25. I had buttoned up the collar and tied the belt, apronlike, in back. Momma told me to turn around. With one hand she pulled the strings and the belt fell free at both sides of my waist. Then her large hands were at my neck, opening the button loops. I was terrified. What was happening?
    25)我已经扣上了领子，腰带也像系围裙带那样在背后系好了。奶奶让我转过身来，用一只手把带子一拉，腰带就从我腰的两边垂了下来。这时她的大手在我脖子那儿解扣子，我吓坏了。这是怎么了?

    26." Take it off, Sister." She had her hands on the hem of the dress.
    26)“把衣服脱下来，妹子。”她的手抓着裙子的底摆。

    27." 1 don't need to see the inside, Mrs. Henderson, I can tell ... "But the dress was over my head and my arms were stuck in the sleeves. Momma said, "That'll do. See here, Sister Flowers, I French-seams around the armholes." Through the cloth film, I saw the shadow approach. "That makes it last longer. Children these clays would bust out of sheet metal clothes. They so rough."
    27)“我不需要看反面，亨德森太太，我能知道……”但裙衣已给拉过了我的头，我的两只胳膊还伸在袖子里。“行了，你看看这儿，弗劳尔斯大姐，袖孔这儿我用的是来回针。”透过布丝我看见影子走了过来，“这种针法可以使衣服穿得时间长些。现在的小孩能把铁板做的衣服都穿烂。他们野着哪。”

    28." That is a very good job, Mrs. Henderson. You should be proud. You can put your dress back on. Marguerite."
    28)“这活做得非常好，亨德森太太，你应该感到骄傲。你可以重新把衣服穿上了，玛格丽特。”

    29. "No ma' am. Pride is a sin. And ' cording to the Good Book, it goeth before a fall."
    29)“不行，夫人，骄傲是种罪过。圣经上说，骄傲必败。”

    30. "That's right. So the Bible says. It's a good thing to keep in mind."
    30)“对，圣经上是这样说的。记着这一点是好事。”

    31. I wouldn't look at either of them. Momma hadn't thought that taking off my dress in front of Mrs. Flowers would kill me stone dead. If I had refused, she would have thought I was trying to be "womanish" and might have remembered St. Louis. Mrs. Flowers had known that I would be embarrassed and that was even worse. I picked up the groceries and went out to wait in the hot sunshine. It would be fitting if I got a sunstroke and died before they came outside. Just dropped dead on the slanting porch.
     31)她们俩我谁也不愿意看。奶奶没有想到当着弗劳尔斯太太的面脱我的衣服会要了我的命。如果我不肯脱，她就会以为我在故作“女人忸怩之态”，因而可能会想起圣路易的那件事。弗劳尔斯太太知道我会觉得难堪，这样更糟。我拿起她买好的食品杂物走出去在热太阳地里等她。要是我在她们出来之前中暑死去才合适呢。就这么倒在倾斜的门廊上死掉。