028 圣诞与新年

旁白 neutral

December 26

12月26日

旁白 neutral

Dear Daddy Longlegs

亲爱的长腿叔叔，

旁白 neutral

Do you have any sense at all?

你究竟有没有一点常识啊？

旁白 neutral

You shouldn't give me 17 Christmas presents!

你不该送我十七件圣诞礼物！

旁白 neutral

That's too many

太多了。

旁白 neutral

What if we argued?

万一我们吵架了呢？

旁白 neutral

I'd have to hire a moving van to return all your gifts

那我得雇一辆搬家卡车才能退还你的所有礼物。

旁白 neutral

I'm sorry the necktie I sent was so crooked

对不起，我送的领带歪歪扭扭的。

旁白 neutral

I made it myself

是我自己做的。

旁白 neutral

But I guess you could tell that by looking at it

不过，我想你一看就能看出来。

旁白 neutral

You'll have to wear it on cold days and keep your coat buttoned up

冷天的时候你得戴上它，还得把外套扣子扣好。

旁白 neutral

Thank you a thousand times for my gifts. I like them all!

万分感谢你的礼物，我全都喜欢！

旁白 neutral

Merry Christmas

圣诞快乐，

旁白 neutral

Judy

朱蒂

旁白 neutral

P. S. Here's a four-leaf clover to bring you luck in the New Year

又及：送你一片四叶草，祝你在新的一年里好运连连。

旁白 neutral

I found it last summer at the McBrides' house

我去年夏天在麦克布莱德家找到的。

旁白 neutral

January 9

1月9日

旁白 neutral

Dear Daddy Longlegs

亲爱的长腿叔叔，

旁白 neutral

Would you like to do something that will guarantee you get into heaven?

你愿不愿意做一件能确保你进天堂的事呢？

旁白 neutral

There's a family in town in desperate need of help

镇上有一户人家急需帮助。

旁白 neutral

I know the oldest daughter, who's 24

我认识她家的大女儿，今年二十四岁。

旁白 neutral

She's a seamstress and sometimes makes clothes for girls at the college

她是个裁缝，有时给大学里的女生做衣服。

旁白 neutral

I went to her house today to pick up a skirt, and she was in tears

我今天去她家取裙子，她哭得泪流满面。

旁白 neutral

" What's wrong, Emily?" I asked

“怎么了，艾米丽？” 我问。

旁白 neutral

" Oh, everything, Miss Abbott."

“唉，一切都不顺心，艾博特小姐。”

旁白 neutral

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief

她用手帕擦了擦眼睛。

旁白 neutral

" My father used to work at the glass factory

“我父亲以前在玻璃厂工作。

旁白 neutral

But he got ill and was sent to a hospital

但他生病了，被送进了医院。

旁白 neutral

That took all our savings

那花光了我们所有的积蓄。

旁白 neutral

Now I'm the only one supporting our family."

现在我是家里唯一养家的人。”

旁白 neutral

" Don't you have anyone who can help you?" I asked

“难道没有谁能帮你一把吗？”我问。

旁白 neutral

She shook her head sadly

她难过地摇了摇头。

旁白 neutral

" My two older brothers are working

“我的两个哥哥有工作。

旁白 neutral

But we don't know where they are

但我们不知道他们在哪儿。

旁白 neutral

They haven't sent any money home

他们没有寄过钱回家。

旁白 neutral

My mother doesn't have a job, and my three younger siblings aren't old enough to work."

我妈妈没有工作，三个弟弟妹妹还没到能工作的年纪。”

旁白 neutral

I didn't want to embarrass her, but I had to ask a question

我不想让她难堪，但我不得不再问一个问题。

旁白 neutral

" Would you mind telling me how much money you make?"

“你介意告诉我，你挣多少钱吗？”

旁白 neutral

" I make dresses and do other sewing for a dollar and a half a day

“我做连衣裙和别的针线活，一天挣一块五。

旁白 neutral

At night I embroider table linens

晚上我还给桌布绣花。”

旁白 neutral

But I don't have work every day."

但我不是每天都有活干。

旁白 neutral

During this conversation, Emily's mother had been sitting quietly

在这番对话期间，艾米丽的母亲一直安静地坐着。

旁白 neutral

But now she spoke up

但现在她开口了。

旁白 neutral

" Things will work out," Emily's mother said

“事情会好起来的，”艾米丽的母亲说。

旁白 neutral

" Don't worry about us, miss."

“别为我们担心，小姐。”

旁白 neutral

Emily shook her head

艾米丽摇了摇头。

旁白 neutral

" I don't know how we're going to get through this winter."

“我不知道我们这个冬天要怎么熬过去。”

旁白 neutral

" Let me see what I can do," I said

“让我看看我能做些什么，”我说。

旁白 neutral

" I might be able to help you."

“也许我能帮上忙。”

旁白 neutral

I was shaking my head in disbelief when I left Emily's house

离开艾米丽家时，我难以置信地摇着头。

旁白 neutral

Her mother just sits there all day while Emily kills herself working!

