1.Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised蕾切尔·林德太太大吃一惊-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《绿山墙的安妮Anne of Green Gables》上

Lucy Maud Montgomery Chapter I Mrs.Rachel Lynde Is Surprised Mrs.Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow,fringed with alders and ladies'eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place. There are plenty of people in Avonlea and out of it,who can attend closely to their neighbor's business by dint of neglecting 5 their own; but Mrs.Rachel Lynde was one of those capable creatures who can manage their own concerns and those of other folks into the bargain. She was sitting there one afternoon in early June.Thomas Lynde- a meek little man whom Avonlea people called "Rachel Lynde's husband"-was sowing his late turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn;and Matthew Cuthbert ought to have been sowing his on the big red brook field away over by Green Gables.Mrs.Rachel knew that he ought because she had heard him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J.Blair's store over at Carmody that he meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. And yet here was Matthew C uthbert,at half-past three on the ·002· 第一章 蕾切尔·林德太太大吃一惊 蕾切尔·林德太太住的地方恰好是在埃文利 ①ringe /frind3/片以某物做 大道与小山交汇之处。小山谷桤木环绕，花儿遍 边界(be fringed with】 野，一条小溪潺潺流过。小溪发源于老卡斯伯特 ②alder :lda/n.赤杨木 ③traverse /'traevas/.横越，穿 家附近的森林。 越横贯 埃文利和其他地方都有很多这样的人：他 ④by dint of借助 们特别爱关心别人的事，自己的事倒没管好。 ⑤neglect /n'glekt/k忽视，疏 蕾切尔太太可不这样，她有本事两头不耽误。 忽，忽略 capable /keipabl/a.有能力 六月初的一个下午，蕾切尔太太正坐在窗 的，能干的 前。托马斯·林德一一个温顺的小个子，埃文 into the bargain另外，加之 利人叫他“蕾切尔·林德的丈夫”一正在谷仓 8 meek /mi:k/a温顺的，漾 恭的 远处的山地上播种晚萝卜，马修·卡斯伯特也该 9sow/s3/.插种 在绿山墙那边的大片红色溪滩地上种萝卜了。蕾 0 turnip /t3nup/n萝卜，芜菁， 大头菜 切尔太太之所以知道这个，是因为昨天晚上她在 卡莫迪的威廉·布莱尔商店里听见马修对彼得·莫 里森说他打算第二天下午种晚萝卜。 可是下午三点半马修·卡斯伯特却在这儿出 现了，在这繁忙的日子里，他悠闲地驶过谷地爬 ·003· Anne of Green Gables afternoon of a busy day,placidly driving over the hollow and up the hill;moreover,he wore a white collar and his best suit of clothes, which was plain proof that he was going out of Avonlea;and he had the buggy2 and the sorrel mare,which betokened 5 that he was going a considerable distance.Now,where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why was he going there? "I'll just step over to Green Gables after tea and find out from Marilla where he's gone and why,the worthy woman finally concluded. Accordingly after tea Mrs.Rachel set out;she had not far to go; the big,rambling,orchard -embowered house where the Cuthberts lived was a scant quarter of a mile up the road from Lynde's Hollow. Matthew Cuthbert's father,as shy and silent as his son after him,had got as far away as he possibly could from his fellow men without actually retreating0 into the woods when he founded his homestead. Mrs.Rachel Lynde did not call living in such a place LIVING at all. "It's just STAYING,that's what,"she said as she stepped along the deep-rutted,grassy lane bordered with wild rose bushes."It's no wonder Matthew and Marilla are both a little odd,living away back here by themselves."With this she stepped out of the lane into the backyard of Green Gables. Mrs.Rachel rapped smartly at the kitchen door and stepped in when bidden to do so.The kitchen at Green Gables was a cheerful apartment-or would have been cheerful if it had not been so painfully clean as to give it something of the appearance of an unused parlor.Here sat Marilla Cuthbert,knitting,and the table behind her was laid for supper. “Good evening,Rachel,”Marilla said briskly.