In order that we may start afresh and go to Meg’s wedding with free minds, it will be well to begin with a little gossip about the Marches. —
为了我们可以重新开始，并以自由的心态去参加梅格的婚礼，最好先聊聊马奇一家的一些闲话。 —

And here let me premise that if any of the elders think there is too much ‘lovering’ in the story, as I fear they may (I’m not afraid the young folks will make that objection), I can only say with Mrs. March, “What can you expect when I have four gay girls in the house, and a dashing young neighbor over the way?”
在此我想预先说明，如果有些长辈认为这个故事里爱情描写过多，正如我担心的那样（我并不担心年轻人会有这个异议），我只能像马奇太太一样地说：“当房子里有四个活泼的姑娘，而街对面又住着一个英俊的年轻邻居，你还能期待什么呢？”

The three years that have passed have brought but few changes to the quiet family. —
三年的时间里，这个宁静的家庭几乎没有什么改变。 —

The war is over, and Mr. March safely at home, busy with his books and the small parish which found in him a minister by nature as by grace, a quiet, studious man, rich in the wisdom that is better than learning, the charity which calls all mankind ‘brother’, the piety that blossoms into character, making it august and lovely.
战争已经结束，马奇先生安全回到家中，忙于他的书籍和小教区。他天生就是位静默、好学的人，充满了比知识更为宝贵的智慧，他对所有人的慈善之心都称之为“兄弟之情”，虔诚的信仰也在他身上绽放成为品格，使其威严而可爱。

These attributes, in spite of poverty and the strict integrity which shut him out from the more worldly successes, attracted to him many admirable persons, as naturally as sweet herbs draw bees, and as naturally he gave them the honey into which fifty years of hard experience had distilled no bitter drop. —
这些品质，尽管贫穷和严格的正直使他无法获得世俗的成功，却吸引了许多令人敬佩的人，就像甜草药吸引蜜蜂一样自然，而他也自然地给予他们那经过五十年艰辛经历所凝结的没有丝毫苦涩的蜜糖。 —

Earnest young men found the gray-headed scholar as young at heart as they; —
热情的年轻人发现这位白发学者内心依旧年轻； —

thoughtful or troubled women instinctively brought their doubts to him, sure of finding the gentlest sympathy, the wisest counsel. —
深思熟虑的或困扰的女性本能地把她们的疑虑带给他，相信他能找到最温和的同情，最明智的建议。 —

Sinners told their sins to the pure-hearted old man and were both rebuked and saved. —
罪人向这位清心寡欲的老人坦白了他们的罪恶，既受到了责备，也得到了拯救。 —

Gifted men found a companion in him. —
才子们在他身上找到了一个伴侣。 —

Ambitious men caught glimpses of nobler ambitions than their own, and even worldlings confessed that his beliefs were beautiful and true, although ‘they wouldn’t pay’.
有抱负的人透过他看到了比他们自己更高尚的抱负，甚至心机重的人也承认他的信仰是美丽而真实的，尽管“无法得到报酬”。

To outsiders the five energetic women seemed to rule the house, and so they did in many things, but the quiet scholar, sitting among his books, was still the head of the family, the household conscience, anchor, and comforter, for to him the busy, anxious women always turned in troublous times, finding him, in the truest sense of those sacred words, husband and father.
对于外人来说，这五个精力充沛的女人似乎统治着这个家，而在许多事情上，他们确实是这样。然而，那个安静的学者，坐在书堆中间，仍然是这个家庭的头，家庭的良心，锚和安慰者，因为在困难时期，这些忙碌、焦虑的女人总是转向他，他是他们的丈夫和父亲，而这些字眼的真正意义中体现了这一点。

The girls gave their hearts into their mother’s keeping, their souls into their father’s, and to both parents, who lived and labored so faithfully for them, they gave a love that grew with their growth and bound them tenderly together by the sweetest tie which blesses life and outlives death.
女孩们把她们的心交给了母亲，把她们的灵魂交给了父亲，对于这两位为她们付出辛勤努力的父母，她们给予了随着她们的成长而增长的爱，通过最甜蜜的纽带把她们温柔地紧紧地联系在一起，这是生命的福音，超越了死亡。

Mrs. March is as brisk and cheery, though rather grayer, than when we saw her last, and just now so absorbed in Meg’s affairs that the hospitals and homes still full of wounded ‘boys’ and soldiers’ widows, decidedly miss the motherly missionary’s visits.
费外特利地，充满活力的慈善事业家的母亲现在看起来依然精神饱满、快活，虽然头发略微花白。但现在她完全忙于梅格的事情，以至于那些仍然住满了伤员和士兵寡妇的医院和福利之家明显地感觉到了这位母亲式的布道者的缺席。

John Brooke did his duty manfully for a year, got wounded, was sent home, and not allowed to return. —
约翰·布鲁克勇敢地履行了他的职责一年，受伤后被送回家，不被允许返回。 —

He received no stars or bars, but he deserved them, for he cheerfully risked all he had, and life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom. —
他没有得到任何勋章，但他应该得到它们，因为他愉快地冒着一切风险，生命和爱都变得非常宝贵，当它们齐聚时。 —

Perfectly resigned to his discharge, he devoted himself to getting well, preparing for business, and earning a home for Meg. With the good sense and sturdy independence that characterized him, he refused Mr. Laurence’s more generous offers, and accepted the place of bookkeeper, feeling better satisfied to begin with an honestly earned salary than by running any risks with borrowed money.
他完全接受了被解雇的命运，全心投入康复，为事业做准备，为梅格赚钱买房。以他的明智和坚韧独立性格，他拒绝了劳伦斯先生更慷慨的提议，接受了成为一名簿记员的工作，对于通过诚实挣得的薪水开始比通过借来的钱冒任何风险更满意。

