目 录 上一节 下一节 
伸出手,马奇小姐!"这一声便是对她无声恳求的答复;自尊好强的艾美不愿哭求,她咬紧牙关,对抗地把头向后一甩,任由小手掌挨了几下痛笞。虽然打得不重,但这对她来说没什么不同,她平生第一次挨揍,这就像他把她击倒地上一样,是一种奇耻大辱。 'You will now stand on the platform till recess,' said Mr. Davis, resolved to do the thing thoroughly, since he had begun. That was dreadful. It would have been bad enough to go to her seat, and see the pitying faces of her friends, or the satisfied ones of her few enemies; but to face the whole school with that shame fresh upon her, seemed impossible, and for a second she felt as if she could only drop down where she stood, and break her heart with crying. A bitter sense of wrong, and the thought of Jenny Snow, helped her to bear it; and, taking the ignominious place, she fixed her eyes on the stove-funnel above what now seemed a sea of faces, and stood there, so motionless and white that the girls found it very hard to study, with that pathetic figure before them. " 现在站到讲坛上,一直到下课为止,"戴维斯先生说。既然做开了头,他就决心做个彻底。这实在是太可怕了。走回座位,看朋友们的怜悯目光和个别敌人的痛快脸色已经糟糕透顶,而要面对全班同学,含耻忍辱,她简直做不到。刹那间她觉得自己就要摔倒地上,伤心痛哭。但那种刺心的屈辱感和对珍妮·斯诺的恨使她挺住了。她踏上那个不光彩的位置,下面仿佛成了人的海洋。她两眼死死盯着火炉烟囱管,一动不动地站在那里,面如白纸。姑娘们面对这么一个心碎欲绝的人物,也再无心思上课。 During the fifteen minutes that followed, the proud and sensitive little girl suffered a shame and pain which she never forgot. To others it might seem a ludicrous or trivial affair, but to her it was a hard experience; for during the twelve years of her life she had been governed by love alone, and a blow of that sort had never touched her before. The smart of her hand and the ache of her heart were forgotten in the sting of the thought - 'I shall have to tell at home, and they will be so disappointed in me!' The fifteen minutes seemed an hour; but they came to an end at last, and the word 'Recess!' had never seemed so welcome to her before. 此后的十五分钟里,这位傲慢敏感的小姑娘尝尽了铭心刻骨的耻辱和痛苦的滋味。别人或许觉得此乃小事一桩,荒唐好笑而已,而她却觉得伤透了心。她有生十二年以来,一直与爱为伴,从未领教过这种打击。而一想到"回到家我不得不把这事说出来,她们一定会对我失望之极!"她连手掌和心上的痛苦也顾不上了。这十五分钟就像一个小时那么漫长,但最后还是走到了尽头,她终于盼到一声"下课!"的命令。 'You can go, Miss March,' said Mr. Davis, looking, as he felt, uncomfortable. " 你可以走了,马奇小姐,"戴维斯先生说。看得出来,他心里头很不自在。 He did not soon forget the reproachful glance Amy gave him, as she went, without a word to anyone, straight into the ante-room, snatched her things, and left the place 'forever', as she passionately declared to herself. She was in a sad state when she got home; and when the older girls arrived, some time later, an indignation meeting was held at once. Mrs. March did not say much, but looked disturbed, and comforted her afflicted little daughter in her tenderest manner. Meg bathed the insulted hand with glycerine and tears; Beth felt that even her beloved kittens would fail as a balm for griefs like this; Jo wrathfully proposed that Mr. Davis be arrested without delay; and Hannah shook her fist at the 'villain', and pounded potatoes for dinner as if she had him under her pestle. 艾美横了他一眼,眼光充满谴责,令他不敢轻易忘怀。她一声不吱,径直走进前堂,一把抓起自己的东西,心里狠狠发誓,"永远"离开了这个伤心之地。回到家里她仍伤心不已。不久,姐妹们相继归来。一个义愤填膺的会议随即召开。马奇太太虽然神情激动,但没有多说,只是无限温柔地宽慰自己受了伤的小女儿。梅格边掉泪边用甘油涂洗艾美那遭受凌辱的手掌。贝思觉得即使自己可爱的小猫咪也安慰不了如此深重的痛楚,乔怒发冲冠,提议戴维斯先生应该立即逮捕,罕娜对那"坏蛋"挥起拳头,捣土豆做饭时也敲打得劈啪作响,仿佛那"坏蛋”就躲在她的捣下面。 