她妈妈整天就坐在那儿，而艾米丽却拼死拼活地干活！

旁白 neutral

You're the richest man I know

你是我认识的最富有的人。

旁白 neutral

Do you think you could spare one hundred dollars?

你觉得你能匀出一百美元吗？

旁白 neutral

This girl deserves help a lot more than I ever did

这个女孩比我当初更应该得到帮助。

旁白 neutral

One hundred dollars would buy some coal for the heater and shoes for the little children

一百美元能给取暖器买些煤，还能给小的孩子们买鞋。

旁白 neutral

Can you imagine being without shoes in the winter?

你能想象冬天没有鞋穿吗？

旁白 neutral

It would also give Emily a financial cushion

这也能给艾米丽一个经济上的缓冲。

旁白 neutral

Then she wouldn't worry on days when she has no work

那样，她在没活儿干的日子里就不用发愁了。

旁白 neutral

Meanwhile... my least favorite class is philosophy

与此同时…… 我最不喜欢的课是哲学。

旁白 neutral

The professor seems to think this is our only class

教授好像觉得这是我们唯一的课。

旁白 neutral

He piles on the work!

他布置的作业堆积如山！

旁白 neutral

He tries to lighten his dreary lectures with jokes

他试图用笑话来活跃沉闷的课堂气氛。

旁白 neutral

But they aren't funny at all

可那些笑话一点都不好笑。

旁白 neutral

Where do you think my new novel is?

你猜我新写的小说在哪儿？

旁白 neutral

In the wastebasket! I could tell it was terrible

在废纸篓里！我一看就知道写得太差了。

旁白 neutral

So I knew it would never get published

所以，我知道它根本不可能出版。

旁白 neutral

January 10

1月10日

旁白 neutral

I'm writing to you from a bed of pain

我正躺在病榻上给你写信。

旁白 neutral

I have swollen tonsils

我的扁桃体肿了。

旁白 neutral

I can swallow hot milk, but that's it

我只能咽下热牛奶，别的什么都吃不了。

旁白 neutral

The doctor visited me in the infirmary

医生来医务室看我了。

旁白 neutral

" Why didn't you have your tonsils removed when you were a child?" he asked

他问：“你小时候怎么没把扁桃体切掉？”

旁白 neutral

" What were your parents thinking?"

“你父母当时是怎么想的？”

旁白 neutral

" I have no idea, but they weren't thinking about me."

“我不知道，但他们反正没在想我。”

旁白 neutral

I didn't actually say that because it hurt too much to talk

我其实没说出口，因为疼得说不出话。

旁白 neutral

But that's what I wanted to say

但那就是我想说的话。

旁白 neutral

Yours

你的，

旁白 neutral

J. A

J.A.

旁白 neutral

January 12

1月12日

旁白 neutral

Dear Mr. Philanthropist

亲爱的慈善家先生：

旁白 neutral

Your check for Emily's family came today

你寄给艾米丽一家的支票今天到了。

旁白 neutral

Thank you so much!

太感谢你了！

旁白 neutral

I skipped gym class and took it to her right after lunch

我翘了体育课，午饭后马上就给她送去了。

旁白 neutral

You should have seen Emily's face!

你真该看看艾米丽当时的表情！

旁白 neutral

She was so surprised and happy and relieved

她那么惊讶，那么开心，又那么如释重负。

旁白 neutral

She looked almost young again

她看起来又几乎变年轻了。

旁白 neutral

( It's pitiful that she looks so old at 24.)

（她才24岁就显得那么苍老，真让人心疼。）

旁白 neutral

" Good things are starting to happen," Emily said

“好事开始发生了，”艾米丽说。

旁白 neutral

" This morning a woman ordered a wedding dress and all the clothes for her honeymoon

“今天早上，有位女士订做了一套婚纱和蜜月旅行的全套衣服。

旁白 neutral

That's two months' worth of work

这可是两个月的工作量呢。

旁白 neutral

And now this check arrives!"

现在这张支票又到了！”

旁白 neutral

" I told you everything would work out," her mother said

“我早跟你说过，一切都会好起来的，”她母亲说。

旁白 neutral

I tried to stay quiet, but I'd lost my patience with her

我本想保持沉默，但我实在对她失去了耐心。

旁白 neutral

" Things didn't just happen to work out," I said

“事情不是碰巧就好起来的，”我说。

旁白 neutral

" They worked out because I told Mr. Smith about your problems

“事情能解决，是因为我把你们的困难告诉了史密斯先生。

旁白 neutral

And he very kindly decided to write a check."

而他非常慷慨，决定开了这张支票。”

旁白 neutral

" Yes, Mother," Emily said

“是的，妈妈，”艾米丽说。

旁白 neutral

" It's Miss Abbott and Mr. Smith that we should be thanking."

“我们应该感谢的是阿博特小姐和史密斯先生。”

旁白 neutral

Yours most gratefully

满怀感激的，

旁白 neutral

Judy Abbott

朱蒂·阿博特

旁白 neutral

P. S. My throat is feeling much better

附言：我的喉咙感觉好多了。

旁白 neutral

I'm out of bed and back to school. Obviously!

我已经能下床，回到学校了。这很明显嘛！