目 录 上一节 下一节 
当乔接受晚安吻别时,马奇太太柔声低语道:"亲爱的,别让愤怒的乌云遮住了太阳;互相原谅,互相帮助,明天再重新开始。"乔想把头伏在母亲怀里,哭去一切悲伤和愤怒;但男儿有泪不轻弹,而且,她觉得受到的伤害是如此之深,一时实在不能原谅。因此她拼命眨巴着眼睛,摇摇头,因为知道艾美在一旁听着,于是硬绷绷地说:"这种事情卑鄙之极,她罪不可耍"言毕她大步走回寝室。那个晚上姐妹们没有说笑,也没有讲悄悄话。 Amy was much offended that her overtures of peace had been repulsed, and began to wish she had not humbled herself, to feel more injured than ever, and to plume herself on her superior virtue in a way which was particularly exasperating. Jo still looked like a thundercloud, and nothing went well all day. 艾美因自己主动求和而遭严厉拒绝,不禁恼羞成怒,她后悔自己太低声下气,觉得自己受到了前所未有的伤害,于是更故意摆出一副高姿态,令人十分恼火。乔的脸上依然阴云密布,这一天事情全出了岔儿。 It was bitter cold in the morning, she dropped her precious turnover in the gutter, Aunt March had an attack of fidgets, Meg was pensive, Beth would look grieved and wistful when she got home, and Amy kept making remarks about people who were always talking about being good, and yet wouldn't try, when other people set them a virtuous example. 早晨寒风飕飕;乔把卷饼掉落沟里,马奇婶婶大发脾气,梅格郁郁寡欢,贝思在家里总是一副伤感而心事重重的样子,艾美则大发宏论,批评某些人口里常说要做好孩子,现在人家已为他们树立了榜样了,却又不愿去做。 'Everybody is so hateful, I'll ask Laurie to go skating. He is always kind and jolly, and will put me to rights, I know,' said Jo to herself, and off she went. " 这些人个个如此可恨,我要叫劳里溜冰去。他心地善良,幽默风趣,一定会使我恢复情绪的,"乔心里说着,便走了出去。 Amy heard the clash of skates, and looked out with an impatient exclamation: 'There! she promised I should go next time, for this is the last ice we shall have. But it's no use to ask such a cross-patch to take me.' 艾美听到溜冰鞋发出的响声,向外一望,急得大叫起来。"瞧!她答应过下次带我去,因为这是最后一个冰期了,但叫这么个火爆性子带上我,也等于白说。" 
“别这样说。你也确实太淘气了。你烧掉了她的宝贝书稿,要她原谅可不那么容易;不过我想现在她或许会这样做的,只要你在适当的时候试探她,我想她会心软的,"梅格说,"跟着他们;什么也别说,单等乔跟劳里玩得情绪好转了,你才静静上前去给她一吻,或是做些什么讨人喜欢的事情。我敢说她会全心全意再做朋友的。" 'I'll try,' said Amy, for the advice suited her; and, after a flurry to get ready, she ran after the friends, who were just disappearing over the hill. It was not far to the river, but both were ready before Amy reached them. Jo saw her coming, and turned her back; Laurie did not see, for he was carefully skating along the shore, sounding the ice, for a warm spell had preceded the cold snap. “我一定努力,"艾美说,觉得这个忠告正中下怀。她一阵风似地收拾一番,向他们追出去,两位朋友正渐行渐远,身影逐渐消失在山的那面。这里离河不远,两人在艾美来到前已做好准备。乔看到她走来,转过身去。劳里却没有看见,他正小心翼翼地沿岸滑行,探测冰块的声音,因为刚才冰川雪地之间袭来一股暖流。 