19.A Concert， a Catastrophe and a Confession音乐会，闯祸和认错-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《绿山墙的安妮Anne of Green Gables》上

Chapter XIX A Concert,a Catastrophe and a Confession "Marilla,can I go over to see Diana just for a minute?"asked Anne,running breathlessly down from the east gable one February evening. “Idon't see what you want to be traipsing①about after dark for.” said Marilla shortly. “But she wants to see me,”pleaded Anne.“She has something very important to tell me.” “How do you know she has?” "Because she just signaled to me from her window.We have arranged a way to signal with our candles and cardboard.Two flashes mean,‘Are you there?’Three mean‘yes'and four‘no.'Five mean, 'Come over as soon as possible,because I have something important to reveal.'Diana has just signaled five flashes,and I'm really suffering to know what it is.” "Well,you can go,but you're to be back here in just ten minutes, remember that.” Anne did remember it and was back in the stipulated time. ·192· 第十九章 音乐会，闯祸和认错 “玛丽拉，我能过去看看戴安娜吗？就一会 儿。”二月里的一天傍晚安妮上气不接下气地从 东侧房跑出来问道。 “我不明白天黑了你还到处乱跑什么。”玛丽 ①traipse /treips/v.漫步，闲 拉马上说。 逛 “可是她想见我，”安妮乞求道，“她有重要 的事儿要告诉我。” “你怎么知道的？” “因为她刚才从她家窗口向我发信号了。我 ②signal/'s1gnv发信号 们约好了用蜡烛和纸板发信号的方法。闪两下的 意思是‘你在那儿吗'，三下意思是‘在’，四下 是‘不在’，五下是‘快过来，我有重要的事告 诉你'。刚才戴安娜就给我打了五下信号。我真 的很着急，想知道她要告诉我什么。” “你可以去，但是记住，你得在十分钟之内 回来。” ③stipulated/'stipjulertid/a规 安妮确实记住了，她在限定时间里回来了。 定的 ·193· Anne of Green Gables "Oh,Marilla,tomorrow is Diana's birthday.Well,her mother told her she could ask me to go home with her from school and stay all night with her.And her cousins are coming over from Newbridge in a big pung sleigh to go to the Debating Club concert at the hall tomorrow night.And they are going to take Diana and me to the concert-if you'll let me go,.that is..” "You're not going.Little girls should not be allowed to go out to such places at all." "I'm sure the Debating Club is a most respectable affair."pleaded Anne. "I'm not saying it isn't.But you're not going to begin gadding about to concerts and staying out all hours of the night. “But it's such a very special occasion..”mourned④Anne,on the verge of5 tears. "You heard what I said,Anne,didn't you?Take off your boots now and go to bed.It's past eight." “There's just one more thing,Marilla,”said Anne,“Mrs.Barry told Diana that we might sleep in the spare-room bed." "It's an honor you'll have to get along without.Go to bed,Anne, and don't let me hear another word out of you." When Anne,with tears rolling over her cheeks,had gone sorrowfully upstairs,Matthew,who had been apparently sound asleep on the loungeduring the whole dialogue,opened his eyes and said decidedly: "Well now,Marilla,I think you ought to let Anne go." "I might have let her spend the night with Diana,if that was all. But she'd go there and catch cold like as not,and have her head filled up with nonsense and excitement.It would unsettle her for a week.I understand that child's dispositionand what's good for it better than you,Matthew." ·194· 绿山墙的安妮 “噢，玛丽拉，明天是戴安娜的生日，嗯， 她妈妈说她可以邀请我明天放学后跟她去她家， 晚上住在那儿。