He would not win the race, of course, but worse than that, 比赛是肯定赢不了了，但更糟糕的是，

he would have no sandals to take home, and Mother could not cook without them. 他将空着手回家，没有草鞋的话，妈妈就没法做饭。

There would not be any hot supper for Father when he came home from work. 父亲下班回家就吃不上热腾腾的饭。

Ting Fang tried not to cry as he walked along to Big Horse Road again. 方廷再次沿着大马路踽踽独行，努力抑制住自己的眼泪。

The children ran to meet him with their long ropes of sandals dragging behind them. 孩子们拖着长长的草鞋跑过去迎接方廷。

"How many did you get, Ting Fang?" they cried, 方廷，你捡了多少?”孩子们问到。

and then stopped in surprise when they saw that he had no rope in his hand. 当他们看到方廷手里没有绳子时，他们惊讶地停下脚步。

"Where are your sandals?" one asked. “你的草鞋呢？”一个孩子问道，

"I have lost them," said Ting Fang, struggling hard to keep back his tears. “我给弄丢了。”方廷一边说一边拼命忍住眼泪。

"Oh, Ting Fang," said the little girl whom he had helped out of the ditch earlier that morning, “哦，方廷，”那天早晨他从沟里救的那个小女孩说道，

"where did you lose them?" “你在哪儿丢的?”

"The rope slipped off the Road Between Ponds, “绳子从两池塘间的那条道上滑了下去，

and all my sandals are down at the bottom of the pond. 所有的草鞋都沉入水底。

Mother will have no fire tonight. 妈妈今晚没有火。

You won after all," Ting Fang ended, 终究是你赢了，”方廷说，

trying to smile at the little girl who had been second in the race. 他努力对那个比赛排名第二的小女孩露出微笑。

"But you helped me," she cried. “但是你帮助了我，”她说道。

"Wait here a moment—perhaps I can help you now." “等一会儿——也许我现在可以帮你。”