A little girl from the East Side was invited to a garden party given by a very aristocratic（贵族的） lady to a group of little East-Siders.

The little girl, as she drank her tea and ate her plum-cake on a velvet¹（天鹅绒的） lawn under a white-blooming cherry tree, said to her hostess:

Does your husband drink?

Why-er-no, not to excess, was the astonished reply.

How much does he make?

He doesn't work, said the lady. He is a capitalist.

You keep out of debt, I hope?

Of course, child. What on earth do you mean by all these impudent²（无耻的） questions?

Impudent? said the little girl. Why, Ma'am, Mother told me to be sure and behave like a lady, and when ladies call at our rooms they always question Mother like that.

一个住在城东贫民区的小女孩获得邀请，参加一位贵妇人为城东贫民区的孩子们举行的花园晚会。

在一棵开满了白色小花儿的樱桃树下，小女孩坐在柔软的草地上，一边品尝着她的茶和梅子蛋糕，一边对贵妇人说：你的丈夫酗酒吗？ 呃，呃，不，他喝得不多。夫人一脸惊诧。

他挣多少钱？

他不工作，夫人回答说，他是个资本家。

我希望你们没有负债吧？

当然没有，孩子。你问这么些无礼的问题到底是想说什么呢？

无礼？小女孩说，怎么会呢，夫人？妈妈要我的举止一定要象夫人们一样，当她们到我们家做客的时候，她们总是那样问我妈妈的。