6.Marilla Makes Up Her Mind玛丽拉下了决心-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《绿山墙的安妮Anne of Green Gables》上

Chapter VI Marilla Makes Up Her Mind Get there they did,however,in due season.Mrs.Spencer lived in a big yellow house at White Sands Cove,and she came to the door with surprise and welcome mingled2 on her benevolent3 face. “Dear,dear,”she exclaimed,“you're the last folks I was looking for today,but I'm real glad to see you.You'll put your horse in?And how are you,Anne?” "I'm as well as can be expected,thank you,"said Anne smilelessly. "I suppose we'll stay a little while to rest the mare,"said Marilla, "but I promised Matthew I'd be home early.The fact is,Mrs.Spencer, there's been a queer mistake somewhere,and I've come over to see where it is.We told your brother Robert to tell you we wanted a boy ten or eleven years old." “Marilla Cuthbert,you don't say so！”said Mrs.Spencer in distress4."Why,Robert sent word down by his daughter Nancy and she said you wanted a girl.I'm dreadful sorry." “It was our own fault,”said Marilla resignedly.“We should have come to you ourselves and not left an important message to be passed ·062· 第六章 玛丽拉下了决心 ①in due season在适当的时 但她们还是按时到了那儿。斯潘塞太太住在 候 白沙滩湾的一幢黄色的大房子里，她出来开门的 ②mingle'mgl/.联合，混 时候，慈祥的面庞上交织着欢迎和诧异。 在一起 benevolent /bI'nevolant/ “哎呀，”她喊道，“真没想到今天你们会 a.仁慈的，乐善好施的 来，不过我很高兴见到你们。把马牵进来吗？安 妮，最近好吗？” “要多好有多好，谢谢您。”安妮回答，脸上 没有一点儿笑容。 “我想我们在这儿待会儿，让马歇歇，”玛丽 拉说，“我已经答应了马修早些回家。是这样， 斯潘塞太太，出了点奇怪的差错，我是过来弄弄 清楚的。我们让您哥哥罗伯特告诉您，我们想要 一个十岁或十一岁的男孩儿。” “玛丽拉·卡斯伯特，不是这么回事吧！”斯潘 塞太太不安地说，“哦，罗伯特叫他女儿南希送 ④distress/dis'tres/n痛苦， 苦恼，不幸 信来说您想要个女孩儿。真是非常抱歉。” “是我们自己的错，”玛丽拉忍让地说，“我 们应该亲自来告诉你，不应该把这么重要的事通 ·063· Anne of Green Gables along by word of mouth in that fashion.Anyhow,the mistake has been made and the only thing to do is to set it right.Can we send the child back to the asylum? ” “I suppose so,”said Mrs.Spencer thoughtfully,“but I don't think it will be necessary to send her back.Mrs.Peter Blewett was up here yesterday,and she was saying to me how much she wished she'd sent by me for a little girl to help her.Mrs.Peter has a large family,you know, and she finds it hard to get help.Anne will be the very girl for her." "And if there isn't Mrs.Peter coming up the lane this blessed minute！”exclaimed②Mrs.Spencer,bustling3 her guests through the hall into the parlor4."That is real lucky,for we can settle the matter right away.Take the armchair,Miss Cuthbert.Anne,you sit here on the ottoman5 and don't wiggle.Let me take your hats.Good afternoon, Mrs.Blewett.We were just saying how fortunate it was you happened along.Let me introduce you two ladies.Mrs.Blewett,Miss Cuthbert. Please excuse me for just a moment.I forgot to tell Flora Jane to take the buns out of the oven.” Mrs.Spencer whiskedaway.Anne sitting mutely on the ottoman, with her hands clasped tightly in her lap,stared at Mrs Blewett as one fascinated.Was she to be given into the keeping of this sharp-faced, sharp-eyed woman?She felt a lump coming up in her throat and her eyes smarted painfully.She was beginning to be afraid she couldn't keep the tears back when Mrs.Spencer returned. "It seems there's been a mistake about this little girl,Mrs. Blewett,"she said."I was under the impression that Mr.and Miss Cuthbert wanted a little girl to adopt.I was certainly told so.But it seems it was a boy they wanted.So if you're still of the same mind you were yesterday,I think she'll be just the thing for you." ·064· 绿山墙的安妮 ①by word of mouth口头上 过口信传给你。