Like most other young matrons, Meg began her married life with the determination to be a model housekeeper. —
像其他大多数年轻的主妇一样，梅格开始了她的婚姻生活，下定决心要成为一个模范的家庭主妇。 —

John should find home a paradise, he should always see a smiling face, should fare sumptuously every day, and never know the loss of a button. —
约翰应该把家当成天堂，他应该总是看到一个笑脸，每天都能享用奢华的美食，从未遇到过掉一个钮扣的困扰。 —

She brought so much love, energy, and cheerfulness to the work that she could not but succeed, in spite of some obstacles. —
她给这项工作带来了很多爱、精力和愉快，她不得不成功，尽管有些障碍。 —

Her paradise was not a tranquil one, for the little woman fussed, was over-anxious to please, and bustled about like a true Martha, cumbered with many cares. —
她的天堂并不安宁，因为这位小女人总是忙乱，过于急于讨好，像一个真正的马尔塔一样匆匆忙忙地忙碌着。 —

She was too tired, sometimes, even to smile, John grew dyspeptic after a course of dainty dishes and ungratefully demanded plain fare. —
有时候她太累了，甚至没心情微笑，约翰在品尝了一系列精致的菜肴后变得消化不良，并无感恩之心地要求吃简单的食物。 —

As for buttons, she soon learned to wonder where they went, to shake her head over the carelessness of men, and to threaten to make him sew them on himself, and see if his work would stand impatient and clumsy fingers any better than hers.
至于钮扣，她很快就会好奇它们到底去了哪里，为男人的粗心大意而摇摇头，威胁说让他自己来缝，看他的工作能否忍受不耐烦和笨拙的手指，是否能比她更好。

They were very happy, even after they discovered that they couldn’t live on love alone. —
即使发现光靠爱情无法生活，他们依然非常幸福。 —

John did not find Meg’s beauty diminished, though she beamed at him from behind the familiar coffee pot. —
尽管梅格从熟悉的咖啡壶后面向他灿烂微笑着，约翰并没有觉得她的美丽减少了。 —

Nor did Meg miss any of the romance from the daily parting, when her husband followed up his kiss with the tender inquiry, “Shall I send some veal or mutton for dinner, darling?” The little house ceased to be a glorified bower, but it became a home, and the young couple soon felt that it was a change for the better. —
梅格也感觉不到日常分别中的任何浪漫，当她丈夫亲吻完她后，会温柔地询问：“亲爱的，要我送些小牛肉还是羊肉给晚餐？”这座小屋不再是一个荣耀的花园亭子，但它成了一个家，年轻的夫妻很快觉得这是一个更好的变化。 —

At first they played keep-house, and frolicked over it like children. —
起初，他们玩起了家家酒，像孩子一样玩得不亦乐乎。 —

Then John took steadily to business, feeling the cares of the head of a family upon his shoulders, and Meg laid by her cambric wrappers, put on a big apron, and fell to work, as before said, with more energy than discretion.
然后，约翰开始认真做生意，感受到了养家之责任，而梅格则放下她的细布包装，穿上一个大围裙，如前所述，比以前更有精力地工作，但缺乏判断力。

While the cooking mania lasted she went through Mrs. Cornelius’s Receipt Book as if it were a mathematical exercise, working out the problems with patience and care. —
在烹饪迷时，她像解数学题目一样，耐心仔细地研究着《康尼利厨房食谱》，一一解决问题。 —

Sometimes her family were invited in to help eat up a too bounteous feast of successes, or Lotty would be privately dispatched with a batch of failures, which were to be concealed from all eyes in the convenient stomachs of the little Hummels. —
有时候她的家人被邀请进来帮忙吃掉一顿太丰盛的成功大餐，或者洛蒂会私下派遣一批失败品，这些失败品需要在小霍默家的方便的胃里隐藏起来，不让任何人看到。 —

An evening with John over the account books usually produced a temporary lull in the culinary enthusiasm, and a frugal fit would ensue, during which the poor man was put through a course of bread pudding, hash, and warmed-over coffee, which tried his soul, although he bore it with praiseworthy fortitude. —
与约翰一起看账本的晚上通常会在烹饪热情中产生暂时的平静，而随后会出现一阵节俭的病发作，这时可怜的男人要品尝面包布丁、杂烩和热咖啡，这对他的心灵是一种考验，尽管他以值得称赞的坚韧性格忍受着。 —

Before the golden mean was found, however, Meg added to her domestic possessions what young couples seldom get on long without, a family jar.
然而，在找到黄金平均数之前，梅格又增加了她的家庭财产，而这是年轻夫妇很难长时间没有的，那就是家庭不和。

Fired a with housewifely wish to see her storeroom stocked with homemade preserves, she undertook to put up her own currant jelly. —
为了让她的储藏室里有自制的果酱，她决定自己做黑醋栗果酱。 —

John was requested to order home a dozen or so of little pots and an extra quantity of sugar, for their own currants were ripe and were to be attended to at once. —
约翰被要求订购回一打或更多小罐子和额外的糖，因为他们自己的醋栗已经熟了，需要立即处理。 —

As John firmly believed that ‘my wife’ was equal to anything, and took a natural pride in her skill, he resolved that she should be gratified, and their only crop of fruit laid by in a most pleasing form for winter use. —
约翰坚信他的妻子无所不能，对她的技能感到自豪，于是决定让她满意地将他们唯一的一批水果储存在冬天可口的样子。 —

Home came four dozen delightful little pots, half a barrel of sugar, and a small boy to pick the currants for her. —
回到家的时候，带来了四打令人愉快的小罐子，半桶糖，还有一个小男孩来帮她采摘醋栗。 —

With her pretty hair tucked into a little cap, arms bared to the elbow, and a checked apron which had a coquettish look in spite of the bib, the young housewife fell to work, feeling no doubts about her success, for hadn’t she seen Hannah do it hundreds of times? —
扎着可爱的头发，袖子卷到肘部，系着一条方格围裙，纵使有个围兜，这位年轻的家庭主妇开始了工作，对自己的成功没有一丝疑虑，因为她不是已经看过汉娜做过无数次吗？ —

The array of pots rather amazed her at first, but John was so fond of jelly, and the nice little jars would look so well on the top shelf, that Meg resolved to fill them all, and spent a long day picking, boiling, straining, and fussing over her jelly. —
作为第一次尝试，罐子的整齐排列有些吓到她，但约翰太喜欢果酱了，这些漂亮的小瓶子放在顶层的架子上也会很好看，所以梅格决定把它们都装满，花了一整天的时间采摘、煮沸、过滤和琐事上的琐事。 —

She did her best, she asked advice of Mrs. Cornelius, she racked her brain to remember what Hannah did that she left undone, she reboiled, resugared, and restrained, but that dreadful stuff wouldn’t ‘jell’.
她尽力了，向Cornelius夫人请教，努力回忆起Hannah漏做了什么事，再煮沸，再加糖，再克制着，但那可怕的东西就是不结冻。

She longed to run home, bib and all, and ask Mother to lend her a hand, but John and she had agreed that they would never annoy anyone with their private worries, experiments, or quarrels. —
她渴望回家，连涎的围兜都不管了，向母亲求助，但约翰和她已经约定好，他们绝不会用自己的私人烦恼、实验或争吵来打扰别人。 —

