008 劳里的身世

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As Jo anticipated, her sisters were in awe of the Laurences' impressive estate

正如乔所料，她的姐妹们对劳伦斯家气派的宅邸惊叹不已。

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Even Mother paused to admire the elegant designs on the rugs as well as contemplate the splendid display of antiques in each room

连母亲也驻足欣赏地毯上的精美图案，并细细品味每个房间里陈列的华丽古董。

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" We are grateful for your hospitality," Mother thanked Mr. Laurence

“感谢您的盛情款待，”母亲向劳伦斯先生道谢。

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The Marches were served an eight-course meal, of which they now enjoyed the final portion: a decadent chocolate cake with tea exported from India

马奇一家享用了八道菜的大餐，此时正品尝最后一道：浓郁巧克力蛋糕，配以印度进口的红茶。

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Meg and Amy ate petite bites of the light, fluffy dessert, making sure not to show their teeth when they pulled the silver fork away from their mouth

梅格和艾米小口吃着轻盈蓬松的甜点，从嘴边移开银叉时，确保不露出牙齿。

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With straight lady-like posture, they delicately patted the corners of their mouths after each nibble

她们挺直腰板，姿态淑女，每抿一小口后，都优雅地轻按嘴角。

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Beth, who usually did not favor desserts, seemed to savor this particular one

贝丝平时不爱吃甜点，却似乎对这一款格外享受。

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Jo, unlike her more refined sisters, could not resist groaning in delight after each bite, causing Laurie to roll his eyes and make monkey faces at her

乔不像她那些更文雅的姐妹，每吃一口都忍不住欢快地哼出声，惹得劳里朝她翻白眼、做鬼脸。

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She returned the gesture, resulting in blasts of laughter from both parties

她也回敬了一个鬼脸，两人顿时爆笑起来。

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Shaking his head at Laurie but smiling, Mr. Laurence replied to Mother," I am the one who is grateful

劳伦斯先生对劳里摇了摇头，却面带微笑，回答母亲说：“我才是该感谢的人。”

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Friendship with your daughters has changed my grandson immensely."

与您女儿们的友谊给我的孙子带来了很大的改变。”

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To Mother, Laurie had become the son she never had

对母亲来说，劳里就像她从未有过的儿子。

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" He is a sweet, dear boy. You must be proud of him," she said

“他是个可爱又贴心的男孩。您一定为他感到骄傲，”她说道。

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Perhaps it was Mother's sincerity and kindness that moved Mr. Laurence to speak openly about his most devastating losses in life

或许是母亲的真诚与善良打动了劳伦斯先生，让他敞开心扉，谈起人生中最悲痛的失去。

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" Theodore, or Laurie, as he likes to be called, reminds me of his father

“西奥多，或者他喜欢被人叫的劳里，让我想起了他的父亲。

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They both have the same mischievous attitude, the same rebellious streak, and the same talent for the arts

他们都有着同样的调皮劲儿，同样的叛逆性格，以及同样的艺术天赋。

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I also had a little girl — the mildest, most adorable daughter parents could hope for

我也有过一个小女儿——她是父母所能期盼的最温柔、最可爱的女儿。

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Your Beth reminds me of her so

您家的贝思总让我想起她。

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My darling girl had a love for music, especially the piano, and she would play for my wife and me every evening

我亲爱的女儿热爱音乐，尤其是钢琴，她每晚都会为我和妻子弹奏。

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How I would look forward to returning home to the sounds of music coming from the conservatory

我是多么期盼回家时，能听到从琴房传来的琴声啊。

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My son, after he became a young man, went against my wishes, and followed his heart to Italy where he fell in love with a beautiful young woman

我的儿子长大成人后，违背了我的意愿，随心去了意大利，在那里爱上了一位美丽的年轻女子。

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She was also an artist. They traveled across Europe with their small child, Laurie, living like gypsies — no permanent home, no decent food or clothing

她也是一位艺术家。他们带着幼子劳里游历欧洲，像吉普赛人一样生活——居无定所，食不果腹，衣不蔽体。

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I was furious, of course, and refused to support them financially unless they returned here and lived like normal folks

我当然怒不可遏，拒绝给他们经济支援，除非他们回来过正常人的生活。

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Tragically, they died in an accident, leaving Laurie an orphan entrusted to my care."

