目 录 下一节 
没有礼物圣诞节怎么过？"乔躺在小地毯上咕哝。 'It's so dreadful to be poor!' sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. " 贫穷真可怕！"梅格发出一声叹息，低头望着身上的旧衣服。 'I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,' added little Amy, with an injured sniff. " 有些女孩子拥有荣华富贵，有些却一无所有，我认为这不公平。"艾美鼻子轻轻一哼，三分出于轻蔑，七分出于嫉妒。 'We've got father and mother and each other,' said Beth, contentedly, from her corner. " 但我们有父母姐妹，"坐在一角的贝思提出抗议。 The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly: 'We haven't got father, and shall not have him for a long time.' She didn't say 'perhaps never', but each silently added it, thinking of father far away, where the fighting was. 这句令人愉快的话使炉火映照下的四张年轻的脸庞明亮起来。"我们没有父亲，很长一段时间都将没有，"乔伤心地说。听到这句话，大家的脸又暗淡下去。她虽没说"可能永远没有"，但每个人心里都把这句话悄悄说了一遍，同时想起远在战场的父亲。 
大家一时无言。一会梅格换了个声调说："你们知道妈妈为什么建议今年圣诞节不派礼物吗？因为寒冷的冬天就要来了，而我们的男人在军营里受苦受难，我们不应该花钱寻乐。虽然我们能力有限，但可以在这方面做出一点小小的牺牲，而且应该做得高高兴兴。不过我可并不高兴。"梅格摇摇脑袋。想到那些梦寐以求的漂亮礼物，她感到遗憾不已。 'But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintram for myself; I've wanted it so long,' said Jo, who was a bookworm. " 我看我们那丁点儿钱也帮不上什么忙。我们每人只得一元钱，献给部队也没多大用处。我们不要期待妈妈给我们什么礼物，不过我真的很想买一本《水中女神》，那本书我早就想买了，"乔说。她是个蛀书虫。 'I planned to spend mine on new music,' said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth-brush and kettle-holder. " 我本来打算买些新乐谱，"贝思轻轻叹了口气说，声音轻得谁也听不到。 'I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing pencils; I really need them,' said Amy, decidedly. " 我要买一盒精致的费伯氏画笔。我真的很需要，"艾美干脆地说。 'Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun; I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it,' cried Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner. " 妈妈没说过这钱该怎么花，要是看着我们两手空空，她也不会高兴的。我们倒不如各自买点自己喜欢的东西高兴高兴。为挣这些钱，我们花了我多少心血！"乔大声说道，蛮有绅士风度地审视着自己的鞋跟。 
可不是嘛--差不多一天到晚都得教那些讨厌的孩子，现在多想回家轻松一下啊！"梅格又开始抱怨了。 'You don't have half such a hard time as I do,' said Jo. 'How would you like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you're ready to fly out of the window or cry?' " 你何尝赶得上我辛苦呢？"乔说，"想想好几个小时和一个吹毛求疵、神经质的老太太关在一起，被她使唤得团团转，她却永远不会感到满意，把你折腾得真想从这个世界上消失或者干脆大哭一场，你会感觉怎样？"“ 'It's naughty to fret; but I do think washing dishes and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross; and my hands get so stiff, I can't practice well at all'; and Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that anyone could hear that time. 怨天尤人并不好，但我真的觉得洗碗打扫房子是全世界最痛苦的事情。这让我脾气暴躁不算，双手也变得僵硬，连琴也弹不了。"贝思望着自己粗糙的双手叹一口气，这回每个人都听到了。 'I don't believe any of you suffer as I do.' cried Amy; 'for you don't have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice.' " 我不相信有谁比我更痛苦，"艾美嚷道，"因为你们都不用去上学。那些女孩子粗俗无礼，如果你不懂功课，她们就让你下不了台，她们笑话你的衣着，爸爸没有钱要被她们标价，鼻子长得不漂亮也要被她们侮辱。" 'If you mean libel, I'd say so, and not talk about labels, as if papa was a pickle-bottle,' advised Jo, laughing. “你是说'讥谤'吧？别念成'标价'，好像爸爸是个腌菜瓶子似的，"乔边笑边纠正。 