They had laughed over that last word as if the idea it suggested was a most preposterous one, but they had held to their resolve, and whenever they could get on without help they did so, and no one interfered, for Mrs. March had advised the plan. —
他们对那个最后一个字嘲笑了，仿佛它所暗示的想法是最荒唐可笑的，但他们依然坚守着自己的决心，只要能不用帮助就不用，没有人干涉，因为March夫人曾经给过这个建议。 —

So Meg wrestled alone with the refractory sweetmeats all that hot summer day, and at five o’clock sat down in her topsy-turvey kitchen, wrung her bedaubed hands, lifted up her voice and wept.
于是梅格整个炎热的夏天都与这些难以驾驭的糖果单打独斗，到了五点钟，她坐在乱七八糟的厨房里，揉捏着沾满粘液的双手，掀起声音哭泣起来。

Now, in the first flush of the new life, she had often said, “My husband shall always feel free to bring a friend home whenever he likes. —
如今，在新生活的初次激情中，她经常说，“我丈夫将永远可以自由地在喜欢的时候把朋友带回家来。 —

I shall always be prepared. There shall be no flurry, no scolding, no discomfort, but a neat house, a cheerful wife, and a good dinner. John, dear, never stop to ask my leave, invite whom you please, and be sure of a welcome from me.”
我将永远准备好。没有忙乱，没有责骂，没有不适，只有一个整洁的家，一个开朗的妻子和一顿美味的晚餐。亲爱的约翰，不要停下来问我的允许，邀请任何人都可以，我一定会欢迎的。

How charming that was, to be sure! —
多么迷人啊！ —

John quite glowed with pride to hear her say it, and felt what a blessed thing it was to have a superior wife. —
约翰听到她这么说时非常自豪，他真觉得拥有一个优秀的妻子是多么幸福的事情。 —

But, although they had had company from time to time, it never happened to be unexpected, and Meg had never had an opportunity to distinguish herself till now. —
但是，尽管他们有时候会有客人，却从未发生过出乎意料的情况，所以梅格从未有机会展示自己，直到现在。 —

It always happens so in this vale of tears, there is an inevitability about such things which we can only wonder at, deplore, and bear as we best can.
在这个凡尘世界中，这样的事情总是会发生，我们只能惋惜地接受、承受并尽力适应。

If John had not forgotten all about the jelly, it really would have been unpardonable in him to choose that day, of all the days in the year, to bring a friend home to dinner unexpectedly. —
如果约翰没有完全忘记果冻，那么他在全年的所有日子中偏偏选择了那一天把一个朋友带回家吃饭就真的是不可原谅了。 —

Congratulating himself that a handsome repast had been ordered that morning, feeling sure that it would be ready to the minute, and indulging in pleasant anticipations of the charming effect it would produce, when his pretty wife came running out to meet him, he escorted his friend to his mansion, with the irrepressible satisfaction of a young host and husband.
自恭喜那天早上已经订好了一顿丰盛的酒席，并确信它将准时准备好，并对当他迎娶漂亮的妻子时，这将产生令人愉快的期待，他伴随着年轻主人和丈夫的不可抑制的满足感护送他的朋友到了他的豪宅。

It is a world of disappointments, as John discovered when he reached the Dovecote. —
正如约翰到达鸽舍时所发现的，这是一个充满失望的世界。 —

The front door usually stood hospitably open. —
前门通常是热情好客地敞开着。 —

Now it was not only shut, but locked, and yesterday’s mud still adorned the steps. —
现在不仅是关上了，还锁着，而且昨天的泥还附着在台阶上。 —

The parlor windows were closed and curtained, no picture of the pretty wife sewing on the piazza, in white, with a distracting little bow in her hair, or a bright-eyed hostess, smiling a shy welcome as she greeted her guest. —
客厅的窗户被关闭和遮挡着，没有一个漂亮妻子在阳台上缝纫的画面，穿着白色，头发上系着一个诱人的小蝴蝶结，或者一个明亮的女主人，迎着客人笑着害羞地欢迎他。 —

Nothing of the sort, for not a soul appeared but a sanginary-looking boy asleep under the current bushes.
除了一个看上去凶恶的男孩躺在红醋栗丛下睡觉之外，没有任何的人出现。

“I’m afraid something has happened. Step into the garden, Scott, while I look up Mrs. Brooke,” said John, alarmed at the silence and solitude.
“我担心发生了什么事。在我找到布鲁克夫人之前，进入花园，斯科特，”约翰说道，对寂静和孤独感到惊慌。

Round the house he hurried, led by a pungent smell of burned sugar, and Mr. Scott strolled after him, with a queer look on his face. —
他匆匆绕过房子，被烧焦的糖的刺鼻气味引导着，而斯科特先生则在他身后漫步，脸上带着奇怪的表情。 —

He paused discreetly at a distance when Brooke disappeared, but he could both see and hear, and being a bachelor, enjoyed the prospect mightily.
布鲁克消失时，他冷静地停在一段距离处，但他能看见和听到，作为一个单身汉，他非常享受这个景象。

In the kitchen reigned confusion and despair. —
厨房里一片混乱和绝望。 —

One edition of jelly was trickled from pot to pot, another lay upon the floor, and a third was burning gaily on the stove. —
一罐果冻从一个锅滑到另一个锅中，另一罐果冻则掉在地上，第三罐果冻在炉子上欢快地燃烧着。 —

Lotty, with Teutonic phlegm, was calmly eating bread and currant wine, for the jelly was still in a hopelessly liquid state, while Mrs. Brooke, with her apron over her head, sat sobbing dismally.
洛蒂用德国人的沉着冷静地吃着面包和醋栗酒，因为果冻仍然是无望的流质状态，而布鲁克夫人则用围裙蒙着头，悲伤地哭泣着。

“My dearest girl, what is the matter?” cried John, rushing in, with awful visions of scalded hands, sudden news of affliction, and secret consternation at the thought of the guest in the garden.
“我最亲爱的女孩，出了什么事？”约翰大步走进来，脑海中浮现出烫伤的手、突然的不幸消息、以及对花园中的客人的隐秘惊恐。

“Oh, John, I am so tired and hot and cross and worried! —
“哦，约翰，我累死了，又热又恼火，还担心！ —

I’ve been at it till I’m all worn out. —
我已经累趴下了。快来帮帮我， —

Do come and help me or I shall die!” and the exhausted housewife cast herself upon his breast, giving him a sweet welcome in every sense of the word, for her pinafore had been baptized at the same time as the floor.
不然我会死的！” 疲惫的家庭主妇扑进他的怀里，给了他一个甜蜜的欢迎，完全是以实际行动表达的欢迎，因为她的围裙和地板一起接受了洗礼。

“What worries you dear? Has anything dreadful happened?” asked the anxious John, tenderly kissing the crown of the little cap, which was all askew.
“亲爱的，你在担心什么？发生了什么可怕的事吗？” 焦虑的约翰温柔地吻着她歪歪扣在头上的小帽子。

