1 Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised

CHAPTER 1 Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised One day in early June, as Mrs. Rachel Lynde looked out her window, she saw Matthew Cuthbert ride by. He was wearing a white collar and his best suit of clothes—a sure sign he was leaving Avonlea. And his horse and buggy looked newly cleaned. Where could he be going? Mrs. Lynde knew that Matthew was a

第一章雷切尔·林德太太惊讶六月初的一天，雷切尔·林德太太向窗外望去，看见马修·卡斯伯特骑马经过。 他穿着他最好的一套衣服，戴着白色的领子——这是他要离开埃文利村的明确迹象。 他的马和马车看起来刚洗干净。 他能去哪儿呢？林德太太知道马修是个

quiet man who rarely went far from home. Although she thought long and hard, she did not know what to make of what she had just seen. "I'll just step over to Green Gables and ask his sister Marilla where he's gone and why after tea," she told herself. Mrs. Lynde walked along the path beside the brook. This brook ran through most of Avonlea. It started near the Cuthbert place, twisted and turned, bubbled through pools and over rocks. By the time it reached the hollow near Mrs. Lynde's house, it was calm and quiet. People said that even a brook would never risk making too much noise near Mrs. Lynde's place. Green Gables was built far back from the main road, by Marilla and Matthew's father —a man as quiet and shy as his son. It sat far back from the main road, surrounded by orchards. "No wonder Marilla and Matthew are so set in their ways, with only trees and

安静的人很少离家太远。 尽管她苦苦思索了很久，她还是不知道该如何理解她刚刚看到的一切。 “我要到格林·盖布尔斯去，问问他妹妹玛丽拉他去哪儿了，为什么去。”她对自己说。 林德太太沿着小溪边的小路走着。 这条小溪穿过了埃文利的大部分地区。 它从卡斯伯特家附近开始，扭曲着，翻滚着，穿过池塘，越过岩石。 当它到达林德太太家附近的山谷时，它平静而安静。 人们说，在林德太太家附近，即使是一条小溪也不会冒险发出太大的噪音。 格林·盖布尔斯是玛丽拉和马修的父亲——一个和他儿子一样安静、害羞的人——在远离大路的地方建造的。 它坐落在离大路很远的地方，四周都是果园。 “难怪玛丽拉和马修这么固执，只有树和。

each other to talk to,"Mrs. Lynde said. "But their home certainly is lovely." The house at Green Gables looked well cared for. There wasn't a stray stick or stone to be found in the yard. Privately, she wondered whether Marilla Cuthbert swept that yard as often as she swept her house. One could have eaten a meal off that ground. She knocked on the kitchen door and entered. The kitchen was large with big windows looking out on the yard and orchards. Sunlight poured in. Marilla was sitting at the table knitting. Mrs. Lynde noticed that the table was set for three people—and that Marilla did not use her good dishes. The dinner guest must not be too important. Mrs. Lynde was now more curious than ever. Nothing unexpected ever happened at Green Gables. "Good afternoon, Rachel," Marilla said.

彼此交谈，“夫人。 林德说。“但他们的家确实很可爱。” 格林·盖布尔斯的房子看上去照管得很好。 院子里没有发现一根散落的树枝或石头。 私下里，她想知道玛丽拉·卡斯伯特打扫院子的频率是否和打扫房子的频率一样高。 可以在地上吃一顿饭。 她敲了敲厨房的门，走了进去。 厨房很大，有几扇大窗户可以看到院子和果园。 阳光照了进来。玛丽拉正坐在桌旁织毛线。 林德太太注意到这张桌子是为三个人准备的，而玛丽拉没有用她的好盘子。 出席晚宴的客人不能太重要。 林德太太现在比以前更好奇了。 格林·盖布尔斯从未发生过意外。 “下午好，瑞秋。”玛丽拉说。

"How is your family?" Marilla was a tall, thin woman. Her dark hair, always twisted into a hard little knot at the back of her head, showed some gray streaks. "We are fine. I was concerned about you, though, when I saw Matthew go by with the horse and buggy. Is everything all right?" Marilla had expected her. She knew that Matthew would drive right past Mrs. Lynde's window, making her curious. Despite their differences—or perhaps because of them— they were friends. She tried not to smile at Rachel Lynde's attempts to discover more information. "I am quite well today, thank you, although I had quite the headache yesterday. Matthew went to Bright River. We're getting a little boy from the orphanage in Nova Scotia. Matthew went to the train station to get him."

“你的家人好吗？”玛丽拉是一个又高又瘦的女人。 她的黑发总是在脑后拧成一个结实的小结，露出了一些灰白的条纹。 “我们很好。不过，当我看到马修推着马车经过时，我很担心你。 一切都好吗？”玛丽拉早就料到她会来。 她知道马修会开车经过林德太太的窗户，这让她很好奇。 尽管他们有分歧——或许正因为如此——但他们是朋友。 对于雷切尔·林德想要了解更多信息的企图，她忍住不笑。 “我今天很好，谢谢你，虽然我昨天很头疼。 马修去了布莱特河。 我们要从新斯科舍省的孤儿院领养一个小男孩。 马修去火车站接他了。”

If Marilla had said that Matthew had gone to Bright River to fetch a kangaroo from Australia, Mrs. Lynde couldn't have been more surprised. "Is that true, Marilla? What on earth put such a notion in your head?" Marilla spoke as if getting an orphan boy was a common, everyday event. "Matthew is getting up in years—he's sixty—his heart troubles him a great deal, and we thought a boy would be a big help. Mrs. Spencer was going to the orphanage to get herself a little girl, so we sent word asking her to bring back a boy for us. We plan to bring him up right, give him a good home, and send him to school. We got the telegram today—they'll arrive on the five-thirty train at Bright River." "Well, Marilla," Rachel Lynde began. She prided herself on always speaking her mind, and this was no exception. "I think you are doing a foolish thing—a risky thing—bringing a stranger into your home. You know nothing

如果玛丽拉说马修去布赖特河从澳大利亚带回了一只袋鼠，林德太太一定会非常惊讶。 “是真的吗，玛丽拉？”究竟是什么使你产生这种想法的？”玛丽拉说得好像收养一个孤儿是一件平常的日常事情。 “马修年事已高了——他六十岁了——他的心脏很不舒服，我们以为生个男孩会有很大的帮助。 斯宾塞夫人要去孤儿院领养一个小女孩，所以我们传话让她给我们带回一个男孩。 我们计划把他抚养成人，给他一个舒适的家，送他上学。 我们今天收到了电报——他们将乘五点半的火车到达布赖特河。” “嗯，玛丽拉，”雷切尔·林德开始说。 她为自己总是直言不讳而自豪，这次也不例外。 “我认为你在做一件愚蠢的事——一件冒险的事——把一个陌生人带到你家里来。 你什么都不知道