她的表兄弟们要坐一辆大方箱雪 ①pung /pAr/n(马拉的)箱 橇从纽布里奇过来，明天晚上去听在礼堂举行的 型雪械 辩论社团音乐会，他们要带戴安娜和我去—我 ②sleigh/slev/n.雪橇 是说如果您让我去的话。” “你不可以去，那根本就不是小女孩儿去的 地方。” “我保证辩论社团是个很有威望的组织。”安 妮乞求道。 ③gad /gaed/.闲逛 “我没说它不是。不过你现在还不能到什么 音乐会去游荡，还在外面过夜。” “可这次很特殊。”安妮伤心地说，马上就要 ④moum/m3n/.悲哀地说 on the verge of接近于，湖 哭出来了。 于 “你听见我的话了，安妮，是不是？马上脱 下靴子上床睡觉去，八点都过了。” “还有一件事，玛丽拉，”安妮说，“巴里太太 告诉戴安娜说我俩可以睡在她家客房的床上。” “那你只好放弃这种荣幸了。上床睡觉吧， 安妮，别再让我听见你说一个字。” 安妮腮上挂着泪珠，伤心地上楼去了。玛丽 拉和安妮说话的时候，马修看上去在躺椅上睡得 死死的，可这会儿他睁开眼睛，坚决地说： ⑥lounge /laund/n.长椅 “嗯，玛丽拉，我认为你应该让安妮去。” “要只是和戴安娜待一晚上，我倒可能同意， 可是她去了十有八九会感冒的，而且脑子里又装满 乱七八糟的玩意儿，兴奋得不得了，一个星期也安 静不下来。马修，我比你更了解这孩子的性格。” disposition /dispa'zifan/n. “我想你应该让她去，”马修又坚决地重复了 性格，脾气 一遍。他不善于辩论，不过他很认死理儿。玛丽 ·195· Anne of Green Gables "I think you ought to let Anne go,"repeated Matthew firmly. Argument was not his strong point,but holding fast to his opinion certainly was.Marilla gave a gasp of helplessness and took refuge in silence.The next morning,when Anne was washing the breakfast dishes in the pantry,Matthew paused on his way out to the barn to say to Marilla again: “I think you ought to let Anne go,Marilla..” For a moment Marilla looked things not lawful to be uttered.Then she yielded to the inevitable and said tartly2. "Very well,she can go,since nothing else'll please you." Anne was too excited to do herself justice as to lessons that morning in school.She and Diana talked so constantly about it all day that with a stricter teacher than Mr.Phillips dire disgrace must inevitably have been their portion④. Anne felt that she could not have borne it if she had not been going to the concert,for nothing else was discussed that day in school. Everybody in school over nine years of age expected to go,except Carrie Sloane,whose father shared Marilla's opinions about small girls going out to night concerts.Carrie Sloane cried into her grammar all the afternoon and felt that life was not worth living. For Anne the real excitement began with the dismissal of school and increased therefrom in crescendo until it reached to a crash of positive ecstasy in the concert itself.They had a "perfectly elegant tea";and then came the delicious occupation of dressing in Diana's little room upstairs.At last they were ready,cheeks scarlet and eyes glowing with excitement. Then Diana's cousins came.Anne reveled in the drive to the hall, slipping along over the satin-smooth roads with the snow crisping under ·196· 绿山墙的安妮 拉无可奈何地叹了口气，不再理他了。