Meg had spent the time in working as well as waiting, growing womanly in character, wise in housewifely arts, and prettier than ever, for love is a great beautifier. —
梅格在等待的同时也在努力工作，性格越发成熟，掌握了家政技艺，比以往更美丽，因为爱情是一种伟大的美化剂。 —

She had her girlish ambitions and hopes, and felt some disappointment at the humble way in which the new life must begin. —
她有着少女般的抱负和希望，对新生活必须以谦卑的方式开始感到一些失望。 —

Ned Moffat had just married Sallie Gardiner, and Meg couldn’t help contrasting their fine house and carriage, many gifts, and splendid outfit with her own, and secretly wishing she could have the same. —
尼德·莫法特刚刚和莎莉·加德纳结婚，梅格忍不住将他们漂亮的房子、马车，众多礼物和精美的装束与自己的家相比较，并暗自希望自己也能有同样的条件。 —

But somehow envy and discontent soon vanished when she thought of all the patient love and labor John had put into the little home awaiting her, and when they sat together in the twilight, talking over their small plans, the future always grew so beautiful and bright that she forgot Sallie’s splendor and felt herself the richest, happiest girl in Christendom.
但是，当她想到约翰为他们即将迎来的小家付出的所有耐心和努力时，嫉妒和不满很快就消失了。当他们在黄昏时分一起坐着，讨论他们的小小计划时，未来总是变得如此美丽和光明，以至于她忘记了莎莉的辉煌，感觉自己是世界上最富有、最幸福的女孩。

Jo never went back to Aunt March, for the old lady took such a fancy to Amy that she bribed her with the offer of drawing lessons from one of the best teachers going, and for the sake of this advantage, Amy would have served a far harder mistress. —
乔从未回去过奥叔的家，因为老太太对艾米非常喜欢，她通过提供艾米有机会跟一位最好的老师学画来哄她，为了这个好处，艾米愿意为一位更苛刻的女主人工作。 —

So she gave her mornings to duty, her afternoons to pleasure, and prospered finely. —
所以她把早晨献给工作，下午献给娱乐，收获很好。 —

Jo meantime devoted herself to literature and Beth, who remained delicate long after the fever was a thing of the past. —
乔对文学全身心投入，而贝丝在发烧过后仍然脆弱。 —

Not an invalid exactly, but never again the rosy, healthy creature she had been, yet always hopeful, happy, and serene, and busy with the quiet duties she loved, everyone’s friend, and an angel in the house, long before those who loved her most had learned to know it.
不完全是一个病人，但永远不会再是过去那个红润健康的人了，然而她总是充满希望、快乐和宁静，忙于她喜欢的安静的职责，成为每个人的朋友和家庭中的天使，比那些最爱她的人更早地了解这一切。

As long as The Spread Eagle paid her a dollar a column for her ‘rubbish’, as she called it, Jo felt herself a woman of means, and spun her little romances diligently. —
只要《The Spread Eagle》给她每栏文章付一美元，乔就会觉得自己是个有钱人，她勤奋地写她的小说。 —

But great plans fermented in her busy brain and ambitious mind, and the old tin kitchen in the garret held a slowly increasing pile of blotted manuscript, which was one day to place the name of March upon the roll of fame.
但是伟大的计划在她忙碌的大脑和雄心勃勃的头脑中发酵，阁楼上的旧锡厨房里堆积着越来越多被涂抹了的手稿，有一天它们会将马奇这个名字铭刻在名人堂上。

Laurie, having dutifully gone to college to please his grandfather, was now getting through it in the easiest possible manner to please himself. —
劳里忠实地上大学以取悦他的祖父，现在他正在以最轻松的方式完成学业以取悦自己。 —

A universal favorite, thanks to money, manners, much talent, and the kindest heart that ever got its owner into scrapes by trying to get other people out of them, he stood in great danger of being spoiled, and probably would have been, like many another promising boy, if he had not possessed a talisman against evil in the memory of the kind old man who was bound up in his success, the motherly friend who watched over him as if he were her son, and last, but not least by any means, the knowledge that four innocent girls loved, admired, and believed in him with all their hearts.
他是大家喜爱的普遍选择，因为他有钱、有礼貌、有才华，而且有着前所未有的善良之心，总是因为想要帮助他人而陷入麻烦。他很有可能会被宠坏，就像其他许多有前途的男孩一样，如果他没有拥有那件对抗邪恶的遗物，那个与他的成功密不可分的仁慈老人的回忆，那个像妈妈一样照看着他的朋友，以及最后但同样重要的是，他知道有四个纯真的女孩深爱、崇拜和坚信他。

Being only ‘a glorious human boy’, of course he frolicked and flirted, grew dandified, aquatic, sentimental, or gymnastic, as college fashions ordained, hazed and was hazed, talked slang, and more than once came perilously near suspension and expulsion. —
作为一个“伟大的人类男孩”，当然他会放肆玩耍和调情，变得时髦、爱水、多愁善感或者搞体操，按着大学的时尚来，招惹别人并且被别人招惹，说俚语，不止一次地面临着停课和开除的危险。 —

But as high spirits and the love of fun were the causes of these pranks, he always managed to save himself by frank confession, honorable atonement, or the irresistible power of persuasion which he possessed in perfection. —
由于高昂的精神和对乐趣的热爱是这些恶作剧的原因，他总是通过坦白承认、光荣赎罪或他完美掌握的无可抗拒的说服力来挽救自己。 —