不管怎样，错已经出了，现在只 有把它纠正过来。我们能不能把这个孩子送回孤 儿院去？” “我想没问题，”斯潘塞太太若有所思地说· “可我想不必送回去了。昨天彼得·布莱维特太太 来我这里说，她真该早点让我从孤儿院给她领个 女孩儿来做帮手。彼得太太可有一大家子人呢， 你知道她很难找着人帮她。安妮对她正合适！” “这会儿从小路上过来的不正是彼得太太吗！” ②exclaim/iks'klem/大 斯潘塞太太叫道，赶忙招呼客人穿过门厅走进客 叫，呼嘁，大声叫 厅，“问题马上就能解决了，这真是运气。你坐 ③bustle /'bAs3l/.奔忙，催促 扶手椅吧，卡斯伯特小姐。安妮，你坐在长矮凳 ④parlor /pa:lo/n.客厅，接待 室 上，别扭来扭去的。把你们的帽子给我。下午好 5 ottoman'ptaman/i.软凳， 啊，布莱维特太太，我们正说你来得真巧呢。我 垫脚软凳 给你们两位介绍一下。这位是布莱维特太太，这 wiggle /wigl/扭动，摆动 位是卡斯伯特小姐。对不起，等我一下。我忘了 告诉弗洛拉·简把面包从烤箱里拿出来了。” 斯潘塞太太快步出去了。安妮一言不发地坐 whisk/w1sk/.迅速移动 在长凳上，双手紧握在一起，放在腿上，呆呆地 8 mutely /mju:tl/ad.无言 盯着布莱维特太太。难道她们要把她交到这个相 地，不发声地 貌严厉、目光犀利的女人手里吗？她觉得嗓子眼 被一团东西堵住了，眼晴也刺痛得难受，安妮开 始担心自己快要忍不住眼泪了，这时斯潘塞太太 回来了。 “布莱维特太太，这个小女孩儿似乎被领错 了，”她说，“我一直以为卡斯伯特先生和卡斯 伯特小姐想要收养个女孩儿，话也的确是这么 传给我的。可他们好像想要的是男孩儿。如果 你现在还是昨天的想法，我想这女孩儿对你正 合适。” ·065· Anne of Green Gables Mrs.Blewett darted her eyes over Anne from head to foot. "How old are you and what's your name?"she demanded. "Anne Shirley,faltered the shrinking?child,not daring to make any stipulations regarding the spelling thereof,"and I'm eleven years old." "Humph!You don't look as if there was much to you.But you're wiry5.I don't know but the wiry ones are the best after all.Well,if I take you you'll have to be a good girl,you know-good and smart and respectful.I'll expect you to earn your keep,and no mistake about that. Yes,I suppose I might as well take her off your hands,Miss Cuthbert. The baby's awful fractious,and I'm clean worn out attending to him. If you like I can take her right home now." Marilla looked at Anne and softened at sight of the child's pale face with its look of mute misery-the misery of a helpless little creature who finds itself once more caught in the trap from which it had escaped. Marilla felt an uncomfortable conviction that,if she denied the appeal of that look,it would haunt her to her dying day. “Well,Idon't know,”she said slowly.“I didn't say that Matthew and I had absolutely decided that we wouldn't keep her.I think I'd better take her home again and talk it over with Matthew.If we make up our mind not to keep her we'll bring or send her over to you tomorrow night. If we don't you may know that she is going to stay with us.Will that suit you,Mrs.Blewett?" "I suppose it'll have to,"said Mrs.Blewett ungraciously During Marilla's speech a sunrise had been dawning on Anne's face. A moment later,when Mrs.Spencer and Mrs.Blewett went out in quest of a recipe the latter had come to borrow she sprang up and flew across the room to Marilla. "Oh,Miss Cuthbert,did you really say that perhaps you would let ·066· 绿山墙的安妮 布莱维特太太从头到脚飞快地打量着安妮： ①alter'fo:t/g.支吾地说 ②shrinking小rigkin/a.畏缩 “你叫什么名字，多大了？”她问道。 的，犹豫不决的 “安妮·雪利，”孩子退缩着支吾道，再不敢 stipulation /stipju'leifan/n. 提什么拼写名字的事了，“我十一岁了。” 规定，约定 “哈！你看着没什么肉，可倒还挺结实。说不 ④thereof/,deor'pv/ad.关 于，将它，它的 定又瘦又结实最好不过了。好了，如果我收下你， wiry"waiart/a,坚硬的，瘦 你可得做个好孩子，你知道，要听话、机灵、懂 而结实的 礼貌。