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没有人过来跟他说话；身边的一群人也渐走渐少，最后只剩下她孤零零一个。因为怕露出烧坏了的衣幅，她不敢四处走动去寻找乐趣，只能可怜巴巴地站在那里盯着别人看。这时舞曲响起，梅格马上被请进了舞池。她步态轻快，笑脸盈盈，没有人会想象得到她双脚正被那双鞋子折磨得生疼。乔看到一个大个子红头发的年轻人向她走来，担心会请她跳舞，便赶快溜进一间挂着帘幕的休息室，准备独自一人偷偷窥视，悄悄欣赏。谁料到另一个害羞的人已先看中了这个庇身之处：当帘幕在身后落下时，乔发现自己正与"劳伦斯家的男孩"面对着面。 'Dear me, I didn't know anyone was here!' stammered Jo, preparing to back out as speedily as she had bounced in. " 噢，我不知道这里有人！"乔张口结舌，准备转身冲出去。 But the boy laughed, and said pleasantly, though he looked a little startled: 'Don't mind me; stay if you like.' 但男孩笑了，愉快地说："别管我，你喜欢就呆着吧，"尽管他看上去也有点吃惊。 'Shan't I disturb you?' " 我会打扰你吗？" 'Not a bit; I only came here because I don't know many people, and I felt rather strange at first, you know.' “一点也不会。我进来是因为这里有很多人我都不认识，你知道一开始总有点陌生感。" 
“我也一样。请不要走开，除非你真的想这样。"男孩又坐下来，低头望着自己的浅口无带皮鞋。乔尽量用礼貌轻松的口吻说："我想我曾幸会过阁下。阁下就住在我们附近吧？" 'Next door'; and he looked up and laughed outright, for Jo's prim manner was rather funny, when he remembered how they had chatted about cricket when he brought the cat home. “隔壁。"他抬起头笑出声来，因为他想起了把猫送回她家时两人一起谈论板球的情景。相比之下，乔这副一本正经的神态显得十分逗趣。 That put Jo at her ease; and she laughed too, as she said, her heartiest way: 'We did have such a good time over your nice Christmas present.' 'Grandpa sent it.' 'But you put it into his head, didn't you, now?' 'How is your cat, Miss March?' asked the boy, trying to look sober, while his black eyes shone with fun. 乔轻松下来，也笑了。她诚挚地说："你送来的美妙的圣诞礼物真令我们开心极了。"“是爷爷送的。"“但这是你出的主意，没错吧？"“你的猫好吗，马奇小姐？"男孩试图严肃一点，但黑色眼睛里却闪着调皮的光芒。 'Nicely, thank you, Mr. Laurence; but I am not Miss March, I'm only Jo,' returned the young lady. " 很好，谢谢，劳伦斯先生；不过我不是什么马奇小姐，我叫乔，"年轻女士答道。 'I'm not Mr. Laurence, I'm only Laurie.' " 我也不是劳伦斯先生，我叫劳里。" 
“劳里，劳伦斯，--这名字真怪！" 'My first name is Theodore, but I don't like it, for the fellows called me Dora, so I made them say Laurie instead.' “我的名字是西奥多，但我不喜欢，因为伙伴们把我叫做多拉，所以我让他们改叫劳里。" 'I hate my name, too - so sentimental! I wish everyone would say Jo, instead of Josephine. How did you make the boys stop calling you Dora?' 'I thrashed 'em.' “我也不喜欢我的名字--多么伤感！我希望人人都叫我乔，而不叫约瑟芬。你是怎么使那些男孩不再叫你多拉的？"“痛打他们。" 'I can't thrash Aunt March, so I suppose I shall have to bear it'; and Jo resigned herself with a sigh. “我不可以痛打马奇婶婶，所以我只好随她怎么叫。"乔失望地叹了一口气。 'Do you like parties?' 你跳舞吗？" 
“有时也跳。我在外国生活了好些年，在这里交友尚少，还不大熟悉你们的生活方式。" 'Abroad!' cried Jo. 'Oh, tell me about it! I love dearly to hear people describe their travels.' “外国！"乔叫道，"呵，给我讲讲吧！我最爱听人家谈自己的旅游见闻。" Laurie didn't seem to know where to begin; but Jo's eager questions soon set him going, and he told her how he had been at school in Vevey, where the boys never wore hats, and had a fleet of boats on the lake, and for holiday fun went walking trips about Switzerland with their teachers. 劳里似乎不知道该从哪里说起，但见乔问得热切，便也打开了话匣子，谈他在韦威的学校生活，告诉她那边的男孩从来不戴帽子，而且他们在湖上都有一队小船，休假时大家跟老师们一起走过瑞士等等。 'Don't I wish I'd been there!' cried Jo. 'Did you go to Paris?' " 如果我能去该有多好！"乔叫道，"你去过巴黎吗？" 'We spent last winter there.' “去年我们在那里过冬。" 
