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有一个小侍从，名叫约翰尼。一天晚上，他在国王的接待室负责警戒。 国王睡不着，就摇铃要一本书，但是没有人应答。约翰尼当时已经睡着了，什么也没听到，国王又摇了一遍，两遍，但是结果还是一样。最后，他从床上起来，悄悄来到接待室。小男孩正躺在桌子上熟睡，桌子上有一只点燃的蜡烛和一封没有写完的信。 国王看了看信，开头是这样写的：我最亲爱的妈妈,这是我第三个晚上自愿替别的侍从值班了。我再也受不了，可是这几个星期我已经赚到了十英镑，心里别提有多高兴了！我要把钱送回家里，这样就可以满足你的一些需要了。” 儿子对母亲的这份温柔的爱深深地感动了国王，因此他立即回到房间拿来一些金币放在小侍从的口袋里，相信他会送回家里给妈妈。 小侍从醒来后，发现了口袋里的金币，很快就猜到是谁放在里面的了。早上，他看到国王走出房间,便跪在他面前，请求他原谅自己的失职。当然，他也没有忘记感谢国王赏给他的礼物。 国王赞扬了他对母亲的爱，而且从此之后，更加信任他，还给他升了官职。作为报答，约翰尼总是对国王忠心耿耿，恪尽职守。 The Little Page-Boy and the King A little page-boy named Johnny was one night on guard in the ante-chamber of the King. The King could not sleep and rang the bell to ask for a book, but no one replied. Johnny had fallen asleep and had not heard anything. The King rang a second time and a third, but with the same result. Finally, he arose from his bed and peeped into the ante-chamber. The young boy was sound asleep and was lying across the desk on which there was a lighted candle and an unfinished letter. The King read the letter which began with these words： “My dearest mother, it is the third night that I have volunteered for night service in the place of other pages. I cannot resist any longer but I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have earned in a few weeks the wonderful sum of ten pounds.丨 am sending the money home so that you may be able to satisfy some of your needs.，’ This tender love of a son towards his mother pleased the King so much that he immediately went to his room, picked up a few gold coins, and placed them in the pocket of his page-boy convinced that the boy would send them home to his mother. When the page-boy woke up and found all the money in his pocket he soon guessed who it was that had placed the coins there. In the morning when he saw the King coming out of his room, he went on his knees and begged pardon for having failed in his duty, not forgetting to thank the King for the gift that he had given him. The King praised the boy's love for his mother and from then onwards placed a greater trust in him and had him promoted to a higher office. In return, Johnny always fulfilled his duties in the best possible manner as a faithful devotion to his King. |
