第十四章 秘密 C

CHAPTER FOURTEEN C
第十四章 C 
"You are not to tell anyone. Mind that."
“你不能告诉任何人。介意。”
"I didn't promise."
刚开始我没有答应
"That was understood, and I trusted you."
“我明白你的意思，我信任你。”
"Well, I won't for the present, anyway, but I'm disgusted, and wish you hadn't told me."
“好吧，不管怎样，我暂时不告诉你，但我觉得很恶心，真希望你没告诉我。”
"I thought you'd be pleased."
“我以为你会高兴的。”
"At the idea of anybody coming to take Meg away? No, thank you."
“想到会有人来接梅格走?不,谢谢。”
"You'll feel better about it when somebody comes to take you away."
“当有人来把你带走的时候，你会感觉好些的。”
"I'd like to see anyone try it," cried Jo fiercely.
“我倒想看看谁试一试，”乔狂怒地叫道。
"So should I!" and Laurie chuckled at the idea.
“我也应该这样!”劳里想到这里咯咯地笑了。
"I don't think secrets agree with me, I feel rumpled up in my mind since you told me that," said Jo rather ungratefully.
“我认为秘密对我不合适，自从你告诉我以后，我觉得心里乱糟糟的，”乔有点不领情地说。
"Race down this hill with me, and you'll be all right," suggested Laurie.
“和我一起跑下山去，你会没事的，”劳里建议。
No one was in sight, the smooth road sloped invitingly before her, and finding the temptation irresistible, Jo darted away, soon leaving hat and comb behind her and scattering hairpins as she ran. Laurie reached the goal first and was quite satisfied with the success of his treatment, for his Atlanta came panting up with flying hair, bright eyes, ruddy cheeks, and no signs of dissatisfaction in her face.
眼前一个人也没有，平坦的斜坡在她面前诱人地倾斜着，乔发现诱惑无法抗拒，便飞奔而去，不一会儿，帽子和梳子落在身后，发夹也四处散落。劳里第一个达到了目标，他对治疗的成功非常满意，因为他的亚特兰大气喘吁吁地出现了，头发飞扬，眼睛明亮，脸颊红润，脸上没有一丝不满的表情。
"I wish I was a horse, then I could run for miles in this splendid air, and not lose my breath. It was capital, but see what a guy it's made me. Go, pick up my things, like a cherub, as you are," said Jo, dropping down under a maple tree, which was carpeting the bank with crimson leaves.
“我希望我是一匹马，那样我就可以在这美妙的空气中奔跑好几英里，而不会喘不过气来。很好，但看看我变成了什么样的人。去，把我的东西捡起来，像个小天使一样，”乔边说边在一棵枫树下坐下来。枫树上猩红的树叶铺满了河岸。
Laurie leisurely departed to recover the lost property, and Jo bundled up her braids, hoping no one would pass by till she was tidy again. But someone did pass, and who should it be but Meg, looking particularly ladylike in her state and festival suit, for she had been making calls.
劳里不慌不忙地去找回丢失的东西，乔扎起辫子，希望在她收拾干净之前不会有人经过。但有人从旁边经过，那是谁呢?不就是梅格吗?她穿着礼服，显得特别端庄，因为她一直在打电话。
"What in the world are you doing here?" she asked, regarding her disheveled sister with well-bred surprise.
“你到这儿来干什么?”她问，带着一种很有教养的惊讶神情望着她那衣冠不整的妹妹。
"Getting leaves," meekly answered Jo, sorting the rosy handful she had just swept up.
“去摘叶子，”乔温顺地回答，一边把她刚捧起的一把红扑扑的叶子整理好。
"And hairpins," added Laurie, throwing half a dozen into Jo's lap. "They grow on this road, Meg, so do combs and brown straw hats."
“还有发夹，”劳里补充道，把半打发夹扔到乔的膝盖上。“梅格，梳子和棕色草帽都长在这条路上。”
"You have been running, Jo. How could you? When will you stop such romping ways?" said Meg reprovingly, as she settled her cuffs and smoothed her hair, with which the wind had taken liberties.