“Yes,” sobbed Meg despairingly.
“是的，”梅格绝望地抽泣着。

“Tell me quick, then. Don’t cry. —
“那就快告诉我，别哭了。 —

I can bear anything better than that. —
任何事都比看你哭更容易忍受。赶紧说出来， —

Out with it, love.”
亲爱的。”

“The … The jelly won’t jell and I don’t know what to do!”
“果冻……果冻不凝固，我不知道该怎么办！”

John Brooke laughed then as he never dared to laugh afterward, and the derisive Scott smiled involuntarily as he heard the hearty peal, which put the finishing stroke to poor Meg’s woe.
约翰布鲁克当时笑了，他以后再也不敢那样笑了，而萨科特则不由自主地露出了笑容，听到了这一阵痛快淋漓的笑声，为可怜的梅格的痛苦画上了句号。

“Is that all? Fling it out of the window, and don’t bother any more about it. —
“就这样啊？扔出窗外，不要再烦恼了。 —

I’ll buy you quarts if you want it, but for heaven’s sake don’t have hysterics, for I’ve brought Jack Scott home to dinner, and …”
如果你想要的话，我会给你买商品，但是天哪，不要发脾气了，我带杰克·斯科特回家吃晚餐，而且……

John got no further, for Meg cast him off, and clasped her hands with a tragic gesture as she fell into a chair, exclaiming in a tone of mingled indignation, reproach, and dismay …
约翰没来得及说完，梅格把他推开，双手握在一起，带着一种悲惨的姿态坐在椅子上，用一种充满愤怒、责备和惊愕的语气来说……

“A man to dinner, and everything in a mess! —
“请客吃饭，可家里一团糟！约翰·布鲁克， —

John Brooke, how could you do such a thing?”
你怎么能做出这样的事情？”

“Hush, he’s in the garden! I forgot the confounded jelly, but it can’t be helped now,” said John, surveying the prospect with an anxious eye.
“嘘，他在花园里！可恶的果冻我忘了，但现在也帮不了了，”约翰焦虑地眼睛环顾四周。

“You ought to have sent word, or told me this morning, and you ought to have remembered how busy I was,” continued Meg petulantly, for even turtledoves will peck when ruffled.
“你本应该事先通知我，或者早上告诉我，你也应该记得我有多忙，”梅格恼怒地继续说道，即使是小鸽子也会在生气时啄人。

“I didn’t know it this morning, and there was no time to send word, for I met him on the way out. —
“我早上不知道这件事，而且没时间通知你，因为在外面我在路上遇到他了。 —

I never thought of asking leave, when you have always told me to do as I liked. —
你过去总是告诉我随自己喜欢的，我从没有想过要请示。 —

I never tried it before, and hang me if I ever do again!” added John, with an aggrieved air.
以后我再也不会试了，我发誓！”约翰带着委屈的神情补充道。

“I should hope not! Take him away at once. —
“我倒希望不是！立刻把他带走。 —

I can’t see him, and there isn’t any dinner.”
我不能看见他，而且也没有晚餐。”

“Well, I like that! Where’s the beef and vegetables I sent home, and the pudding you promised?” cried John, rushing to the larder.
“哎呀，真是岂有此理！我送回来的牛肉和蔬菜呢，还有你答应的布丁？” 约翰大声说着，冲向储藏室。

“I hadn’t time to cook anything. —
“我没时间做饭。 —

I meant to dine at Mother’s. I’m sorry, but I was so busy,” and Meg’s tears began again.
我本打算在妈妈那里吃晚饭。对不起，但我真的太忙了。”梅格的眼泪又流了出来。

John was a mild man, but he was human, and after a long day’s work to come home tired, hungry, and hopeful, to find a chaotic house, an empty table, and a cross wife was not exactly conductive to repose of mind or manner. —
约翰是个温和的人，但他也是人，经过一天的辛苦工作，回家又累又饿，还希望能看到一个有条理的家，一张满桌的饭菜和一个不发火的妻子，并不利于他的安心和表达方式。 —

He restrained himself however, and the little squall would have blown over, but for one unlucky word.
他设法控制住自己，本来这场小风波也会过去的，但是一个不幸的词却搅了局。

“It’s a scrape, I acknowledge, but if you will lend a hand, we’ll pull through and have a good time yet. —
“我承认这是个烦恼，但是如果你能帮一把，我们会度过难关，继续过上美好的生活的。” —

Don’t cry, dear, but just exert yourself a bit, and fix us up something to eat. —
“不要哭，亲爱的，只要稍微努力一下，给我们弄点吃的就行了。” —

We’re both as hungry as hunters, so we shan’t mind what it is. —
“我们两个都饿得像猎人，所以吃什么都无所谓。” —

Give us the cold meat, and bread and cheese. —
“给我们点冷肉，面包和奶酪吧。 —

We won’t ask for jelly.”
我们不会要果冻了。”

He meant it to be a good-natured joke, but that one word sealed his fate. —
他本意是开个善意的笑话，但那个词却注定了他的命运。 —

Meg thought it was too cruel to hint about her sad failure, and the last atom of patience vanished as he spoke.
梅格觉得暗示她的悲惨失败太残忍了，他说话的时候她最后一丝耐心也消失了。

“You must get yourself out of the scrape as you can. —
“你必须自己想办法解决这个困境。我已经精疲力尽了， —

I’m too used up to ‘exert’ myself for anyone. —
没法再为任何人”努力”了。 —

It’s like a man to propose a bone and vulgar bread and cheese for company. —
提议只提供一块骨头和粗俗的面包和奶酪，真是男人做的事情。 —

I won’t have anything of the sort in my house. —
我不会允许这种事发生在我的家里。 —

Take that Scott up to Mother’s, and tell him I’m away, sick, dead, anything. —
把那个斯科特带到妈妈那里去，告诉他我不在，生病了，死了，随便说什么。 —

I won’t see him, and you two can laugh at me and my jelly as much as you like. —
我不会见他，你们两个可以尽情笑我和我的果冻。 —

You won’t have anything else here.” and having delivered her defiance all on one breath, Meg cast away her pinafore and precipitately left the field to bemoan herself in her own room.
你们在这里别想找到其他任何东西。梅格一口气宣布了她的挑战，扔掉围裙，匆匆离开，去她自己的房间里痛苦地哀怨。

What those two creatures did in her absence, she never knew, but Mr. Scott was not taken ‘up to Mother’s’, and when Meg descended, after they had strolled away together, she found traces of a promiscuous lunch which filled her with horror. —
她不知道那两个生物在她离开时做了什么，但斯科特先生并没有被带到”母亲那里”，当梅格下来时，她发现了一片大杂烩午餐的痕迹，这使她感到恐怖。 —

Lotty reported that they had eaten “a much, and greatly laughed, and the master bid her throw away all the sweet stuff, and hide the pots.”
洛蒂报告说他们吃了许多东西，非常开心，主人让她扔掉所有的甜品，把罐子藏起来。

Meg longed to go and tell Mother, but a sense of shame at her own short-comings, of loyalty to John, “who might be cruel, but nobody should know it,” restrained her, and after a summary cleaning up, she dressed herself prettily, and sat down to wait for John to come and be forgiven.
梅格渴望去告诉妈妈，但她对自己的缺点感到羞愧，对约翰的忠诚心使她拘束住，” 他可能很残忍，但没人会知道”，在进行了一次简单的清理后，她穿好漂亮的衣服，坐下等约翰来道歉。

