034 相守相依

旁白 neutral

Having changed into her old but still pretty blue dress and pulled back her damp hair into a tidy bun

换上那件虽旧但仍漂亮的蓝色连衣裙，将潮湿的头发向后梳成一个整齐的发髻，

旁白 neutral

Amy was once again the eager hostess ready to greet her guests

艾美再次变成热情的女主人，准备迎接她的客人。

旁白 neutral

She waited and waited worriedly for any signs of the arrival of the girls

她焦急地等着，等着女孩们到来的任何迹象。

旁白 neutral

But an hour or so later, after the rain had stopped and short bursts of sunshine had broken through the clouds

但大约一个小时后，雨停了，云层间透出短暂的阳光，

旁白 neutral

not a single guest had appeared at the March home

马奇家却没有一个客人出现。

旁白 neutral

Amy wrung her hands, her face crumbling in disappointment as she craned her neck for any familiar faces on the street

艾美绞着双手，脸上写满失望，她伸长脖子望向街上，希望看到熟悉的面孔。

旁白 neutral

Her family stood a little behind her, aching to console her but letting her retain some dignity

她的家人站在她身后不远处，心里很想安慰她，但又让她保留一些尊严。

旁白 neutral

It was obvious the party was ruined

很明显，派对毁了。

旁白 neutral

" Just wait till I get my hands on those sissy, prissy, no-good brats,"

“等着吧，看我怎么收拾那些娇气、做作、没用的坏孩子，”

旁白 neutral

Jo mumbled under her breath, cracking her knuckles as she pondered ways to get revenge on those who had hurt her sister

乔低声咕哝着，捏着手指关节，盘算着如何报复那些伤害她妹妹的人。

旁白 neutral

" Jo! You're not helping the situation," Mother whispered loudly

“乔！你这是在帮倒忙，”妈妈压低声音，大声说。

旁白 neutral

" Well, I don't think we'll be having any guests today," Amy called out with forced cheeriness

“唉，看来今天不会有客人来了，”艾美强作欢快地说道。

旁白 neutral

" Maybe they got lost," suggested Beth kindly

“也许她们迷路了，”贝丝善意地推测。

旁白 neutral

Amy let out an ugly laugh and said," I doubt it, dear sister

艾美发出难听的笑声，说：“我可不信，亲爱的姐姐。

旁白 neutral

More likely they all agreed not to come to teach me a lesson."

更可能是她们串通好了，都不来，想给我个教训。”

旁白 neutral

" It's because they're jealous of you," offered Jo

“那是因为她们嫉妒你，”乔说。

旁白 neutral

" You're beautiful and talented, and you have a family that adores you."

“你又漂亮又有才华，还有一个宠爱你的家。”

旁白 neutral

Shaking her head Amy said," Thanks, Jo, but it's plain to see that the girls want me to know my place... that I don't belong among them

艾美摇摇头说：“谢了，乔，可是很明显，那些女孩要我清楚自己的身份……我不属于她们那个圈子。

旁白 neutral

They let me visit their mansions and castles, as if they're doing me a favor, but they won't set foot in a humble home like ours."

她们让我参观她们的大宅和城堡，倒像是给我的恩赐，可她们绝不肯踏进像我们这样简陋的家门。”

旁白 neutral

Father wrapped his arm around Amy and said," I'm not excusing those girls for how they hurt you today, dear

父亲搂住艾美，说：“亲爱的，我并不是在为那些女孩今天伤你的行为找借口，

旁白 neutral

but whatever their reasons were, don't lose your self-worth or your pride in who you are."

但不管她们出于什么理由，都别因此否定自我价值，丢掉对自己的骄傲。"

旁白 neutral

" Thank you, Father, and all of you, for your help and for bearing with me," Amy smiled sheepishly

"谢谢爸爸，谢谢大家，谢谢你们的帮助和包容，"艾美不好意思地笑了。

旁白 neutral

" I know I've been such a bother this week."

"我知道这周我给大家添了不少麻烦。"

旁白 neutral

" It was our pleasure," Mother replied, giving Jo a stern look before she could say anything

"我们乐意帮忙，"母亲回应道，同时赶在乔开口之前，严厉地瞪了她一眼。

旁白 neutral

" Now, what are we going to do with all this food?"