第二天早 晨，安妮在食品室洗早饭的碗碟，马修往马厩那 ①refuge /refju::d/n.避难， 边去，半道上停下来又对玛丽拉说： 庇护 “我想你应该让她去，玛丽拉。” 玛丽拉看上去快气炸了，如果这会儿她把想 说的话说出来，那一定很刺耳。但既然这一切无 可避免，她还是让了步，她尖刻地说： “好吧，她可以去，只有这样你才能满意。” ②tartly /ta:tl/ad.辛辣地， 安妮太兴奋了，她那天上午在学校根本静不 锋利地 下心来听课。她和戴安娜一整天都在嘀咕音乐会 的事，要是碰上个比菲利普斯先生严格的老师， 她俩就该倒霉了。 ③dire /daia/a.可怕的，悲惨 安妮觉得如果她不能去参加音乐会，她会受 的 不了的。那天在学校里谈论的除了音乐会的事别 ④portion/'p3jn/n命运，分 担的责任 无其他。九岁以上的学生都要去，只有卡莉·斯 隆去不了，她爸爸在小孩子晚上去听音乐会的事 情上和玛丽拉看法一样。卡莉下午语法课一直在 哭，觉得活着没意思了。 安妮真正的兴奋是从学校放学开始的，然后 逐渐上升到高潮，最后在音乐会上发展成极度的 狂喜。她们吃了一顿“绝对一流的下午茶”，然 ⑤dismissal/ds'mso/m.解 后便在楼上戴安娜的小房间里满心欢喜地梳妆打 散，打发走 ⑥therefrom/de3'from/ad.由 扮起来。她们终于准备好了，两个人的脸蛋都红 此，从此 扑扑的，眼睛激动得发亮。 ⑦crescendo/kr'fendau/n.渐 没多久，戴安娜的表兄弟们从纽布里奇来 强 ⑧ecstasy'ekstast/n.狂喜， 了。去礼堂的路上，安妮喜气洋洋的，雪橇在锦 入迷 缎般光滑的路面上滑行，积雪被压得咯吱作响。 雪橇的铃声和朗朗的笑声从四面八方传来，仿佛 林中小精灵在欢叫。 ·197· Anne of Green Gables the runners.Tinkles of sleigh bells and distant laughter,that seemed like the mirth of wood elves?,came from every quarter. “Oh,Diana,”breathed Anne,“isn't it all like a beautiful dream? I feel so different that it seems to me it must show in my looks." “You look awfully nice,”said Diana,“You've got the loveliest color..” The program that night was a series of "thrills"for at least one listener in the audience,and,as Anne assured Diana,every succeeding thrill was thrillier than the last. Only one number on the program failed to interest her.When Gilbert Blythe recited "Bingen on the Rhine"Anne picked up Rhoda Murray's library book and read it until he had finished,when she sat rigidly stiff and motionless while Diana clapped her hands until they tingled④ It was eleven when they got home.Everybody seemed asleep and the house was dark and silent.Anne and Diana tiptoed into the parlor,a long narrow room out of which the spare room opened. “Let's undress here,”said Diana.“Tt's so nice and warm.” “Hasn't it been a delightful time?”sighed Anne rapturously⑤. "Diana,are you ready for bed?Let's run a race and see who'll get to the bed first.” The suggestion appealed to Diana.The two little white-clad figures flew down the long room,through the spare-room door,and bounded on the bed at the same moment.And then-something-moved beneath them,there was a gasp and a cry-and somebody said in muffled accents: “Merciful goodness！” Anne and Diana were never able to tell just how they got off that bed and out of the room.They only knew that after one frantic rush ·198· 绿山墙的安妮 “噢，戴安娜，”安妮轻声说，“这一切难道 ①mirth /m3:0/n.欢乐，欢笑 ②elf /elf/n精灵 不都像一场美丽的梦吗？我的感觉与平时大不相 同，我似乎觉得我脸上也必定显露出来了。” “你看上去漂亮极了，”戴安娜说，“你脸色 可爱极了。” 那天晚上的节目一次又一次地让人“激动” 至少对席中的一个小听众来说是这样的，安 妮对戴安娜说她每一次激动都比上一次更强烈。 只有一个节目没有引起安妮的兴趣。吉尔伯 特·布莱思背诵《菜茵河上的宾根》的时候，安 妮拿起罗达·默里从图书馆借来的书看了起来， 直到吉尔伯特的朗诵完毕，她还直挺挺一动不动 地坐着，而戴安娜把手都拍疼了。 ③clap /klaep/.拍，击 ④tingle"tngl/v.感到刺痛 她们到家的时候已经是十一点了。戴安娜家 里的人好像都睡着了，整幢房子黑洞洞的，寂静 无声。