041 新发现

旁白 neutral

No one ever said married life would be easy, but Meg did not expect it to be so challenging

没人说过婚姻生活会很容易，但梅格没想到会如此充满挑战。

旁白 neutral

John was a kind, loving husband who helped Meg in every way possible, for which she was truly grateful

约翰是个善良、体贴的丈夫，他尽力在各方面帮助梅格，对此她由衷地感激。

旁白 neutral

Still, Meg found the little chores in everyday life that she had taken for granted at home were now a huge challenge for her

然而，梅格发现日常生活中那些在家时习以为常的小家务，如今对她来说成了巨大的挑战。

旁白 neutral

Then of course there were new issues that Meg had never experienced at home but had to learn to deal with as a married woman

当然，还有一些梅格在家时从未经历过、但作为已婚女性必须学会处理的新问题。

旁白 neutral

One day, as she was doing the simple act of preparing a meal, Meg felt dizzy and sick to her stomach

一天，就在做做饭这件简单的事时，梅格感到头晕、恶心反胃。

旁白 neutral

Fortunately, John was in the kitchen at the time and carried her to the sofa

幸好约翰当时在厨房，便把她抱到了沙发上。

旁白 neutral

" Can I bring you anything? Water? A blanket?" he asked in a concerned voice

"我给你拿点什么好吗？水？毯子？"他关切地问。

旁白 neutral

" Just some hot tea, thank you," Meg said faintly

"只要些热茶就好，谢谢你。"梅格虚弱地说。

旁白 neutral

By the time John brought the drink to her, Meg had gotten worse

等约翰把茶端给她时，梅格的情况变得更糟了。

旁白 neutral

" Darling, I feel very ill," she told her husband

"亲爱的，我感觉病得很厉害。"她对丈夫说。

旁白 neutral

" Shall I fetch Dr. Bangs?" he asked, squeezing her hand tightly

"要我去请班格斯医生吗？"他问道，紧紧握着她的手。

旁白 neutral

" No," Meg said." I need my mother."

“不，”梅格说，“我需要我妈妈。”

旁白 neutral

John raced out of the house and down the street to get his mother-in-law, who, along with Beth

约翰冲出房子，沿着街道跑去接他的岳母，她此刻正和贝丝一起，

旁白 neutral

was in the process of giving each window in the house a good shine before the winter set in

赶在冬天来临前，把家里每扇窗户都擦得锃亮。

旁白 neutral

" John! What's the matter?" Mother asked him when she saw his worried look

“约翰！出什么事了？”母亲看到他一脸担忧的神情，问道。

旁白 neutral

" It's Meg," he said, gasping for breath." She's not well and I don't know what to do."

“是梅格，”他上气不接下气地说，“她不舒服，我不知道该怎么办。”

旁白 neutral

Throwing down her cloth, Mother wiped her hands and said," Let's not waste another moment while the poor girl lies sick."

母亲扔掉抹布，擦了擦手说：“可怜的孩子正病着呢，我们一刻也别耽搁了。”

旁白 neutral

When they got to Meg and John's house, Meg was sweating and looking very pale

当他们赶到梅格和约翰的家时，梅格正出着汗，脸色非常苍白。

旁白 neutral

Mother put her hand on Meg's forehead, over her heart, then down on her stomach. Then, surprisingly, Mother smiled

母亲把手放在梅格的额头上，然后是胸口，接着又移到她的腹部。随后，出乎意料地，母亲笑了。

旁白 neutral

" What's the matter with her?" John asked, his voice trembling." Is Meg going to be all right?"

“她怎么了？”约翰问道，声音发着抖，“梅格会没事吗？”

旁白 neutral

" She's going to be fine," Mother replied, nodding." Meg isn't sick — she's pregnant."

