この日は学校です。リベカも教室で真剣に先生の話を聞いていました。リベカは勉強が得意でした。
　リベカの勉強の方法はこうです。じっと先生の話を聞いて、それを忘れないようにします。家に帰ったら（ひとりで帰る時は、その帰り道に）今日の授業のひとつひとつを正確に思い出します。そうするとテストの時もまったく同じようなことを思い出せるのです。
　マリヤ先生は、峠という文字を教える時に、そうそう、山の絵を描いて上がって下がることを黒板に書いていたっけ。眼鏡の縁を押さえていたから、これはきっとテストに出るよ。いつもの癖だよ、間違いないよ。
　窓の外では、綿菓子みたいな雪がぼんぼん降っていました。
　鳥のような姿が飛んでいたのですけれど、真剣なリベカは、ちっとも外の様子には気付いていません。

*****

Today is a school day. In the classroom, Rebecca was paying close attention to what her teacher, Ms. Maria, was saying. Rebecca was very good at her studies, and this is how she did it: she would listen closely to everything her teacher said so that she wouldn’t forget. After returning home (or while walking home alone) she would precisely recollect and reflect on everything that her teacher had said. By doing this, she could recall the same things even for her tests.
Ms. Maria said that when you write the letter for ‘mountain pass,’… yes, yes, I think she drew a mountain on the blackboard and made it go up, then down. She was pressing against the frame of her glasses, so it must be on the next test. It’s her habit, I am sure of it.
Outside the window, snowflakes were falling like cotton candy.
Something like a bird was flying around, but Rebecca was in a serious mood and didn’t notice one bit what was happening outside.

*****

作：石川 葉　絵：石崎 幸恵　訳：Andy Carrico　英訳編集：Rey DeBoer

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