A dust cloth was slapping her in the face. 一块抹布“啪”的一声飞到了她的脸上。

　　Taking it in her hands, she dusted the table. 她一把抓住它，用它擦了擦桌子。

　　Then she folded the cloth and put it away. 接着，她把抹布叠好，收了起来。

　　"Thank you, mistress," said the duster and the table. “谢谢你，小主人。”抹布和桌子说道。

　　So two more things were taken care of. 这样，又有两件事情干完了。

　　Now Irene set to work very hard, and, as each task was finished, she heard the words," Thank you, mistress."  现在，艾琳开始勤奋地劳动。当每一样工作完成以后，她都会听到这样的话：“谢谢你，小主人。”

　　She kept on until the house was as clean as it had been when she came into it. 就这样，她一个劲儿地工作着，直到屋子变得和她刚走进来时一样干净才停下来。

　　"Oh, dear!" said Irene. "I don't want another evening like this as long as I live." “噢，天哪！”艾琳说，“只要我还在这里住上一个晚上，我再也不想要像今天这样了。”

　　"Then don't have one, Irene!" ticked the clock." Do each piece of work as it comes, and then you won't have so much trouble." “那么就不要这样了，艾琳。”时钟嘀嗒着说道，“有一点点活儿就把它干完，你就不会有那么多麻烦了。”

　　The next morning the warm sunlight came in through an open window and woke Irene. 第二天早上，温暖的阳光透过一扇打开的窗户照了进来，也叫醒了艾琳。

　　"Oh," she said to herself, in a lazy voice," I think I will sleep just another half-hour." 她懒懒地跟自己说：“噢！我想再睡半个小时。”

　　"Tick-tock, tick-tock, mistress get up!" sang the clock from downstairs. “叮叮叮，叮叮叮，小主人，快起床！”楼下的钟声响了。

　　Then Irene remembered all that had happened the day before. 这时，艾琳想起了昨天发生的事儿。

　　"I don't want another day like that," she said to herself. “我可不想再过那样的一天了。”她自言自语道。

　　So she jumped out of bed and dressed herself. 于是她跳下床，穿好衣服。

　　After that she opened the windows wide and threw back the bedclothes. 然后她打开窗户，再把床单叠起来。

　　Then she went downstairs and set to work. 接着，她下楼开始工作。

　　When the fairy godmother came back, the cottage was as clean as could be. 当仙女教母回来的时候，屋子干净得不能再干净了。

　　"Ah!" cried the fairy," this is the way it should be. How have you done it, Irene?" “啊！”仙女叫道，“这才是屋子该有的样儿！你是怎么做到的，艾琳？”

　　"Oh, dear godmother, I did just one thing at a time," answered the happy little girl. “噢，亲爱的教母，我只是一次做一件事情。”小女孩高兴地回答道。