CHARLES DICKENS is one of the most popular English authors of the present day.He has written much，and is distinguished，perhaps chiefly，by his graphic delineation of character.
1.THERE was a little woman on board，with a little child；and both little woman and little child were cheerful，good-looking，bright-eyed，and fair to see.The little woman had been passing a long time with her sick mother in New York.The child was born in her mother’s house，and she had not seen her husband，to whom she was now returning，for twelve months，having left him a month or two after their marriage.Well，to be sure，there never was a little woman so full of hope，and tenderness，and love，and anxiety，as this little woman was；and all day long she wondered whether “he”would be at the wharf；and whether “he”had got her letter；and whether，if she sent the child ashore by somebody else，“he”would know it，meeting it in the street；which，seeing that he had never set eyes upon it in his life，was not very likely in the abstract，but was probable enough to the young mother.
2.She was such an artless little creature，and was in such a sunny，beaming，hopeful state，and let out all the matter clinging closely about her heart so freely，that all the other lady passengers entered into the spirit of it as much as she；and the captain，who heard all about it from his wife，was wondrous sly，I promise you，inquiring，every time we met at table，as if in forgetfulness，whether she expected any body to meet her at St.Louis，and cutting many other dry jokes of that nature.
There was one little weazen，dried-apple-faced old woman，who took occasion to doubt the constancy of husbands，in such circumstances of bereavement；and there was another lady，with a lapdog，old enough to moralize on the lightness of human affections，and yet not so old that she could help nursing the child now and then，or laughing with the rest，when the little woman called it by its father‘s name，and asked it all manner of fantastic questions concerning him，in the joy of her heart.
3.It was something of a blow to the little woman，that，when we were within twenty miles of our destination，it became clearly necessary to put this child to bed.But she got over it with the same good-humor，tied a handkerchief round her head，and came out into the little gallery with the rest.Then such an oracle as she became in reference to the localities！and such facetiousness as was displayed by the married ladies，and such sympathy as was shown by the single ones，and such peals of laughter as the little woman herself，who would just as soon have cried，greeted every jest with！
4.At last，there were the lights of St.Louis，and here was the wharf，and those were the steps；and the little woman，covering her face with her hands，and laughing，or seeming to laugh，more than ever，ran into her own cabin，and shut herself up.I have no doubt but，in the charming inconsistency of such excitement，she stopped her ears，lest she should hear “him”asking for her；but I did not see her do it.Then a great crowd of people rushed on board，though the boat was not yet made fast，but was wandering about among the other boats，to find a landing-place；and every body looked for the husband，and nobody saw him，when，in the midst of us all，Heaven knows how she ever got there，there was the little woman，clinging with both arms tight round the neck of a fine，good-looking，sturdy young fellow；and clapping her little hands for joy as she dragged him through the small door of her small cabin，to look at the child，as he lay asleep.
（FROM DICKENS ）
中文阅读
查尔斯·狄更斯，英国现代最受欢迎的著名作家之一，他出版过很多著作，以描写人物为主，因此享有盛名。
1.船上有一个小女人带着一个小孩，看上去心情愉快，她们都有着漂亮的脸庞、明亮的眼睛，令人赏心悦目。小女人在纽约和她生病的母亲一起过了很长时间，这个小孩就是在她母亲的家里出生的。她已经有十二个月没有见过她的丈夫了。在婚后两个月她就离开了他，这次她就是要去找他的。说实话，从来没有哪个小女人像她一样温柔可爱，满怀希望又忧心忡忡。白天她一直在想着，“他”是否会到码头来接她，“他”是否已经接到了她的信，如果她让别人把孩子送上岸，“他”在街上遇到时是否会认出来，对于此生从来没有见过这个孩子的他来说，这可能有些难，但对她这个年轻的母亲来说却是完全可能的。
2.她是这样一个天真无邪的小可爱，状态这么阳光，喜气洋洋，充满希望。她把这些贴心的事告诉了所有的女乘客，其他女乘客也进入了她的精神状态。船长从他夫人那里听说后，我们每次在餐桌旁见到她时，我可以肯定，他一定会顽皮地提及这件事，好像健忘似的问她是否期待着在圣路易斯有人接她，然后又讲一些类似性质的冷笑话。有一个脸像皱瘪的苹果一样的干瘪的老妇人，乘机对小女人的丈夫在这样缺乏忠诚的环境中是否忠贞表示怀疑。还有一个带着哈巴狗的妇人，她已经到了能够对人类的感情品头论足的年龄，但显然还没有老到缺乏幽默感的地步。当她看到小女人用孩子的父亲的名字叫他，发自内心地问一些关于他父亲的很有趣的问题时，这个妇人还是忍不住开怀大笑起来。
3.当我们距目的地还有二十英里的时候，小女人觉得有必要让孩子睡觉了，这事多少对小女人是个打击。她还是一如既往的情绪很好，在自己头上系了一条手帕，跟其余的人一起来到小游廊里。作为神示媒介的人，她成了现场的参照！那些已婚女人开的不正经的玩笑，那些单身者的同情，还有那阵阵笑声，小女人听到这一切，自己很快就哭了起来。
4.最终，我们看到了圣路易斯的灯光，看见了码头，看见了台阶。小女人双手捂着脸，笑着，或者说似乎笑得比原来还要灿烂，跑回自己的船舱，把自己关在船舱里。我确信，在这样激动人心的时刻，这是迷人的纠结，她要捂起耳朵，不让自己听到“他”在找她。但我并没有亲眼看到她这么做。当船还没有拴住，还在其他小船之间找地方停靠的时候，一大群人已经冲到了甲板上。大家都在找着这个丈夫，但是谁也没有看到他。这时候，在人群里，竟然看到了小女人，天知道她是怎么来到人群中的。只见她双手紧紧地搂着一个举止优雅、面容英俊、身材结实的年轻男人。她高兴地拍着小手，拉着他走进她小小的客舱的小小的门，去看他们正在沉睡的孩子。
（狄更斯）