In fact, he rather prided himself on his narrow escapes, and liked to thrill the girls with graphic accounts of his triumphs over wrathful tutors, dignified professors, and vanquished enemies. —
事实上，他对自己的险些被发现感到相当自豪，并喜欢以生动的叙述向女孩们讲述他战胜愤怒的导师、庄重的教授和被打败的敌人的胜利。 —

The ‘men of my class’, were heroes in the eyes of the girls, who never wearied of the exploits of ‘our fellows’, and were frequently allowed to bask in the smiles of these great creatures, when Laurie brought them home with him.
对女孩们来说，“我们同学们”是英雄，在他们眼中，对“我们这些人”的壮举他们从未厌倦过，并且经常被允许享受这些伟大生物的微笑，当劳里带他们回家时。

Amy especially enjoyed this high honor, and became quite a belle among them, for her ladyship early felt and learned to use the gift of fascination with which she was endowed. —
艾米特别享受这种崇高的荣耀，并成为她们中的一位贝尔，因为她从早期就感到并学会运用她所赋予的诱惑能力。 —

Meg was too much absorbed in her private and particular John to care for any other lords of creation, and Beth too shy to do more than peep at them and wonder how Amy dared to order them about so, but Jo felt quite in her own element, and found it very difficult to refrain from imitating the gentlemanly attitudes, phrases, and feats, which seemed more natural to her than the decorums prescribed for young ladies. —
梅格对她私下非常特别的约翰太过沉迷，以至于无心顾及其他男士们的存在。贝丝则过于害羞，只敢偷偷看他们，并对艾米竟然敢命令他们感到奇怪。而乔感觉自己完全放松，很难不模仿那些绅士般的态度、言辞和技能，这些对她来说似乎比规定给年轻女孩的礼仪要自然得多。 —

They all liked Jo immensely, but never fell in love with her, though very few escaped without paying the tribute of a sentimental sigh or two at Amy’s shrine. —
他们都非常喜欢乔，但没有人爱上她，尽管很少有人能够抵挡对艾米的神圣崇拜而不情不自禁地流露出一两次伤感的叹息。 —

And speaking of sentiment brings us very naturally to the ‘Dovecote’.
谈到情感，自然而然地会提到“鸽舍”。

That was the name of the little brown house Mr. Brooke had prepared for Meg’s first home. —
那是布鲁克先生为梅格准备的小棕色房子的名字。 —

Laurie had christened it, saying it was highly appropriate to the gentle lovers who ‘went on together like a pair of turtledoves, with first a bill and then a coo’. —
劳里给它起了这个名字，他说这个名字非常适合这对像一对鸽子一样温柔相爱的恋人，先是又嘴巴碰嘴巴，然后又咕咕叫。 —

It was a tiny house, with a little garden behind and a lawn about as big as a pocket handkerchief in the front. —
这是一座小房子，后面有一个小花园，前面有一个像口袋手帕一样大小的草坪。 —

Here Meg meant to have a fountain, shrubbery, and a profusion of lovely flowers, though just at present the fountain was represented by a weather-beaten urn, very like a dilapidated slopbowl, the shrubbery consisted of several young larches, undecided whether to live or die, and the profusion of flowers was merely hinted by regiments of sticks to show where seeds were planted. —
梅格本来打算在这里建一个喷泉、灌木丛和一片美丽的花园，不过目前喷泉只是一个风吹雨打的破碗，看起来非常破旧；灌木丛是几颗年轻的落叶松，不知道要活还是要死；而丰富的花朵也只是通过排列整齐的棍子暗示着种子的位置。 —

But inside, it was altogether charming, and the happy bride saw no fault from garret to cellar. —
但是里面非常迷人，新娘很开心地发现从阁楼到地下室没有任何问题。 —

To be sure, the hall was so narrow it was fortunate that they had no piano, for one never could have been got in whole, the dining room was so small that six people were a tight fit, and the kitchen stairs seemed built for the express purpose of precipitating both servants and china pell-mell into the coalbin. —
当然，门厅非常狭窄，幸亏他们没有钢琴，否则根本无法整体搬进来；餐厅非常小，只能勉强容纳六个人；而厨房的楼梯似乎专门建成用来把仆人和瓷器一起推进煤坑的。 —

But once get used to these slight blemishes and nothing could be more complete, for good sense and good taste had presided over the furnishing, and the result was highly satisfactory. —
但是一旦习惯了这些轻微的瑕疵，再也没有什么能比得上更完美的了，因为良好的理性和审美都主宰了这里的陈设，结果非常令人满意。 —

There were no marble-topped tables, long mirrors, or lace curtains in the little parlor, but simple furniture, plenty of books, a fine picture or two, a stand of flowers in the bay window, and, scattered all about, the pretty gifts which came from friendly hands and were the fairer for the loving messages they brought.
小客厅里没有大理石桌面、长镜子或者蕾丝窗帘，只有简单的家具，大量的书籍，一两幅精美的画作，在飘窗上还有一盆盆栽花卉，还有散落在各处的漂亮礼物，来自友好之手，由于带来了爱意的信息，它们显得更加美丽。

