But the sick girl remained where she was.She lay quiet and qatient all day long while her mother went to earn money out of doors.It was spring，and early in the morn-in，just as the mother was about to go out to work，the sun shone mildly and pleasantly through the little window，and threw its rays across the floor;and the sick girl fixed her eyes on the lowest pane in the window.
“What may that green thing be that looks in at the window?It is moving in the wind.”
And the mother stepped to the window，and half opened it.“Oh!”said she，“on my word，it is a little pea which has taken root here，and is putting out its little leaves.How can it have got here into the crack?There you have a little garden to look at.”
And the sick girl's bed was moved nearer to the window，so that she could always see the growing pea;and the mother went forth to her work.
“Mother，I think I shall get well，”said the sick child in the evening.“The sun shone in upon me today delight-fully warm.The little pea is thriving famously，and I shall thrive too，and get up，and go out into the warm sun-shine.
“God grant it!”said the mother，but she did not believe it would be so;but she took carec to prop with a little stick the green plant which had given her daughter the pleasant thoughts of life，so that it might not be broken by the wind;she tied a piece of string to the window-sill and to the upper part of the frame，so that the pea might have something round which it could twine，when it shot up：and it did shoot up indeed-one could see how it grew every day.
“Really，here is a flower coming!”said the woman one day;and now she began to cherish the hope that her sick daughter would recover.She remembered that lately the child had spoken much more cheerfully than before，that in the last few days she had risen up in bed of her own accord，and had sat upright，looking with delighted eyes at the little garden in which only one plant grew.A week afterwards the invalid for the first time sat up for a whole hour.Quite happy，she sat there in the warm sunshine;the window was opened，and in front of it outside stood a pink pea blossom，fully blown.The sick girl bent down and gently kissed the delicate leaves.This day was like a festival.“The Heavenly Father Himself has planted that pea，and caused it to thrive，to be a joy to you，and to me also，my blessed child!”said the glad mother;and she smiled at the flower，as if it had been a good angel.
But about the other peas?Why，the one who flew out into the wide world and said，“Catch me if you can，”fell into the gutter on the roof，and found a home in a pigeon's crop，and lay there like Jonah in the whale;the two lazy ones got just as far，for they，too，were eaten up by pigeons，and thus，at any rate，they were of some real use;but the fourth，who wanted to go up into the sun，fell into the gutter，and lay there in the dirty water for days and weeks，and swelled prodigiously.“How beautifully fat I'm growing!”said the Pea.“I shall burst at last;and I don't think any pea can do more than that.I'm the most remarkable of all the five that were in the pod.”
And the Gutter said he was right.
But the young girl at the garret window stood there with gleaming eyes，with the hue of health on her cheeks，and folded her thin hands over the pea blossom，and thanked Heaven for it.
“I，” said the Gutter，“stand up for my own pea.”
一个豆荚里的五粒豆作者
安徒生是丹麦19世纪著名童话作家，世界文学童话创始人。他生于欧登塞城一个贫苦鞋匠家庭，早年在慈善学校读过书，当过学徒工。受父亲和民间口头文学影响，他自幼酷爱文学。11岁时父亲病逝，母亲改嫁。为追求艺术，他14岁时只身来到首都哥本哈根。经过8年奋斗，终于在诗剧《阿尔芙索尔》的剧作中崭露才华。因此，被皇家艺术剧院送进斯拉格尔塞文法学校和赫尔辛欧学校免费就读。历时5年。1828年，升入哥尔哈根大学。毕业后始终无工作，主要靠稿费维持生活。1838年获得作家奖金——国家每年拨给他200元非公职津贴。