021 乔的决定

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Time flew quickly and before long, Jo's second story, entitled " Beautiful Strangers," was published in the Eagle ( the name of the newspaper )

时光飞逝，不久之后，乔的第二篇小说《美丽的陌生人》在《鹰报》上发表了。

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The editor of the paper liked Jo's stories so much that he bought four more of her works

报社的编辑非常喜欢乔的小说，又买下了她的四部作品。

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" The ending is so tragic, Jo," Beth remarked, pulling her sweater tightly around herself

“这结局太悲惨了，乔，”贝丝说着，把毛衣裹得更紧了些。

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The sudden drop in temperatures had brought about a colder winter than anyone anticipated

气温骤降，带来了一个比任何人预料的都更寒冷的冬天。

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" I felt this story should be more realistic; not so fanciful," the writer explained

“我觉得这个故事应该更写实一些，不能这么异想天开，”作家解释道。

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" Well, I think you should have made it happier," criticized the artist, as she thumped a lump of clay on the table to soften it

“嗯，我觉得你应该让结局更圆满些，”艺术家一边批评，一边把一块黏土摔在桌上让它变软。

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Amy had moved on to experimenting with clay, and was molding small sculptures of everyone and everything these days

艾米近来转而尝试黏土创作，每天都在捏制身边人和各种事物的小雕塑。

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Mother's familiar footsteps coming up the stairs outside sent the girls scurrying along to welcome her home

听到母亲从外面楼梯上传来熟悉的脚步声，女孩们都急忙跑去迎接她回家。

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Tossing the newspaper onto the sofa, Beth raced to the door as Meg plumped up the cushions on Mother's chair

贝丝把报纸扔到沙发上，冲向门口，与此同时梅格把母亲椅子上的靠垫拍松软。

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and Jo ran to warm her slippers by the fireplace

乔则跑过去把她的拖鞋放在壁炉边暖着。

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Amy wiped the clay muck off her hands and cleaned up her mess

艾米擦掉手上的泥巴，收拾好自己的东西。

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" Hello, my girls!" Mother came into the room, holding out her arms

“孩子们，你们好！”母亲走进房间，张开双臂。

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Her daughters embraced her, forming a circle so Mother would warm up quickly

女儿们拥抱着她，围成一个圈，好让母亲快点暖和起来。

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" I'd better see to dinner," Meg said, leaving her sisters tending Mother while she went to help Hannah

“我得去看看晚饭，”梅格说，留下姐妹们照顾母亲，自己去帮汉娜。

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" Do we have any letters from Father?" asked Beth

“有爸爸的来信吗？”贝丝问。

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Only Beth remembered that it was letter day and Father always sent a message, whether it was brief or detailed, to his family

只有贝丝记得今天是来信的日子，爸爸总会给家里捎来消息，不论长短。

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" I checked but there wasn't anything today," Mother said in a gentle voice

“我看过了，但今天什么都没有，”母亲轻声说。

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The girls grew silent, not wanting to ask questions that might result in answers they dreaded to hear

姑娘们安静下来，不愿追问，生怕听到令人担心的回答。

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Sensing their uneasiness, Mother said," It's not easy to write every week, especially when the soldiers are moving around so much

感觉到她们的不安，母亲说，“每周都写信不容易，尤其是当士兵们到处转移的时候。”

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I'm sure your father is just fine."

“我相信你们的爸爸没事。”

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A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation

一阵突然的敲门声打断了她们的谈话。

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Puzzled, Mother got up and opened the door to find a young man in uniform shivering in the cold

母亲感到疑惑，起身开门，发现一个穿制服的年轻人在寒风中瑟瑟发抖。

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He held a thin square envelope in his hand

他手里拿着一个薄薄的方形信封。

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" Mrs. March? Telegram for you," he said in an emotionless voice

“马奇太太？您的电报，”他用毫无感情的声音说道。

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Mother took the envelope with shaky hands but held onto Jo for support as she made her way back to her chair

母亲用颤抖的手接过信封，但抓着乔作为支撑，走回椅子旁。

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" Jo, could you, please? I can't..." Mother, who was usually calm and cool, sounded frightened like a little girl

“乔，你能帮我看看吗？我做不到……” 平常冷静沉着的母亲，声音听起来像个小姑娘一样害怕。

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Impatiently ripping the envelope open, Jo read the message on the telegram," Mrs. March, your husband is very ill. Must come at once."

