Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as thy could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.

Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
在破败的小屋外，年迈的泰勒夫人正伸手将洗好的衣物一件一件地往一根绳上晾着，她根本没察觉到几个孩子正躲在附近一棵树上的树叶丛中，正（居高临下）注视着她的一举一动呐。孩子们决定要整明白一件事：泰勒夫人究竟是不是女巫。

They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack. The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.

孩子们依然在树上监视着，泰勒夫人正手里拿了根扫帚柄在拍扫着石台阶上的尘土。然而，让孩子们大失所望的是，泰勒夫人并没有像女巫那样骑上扫帚柄飞上一圈。突然，她停下了手中的活，啊哦，原来是她养的母鸡在咯咯叫着呐---它在报信：它刚刚在干草堆顶上它那温暖的窝里生了个蛋。
泰勒夫人将那把破旧的扫帚放在一边，朝着草堆方向蹒跚而去，后面跟着黑猫Sooty，那是泰勒夫人前一阵从一个狐狸夹上将困在上面的它救出来的。Sooty有三条腿，走起来很吃力，有点跟不上老妇人。那只猫就是证据---孩子们确信只有女巫才配有这样一只三条腿的黑猫。

There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as thy could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.

此时，泰勒夫人正站在木箱子上，伸长胳膊去拿那只金贵的鸡蛋呐。她把鸡蛋握在手心里正准备往下爬的时候，木箱子一下子坍塌了下来，老妇人猝不及防摔倒了。
树丛中，Amy发现后小声地对同伴们说，“我们应该去帮帮她。”
“那万一是她耍的花招呢？” Ben回答道。
“别傻了，Ben，要是她真是女巫，她早施魔法把我们都变成青蛙了，”Meg振振有词地说，“快！，Amy，快下去。”女孩们爬下了树，径直朝着干草堆飞奔而去。
她们小心翼翼地靠近着老妇人，看见她的脸上有一处伤口。她的脑袋撞在了一块石头上，脚踝显然是摔断了。“去叫老爸来，”Amy朝着她哥哥喊道，“告诉他出人命了。”
几个男孩（临危受命）二话不说，拼尽全力撒腿狂奔去搬救兵了，但心里还是希望泰勒夫人在他们回来之前别醒来，否则她会施魔法将女孩们变成青蛙的。