Unfortunately, John didn’t come, not seeing the matter in that light. —
不幸的是，约翰没有来，他没有从那个角度看待这件事。 —

He had carried it off as a good joke with Scott, excused his little wife as well as he could, and played the host so hospitably that his friend enjoyed the impromptu dinner, and promised to come again, but John was angry, though he did not show it, he felt that Meg had deserted him in his hour of need. —
他和斯科特一起玩得开心，将这一切当做一个好笑的玩笑，尽力为他的小妻子辩解，并热情地担任主人，他的朋友也很享受即兴晚餐，并答应再来，但约翰很生气，尽管他没有表现出来，但他感到梅格在他需要她的时候抛弃了他。 —

“It wasn’t fair to tell a man to bring folks home any time, with perfect freedom, and when he took you at your word, to flame up and blame him, and leave him in the lurch, to be laughed at or pitied. —
“要求一个人随时自由地带朋友回家，然后当他按照你的要求行事时，却发脾气责备他，让他措手不及，被人嘲笑或同情，这不公平。” —

No, by George, it wasn’t! And Meg must know it.”
“天哪，真不公平！梅格必须知道这一点。”

He had fumed inwardly during the feast, but when the flurry was over and he strolled home after seeing Scott off, a milder mood came over him. —
在宴会期间，他内心愤怒挣扎，但当一切紧张结束后，他送走斯科特后漫步回家，心情渐渐好转。 —

“Poor little thing! It was hard upon her when she tried so heartily to please me. —
“可怜的小家伙！她真的很努力地想取悦我，这对她来说太艰难了。 —

She was wrong, of course, but then she was young. —
她当然错了，但她还很年轻。” —

I must be patient and teach her.” He hoped she had not gone home–he hated gossip and interference. —
“我必须耐心教导她。”他希望她没有回家，他讨厌闲言碎语和干涉。 —

For a minute he was ruffled again at the mere thought of it, and then the fear that Meg would cry herself sick softened his heart, and sent him on at a quicker pace, resolving to be calm and kind, but firm, quite firm, and show her where she had failed in her duty to her spouse.
仅仅一想到这件事，他就再次心神不宁，然后担心梅格会因此闹病而心软，于是他更快地前进，决定保持冷静和友善，但决然坚定，并指出她在对待配偶的责任上犯了错误。

Meg likewise resolved to be ‘calm and kind, but firm’, and show him his duty. —
梅格也决心要“冷静和友善，但决然坚定”，并告诉他他的职责。 —

She longed to run to meet him, and beg pardon, and be kissed and comforted, as she was sure of being, but, of course, she did nothing of the sort, and when she saw John coming, began to hum quite naturally, as she rocked and sewed, like a lady of leisure in her best parlor.
她渴望着跑过去迎接他，求他原谅，并被吻和安抚，她相信这一定会发生，但她什么都没做，当她看到约翰走过来时，开始很自然地哼唱起来，像一个在自己最好的客厅里闲适地摇着和缝纫的贵妇人。

John was a little disappointed not to find a tender Niobe, but feeling that his dignity demanded the first apology, he made none, only came leisurely in and laid himself upon the sofa with the singularly relevant remark, “We are going to have a new moon, my dear.”
约翰有点失望没有发现一个柔情的尼奥贝，但感到他的尊严要求首次道歉，他没有道歉，只是悠闲地走进来，躺在沙发上，用格外相关的话说道：“亲爱的，我们要迎来新月了。”

“I’ve no objection,” was Meg’s equally soothing remark. —
“我没有异议，”梅格同样令人安心地说道。 —

A few other topics of general interest were introduced by Mr. Brooke and wet-blanketed by Mrs. Brooke, and conversation languished. —
布鲁克先生引入了几个其他普遍感兴趣的话题，但却被布鲁克夫人泼了冷水，谈话陷入了低潮。 —

John went to one window, unfolded his paper, and wrapped himself in it, figuratively speaking. —
约翰走到一扇窗户前，展开报纸，象征性地裹住了自己。 —

Meg went to the other window, and sewed as if new rosettes for slippers were among the necessaries of life. —
梅格走到另一个窗户前，缝着好像生活中必需的新花饰。 —

Neither spoke. Both looked quite ‘calm and firm’, and both felt desperately uncomfortable.
两人都没有说话。两人看起来都相当“镇定而坚定”，但却感到极为不舒服。

“Oh, dear,” thought Meg, “married life is very trying, and does need infinite patience as well as love, as Mother says.” The word ‘Mother’ suggested other maternal counsels given long ago, and received with unbelieving protests.
“哦，天哪，”梅格心想，“婚姻生活真是考验人啊，需要无限的耐心和爱，就像妈妈说的那样。”提到‘妈妈’这个词，让她想起了很久以前听过的其他母亲的忠告，当时她对此并不相信，表示出了不满的抗议。

“John is a good man, but he has his faults, and you must learn to see and bear with them, remembering your own. —
“约翰是个好人，但他也有自己的缺点，你必须学会看到并忍受他们，记住自己也有缺点。 —

He is very decided, but never will be obstinate, if you reason kindly, not oppose impatiently. —
他很坚决，但只要你友善地推理，而不是急躁地反对，他就不会固执。” —

He is very accurate, and particular about the truth–a good trait, though you call him ‘fussy’. —
他非常准确，对真相十分讲究－－这是一个好特点，尽管你称他为’挑剔’。 —

Never deceive him by look or word, Meg, and he will give you the confidence you deserve, the support you need. —
梅格，绝不要用眼神或言语欺骗他，他会给你应得的信任和所需的支持。 —

He has a temper, not like ours–one flash and then all over–but the white, still anger that is seldom stirred, but once kindled is hard to quench. —
他脾气暴躁，不像我们那样－－只是一闪而过－－而是一种稳定而少被激起的白色愤怒，但一旦被点燃，很难平息。 —

Be careful, be very careful, not to wake his anger against yourself, for peace and happiness depend on keeping his respect. —
要小心，非常小心，不要引起他对你的愤怒，因为和平与幸福取决于保持他的尊重。 —

Watch yourself, be the first to ask pardon if you both err, and guard against the little piques, misunderstandings, and hasty words that often pave the way for bitter sorrow and regret.”
注意自己，如果你们都出错了，要第一个道歉，并防范那些常常为悔恨和后悔埋下伏笔的小怨，误解和莽撞的言辞。

These words came back to Meg, as she sat sewing in the sunset, especially the last. —
梅格坐在夕阳下缝纫时，这些话又回到了她的脑海中，尤其是最后一句。 —

This was the first serious disagreement, her own hasty speeches sounded both silly and unkind, as she recalled them, her own anger looked childish now, and thoughts of poor John coming home to such a scene quite melted her heart. —
这是第一次严重的争执，她自己匆忙的言辞在回忆时听起来又傻又不友善，她自己的愤怒现在看起来很幼稚，而对可怜的约翰回家面对这样的场景的想法真的感动到了她的心。 —