“你能讲法语吗？" 'We were not allowed to speak anything else at Vevey.' “在韦威只许讲法语。" 'Do say some! I can read it, but can't pronounce.' “讲几句吧！我可以读，但不会说。" 'How nicely you do it! Let me see - you said, "Who is the young lady in the pretty slippers," didn't you?' " 说得好极了！让我想想--你是说：'那位穿着漂亮鞋子的年轻女士是谁'，可对？" 'It's my sister Margaret, and you knew it was! Do you think she is pretty?' “是我姐姐玛格丽特，你早就知道的！你说她漂亮吗？" 
“漂亮。她使我想起德国姑娘，她看上去俏丽娴雅，舞姿也很优美。" Jo quite glowed with pleasure at this boyish praise of her sister, and stored it up to repeat to Meg. 听到一个男孩子这样夸赞自己的姐姐，乔高兴得脸上放光，忙把这些话记在心中，留待回家转告梅格。 Both peeped and criticized and chatted, till they felt like old acquaintances. Laurie's bashfulness soon wore off; for Jo's gentlemanly demeanour amused and set him at his ease, and Jo was her merry self again, because her dress was forgotten, and nobody lifted their eyebrows at her. 他们悄悄看着舞池，一边指点一边交谈，彼此都觉得似乎相知已久。劳里很快便不再害羞，乔的男儿气使他感到十分轻松愉快，乔也倍感快乐，因为她忘掉了自己的衣裳，而且现在没有人对她抬眼眉了。 She liked the 'Laurence boy' better than ever, and took several good looks at him, so that she might describe him to the girls; for they had no brothers, very few male cousins, and boys were almost unknown creatures to them. 她对"劳伦斯家的男孩"越发感到喜爱，不禁再认真地棒打量了几眼，准备回家把他描述给姐妹们，因为她们没有兄弟，也没有什么表兄弟，对男孩子几乎一无所知。 'Curly black hair; brown skin; big, black eyes; handsome nose; fine teeth; small hands and feet; taller than I am, very polite for a boy, and altogether jolly. Wonder how old he is?' " 卷曲的黑头发，棕色皮肤，黑色的大眼睛，好看的鼻子，牙齿洁白，手脚不大，比我略高，显得温文尔雅，不乏风趣。只是不知他多大年纪？" 
乔正开口要问，却又及时收住，转而机智地换了一种婉转的口吻。 'I suppose you are going to college soon? I see you pegging away at your books - no, I mean studying hard'; and Jo blushed at the dreadful 'pegging' which had escaped her. “我想你很快就要念大学了吧？我看到你在啃书本--不，我是指用功读书。"乔为自己冲口说了个不雅的"啃"字而涨红了脸。 Laurie smiled, but didn't seem shocked, and answered, with a shrug: 'Not for a year or two; I won't go before seventeen, anyway.' 'Aren't you but fifteen?' asked Jo, looking at the tall lad, whom she had imagined seventeen already. 劳里并没有在意，他微笑着耸耸肩回答："这一两年内都不会；要到十七岁我才念大学。"“你才十五岁吗？"乔望着这位高高的小伙子问。她以为他已经十七岁了。 'Sixteen, next month.' " 下个月满十六岁。" 'How I wish I was going to college! You don't look as if you liked it.' “如果我可以念大学就好了！而你似乎不大喜欢呢。" 
“我讨厌读文学，一味只是灌输和玩乐。我也不喜欢这个国家的生活方式。"
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