'I'll go on to the first bend, and see if it's all right, before we begin to race,' Amy heard him say, as he shot away, looking like a young Russian, in his fur-trimmed coat and cap. Jo heard Amy panting after her run, stamping her feet and blowing her fingers, as she tried to put her skates on; but Jo never turned, and went slowly zigzagging down the river, taking a bitter, unhappy sort of satisfaction in her sister's troubles. She had cherished her anger till it grew strong, and took possession of her, as evil thoughts and feelings always do, unless cast out at once. As Laurie turned the bend, he shouted back: 'Keep near the shore, it isn't safe in the middle.' " 我去第一个弯口看看情况,没有问题我们再开始竞赛。"艾美听他说完,就见他如离弦之箭飞驰而去,一身毛边大衣和暖帽衬得他活脱脱像个俄罗斯小伙子。乔听到艾美跑得生气喘吁吁,一面跺脚,一面吹着手指,试图把溜冰鞋穿上去,但乔就是不回头,而是沿河慢慢作之字形行走,心里对妹妹遇到的麻烦感到一种苦涩和不安的快意。她一腔怒火早窝在胸中,渐积渐深,已使她失去了理智,这好比邪恶的想法和感情一样,如不立即发泄,必成祸患。劳里在弯口转弯时,回头大声喊道--“靠岸边走,中间不安全。 Jo heard, but Amy was just struggling to her feet, and did not catch a word. Jo glanced over her shoulder, and the little demon she was harbouring said in her ear: 'No matter whether she heard or not, let her take care of herself.' Laurie had vanished round the bend; Jo was just at the turn, and Amy, far behind, striking out towards the smoother ice in the middle of the river. For a minute Jo stood still, with a strange feeling at her heart; then she resolved to go on, but something held and turned her round, just in time to see Amy throw up her hands and go down, with a sudden crash of rotten ice, the splash of water, and a cry that made Jo's heart stand still with fear. " 乔听到了,但艾美正使着劲儿穿鞋,一个字也没有听到。乔转头望了一眼,藏在心里的小魔鬼在她耳边使劲唤道--“不论她有没有听到,让她自己照顾自己吧!"劳里绕过弯口消失了身影,乔来到弯口边,远远跟在后面的艾美正迈步向河中间较为平滑的冰面走去。乔呆立了一会,她心中升起一种奇怪的感觉;接着她决定继续向前走,但一种莫名的感觉使她停下脚步,转过身来,正好看见艾美举起双手,身子往下跌,破裂的冰块突然嘎嚓一响,水花四溅,同时传来一声尖叫,吓得乔心脏都几乎停止了跳动。 She tried to call Laurie, but her voice was gone; she tried to rush forward, but her feet seemed to have no strength in them; and, for a second, she could only stand motionless, staring, with a terror-stricken face, at the little blue hood above the black water. Something rushed swiftly by her, and Laurie's voice cried out: 'Bring a rail; quick, quick!' 她想叫劳里,声音却不听使唤;她想冲上前去,但双脚却疲软无力;有一小会儿功夫,她只能一动不动地呆立着,死死盯着黑色冰面上那顶小蓝帽,惊恐得脸上变了颜色。这时,一个身影从她身边疾驰而过,只听劳里大声喊道--“拿根横杆来。快,快!" 