除了她的几个伙伴外,没有人注意到艾美没来上学;但眼尖的姑娘们发现戴维斯先生下午变得相当宽厚,而且格外紧张。将放学时,乔露面了。她神情严峻,大步走近讲台,把母亲写的一封信交上去,然后收拾起艾美的物品,转身离去,在门垫上狠狠蹭掉靴上的泥土,似乎要把这儿的脏物从脚上抖干净。 'Yes, you can have a vacation from school, but I want you to study a little every day with Beth,' said Mrs. March that evening. 'I don't approve of corporal punishment, especially for girls. I dislike Mr. Davis's manner of teaching, and don't think the girls you associate with are doing you any good, so I shall ask your father's advice before I send you anywhere else.' 'That's good! I wish all the girls would leave, and spoil his old school. It's perfectly maddening to think of those lovely limes,' sighed Amy, with the air of a martyr. " 好了,你可以放个假,但我要求你每天都和贝思一起学一点东西,"那天晚上马奇太太说,"我不赞成体罚,尤其不赞成体罚女孩子。我不喜欢戴维斯先生的教学方法,不过你结交的女孩子也不是什么益友。我要先征求你父亲的意思,再把你送到别的学校。"“太好了!我希望姑娘们全走掉,毁掉他的旧学堂。一想到那些令人馋涎欲滴的酸橙,我就气得发疯。"艾美叹息着,神情就像一个殉难者。 'I am not sorry you lost them, for you broke the rules, and deserved some punishment for disobedience,' was the severe reply, which rather disappointed the young lady, who expected nothing but sympathy. " 你失去酸橙我并不难过,因为你破坏了纪律,应该受到惩罚,"母亲严厉地回答。一心只想得到同情的年轻女士,听到这话颇为失望。 'Do you mean you are glad I was disgraced before the whole school?' cried Amy. " 您的意思是我当着全体同学的面受侮辱您很高兴了?"艾美喊道。 'I should not have chosen that way of mending a fault,' replied her mother; 'but I'm not sure that it won't do you more good than a milder method. You are getting to be rather conceited, my dear, and it is quite time you set about correcting it. You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.' “我不会选择这种方法来纠正错误,"她的母亲回答,"但我不敢说换一种温和一点的方法你就会从中得到教训。你现在有点过于自大了,亲爱的,很应该着手改正过来。你有很多天赋和优点,但不必摆出来展览,因为自大会把最优秀的天才毁掉。真正的才华或品行不怕被人长期忽视;即使真的无人看到,只要你知道自己拥有它,并妥善用它,你就会感到心满意足。谦虚才能使人充满魅力。" 
“完全正确!"劳里叫道。他正跟乔在一角下象棋。"我曾认识一个女孩,她音乐天赋极高,却并不自知,她从不知道自己作的小曲有多美,即使别人告诉她,她自己也不会相信。"“我能认识那位好女孩就好了,她或许可以帮助我,我这么笨,"贝思说。她正站在劳里身边认真倾听。 'You do know her, and she helps you better than anyone else could,' answered Laurie, looking at her with such mischievous meaning in his merry black eyes, that Beth suddenly turned very red, and hid her face in the sofa-cushion, quite overcome by such an unexpected discovery. “你确实认识她,她比任何人都更能帮你,"劳里答道,快乐的黑眼睛调皮地望着她,贝思霎时飞红了脸,把脸埋在沙发垫里,被这出乎意料的发现弄得不知所措。 Jo let Laurie win the game, to pay for that praise of her Beth, who could not be prevailed upon to play for them after her compliment. So Laurie did his best, and sang delightfully, being in a particularly lively humour, for to the Marches he seldom showed the moody side of his character. When he was gone, Amy, who had been pensive all the evening, said suddenly, as if busy over some new idea: 'Is Laurie an accomplished boy?' 