30.The Queen’s Class Is Organized女王学校预考班-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《绿山墙的安妮Anne of Green Gables》下

Chapter XXX The Queen's Class Is Organized Marilla laid her knitting on her lap and leaned back in her chair. Anne was curled up Turk-fashion on the hearthrug.She had been reading,but her book had slipped to the floor,and now she was dreaming,with a smile on her parted lips. Marilla looked at her with tenderness.She had learned to love this slim,gray-eyed girl with an affection all the deeper and stronger from its very undemonstrativeness.Her love made her afraid of being unduly indulgent,indeed.Certainly Anne herself had no idea how Marilla loved her.She sometimes thought wistfully that Marilla was very hard to please and distinctly lacking in sympathy and understanding.But she always checked the thought reproachfully,remembering what she owed to Marilla. “Anne,”said Marilla abruptly,“Miss Stacy was here this afternoon when you were out with Diana." Anne came back from her other world with a start and a sigh. "Was she?Oh,I'm so sorry I wasn't in.Why didn't you call me, Marilla?Diana and I were only over in the Haunted Wood.We are thinking seriously of promising each other that we will never marry but ·316· 第三十章 女王学校预考班 玛丽拉把毛活儿放到腿上，向后靠进椅子 ①Turk-fashion土耳其风格的 里。 ②hearthrug"ha:0rag/n炉前 安妮跪在壁炉前的地毯上。刚才她在读书， 的地毯 3 undemonstrativeness 这会儿书已经滑落到地板上，她又在做梦了，微 /Andi'monstrotrvnis/n. 启的嘴唇上挂着一丝微笑。 露感情，晒腆 ④unduly /An'dju:l/ad过度 玛丽拉望着安妮，目光亲切温柔。她学会了 地，不适当地 用矜持寡言的方式更深沉更强烈地去爱这个瘦瘦 ⑤indulgent/in'dwld3ant/a纵 的灰眼睛的小姑娘。她真担心她的爱会宠坏了安 容的，宽纵的 妮。当然，安妮自己并不知道玛丽拉有多爱她， 她有时愁眉不展地想让玛丽拉高兴太难了，她对 人很缺乏同情和理解。但是一想起玛丽拉给她的 一切，又总是谴责自己的这种想法。 ⑥abruptly /'brAptl/ad.突然 “安妮，”玛丽拉突然说，“斯塔西小姐今天 地，莽撞地 下午来了，当时你和戴安娜出去了。” 安妮吃了一惊，她叹了口气，从另一个世界 回到现实中来。 “她来了？啊，太遗憾了我不在。玛丽拉， ·317· Anne of Green Gables be nice old maids and live together forever.Diana hasn't quite made up her mind though,because she thinks perhaps it would be nobler to marry some wild,dashing,wicked young man and reform him.Diana and I talked the matter over coming home from school.We felt extremely solemn,Marilla.And we decided that we would try to be very careful indeed and form respectable habits and learn all we could and be as sensible as possible,so that by the time we were twenty our characters would be properly developed.It's perfectly appalling to think of being twenty,Marilla.It sounds so fearfully old and grown up.But why was Miss Stacy here this afternoon?" "That is what I want to tell you,Anne,if you'll ever give me a chance to get a word in edgewise She was talking about you." "About me?"Anne looked rather scared.Then she flushed and exclaimed:"Oh,I know what she was saying.I meant to tell you, Marilla,honestly I did,but I forgot.Miss Stacy caught me reading Ben Hur in school yesterday afternoon when I should have been studying my Canadian history.I was so