“你一直在跑，乔。你怎么可以这样呢?你什么时候才能停止这种嬉闹?”梅格责备地说，一面整理袖口，抚平被风吹得放肆的头发。
"Never till I'm stiff and old and have to use a crutch. Don't try to make me grow up before my time, Meg. It's hard enough to have you change all of a sudden. Let me be a little girl as long as I can."
“直到我老了，身体又僵又老，不得不拄着拐杖时，我才去。别想让我过早长大，梅格。让你突然改变已经够难的了。让我做一个小女孩，越长越好。”
As she spoke, Jo bent over the leaves to hide the trembling of her lips, for lately she had felt that Margaret was fast getting to be a woman, and Laurie's secret made her dread the separation which must surely come some time and now seemed very near. He saw the trouble in her face and drew Meg's attention from it by asking quickly, "Where have you been calling, all so fine?"
乔一边说，一边俯在树叶上，以掩盖她颤抖的嘴唇，因为最近她觉得玛格丽特很快就会成为一个女人，而劳里的秘密使她害怕分离迟早会到来，现在看来离得很近了。他看出了她脸上的烦恼，便赶紧问道:“你去哪儿了，一切都很好?”以此转移梅格的注意力。
"At the Gardiners', and Sallie has been telling me all about Belle Moffat's wedding. It was very splendid, and they have gone to spend the winter in Paris. Just think how delightful that must be!"
“在嘉丁纳家，莎莉一直在跟我讲贝尔·莫法特婚礼的事。天气非常好，他们到巴黎去过冬了。想想看，那该有多好!”
"Do you envy her, Meg?" said Laurie.
“你羡慕她吗，麦格?”罗瑞问。
"I'm afraid I do."
“恐怕是的。”
"I'm glad of it!" muttered Jo, tying on her hat with a jerk.
“我真高兴!”乔嘟囔着，猛地系上帽子。
"Why?" asked Meg, looking surprised.
“为什么?”梅格惊讶地问。
"Because if you care much about riches, you will never go and marry a poor man," said Jo, frowning at Laurie, who was mutely warning her to mind what she said.
“因为如果你太在乎财富，你就永远不会嫁给一个穷人，”乔说，皱着眉头看着劳里，劳里默默地警告她要注意她说的话。
"I shall never 'go and marry' anyone," observed Meg, walking on with great dignity while the others followed, laughing, whispering, skipping stones, and 'behaving like children', as Meg said to herself, though she might have been tempted to join them if she had not had her best dress on.
“我永远不会‘嫁’给任何人，”梅格说。她神气十足地继续走着，其他人则跟着她，一边笑着，一边窃窃私语，跳着石头，“举止像个孩子”，梅格自言自语道。不过，如果她没有穿上她最好的衣服，她也很想加入他们。
For a week or two, Jo behaved so queerly that her sisters were quite bewildered. She rushed to the door when the postman rang, was rude to Mr. Brooke whenever they met, would sit looking at Meg with a woe-begone face, occasionally jumping up to shake and then kiss her in a very mysterious manner. Laurie and she were always making signs to one another, and talking about 'Spread Eagles' till the girls declared they had both lost their wits. On the second Saturday after Jo got out of the window, Meg, as she sat sewing at her window, was scandalized by the sight of Laurie chasing Jo all over the garden and finally capturing her in Amy's bower. What went on there, Meg could not see, but shrieks of laughter were heard, followed by the murmur of voices and a great flapping of newspapers.