"那么，我们该怎么处理这些食物呢？"

旁白 neutral

Over at the newlyweds' house, Meg's day was not faring any better than Amy's

在另一边新婚夫妇的家里，梅格这一天的状况也不比艾美好多少。

旁白 neutral

John had invited some of his friends over for dinner that evening

约翰邀请了几个朋友今晚来家里吃饭。

旁白 neutral

Although Meg had felt confident when she had agreed to prepare a meal all by herself

虽然梅格当初答应独自准备一餐时，心里还挺有把握的，

旁白 neutral

she was wondering now how on earth she had gotten herself into such a pickle

但现在她却在纳闷，自己怎么会落到这样狼狈的境地。

旁白 neutral

" Two cups of butter, no, one cup butter and one cup oil, no, that doesn't sound right..

"两杯黄油，不对，一杯黄油一杯油，不对，这听起来不对头……

旁白 neutral

Oh! I don't know. I can't remember!" Meg cried as she tried to recall the ingredients in apple pie

哦！我不知道。我想不起来了！"梅格在努力回想苹果派配料的时候，叫了起来。

旁白 neutral

Frustrated, Meg decided to make the creamed chicken first but could not find a clean pot to make the sauce in

万分沮丧的梅格决定先做奶油鸡，却找不到一个干净的锅来做酱汁，

旁白 neutral

because all her dishes were either dirty or being used

因为她所有的盘子不是脏着，就是被占用了。

旁白 neutral

At home, Meg had always relied on Hannah to wash the dishes while she cooked

在娘家时，梅格总是依赖汉娜在她做饭时帮忙洗碗，

旁白 neutral

and another person to help her prepare the vegetables or hand her the ingredients she needed

还有另一个人帮她准备蔬菜，或是递给她需要的配料。

旁白 neutral

As the mistress of her own home and without a helper ( John's modest salary did not allow them to hire someone at the moment )

如今作为自己家的女主人，又没有帮手（约翰有限的薪水眼下还不足以让他们雇人），

旁白 neutral

Meg had to do everything on her own and it was driving her mad

梅格不得不独自应付所有事情，这简直快把她逼疯了。

旁白 neutral

" Oh! I should just tell John to cancel tonight's dinner. I can't do it!"

"哦！我还是告诉约翰取消今晚的晚餐吧。我做不到！"

旁白 neutral

said Meg, dropping into a chair, where she held her head and began crying

梅格说着，瘫倒在一把椅子上，抱着头哭了起来。

旁白 neutral

A light gentle rap on the window, then a louder one, forced Meg to look up with red eyes

窗户上响起一阵轻轻的敲击声，接着是更响的一声，迫使梅格抬起她那双通红的眼睛。

旁白 neutral

Jo was peering in with a worried expression, mouthing something Meg could not understand

乔正一脸担忧地向里张望，嘴里说着什么，但梅格听不明白。

旁白 neutral

Wiping her tears, Meg stood up and opened the door to let her sister in

梅格擦干眼泪，站起身来，打开门让妹妹进来。

旁白 neutral

" What's the matter, Meg?" Jo demanded, taking hold of her sister's hand

"怎么了，梅格？"乔抓住姐姐的手，急切地问道。

旁白 neutral

" I'm so glad to see you, Jo," sniffed Meg

"见到你真好，乔，"梅格抽着鼻子说。

旁白 neutral

" How is everything going with Amy's luncheon?"

"艾美的午宴进行得怎么样了？"

旁白 neutral

Snorting loudly, Jo explained what had happened while Meg listened intently

乔大声地哼了一下，解释了事情的经过，梅格则专注地听着。

旁白 neutral

" Poor Amy!" Meg said, forgetting her own plight at once

“可怜的艾美！”梅格立刻忘记了自己的困境，说道。

旁白 neutral

" Yes, but our Amy is a fighter," said Jo proudly," and she's already put this incident behind her

“是的，但我们的艾美是个斗士，”乔骄傲地说，“她早已把这件事抛在脑后了。

旁白 neutral

She'll be fine. Now what is going on here?"

她会没事的。现在这里是怎么回事？”

旁白 neutral

" I'm such a horrible wife!" Meg began, tears forming again

“我真是个糟糕的妻子！”梅格开口说道，泪水又涌了上来。

旁白 neutral

" Don't say such things. That's not true. Tell me how I can help," said Jo

“别说这种话。那不是真的。告诉我怎么帮你，”乔说。

旁白 neutral

Meg explained what she was doing and why things weren't going as smoothly as she'd like

梅格解释了她正在做什么，以及为什么事情不如她希望的那样顺利。

旁白 neutral

" I didn't want to ask you or Mother since I knew Amy needed your help, and besides, I thought I could manage on my own," Meg said

“我不想麻烦你和妈妈，因为我知道艾美需要你帮忙，而且，我以为自己能应付得来，”梅格说。

旁白 neutral

" Why doesn't John help you?" asked Jo, still looking for an excuse to dislike the man who had taken Meg away from her