interested in it that I never noticed Miss Stacy coming down the aisle until all at once I just looked up and there she was looking down at me,so reproachful-like.Miss Stacy took Ben Hur away,but she never said a word then.She kept me in at recess and talked to me.She said I had done very wrong in two respects.First,I was wasting the time I ought to have put on my studies;and secondly,I was deceiving my teacher in trying to make it appear I was reading a history when it was a storybook instead.I had never realized until that moment,Marilla,that what I was doing was deceitful.I was shocked. I cried bitterly,and asked Miss Stacy to forgive me and I'd never do such a thing again.But Miss Stacy said she wouldn't require that,and she forgave me freely.So I think it wasn't very kind of her to come up ·318· 绿山墙的安妮 您为什么不叫我呢？我和戴安娜就在魔鬼森林 那边。我们正认真考虑要相互保证永远不结婚， 只做端庄的老姑娘，永远生活在一起。不过戴 安娜还没有完全下决心，她想要是嫁给一个粗 野而潇洒的坏小子，把他给改造好要更高尚些。 我和戴安娜放学回家时讨论了这件事，我们认 为事关重大，玛丽拉。我们认定的确应当格外 ①appalling/b'po:lo/a.令人 谨慎小心，要努力形成良好的习惯，学习一切 震惊的，可怕的 知识，尽可能通情达理，这样到了二十岁的时 候，就会形成良好的性格。玛丽拉，二十岁想 起来真是太可怕了，听着那么老那么成熟。对 了，斯塔西小姐今天下午怎么到这儿来了？” ②get a word in edgewise插嘴 “安妮，你可让我插话了。我想说的就是这 件事。她在说你呢。” “说我？”安妮看上去很害怕。然后她红着脸 叫道：“噢，我知道她说什么了。我本想告诉您 的，玛丽拉，我真的想告诉您，可是我给忘了。 昨天下午我在学校看《缤虚》，被斯塔西小姐抓 ③aisle /ail/n.(席位间的)通 住了，当时我该看加拿大历史书。我完全被这本 道，侧廊 书迷住了，根本没注意到老师顺着过道过来了， ④recess/'ses/m,休息 后来我猛地一拾头，才发现她正用责备的目光望 着我。玛丽拉，斯塔西小姐把书拿走了，但是当 时一句话也没说。课间休息时她把我留下来跟我 谈了话。她说我在两个方面做得很不对：第一， 我浪费了学习时间；第二，我在弄虚作假欺骗 ⑤deceitful'si:tfala.欺诈 老师，表面上看好像在读历史书，实际上却在 的，欺骗的 读故事书。玛丽拉，在这之前我根本没有认识 到我的行为是欺骗性的。我很吃惊，痛哭起来， 请求斯塔西小姐原谅我，我再也不会做这种事 ·319· Anne of Green Gables here to you about it after all." "Miss Stacy never mentioned such a thing to me,Anne,and it's only your guilty conscience that's the matter with you.You read too many novels anyhow..” "Oh,how can you call Ben Hur a novel when it's really such a religious book?"protested Anne."Of course it's a little too exciting to be proper reading for Sunday,and I only read it on weekdays." “Wel,I guess I'll light the lamp and get to work,”said Marilla.“T see plainly that you don't want to hear what Miss Stacy had to say." "Oh,indeed,Marilla,I do want to hear it,"cried Anne contritely. "I won't say another word-not one.Please tell me,Marilla." "Well,Miss Stacy wants to organize a class among her advanced students who mean to study for the entrance examination into Queen's. She intends to give them extra lessons for an hour after school.And she came to ask Matthew and me if we would like to have you join it.What do you think about it yourself,Anne?Would you like to go to Queen's and pass for a teacher?" “Oh,Marilla！”