I don’t think the Parian Psyche Laurie gave lost any of its beauty because John put up the bracket it stood upon, that any upholsterer could have draped the plain muslin curtains more gracefully than Amy’s artistic hand, or that any store-room was ever better provided with good wishes, merry words, and happy hopes than that in which Jo and her mother put away Meg’s few boxes, barrels, and bundles, and I am morally certain that the spandy new kitchen never could have looked so cozy and neat if Hannah had not arranged every pot and pan a dozen times over, and laid the fire all ready for lighting the minute ‘Mis. Brooke came home’. —
我认为并不觉得Parian Psyche Laurie送给的那家没有美感。约翰安装了它所需的支架，任何装饰师都可以将普通的纱帘悬挂得比艾米的手艺更加优雅。再者，任何室内储藏室里也不可能比乔和她的妈妈整理梅格的几个箱子、桶和捆绑物的地方提供更多的良好祝愿、欢快言语和美好希望。我可以肯定的是，如果不是汉娜一遍又一遍地摆放每一个锅和平底锅，并准备好点火让麦斯·布鲁克夫人一回家就可以生火，这个崭新的厨房也不会看上去如此舒适整洁。 —

I also doubt if any young matron ever began life with so rich a supply of dusters, holders, and piece bags, for Beth made enough to last till the silver wedding came round, and invented three different kinds of dishcloths for the express service of the bridal china.
我同样怀疑没有哪位年轻的主妇在生活开始时拥有如此丰富的抹布、炉手和小袋子，因为贝丝制作的足够用到银婚纪念日的数量，并发明了三种不同的抹布，专为新婚瓷器的清洁服务而设计。

People who hire all these things done for them never know what they lose, for the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them, and Meg found so many proofs of this that everything in her small nest, from the kitchen roller to the silver vase on her parlor table, was eloquent of home love and tender forethought.
雇佣别人为他们做这一切事情的人永远不会知道他们失去了什么，因为如果是有爱心的人做的话，即使是最平凡的任务也会变得美丽动人。梅格发现这一点的证据太多了，她小小的巢穴里的一切，从厨房的擀面杖到客厅桌子上的银花瓶，都透露着家庭的爱和温柔的考虑。

What happy times they had planning together, what solemn shopping excursions, what funny mistakes they made, and what shouts of laughter arose over Laurie’s ridiculous bargains. —
他们一起的规划时光是多么快乐，一起购物的时刻是多么庄重，他们犯下的滑稽错误又是多么可笑，而为劳瑞出的愚蠢打折买到的东西引发起的笑声又是多么喧闹。 —

In his love of jokes, this young gentleman, though nearly through college, was a much of a boy as ever. —
在开玩笑方面，这位年轻绅士虽然快要大学毕业，但仍然像个小孩子一样。 —

His last whim had been to bring with him on his weekly visits some new, useful, and ingenious article for the young housekeeper. —
他最近的一种怪癖就是每周探访时带来一些新的、有用的和巧妙的物品给年轻的家庭主妇。 —

Now a bag of remarkable clothespins, next, a wonderful nutmeg grater which fell to pieces at the first trial, a knife cleaner that spoiled all the knives, or a sweeper that picked the nap neatly off the carpet and left the dirt, labor-saving soap that took the skin off one’s hands, infallible cements which stuck firmly to nothing but the fingers of the deluded buyer, and every kind of tinware, from a toy savings bank for odd pennies, to a wonderful boiler which would wash articles in its own steam with every prospect of exploding in the process.
现在是一袋了不起的衣夹，接下来是一个精美的肉豆蔻磨碎器，但第一次使用就破了；一个破坏所有刀子的刀具清洁剂；或者是一个可将地毯上的颗粒清理干净，但会把灰尘留下的扫帚；还有一种节省劳力的肥皂，用了会把手皮肤腐蚀掉；屡试不爽的粘合剂，只能牢牢地粘住购买者的手指，而非其他物品，而且还有各种锡器，从一个能装零钱的玩具储蓄罐，到一个能用蒸汽洗涤物品但可能爆炸的神奇锅炉。

In vain Meg begged him to stop. —
梅格徒劳地请求他停下来。 —

John laughed at him, and Jo called him ‘Mr. Toodles’. —
约翰嘲笑他，乔称他为“图德尔斯先生”。 —

He was possessed with a mania for patronizing Yankee ingenuity, and seeing his friends fitly furnished forth. —
他拥有一种对于美国发明的热衷，并希望自己的朋友也能得到适当的装备。 —

So each week beheld some fresh absurdity.
因此，每周都会出现一些新的荒谬之举。

Everything was done at last, even to Amy’s arranging different colored soaps to match the different colored rooms, and Beth’s setting the table for the first meal.
最终所有事情都安排妥当，甚至包括艾米为了与房间色调相配，将不同颜色的肥皂分类摆放，以及贝丝为第一顿饭摆餐桌。

“Are you satisfied? Does it seem like home, and do you feel as if you should be happy here?” asked Mrs. March, as she and her daughter went through the new kingdom arm in arm, for just then they seemed to cling together more tenderly than ever.
“你满意吗？感觉像家吗？你是否觉得自己应该在这里很幸福？” 当她和女儿手挽着手穿过这个新王国时，玛奇夫人问道。此刻，她们似乎比以往更加温情地依偎在一起。

“Yes, Mother, perfectly satisfied, thanks to you all, and so happy that I can’t talk about it,” with a look that was far better than words.
“是的，妈妈，完全满意，多亏了你们所有人，我太幸福了，简直无法形容，” 她的眼神胜过千言万语。

“If she only had a servant or two it would be all right,” said Amy, coming out of the parlor, where she had been trying to decide whether the bronze Mercury looked best on the whatnot or the mantlepiece.
“如果她有一个或两个仆人的话，那就没问题了，” 艾米从客厅走出来，她一直在努力决定青铜水银像放在什么柜子或壁炉架上看起来最好。

“Mother and I have talked that over, and I have made up my mind to try her way first. —
“妈妈和我已经商量过了，我决定先试试她的方法。有洛蒂帮我跑腿并在这里那里帮忙，我只需要做一点工作，就足以让我不变懒惰或思乡了，”梅格平静地回答道。 —

There will be so little to do that with Lotty to run my errands and help me here and there, I shall only have enough work to keep me from getting lazy or homesick,” answered Meg tranquilly.
“莎莉·莫法特有四个，” 艾米开始说。

“Sallie Moffat has four,” began Amy.
“Sallie Moffat has four,” began Amy.

