“Oh yes，”said the student“whenever they like，for they can fly.Have you not seen those beautiful red，white，and yellow butterflies，that look like flowers？They were flowers once.They have flown off their stalks into the air，and flap their leaves as if they were little wings to make them fly.Then，if they behave well，they obtain permission（permission n.许可，允许）to fly about during the day，instead of being obliged to sit still on their stems at home，and so in time their leaves become real wings.It may be，however，that the flowers in the Botanical Gardens have never been to the kings palace，and，therefore，they know nothing of the merry doings at night，which take place there.I will tell you what to do，and the botanical（botanical adj.植物学的n.植物性药材）professor，who lives close by here，will be so surprised.You know him very well，do you not？Well，next time you go into his garden，you must tell one of the flowers that there is going to be a grand ball at the castle，then that flower will tell all the others，and they will fly away to the castle as soon as possible.And when the professor walks into his garden，there will not be a single flower left.How he will wonder what has become of them！”
“能的，”学生说，“如果他们愿意的话，他们还可以飞呢。你看到过那些红的、白的、黄的蝴蝶吗？他们看起来差不多像花朵一样，他们本来也是花朵。他们曾经从花枝上高高地向空中跳去，拍着它们的花瓣，好像花瓣就是小小的翅膀似的。这么着，他们就飞起来啦。因为它们很有礼貌，所以他们得到许可，在白天也可以飞，不必再回家去，被迫静静地待在花枝上了。就这样他们的花瓣渐渐变成翅膀了。这些东西你已经亲眼看过。植物园的花儿很可能从来没有到国王的宫里去过，而且很可能不知道那儿的晚间是多么有趣。晤，我现在可以教你一件事，准叫那位住在这附近的植物学教授吃惊。你认识他，不是吗？下次你到他的花园里去的时候，请你带一个信给一朵花儿，说是宫里有人在开一个盛大的舞会。那么这朵花就会相互转告，他们知道后就会全部飞去的。等那位教授到花园的时候，就一朵花也看不见。他决不会猜得出，花儿都跑到什么地方去了。”
“But how can one flower tell another？Flowers cannot speak.”
“不过，花儿怎么会互相传话呢？花儿是不会讲话的呀。”
“No，certainly not，”replied the student，“but they can make signs.Have you not often seen that when the wind blows they nod at one another，and rustle all their green leaves？”
“当然喽，它们是不会讲话的，”学生回答说，“不过他们有表情呀。你一定注意到，微风吹动的时候，花儿就点起头来，摇起它们的绿叶子。这些姿势他们都知道是什么，跟讲话一样。”
“Can the professor understand the signs？”asked Ida.
“那位教授能懂得他们的表情吗？”小爱达问。
“Yes，to be sure he can.He went one morning into his garden，and saw a stinging nettle making signs with its leaves to a beautiful red carnation（carnation n.荷兰石竹，康乃馨，粉红色）.It was saying，‘You are so pretty，I like you very much.’But the professor did not approve of such nonsense，so he clapped his hands on the nettle to stop it.Then the leaves，which are its fingers，stung him so sharply that he has never ventured to touch a nettle since.”
“当然懂得。有一天早晨，他走进花园，看到一棵有刺的大荨麻，正在那儿用它的叶子对美丽的荷兰红石竹打着手势。他说：‘你是那么美丽，我多么爱你呀！’可是老教授看不惯这类事儿，所以他就马上在荨麻的叶子上打了一巴掌去阻止，这些叶子就是荨麻手指。狠狠地刺痛了他的手掌，从此以后他再也不敢碰一下荨麻了。”
“Oh how funny！”said Ida，and she laughed.
