Polly and Betty were at the window watching for grandmother. 波莉和贝蒂在窗口等着祖母。

　　Every year she came to see them on her birthday. 每年祖母都会在她生日时来看他们。

　　When grandmother came, she had two packages, the girls ran to help her. 祖母来时拿着两个包裹，她们跑去帮她。

　　"Don't let them fall," she said, "They have magic in them, and the magic will not work if you let them fall." 祖母说：“别让它们掉在地上。它们里面有魔法，如果掉在地上就不灵了。”

　　"What is in the packages?" asked Polly and Betty. 波莉和贝蒂问：“包裹里是什么？”

　　"Wait and see," said grandmother. 祖母说：“等等再说。”

　　After dinner grandmother said, "Now we will open the packages." 晚饭后，祖母说：“现在我们打开包裹吧。”

　　Out of each package came a flower pot full of black dirt. 每个包裹里都有一个装满黑泥的花盆。

　　Each pot had three letters tied to it with strings. 每个花盆都有三封信，用绳子绑在上面。

　　"Here is a magic pot for each of you," said grandmother. 祖母说：“这是给你们每个人的魔法花盆。

　　"Each pot has that three letters that tell you how to make the magic work. 每个花盆里都有三封信告诉你们魔法怎么生效。

　　Open the first letter now, the next one in four weeks, and the last one on Valentine Day." 现在，打开第一封信，四周后打开第二封，最后一封在情人节打开。”

　　Polly and Betty read their first letters. 波莉和贝蒂看了她们的第一封信。

　　Each letter said, "Give your magic pot some water, and put it in a dark place in the cellar." 信里说：“给你们的魔法花盆浇些水，然后把它放在地窖的阴暗处。”

　　Grandmother said, "Do just what the letters tell you, and some day your pots will give you a big surprise." 祖母说：“按照信上说得做，总有一天你的花盆会给你一个大惊喜。”

　　"Thank you, grandmother." Said the girls. “祖母，谢谢您。”女孩们说。

　　Then they gave their flower pots some water, and ran to put them in the cellar. 然后她们给花盆浇了些水，把它们放到了地窖里。

　　Four weeks after grandmother had gone, each girl read her next letter. 祖母离开四周后，女孩读了第二封信。

　　It said," Give your pot another drink, if you see any magic, put it in a north window and give it a little drink every day." 信上说：“给你们的花盆再浇些水，如果你看到了任何神奇的东西，就把它放到北窗口，每天给它浇点儿水。”

　　Betty found something in her magic pot that made her very happy. 贝蒂在它的魔法花盆里发现了一些东西，这使她很开心。

　　A tiny plant was coming up. 一颗小植物冒出来了。

　　"Look, look, Polly!" cried Betty, "My magic has started!" “波莉，快看，快看！我的魔法开始了。”贝蒂大叫道。

　　But Polly could not see anything in her own flower pot, "My magic is slower than yours." She said. 但波莉没能在自己的花盆里看到任何东西。她说：“我的魔法比你的慢。”

　　Betty put her flower pot upstairs in a north window.  贝蒂把她的花盆搬到了楼上一个朝北的窗户那里。

　　Soon they could see little green leaves on the plant. 不久，她们就看到了植物上的小绿叶。

　　The two girls looked in a book about flowers and learned that Betty's plant was an Easter lily. 两个女孩看了一本关于花的书，得知贝蒂的植物是复活节百合花。

　　On Valentine's Day the girls read their last letters. 在情人节那天，女孩们读了最后一封信。

　　Each letter said, "Put your pot in the sunshine and give it a drink everyday." 信里说：“把花盆放在阳光下，每天给它浇水。”

　　So Betty put her lily in the sunshine. 于是贝蒂把她的百合放到了阳光下。

　　When Easter came, Betty's plant had five pretty white flowers on it. 复活节来临时，贝蒂的植物长出了五朵美丽的花。

　　"How beautiful they are!" said Polly. "I am glad that your magic worked." 波莉说：“它们多美啊！我很高兴，你的魔法生效了。”

