005 “要是……就好了”的故事

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The more Jo got to know Laurie the more she liked him

乔越是了解劳里，就越喜欢他。

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She found that her preconceptions about his privileged upbringing and the behavior she expected from someone so wealthy were quickly shattered

她发现自己原先对他优越家境和富家子弟行为的预设很快就被打破了。

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For Jo had never met anyone as down-to-earth, sincere, and witty as Laurie

因为乔从未遇到过像劳里这样脚踏实地、真诚而又风趣的人。

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However, what happened later on that evening really clinched their friendship

然而，那天晚上后来发生的事情真正巩固了他们的友谊。

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The two young people were exchanging jokes and laughing rather loudly when Meg

两个年轻人正在大声地互开玩笑、哈哈大笑时，梅格——

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who had been dancing almost the entire evening, limped over to where they sat

她几乎跳了一整晚的舞，一瘸一拐地走到他们坐的地方。

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" Jo," Meg whispered, her face pinched with pain

“乔，”梅格低声说，脸上疼得皱成一团。

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" Meg! What's the matter?" Jo exclaimed, alarmed

“梅格！你怎么了？”乔惊慌地喊道。

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" I've hurt my ankle," answered Meg, tenderly massaging the swollen area

“我扭伤脚踝了，”梅格回答，温柔地揉着肿胀的地方。

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" Oh, dear, what are we going to do?" Jo cracked her knuckles

“哎呀，我们该怎么办？”乔掰着自己的指关节。

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" Jo! Don't do that! That's so ill-mannered!" Meg, in her agony, still worried about how others might perceive them

“乔！别那样做！太没礼貌了！”梅格虽然疼痛难忍，却依然担心旁人会怎么看她们。

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" Can I help in any way?" Laurie gallantly interrupted

“我能帮上什么忙吗？”劳里殷勤地插话道。

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" No, silly boy," Jo brushed him aside." It took us twenty minutes to walk here," she calculated to Meg

“不用，傻小子。”乔把他推到一边，然后对梅格盘算道，“我们走过来花了二十分钟。”

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" If I carry you, we may be able to get home in less than an hour."

“如果我背着你，咱们或许能在一个小时内到家。”

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" No!" Meg and Laurie cried out simultaneously

“不行！”梅格和劳里异口同声地喊道。

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" We can't afford to hire a carriage, Meg," said Jo decisively

“我们雇不起马车，梅格。”乔果断地说，

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" so unless you want to ask Sallie whether or not they can accommodate you for the night, then I don't see any other way."

“所以，除非你想去问问萨莉，看她们家能否留你过夜，不然我想不出别的办法了。”

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Indeed, Jo spoke truthfully, since the Marches no longer had a carriage and the girls certainly did not have enough money to hire one to take them back

确实，乔说的是实话，因为马奇家早已没有马车，姑娘们手头的钱也绝对不够雇一辆车回家。

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" Well, I was planning to return home soon," said Laurie, clearing his throat then continuing," and I have a carriage

“嗯，我正打算一会儿就回家。”劳里清了清嗓子，接着说，“而且我有马车。

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If you would do me the honor of escorting you back home, then I shall be the envy of all the lads here tonight."

如果你们能赏光让我护送你们回家，那我今晚可要成为这里所有小伙子羡慕的对象了。”

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Jo appreciated Laurie's tact and kindness. The two sisters heartily accepted Laurie's offer and they rode home in luxury and comfort

乔很感激劳里的体贴和善良。姐妹俩欣然接受了劳里的好意，乘坐马车舒适而气派地回到了家。

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The following day was their last day of freedom, as Jo put it

第二天，用乔的话说，是她们自由的最后一天。

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The winter holidays were coming to a close and the girls would be returning to their normal activities

寒假接近尾声，姑娘们即将回归日常生活。

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For Meg and Jo, that meant going back to work

对梅格和乔来说，这意味着要回去工作了。

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Meg worked as a governess for the King family and their children

梅格在金家做家庭教师，负责教导他们的孩子。

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Although she took great pleasure in making her own living

虽然她很享受自食其力的过程，

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Meg sometimes found it a challenge to be surrounded by wealth and luxuries that she knew she would never possess