“If Meg had four, the house wouldn’t hold them, and master and missis would have to camp in the garden,” broke in Jo, who, enveloped in a big blue pinafore, was giving the last polish to the door handles.
“如果梅格有四个人，房子将容纳不下他们，主人和夫人将不得不在花园里露宿，”乔插话道。她穿着一件大蓝色围裙，正给门把手擦拭最后一遍。

“Sallie isn’t a poor man’s wife, and many maids are in keeping with her fine establishment. —
“萨利不是一个贫穷人的妻子，和她豪华的住处相配的是许多女佣。” —

Meg and John begin humbly, but I have a feeling that there will be quite as much happiness in the little house as in the big one. —
梅格和约翰从谦卑开始，但我有一种感觉，小屋里会有和大屋一样多的幸福。 —

It’s a great mistake for young girls like Meg to leave themselves nothing to do but dress, give orders, and gossip. —
“像梅格这样的年轻女孩把自己仅剩的事情限制于穿衣、下命令和闲谈，这是一种很大的错误。” —

When I was first married, I used to long for my new clothes to wear out or get torn, so that I might have the pleasure of mending them, for I got heartily sick of doing fancywork and tending my pocket handkerchief.”
“当我刚结婚的时候，我常常希望我的新衣服磨损或破裂，这样我就可以愉快地修补它们，因为我对做手工和照顾手帕已经感到厌倦。”

“Why didn’t you go into the kitchen and make messes, as Sallie says she does to amuse herself, though they never turn out well and the servants laugh at her,” said Meg.
“你为什么不去厨房里弄弄饭，像萨利说她喜欢做的那样，尽管她做出来的东西从来不好吃，仆人们也会取笑她，”梅格说。

“I did after a while, not to ‘mess’ but to learn of Hannah how things should be done, that my servants need not laugh at me. —
“过了一段时间后，我并不是为了‘混’，而是为了向汉娜学习，学习如何做事，使我的仆人不再嘲笑我。” —

It was play then, but there came a time when I was truly grateful that I not only possessed the will but the power to cook wholesome food for my little girls, and help myself when I could no longer afford to hire help. —
“那时候还只是一种游戏，但后来我真的很感激自己不仅拥有意愿，还具备能力为我的小女孩做出健康的食物，并在无法负担雇佣帮助的时候自己动手。” —

You begin at the other end, Meg, dear, but the lessons you learn now will be of use to you by-and-by when John is a richer man, for the mistress of a house, however splendid, should know how work ought to be done, if she wishes to be well and honestly served.”
“梅格，亲爱的，你是从另一个角度开始的，但现在你所学到的经验将会对你有用，等到约翰变得更富有的时候，因为一个家庭的女主人，无论宏伟与否，如果她希望得到良好和诚实地服务，她都应该知道工作应该如何完成。”

“Yes, Mother, I’m sure of that,” said Meg, listening respectfully to the little lecture, for the best of women will hold forth upon the all absorbing subject of house keeping. —
“是的，妈妈，我相信这一点。”梅格虔诚地听着这番小小的演讲，因为即使是最好的女性也会对有关家务的话题滔滔不绝。 —

“Do you know I like this room most of all in my baby house,” added Meg, a minute after, as they went upstairs and she looked into her well-stored linen closet.
“你知道吗，妈妈，我最喜欢的房间就是我娃娃屋中最大的这个，”一分钟后，当她们上楼并看向储藏丰富的亚麻布柜子时，梅格补充道。

Beth was there, laying the snowy piles smoothly on the shelves and exulting over the goodly array. —
贝丝在那里，将积雪平整地摆放在架子上，并对这美丽的一堆感到兴奋。 —

All three laughed as Meg spoke, for that linen closet was a joke. —
梅格说出那个亚麻布橱柜是个笑话，他们三个人都笑了。 —

You see, having said that if Meg married ‘that Brooke’ she shouldn’t have a cent of her money, Aunt March was rather in a quandary when time had appeased her wrath and made her repent her vow. —
你瞧，之前她说过如果梅格嫁给那个布鲁克就不会给她一分钱，当时间平息了她的怒火并让她后悔起誓时，她陷入了困惑。 —

She never broke her word, and was much exercised in her mind how to get round it, and at last devised a plan whereby she could satisfy herself. —
她从不食言，心里非常苦恼如何绕过自己的誓言，最后她想出了一个计划，可以使自己满意。 —

Mrs. Carrol, Florence’s mamma, was ordered to buy, have made, and marked a generous supply of house and table linen, and send it as her present, all of which was faithfully done, but the secret leaked out, and was greatly enjoyed by the family, for Aunt March tried to look utterly unconscious, and insisted that she could give nothing but the old-fashioned pearls long promised to the first bride.
卡罗尔夫人，佛罗伦萨的妈妈，被吩咐购买，制作和标记一大批家庭和餐桌用的亚麻布，并将其作为她的礼物送来，所有这些都如实地完成了，但秘密泄露出去，家人都非常高兴，因为奥黛尔玛什试图装做毫不知情，并坚称只能送给第一个新娘的那些老式珍珠。