不幸的是，他们死于一场意外，留下劳里成了孤儿，托付给我照顾。

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" You've raised a wonderful boy, Mr. Laurence," said Mother comfortingly

"您养育了一个出色的男孩，劳伦斯先生。"母亲安慰道。

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Mr. Laurence smiled sadly and said," Although I may not say it to him enough, I am proud of my grandson."

劳伦斯先生苦笑着说："虽然我可能对他说的不够多，但我为我的孙子感到骄傲。"

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" What happened to your sweet daughter?" Mother gently inquired

"您那可爱的女儿后来怎么样了？"母亲轻声问道。

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Mr. Laurence's face was masked in pain

劳伦斯先生的脸上掠过一丝痛苦。

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" She developed an illness when she was young and died of it."

"她小时候得了一场病，就那样走了。"

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Mother remained silent as she looked at her girls, grateful that they were all in good health

母亲沉默不语，望着自己的女儿们，庆幸她们都身体健康。

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" Grandfather?" Laurie broke the awkward silence

“爷爷？”劳里打破了尴尬的沉默。

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" Jo tells me that one of her sisters here has magic fingers

“乔告诉我，她的一位姐妹有双神奇的手。

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Apparently they glide effortlessly across the piano, creating the most beautiful melodies to the ears. Ouch!"

据说这双手能在琴键上毫不费力地滑动，奏出最美妙的旋律。哎哟！”

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Jo had just given Laurie a good strong kick to let him know how she felt about his unauthorized comment

乔刚狠狠踢了劳里一脚，让他知道自己对他未经许可就乱说话的感受。

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As for Beth, she flushed pink as she slid lower into her chair and avoided eye contact with everyone

至于贝思，她脸涨得通红，身子往椅子里缩了缩，躲避着所有人的目光。

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Mr. Laurence, already detecting Beth's shyness and reluctance to be in the spotlight, discreetly remarked

劳伦斯先生已经察觉到贝思的羞涩和不愿成为焦点的心情，便委婉地说道：

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" I'm sure each young lady has a special talent of her own

“我相信每位年轻女士都有自己独特的天赋。

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Whether she chooses to show off that ability is her choice entirely

至于她是否选择展示这种能力，那完全是她自己的事。

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Now, I suggest we all go to the conservatory to relax."

现在，我建议大家都去温室放松一下。”

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Everyone stood up and followed the master of the estate to his most beloved room

大家都站起身，跟着庄园主人去往他最心爱的房间。

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The conservatory room offered delights for everyone according to individual tastes

温室房间里，人人都能按自己的喜好找到乐趣。

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For Meg and Amy, a most exotic arrangement of flowers and plants greeted them

迎接梅格和艾米的，是布置得极富异域风情的一片花草。

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" What an exquisite piece of creation!" exclaimed Amy, bending down to smell a lavender flower

“多么精致的造化之作！”艾米叹道，弯腰去嗅一朵薰衣草。

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Meg and Amy strolled around the room, whispering, and nodding their heads in approval at the enchanting display

梅格和艾米在房间里漫步，低声私语，对着迷人的陈设频频点头称赞。

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For Jo, a shelf full of books prompted her to squeal like a little girl

对乔来说，一架子满满的书让她像个小女孩似的尖叫起来。

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" Have you ever seen anything so glorious?"

“你见过这么美的东西吗？”

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" What's so glorious about an old bookshelf with smelly books?" Laurie asked humorously

“一个旧书架和一堆发霉的书，有什么美的？”劳里打趣地问。

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" It's what is inside them that makes them special!" said Jo as she ran her hand across the books' spines

“是里面的东西让它们特别！”乔说着，用手抚过一排排书脊。

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However, it was Beth who felt the greatest pleasure of all

然而，最感到喜悦的，是贝思。

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In one corner of the conservatory stood a stately grand piano, its lid rolled back as if to invite someone to touch its polished keys

温室一角，立着一架气派的三角钢琴，顶盖已掀开，仿佛在邀请人去触碰那光亮的琴键。

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As much as Beth's heart yearned to sit on the plush velvet stool and feel the ivory keys, she was too timid to act upon her desire

尽管贝思内心极度渴望能坐在那张柔软的天鹅绒琴凳上，触摸那象牙白的琴键，但她太过羞怯，不敢付诸行动。

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Her eyes never leaving the magical instrument that called to her, Beth inched away to the opposite side of the room