She glanced at him with tears in her eyes, but he did not see them. —
她含着泪水朝他瞥了一眼，但他并没有看到。 —

She put down her work and got up, thinking, “I will be the first to say, ‘Forgive me’”, but he did not seem to hear her. —
她放下手里的工作站起来，心里想着：“我将是第一个说‘原谅我’的人。”，但他似乎没有听到。 —

She went very slowly across the room, for pride was hard to swallow, and stood by him, but he did not turn his head. —
她慢慢走过房间，因为她很难咽下自尊，站在他旁边，但他没有转过头。 —

For a minute she felt as if she really couldn’t do it, then came the thought, “This is the beginning. —
有一瞬间，她觉得自己真的无法做到，然后她想到：“这就是开始。” —

I’ll do my part, and have nothing to reproach myself with,” and stooping down, she softly kissed her husband on the forehead. —
我会尽到我的责任，不给自己留下任何后悔的理由。”低下头，她轻轻地吻了丈夫的额头。 —

Of course that settled it. —
当然，事情就这么解决了。 —

The penitent kiss was better than a world of words, and John had her on his knee in a minute, saying tenderly …
这个忏悔的吻比千言万语更好，约翰立刻把她抱到了膝盖上，温柔地说着……

“It was too bad to laugh at the poor little jelly pots. Forgive me, dear. I never will again!”
“取笑那些可怜的果冻罐太过分了。原谅我，亲爱的。我以后再也不会了！”

But he did, oh bless you, yes, hundreds of times, and so did Meg, both declaring that it was the sweetest jelly they ever made, for family peace was preserved in that little family jar.
但他们确实一直这样做，天哪，是成千上万次。梅格也是，他们都说这是他们制作的最好的果冻，因为在那个小的家庭矛盾中，家庭和平得以维持。

After this, Meg had Mr. Scott to dinner by special invitation, and served him up a pleasant feast without a cooked wife for the first course, on which occasion she was so gay and gracious, and made everything go off so charmingly, that Mr. Scott told John he was a lucky fellow, and shook his head over the hardships of bachelorhood all the way home.
之后，梅格特意邀请斯科特先生来家里吃饭，并为他准备了一顿美味的晚餐。这是她第一次招待客人时没有煮菜的妻子。这个场合下，她非常快乐和亲切，让一切都变得非常愉快。斯科特先生告诉约翰他很幸运，并在回家路上为单身汉的艰辛摇了摇头。

In the autumn, new trials and experiences came to Meg. Sallie Moffat renewed her friendship, was always running out for a dish of gossip at the little house, or inviting ‘that poor dear’ to come in and spend the day at the big house. —
秋天里，梅格面临了新的考验和经历。莎莉·莫法特重归旧友，经常跑到小房子里聊天，或者邀请“那个可怜的亲爱的人”到大房子里来度过一天。 —

It was pleasant, for in dull weather Meg often felt lonely. —
这很愉快，因为在阴沉的天气里，梅格经常感到孤单。 —

All were busy at home, John absent till night, and nothing to do but sew, or read, or potter about. —
家里每个人都很忙，约翰直到晚上才回来，她除了做针线活、阅读或瞎忙之外，没有其他事情可做。 —

So it naturally fell out that Meg got into the way of gadding and gossiping with her friend. —
所以梅格自然而然地开始四处溜达并与她的朋友闲聊。 —

Seeing Sallie’s pretty things made her long for such, and pity herself because she had not got them. —
看到莎莉漂亮的东西让她渴望拥有这些东西，并对自己没有得到它们而自怨自艾。 —

Sallie was very kind, and often offered her the coveted trifles, but Meg declined them, knowing that John wouldn’t like it, and then this foolish little woman went and did what John disliked even worse.
莎莉非常好心，经常主动给梅格一些珍贵的小玩意儿，但梅格婉拒了，因为她知道约翰不会喜欢，而这个愚蠢的小女人却偏偏去做了约翰更讨厌的事情。

She knew her husband’s income, and she loved to feel that he trusted her, not only with his happiness, but what some men seem to value more–his money. —
她知道丈夫的收入，她喜欢感受到他对她的信任，不仅是对他的幸福，更重要的是他似乎更看重的—他的钱。 —

She knew where it was, was free to take what she liked, and all he asked was that she should keep account of every penny, pay bills once a month, and remember that she was a poor man’s wife. —
她知道钱在哪里，可以随意拿用，他只要求她每个月记录每一分钱，付账单，并记住她是一个穷人的妻子。 —

Till now she had done well, been prudent and exact, kept her little account books neatly, and showed them to him monthly without fear. —
迄今为止，她做得很好，谨慎而准确，把她的小账簿整洁地保管好，并每月向他展示，毫无畏惧。 —

But that autumn the serpent got into Meg’s paradise, and tempted her like many a modern Eve, not with apples, but with dress. —
但那个秋天，蛇进入了梅格的天堂，并像许多现代的夏娃一样诱惑她，不是以苹果，而是以服装。 —

Meg didn’t like to be pitied and made to feel poor. —
梅格不喜欢被怜悯和让人觉得穷。 —

It irritated her, but she was ashamed to confess it, and now and then she tried to console herself by buying something pretty, so that Sallie needn’t think she had to economize. —
这让她感到烦恼，但她又不好意思承认，有时候她试图通过买一些漂亮的东西来安慰自己，这样莎莉就不会觉得她需要节约。 —

She always felt wicked after it, for the pretty things were seldom necessaries, but then they cost so little, it wasn’t worth worrying about, so the trifles increased unconsciously, and in the shopping excursions she was no longer a passive looker-on.
她买完东西之后总是感到有些邪恶，因为那些漂亮的东西很少是必需品，但是它们价格不高，不值得为此担心，所以这些琐事不知不觉地增加了，而在购物时她不再只是一个被动的旁观者。

But the trifles cost more than one would imagine, and when she cast up her accounts at the end of the month the sum total rather scared her. —
但是这些琐事的费用比人们想象的要多，在月底算账时，总数让她有些吓到。 —

John was busy that month and left the bills to her, the next month he was absent, but the third he had a grand quarterly settling up, and Meg never forgot it. —
那个月约翰很忙，把账单留给了她，下个月他又不在，但第三个月他有一次盛大的季度结算，梅格永远也忘不了那一刻。 —

A few days before she had done a dreadful thing, and it weighed upon her conscience. —
几天前她做了一件可怕的事，这让她的良心感到沉重。 —

Sallie had been buying silks, and Meg longed for a new one, just a handsome light one for parties, her black silk was so common, and thin things for evening wear were only proper for girls. —
Sallie一直在买丝绸，而Meg渴望有一件新的，只是一件漂亮的浅色丝绸派对服，她的黑丝太普通了，而对于女孩们来说，薄薄的晚礼服才是合适的。 —

Aunt March usually gave the sisters a present of twenty-five dollars apiece at New Year’s. —
Aunt March通常在新年给姐妹们每人一份25美元的礼物。 —

That was only a month to wait, and here was a lovely violet silk going at a bargain, and she had the money, if she only dared to take it. —
这只是一个月的时间，而这里有一个可爱的紫罗兰色丝绸正在打折，而且她有钱，只要敢拿。 —

