So Gretchen set her shoes together and then sat down near them; for she was going to watch until Rupert came by. 于是格雷琴把鞋子放在了一起，接着坐在鞋子的旁边，因为她想一直看着鲁伯特的到来。

All over the city the bells were ringing, and so sweetly did they sing to little Gretchen that they sang her to sleep that Christmas Eve. 钟声响遍了整座城市，它们向小格雷琴吟唱起甜美的夜曲。唱着唱着，小女孩在这个平安夜里进入了梦乡。

In another part of the great city, that night, a little American girl named Margaret started out with a basketful of toys to help Santa Claus. 那天晚上，在这个大城市的另一个地方，一个名叫玛格丽特的美国小姑娘拿着一篮子的玩具出发了，她要去给圣诞老人帮忙。

Her father was with her, and they were so happy that they sang Christmas songs as they went along the street. 她的父亲跟她在一起，他们非常高兴，沿着街道一边走一边唱着圣诞歌曲。

They happened to pass in front of the boarding-house just after Gretchen had gone to sleep by her empty shoes. 他们碰巧经过了这间寄宿小屋的前面，这时候，格雷琴刚好在自己的空鞋子旁睡着了。

When Margaret and her father saw them, they stopped in surprise. 玛格丽特和她的父亲看到了空鞋子，他们惊讶地停了下来。

They had been in lands across the sea; 他们去过一些海外的国家，

so they knew that the little girl was waiting for Santa Claus or his helper, Rupert, to come with gifts. 他们知道这位小姑娘是在等圣诞老人或他的帮手鲁伯特来送礼物。

What can we give her? whispered Margaret's father, as he looked into the basketful of toys. But Margaret knew. “我们能给她什么呢？”玛格丽特的父亲小声说。他一边说着，一边看了看那一篮子的玩具，但玛格丽特知道。

She took from the basket a baby doll — one that looked as if it wanted to be loved — and laid it gently beside the wooden shoes. 她从篮子里拿出了一个婴儿娃娃——就是那个看起来好像需要人疼爱的娃娃，她把它轻轻地放在了木鞋旁。

When Gretchen woke up, she did not see Margaret and her father, for they had gone. 格雷琴醒来的时候，没有看到玛格丽特和她的父亲，他们已经走了。

But, oh! what a wonderful thing she did see! 但是，她看到了多么神奇的一件礼物啊！

There, beside the shoes, was the dearest Christmas gift that ever came to a homesick little girl in a strange country. 对于这个处在异国他乡、无比思念故土的小女孩来说，最珍贵的圣诞礼物就在鞋子旁边。