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Time pressed, and Jenny's countenance became more and more overcast,
时间越来越紧迫，珍妮的表情也变得越来越忧愁，
but Andrew could think of no way in which he could take the little girl home without being late and losing his standing in the school.
但是安德鲁还是没有想出办法，既能将小女孩送回家还不至于上课迟到，让他在学校的威信扫地。
It was impossible to get her across the stream at any place nearer than the "big bridge;"
除了“大桥”那里，没有任何更近的地方可以送她过河；
he would not take her that way, and make up a false story to account for his lateness at school,
而他又不能去那里送她之后编个故事来解释为什么迟到；
and he could not leave her alone or take her with him.
他既不能把她留在原地又不能带她去学校。
What was to be done? While several absurd and impracticable plans were passing through his brain,
怎么办呢？正当若干个荒唐而不切实际的计划在他脑子里闪过时，
the school bell began to ring, and he must start immediately to reach the schoolhouse in time.
学校的钟声开始响起来，他必须开始往教室那边赶了。
And now his anxiety and perplexity became more intense than ever;
现在，他的焦虑和困窘比任何时候都更加强烈。
and Jenny, looking up into his troubled countenance, began to cry.
珍妮抬起头，看到他发愁的样子，哭了起来。
Andrew, who had never before failed to be at the school door before the first tap of the bell, began to despair.
从来都是在第一遍钟声响起前踏进校门的安德鲁现在开始感到绝望了。
Was there nothing to be done?
难道就没有任何办法了吗？
Yes! a happy thought passed through his mind.
是的！一个两全齐美的想法闪过脑海。
How strange that he should not have thought of it before!
之前没想到真是太奇怪了！
He would ask Dominie Black to let him take Jenny home.
他先去和布莱克校长说明情况，
What could be more sensible and straightforward than such a plan?
让他带珍妮回家。什么计划能比这个更合理更直接呢？
Of course, the good old schoolmaster gave Andrew the desired permission, and everything ended happily.
当然，善良的老校长允许了安德鲁这样做，一切得以圆满地解决。
But the best thing about the whole affair was the lesson that the young Scotch boy learned that day.
但是整个过程中最好的事是那名苏格兰少年学到了一课。
The lesson was this: when we are puzzling our brains with plans to help ourselves out of trouble,
这一课是：当我们绞尽脑汁想帮助自己摆脱困境时，
let us always stop a moment in our planning, and try to think if there is not some simple way out of the difficulty,
让我们停下片刻，试着想想是否还有更简单、
which shall be in every respect perfectly right.
从各方面都更完美的脱困办法。
If we do this, we shall probably find a way more easy and satisfactory than any which we can devise.
如果我们这样做，就可能会找到比原先计划中更简单易行、更令人满意的办法。