乔不耐烦地撕开信封，读着电报上的内容：“马奇太太，您的丈夫病重，必须立刻赶来。”

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Jo stifled a cry as the telegram dropped from her hands, falling to the floor

乔忍住了哭声，电报从她手中滑落，掉在地上。

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Mother sat erect but silent tears fell onto her lap while she tried to comfort Beth and Amy, who were wailing loudly

母亲坐得笔直，但无声的泪水滴落在膝盖上，她试图安抚正在大声哭号的贝丝和艾米。

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" What's the matter?" Meg ran into the room, Hannah close at her heels

“怎么了？”梅格跑进房间，汉娜紧跟在她身后。

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When Jo told them about the telegram, Meg collapsed onto the sofa, holding her head in her hands

乔把电报的事告诉大家后，梅格双手抱头，瘫倒在沙发上。

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Hannah cried," Poor Mr. March. What are we to do?"

汉娜哭道：“可怜的马奇先生，我们该怎么办啊？”

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The grieving period for Father was short since time was running out and Mother had to leave immediately to be with him

为父亲哀伤的时间很短，因为时间紧迫，母亲必须立刻动身去陪他。

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" Meg, pack extra socks and sweaters for Father

“梅格，多带些袜子和毛衣给父亲。”

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Beth, go downstairs and ask Hannah for my medicine bag."

“贝丝，下楼去找汉娜拿我的医药包。”

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At that moment, the doorbell rang and Amy went to see who it was

就在这时，门铃响了，艾米去看是谁来了。

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When Mother and Meg came downstairs, they recognized the voices of Mr. Laurence, Laurie, and Mr. Brookes

当母亲和梅格下楼时，她们听出了劳伦斯先生、劳里和布鲁克斯先生的声音。

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" Mrs. March, young Amy just told us the terrible news

“马奇太太，小艾米刚刚告诉了我们这个可怕的消息。”

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We are at your service to do whatever is needed in order to help you and your girls,"

“我们随时听候您的吩咐，只要能帮到您和您的女儿们，任何事都行。”

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Mr. Laurence offered kindly, taking Mother's arm as he led her into the living room

劳伦斯先生亲切地说着，挽起母亲的胳膊，将她领进了客厅。

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" How did you know?" Meg asked Mr. Brookes, who also extended his arm to help her

“你怎么知道的？”梅格问布鲁克斯先生，他也伸出手臂来扶她。

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" Laurie saw a soldier walking toward your house, and we all know that the army only sends a soldier if something is seriously wrong."

“劳里看见一个士兵朝你家走去，我们都知道，只有出了严重的事，军队才会派士兵来。”

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Mother bowed her head in gratitude saying: " I am always grateful for your help, Mr. Laurence."

母亲感激地低下头说：“我一直很感谢您的帮助，劳伦斯先生。”

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Shaking his head, he replied," Please don't mention it since it's not only our duty but also our honor to help friends in their time of need."

他摇摇头回答：“请别这么说，在朋友需要时伸出援手，不仅是我们的责任，也是我们的荣幸。”

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" Would you allow me to go with you so that you're not traveling alone?" asked Mr. Brookes

“请允许我陪您一起去吧，这样您就不用独自赶路了。”布鲁克斯先生问。

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Mother's eyes filled with tears as she nodded, accepting his gracious offer

母亲眼里噙满泪水，点了点头，接受了他善意的提议。

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" Now, Mrs. March, time is crucial," said Mr. Laurence firmly," so I think you should prepare your things and leave as soon as possible."