　　Polly's Surprise 波莉的惊喜

　　Poor Polly! It looked as if there would never be anyhing in her flower pot. 可怜的波莉！它的花盆看起来没有任何东西。

　　"Mine is a magic pot too!" she said, "I am sure that something will grow in it if I put it in the warm sunshine!" 她说：“我的也是魔法花盆。如果我把它放到温暖的阳光下，一定会长出来的。”

　　Mother whispered to father, "The lily in Polly's flower pot didn't come up. Something must have happened to it. 她的妈妈悄悄对爸爸说：“波莉花盆里的百合没长出来，一定出了什么问题。

　　Don't you think we should get another plant for her?" 我们要不要给她换盆植物？”

　　Just then Polly ran out of the room, and father said to mother, 就在这时，波莉跑出了房间。爸爸对妈妈说：

　　"I'll tell you a secret, I found some garden seeds and planted them in her flower pot. “我告诉你一个秘密，我找了一些花园种子种在了她的花盆里。

　　Maybe something will come up!" 或许会长出一些东西。”

　　"Oh, look, mother!" cried Polly one day. 一天，波莉大喊道：“噢！妈妈，快来看。

　　"There is something green in magic pot! I am going to have a lily too!"  魔法花盆里有些绿色的东西！我也要有百合了！”

　　Mother looked at the little plant and said, "It is not a lily, but your magic pot is going to give you a big surprise."  妈妈看了看小植物，说：“这不是百合，但你的魔法花盆会给你一个大大的惊喜。”

　　The little plant began to push out its green leaves very fast. 小植物开始非常快得伸展出绿叶。

　　Soon it was too big for the flower pot. 不久它就变得非常大，花盆都装不下了。

　　"Your plant must have more room to grow," said father. 爸爸说：“你的植物需要更大的生长空间。

　　And he took it out of the pot and planted it in the garden. 然后他把植物从花盆里移出来，种到了花园里。

　　"What kind of plant is it ?" Polly asked. 波莉问：“这是什么植物？”

　　"That is a secret," answered father. "Just wait and see." 爸爸回答：“这是个秘密。就等着看吧。”

　　Polly's little plant grew bigger and bigger. Soon it had big yellow flowers. 波莉的小植物越长越大，不久就结出了大黄花。

　　After the flowers had gone, Polly found a little green ball on the plant. 黄花消失后，波莉在植物上发现了一个小绿球。

　　She watched the little green ball every day. 她每天都观察这个小绿球。

　　First it was as big as her doll's head, then as big as her own head, and soon bigger than her father's head. 起先，它和娃娃的脑袋一样大，随后和她自己的脑袋一般大，不久，比她爸爸的脑袋都大了。

　　At last the big ball began to turn yellow. 最后，大球开始变黄。

　　"Oh! Now I know what it is!" Polly cried one day. "It is a pumpkin." 一天，波莉叫道：“噢！现在我知道它是什么了。是南瓜。”

　　"It is a fine big pumpkin," said her father. "And it will be ripe soon." 爸爸说：“大南瓜长得不错，不久就熟了。”

　　"Oh, mother," said Polly, "I know a good surprise for grandmother' birthday this year. 波莉说：“噢，妈妈，我知道今年给祖母的生日大惊喜是什么了。

　　Let's make her a pumpkin pie. She still thinks my pumpkin was a lily." 我们给她做南瓜派吧。她还以为我的南瓜是百合呢。”

　　When grandmother came to visit them again, there was a fine birthday dinner. 当祖母再来时，生日晚餐很丰盛。

　　When it was almost over, Polly ran to the kitchen and brought in a fine big pumpkin pie. 晚餐快要结束时，波莉跑到厨房带来一个漂亮的大南瓜派。

　　"Here, grandmother," she said. "Here is my Easter lily. 她说：“祖母，给。这是我的复活节百合花。

　　The magic pot turned it into a pumpkin pie." 魔法花盆把它变成了南瓜派。”

　　After dinner grandmother laughed and said," That was the best Easter lily I ever ate!" 饭后祖母笑着说：“这是我吃到得最好的复活节百合花。”