话说宝玉下学回来，见了贾母。
Baoyu, home from school, went to call on his grandmother.
贾母笑道：“好了，如今野马上了笼头了。
“So they've finally broken in my frisky colt!
去罢，见见你老爷去来，散散儿去罢。”
“Report to your father, then go and amuse yourself.”
宝玉答应着，去见贾政。
“Yes, Grannie.” Bao-yu reported to the study.
贾政道：“这早晚就下学了么？
“Back already?” said Jia Zheng.
师父给你定了工课没有？”
“Did the teacher assign your lessons?”
宝玉道：“定了，早起理书，饭后写字，晌午讲书念文章。”
Bao-yu rehearsed his timetable: “Pre-prandium - General Revision; Post-prandium - Calligraphy; Meridianum -Exegesis and reading of model compositions.”
贾政听了，点点头儿，因道：“去罢，还到老太太那边陪着坐坐去。
Jia Zheng nodded. “Fair enough.
Off you go now and keep your grandmother company for a little while.
你也该学些人功道理，别一味的贪玩。
Let's see if you can turn over a new leaf and behave seriously from now on.
No more of the old childish nonsense, eh?
宝玉连忙答应几个“是”，退出来，忙忙又去见王夫人，又到贾母那边打了个照面儿。
With a string of fluent ‘Yes Sirs', Bao-yu backed smartly out of the study.
He hurried over to see his mother, put in another brief appearance at Grandmother Jia's
赶着出来，恨不得一走就走到潇湘馆才好。
very soon leaving her again to rush to Bamboo Lodge.
刚进门口，便拍着手笑道：“我依旧回来了。”
“I'm back!” he called from outside the doorway.
猛可里倒唬了黛玉一跳。
[sic]
紫鹃打起帘子，宝玉进来坐下。
Nightingale drew aside the portiere and he walked in and sat himself down.
黛玉道：“我恍惚听见你念书去了，这么早就回来了？”
“Does my memory fail me,” said Dai-yu, “or didn't I hear something to the effect that you were going to school today?” Haven't you been let off rather early?”
我今儿不是被老爷叫了念书去了么？
Yes, Father did banish me to that place - what an ordeal!
I don't know how I stuck it out!
好容易熬了一天，这会子瞧见你们，竟如死而复生一样。
But now, one glimpse of you has raised my spirit from the dead!
真真古人说‘一日三秋’，这话再不错的。”
‘One day apart seems three autumns' ― how true that old saying is.”
黛玉道：“你上头去过了没有？”
“Have you paid your duty calls?”
宝玉道：“都去过了。”
“Yes, yes...
黛玉道：“别处呢？”
“Called anywhere else?”
黛玉道：“你也该瞧瞧他们去。”
“You should drop in to see your other cousins too.”
宝玉道：“我这会子懒怠动了，只和妹妹坐着说一会子话儿罢。
“But I don't feel like going anywhere.
All I want to do is sit here and chat with you for a bit.
老爷还叫早睡早起，只好明儿再瞧他们去了。”
‘Early to bed and early to rise' those are my father's orders; so I'll have to leave calling on them till tomorrow.”