“约翰为什么不帮你？”乔问道，她仍在寻找借口，讨厌这个把梅格从她身边夺走的男人。

旁白 neutral

" I'm afraid I'm to blame since I sent him out early this morning on a few errands because I didn't want him to get in my way," Meg said, shamefaced

“恐怕是我的错，我一大早就让他出去办了点事，因为我不想让他碍手碍脚，”梅格羞愧地说。

旁白 neutral

As Jo sized up the situation, she realized that Meg was in trouble and desperately needed help

乔估量了一下局面，意识到梅格遇到了麻烦，急需帮助。

旁白 neutral

In a flash, Jo had a great idea." Meg," she said excitedly

乔灵光一闪，有了个好主意。“梅格，”她兴奋地说。

旁白 neutral

" Clean up this mess, clean yourself off, put on your lovely dress, and leave the rest to me."

“把这里收拾干净，把自己也梳洗一下，穿上你漂亮的裙子，剩下的交给我。”

旁白 neutral

" Jo, are you out of your mind? The guests will be here in two hours," Meg said impatiently

“乔，你疯了吗？客人两小时后就要到了。”梅格不耐烦地说。

旁白 neutral

" Please, Meg, I have an idea. Just trust me," Jo begged

“拜托，梅格，我有个主意。相信我吧。”乔恳求道。

旁白 neutral

Meg stared at her sister warily

梅格警惕地盯着她的妹妹。

旁白 neutral

Something about Jo's voice and manner persuaded Meg to trust her, so she did as Jo asked

乔的声音和态度里有某种东西说服了梅格信任她，于是她照乔说的做了。

旁白 neutral

After cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes, Meg took a long bath and changed her clothes

收拾完厨房、洗好碗盘后，梅格洗了个长时间的澡，换了衣服。

旁白 neutral

With no sign of Jo, Meg anxiously tidied her small living room and set out he cutlery and china plates purchased with Aunt March's generous wedding gift

乔还没回来，梅格焦急地整理好她的小客厅，摆好她用马奇婶婶慷慨赠送的结婚礼金买的餐具和瓷盘。

旁白 neutral

Then she paced the kitchen floor, her heart racing as her eyes skimmed the bare table

然后她在厨房的地板上来回踱步，心跳加速，目光掠过空荡荡的桌子。

旁白 neutral

Meg was beginning to feel sorry for John, who would be coming home to find nothing ready for his guests

梅格开始为约翰感到难过，他回到家会发现什么也没为客人准备好，

旁白 neutral

when her ears picked up the sounds of a horse trotting, then stopping in front of the house

这时，她听到了一阵马蹄小跑的声音，然后停在了房子前面。

旁白 neutral

Looking out, Meg burst out laughing at the comical sight

向外望去，看到那滑稽的景象，梅格不禁笑出声来。

旁白 neutral

An old horse was pulling an older wagon with great effort while the passengers, her sisters, waved enthusiastically from the cart

一匹老马正吃力地拉着一辆更旧的马车，车上的乘客，她的姐妹们，正从车上热情地挥手。

旁白 neutral

" Delivery for Mrs. Meg Brookes!" Jo shouted as she jumped out and, grabbing a few baskets, headed toward Meg's open door

“梅格·布鲁克斯太太的快递！”乔跳下车喊道，抓起几个篮子，朝梅格开着的门走去。

旁白 neutral

Amy and Beth followed suit and soon, after several trips, because there was a lot to carry in

艾美和贝丝也照样做，很快，来回搬了几趟，因为东西实在太多，

旁白 neutral

Meg's kitchen and dining room table were filled with the lavish food prepared for Amy's party

梅格的厨房和餐桌就摆满了原本为艾美派对准备的丰盛食物。

旁白 neutral

" Oh, girls! I don't know what to say!" Meg cried, her eyes shining brightly

“哦，姑娘们！我不知道该说什么好了！”梅格叫道，双眼闪闪发亮。

旁白 neutral

" We can't possibly eat all this food ourselves," said Amy

“我们可吃不完这么多食物。”艾美说。

旁白 neutral

" It looks like a feast fit for a king," Meg praised." John will be so pleased."

“这看起来像国王的盛宴，”梅格赞叹道。“约翰一定会非常高兴的。”

旁白 neutral

" We make a good team, don't you think?" asked Jo

“我们是个很棒的团队，你不觉得吗？”乔问道。

旁白 neutral

" We sure do," said Amy." Through thick and thin, we March girls know how to stick together."

“那当然，”艾美说。“无论顺境逆境，我们马奇家的女孩都知道如何团结在一起。”