有一两个星期，乔的行为十分古怪，她的姐妹们都莫名其妙。邮差一响，她就冲到门口;一见到布鲁克先生，她就粗鲁无礼;她坐在那儿愁眉苦脸地看着梅格，偶尔跳起来摇一摇，然后神秘地吻她。劳里和她总是互相打手势，谈论着“展翅雄鹰”，直到姑娘们都说她们都疯了。乔从窗户出来的第二个星期六，麦格坐在窗前做针线活，看到劳里在花园里追着乔跑，最后在艾美的凉亭里逮住了她，大为震惊。那里发生了什么，梅格看不见，只听到一阵尖叫的笑声，接着是窃窃的说话声和一大堆报纸的拍打声。
"What shall we do with that girl? She never will behave like a young lady," sighed Meg, as she watched the race with a disapproving face.
“我们拿那姑娘怎么办?”她永远也不会表现得像个年轻的淑女，”梅格叹着气说，一边看着这场比赛，脸上露出不满的表情。
"I hope she won't. She is so funny and dear as she is," said Beth, who had never betrayed that she was a little hurt at Jo's having secrets with anyone but her.
“我希望她不会。她是那么有趣，那么可爱，”贝思说，她从来没有流露过她对乔向别人隐瞒秘密感到有些伤心。
"It's very trying, but we never can make her commy la fo," added Amy, who sat making some new frills for herself, with her curls tied up in a very becoming way, two agreeable things that made her feel unusually elegant and ladylike.
“这很不容易，但我们永远无法使她变得像个女人，”艾美补充道。她坐着给自己做了些新的褶边，卷发扎得很漂亮，这两件令人愉快的事情使她觉得自己异常优雅，像个淑女。
In a few minutes Jo bounced in, laid herself on the sofa, and affected to read.
几分钟后，乔跳了进来，躺在沙发上，假装看书。
"Have you anything interesting there?" asked Meg, with condescension.
“你那儿有什么有趣的事吗?”梅格屈尊问道。
"Nothing but a story, won't amount to much, I guess," returned Jo, carefully keeping the name of the paper out of sight.
“我想，除了编个故事，什么也没有，”乔答道，一面小心地把报纸的名字藏起来。
"You'd better read it aloud. That will amuse us and keep you out of mischief," said Amy in her most grown-up tone.
“你最好大声读出来。这样我们就会开心了，你就不会再胡闹了，”艾美用她最成熟的语气说。
"What's the name?" asked Beth, wondering why Jo kept her face behind the sheet.
“叫什么名字?”贝思问，不明白乔为什么把脸藏在被单后面。
"The Rival Painters."
“对手画家。”
"That sounds well. Read it," said Meg.
“听起来不错。读吧，”梅格说。
With a loud "Hem!" and a long breath, Jo began to read very fast. The girls listened with interest, for the tale was romantic, and somewhat pathetic, as most of the characters died in the end. "I like that about the splendid picture," was Amy's approving remark, as Jo paused.
“哼!”乔深深地吸了一口气，开始飞快地读起来。女孩们饶有兴趣地听着，因为这个故事既浪漫又有些伤感，因为大多数人物最后都死了。“我喜欢这幅漂亮的画，”乔停了下来，艾美赞许地说。
"I prefer the lovering part. Viola and Angelo are two of our favorite names, isn't that queer?" said Meg, wiping her eyes, for the lovering part was tragical.
“我更喜欢爱的部分。维奥拉和安吉洛是我们最喜欢的两个名字，这不是很奇怪吗?”梅格擦着眼泪说，因为相爱的那部分是悲剧。
"Who wrote it?" asked Beth, who had caught a glimpse of Jo's face.
“谁写的?”贝思瞥了一眼乔的脸，问道。
The reader suddenly sat up, cast away the paper, displaying a flushed countenance, and with a funny mixture of solemnity and excitement replied in a loud voice, "Your sister."
这位读者突然坐起来，扔掉报纸，满脸通红，带着一种既严肃又激动的滑稽表情大声回答道:“你妹妹。”
"You?" cried Meg, dropping her work.
“你?”梅格放下手里的活计，叫道。
"It's very good," said Amy critically.
“写得很好，”艾米挑剔地说。
"I knew it! I knew it! Oh, my Jo, I am so proud!" and Beth ran to hug her sister and exult over this splendid success.
