003 为他人着想

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On Christmas morning, the March sisters awoke early because they wanted to surprise Mother with their gifts

圣诞节的早晨，马奇姐妹早早醒来，因为她们想用礼物给妈妈一个惊喜。

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Jo reached under the bed and pulled out a wooden box where the gifts for Mother were hidden

乔伸手到床下，拉出一个藏着妈妈礼物的木盒子。

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" I hope Mother likes this," said Jo

“希望妈妈喜欢这个。”乔说。

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She held up a wrapped parcel close to her heart

她把一个包裹好的礼包紧紧抱在胸前。

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Jo had penned a poem just for Mother

乔专门为妈妈写了一首诗。

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Beth fingered her gift to Mother: two handkerchiefs with daisies

贝丝抚摸着给妈妈的礼物：两条绣着雏菊的手帕。

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She had spent all night making them

她花了一整晚的时间缝制。

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Although some of the daisies looked like uneven yellow spots, Beth hoped Mother would love them

尽管有些雏菊看起来像参差不齐的黄色斑点，贝丝仍希望妈妈会喜欢。

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" Smell how lovely that is." Amy pressed a small box under Meg's nose

“闻闻这有多香。”艾米把一个小盒子凑到梅格鼻子下。

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" Did you get lavender? It's Mother's favorite," Meg said knowingly

“你买的是薰衣草吗？那是妈妈最喜欢的。”梅格会心地说。

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Amy had used her savings to buy a bottle of cologne for Mother

艾米用自己的积蓄给妈妈买了一瓶古龙水。

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" Of course it's lavender, though my personal preference is roses," said Amy

“当然是薰衣草味的，不过我本人更喜欢玫瑰味。”艾米说。

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" Meg, where is your gift?" Jo lifted the wooden box and shook it hard

“梅格，你的礼物呢？”乔举起木盒子用力摇晃。

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" Oh, I have it here," said Meg. From her pocket she pulled out a bundle wrapped in a silk handkerchief

“哦，在这里。”梅格说。她从口袋里掏出一个用丝绸手帕包着的小包。

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Inside was a pair of white silk gloves

里面是一副白色丝绸手套。

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Jo squeezed Meg's hand. She knew that Meg had saved her hard earned money to purchase those special gloves

乔捏了捏梅格的手。她知道梅格用辛苦赚来的钱买了这副特别的手套。

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" They will fit Mother's hands perfectly," Meg said as she lovingly placed them inside the box

“它们完全合妈妈的手。”梅格一边说，一边爱惜地把手套放进盒子里。

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The girls crept quietly downstairs to the living room

姑娘们悄悄地溜下楼梯，来到客厅。

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Mother usually reclined in her chair sipping her coffee before the girls scurried in for breakfast

妈妈通常会靠在椅子上，一边喝着咖啡，等姑娘们匆匆跑进来吃早餐。

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So, in order to surprise her, the girls tiptoed across the hall and stood quietly outside the living room entrance. Amy had a fit of giggles

所以，为了给她一个惊喜，姑娘们踮着脚尖穿过走廊，悄悄站在客厅入口外面。艾米忍不住咯咯笑起来。

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" Shh!" Jo hissed at her

“嘘！”乔朝她嘘了一声。

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" Girls, on the count of three," Meg whispered." One, two... THREE!"

“姑娘们，数到三，”梅格轻声说。“一、二……三！”

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The girls flew into the room and shouted simultaneously: " Surprise, Mother! Merry —!"

姑娘们飞奔进房间，同时喊道：“妈妈，惊喜！圣诞——！”

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But before they could finish their greeting, the girls noticed Mother's chair was unoccupied

但她们还没说完祝福，就注意到妈妈的椅子空着。

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Instead Hannah had just strolled in with a tray full of cakes

反倒是汉娜端着一托盘的蛋糕，刚刚走进来。

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" Ah!" Hannah screamed as she almost flipped the tray over

“啊！”汉娜尖叫一声，差点儿把托盘打翻。

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Meg ran over to help their beloved housekeeper

梅格跑过去帮助他们亲爱的管家。

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" Oh, girls!" Amy clasped her hands, her eyes growing big as she looked at the dining room table

“哦，姑娘们！”艾米双手紧握，望着餐桌，眼睛瞪得大大的。

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The table was covered with heaps of food

桌子上堆满了食物。

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There were sausages, eggs, fresh juice and butter, and cakes adorned each corner

有香肠、鸡蛋、新鲜果汁和黄油，每个角落都点缀着蛋糕。

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" Your Ma wanted to surprise you girls with a Christmas feast," said Hannah, still clutching her chest and breathing deeply