'Yes; he has had an excellent education, and has much talent; he will make a fine man, if not spoilt by petting,' replied her mother. 乔让劳里赢了棋,以奖励他称赞了她的贝思。贝思经这么一夸,怎么也不肯出来弹琴了。于是劳里一展身手,他边弹边唱,心情显得特别轻松愉快,因为他在马奇一家人面前极少流露自己的忧郁性格。在他走后,整个晚上一直郁郁寡欢的艾美似乎若有所思,突然问道:"劳里是否称得上多才多艺?"“当然,他接受过优等教育,又富有天赋,如果没有宠坏,他会成为一个出色的人才,"她母亲回答。 'And he isn't conceited, is he?' asked Amy. 'Not in the least; that is why he is so charming, and we all like him so much.' 'I see; it's nice to have accomplishments, and be elegant; but not to show off, or get perked up,' said Amy, thoughtfully. 'These things are always seen and felt in a person's manner and conversation, if modestly used; but it is not necessary to display them,' said Mrs. March. 'Any more than it's proper to wear all your bonnets and gowns and ribbons at once, that folks may know you've got them,' added Jo; and the lecture ended in a laugh. " 而且他不自大,对吗?"艾美问。"一点也不。这便是他这么富有魅力的原因,也是我们全都这么喜欢他的原因。"“我明白了。多才多艺、举止优雅固然很好,但向人炫耀或翘尾巴就不好了,"艾美若有所思地说。"如果态度谦虚,这些气质总会在一个人的言谈举止中流露出来,无需向人卖弄,"马奇太太说。"譬如你一下子把全部帽子、衣服、饰物等都穿戴出来,唯恐别人不知道你有这些东西,这样自然不妥,"乔插言道。大家随之笑起来,训导于是到此结束。 'Girls, where are you going?' asked Amy, coming into their room one Saturday afternoon, and finding them getting ready to go out, with an air of secrecy, which excited her curiosity. " 姑娘们,你们上哪儿去?"这是一个星期六的下午,艾美走进房间,发现二位姐姐正准备悄悄溜出去,便好奇地问道。 
别管闲事。小姑娘不应该多嘴,"乔尖薄地回答。 Now if there is anything mortifying to our feelings, when we are young, it is to be told that; and to be bidden to 'run away, dear', is still more trying to us. Amy bridled up at this insult, and determined to find out the secret, if she teased for an hour. Turning to Meg, who never refused her anything very long, she said coaxingly, 'Do tell me! I should think you might let me go too; for Beth is fussing over her piano, and I haven't got anything to do, and am so lonely.' 如果有什么东西让我们年轻人伤心,那就是听到这种说话;如果我们听到"走开,亲爱的",那就更加难受。艾美听到这句刺心话发起怒来,决意即使纠缠一个小时也要弄清楚这个秘密。她转向一贯迁就她的梅格撒娇道:"告诉我吧!我知道你们会让我一起去的,因为贝思光顾着弹钢琴,我无事可干,这么孤单。" 'I can't, dear, because you aren't invited,' began Meg; but Jo broke in impatiently, 'Now, Meg, be quiet, or you will spoil it all. You can't go, Amy; so don't be a baby and whine about it.' “不行,亲爱的,因为没有邀请你,"梅格开口了。但乔不耐烦地打断她:"嘿,梅格,别说了,不然你会把事情弄糟。你不能去,艾美,别像个三岁小孩,嘀嘀咕咕的。" 'You are going somewhere with Laurie, I know you are; you were whispering and laughing together, on the sofa, last night, and you stopped when I came in. Aren't you going with him?' 'Yes, we are; now do be still and stop bothering.' Amy held her tongue, but used her eyes, and saw Meg slip a fan into her pocket. “你们要和劳里一起出去,我知道是这样;你们昨晚在沙发上又说又笑,见我进来就不做声了。你们是不是跟他去?"“对,是跟他去;现在别做声了,不要缠着我们。"艾美住了嘴,但眼睛却在观察,她看到梅格把一把扇子塞进衣袋里。
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