但有时候，被那些她知道自己永远无法拥有的财富和奢侈品包围，对梅格来说是一种考验。

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" It frustrates me how wealthy some families are, while others are so deprived," she often complained upon returning from her place of employment

"有些家庭如此富有，而另一些家庭却如此匮乏，这真让我感到沮丧，"从雇主家回来时，她常常这样抱怨。

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As for Jo, she worked as a companion to their rich old Aunt March

至于乔，她为富有而年迈的马奇姑婆做伴护。

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Every morning when Jo arrived at the mansion, Aunt March presented her with a list of things to do that day

每天早晨乔一到那栋大宅，马奇姑婆就会给她一张当天待办事项的清单。

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Often the list included petty things like brushing Polly, the pet parrot, and feeding her crackers, or changing the order of the cushions on the sofa

清单上常常列着一些琐事，比如给宠物鹦鹉波莉刷毛、喂它吃饼干，或者给沙发上的靠垫换个摆放顺序。

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Of course, one thing Aunt March always wrote down was for Jo to read to her from a book of the old lady's choice

当然，马奇姑婆总会写下的一件事，就是让乔从她选定的书里读给她听。

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Needless to say, Jo's favorite part of the day was when she could escape into the pages of an imaginary world

不用说，乔一天中最喜欢的时刻，就是能沉浸到书页里那个想象世界中去的时候。

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" At least you girls get reimbursed for your diligent efforts," whined Amy

“至少你们姐妹们努力干活还能得到报酬，”艾美嘟囔着。

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Though it was a holiday period, Mother made sure the girls had plenty to do around the house so they did not become lazy

虽然是假期，妈妈还是确保姑娘们在家有足够多的事情做，免得她们变懒散了。

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Meg was shortening the hem of some of her old dresses so Amy could wear them to school

梅格正把自己的一些旧裙子改短，这样艾美就能穿着去上学了。

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Jo was sitting and darning some old socks

乔正坐着缝补几双旧袜子。

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What little silverware the Marches had, Amy was polishing

马奇家仅有的一点银餐具，艾美正把它们擦得锃亮。

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And Beth, who at the age of thirteen still loved her dolls, was mending some button eyes on one of her " children."

而十三岁依然热爱自己娃娃的贝丝，正给她其中一个“孩子”修补纽扣眼睛。

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" What do you mean, Amy?" Meg asked lightly as she adjusted the cushion under her injured ankle

“你这话什么意思，艾美？”梅格一边调整受伤脚踝下的靠垫，一边随口问道。

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" I am forced to learn things I have no interest in," Amy began, her cheeks flushed pink

“我被迫学些毫无兴趣的东西，”艾美开口说，双颊涨得通红。

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" Girls tease me all the time about my dresses or ribbons

“女孩子们总是取笑我的裙子或发带。

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And I don't get paid for any of the abuse I suffer daily like you do."

而且我每天受这么多委屈，也不像你一样有报酬。”

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Jo rolled her eyes and said," No one gets paid to go to school

乔翻了个白眼，说：“上学哪有人拿报酬的。

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And besides," she added, using her needle to point to Meg and herself," we had to go to school just the same as you."

再说了，”她用针指了指梅格和自己，补充道，“我们还不是跟你一样得去上学。”

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Meg put her sewing down." If only our lives were different, girls."

梅格放下手中的针线活。“姑娘们，要是咱们的日子能换个活法该多好。”

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" What would you change, Meg?" asked Beth

“梅格，你想改变什么呢？”贝丝问道。

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She had finished " surgery " on one doll and was moving on to replace a torn-off limb on another worn-out one

她已经给一个娃娃做完了“手术”，正接着给另一个破旧的娃娃替换被扯掉的胳膊。

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" Well, I wouldn't work for the Kings," Meg said after a while

“嗯，我不会再为金家工作了，”梅格过了一会儿说道。

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" I would find an agreeable job, perhaps as a seamstress so that I might design beautiful gowns for ladies to wear."

“我会找一份称心的工作，也许当个女裁缝，这样我就能为女士们设计漂亮的礼服了。”

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" But you wouldn't be able to wear them yourself," said Jo candidly

“但你自己就没法穿了呀。”乔直率地说。

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Meg gave her a hurt look and continued," There might be some material left for me to make my own dress."