安妮和戴安娜踮着脚尖溜进客厅，这是间 狭长的房间，通向客房。 “我们就在这儿脱衣服吧，”戴安娜说，“这 ⑤rapturously /raept∫orasl/ ad.兴高采烈地，狂喜地 儿很暖和很舒适。” “多么美好的时光啊！”安妮幸福地叹了口 气，“戴安娜，你准备好睡觉了吗？我们来比比 看谁先上床。” 这个主意吸引了戴安娜，于是两个穿着白衣 服的小人儿飞快穿过狭长的客厅、进了客房，同 ⑥muffled /mAfld/a.(指声 音)听不清的，（声音）被隔 时跃到床上。然后—有个东西—在她们身子 的 下动了动，传来了喘息和叫声一有人用瓮声瓮 气的腔调说： “我的老天爷！” ⑦frantic /frantik/a疯狂的， 安妮和戴安娜根本无法知道是怎么下了床出 狂乱的 ·199· Anne of Green Gables they found themselves tiptoeing shiveringly upstairs. "Oh,who was it-WHAT was it?"whispered Anne,her teeth chattering with cold and fright. "It was Aunt Josephine."said Diana,gasping with laughter. "Who is your Aunt Josephine?" "She's father's aunt and she lives in Charlottetown.She's awfully old-seventy anyhow.We were expecting her out for a visit,but not so S0on.” Miss Josephine Barry did not appear at the early breakfast the next morning. Anne hurried home after breakfast and so remained in blissful ignorance of the disturbance which presently resulted in the Barry household until the late afternoon,when she went down to Mrs.Lynde's on an errand for Marilla. "So you and Diana nearly frightened poor old Miss Barry to death last night?"said Mrs.Lynde severely.Old Miss Barry was in a terrible temper when she got up this morning-and Josephine Barry's temper is no joke,I can tell you that.She wouldn't speak to Diana at all." “It wasn't Diana's fault,”said Anne contritely③.“'It was mine.I suggested racing to see who would get into bed first." “I knew it!”said Mrs.Lynde..“I knew that idea came out of your head.Old Miss Barry came out to stay for a month,but she declares she won't stay another day and is going right back to town tomorrow.She had promised to pay for a quarter's music lessons for Diana,but now she is determined to do nothing at all for such a tomboy.Old Miss Barry is rich and they'd like to keep on the good side of5 her. “I'm such an unlucky girl,”mourned Anne..“I'm always getting into scrapes myself and getting my best friends into them too.Can you tell me why it is so,Mrs.Lynde?" ·200· 绿山墙的安妮 了屋子的，只知道在一阵狂奔之后，她俩又蹑手 蹑脚、瑟瑟发抖地向楼上爬去。 ①chatter /tfato/.(牙齿打 “天哪，那是谁—那是谁呀？”安妮悄声 颤 说，她又冷又怕牙齿打战。 “是约瑟芬姑婆。”戴安娜说，笑得喘不上气 来。 “约瑟芬姑婆是谁呀？” “她是爸爸的姑妈，住在夏洛特敦，很老很 老了一大概七十来岁了。我们一直等着她来串 门，可没想到她这么快就来了。” ②blissful /blisfol/a.极快乐 约瑟芬·巴里小姐第二天没出来吃早饭。 的，有福的 安妮一吃完早饭就匆匆忙忙回家了，所以十 分幸运她对巴里家出的大乱子一无所知，直到将 近傍晚，她去林德太太家给玛丽拉办点儿事，才 知道了一切。 “这么说你和戴安娜昨天晚上差点儿把可怜 的老巴里小姐吓死？”林德太太严肃地问。“老 巴里小姐今天早晨起来以后大发脾气一我可以 告诉你，约瑟芬·巴里的脾气可不是闹着玩儿的。 3 contritely /kon'tra itl/ad. 她根本不搭理戴安娜。” 馋恼地 “不是戴安娜的错，”安妮后悔地说，“都怪 我，是我提议比赛看谁先上床的。” “我就知道！”林德太太说，“我就知道那主 意是你想出来的。老巴里小姐本来打算来住一个 月的，可她宣布她一天也不多待了，明天就回去。 ④tomboy/'tombD/n.行为似 她本来答应给戴安娜交三个月音乐课的学费的， 男孩的顽皮姑娘 可现在她决定什么也不给这个假小子了。老巴里小 ⑤keep on the good side of讨 姐很有钱，他们挺想讨好她的。” 好 “我真太不幸了，”安妮痛苦地说，“我自已 @get into scrapes陷入困境，惹 上麻烦 老是惹麻烦，还给我最亲密的朋友带来麻烦。您 能告诉我为什么会这样吗，林德太太？” ·201·