Anne straightened to her knees and clasped her hands."It's been the dream of my life-that is,for the last six months. But I didn't say anything about it,because I supposed it would be perfectly useless.I'd love to be a teacher.But won't it be dreadfully expensive？” "I guess you needn't worry about that part of it.You'll always have a home at Green Gables as long as Matthew and I are here,but nobody knows what is going to happen in this uncertain world,and it's just as well to be prepared.So you can join the Queen's class if you like, Anne.”" ·320· 绿山墙的安妮「 了。可是斯塔西小姐说她不需要我这样做，她 爽快地原谅了我。我想她来您这儿说这事，可 不够宽宏大量。” “安妮，斯塔西小姐根本没对我提这件事， 你这么猜是你的自责心理在作怪。你读的小说也 太多了。” “噢，您怎么能把《缤虚》说成是小说呢？ 它实际上是一本宗教书，”安妮抗议道，“当然 这本书是有点过于刺激，不适合星期天读，我只 ①contritely /kontrartl/a.悔 是在平常日子读啊。” 悟了地，后悔地，痛悔地 “行了，我想我得点灯干活了，”玛丽拉说， “我知道你不想听斯塔西小姐跟我说了什么。” “噢，玛丽拉，我想听，我想听呢，”安妮后 悔地大叫起来，“我不说话了一句也不说 了。玛丽拉，请告诉我吧。” “好吧，斯塔西小姐想把打算温课参加女王 学校入学考试的尖子生组成一个班。她想放学以 后给他们多讲一个小时的课。她来问我和马修是 否想让你参加。安妮，你自己是怎么想的？你愿 意去女王学校，上学以后当个教师吗？” “噢，玛丽拉！”安妮一下挺直了身子，两手 紧紧握在一起，“这一直是我的理想啊一有半 年时间了。但是我根本没提一个字，因为我觉得 那样做一点儿用都没有。我愿意当一名老师，可 是这不是得花很多很多钱吗？” “我想你用不着为钱担心。只要我和马修在 这儿，你在绿山墙就有家，可是谁也不知道在这 ·321· Anne of Green Gables "Oh,Marilla,thank you."Anne flung her arms about Marilla's waist and looked up earnestly into her face."I'm extremely grateful to you and Matthew.And I'll study as hard as I can and do my very best to be a credit to you.” "I dare say you'll get along well enough.Miss Stacy says you are bright and diligent.You needn't rush to any extreme of killing yourself over your books.There is no hurry.You won't be ready to try the Entrance for a year and a half yet.But it's well to begin in time and be thoroughly grounded,Miss Stacy says." "I shall take more interest than ever in my studies now,"said Anne blissfully,"because I have a purpose in life.I would call it a worthy purpose to want to be a teacher like Miss Stacy,wouldn't you, Marilla?I think it's a very noble profession." The Queen's class was organized in due time.Gilbert Blythe,Anne Shirley,Ruby Gillis,Jane Andrews,Josie Pye,Charlie Sloane,and Moody Spurgeon MacPherson joined it.Diana Barry did not,as her parents did not intend to send her to Queen's.On the evening when the Queen's class first remained in school for the extra lessons and Anne saw Diana go slowly out with the others.A lump came into her throat,and she hastily retired behind the pages of her uplifted Latin grammar to hide the tears in her eyes. "But,oh,Marilla,I really felt that I had tasted the bitterness of death,as Mr.Allan said in his sermon last Sunday,when I saw Diana go out alone,"she said mournfully that night."I thought how splendid it would have been if Diana had only been going to study for the Entrance, too.But we can't have things perfect in this imperfect world.And I think the Queen's class is going to be extremely interesting.Jane and Ruby are ·322· 绿山墙的安妮 个变化无常的世界里会发生什么事，要做好准备 才好。所以安妮，如果你愿意，你可以参加预考 班。” “噢，玛丽拉，谢谢您，”安妮一下伸出双臂 抱住了玛丽拉的腰，抬起头热切地望着她的脸， “我真感激您和马修。我会拼命学习，尽量为你 们争光。” “我敢说你会学好的。斯塔西小姐说你既聪 明又勤奋。你用不着太玩儿命，把自己累垮。不 用急，一年半以后才考试呢。不过斯塔西小姐说 ①blissfully/blisfult/ad.幸福 早早动手打好基础倒是应该的。” 