目 录 上一节 下一节 
于是她们先匀出一碟，乔把碟子连同厨师的问候一同送上去。虽然茶烧得又苦又涩，鸡蛋煎得焦糊，饼干也被小苏打弄得斑斑点点，马奇太太还是接过了她的早餐，并表示赞赏和感谢；乔走后，她由衷地笑了。 'Poor little souls, they will have a hard time, I'm afraid; but they won't suffer, and it will do them good,' she said, producing the more palatable viands with which she had provided herself, and disposing of the bad breakfast, so that their feelings might not be hurt - a motherly little deception for which they were grateful. " 可怜的小家伙，恐怕她们会十分扫兴呢，不过这样对她们有益无害。"她取出早已备好的食物，把煮坏了的早餐悄悄丢掉，免得伤害了她们的自尊心--这是一种令她们十分感激的母亲式的小蒙蔽。 Many were the complaints below, and great the chagrin of the head cook at her failures. 'Never mind, I'll get the dinner and be servant; you be mistress, keep your hands nice, see company, and give orders,' said Jo, who knew still less than Meg about culinary affairs. 下面怨声一片，大厨师面对失败委屈极了。"不要紧。午饭我来弄，我做佣人，你做女主人，别弄脏了手，你陪着客人，发号施令就行了，"对烹饪的认识比梅格还要糟糕的乔说。 This obliging offer was gladly accepted; and Margaret retired to the parlour, which she hastily put in order by whisking the litter under the sofa, and shutting the blinds, to save the trouble of dusting. Jo, with perfect faith in her own powers, and a friendly desire to make up the quarrel, immediately put a note in the office, inviting Laurie to dinner. 玛格丽特高兴地接受了这个恳切的提议，退到客厅，把沙发下面乱七八糟的东西扫掉，把窗帘拉上以省却打扫灰尘的麻烦，三两下子便把客厅收拾干净。乔对自己的能力坚信不疑，她想弥补因吵架而造成的隔阂，于是当即写下一张字条，邀请劳里来吃饭。 'You'd better see what you have got before you think about having company,' said Meg, when informed of the hospitable but rash act. " 你最好先看看有什么好吃的再请人不迟，"梅格获悉后说道。 
噢，这里有咸牛肉，还有大量土豆，我去买些芦笋，买个大螯虾'换个口味'，正如罕娜所说。我们可以弄些莴苣做色拉，我虽不会做，但有烹调书。再弄些牛奶冻和草莓做甜点。如果你想高雅一点还可以弄点咖啡。" 'Don't try too many messes, Jo, for you can't make anything but gingerbread and molasses candy fit to eat. I wash my hands of the dinner-party; and since you have asked Laurie on your own responsibility, you may just take care of him.' 'I don't want you to do anything but be civil to him, and help with the pudding. You'll give me your advice if I get in a muddle, won't you?' asked Jo, rather hurt. “不要好高鹜远，乔，因为你做的东西只有姜饼和糖块可以吃得下去。这个宴会我是洗手不干的，既然是你要叫劳里，那就你来款待他好了。"“我不要你做什么，你只需招呼客人，帮我做布叮如果我遇到麻烦，你来指教我，怎么样？"乔受到了不小的打击。 'Yes; but I don't know much, except about bread, and a few trifles. You had better ask Mother's leave before you order anything,' returned Meg, prudently. " 可以，但我除了面包和几种小玩意外，其他都不大会做。你做之前最好先征得妈妈同意，"梅格谨慎地说。 'Of course I shall; I'm not a fool,' and Jo went off in a huff at the doubts expressed of her powers. " 那当然，我又不是傻瓜，"乔说罢走开。居然有人怀疑自己的能力，她感到十分不快。 'Get what you like, and don't disturb me; I'm going out to dinner, and can't worry about things at home,' said Mrs. March, when Jo spoke to her. 'I never enjoyed housekeeping, and I'm going to take a vacation today, and read, and write, go visiting, and amuse myself.' The unusual spectacle of her busy mother rocking comfortably and reading, early in the morning, made Jo feel as if some natural phenomenon had occurred; for an eclipse, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption would hardly have seemed stranger. “你们喜欢怎么样就怎么样，别来打扰我。我要出去吃饭，不能为你们分忧，"马奇太太对前来讨教的乔说，"我一向不喜欢家务事，今天我要休个假，读书、写字、串门儿，自个好好乐乐。"看到平常忙碌的母亲一早优游轻松地坐在摇椅上读书，乔觉得就好像发生了什么自然现象，因为即使日食、地震、或者火山爆发也不会比这奇怪多少。 
怎么搞的，事情全都古里古怪，"她一面想一面走下楼梯，"贝思在那边哭，不用说，我们家肯定出了什么事情。如果艾美烦我，我一定狠狠摇她几下。" Feeling very much out of sorts herself, Jo hurried into the parlour to find Beth sobbing over Pip, the canary, who lay dead in the cage, with his little claws pathetically extended, as if imploring the food for want of which he had died. 乔心里很不舒服，她匆匆走进客厅，发现贝思正对着她们的金丝雀呜呜咽咽地哭。小鸟直挺挺地躺在笼子里，显然已经饿死，可怜的小爪向前伸出，似乎正在乞求食物。 'It's all my fault - I forgot him - there isn't a seed or a drop left. O Pip! O Pip! how could I be so cruel to you?' cried Beth, taking the poor thing in her hands, and trying to restore him. " 都是我的错--我把它忘了--饲料一粒不剩，水也一滴没有。噢，！噢，！我怎么能对你这么残忍？"贝思哭道，把可怜的小鸟放在手里，试图把它救醒。 Jo peeped into his half-open eye, felt his little heart, and finding him stiff and cold shook her bead, and offered her domino box for a coffin. 乔瞄瞄小鸟半开的眼睛，摸摸它的心脏，发现它早已僵硬冰冷，于是摇摇脑袋，主动提出用自己的衣盒来给它装殓。 'Put him in the oven, and maybe he will get warm and revive,' said Amy, hopefully. " 把它放在炉边，或者会暖和苏醒过来，"艾美满怀希望地说。 