“这倒很滑稽，”小爱达说，同时大笑起来。
“How can anyone put such notions into a childs head？”said a tiresome lawyer，who had come to pay a visit，and sat on the sofa.He did not like the student，and would grumble when he saw him cutting out droll or amusing pictures.Sometimes it would be a man hanging on a gibbet（gibbet n.绞刑架v.绞刑）and holding a heart in his hand as if he had been stealing hearts.Sometimes it was an old witch riding through the air on a broom and carrying her husband on her nose.But the lawyer did not like such jokes，and he would say as he had just said，“How can anyone put such nonsense into a childs head！what absurd fancies there are！”
“居然把这样的怪想头灌进一个孩子的脑子里去！”一位怪讨厌的枢密顾问官说。他这时恰好来拜访，坐在一张沙发上。他不太喜欢这个学生，他看到这学生剪出一些滑稽好笑的图案时，就要发牢骚。这些图案有时剪的是一个人吊在绞架上，手里捧着一颗心，表示他曾偷过许多人的心；有时剪的是一个老巫婆，把自己的丈夫放在鼻梁上，骑着一把扫帚飞行。这位枢密顾问官看不惯这类东西，所以他常常喜欢说刚才那样的话——居然把这样的怪想头灌进一个孩子的脑子里去，尽是荒唐怪诞的东西！
But to little Ida，all these stories which the student told her about the flowers，seemed very droll（droll adj.好笑的，滑稽的，逗趣的n.小丑，小闹剧），and she thought over them a great deal.The flowers did hang their heads，because they had been dancing all night，and were very tired，and most likely they were ill.Then she took them into the room where a number of toys lay on a pretty little table，and the whole of the table drawer besides was full of beautiful things.Her doll Sophy lay in the dolls bed asleep，and little Ida said to her，“You must really get up Sophy，and be content to lie in the drawer tonight，the poor flowers are ill，and they must lie in your bed，then perhaps they will get well again.”So she took the doll out，who looked quite cross，and said not a single word，for she was angry at being turned out of her bed.
不过，学生所讲的关于花儿的事情，小爱达觉得非常有趣，她在这个问题上想了很久。花儿垂下了头，是因为他们跳了通宵的舞，跳疲倦了，很可能他们是病倒了。所以她就把他们带到她的别的一些玩具那儿去。这些玩具是放在一个很好看的小桌上的，桌子的抽屉里也装着她心爱的东西。她的玩具娃娃苏菲亚正睡在玩偶的床里，小爱达对她说：“苏菲亚呀，你起来吧。今晚你设法在抽屉里睡吧！可怜的花儿全都病了，他们要睡在你的床上。这样它们也许可以好起来。”于是她就把这玩偶移开。可是苏菲亚显出很不高兴的样子，一句话也不说。她因为不能睡在自己的床上，生起气来了。
Ida placed the flowers in the dolls bed，and drew the quilt over them.Then she told them to lie quite still and be good，while she made some tea for them，so that they might be quite well and able to get up the next morning.And she drew the curtains close round the little bed，so that the sun might not shine in their eyes.
爱达把花儿放到玩偶的床上，用小被子把他们盖好。还告诉他们说，必须安安静静地睡觉，她得去泡一壶茶来给他们喝，使它们的身体早点恢复健康，明天可以起床。同时她把床帘拉拢，把床遮得严严的，免得太阳射着它们的眼睛。
During the whole evening she could not help thinking of what the student had told her.And before she went to bed herself，she was obliged to peep behind the curtains into the garden where all her mothers beautiful flowers grew，hyacinths（hyacinth n.［植］风信子，洋水仙，水葫芦）and tulips（tulip n.［植］郁金香，郁金香花，郁金香球茎），and many others.Then she whispered to them quite softly，“I know you are going to a ball tonight.”But the flowers appeared as if they did not understand，and not a leaf moved；still Ida felt quite sure she knew all about it.
这一整夜她老是想着那个学生告诉她的事情。当她要上床去睡的时候，她禁不住要到窗帘后面瞧瞧。沿着窗子陈列着她母亲的一些美丽的花儿——有风信子，也有番红花。她悄悄地低声对他们说：“我知道今晚你们要去参加一个舞会。”可是这些花儿装作一句话也听不懂，连一片叶儿也不动一下。不过小爱达自己心里明白。