“她会没事的，”母亲点着头回答，“梅格不是生病了——她是怀孕了。”

旁白 neutral

Upon hearing those words, John collapsed into a heap on the floor next to his wife

听到这些话，约翰一下子瘫倒在了妻子旁边的地板上。

旁白 neutral

Meanwhile, Jo, who was not yet aware that she was soon going to become an aunt

与此同时，乔还不知道自己很快就要当姨妈了，

旁白 neutral

spent her days content to be a governess and her evenings very happy to be with a friend

她白天心满意足地做着家庭教师，晚上则很开心地和一个朋友待在一起。

旁白 neutral

" Jo, this week you must try to read this thrilling adventure that will take you across the seas,"

“乔，这周你一定要试着读读这本激动人心的冒险故事，它会带你漂洋过海，”

旁白 neutral

the Professor said, handing Jo a thick, old book from his own collection

教授说着，从他自己的藏书中递给乔一本厚厚的老旧书。

旁白 neutral

Since their first encounter a couple of weeks ago, Jo found that she had a lot in common with the Professor

自从几周前初次见面以来，乔发现自己和教授有很多共同之处。

旁白 neutral

They both loved to read and write, though she preferred writing fictional stories and he favored poetry

他们都热爱阅读和写作，不过她更喜欢写虚构故事，而他偏爱诗歌。

旁白 neutral

When he had moved to America, the Professor was forced to leave behind many of his possessions

移居美国时，教授不得不抛下许多财物，

旁白 neutral

but he could not bear to part with his beloved collection of books, which he now displayed proudly in his personal library

但他舍不得他心爱的藏书，如今这些书被骄傲地陈列在他的私人藏书室里。

旁白 neutral

Jo considered it an honor that the Professor wanted her to read some of his dearest treasures

乔觉得教授想让她读一些他最珍爱的书是一种荣幸。

旁白 neutral

( though at first when he offered her his favorite book, she did not have the heart to tell him that she could not read German )

（虽然一开始他把自己最喜欢的书送给她时，她不忍心告诉他自己看不懂德文。）

旁白 neutral

Fortunately, the Professor owned a series of books translated into English that Jo was able to enjoy thoroughly

幸运的是，教授有一套英文译本的系列书，让乔能尽情阅读。

旁白 neutral

On the weekends, the Professor would invite Jo to go with him and his nephews to the park

周末，教授会邀请乔和他以及侄子们一起去公园，

旁白 neutral

or to take a carriage to Coney Island, an amusement park where children ( of all ages ) could go on rides

或者乘马车去科尼岛，那里是孩子们（各种年龄）可以乘坐游乐设施的游乐园。

旁白 neutral

Jo noticed that the more time she spent with the Professor, the broader her horizon became

乔发现，和教授相处的时间越多，她的视野就越开阔。

旁白 neutral

There seemed to be no end to the amount of knowledge to be learned

要学的知识似乎无穷无尽。

旁白 neutral

Because the Professor was teaching her so many new things, Jo wanted to show her thanks but she couldn't find a way to do so

教授教了乔那么多新东西，她想表达感谢，却不知如何是好。

旁白 neutral

Then one evening, the opportunity arose as she was washing her clothes

后来有一天晚上，她在洗衣服时，机会来了。

旁白 neutral

She happened to find two pairs of his socks, which he had probably dropped without realizing, on the floor of the laundry room

她碰巧在洗衣房地上发现了两双他的袜子，大概是他不经意间掉落的。

旁白 neutral

They were still damp and as Jo laid them out to dry, she noticed they all had holes in them

袜子还湿着，乔把它们摊开晾干时，注意到它们都有破洞了。

旁白 neutral

Smiling to herself as she recalled the first time she met him

回想起初次与他相遇的情景，乔暗自微笑，

旁白 neutral

Jo was about to leave when it occurred to her that perhaps she could help the Professor by mending his holey socks

正打算离开时，她忽然想到，或许可以帮教授把那几双破洞的袜子补一补。

旁白 neutral

" I'll bring them back here after I do it so he won't know it was me," Jo thought to herself

“补好之后我再放回来，这样他就不会知道是我做的了。”乔心里盘算着。

旁白 neutral

Putting the socks into her laundry basket, she quickly climbed the stairs to her room and took out her sewing kit

她把袜子放进洗衣篮，快步上楼回到房间，取出了针线包。

旁白 neutral

While Meg had just found out she was soon to be a mother and Jo was experiencing feelings she had never felt before

就在梅格刚刚得知自己即将成为母亲，乔体会着从未有过的情感时，

旁白 neutral

Amy was also discovering something new about herself

艾米也对自己有了全新的认识。

旁白 neutral

She sensed that any day now, Fred was going to propose to her and she was prepared