它是饿坏的。既然已经死了，就不要再去烤它。我要给它做一件寿衣，把它葬在园子里。我以后再不养鸟了，再不了，我不配，"贝思低声哭诉着，双手捧着宠鸟坐在地板上。 'The funeral shall be this afternoon, and we will all go. Now, don't cry, Betty; it's a pity, but nothing goes right this week, and Pip has had the worst of the experiment. Make the shroud, and lay him in my box; and, after the dinner party, we'll have a nice little funeral,' said Jo, beginning to feel as if she had undertaken a good deal. " 葬礼今天下午举行，我们都参加。好了，别哭了，贝思；这事大家都不好受，但这星期事情全都乱了套，匹普便是这个试验的最大牺牲品。给它做好寿衣，把它放在我的盒子里，宴会后，我们举行一个隆重的小葬礼。"乔开始尝到了苦头。 Leaving the others to console Beth, she departed to the kitchen, which was in a most discouraging state of confusion. Putting on a big apron she fell to work, and got the dishes piled up ready for washing, when she discovered that the fire was out. 'Here's a sweet prospect!' muttered Jo, slamming the stove-door open, and poking vigorously among the cinders. 她让梅格、艾美留下安慰贝思，自己则走到厨房，里头乱七八糟，一片狼藉。她系上大围裙开始干活，刚堆好碟子准备洗，却发现炉火熄了。"真是形势大好！"乔咕哝道，砰地打开炉门，使劲捅里头的炉渣。 Having rekindled the fire, she thought she would go to market while the water heated. The walk revived her spirits; and flattering herself that she had made good bargains, she trudged home again, after buying a very young lobster, some very old asparagus, and two boxes of acid strawberries. By the time she got cleared up the dinner arrived, and the stove was red-hot. Hannah had left a pan of bread to rise, Meg had worked it up early, set it on the hearth for a second rising, and forgotten it. Meg was entertaining Sallie Gardiner in the parlour, when the door flew open, and a floury, crocky, flushed, and dishevelled figure appeared, demanding tartly: 'I say, isn't bread "riz" enough when it runs over the pans?' 把炉火重新捅亮后，她想趁烧水的功夫上一趟市常这么一走动，兴致又上来了。她买了一只十分幼小的大螯虾，一些老掉牙的芦笋，还有两盒酸溜溜的草莓。因为做成了几笔廉价交易，她心中十分得意，于是跋涉回家。待她收拾好后，午饭也备齐了，炉子也烧红了。罕姆走前留下一盘要发酵的面包，梅格早早便把面包做好，放在炉边再发酵一次，然后便把它忘掉了。她正在客厅里招呼莎莉·加德纳，门突然飞开，一个身上沾满面粉煤屑、头发蓬乱的怪物露出来，赤红着脸尖叫道--“嘿，面包不沾盘子是不是已经发酵够了？" Sallie began to laugh; but Meg nodded, and lifted her eyebrows as high as they would go, which caused the apparition to vanish, and put the sour bread into the oven without further delay. Mrs. March went out, after peeping here and there to see how matters went, also saying a word of comfort to Beth, who sat making a winding sheet, while the dear departed lay in state in the domino box. 莎莉被逗笑了，梅格点点头，把眉毛抬得要多高有多高，怪物见状立即消失，赶紧把酸面包放到炉上。贝思坐在一边做寿衣，将心爱的鸟放在衣盒里任人凭吊。马奇太太出来瞅瞅情况，安慰了贝思几句，然后出门而去。 
当母亲那灰色的帽子消失在拐角处时，姑娘们突然有一种奇怪的孤立无援的感觉。没隔几分钟，克罗克小姐来访，并说是来吃午饭，姑娘们简直陷入了绝望的境地。这位女士是个又黄又瘦的老姑婆，脸上镶着一个尖鼻子和一双好奇的眼睛，她绝不错过任何芝麻绿豆的小事，看到什么都要去绕舌鼓噪一番。她们并不喜欢她，但马奇太太教她们要友善待她，只因她年老家贫，又没有什么朋友。梅格于是把安乐椅给她，并尽量去跟她拉话儿，她则在一边问这问那，指指点点，说西家长，道东家短。 Language cannot describe the anxieties, experiences, and exertions which Jo underwent that morning; and the dinner she served up became a standing joke. Fearing to ask any more advice, she did her best alone, and discovered that something more than energy and goodwill is necessary to make a cook. She boiled the asparagus for an hour, and was grieved to find the heads cooked off and the stalks harder than ever. 那天早上乔真是被弄得焦头烂额、精疲力尽，其中滋味一言难荆她做的午餐成了一个不折不扣的大笑话。因为不敢再向梅格请教，她独个儿使出浑身解数，发现做个厨师光凭一股劲头和良好的心愿并不够。她把芦笋煮了一个小时，痛苦地发现笋头全都煮掉了，主茎却变得更硬。
| 
