摘要
琼·韦伯斯特(Jean Webster,1876-1916),美国人,1876年生于纽约州弗里多尼亚的一个富裕家庭,父亲是出版商,母亲是美国著名作家马克·吐温的侄女。1901年,她毕业于瓦萨学院,获英国文学和经济学两个学位。她的第一本短篇小说集《帕蒂去上大学的时候》写于在校期间,1903年出版后大获成功。之后,《长腿叔叔》(1912)和续集《亲爱的敌人》(1914)的问世使她成了家喻户晓的作家。她的作品朴实、清新、充满幽默和对社会下层阶级的关爱。
The first Wednesday in every month was a perfectly awful day-a day to be awaited with dread,endured with courage and forgotten with haste.Every floor must be spotless,every chair dustless,and every bed without a wrinkle.Ninety⁃seven little orphans(孤儿)must be scrubbed,combed and buttoned into freshly starched ginghams(刚上浆的格子布);and all ninety⁃seven were reminded of their manners,and told to say“Yes,sir”,“No,sir”whenever a trustee spoke.