她预感到弗雷德随时可能向她求婚，而她已经做好了心理准备。

旁白 neutral

Sure enough, one chilly evening, Fred made an unannounced visit to Amy and her aunt

果然，在一个寒冷的夜晚，弗雷德不请自来，拜访了艾米和她的姑妈。

旁白 neutral

" Why, Fred," Aunt March said fondly, for she was sure that he would be a perfect match for her grandniece

“哎呀，弗雷德，”马奇姑妈慈爱地说，因为她确信他会是自己侄孙女的绝佳伴侣。

旁白 neutral

" What a pleasant surprise! To what do we owe this honor?"

“真是个惊喜！什么风把你吹来了？”

旁白 neutral

Amy sat quietly clasping her trembling hands while she waited for the now inescapable question to fall from Fred's lips

艾米静静地坐着，双手紧握，微微颤抖，等待着那个无法回避的问题从弗雷德口中说出。

旁白 neutral

As he spoke to Aunt March, revealing his love for Amy, she watched him

当他向马奇姑妈倾诉对艾米的爱意时，艾米注视着他，

旁白 neutral

feeling horrible about what she was going to do but at the same time knowing it was the right thing

为自己即将要做的事感到难过，但同时知道这样做是对的。

旁白 neutral

Before she knew it, Fred was on bended knee asking," Amy March, will you be my wife?"

还没等她回过神来，弗雷德已经单膝跪地，问道：“艾米·马奇，你愿意嫁给我吗？”

旁白 neutral

Aunt March relaxed in her chair, absolutely certain what Amy's answer would be

马奇姑妈靠在椅背上，对艾米的回答深信不疑。

旁白 neutral

" I'm sorry, Fred, I can't marry you," Amy said clearly

“对不起，弗雷德，我不能嫁给你。”艾米清晰地说道。

旁白 neutral

" What?" Aunt March's eyes bulged in shock

“什么？”马奇姑妈惊得眼珠子都快瞪出来了。

旁白 neutral

" Amy, did you hear what Fred said? He wants to marry you!"

“艾米，你听到弗雷德的话了吗？他想娶你！”

旁白 neutral

" I know, Aunt March, but I don't want to marry him," Amy said respectfully

“我知道，马奇姑妈，但我不想嫁给他。”艾米恭敬地回答。

旁白 neutral

" But why not?" demanded the old woman

“可为什么？”老太太质问道。

旁白 neutral

Poor Fred was in a state of such shock that he was speechless

可怜的弗雷德惊得目瞪口呆，一句话也说不出来。

旁白 neutral

" Because I don't love him," Amy admitted honestly

“因为我不爱他，”艾米坦诚地承认，

旁白 neutral

" And I must marry for love or I won't be truly happy. I know that now."

“婚姻必须为爱而结合，否则我不会真正幸福。我现在明白了这个道理。”

旁白 neutral

If only Jo could have heard Amy's admission at that moment, she would have marveled at how her sister had changed

要是乔此刻能听到艾米的坦白，定会惊叹妹妹的改变之大。

旁白 neutral

And if Amy, for her part, could have seen Jo secretly smiling as she tenderly placed the mended socks back in the laundry room

而艾米若是看到乔在洗衣房，温柔地放回补好的袜子时脸上悄悄露出的笑容，

旁白 neutral

Amy would have been shocked at the difference in her sister as well

也同样会为姐姐的变化感到震惊。

旁白 neutral

Winter was coming to an end, which meant that this chapter of Jo's journey would conclude shortly too

冬天即将过去，这也意味着乔旅途的这一篇章很快就要画上句号。

旁白 neutral

Jo's stay in New York had exceeded all her expectations and more as she looked back on her six months away from home

回顾离家六个月的时光，乔在纽约的收获远超预期，甚至更多。

旁白 neutral

Feeling stronger, more mature, as well as more fulfilled, Jo readied herself to make the trip home

感觉自己更坚强、更成熟、也更充实了，乔打点行装，准备踏上回家的旅程。

旁白 neutral

At the same, she felt a dull ache in her heart because that meant she would have to say good-bye to a dear friend

与此同时，她心中感到一阵钝痛，因为这意味着她必须与一位挚友告别了。