“That’s a housewifely taste which I am glad to see. —
“这是一个家庭主妇的品味，我很高兴看到。 —

I had a young friend who set up housekeeping with six sheets, but she had finger bowls for company and that satisfied her,” said Mrs. March, patting the damask tablecloths, with a truly feminine appreciation of their fineness.
我有一个年轻的朋友，她准备用六块桌布摆设家庭，但她在客人来时用指甲盘招待，这样就满足了她，”玛奇夫人说着，用她对细腻细致的眼光轻拍着那些亚麻桌布。

“I haven’t a single finger bowl, but this is a setout that will last me all my days, Hannah says.” And Meg looked quite contented, as well she might.
“我一个指甲盘都没有，但是这套摆设足够我用一辈子了，汉娜说的。”梅格看起来很满意，她当然应该满意。

A tall, broad-shouldered young fellow, with a cropped head, a felt basin of a hat, and a flyaway coat, came tramping down the road at a great pace, walked over the low fence without stopping to open the gate, straight up to Mrs. March, with both hands out and a hearty …
一个高大、宽肩的年轻人迈步走下大路，戴着一顶截短的帽子，罩着一件散发着飞带的外套。他踏过低矮的栅栏，没有停下来开门，径直走向玛奇夫人，双手伸出，声情并茂地说着…

“Here I am, Mother! Yes, it’s all right.”
“妈妈，我来了！没事了。”

The last words were in answer to the look the elder lady gave him, a kindly questioning look which the handsome eyes met so frankly that the little ceremony closed, as usual, with a motherly kiss.
最后一句是回答长辈女士给他的那个眼神的，一种亲切而带疑问的眼神，英俊的眼睛坦然地与之对视，母子间的这一小场仪式照例以母亲般的亲吻结束。

“For Mrs. John Brooke, with the maker’s congratulations and compliments. —
“献给约翰·布鲁克夫人，制作者表示祝贺和问候。上帝保佑你， —

Bless you, Beth! —
贝丝！” —

What a refreshing spectacle you are, Jo. Amy, you are getting altogether too handsome for a single lady.”
“乔，你真是一个令人耳目一新的景象。艾米，你变得越来越漂亮，已经不适合单身女士了。”

As Laurie spoke, he delivered a brown paper parcel to Meg, pulled Beth’s hair ribbon, stared at Jo’s big pinafore, and fell into an attitude of mock rapture before Amy, then shook hands all round, and everyone began to talk.
当劳里说着，他把一个棕色的纸包递给了梅格，拉动了贝丝的发带，盯着乔身上的大围裙，然后陷入了嘲弄的狂喜姿势，对着艾米表演，并与大家握手，每个人开始交谈。

“Where is John?” asked Meg anxiously.
“约翰在哪里？”梅格焦急地问道。

“Stopped to get the license for tomorrow, ma’am.”
“停下来为明天拿到结婚证，夫人。”

“Which side won the last match, Teddy?” inquired Jo, who persisted in feeling an interest in manly sports despite her nineteen years.
“泰迪，上次比赛哪一边赢了？”乔询问道。尽管已经十九岁，她还是一直对男子运动保持着兴趣。

“Ours, of course. Wish you’d been there to see.”
“当然是我们赢了。真希望你当时在那里能看到。”

“How is the lovely Miss Randal?” asked Amy with a significant smile.
“可爱的兰黛尔小姐怎么样了？” 艾米带着一个意味深长的微笑问道。

“More cruel than ever. Don’t you see how I’m pining away?” and Laurie gave his broad chest a sounding slap and heaved a melodramatic sigh.
“比以往更残忍了。你看不出我是怎么憔悴的吗？” 劳里用手猛击着自己宽厚的胸膛，叹了一口感伤的气息。

“What’s the last joke? Undo the bundle and see, Meg,” said Beth, eying the knobby parcel with curiosity.
“最新的笑话是什么？梅格，打开包裹看看。” 贝丝好奇地盯着那个多瘤的包裹。

“It’s a useful thing to have in the house in case of fire or thieves,” observed Laurie, as a watchman’s rattle appeared, amid the laughter of the girls.
“这是个有用的东西，以防火灾或小偷的时候，”劳瑞观察到，当女孩们的笑声中出现了一个警卫的响笛。

“Any time when John is away and you get frightened, Mrs. Meg, just swing that out of the front window, and it will rouse the neighborhood in a jiffy. —
“每当约翰不在家，你感到害怕的时候，梅格夫人，只需把它从前窗户中摇动一下，它就会在一秒钟内唤醒整个社区。 —

Nice thing, isn’t it?” and Laurie gave them a sample of its powers that made them cover up their ears.
“这是个好东西，不是吗？”劳瑞给了她们演示了一下它的威力，让她们捂住耳朵。

“There’s gratitude for you! —
“这就是你的感激之情！ —

And speaking of gratitude reminds me to mention that you may thank Hannah for saving your wedding cake from destruction. —
说到感激，我要提醒你们需要感谢汉娜，她救了你的婚礼蛋糕免于毁灭。 —

I saw it going into your house as I came by, and if she hadn’t defended it manfully I’d have had a pick at it, for it looked like a remarkably plummy one.”
“当我走过的时候，我看见它进了你们的房子，如果她没有勇敢地保护它，我可能会偷吃一点，因为它看起来非常好吃。”

“I wonder if you will ever grow up, Laurie,” said Meg in a matronly tone.
“我不知道你会不会长大，劳瑞。”梅格用一种成熟的口吻说道。

“I’m doing my best, ma’am, but can’t get much higher, I’m afraid, as six feet is about all men can do in these degenerate days,” responded the young gentleman, whose head was about level with the little chandelier.
“小姐，我尽力了，但恐怕我不能再站得更高了，就在这些堕落的日子里，六英尺已经是男人们能达到的极限了。”这位年轻绅士回答道，他的头几乎和小吊灯齐平。