地 “现在该对学习更感兴趣才对，”安妮兴高采 烈地说，“因为我有生活目标了。我想当一个斯 塔西小姐那样的老师是一个崇高的目标，玛丽 拉，您说呢？我认为这是一个非常崇高的职业。” 预考班如期成立了。吉尔伯特·布莱思、安 妮·雪利、鲁比·吉利斯、简·安德鲁斯、乔西·派 伊、查利·斯隆和穆迪·斯珀吉翁参加了这个班。 戴安娜·巴里没参加，因为她父母不想送她上女 ②hastily /herstil/ad匆忙地， 王学校。预考班第一次补课那天晚上，安妮看见 急速地 戴安娜慢慢地和其他同学走了出去，她的喉咙哽 ③bitterness/'bitanis/n.悲痛 住了，赶紧把脸藏到拉丁语法书后面，来藏住满 ④sermon /ss3man/n.布道， 眼的泪水。 说教 “可是，噢，玛丽拉，我看到戴安娜孤零零 地走了出去，真觉得感受到死亡的痛苦了，就像 阿伦先生上星期天布道时说的那样，”她那天晚 上悲哀地说，“我想要是戴安娜也参加预考班， ·323· Anne of Green Gables just going to study to be teachers.That is the height of their ambition. Josie Pye says she is just going to college for education's sake,because she won't have to earn her own living.Charlie Sloane says he's going to go into politics and be a member of Parliament." "What is Gilbert Blythe going to be?"queried Marilla,seeing that Anne was opening her Caesar. "I don't happen to know what Gilbert Blythe's ambition in life is- if he has any,"said Anne scornfully. There was open rivalry between Gilbert and Anne now.Gilbert was as determined to be first in class as Anne was.The other members of the class tacitly acknowledged their superiority,and never dreamed of trying to compete with them. Since the day by the pond when she had refused to listen to his plea for forgiveness,Gilbert,save for the aforesaid determined rivalry,had evinced no recognition whatever of the existence of Anne Shirley.He talked and jested with the other girls,exchanged books and puzzles with them,discussed lessons and plans,sometimes walked home with one or the other of them from prayer meeting or Debating Club.But Anne Shirley he simply ignored,and Anne found out that it is not pleasant to be ignored.All at once,as it seemed,and to her secret dismay,she found that the old resentment she had cherished against him was gone- gone just when she most needed its sustaining power.That day by the pond had witnessed its last spasmodic flicker.Anne realized that she had forgiven and forgotten without knowing it.But it was too late. And at least neither Gilbert nor anybody else,not even Diana, should ever suspect how sorry she was and how much she wished she ·324· 绿山墙的安妮 那该有多好哇。可是在这个不完美的世界上我们 无法让事情变得十全十美。我觉得预考班会非常 有趣的。简和鲁比就要为当老师而学习了，这是 她们的雄心壮志。乔西·派伊说她上学就是为了 受教育，她不必赚钱养活自己。查利·斯隆说他 要从政，当一名议员。” “吉尔伯特·布莱思要做什么呢？”玛丽拉问， ①scornfully/'ska:nfal/ad.轻 蔑地 这会儿安妮正在翻看《恺撒大帝》这本书。 “我可不知道吉尔伯特·布莱思的志向—就 ②tacitly'tasitl/ad.沉默地 算他有志向的话。”安妮轻蔑地说。 3superiority /sjupiori'prit/ 现在吉尔伯特和安妮之间的竞争公开化了。 n优越性，优势 无疑，吉尔伯特下决心要像安妮一样在班上争第 一了。班上的同学心里都清楚他们的优势，谁也 ④aforesaid/'f:seda.上述 不想跟他们争高低。 的 那天安妮在池塘边上拒绝了吉尔伯特的求 ③evince /'vins/表明，表示 和，打那以后，吉尔伯特除了决心争第一以外， 还公然无视安妮·雪利的存在。他和其他女孩子 说说笑笑，交换书本和习题，讨论功课和计划， 有时还和某个女孩从祷告会或辩论社团一起回 家，可就是不理安妮·雪利。安妮发现被人忽视 ⑥sustaining/sa'steini/a.支 原来是件挺难受的事。忽然，她发现素日对他的 持的，持续的 仇恨似乎消失了一恰恰在她最该恨他的时候消 spasmodic /spaez'modik/ a间款的，突发性的 失了，这让她暗暗吃惊。池塘那天是她最后一次 ⑧licker/'flika/n.闪烁，闪光 对吉尔伯特发泄愤怒。安妮意识到自己已经在不 知不觉中原凉了吉尔伯特，忘记了仇恨。但是太 晚了。 至少吉尔伯特，还有其他人，甚至包括戴安 ·325·