John always said what was his was hers, but would he think it right to spend not only the prospective five-and-twenty, but another five-and-twenty out of the household fund? —
John总是说他的就是她的，但他会认为这样做是对的吗？这不仅是可期待的25块钱，还有另外25块钱的家庭基金？ —

That was the question. Sallie had urged her to do it, had offered to lend the money, and with the best intentions in life had tempted Meg beyond her strength. —
这就是问题。Sallie催着她这样做，还主动借钱给她，但是出于最好的意图，她引诱了Meg超出了她的承受能力。 —

In an evil moment the shopman held up the lovely, shimmering folds, and said, “A bargain, I assure, you, ma’am.” She answered, “I’ll take it,” and it was cut off and paid for, and Sallie had exulted, and she had laughed as if it were a thing of no consequence, and driven away, feeling as if she had stolen something, and the police were after her.
在一个邪恶的时刻，店员举起了这美丽、闪烁的褶皱，说：“一个便宜货，我向您保证，夫人。”她回答说：“我要买下它。”就在这时，电话被挂断了并且付款完成了。莎莉很高兴地欢呼着，仿佛这件事情毫不重要，开车离开时，感觉自己好像偷了东西，警察在追她。

When she got home, she tried to assuage the pangs of remorse by spreading forth the lovely silk, but it looked less silvery now, didn’t become her, after all, and the words ‘fifty dollars’ seemed stamped like a pattern down each breadth. —
当她回到家，她试图通过展开美丽的丝绸来缓解内疚的痛苦，但现在它看起来不再银色，也不适合她，每一块布料上都似乎印着“五十美元”的字样。 —

She put it away, but it haunted her, not delightfully as a new dress should, but dreadfully like the ghost of a folly that was not easily laid. —
她把它收起来，但它却一直萦绕在她心头，不像应该带来愉悦的新衣服，却像是一种不容易抛却的愚蠢的幽灵。 —

When John got out his books that night, Meg’s heart sank, and for the first time in her married life, she was afraid of her husband. —
当约翰整理他的书籍时，梅格的心沉了下去，这是她婚后第一次害怕自己的丈夫。 —

The kind, brown eyes looked as if they could be stern, and though he was unusually merry, she fancied he had found her out, but didn’t mean to let her know it. —
那双慈祥的棕色眼睛似乎能够严厉起来，尽管他异常快乐，她想象他已经发现了她的事情，但并不打算让她知道。 —

The house bills were all paid, the books all in order. —
房屋账单全都支付完，书籍也整理好了。 —

John had praised her, and was undoing the old pocketbook which they called the ‘bank’, when Meg, knowing that it was quite empty, stopped his hand, saying nervously …
约翰称赞了她，正在解开那个他们称之为“银行”的旧皮夹，此时梅格紧张地停住了他的手，不安地说道……

“You haven’t seen my private expense book yet.”
“你还没有看过我的私人消费账本呢。”

John never asked to see it, but she always insisted on his doing so, and used to enjoy his masculine amazement at the queer things women wanted, and made him guess what piping was, demand fiercely the meaning of a hug-me-tight, or wonder how a little thing composed of three rosebuds, a bit of velvet, and a pair of strings, could possibly be a bonnet, and cost six dollars. —
约翰从来不要求看，但她总是坚持要他看，并且享受他作为男性对女性奇怪物品的惊讶，她会让他猜什么是piping，对一个hug-me-tight的含义进行强烈的追问，或者想知道由三朵玫瑰花蕾、一块丝绒和一根细带子制成的小物品怎么可能是一个帽子，并且还要花费六美元。 —

That night he looked as if he would like the fun of quizzing her figures and pretending to be horrified at her extravagance, as he often did, being particularly proud of his prudent wife.
那天晚上，他看上去好像很想取笑她的数字，并装作对她的铺张浪费感到震惊，他经常这样做，对他节俭的妻子感到特别自豪。

The little book was brought slowly out and laid down before him. —
小账本被慢慢地拿出来，放在他面前。 —

Meg got behind his chair under pretense of smoothing the wrinkles out of his tired forehead, and standing there, she said, with her panic increasing with every word …
梅格假装在抚平他累得皱巴巴的额头后，蹲在他椅子后面，而站在那里的她，她说话的时候恐慌感越来越强烈…

“John, dear, I’m ashamed to show you my book, for I’ve really been dreadfully extravagant lately. —
“约翰，亲爱的，我真的很不好意思给你看我的账本，因为我最近真的非常挥霍。 —

I go about so much I must have things, you know, and Sallie advised my getting it, so I did, and my New Year’s money will partly pay for it, but I was sorry after I had done it, for I knew you’d think it wrong in me.”
你知道，我到处走动，肯定需要一些东西，萨莉建议我买，所以我就买了，我的新年钱会部分支付，但买完后我就后悔了，因为我知道你会觉得我做得不对。”

John laughed, and drew her round beside him, saying goodhumoredly, “Don’t go and hide. —
约翰笑了笑，把她拉到身旁，友好地说：“别躲起来。 —

I won’t beat you if you have got a pair of killing boots. —
如果你买了一双漂亮的靴子，我不会打你的。 —

I’m rather proud of my wife’s feet, and don’t mind if she does pay eight or nine dollars for her boots, if they are good ones.”
我挺为我的妻子的脚感到骄傲的，如果她愿意为一双好靴子支付八九美元，我也不在乎。”

That had been one of her last ‘trifles’, and John’s eye had fallen on it as he spoke. —
那是她最近的一个“琐事”，当约翰说话的时候，他的眼睛正好看见了那双靴子。 —

“Oh, what will he say when he comes to that awful fifty dollars!” thought Meg, with a shiver.
“哦，当他看到那可怕的五十美元时，他会说些什么！”梅格想着，浑身一颤。

“It’s worse than boots, it’s a silk dress,” she said, with the calmness of desperation, for she wanted the worst over.
“这比靴子更糟糕，这是一件丝绸连衣裙，” 她带着绝望的冷静说道，因为她渴望最糟糕的情况快点结束。

“Well, dear, what is the ‘dem’d total’, as Mr. Mantalini says?”
“亲爱的，’该死的总数’是多少，就像曼塔利尼先生说的那样？”

That didn’t sound like John, and she knew he was looking up at her with the straightforward look that she had always been ready to meet and answer with one as frank till now. —
那不像是约翰的声音，她知道他正直视着她，与以往一样坦然而直接。 —

She turned the page and her head at the same time, pointing to the sum which would have been bad enough without the fifty, but which was appalling to her with that added. —
她翻过一页的同时也转过头，指着那个本来就够糟糕的数字，而加上那五十后，简直让她无法承受。 —

For a minute the room was very still, then John said slowly–but she could feel it cost him an effort to express no displeasure–…
屋子里瞬间安静下来，然后约翰缓慢地说道——但她能感觉到他在尽量不表达不满——

“Well, I don’t know that fifty is much for a dress, with all the furbelows and notions you have to have to finish it off these days.”
“嗯，我不知道五十对于一件连衣裙来说是否够多，现如今你得有各种花边装饰和细节来把它做好。”