“I suppose it would be profanation to eat anything in this spick-and-span bower, so as I’m tremendously hungry, I propose an adjournment,” he added presently.
“我想在这个干干净净的房间里吃东西可能是亵渎了，既然我饿得厉害，我建议我们暂时搬到别的地方吃饭。”他随后补充说。

“Mother and I are going to wait for John. There are some last things to settle,” said Meg, bustling away.
“妈妈和我会等约翰的，还有些最后要处理的事情，”梅格匆忙离开。

“Beth and I are going over to Kitty Bryant’s to get more flowers for tomorrow,” added Amy, tying a picturesque hat over her picturesque curls, and enjoying the effect as much as anybody.
“贝丝和我要去凯蒂·布莱恩特那里再去采些花，用于明天的装饰，”艾米补充道，她在头上戴上一顶风景如画的帽子，尽情享受这个效果。

“Come, Jo, don’t desert a fellow. —
“来吧，乔，别丢下我一个人。 —

I’m in such a state of exhaustion I can’t get home without help. —
我已经精疲力尽了，没有你的帮助我回不了家。” —

Don’t take off your apron, whatever you do, it’s peculiarly becoming,” said Laurie, as Jo bestowed his especial aversion in her capacious pocket and offered her arm to support his feeble steps.
“不管怎么样，别脱下围裙，它是特别适合你的，”劳里说道，当乔把他特别讨厌的东西塞进宽敞的口袋后，她搀扶着他虚弱的步伐以示支持。

“Now, Teddy, I want to talk seriously to you about tomorrow,” began Jo, as they strolled away together. —
“现在，泰迪，我想和你认真谈谈明天的事情，”乔边走边开始说道。 —

“You must promise to behave well, and not cut up any pranks, and spoil our plans.”
“你必须保证表现得很好，不捣乱，不破坏我们的计划。”

“Not a prank.”
“不捣乱。”

“And don’t say funny things when we ought to be sober.”
“还有，当我们应该严肃时，不要说搞笑的话。”

“I never do. You are the one for that.”
“我从来不这样做。你才是那个。”

“And I implore you not to look at me during the ceremony. —
“我恳求你不要在仪式期间看着我。如果你这样做， —

I shall certainly laugh if you do.”
我肯定会笑。”

“You won’t see me, you’ll be crying so hard that the thick fog round you will obscure the prospect.”
“你看不到我，你会哭得如此厉害，周围的浓雾会遮挡你的视野。”

“I never cry unless for some great affliction.”
“除非有什么大的不幸，否则我从来不哭。”

“Such as fellows going to college, hey?” cut in Laurie, with suggestive laugh.
“比如人们要去上大学，嘿？”劳里插了一句带有暗示的笑声。

“Don’t be a peacock. I only moaned a trifle to keep the girls company.”
“别装得那么骄傲。我只是为了和女孩们凑热闹而叹了口气。”

“Exactly. I say, Jo, how is Grandpa this week? —
“没错。乔，这周你爷爷怎么样？ —

Pretty amiable?”
态度很好吗？”

“Very. Why, have you got into a scrape and want to know how he’ll take it?” asked Jo rather sharply.
“很好。为什么？你惹了麻烦，想知道他会怎么对待吗？”乔有些生气地问道。

“Now, Jo, do you think I’d look your mother in the face and say ‘All right’, if it wasn’t?” and Laurie stopped short, with an injured air.
“现在，乔，你真的认为我会面对你的母亲说‘没问题’吗？”劳里突然停下来，带着一副受伤的表情。

“No, I don’t.”
“不，我不想去。”

“Then don’t go and be suspicious. I only want some money,” said Laurie, walking on again, appeased by her hearty tone.
“那就别猜疑了。我只要一些钱而已，”劳瑞说着，心情又好了起来，被她坦率的口吻安抚了。

“You spend a great deal, Teddy.”
“你花钱真多，泰迪。”

“Bless you, I don’t spend it, it spends itself somehow, and is gone before I know it.”
“天啊，我不是花钱，钱就不知不觉地花掉了。”

“You are so generous and kind-hearted that you let people borrow, and can’t say ‘No’ to anyone. —
“你太慷慨和善良，总是让人家借钱，无法对任何人说’不’。” —

We heard about Henshaw and all you did for him. —
“我们听说过汉肖的事，以及你为他所做的一切。 —

If you always spent money in that way, no one would blame you,” said Jo warmly.
如果你总是像那样花钱，谁也不会责怪你，” 乔热情地说。

“Oh, he made a mountain out of a molehill. —
“哦，他小题大做了。 —

You wouldn’t have me let that fine fellow work himself to death just for want of a little help, when he is worth a dozen of us lazy chaps, would you?”
你难道希望我什么都不做，让那个好人因为一点帮助就把自己累死吗？他比我们这些懒家伙值十个。”

“Of course not, but I don’t see the use of your having seventeen waistcoats, endless neckties, and a new hat every time you come home. —
“当然不是，但我不明白你为什么要拥有十七件背心、无尽的领带，每次回家都要新帽子。” —

I thought you’d got over the dandy period, but every now and then it breaks out in a new spot. —
“我以为你已经过了花花公子的时期，但偶尔还是会冒出来新花样。” —

Just now it’s the fashion to be hideous, to make your head look like a scrubbing brush, wear a strait jacket, orange gloves, and clumping square-toed boots. —
现在时髦的是变得丑陋，让你的头看起来像搓澡刷，戴上直筒夹克、橙色手套和厚重的方头靴子。 —