梅格委屈地看了她一眼，接着说：“也许还能剩下些料子，够我给自己做条裙子。”

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" Then you would look like Beth's doll there," Jo laughed, pointing to one doll who wore an ugly dress made out of different scraps of fabric sewn together

“那你就会看起来像贝思的那个娃娃了。”乔笑着，指着一个穿着用不同碎布拼凑缝成的难看裙子的娃娃。

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" That's mean, Jo. I just want a better life for myself and my family," was Meg's tearful reply

“太刻薄了，乔。我只是想让自己和家人过上更好的生活。”梅格含着泪回答。

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" Sorry, Meg," apologized Jo." As for me, I'd be happy if Aunt March took longer naps."

“对不起，梅格。”乔道歉说。“至于我嘛，要是马奇姑婆午睡能睡久一点，我就开心了。”

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The sisters shared a hearty giggle over this as they knew how cranky and bossy their old relative was

姐妹们都为此开心地咯咯笑起来，因为她们都清楚这位老亲戚有多古怪和专横。

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Jo often blamed Aunt March's bad moods on her lack of sleep

乔常常把马奇姑婆的坏脾气归咎于她睡眠不足。

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" What would you do while she's sleeping?" asked Beth

“她睡觉的时候，你会做什么呢？”贝思问。

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" Go to her library, of course, and read every single book," was Jo's matter-of-fact reply

“当然是去她的书房，读完那里的每一本书。”乔理所当然地回答。

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" Well," Beth said in her soft and mild manner," if only I wasn't so shy I would love to earn some money and buy a piano."

“嗯，”贝思用她温柔和缓的语气说，“要是我不这么害羞就好了，我真想去挣点钱，买一架钢琴。”

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Her sisters gave her an encouraging nod for they knew how Beth's shyness hindered her

姐妹们鼓励地朝她点了点头，因为她们知道贝思的害羞如何阻碍了她

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from the everyday activities others took for granted, like going to school

去做别人视为理所当然的日常活动，比如上学。

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" If only I didn't have to go to school," whined Amy

“要是我不用去上学就好了。”艾美抱怨道。

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" I wouldn't have to hear those degrading remarks about my attire."

“我就不会听到那些关于我穿着的贬损话了。”

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Though she moaned about school all the time

虽然她总在抱怨学校，

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Amy never missed an opportunity to use new words she had learned there or to tell her sisters something interesting she had just been taught

艾美却从不放过任何一个机会，去使用她在那里学到的新词，或是讲给姐妹们听一些她刚学到的趣事。

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" Your dresses are lovely," chirped Meg, since they used to belong to her at one time

“你的裙子很可爱呀。”梅格叽叽喳喳地说，因为这些裙子也曾经是她的。

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" But they're so outdated," retorted Amy, adding," although some girls do say rather pleasant things about my hair." She fluffed and patted her curls

“但都太过时了。”艾美反驳道，又补了一句，“不过，有些女孩确实会夸我的头发。”她理了理，又拍了拍她的卷发。

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Her sisters silently chuckled at Amy's open vanity about her beauty trademark

姐妹们看到艾美对她那美丽标志毫不掩饰的得意劲儿，都无声地轻笑起来。

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" And if only I had a straight elegant nose," Amy complained, pinching the ridge of her nose and tugging at it as if that would restructure it

“要是我有一个挺拔优雅的鼻子就好了。”艾美抱怨着，捏住自己的鼻梁往外拉，好像那样就能给鼻子塑形似的。

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" As much as we would all like our ' if only ' stories to come true," broke in Meg

“尽管我们都希望自己的‘要是’故事能成真，”梅格插话道，

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" the reality is that tomorrow life will return to just as it was a few weeks ago."

“但现实是，明天生活就会回到几周前的老样子。”

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" And there is not much we can do about it," concluded Jo

“而我们对此也无能为力。”乔总结道。

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The sisters harmoniously let out a wistful collective sigh and resumed their work

姐妹们心有灵犀地一齐发出一声惆怅的叹息，然后继续干活。