006 乔为劳里打气

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" Normal " life for the March girls began bright and early the next day

马奇家姑娘们的“正常”生活，在第二天一大早就开始了。

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Unfortunately, neither Meg nor Jo was in the best of moods

不巧的是，梅格和乔心情都不太好。

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Like most siblings, they did what they always do when things are annoying and irritable: they took it out on each other

像大多数兄弟姐妹一样，她们做了烦躁易怒时惯常做的事：把气出在对方身上。

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" Hurry up, Jo," snapped Meg as she put on her thick winter coat

“快点，乔，”梅格一边穿上厚冬衣，一边没好气地说。

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" Why? Are you so anxious to see your precious King children?" Jo retorted nastily

“干嘛？你就这么急着去见你那宝贝金家孩子？”乔刻薄地回敬道。

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" Must you doodle at your desk every morning?

“你非得每天早上都在书桌前乱写乱画吗？

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For once can't you keep an eye on the clock?" Meg spat back

就不能哪怕有一次，看着点时间吗？”梅格厉声回呛。

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Jo woke up at the crack of dawn every morning and rushed up to her sanctuary where she " doodled " on her latest story

乔每天天刚破晓就醒来，然后冲上她的小天地，在那里“乱写乱画”她的最新故事。

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She called it her " pre-day exercise " and often forgot the time until one of the others had to go up and remind her

她把这叫做“每日晨练”，常常忘记时间，直到其他人不得不上来提醒她。

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" Girls, do you think it's wise to start the New Year off like this?"

“姑娘们，你们觉得以这种方式开启新的一年，明智吗？”

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Mother gave the girls a quick kiss and hug

母亲快速地亲了亲姑娘们，又抱了一抱。

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As she did every cold winter day, she had baked two buns for them, not for eating but to keep their hands warm from the frigid temperature

就像每个寒冷的冬日一样，她给她们烤了两个小圆面包，不是用来吃的，而是让她们在严寒中暖手用的。

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She slipped one inside each of the girls' coat pockets

她悄悄地把一个塞进每个姑娘的外衣口袋里。

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Immediately the girls felt a surge of warmth spread across their stomachs

姑娘们立刻感到一股暖流传遍了全身。

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Perhaps it was that or Mother's gentle smile that made Meg and Jo stop arguing

也不知是面包的温暖，还是母亲温柔的微笑，让梅格和乔停止了争吵。

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" We'll try harder, Mother," promised Meg

“我们会更努力的，妈妈。”梅格保证道。

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" It's my fault and I apologize, Meg," admitted Jo

“是我的错，我道歉，梅格。”乔承认道。

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The sisters started out on the path toward the street

姐妹俩踏上通往街道的小路。

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As part of their routine, they looked back before turning the corner, for Mother was always at the window, smiling and waving at them

作为她们日常的一部分，她们在转过街角前回头望去，因为母亲总是站在窗边，微笑着朝她们挥手。

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No matter what happened or whatever mood they were in, that small gesture filled their hearts with love and hope

无论发生了什么，也不管她们心情如何，那个小小的举动总能让她们心中充满爱与希望。

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Today Jo caught a glimpse of someone else looking out a window next door

今天，乔瞥见隔壁窗边也有个人在向外张望。

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It was Laurie, looking pathetically tiny in comparison with the massive house he lived in

是劳里，和他住的那栋大宅子一比，他显得格外渺小，怪可怜的。

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" There's Laurie!" Jo cried excitedly. She held up her foot and wiggled it at him. He promptly returned the greeting

“是劳里！”乔兴奋地喊道。她抬起脚，朝他晃了晃。他立刻也回以同样的问候。

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Then to Jo's astonishment, Meg also lifted her foot and waved it

接着，令乔惊讶的是，梅格也抬起了脚，朝他摆了摆。

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" Meg!" cried her astonished sister

“梅格！”她吃惊的妹妹喊道。

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" I'm only showing him that my ankle is better now, thanks to him," was Meg's explanation

“我只是让他看看，我的脚踝现在已经好了，多亏了他。”梅格解释道。

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Giggling and linking their arms to stay warm, the sisters hurried along the street

姐妹俩咯咯笑着，互相挽着胳膊取暖，匆匆沿着街道走去。

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After a particularly trying day at Aunt March's, Jo dragged her feet home, eager to curl up on the sofa and read her book

在马奇姑婆家熬过特别难熬的一天后，乔拖着沉重的步子回家，只想蜷缩在沙发上看看书。

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As she approached the familiar grounds, something made her lift her head up in the direction of the Laurences' mansion

