子们，其中却有一位公主向往宫殿外的生活，这位公主的名字是伊琳。伊琳询问了国王是否可以离开宫殿，国王回答她：“国王的孩子可以自由的进出宫殿，如果他们不愿呆在这，我不会阻止他们离开，因为我知道他们早晚会回来的。”

第2章：又有一个旅行者路过宫殿，他弹奏着竖琴，而公主又听到了那个声音，说着：“我会回来的！我会的！我会的！”然后她跟着音乐家离开了宫殿。

第3章：在旅途中，公主路过了一条河，她喝下了河水并且忘记了一切。

第4章：公主经过9个月的海上航行，来到了一片陆地，那里的人们都不知道她是公主，并且称她为小梦想家，是个奇怪的孩子。

第5章：公主和一位独居老人聊天，她认为只有他们彼此了解对方。公主开始去学校上课，但是无法融入课堂，并且她讲的，老师又无法理解。人们说到：“她看到了事物的本质，而我们只看到了外表。她看到灵魂，而我们只看到了身体。”

第6章：公主渴望将自己所知道的告诉人们，但是人们并不愿聆听。即便如此，公主还是义无反顾的决定再回来深入底层人的生活。

第7章：公主把爱与希望的讯息，以美丽的童话故事的方式，讲述给孩子们听，也许孩子们比大人更容易理解。

INTRODUCTION

The short novel The Strange Little Girl is written by American writer Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley whose pen name is V.M. It is a story for children. The novel was published in 1911. Later, though reprinted in foreign countries, It has not been translated into Chinese because of the time passed by. In this novel, the writer talks about a princess who was living in a palace aspiring to the outside world. She went to the bottom of society with a musician. At first, people of the bottom society do not understand her but the princess kept infuse people with the messages of love and hope.

Chapter One: Once upon a time there was a beautiful palace where the king's children lived. One of the little princesses seemed to aspire to a world beyond the palace garden. And the name of this princess was Eline. Eline asked the King: "May I ever leave the palace?" "The children of the king are free to come and go," the king said. "I may not keep them if they will not stay; for I know that they will come again."

Chapter Two: Again a traveler came to the palace. He played a harp. And a mighty resolve came to Eline. "I will return! I will! I will!" They passed out of the garden together, the musician and the soul.

Chapter Three: On the trip, the princess passed by a river. She drained a cup of  the river water, and with that draught she forgot all things.

Chapter Four: For nine months they sailed on the ocean, they came to a land. People on that land did not know she was a princess. They called her little dreamer and thought she was a strange little girl.

Chapter Five: The princess chatted with an old man and she thought only they can understand each other. In due time, the princess was sent to school to learn. But she could not blend in with the classroom, and what she said, the teacher did not understand. People declared: "She sees the heart of things where we see only the outer covering. She sees the soul, we the body."

Chapter Six: Eline longed to tell the people of better things but they do not want to hear. Even so, she will again return, yet lower.

Chapter Seven: In the form of beautiful fairy stories, the princess conveyed the messages of love and hope to the children, who are more likely to understand her than their elders.