“This is a real fine evening,isn't it?Won't you sit down?How are all your folks?" ·004· 绿山墙的安妮 ①placidly /plaesidlt/ad平稳 上山坡，而且他还穿着最好的套装，戴着雪白的 地，平静地 硬领，显然是要离开埃文利；他还赶着马车，套 上了栗色的母马，这说明他要出远门。那么，马 ②buggy /'bAgr/L轻型马车 修·卡斯伯特要去哪儿？又是去干什么呢？ 3 sorrel"sprl/a.红褐色的 ④mare/me/i.母马，母驴 “下午茶后我得去绿山墙那边问问玛丽拉他 ⑤betoken/b'tukn/.预示 要去哪儿，干什么去。”蕾切尔太太最后决定。 下午茶后蕾切尔太太就出发了，她不用走很 远的路，马修·卡斯伯特住的那所高大、不规则 6 rambling /'ramblin/a.杂乱 的果木环绕的房子离林德山谷只有不到四百米的 无章的，动词ramble的现在 分词 上坡路。马修的父亲，也和马修一样腼腆和沉默 orchard/'3:tfad/n.果园 寡言，在修建宅基时虽没有隐退到树林里，可也 8 embower/im'baua/g用树 是尽可能地远离其他人。蕾切尔太太从不把在这 叶遮蔽（隐于树葫中） 9 scant/skant/a不充分的， 种地方生活叫作生活。 不足的 “这不过是活着，如此而已。”她一边说一边 自retreat/r'tri:t/k撤退，向 后倾 走在两旁尽是野玫瑰丛、车辙很深、杂草丛生的 小路上。“难怪马修和玛丽拉都有点古怪，孤孤 deep-rutted有很深车嫩的 单单地住在这种远离人烟的地方。” @odd/pd/a古怪的 这样念叨着，蕾切尔太太出了小路，走进绿 山墙的后院。 蕾切尔太太轻快地敲了敲厨房门，听到应答 B rap /rap/g.轻敲，敲门 后就走了进去。绿山墙的厨房是个令人愉快的地 方一或者说，它过分干净了些，以至于多少有 些像一间闲置的客厅，否则它本是会令人愉快 的。玛丽拉就坐在东窗下，织着毛活儿，身后已 经摆好了桌子准备用晚餐。 “晚上好，蕾切尔。”玛丽拉轻快地说，“今 儿晚上天儿不错，对吧？快坐下，家里人都好 briskly /brisklt/ad活泼地， 精神勃勃地 吧？” ·005· Anne of Green Gables Something that for lack of any o ther name might be called friendship existed and always had existed between Marilla Cuthbert and Mrs.Rachel,in spite of-or perhaps because of-their dissimilarity. Marilla was a tall,thin woman,with angles and without curves; her dark hair showed some gray streaks2 and was always twisted up in a hard little knot behind with two wire hairpins stuck aggressively through it. “We're all pretty well,”said Mrs.Rachel..“I was kind of afraid YOU weren't,though,when I saw Matthew starting off today.I thought maybe he was going to the doctor's." "Oh,no,I'm quite well although I had a bad headache yesterday," Marilla said."Matthew went to Bright River.We're getting a little boy from an orphan5 asylum in Nova Scotia and he's coming on the train tonight.” “Are you in earnest⑦，Marilla?”she demanded when voice returned to her. "Yes,of course,"said Marilla,as if getting boys from orphan asylums in Nova Scotia were part of the usual spring work on any well- regulated Avonlea farm instead of being an unheard of innovation3. Mrs.Rachel prided herself on always speaking her mind;she proceeded to speak it now,having adjusted her mental attitude to this amazing piece of news. "Well,Marilla,I'll just tell you plain that I think you're doing a mighty foolish thing-a risky thing,that's what.You don't know what you're getting.You're bringing a strange child into your house and home and you don't know a single thing about him nor what his disposition is like nor what sort of parents he had nor how he's likely to turn out.Why,it was only last week I read in the paper how a man and his wife up west of the Island took a boy out of an orphan asylum ·006· 绿山墙的安妮 玛丽拉·卡斯伯特和蕾切尔太太之间的关系 可以说是一种长久的友谊，因为没有其他合适的 dissimilarity /disim'lerit 名称，虽然一或许也正是因为她们是如此迥然 n不同，相异，相异点 不同。 ②streak/stri:k/n条纹，痕迹 玛丽拉是个又高又瘦的女人，棱角分明。夹 ③twist/twist/拧，盘 着几缕灰白的黑发总是在脑后盘成一个硬硬的小 ④hairpin /he.3pn/i.束发夹 髻，用两个钢丝卡子别住。 “都挺好，”蕾切尔太太答道，“不过我倒有 点儿为你担心呢，因为我今天看见马修出门，我 想他可能是去找医生。” “噢，不，我挺好的，只是昨天头痛得厉 害。”玛丽拉说，“马修去布菜特河了。我们从 新斯科舍的一家孤儿院领养了个小男孩儿，他今 5 orphan':fn/n,孤儿 晚坐火车来。” 6asylum /a'sail3m/u收容所 “真的吗，玛丽拉？”当她回过神来又开口问 in earnest认真的，郑重的 道。 “当然啦。”玛丽拉说，好像从新斯科舍的孤 儿院领养个孩子并不是什么闻所未闻的新鲜事， innovation /inau'veifon/n. 而是像在任何一个管理良好的埃文利农场上春耕 创新，革新 一样寻常。 speak one's mind坦率地说 蕾切尔太太总以自己的直言不讳为骄傲，她 出自己的想法 调整了一下对这个惊人的新闻的态度，开始发表 感想了。 “唉，玛丽拉，我就直说了。我觉得你干了 件极其愚蠢的事 件冒险的事。你不知道你 会领养个什么人。你领一个陌生的孩子进你的房 子、你的家，而对他这个人、他的脾气、他父母 0 disposition hdispa'zifan/n. 的情况、他可能变成什么样都一无所知。哎呀， 性情 就在上星期我在报上看见岛西边有对夫妇从孤儿 院领养了个男孩儿，那孩子夜里把房子烧了一 ·007· Anne of Green Gables and he set fire to the house at night-set it ON PURPOSE,Marilla- and nearly burnt them to a crisp2 in their beds." This Job's comforting seemed neither to offend nor to alarm Marilla. She knitted steadily on. "I don't deny there's something in what you say,Rachel.I've had some qualms myself.But Matthew was terrible set on it.I could see that,so I gave in5.It's so seldom Matthew sets his mind on anything that when he does I always feel it's my duty to give in.And as for the risk,there's risks in pretty near everything a body does in this world. There's risks in people's having children of their own if it comes to that-they don't always turn out well." "Well,I hope it will turn out all right,"said Mrs.Rachel in a tone that plainly indicated her painful doubts."Only don't say I didn't warn you if he burns Green Gables down or puts strychnine in the well-I heard of a case over in New Brunswick where an orphan asylum child did that and the whole family died in fearful agonies 3.Only,it was a girl in that instance." "Well,we're not getting a girl,"said Marilla,as if poisoning wells were a purely feminine accomplishment and not to be dreaded in the case of a boy."I'd never dream of taking a girl to bring up." Mrs.Rachel would have liked to stay until Matthew came home with his imported orphan.But reflecting that it would be a good two hours at least before his arrival,she concluded to go up the road to Robert Bell's and tell the news. ·008· 绿山墙的安妮 ①set fire to点燃，纵火 是故意纵火，玛丽拉！几乎把那对夫妇烧焦在床 2 crisp/krisp/i.松脆物 上。” 这种费力不讨好的劝告似乎既没惹恼也没吓 坏玛丽拉，她仍然平静地织着毛线活儿。 ③knit /nit/g编织 “我不否认你说得有点道理，蕾切尔。我自 己也怀疑过，可马修特别坚决。我能看出来，所 ④quam/kwo:m/u疑惧 ⑤give in屈服，让步 以我让步了。马修很少这样坚决地要干什么事， 所以一碰上这种时候，我总觉得我应该让步。说 到冒险，一个人在这世上做的每件事几乎都得冒 险。要是碰上了，人们自己生养孩子也有危 险—他们并不是都能成长得很好。” “唉，但愿最后一切如意，”蕾切尔太太的声 6 indicate /mndikeit/g指明， 调明显地表示出她疑虑重重，“不过要是他放火 表明 烧了绿山墙或是往井里投士的宁，可别说我没提 ⑦strychnine'strikni:n//h.马 钱子碱，土的宁 醒过你—我听说过在新布伦斯威克有个孤儿院 的孩子就是这么干的，那家人在可怕的痛苦中死去 agony /'aeg3n/n.极度的痛 苦，挣扎 了。只不过那一回是个女孩儿。” “嗨，我们可没要女孩儿。”玛丽拉说，她好 像觉得只有女人才会往井里投毒，不必对男孩子 feminine /feminin/a.女性 的 担心。“我做梦也没想过要抚养个女孩儿。” )dread /dred/y.恐惧，害怕 蕾切尔太太本想等马修带着他那个收养的孤 儿回家后再走，可是一想到至少要等整整两个钟 头，她就决定还是上罗伯特·贝尔家去告诉他们 这个消息。 ·009·