走近熟悉的院子时，有什么东西让她抬起头，朝劳伦斯家的宅邸望去。

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In the same window he had appeared in that morning, there stood Laurie, wearing what seemed to be the same attire as well

就在他早上出现的同一扇窗里，劳里站在那里，穿的好像也还是那一身衣服。

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" That lazy boy hasn't changed all day," Jo remarked

“那个懒虫一整天都没换姿势。”乔嘀咕道。

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" Hello, Jo!" Laurie opened his window and shouted down at her in a hoarse voice

“你好，乔！”劳里打开窗户，用沙哑的声音朝她喊道。

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" Are you sick?" Jo yelled back

“你病了吗？”乔也朝他嚷了回去。

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The sudden cold air from the open window set Laurie off in a coughing fit

窗外突然灌入的冷空气，惹得劳里猛烈地咳嗽起来。

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" Don't bother answering that question," Jo replied firmly

“别费心回答那个问题了，”乔一本正经地回应。

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" I can see you're not well. Just stay put. I'm coming over!"

“我看得出你不舒服。就待着别动。我马上过来！”

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If anything, Jo was loyal to her friends. If they were sick in bed, she would make any sacrifices necessary to cheer them up

论别的也许不行，但乔对朋友绝对十分忠诚。如果朋友卧病在床，她会不惜一切代价让他们振作起来。

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Forgetting her own fatigue, Jo sprinted inside her house to change and gather a few things for her sick neighbor

乔忘却了自己的疲惫，冲进屋里换衣服，并为生病的邻居准备去一些东西。

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Of course Jo had to get Mother's permission first

当然，乔得先征得母亲的允许。

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When Mother heard how sick Laurie was, she got Jo to take over some homemade soup

母亲听说劳里病得不轻，便让乔带了一些自制的汤过去。

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Jo did not often lack words to express anything but when she stepped into the Laurence mansion a few minutes later, she was speechless

乔很少会词不达意，但几分钟后当她踏进劳伦斯家的大宅时，却惊讶得说不出话来。

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Dark, exquisite furniture decorated the foyer, each piece intricately carved in exotic Asian wood

深色而精美的家具装饰着门厅，每一件都由充满异域风情的亚洲木材精雕细刻而成。

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A massive crystal chandelier hung stately in the center of the hall

一盏巨大的水晶吊灯庄重地悬挂在大厅中央。

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Large oil paintings of the Laurence men hung on the walls

墙上挂着劳伦斯家族男性长辈们的大型油画。

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There was one of a younger man who had the same mischievous grin as Laurie

其中有一幅画上是个年轻人，脸上带着和劳里一模一样的淘气笑容。

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Jo concluded that he must be Laurie's deceased father

乔断定他一定是劳里已故的父亲。

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She recognized the painting right next to that as old Mr. Laurence

她认出了旁边那幅画上正是老劳伦斯先生。

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" Does he frighten you?" a scratchy voice called from the top of the stairs

“他吓着你了吗？”一个沙哑的声音从楼梯顶端传来。

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Jo looked up to see Laurie, in a maroon silk dressing gown, gazing down at her with a teasing grin

乔抬起头，看见劳里穿着栗色丝绸晨衣，正带着戏谑的笑容低头看着她。

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" I don't get frightened of anything or anyone," Jo stated overconfidently

“我什么都不怕，也不怕任何人。”乔过份自信地说道。

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Inside, however, she admitted to herself that if she came across Mr. Laurence face-to-face, she might feel a little bit intimidated

但在内心深处，她不得不承认，如果真的面对面碰到劳伦斯先生，自己可能会有点紧张。

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" Don't just stand there staring," Laurie's cheerful voice broke into her thoughts

“别光站在那儿发呆呀，”劳里轻快的声音打断了她的思绪。

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" What did you bring for the sick boy?"

“你给这个生病的男孩带了什么？”

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Jo had almost forgotten about the basket of goodies

乔差点忘了那篮子好吃的。

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" Mother made a fresh pot of soup

“妈妈煮了一锅新鲜的汤。

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When I told her about you, she sent it over immediately."

我把你的事告诉她后，她立刻就让我送过来了。”

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Lowering his eyes, Laurie said quietly," I wish she was my mother

劳里垂下眼睛，轻声说道：“真希望她是我的妈妈。

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In fact, I have a secret to tell you."