“好了，马奇太太，时间至关重要，”劳伦斯先生坚定地说，“所以我想您该收拾好东西，尽快出发。”

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" Grandfather, shall I ask Jenson to get the carriage ready?" asked Laurie, as he made his way to the door

“爷爷，要我叫詹森把马车准备好吗？”劳里一边问，一边向门口走去。

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" Yes, and make sure Cook has prepared enough food and drink for the journey," Mr. Laurence called out as his grandson left to speak with the stable manager

“好，还有，让厨娘为旅途准备好足够的食物和水。”劳伦斯先生在孙子离开去跟马厩管理人说话时喊道。

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Within an hour Mother was ready to leave

不到一小时，母亲就做好了出发的准备。

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Doing a last-minute check, she looked around to see if she had everything she needed

做行前最后的检查，母亲环顾四周，看是否带齐了需要的物品。

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" Where's Jo?" Mother asked, unable to see her second daughter

“乔在哪儿？”母亲问道，没有看见二女儿的身影。

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" She's somewhere, I'm sure," said Meg, helping Mother put her coat on

“她肯定在附近某个地方，”梅格一边说着，一边帮母亲穿上外套。

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" Tell Father we love him," said Beth, trying with difficulty to control her tears

“转告爸爸我们爱他，”贝丝说着，艰难地忍住眼泪。

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" We're praying for his rapid recovery," said Amy

“我们祈祷他能早日康复，”艾美说道。

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" Girls, you must mind Meg and Jo, and don't forget the Hummels, who need our help as much as anyone," said Mother

“孩子们，你们一定要听梅格和乔的话，别忘了赫梅尔一家，他们和其他人一样需要我们的帮助，”母亲叮嘱道。

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" The carriage is ready," said Laurie, poking his head in the door

“马车备好了，”劳里探头进来说道。

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As Mother turned to say good-bye, Jo, shoving Laurie forcefully, suddenly burst in through the door

母亲转身正要告别时，乔猛地推开劳里，突然冲进了门。

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She was wearing a bonnet tied carelessly around her head

她头上戴着一顶系得歪歪扭扭的帽子。

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" I made it in time," she gasped

“我及时赶到了，”她喘着气说。

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" Where have you been, Jo?" Meg asked in an annoyed voice

“你去哪儿了，乔？”梅格用有些生气的语气问道。

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" To get something to contribute to Father's well-being," Jo answered in a trembling voice

“去拿点东西，为父亲的康复尽一份力，”乔用颤抖的声音回答。

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She handed Mother some bills and continued," It's not much, Mother, but I don't have anything else to give."

她递给母亲一些钞票，继续说道：“不多，妈妈，但我实在没有别的可以给了。”

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Counting the money, Mother questioned her daughter," This is a lot, Jo. Where did you get it from?"

母亲数着钱，疑惑地问女儿：“这太多了，乔。你从哪儿弄来的？”

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Untying her bonnet's ribbons, Jo let the bonnet slide off her head as she stood in silence

乔解开帽带，沉默地站着，任凭帽子从头上滑落。

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" Jo! Your hair!" screamed Amy

“乔！你的头发！”艾美尖叫起来。

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" I had no choice," explained Jo, running her fingers through the short, boyish cut, and continued

“我别无选择，”乔解释道，用手指梳理着男孩般短短的头发，接着说，

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" I remember that the barber said he bought hair and used it to make wigs

“我记得理发师说过他收购头发用来做假发。

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So..." her voice broke, but she bravely carried on," I sold it."

所以……”她声音哽咽，但还是勇敢地说了下去，“我把它卖了。”

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Mother held Jo tightly in her arms and whispered," Your father will know of your sacrifice and he will be so proud of you."

母亲紧紧地把乔抱在怀里，轻声说道：“你爸爸会知道你的牺牲，他会为你感到无比骄傲。”

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" I'm sorry, but you must leave immediately,"

“很抱歉，但您必须马上出发了，”

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Laurie interrupted gently, deliberately avoiding Jo's eyes since he had not decided yet how he felt about her new haircut

劳里轻声打断道，他故意避开了乔的目光，因为他还没想好自己对她的新发型该作何感想。

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Not wanting Mother to worry, the girls forced themselves to smile and look hopeful

为了让母亲放心，女孩们都强颜欢笑，装出满怀希望的样子。

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As soon as Mother had closed the door behind her, however, the March sisters all broke down weeping

然而，母亲刚在身后关上门，马奇家四姐妹就一起泣不成声了。