第一章 扮演朝圣者 C

CHAPTER ONE C
第一章 C
"Army shoes, best to be had," cried Jo.
“最好买双军鞋，”乔叫道。
"Some handkerchiefs, all hemmed," said Beth.
“一些手帕，都缝好了，”贝思说。
"I'll get a little bottle of cologne. She likes it, and it won't cost much, so I'll have some left to buy my pencils," added Amy.
“我去买一小瓶古龙水。她喜欢它，而且它不会花很多钱，所以我还能剩下一些钱买铅笔，”艾美补充道。
"How will we give the things?" asked Meg.
“我们怎么送礼物呢?”梅格问。
"Put them on the table, and bring her in and see her open the bundles. Don't you remember how we used to do on our birthdays?" answered Jo.
“把礼物放在桌子上，把她带进来，让她看她打开礼物。你不记得我们过去过生日是怎么过的吗?”乔回答。
"I used to be so frightened when it was my turn to sit in the chair with the crown on, and see you all come marching round to give the presents, with a kiss. I liked the things and the kisses, but it was dreadful to have you sit looking at me while I opened the bundles," said Beth, who was toasting her face and the bread for tea at the same time.
“每次轮到我戴着花冠坐在那张椅子上，看着你们一个个走来送礼物，吻我一下，我都感到很害怕。我喜欢你送的礼物，也喜欢你给我的吻，可我拆开礼物时，你却坐在那儿盯着我看，真叫人害怕，”贝思说，一面烤着茶点，一面烤着面包。
"Let Marmee think we are getting things for ourselves, and then surprise her. We must go shopping tomorrow afternoon, Meg. There is so much to do about the play for Christmas night," said Jo, marching up and down, with her hands behind her back, and her nose in the air.
“让妈咪以为我们是给自己买的，然后给她一个惊喜。我们明天下午必须去买东西，梅格。圣诞节晚上的戏有好多事要做呢，”乔说着，双手背在背后，鼻子朝天地踱来踱去。
"I don't mean to act any more after this time. I'm getting too old for such things," observed Meg, who was as much a child as ever about 'dressing-up' frolics.
“这次之后，我不想再演戏了。我年纪大了，玩不了这类游戏了，”梅格说。她还像个孩子一样，不喜欢玩化装游戏。
"You won't stop, I know, as long as you can trail round in a white gown with your hair down, and wear gold-paper jewelry. You are the best actress we've got, and there'll be an end of everything if you quit the boards," said Jo.
“你不会停下来的，我知道，只要你能披下头发，戴上金纸做的首饰，穿着白色长袍，在街上晃荡。你是我们最好的演员，如果你退出，一切就完了，”乔说。
"We ought to rehearse tonight. Come here, Amy, and do the fainting scene, for you are as stiff as a poker in that."
“我们今晚应该排练。过来，艾美，演一场昏倒的戏，因为你演那出戏的动作僵硬得像根拨火棍。”
"I can't help it. I never saw anyone faint, and I don't choose to make myself all black and blue, tumbling flat as you do. If I can go down easily, I'll drop. If I can't, I shall fall into a chair and be graceful. I don't care if Hugo does come at me with a pistol," returned Amy, who was not gifted with dramatic power, but was chosen because she was small enough to be borne out shrieking by the villain of the piece.
“我没办法。我从来没见过任何人晕倒，我也不想像你那样平躺着摔倒，弄得自己青一块紫一块的。如果我能轻松地下去，我就会掉下去。如果我做不到，我就倒在椅子上，举止优雅。即使雨果真的拿着手枪向我扑来，我也不在乎，”艾美回答道。她天生没有戏剧天赋，但之所以被选中，是因为她个子小，能被剧中的反派认出尖叫。
"Do it this way. Clasp your hands so, and stagger across the room, crying frantically, 'Roderigo! Save me! Save me!'" and away went Jo, with a melodramatic scream which was truly thrilling.