我知道我在说什么你对此不必'冷嘲日（热）讽'，用好的字眼没什么不对，这有助于增加'字（词）汇'，"艾美义正辞严地反击。 'Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we had the money papa lost when we were little, Jo? Dear me! how happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!' said Meg, who could remember better times." 别斗嘴了，姑娘们。乔，难道你不希望我们拥有爸爸在我们小时候失去的钱吗？哦，如果我们没有烦恼，那该多幸福啊！"梅格说。她还记得过去的好时光。 'You said, the other day, you thought we were a deal happier than the King children, for they were fighting and fretting all the time, in spite of their money.' " 但前几天你说我们比起王孙公子来要幸福多了，因为他们虽然有钱，却一天到晚明争暗斗，烦恼不休 'So I did, Beth. Well, I think we are; for, though we do have to work, we make fun for ourselves, and are a pretty jolly set, as Jo would say.' 。"“我是这么说过，贝思，嗯，现在也还是这么想，因为，虽然我们不得不干活，但我们可以互相嬉戏，而且，如乔所说，是蛮快活的一伙。" 'Jo does use such slang words!' observed Amy, with a reproving look at the long figure stretched on the rug. Jo immediately sat up, put her hands in her pockets, and began to whistle. “乔就是爱用这些粗俗的字眼！"艾美抨击道，用一种谴责的眼光望着躺在地毯上的长身躯。乔立即坐起来，双手插进衣袋，吹起了口哨。 
别这样，乔，只有男孩子才这样做。" 'That's why I do it.' “所以我才吹。" 'I detest rude, unlady-like girls!' 'I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits!' 'Birds in their little nests agree' sang Beth, the peace maker, with such a funny face that both sharp voice softened to a laugh, and the 'pecking' ended for that time. “我憎恨粗鲁、没有淑女风度的女孩！"“我讨厌虚假、矫揉造作的毛头妹！"“'小巢里的鸟儿一致同意，'"和平使者贝思唱起歌儿，脸上的表情滑稽有趣。尖着嗓门的两人化为一笑，"斗嘴"就此结束。 'Really, girls, you are both to be blamed,' said Meg, beginning to lecture in her elder-sisterly fashion. 'You are old enough to leave off boyish tricks, and to behave better Josephine. It didn't matter so much when you were a little girl; but now you are so tall, and turn up your hair, you should remember that you are a young lady.' " 我说姑娘们，你们两个都不对，"梅格开始以姐姐的身份说教，"约瑟芬，你已经长大了，不应再玩男孩子的把戏，应该检点一些。你还是小姑娘时这倒没有什么，但你现在已长得这么高，而且网起了头发，就得记住自己是个年轻女士。"“ 'I'm not! and if turning up my hair mikes me one, I'll wear it in two tails till I'm twenty.' cried Jo, pulling off he net, and shaking down her chestnut mane. 'I hate to think I've got to grow up, and he Miss March and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China-aster! It's bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys' games and work an manners! I can't get over my disappointment in not being boy; and it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with papa, and I can only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman!' And Jo shook the blue army sock till the needles rattled like castanets, and her ball bounded across the room. 我不是！如果网起头发就把我当女士的话，我就梳两条辫子，直到二十岁，"乔大声叫起来。她拉掉发网，披落一头栗色的厚发。"我恨我得长大，得做马奇小姐。我恨穿长礼服，恨故作正经的漂亮小姐。我喜欢男孩子的游戏，男孩子的活儿以及男孩子风度，却偏偏是个女孩子，真是倒霉透了。做不成男孩真让我止不住失望，可现在比以往任何时候都要糟，因为我是那么想跟爸爸一起参加战斗，却只能呆坐在家中做女工，像个死气沉沉的老太太！"乔抖动蓝色的军袜，把里头的针弄得铮铮作响，线团也滚落到一边。 
可怜的乔！真是不幸，但有什么办法呢？你只好把自己的名字改得男子气一些，扮演我们姐妹的哥哥，找点安慰。"贝思一面说，一面用柔软的双手轻轻抚摸着靠在她膝上的头发蓬乱的脑袋。 'As for you, Amy,' continued Meg, 'you are altogether too particular and prim. Your airs are funny now; but you'll grow up an affected little goose, if you don't take care. 'I like your nice manners and refined ways of speaking when you don't try to he elegant; but your absurd words are as bad as Jo's slang.' " 至于你，艾美，"梅格接着说，"你过于讲究，过于一本正经。你的神态现在看上去挺有趣，但要是一不小心，长大就会变成个装模作样的小傻瓜。如果不刻意作态，你的言谈举止倒是十分优雅的，不过你那些荒谬的言语和乔的傻话却是半斤对八两。" 'If Jo is a tomboy and Amy a goose, what am I, please?' asked Beth, ready to share the lecture. “如果乔是个假小子，艾美是个小傻瓜，请问，我是什么？"贝思问道。 'You're a dear, and nothing else,' answered Meg, warmly; and no one contradicted her, for the 'Mouse' was the pet of the family. “你是个乖宝贝，再没别的，"梅格亲热地答道。此话无人反驳，因为这位"小胆鼠"是全家人的宠儿。
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