“你们的妈妈想用圣诞大餐给你们一个惊喜呀，”汉娜说，她还捂着胸口，喘着粗气。

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The girls were so touched by their mother's loving act

女孩们被妈妈充满爱的举动深深打动了。

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" But where is she?" asked Jo

“可她人在哪儿呢？”乔问道。

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Before Hannah could answer, Mother walked in through the front door

汉娜还没来得及回答，妈妈就从前门走了进来。

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" Good morning, my darling girls!" Mother opened her arms wide to embrace her daughters

“早上好，我亲爱的女儿们！”妈妈大大张开双臂，拥抱她的孩子们。

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" Where did you go, Mother?" Meg asked

“妈妈，您去哪儿了？”梅格问。

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" I went to see the Hummels," replied Mother

“我去看胡梅尔一家了，”妈妈回答。

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The Hummels were a very poor family with many small children

胡梅尔家很穷，家里有很多小孩子。

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Mr. Hummel had been drafted into the army, leaving his pregnant wife and six small children to fend for themselves

胡梅尔先生被征召入伍了，留下他怀孕的妻子和六个年幼的孩子自谋生路。

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Since Mother worked as a volunteer to help unfortunate people in the community, she knew the Hummels' situation very well

妈妈在社区里当志愿者，帮助不幸的人，所以她非常了解胡梅尔家的情况。

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" How are the children?" asked Beth gently

贝丝轻声问道：“孩子们怎么样了？”

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" Not very good, I'm afraid," Mother answered gravely

妈妈郑重地回答：“恐怕不太好。”

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" They have no heating or... food." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the feast on the table

“他们没有取暖，也没有……食物。”她望着桌上丰盛的饭菜，声音渐渐低了下去。

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The girls knew what Mother was thinking, but except for Beth, the other girls were reluctant to part with their Christmas meal

女孩们明白妈妈的心思，但除了贝丝，其他姐妹都不愿放弃这顿圣诞大餐。

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Meg reasoned to herself: " We don't get any gifts

梅格在心里说服自己：“我们没有收到任何礼物。

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We should at least get a decent Christmas meal."

至少该吃一顿像样的圣诞大餐。”

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Jo was thinking: " I'm starving! And those sausages look so appetizing!"

乔心想：“我快饿死了！那些香肠看着真诱人！”

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Amy contemplated: " Maybe we can eat first then give the rest away to the Hummels."

艾米思量着：“也许我们可以先吃，再把剩下的送给胡梅尔一家。”

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Mother smiled at them as if she could discern their very thoughts

妈妈朝她们笑了笑，仿佛能看穿她们的心思。

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But she said kindly: " I just want to say that this meal is a gift from me and Hannah to you

但她温和地说：“我只想说，这顿饭是我和汉娜送给你们的礼物。

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However you want to use your gift is entirely up to you

你想如何使用这份礼物，完全由你决定。

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I will love and respect you whatever you decide."

无论你做什么决定，我都会爱你、尊重你。”

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Meg spoke first." Mother, the girls and I would be honored if the Hummels could enjoy this lovely meal."

梅格先开口说道。“妈妈，如果胡梅尔一家能享用这顿美餐，我和妹妹们会感到十分荣幸。”

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Jo and Beth nodded in agreement. A moment or two later, Amy nodded too

乔和贝丝点头表示同意。过了一会儿，艾米也点了点头。

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" My girls, I am so proud of you," Mother said

“我的女儿们，我为你们感到骄傲，”妈妈说。

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" Let's all go together to visit the Hummels," suggested Beth

“我们一起去胡梅尔家吧，”贝丝建议道。

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So the girls sprinted upstairs to change their clothes

于是，女孩们飞快地上楼去换衣服。

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Within a few minutes, the food was all wrapped up and ready to go

几分钟内，食物都打包好了，准备出发。

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The girls got into their boots and coats and ventured out

女孩们穿上靴子和大衣，出门了。

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Each of them carried large baskets filled with food

她们每人都提着装满食物的大篮子。

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As the Hummels did not have any heating, Jo hauled a sack of wood as well

因为胡梅尔家没有取暖的东西，乔还扛了一袋木柴。

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None of the girls felt regret or resentment

女孩们都没有感到后悔或怨恨。

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Deep in their hearts, they knew the Hummels would relish the meal much more than they would

在内心深处，她们知道胡梅尔一家会比她们更喜欢这顿饭。

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As they passed the old mansion next to their house, Jo happened to look up

经过隔壁的老宅时，乔碰巧抬头看了一眼。

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From the third floor, a dark-haired boy peered down at them as they trudged along

在她们艰难行进时，一个黑发男孩从三楼往下偷看她们。

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" Look! There's old Mr. Laurence's grandson!" Jo called out to her sisters

“看！那是老劳伦斯先生的孙子！”乔对姐妹们喊道。

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" Jo!" reprimanded Meg." Stop staring at him

“乔！”梅格责备道，“别盯着他看。”

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It isn't proper for a young girl to stare at a boy!"