“这样做。两手这样握在一起，摇摇晃晃地走过房间，发狂似地叫喊着，“罗德力戈!救我!救我!’”乔走了，夸张地尖叫一声，真叫人毛骨悚然。
Amy followed, but she poked her hands out stiffly before her, and jerked herself along as if she went by machinery, and her "Ow!" was more suggestive of pins being run into her than of fear and anguish. Jo gave a despairing groan, and Meg laughed outright, while Beth let her bread burn as she watched the fun with interest. "It's no use! Do the best you can when the time comes, and if the audience laughs, don't blame me. Come on, Meg."
艾美跟在后面，但她僵硬地伸出双手，像坐着机器一样吃力地往前走，她的“噢!”与其说是恐惧和痛苦，不如说是让人联想到针扎到她身上的感觉。乔绝望地呻吟了一声，梅格放声大笑，贝思兴致勃勃地看着这一幕，面包都烤糊了。“没用的!当时机到来时，尽你所能做到最好，如果观众笑了，别怪我。来吧,梅格。”
Then things went smoothly, for Don Pedro defied the world in a speech of two pages without a single break. Hagar, the witch, chanted an awful incantation over her kettleful of simmering toads, with weird effect. Roderigo rent his chains asunder manfully, and Hugo died in agonies of remorse and arsenic, with a wild, "Ha! Ha!"
然后事情就顺利了，唐·佩德罗用两页的演讲挑战了世界，一刻也没有停顿。女巫黑格把一锅蟾蜍放在火上炖，嘴里念着可怕的咒语，效果很怪。罗德力戈义无反顾地扯断锁链，雨果狂叫一声:“哈!哈!”
"It's the best we've had yet," said Meg, as the dead villain sat up and rubbed his elbows.
“这是我们见过的最好的一次，”梅格说，这时死去的坏蛋坐起来，搓着胳膊肘。
"I don't see how you can write and act such splendid things, Jo. You're a regular Shakespeare!" exclaimed Beth, who firmly believed that her sisters were gifted with wonderful genius in all things.
“乔，我真想不到你能写出这么好的剧本，而且演得这么好。你真是个地道的莎士比亚!”贝思叫道。她坚信姐姐们在各方面都有非凡的天赋。
"Not quite," replied Jo modestly. "I do think The Witches Curse, an Operatic Tragedy is rather a nice thing, but I'd like to try Macbeth, if we only had a trapdoor for Banquo. I always wanted to do the killing part. 'Is that a dagger that I see before me?" muttered Jo, rolling her eyes and clutching at the air, as she had seen a famous tragedian do.
“不完全是，”乔谦虚地回答。“我确实认为《女巫的诅咒，歌剧悲剧》是一本不错的书，但我想试试《麦克白》，如果我们能给班柯一扇活板门的话。我一直想演杀人的角色。'我眼前看到的是把匕首吗?"乔咕哝着，像她见过的一位著名悲剧演员那样，翻着白眼，双手抓向空中。
"No, it's the toasting fork, with Mother's shoe on it instead of the bread.
“不，这是烤面包用的叉子，上面放的不是面包，而是妈妈的鞋。
Beth's stage-struck!" cried Meg, and the rehearsal ended in a general burst of laughter.
贝思迷上舞台了!”梅格叫道。大家哄堂大笑，排练也随之结束。
"Glad to find you so merry, my girls," said a cheery voice at the door, and actors and audience turned to welcome a tall, motherly lady with a 'can I help you' look about her which was truly delightful. She was not elegantly dressed, but a noble-looking woman, and the girls thought the gray cloak and unfashionable bonnet covered the most splendid mother in the world.
“看到你们这么快乐，我的女儿们，我真高兴。”门口传来一个愉快的声音，演员和观众都转过身来，欢迎这位身材高大、充满母性的女士。她的衣着并不华丽，却是个高贵的女人。姑娘们认为，这位身披灰色斗篷、头戴过时帽子的母亲是世界上最高贵的母亲。
"Well, dearies, how have you got on today? There was so much to do, getting the boxes ready to go tomorrow, that I didn't come home to dinner. Has anyone called, Beth? How is your cold, Meg? Jo, you look tired to death.Come and kiss me, baby."
“亲爱的，今天过得怎么样?”要做的事情太多了，准备好明天要走的箱子，所以我没有回家吃晚饭。有人来过电话吗，贝丝?你感冒怎么样了，麦格?乔，你看起来累得要死。过来吻我，宝贝。”