我希望你别白吃我的饭，这点不能搞错。 嗯，我想我就把她从你那儿接走吧，卡斯伯特小 姐。我家的小娃娃脾气太大，整天侍候他可把我 fractious /fraekJos/a,易怒 累坏了。如果你愿意，我现在就可以带她回家。” 的，脾气不好的，难以对待 的 玛丽拉望了安妮一眼，看到孩子苍白的小脸 ⑦wom out疲意不堪的 上那无言的痛苦，她的心软了，那痛苦的表情是可 怜无助的小动物发现自己又落入刚刚逃离的陷阱时 闭mute/mjut/a.哑的，无声 的，沉默的 才有的。玛丽拉不安地想，要是她不理睬那求助的 conviction /kan'vikfan/n. 神情，它会让她的心至死不得安宁。 信服，坚信 “唔，我没想好，”她慢吞吞地说，“我没有 )haunt/h3nt/常到，缠住， 说我和马修已经决定不收养她了。我想我还是先 出没（像鬼魂一样） 带她回家和马修仔细商量一下再说。要是我们决 定不收养她，明天晚上我们就把她给你带去或是 找人送去。如果我没送她去，你就知道她留在我家 了。你看这样好吗，布莱维特太太？” “我看也只能这么办了。”布莱维特太太不友 好地说。 ungraciously /An'grefasl/ 玛丽拉说话的时候，安妮的脸上逐渐露出了 ad.不礼貌地，没教养地 光芒。过了一会儿，斯潘塞太太和布莱维特太太 出去取布菜维特太太要借的食谱，安妮一下子从 座位上跳起来，穿过屋子扑向玛丽拉。 “噢，卡斯伯特小姐，您刚才真的说过您也许 能让我留在绿山墙吗？”她气喘吁吁地低声问道， ·067· Anne of Green Gables me stay at Green Gables?"she said,in a breathless whisper,as if speaking aloud might shatter the glorious possibility. "Yes,you did hear me say just that and no more.It isn't decided yet and perhaps we will conclude to let Mrs.Blewett take you after all. She certainly needs you much more than I do."said Marilla crossly. "I'd rather go back to the asylum than go to live with her,"said Anne passionately2 "She looks exactly like a-like a gimlet" Marilla smothered a smile under the conviction that Anne must be reproved5 for such a speech. "A little girl like you should be ashamed of talking so about a lady and a stranger."she said severely."Go back and sit down quietly and hold your tongue and behave as a good girl should." "I'll try to do and be anything you want me,if you'll only keep me,"said Anne,returning meekly to her ottoman. When they arrived back at Green Gables that evening Matthew met them in the lane.But Marilla said nothing,to him,relative to the affair, until they were both out in the yard behind the barn milking the cows. Then she briefly told him Anne's history and the result of the interview with Mrs.Spencer. "I wouldn't give a dog I liked to that Blewett woman,"said Matthew with unusual vim. “Idon't fancy her style myself,”admitted Marilla,“but it's that or keeping her ourselves,Matthew.And since you seem to want her,I suppose I'm willing-or have to be.I've been thinking over the idea until I've got kind of used to it.It seems a sort of duty.I've never brought up a child,especially a girl,and I dare say I'll make a terrible mess of it.But I'll do my best.So far as I'm concerned,Matthew,she may stay." Matthew's shy face was a glow of delight. ·068· 绿山墙的安妮 好像声音一大就会破坏这美好的可能性似的。 ①glorious /glo:r1osWa光荣的， “对，你听到了我是那么说的，可没再说别 辉煌的 的。事情还没定呢，也许最后我们还是决定让布 莱维特太太收留你。她当然比我们更需要你。” 玛丽拉生气地说。 2 passionately /paefanitl/ad. “我宁可回孤儿院也不住在她家，”安妮激动 激昂地，热烈地 地说，“她看上去像个一像个螺丝钻。” ③gimlet'gimlit/m螺丝锥 ④smother/smAo3/g掩饰 玛丽拉忍住了没有笑，因为她觉得安妮说出 ⑤reprove'pru:vg责备，责 这种话来应该受到责备。 骂，非难 “像你这样的小姑娘这么说一位陌生的女士应 该觉得害臊，”她严肃地说，“回到你的座位上去， 闭上嘴巴，安静待会儿，像个好姑娘的样儿。” “您让我干什么，我就干什么，只要您收留 我。”安妮说着顺从地回到她的长凳上去了。 那天晚上她们回到绿山墙的时候，马修在小 路上迎着她们。可是一直到他俩一起在牲口棚后 的院子里挤牛奶的时候，她才和他说起这件事。 她简单地讲了一下安妮的身世和与斯潘塞太太见 面的结果。 “我连自己喜欢的狗都不愿意交给那个叫布菜 维特的女人。”马修说，语调里有股少有的活力。 。vim/vim/n精力，生气，精 “我也不喜欢她那样子，”玛丽拉也承认， 神 “可是，马修，要么她收留安妮，要么我们收留 fancy/fens/比喜好 她。既然看上去你挺想留她，我想我也愿意 也只好愿意，我一直在琢磨收留她的事，现在开 始有点觉得可以了。这可能是一种责任，我从来 没带过孩子，尤其是小女孩儿，我敢说我会弄得 一团槽。但是我会尽力去做的。马修，就我来 说，她可以留下来。” 马修腼腆的脸上闪着快乐的光彩。 ·069·