其实，我有个秘密要告诉你。”

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Jo, who loved secrets, urged him to tell her

乔最喜欢听秘密了，连忙催他快讲。

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" But you have to promise you won't laugh," he said solemnly

“但你得保证你不会笑，”他一脸严肃地说。

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" Okay," Jo said with uncertainty, for she found it very hard not to laugh when she thought something was truly funny

“好吧，”乔不确定地说，因为她觉得事情真的很滑稽的时候，想不笑可真是太难了。

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Laurie came down the stairs and stood next to Jo

劳里从楼梯上走下来，站到了乔的身边。

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Jo did not realize how tall he was until that moment

直到那一刻，乔才意识到他原来有那么高。

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" I have often watched you and your sister play

“我经常看你和你姐姐们玩耍呢。

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From the window in my room, I can look into your living room," he said shyly

从我房间的窗户，就能望见你们家的客厅。”他有些害羞地说。

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" Oh, you naughty boy! You were spying on us!" Jo exclaimed

“哦，你这个淘气鬼！你竟然在偷看我们！”乔叫了起来。

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" No, no!" protested Laurie." I wasn't spying

“不，不是的！”劳里抗议道，“我没有偷看。

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I was merely curious and," he paused," a little jealous at how happy your family always seems to be."

我只是好奇，还有，”他停顿了一下，“有点嫉妒你们家看起来总是那么快乐。”

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Jo and her family knew of Laurie's misfortunes, though not in detail

乔和她家人都听说过劳里的不幸，尽管知道得并不详细。

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His parents had died in a tragic accident when he was a small boy

在他还是个小男孩的时候，他的父母就死于一场悲惨的意外。

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Having no other relations except for his grandfather, Laurie had been sent to boarding schools abroad

除了祖父之外没有其他亲戚，劳里被送去了国外的寄宿学校。

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Then last year, his grandfather had brought Laurie over to live with him

然后去年，他的祖父把劳里接过来和他一起生活。

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" I've always wanted a big family," he said wistfully

“我一直都想要一个大家庭，”他充满憧憬地说。

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Something tugged at Jo's heart and she longed to give him a big hug just as she would have with her sisters

乔的心被什么东西揪了一下，她很想给他一个大大的拥抱，就像她对自己姐妹们做的那样。

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" Well, you have my permission to watch us whenever you like," she replied

“嗯，我允许你随时看我们了，”她回答道。

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" In fact, I need to ask Mother first, but I'm sure she will be more than happy to have you visit."

“其实，我得先问问妈妈，但我敢肯定她会非常乐意邀请你来家里做客的。”

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" Thank you, Jo," he said sincerely." I would really like that

“谢谢你，乔，”他真诚地说，“我真的非常愿意。

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Now, perhaps I should test that soup out to see whether it has gotten cold or not."

现在嘛，也许我该尝尝那碗汤，看看它是不是凉了。”

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So the two friends walked to the kitchen, laughing all the way

于是，这两个朋友一路笑哈哈地朝厨房走去。

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Laurie and Jo chatted away like two old friends with so much in common. Jo told him all about her sisters

劳里和乔像两个有许多共同爱好的老朋友一样聊个不停。乔把自己姐妹的事全都讲给他听了。

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" Well, now I'm happy to know who Beth is and who Amy is," said Laurie, who had been confused about the younger girls' names

“好啦，我现在总算高兴地弄清楚谁是贝丝、谁是艾米了，”劳里说，他之前一直分不清这两个小妹妹的名字。

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" By the way, Beth sent this over to you," Jo said, taking out an old rag doll that Beth treasured

“对了，这是贝丝让我带给你的，”乔说着，拿出了贝丝珍藏的那个旧布娃娃。

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" Whenever she feels sick, Lucy," Jo pointed, indicating the doll's name," makes her feel better."

“每次她觉得不舒服的时候，露西，”乔指着娃娃，说出它的名字，“总能让她感觉好一些。”

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Slapping his knee, Laurie nearly tumbled off his chair, but stopped suddenly when he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway

劳里拍了下膝盖，笑得差点从椅子上摔下来，但当他瞥见门口站着一个人时，他猛地停住了。

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" Why aren't you in bed resting, Theodore, instead of acting like a silly monkey?" the old man said in a dangerously low voice

“你为什么不在床上休息，西奥多，反而在这里像只傻猴子一样胡闹？”老人用一种危险的低沉嗓音说道。

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Old Mr. Laurence was home and he was not happy

老劳伦斯先生回来了，而且他很不高兴。