贝思的目光始终无法离开那架正在召唤她的神奇乐器，自己却悄悄挪到了房间的另一头。

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" This is my favorite room of the house," Mr. Laurence began in an unusually loud voice

“这是这栋房子里我最喜欢的房间，”劳伦斯先生用异常响亮的声音开口说道。

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" Unfortunately, during the day, nobody is around to enjoy it

“可惜的是，白天的时候，没有人在附近享受它。

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Even the servants don't come in here unless I give them permission

就连仆人们，除非我允许，也不会到这里来。

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Everything here, especially that piano, is longing for some company

这里的一切，尤其是那架钢琴，都渴望着有人陪伴。

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Too bad no one can give it the proper attention it deserves."

太遗憾了，没人能给予它应得的适当关注。”

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Mr. Laurence shook his head regrettably. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Beth moving out slowly from behind a large armchair

劳伦斯先生遗憾地摇了摇头。他用眼角的余光瞥见贝思正从一把大扶手椅后面慢慢移出来。

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" Could I perhaps impose on the kindness of your family?"

“我能否冒昧地请求你们一家的善心帮忙呢？”

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Mr. Laurence continued, pretending that he didn't notice Beth's obvious interest

劳伦斯先生继续说道，假装没有注意到贝思显而易见的兴趣。

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" Of course, Mr. Laurence," replied Mother, already discerning what the wise old man was about to suggest

“当然可以，劳伦斯先生，”母亲回答，她已经猜到了这位智慧的老人要提议什么。

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" Would one of you be so kind as to come here once a day to make sure everything is in order?

“你们当中是否有人愿意每天行行好，过来一趟，确保这里一切都井然有序呢？

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And perhaps, play on the piano keys so they don't get stuck or dusty?"

或许，还能顺便弹弹琴键，免得它们卡住或积灰？”

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Mr. Laurence pleaded, his eyes lingering on Beth

劳伦斯先生恳求道，目光停留在贝思身上。

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" Would you allow one to play the piano?" Jo asked innocently

“您会允许别人弹那架钢琴吗？”乔天真地问道。

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" You could do as you like," the old man replied with a wink," because when the conservatory door is closed, no one can hear anything

“你可以随心所欲，”老人眨了眨眼回答，“因为当温室的门关上后，外面什么都听不见。

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No one will be around to watch or bother you in any way. You will be completely alone."

周围不会有任何人看你，或以任何方式打扰你。你会是完全独处的。”

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" Well, I would love to help you, Mr. Laurence," Jo replied heroically," but I am working during the day, as is Meg. And Amy attends school."

“嗯，我很想帮您，劳伦斯先生，”乔很仗义地回答，“可我白天要工作，梅格也是。艾米则要去上学。”

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" Maybe I could help, sir," Beth spoke so softly no one heard her at first

“也许我可以帮忙，先生，”贝思说得非常轻柔，一开始没人听见。

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Then she repeated it in a slightly louder voice

接着她又用稍大一点的声音重复了一遍。

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" Oh, would you, Beth, dear? Are you sure?"

“哦，你愿意吗，亲爱的贝思？你确定吗？”

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Mr. Laurence intentionally walked over to the piano and tapped his fingers on the keys

劳伦斯先生故意走到钢琴旁，用手指轻敲着琴键。

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" Look at the sly fox," Laurie muttered to Jo

“瞧这只狡猾的老狐狸，”劳里对乔咕哝道。

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Jo nudged Laurie in agreement but kept her focus on Beth, whose footsteps directed her to the piano, as if a strong magnetic force was pulling her

乔赞同地轻推了一下劳里，但注意力仍集中在贝思身上。贝思的脚步被引向了钢琴，仿佛有一股强大的磁力在拉拽着她。

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Her trembling fingers reached out and lightly tapped the piano

她用颤抖的手指伸出去，轻轻地敲了敲钢琴。

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Then with more boldness, she brushed it much like stroking a cat

接着，她更大胆了些，抚摸着钢琴，就像在抚摸一只猫。

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" It would be my pleasure, sir," Beth replied honestly, giving the old man a soft, grateful smile

“这将是我的荣幸，先生，”贝思诚实地回答，给了老人一个温柔、感激的微笑。