“It isn’t made or trimmed,” sighed Meg, faintly, for a sudden recollection of the cost still to be incurred quite overwhelmed her.
“它还没裁剪或布置，”梅格叹息道，有关尚需花费的钱突然涌上心头，让她几乎无法承受。

“Twenty-five yards of silk seems a good deal to cover one small woman, but I’ve no doubt my wife will look as fine as Ned Moffat’s when she gets it on,” said John dryly.
“二十五码的丝绸对一个小女人来说似乎太多了，但我毫不怀疑，我妻子穿上它时会像内德·莫费特的妻子一样漂亮。” 约翰干巴巴地说道。

“I know you are angry, John, but I can’t help it. —
“约翰，我知道你生气了，但我无能为力。 —

I don’t mean to waste your money, and I didn’t think those little things would count up so. —
我不是故意浪费你的钱的，我也没有想到那些小东西会这么花钱。” —

I can’t resist them when I see Sallie buying all she wants, and pitying me because I don’t. —
“当我看到莎莉随心所欲地购买一切，还同情我因为我不能这样时，我就忍不住了。” —

I try to be contented, but it is hard, and I’m tired of being poor.”
“我尽力让自己满足，但这很难，我厌倦了贫穷。”

The last words were spoken so low she thought he did not hear them, but he did, and they wounded him deeply, for he had denied himself many pleasures for Meg’s sake. —
“最后那几句话她说得很低，她以为约翰没有听到，但他听到了，而且深深地伤害了他，因为为了梅格，他已经为自己剥夺了很多乐趣。” —

She could have bitten her tongue out the minute she had said it, for John pushed the books away and got up, saying with a little quiver in his voice, “I was afraid of this. —
“她真希望自己刚才没有说出来，因为约翰一推书本就站起来，声音颤抖地说道，“我就怕会发生这种事。” —

I do my best, Meg.” If he had scolded her, or even shaken her, it would not have broken her heart like those few words. —
“梅格，我尽力了。” 如果他责骂她，甚至摇晃她都不会像那几句话一样伤透她的心。 —

She ran to him and held him close, crying, with repentant tears, “Oh, John, my dear, kind, hard-working boy. —
她跑向他，紧紧地抱住他，哭泣着，满是后悔的眼泪，”哦，约翰，我亲爱的、善良、努力工作的男孩。 —

I didn’t mean it! It was so wicked, so untrue and ungrateful, how could I say it! Oh, how could I say it!”
我不是故意的！这样坏，这样不真实和不感激，我怎么能说出来！哦，我怎么能说出来！”

He was very kind, forgave her readily, and did not utter one reproach, but Meg knew that she had done and said a thing which would not be forgotten soon, although he might never allude to it again. —
他非常善良，很快就原谅了她，没有责备一句，但梅格知道她做了一件事，说了一句话，这事短时间内不会被忘记，即使他再也不提了。 —

She had promised to love him for better or worse, and then she, his wife, had reproached him with his poverty, after spending his earnings recklessly. —
她曾承诺爱他无论是好是坏，然后她，他的妻子，却因他的贫穷而责备他，尽管他为她浪费了自己的收入。 —

It was dreadful, and the worst of it was John went on so quietly afterward, just as if nothing had happened, except that he stayed in town later, and worked at night when she had gone to cry herself to sleep. —
太可怕了，最糟糕的是约翰接下来还是那么平静，就好像什么事都没发生过，除了他工作得更晚了，晚上在她哭着入睡时还在工作。 —

A week of remorse nearly made Meg sick, and the discovery that John had countermanded the order for his new greatcoat reduced her to a state of despair which was pathetic to behold. —
一周的内疚差点让梅格生病，而发现约翰取消了他新大衣的订单使她陷入了绝望的状态，这种状态令人心酸。 —

He had simply said, in answer to her surprised inquiries as to the change, “I can’t afford it, my dear.”
他简单地回答她惊讶的询问说：“亲爱的，我买不起。”

Meg said no more, but a few minutes after he found her in the hall with her face buried in the old greatcoat, crying as if her heart would break.
梅格没有再说什么，但几分钟后，他发现她躲在走廊里，脸埋在旧大衣里，哭得伤心欲绝。

They had a long talk that night, and Meg learned to love her husband better for his poverty, because it seemed to have made a man of him, given him the strength and courage to fight his own way, and taught him a tender patience with which to bear and comfort the natural longings and failures of those he loved.
那晚他们进行了长时间的谈话，梅格因为丈夫的贫穷更加爱他，因为这似乎使他变成了一个男人，给了他战胜困境的力量和勇气，并教会了他柔情和耐心，以承担并安慰所爱之人的自然欲望和失败。

Next day she put her pride in her pocket, went to Sallie, told the truth, and asked her to buy the silk as a favor. —
第二天，她把自己的骄傲放在一边，去找莎莉，告诉她实情，并请求她作为一个恩惠去买丝绸。 —

The good- natured Mrs. Moffat willingly did so, and had the delicacy not to make her a present of it immediately afterward. —
善良的莫法特夫人愉快地答应了，并且很细心地没有立刻把丝绸送给她作为礼物。 —

Then Meg ordered home the greatcoat, and when John arrived, she put it on, and asked him how he liked her new silk gown. —
然后，梅格订购了大衣，当约翰到达时，她穿上它，问他喜欢她的新丝绸礼服吗。 —

One can imagine what answer he made, how he received his present, and what a blissful state of things ensued. —
一个人可以想象他做出了什么答案，他是如何收到他的礼物的，以及随之而来的幸福状态。 —

John came home early, Meg gadded no more, and that greatcoat was put on in the morning by a very happy husband, and taken off at night by a most devoted little wife. —
约翰提前回家了，梅格不再胡乱闲逛，这个大衣早上被一个非常幸福的丈夫穿上，晚上被一个非常忠诚的小妻子脱下。 —

So the year rolled round, and at midsummer there came to Meg a new experience, the deepest and tenderest of a woman’s life.
于是一年又过去了，到了仲夏，梅格经历了一个新的经历，这是一个女人生命中最深刻、最温柔的经历。

Laurie came sneaking into the kitchen of the Dovecote one Saturday, with an excited face, and was received with the clash of cymbals, for Hannah clapped her hands with a saucepan in one and the cover in the other.
劳里在一个星期六悄悄溜进了鸽舍的厨房，脸上带着兴奋的表情，得到了一阵铜钹的回应，因为汉娜一手拿着一个锅子，一手拿着盖子，拍手叫好。

“How’s the little mamma? Where is everybody? —
“小妈妈怎么样？大家都在哪里？ —

Why didn’t you tell me before I came home?” began Laurie in a loud whisper.
你为什么不在我回家之前告诉我？”劳里大声低语着问道。

“Happy as a queen, the dear! —
“亲爱的，她像王后一样幸福！ —

Every soul of ‘em is upstairs a worshipin’. —
他们每个人都在楼上在狂欢。 —

We didn’t want no hurrycanes round. —
我们不想让任何人匆忙。” —

Now you go into the parlor, and I’ll send ‘em down to you,” with which somewhat involved reply Hannah vanished, chuckling ecstatically.
“现在你去客厅，我会把他们带下来的。”汉娜神秘地回答道，然后开心地消失了。