她不知道自己是怎样做的,但接下来的几分钟她犹如着了魔一样,盲目听从劳里吩咐。劳里相当镇静,他平卧下去,用手臂和曲棍球棒拉起艾美,乔从栅栏拔出一根栏杆,两人齐心合力,把艾美弄了出来。艾美伤势不重,只是这一惊非同小可。 'Now then, we must walk her home as fast as we can; pile our things on her, while I get off these confounded skates,' cried Laurie, wrapping his coat round Amy, and tugging away at the straps, which never seemed so intricate before. " 来吧,我们得赶快把她送回家;把我们的衣服披在她身上,待我把讨厌的溜冰鞋脱掉,"劳里边叫边使劲扯开衣带,用自己的大衣裹住艾美。 Shivering, dripping, and crying, they got Amy home; and, after an exciting time of it, she fell asleep, rolled in blankets, before a hot fire. During the bustle Jo had scarcely spoken, but flown about looking pale and wild, with her things half off, her dress torn, and her hands cut and bruised by ice and rails and refractory buckles. When Amy was comfortably asleep, the house quiet, and Mrs. March sitting by the bed, she called Jo to her, and began to bind up the hurt hands. 两人打着冷颤送艾美回家,水珠儿泪珠儿一起往下滴。一阵手忙脚乱之后,艾美裹着毛毯在暖和的炉火前睡着了。乔由始至终几乎一言不发,只是团团乱转,脸色苍白,衣饰凌乱不堪,裙子撕破了,双手被冰块、栅栏和坚硬的衣扣刮得肿起了青块。当艾美舒舒服服地睡着了,屋里也安静下来之后,马奇太太坐在床边,把乔叫过来,给她包扎弄伤了的双手。 'Are you sure she is safe?' whispered Jo, looking remorsefully at the golden head, which might have been swept away from her sight for ever under the treacherous ice. " 您肯定她没有事吗?"乔悄声问道,悔恨交加地望着那个险些在惊险的冰层下永远从她视线中消失的金发脑袋。 'Quite safe, dear; she is not hurt, and won't even take cold, I think, you were so sensible in covering her and getting her home quickly,' replied her mother, cheerfully. " 没有事,亲爱的。她没有受伤,我想也不会患上感冒,你用衣服包着她,把她立即送回家,十分明智哩,"母亲舒心地答道。 
“这些都是劳里做的。我当时只是生死由她。妈妈,如果她会死,那就是我的错。"乔痛悔不已,涕泪交流,重重坐在床边,把事情经过讲述一遍,痛责自己当时心肠太狠,呜呜咽咽地说自己差一点受到严厉的惩罚,幸亏事情化险为夷,着实谢天谢地。 'It's my dreadful temper! I try to cure it; I think I have, and then it breaks out worse than ever. Oh, Mother, what shall I do? what shall I do?' cried poor Jo, in despair. " 都怪我的坏性子!我想努力把它改好;我以为已经改好了,谁知发作起来,越发不可收拾。噢,妈妈,我该怎么办?我该怎么办?"可怜的乔绝望地叫道。 'Watch and pray, dear; never get tired of trying; and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault,' said Mrs. March, drawing the blowzy head to her shoulder, and kissing the wet cheek so tenderly that Jo cried harder than ever. " 提防和祈祷吧,亲爱的,千万不要气馁,千万不要以为你的缺点不可征服,"马奇太太说着,把乔头发蓬乱的脑袋靠在自己肩上,无限温柔地吻吻她湿漉漉的脸颊,乔哭得越发伤心。 'You don't know, and you can't guess how bad it is! It seems as if I could do anything when I'm in a passion; I get so savage, I could hurt anyone, and enjoy it. I'm afraid I shall do something dreadful some day, and spoil my life, and make everybody hate me. Oh, Mother, help me, do help me!' " 您不知道,您想象不出我性子有多坏!我发火时似乎可以无所不为;我变得毫无人性,可以做出伤害别人的事,而且还乐在其中。我担心有一天我会做出可怕的事情,毁掉自己的一生,使天下人都憎恨我。噢,妈妈,帮帮我吧,千万帮帮我!" 'I will, my child, I will. Don't cry so bitterly, but remember this day, and resolve, with all your soul, that you will never know another like it. Jo, dear, we all have our temptations, some far greater than yours, and it often takes us all our lives to conquer them. You think your temper is the worst in the world; but mine used to be just like it.' 'Yours, Mother? Why, you are never angry!' and, for the moment, Jo forgot remorse in surprise. “我会的,孩子,我会的。别哭得这么伤心,但要记住这一天,并且要痛下决心不再让这种事情重演。乔,亲爱的,我们都会遇到诱惑,有些甚至比这种大得多,我们常常要用一生时间来征服它们。你以为自己的脾气是天下最坏的了,但我的脾气以前就跟你的一模一样。"“您有脾气,妈妈?您从来都不生气啊!"乔惊讶得暂时忘掉了悔恨。
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