“我就知道!我就知道!噢，我的乔，我太骄傲了!”贝思跑过去拥抱姐姐，为这一辉煌的成功而欣喜若狂。
Dear me, how delighted they all were, to be sure! How Meg wouldn't believe it till she saw the words. "Miss Josephine March," actually printed in the paper. How graciously Amy criticized the artistic parts of the story, and offered hints for a sequel, which unfortunately couldn't be carried out, as the hero and heroine were dead. How Beth got excited, and skipped and sang with joy. How Hannah came in to exclaim, "Sakes alive, well I never!" in great astonishment at 'that Jo's doin's'. How proud Mrs. March was when she knew it. How Jo laughed, with tears in her eyes, as she declared she might as well be a peacock and done with it, and how the 'Spread Eagle' might be said to flap his wings triumphantly over the House of March, as the paper passed from hand to hand.
天哪，她们一个个真是太高兴了!梅格直到看到那些字才相信。"约瑟芬·马奇小姐"竟然登在报纸上。艾米很有礼貌地批评了故事的艺术部分，并为续集提供了一些暗示，但不幸的是，由于男女主人公都已去世，续集无法进行。贝思是多么兴奋，高兴地跳着，唱着。汉娜听了乔的所作所为大为惊讶，走了进来，惊叫道:“天哪，我真没想到!”当马奇太太知道这件事时，她是多么自豪啊!乔笑得好开心，眼里含着泪水，她说她还不如做只孔雀，就这样结束了。她还说，当报纸在人们手中传递时，“展翅的雄鹰”可以得意洋洋地在三月家上空扇动翅膀。
"Tell us about it." "When did it come?" "How much did you get for it?"
"What will Father say?" "Won't Laurie laugh?" cried the family, all in one breath as they clustered about Jo, for these foolish, affectionate people made a jubilee of every little household joy.
“给我们讲讲吧。”“什么时候来的?”“你卖了多少钱?”
“爸爸会怎么说呢?”“劳里不会笑吗?”全家人齐声叫道，他们围在乔身边，因为这些愚蠢而亲切的人们对每一个小小的家庭欢乐都感到高兴。
"Stop jabbering, girls, and I'll tell you everything," said Jo, wondering if Miss Burney felt any grander over her Evelina than she did over her 'Rival Painters'. Having told how she disposed of her tales, Jo added, "And when I went to get my answer, the man said he liked them both, but didn't pay beginners, only let them print in his paper, and noticed the stories. It was good practice, he said, and when the beginners improved, anyone would pay.
“姑娘们，别叽里呱啦的，我会把一切都告诉你们的，”乔说，不知道伯尼小姐是否比她的《情敌画家》更尊敬她的埃弗里娜。讲完如何处理她的故事后，乔接着说:“我去找答案时，那人说他两本书都喜欢，但不给初学者付钱，只让他们印在报纸上，并且注意到这些故事。他说，这是很好的练习，当初学者进步时，任何人都愿意付钱。
So I let him have the two stories, and today this was sent to me, and Laurie caught me with it and insisted on seeing it, so I let him. And he said it was good, and I shall write more, and he's going to get the next paid for, and I am so happy, for in time I may be able to support myself and help the girls."
所以我把这两个故事给了他，今天有人把这个寄给了我，劳里抓住了我，坚持要看，所以我就让他看了。他说写得不错，我还会写得更多的，下次他会拿到稿费的。我真高兴，因为不久我就能养活自己，帮助女儿们了。”
Jo's breath gave out here, and wrapping her head in the paper, she bedewed her little story with a few natural tears, for to be independent and earn the praise of those she loved were the dearest wishes of her heart, and this seemed to be the first step toward that happy end.
乔的呼吸了,裹住她的头,用一些自然的泪水沾湿她的小故事,独立和获得的赞美她爱的亲爱的祝福她的心,而这似乎是快乐的结局的第一步。