and thus prevent the inhabitants from sending word to Washington about their plans. 从而阻止居民将他们的计划透露给华盛顿。

And so, not long after the leaf-gatherers went gayly toward the woods, 所以在捡叶子的孩子们欢快地向森林走去不久，

the English soldiers marched into the little village from the other direction and quickly made prisoners of all the people they could find! 英国士兵从另外一个方向进入村庄，并快速俘虏了他们可以找到的所有人。

If they thought it was queer that the village had no children in it, they said nothing about it. 如果他们认为这个村庄一个孩子都没有很奇怪的话，但他们什么都没说。

General Washington knew nothing about the plans of the English, 华盛顿将军完全不知道英国人的计划，

and the enemy might easily have succeeded in capturing him if a brave boy and girl, Joseph and Priscilla Harris, 敌人或许很轻易地就逮捕了他，如果不是勇敢的约瑟夫男孩和普丽西拉女孩，

had not found out their plans in time and carried the news to the General. 他们及时发现了他们的计划，并将信息带给了将军。

All afternoon Joseph and Priscilla had a delightful time with the other children, cutting great branches from the trees, 整个下午约瑟夫和普丽西拉和其他孩子度过了愉快时光，从树木上砍伐茂密的树枝，

trimming them down, and tying them in bundles which could be carried in their arms, or balanced on their heads, 将叶子剪去，捆绑成可以放在胳臂下或是平稳放在头顶，

or fastened on their backs, or tied on somewhere. And when at last they were ready to go home and were walking down the road, 或可以捆绑在后背或是系在什么地方的形状，当他们准备回家，走在小路上时，

you could hardly believe they were children unless you saw their bright eyes peeping out through the leaves. 你很难相信他们是一些孩子，除非你看到叶子中透出了他们明亮的眼睛。

They looked exactly like some new kind of dwarf tree out taking an airing, 他们像极了一种在户外散步的矮乔木。

perhaps, before the winter winds robbed them of their pretty green dresses. 或许那是在东风吹走他们美丽的绿外衣之前。

About sunset the other children said good-by and hurried home. Of course, they were immediately shut up with their mothers by the English soldiers. 大约日落时分，其他孩子道了别并往家走，当然，当他们看到自己的母亲和英国士兵一起时顿时被封住了口。

But Joseph and Priscilla loitered along until it was quite late, 但约瑟夫和普丽西拉一直溜溜达达到很晚。

for they knew that their mother had left that morning to make a visit in another town and would not be home for several days. 他们知道妈妈一大早就去了其它城镇，几天之内不会回来。