If it was cheap ugliness, I’d say nothing, but it costs as much as the other, and I don’t get any satisfaction out of it.”
如果是廉价的丑陋，我什么都不会说，但它的价格和其他东西一样贵，我对它一点满足感都没有。

Laurie threw back his head, and laughed so heartily at this attack, that the felt hat fell off, and Jo walked on it, which insult only afforded him an opportunity for expatiating on the advantages of a rough-and-ready costume, as he folded up the maltreated hat, and stuffed it into his pocket.
劳里抬起头，放声大笑，笑得肚子都疼了，他的呢帽掉了下来，乔恰好踩在上面，这个羞辱给了他一个机会来赞扬起一个粗糙而方便穿着的服装的优点，他把那个被摔坏的呢帽折叠起来，塞进了口袋里。

“Don’t lecture any more, there’s a good soul! —
“不要再讲了，好吗！ —

I have enough all through the week, and like to enjoy myself when I come home. —
一周都听够了，我回到家想享受一下自己。” —

I’ll get myself up regardless of expense tomorrow and be a satisfaction to my friends.”
“我明天将会无论花多少钱打扮自己，给我的朋友们一个满意的样子。”

“I’ll leave you in peace if you’ll only let your hair grow. —
“如果你能让头发留长，我就不再打扰你了。 —

I’m not aristocratic, but I do object to being seen with a person who looks like a young prize fighter,” observed Jo severely.
我不是贵族，但我不喜欢和一个看起来像年轻拳击手的人在一起被别人看到，” 乔严肃地说道。

“This unassuming style promotes study, that’s why we adopt it,” returned Laurie, who certainly could not be accused of vanity, having voluntarily sacrificed a handsome curly crop to the demand for quarter-inch-long stubble.
“这种不显眼的风格有助于学习，所以我们采用了它”，劳瑞回答道，他绝对不能被指责为虚荣，因为他自愿把一头漂亮的卷发剪成了仅有1/4英寸长的胡须。

“By the way, Jo, I think that little Parker is really getting desperate about Amy. He talks of her constantly, writes poetry, and moons about in a most suspicious manner. —
“顺便说一句，乔，我认为小帕克对艾米真是越来越绝望了。他不停地谈论她，写诗，并以一种非常可疑的方式沉思。 —

He’d better nip his little passion in the bud, hadn’t he?” added Laurie, in a confidential, elder brotherly tone, after a minute’s silence.
他最好把这份小感情堵在萌芽阶段，对吧？”经过一分钟的沉默后，劳瑞以一种信任、哥哥般的语调补充道。

“Of course he had. We don’t want any more marrying in this family for years to come. —
“当然，他应该这样做。我们这个家族在未来几年内不想再有结婚的事了。 —

Mercy on us, what are the children thinking of?” and Jo looked as much scandalized as if Amy and little Parker were not yet in their teens.
怜悯我们，孩子们在想些什么？”乔看起来被这个消息震惊得与其说艾米和小帕克还没有十几岁，不如说她感到非常不满。

“It’s a fast age, and I don’t know what we are coming to, ma’am. —
“时代变得太快了，我不知道我们走向何方，夫人。 —

You are a mere infant, but you’ll go next, Jo, and we’ll be left lamenting,” said Laurie, shaking his head over the degeneracy of the times.
你只是个婴儿，但接下来轮到你了，乔，我们将悲伤地留下来，”劳瑞摇了摇头，对时代的堕落感到不安。

“Don’t be alarmed. I’m not one of the agreeable sort. —
“别担心。我不是那种好说话的人。 —

Nobody will want me, and it’s a mercy, for there should always be one old maid in a family.”
没人会喜欢我，这反而是一种恩赐，因为每个家庭总应该有一个老姑娘。”

“You won’t give anyone a chance,” said Laurie, with a sidelong glance and a little more color than before in his sunburned face. —
“你从不给任何人机会，”劳里斜着眼瞟了一眼，脸上比之前晒得有点红，“你从不展示你温柔的一面，即使一个家伙无意中看到了，并且流露出喜欢的表情，你会像古米奇夫人对待她的情人一样，向他泼冷水，变得如此冷若冰霜，让任何人都不敢接近或看你一眼。” —

“You won’t show the soft side of your character, and if a fellow gets a peep at it by accident and can’t help showing that he likes it, you treat him as Mrs. Gummidge did her sweetheart, throw cold water over him, and get so thorny no one dares touch or look at you.”
“我不喜欢那种事情。我忙得没时间去操心无谓的事情，而且我觉得拆散家庭很可怕。”

“I don’t like that sort of thing. —
“现在别再说了。 —

I’m too busy to be worried with nonsense, and I think it’s dreadful to break up families so. —
梅格的婚礼让我们所有人都变得痴痴傻傻的，我们只会谈论情人和种种荒谬的事情。” —

Now don’t say any more about it. —
“我不想生气， —

Meg’s wedding has turned all our heads, and we talk of nothing but lovers and such absurdities. —
所以我们换个话题吧；”乔看起来可以随时泼冷水。 —

I don’t wish to get cross, so let’s change the subject;” and Jo looked quite ready to fling cold water on the slightest provocation.
“别再说了。”

Whatever his feelings might have been, Laurie found a vent for them in a long low whistle and the fearful prediction as they parted at the gate, “Mark my words, Jo, you’ll go next.”
不论他的情感如何，劳瑞发出了长长的低吹口哨，还有让人担忧的预言，当他们在大门口分别时说道：“记着我的话，乔，你会紧随其后。”