“年轻女孩盯着男孩看是不合适的！”

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" Don't be such a granny, Meg," snorted Jo

“别像个老太婆似的，梅格，”乔哼了一声。

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Since both her hands were full, she lifted up her foot and wiggled it at him as an alternative to waving

因为双手都拿着东西，她就抬起脚朝他晃了晃，当作挥手。

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" Jo! You're so shameless!" said Amy in rebuke

“乔！你真不害臊！”艾米责备道。

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From the window the boy also lifted his foot and wiggled it at Jo

那个男孩也从窗户抬起脚，冲着乔晃了晃。

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Jo let out a loud, hearty laugh

乔发出一阵响亮、开怀的大笑。

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No words could describe how grateful the Hummel family was for the generous gift

任何言语都无法形容胡梅尔一家对这份慷慨馈赠有多么感激。

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Jo expertly got a fire going in no time while Meg and Amy set up the table and filled it with food

乔熟练地很快生起了火，而梅格和艾米则在桌上摆满了食物。

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Beth and Mother took care of the sick children

贝丝和妈妈则照顾着生病的孩子。

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" Did you see how happy those children were?" Amy said, as the girls walked back home, her footsteps light and perky

“你们看到那些孩子有多开心了吗？”姑娘们走在回家的路上，艾米脚步轻快，兴高采烈地说。

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" Mrs. Hummel could not stop crying," remarked Jo." I felt so sorry for her."

“胡梅尔太太哭个不停，”乔说，“我真为她感到难过。”

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" Hopefully Mr. Hummel will be able to return home soon," said Mother

“希望胡梅尔先生很快就能回家来。”妈妈说。

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Silently, all the girls prayed for their father to do the same

女孩们都在心里默默祈祷，希望她们的父亲也能如此。

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As the girls got nearer to their house, something made them stop

当姑娘们走近自己家时，有什么情况让她们停下了脚步。

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" Is that our house?" asked Amy

“那是我们家吗？”艾米问道。

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" Well, I think so, but it looks different somehow," replied Meg

“嗯，我想是的，但不知怎的看起来不一样了。”梅格回答。

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There was a warm glow to the house as if each room was emitting heat

房子透出一种温暖的光芒，仿佛每个房间都在散发着热量。

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" What if the house is on fire?" Jo shouted

“房子该不会是着火了吧？”乔喊道。

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She tore across the field, her hair flying out of its bun, and threw open the door

她飞奔过田野，发髻都散开了，然后猛地推开了门。

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What a sight to behold! The entire house was cozily warm, a fire burning brightly in each fireplace

那是多么令人惊叹的景象啊！整座房子都暖融融的，每个壁炉里的火都烧得旺旺的。

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The bare dining room table was once again crowded with all sorts of delights

原本空荡荡的餐桌，又一次摆满了各种美味佳肴。

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" Hannah! What is this?" Mother demanded to know

“汉娜！这是怎么回事？”妈妈追问道。

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Choking back tears, Hannah could produce no reply but simply pointed to the mansion next door

汉娜强忍着泪水，一句话也回答不上来，只是指了指隔壁的大宅子。

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" You mean Mr. Laurence sent this?" asked Mother

“你是说，这是劳伦斯先生送来的？”妈妈问道。

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Hannah nodded, overcome by a fresh wave of tears

汉娜点了点头，又涌出一波泪水，难以自持。

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" Here's a card!" Jo waved a small piece of paper in the air:

“这里有一张卡片！”乔在空中挥舞着一张小纸片：

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Dear Mrs. March and all her lovely daughters, Jo read:

亲爱的马奇太太和她所有可爱的女儿们，乔念道：

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My grandson and I would like to give a gift to you as you so generously give to others. Your neighbor, Mr. Laurence

我和我的孙子想送一份礼物给你们，因为你们如此慷慨地给予他人。你们的邻居，劳伦斯先生。

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The girls all grabbed hands and started to dance around the table. Never had they been so surprised

姑娘们全都手拉着手，开始围着桌子跳起舞来。她们从未如此惊喜过。

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" You see, girls," Mother said happily." When you think of others, others are also thinking of you."

“你们看，姑娘们，”妈妈高兴地说，“当你们为他人着想时，他人也会为你们着想。”