6 Chapter 5 Cousin Franklin

Chapter 5 Cousin Franklin Eleanor looked different when she returned to New York after Allenswood. She walked and talked with confidence. She looked attractive in her smart, new clothes. The long dresses suited her. But no matter how confident Eleanor looked or felt, there was one fear that terrorized her.

表姐富兰克林·埃莉诺离开艾伦伍德回到纽约后，面貌变了。 她走路和说话都很自信。 她穿着漂亮的新衣服，显得很迷人。 这些长裙很适合她。 但无论埃莉诺看起来或感觉多么自信，有一种恐惧让她感到恐惧。

Eleanor was turning eighteen and would have to "come out." Coming out meant that girls were presented to society. Eleanor's family was part of New York society. Her mother and aunts had all been debutantes. Debutantes were girls from rich families.

埃莉诺就要十八岁了，她必须“出柜”。 出柜意味着女孩们被展示给社会。 埃莉诺的家庭是纽约社会的一部分。 她的母亲和姨妈都是初出家门的少女。 少女都是来自富裕家庭的女孩。

When these girls turned eighteen, they had a "coming out" party. The parties were very formal. The girls wore ball gowns. The men wore jackets with tails. The purpose of the parties was for the girls to meet their future husbands. Eleanor's mother, Anna Hall, had been considered one of the most beautiful debutantes of the late 1800s. Her dance card was always filled. She had many admirers. Eleanor knew she could never live up to her mother's debut in society.

当这些女孩十八岁时，她们举办了一个“出柜”派对。 聚会非常正式。 女孩们穿着舞会礼服。 男人们穿有燕尾服。 聚会的目的是让女孩们认识她们未来的丈夫。 埃莉诺的母亲安娜·霍尔(Anna Hall)曾被认为是19世纪末最美丽的少女之一。 她的舞蹈卡总是被填满了。 她有许多崇拜者。埃莉诺知道她永远不可能达到她母亲在社会上的首次亮相。

The idea of dances, parties, and balls filled Eleanor with terror. Her Uncle Teddy was now president of the United States. His own daughter, Eleanor's beautiful cousin Alice, was also entering society. Eleanor truly felt like the ugly duckling now. She thought no one would ask her to dance. And everyone would notice her blank dance card. Her brother Hall was away at school. Eleanor wrote him every day, but did not tell him of her fears.

一想到跳舞、聚会和舞会，埃莉诺就胆战心惊。 她的叔叔泰迪当时是美国总统。 他自己的女儿，埃莉诺漂亮的表妹爱丽丝，也进入了社会。 埃莉诺现在真的觉得自己像只丑小鸭了。 她以为没人会请她跳舞。 每个人都会注意到她的空白舞蹈卡。 她哥哥霍尔外出上学去了。 埃莉诺每天都给他写信，但没有告诉他她的恐惧。

Then one day Eleanor was on a train. She was going from New York City to the country. A handsome young man sat down opposite her. He smiled and began to chat. Eleanor shyly smiled back. The man was a distant cousin named Franklin Roosevelt. Eleanor listened as he told her about Harvard. The last time they had spent this much time together was when she was about two years old. Then, Franklin had given her a horseback ride.

有一天，埃莉诺在火车上。 她要从纽约去乡下。 一位英俊的年轻人坐在她对面。 他笑了笑，开始聊天。 埃莉诺害羞地回以微笑。 这个人是他的远房表亲，名叫富兰克林·罗斯福。 埃莉诺听他讲哈佛的事。 上一次他们这么长时间在一起还是在她两岁的时候。 然后，富兰克林带她骑马。