Presently Jo appeared, proudly bearing a flannel bundle laid forth upon a large pillow. —
此刻，乔自豪地拿着一小片法兰绒捆在一张大枕头上。 —

Jo’s face was very sober, but her eyes twinkled, and there was an odd sound in her voice of repressed emotion of some sort.
乔的脸色很严肃，但她的眼睛闪烁着，她的声音中有一种被压制住的情感的奇怪声音。

“Shut your eyes and hold out your arms,” she said invitingly.
“闭上你的眼睛，伸出你的手臂。”她邀请地说道。

Laurie backed precipitately into a corner, and put his hands behind him with an imploring gesture. —
劳里急忙退到一个角落，用一种乞求的手势把他的手放在背后。 —

“No, thank you. I’d rather not. —
“不用了，谢谢。 —

I shall drop it or smash it, as sure as fate.”
我肯定会掉下来或打破它的。”

“Then you shan’t see your nevvy,” said Jo decidedly, turning as if to go.
“那么你就看不到你的外甥了。”乔坚决地说着，转身准备走。

“I will, I will! Only you must be responsible for damages.” and obeying orders, Laurie heroically shut his eyes while something was put into his arms. —
“我会的，我会的！只是你必须负责任损坏。”在遵守命令的同时，劳里英勇地闭上了眼睛，而他的手臂里被放着一些东西。 —

A peal of laughter from Jo, Amy, Mrs. March, Hannah, and John caused him to open them the next minute, to find himself invested with two babies instead of one.
乔、艾米、玛奇夫人、汉娜和约翰的一阵笑声让他在下一分钟睁开眼睛后，发现他的怀里不是一个婴儿，而是两个婴儿。

No wonder they laughed, for the expression of his face was droll enough to convulse a Quaker, as he stood and stared wildly from the unconscious innocents to the hilarious spectators with such dismay that Jo sat down on the floor and screamed.
难怪他们笑了，因为他脸上的表情可笑得足以让一个贵格会的人想笑，而他站在那里一边愣愣地盯着那两个毫无察觉的孩子，一边看着满脸愉快的观众，表情惊恐得让乔坐到地板上尖叫起来。

“Twins, by Jupiter!” was all he said for a minute, then turning to the women with an appealing look that was comically piteous, he added, “Take ‘em quick, somebody! —
“天哪，双胞胎！”他沉默了一分钟之后这样说道，然后转向那两个女人，用一种可笑而可怜的神情说道，“快有人把他们拿走！” —

I’m going to laugh, and I shall drop ‘em.”
我要笑了，他们会摔下来的。

Jo rescued his babies, and marched up and down, with one on each arm, as if already initiated into the mysteries of babytending, while Laurie laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks.
乔救下他的孩子们，一只胳膊抱一个，如同已经熟悉了照顾婴儿的奥秘一样地来回走动，而劳瑞则笑得泪流满面。

“It’s the best joke of the season, isn’t it? —
“这是本赛季最好笑的笑话， —

I wouldn’t have told you, for I set my heart on surprising you, and I flatter myself I’ve done it,” said Jo, when she got her breath.
不是吗？我本想给你一个惊喜，我自己也对此很满意。”乔喘息着说道。

“I never was more staggered in my life. Isn’t it fun? —
“我一生中从未遇到过更让我惊讶的事情了，这太有趣了！ —

Are they boys? What are you going to name them? —
他们是男孩吗？你打算给他们起什么名字？ —

Let’s have another look. —
让我再看一眼。” —

Hold me up, Jo, for upon my life it’s one too many for me,” returned Laurie, regarding the infants with the air of a big, benevolent Newfoundland looking at a pair of infantile kittens.
“Jo，帮我扶着，这些孩子对我来说太多了。” 劳里说着，仿佛一只仁慈的纽芬兰犬看着一对刚出生的小猫咪。

“Boy and girl. Aren’t they beauties?” said the proud papa, beaming upon the little red squirmers as if they were unfledged angels.
“男孩和女孩。它们是不是很漂亮？” 骄傲的爸爸边说边笑看着这一对只会扭动的小婴儿，仿佛它们是刚孵化的天使。

“Most remarkable children I ever saw. Which is which?” and Laurie bent like a well-sweep to examine the prodigies.
“我见过的最不同寻常的孩子。哪个是哪个呢？” 劳里像井柱一样弯下腰，仔细研究这两个奇迹。

“Amy put a blue ribbon on the boy and a pink on the girl, French fashion, so you can always tell. —
“艾米给男孩系上一条蓝色丝带，女孩系上一条粉色的，法式风格，这样你总能分辨出来。 —

Besides, one has blue eyes and one brown. —
“而且一个有蓝眼睛，一个有棕眼睛。 —

Kiss them, Uncle Teddy,” said wicked Jo.
亲一下他们，泰迪叔叔。” 恶作剧的乔说。

“I’m afraid they mightn’t like it,” began Laurie, with unusual timidity in such matters.
“我怕他们会不喜欢。” 劳里在这类问题上不寻常地胆小起来。

“Of course they will, they are used to it now. —
“当然不会，他们已经习惯了。 —

Do it this minute, sir!” commanded Jo, fearing he might propose a proxy.
现在就给他们亲个。”乔命令道，担心他会提议找个替身。

Laurie screwed up his face and obeyed with a gingerly peck at each little cheek that produced another laugh, and made the babies squeal.
劳里扭曲着脸，小心翼翼地亲了一下每颗脸颊，引来一阵笑声，让孩子们嘶哑叫喊起来。

“There, I knew they didn’t like it! That’s the boy, see him kick, he hits out with his fists like a good one. —
“看吧，我就知道他们不喜欢！那个小男孩，你看他踢人，他的拳头像个厉害的人一样乱打。” —

Now then, young Brooke, pitch into a man of your own size, will you?” cried Laurie, delighted with a poke in the face from a tiny fist, flapping aimlessly about.
“现在，年轻的布鲁克，找个和你差不多大小的人打，好吗？”劳里高兴地喊道，脸上挨了一记无意义的拳头捣击。”他将被命名为约翰·劳伦斯，女孩将以母亲和祖母的名字玛格丽特命名。” 艾米有些象一个姑妈感兴趣地说。

“He’s to be named John Laurence, and the girl Margaret, after mother and grandmother. —
“我们会叫她黛西，这样就不会有两个梅格了，我想男孩可能会叫杰克，除非我们找到一个更好的名字，”艾米说。 —

We shall call her Daisey, so as not to have two Megs, and I suppose the mannie will be Jack, unless we find a better name,” said Amy, with aunt-like interest.
“叫他迪米约翰，并称为迪米，” 劳里说。

“Name him Demijohn, and call him Demi for short,” said Laurie
“黛西和迪米，太好了！我就知道泰迪会做到！” 乔拍手喊道。

“Daisy and Demi, just the thing! —
这次泰迪确实做到了， —

I knew Teddy would do it,” cried Jo clapping her hands.
孩子们直到章节结束都叫作”黛西”和”迪米”。

Teddy certainly had done it that time, for the babies were ‘Daisy’ and ‘Demi’ to the end of the chapter.
Daisy和Demi在这一章的剩下部分仍然是他们的名字。