3 A Happy Sunday

CHAPTER 3 A Happy Sunday Nat leaped out of bed the instant the bell rang the next morning. He found new clothes laid out on the chair, and he was almost dressed when Tommy came barreling into his room and said, "Let's go down for breakfast!" Father Bhaer said a short grace, and then everyone enjoyed the Sunday morning feast of

第三章快乐的星期天第二天早上，铃声一响，纳特就从床上跳了起来。 他发现椅子上放着新衣服，他快穿好了，这时汤米冲进他的房间说：“我们下楼吃早饭吧！”巴尔神父做了一个简短的祷告，然后大家一起享受星期天早晨的盛宴

weak tea, steak, and baked potatoes—much more than their usual toast and butter. A walk was planned, and the Sunday lessons were laid out. Nat thought that it would be a wonderful day, for he did love the idea of a quiet peaceful Sunday, even if he had never truly had one. "Now, boys," Father Bhaer said, "run and get your chores done so you can all be ready when the omnibus comes to take us to church." With breakfast finished, everyone set to their tasks. Soon, the older boys were ready and waiting for the bus. Nat still had a bad cough, so he stayed home with the younger boys, who learned their Sunday lessons with Jo in her parlor. "Nat," Jo called, "come and see here." She showed him a closet filled with picture books, paint boxes, building blocks, little diaries, and materials for writing letters. "This is my Sunday closet," she said to him. "I want my boys to love Sunday, to find it a

淡茶、牛排和烤土豆——比他们通常的烤面包和黄油要多得多。 计划好了散步，星期天的课也安排好了。 纳特认为这将是美好的一天，因为他确实喜欢过一个安静祥和的星期天，即使他从来没有真正过过星期天。 “好了，孩子们，”巴尔神父说，“快跑去把你们的家务做完，这样当公共汽车来载我们去教堂的时候，你们就可以准备好了。” 早餐吃完后，每个人都开始了自己的工作。 很快，大一点的男孩们就准备好等公共汽车了。 纳特仍然咳嗽得很厉害，所以他留在家里和小男孩们在一起，他们在乔的客厅里上星期天的课。 “纳特，”琼叫道，“过来看看。” 她给他看了一个壁橱，里面装满了图画书、颜料盒、积木、小日记和写信的材料。 “这是我的周日衣橱，”她对他说。 “我想让我的孩子们喜欢星期天，觉得它是一个快乐的日子

peaceful, pleasant day—a time to rest and learn the lessons meant for that day." Jo opened a large book and showed it to Nat. "Why, that's my name!" he said. "Yes, I have a page for each boy. I keep a little account of how he gets on through the week and show it to him on Sunday. It's the way I help each of them to be better boys. It's my Conscience Book. No one sees it but me and the boy whose name is at the top of the page." In his whole life, Nat had never met anyone like Mother Jo. While he was thinking this very thought, she tweaked his ear and said, "Why don't you practice the hymns for tonight?" Alone with his beloved fiddle and a new music book, Nat enjoyed an hour or two of genuine happiness before Father Bhaer and the boys returned from church. After lunch, Father Bhaer and many of the boys set out for a walk. Because he was sick, Nat stayed back. Tommy stayed with him. The pair

平静、愉快的一天——这是休息和学习当天课程的时间。” 琼打开一本大书给纳特看。 “啊，这就是我的名字！”他说。 “是的，我给每个男孩都准备了一页纸。 我把他一周的工作情况记录下来，星期天给他看。 这是我帮助他们每个人成为更好的男孩的方式。 这是我的良心书。除了我和那个名字在这一页最上面的男孩，没有人看到它。” 纳特一生中从未遇到过像乔妈妈这样的人。 正当他正在想这些的时候，她捏了捏他的耳朵说：“你为什么不为今晚练习赞美诗呢？”在巴尔神父和孩子们从教堂回来之前，纳特独自带着心爱的小提琴和一本新的音乐书，享受了一两个小时真正的快乐。 午饭后，巴尔神父和许多男孩出去散步。 因为他病了，纳特没来。 汤米和他呆在一起。这一对

went for a short stroll around Plumfield so Tommy could show him the land. The long driveway around the house led to an old corn barn. Inside were animals of all shapes and sizes: guinea pigs, mice, birds, a donkey, dogs, and hens.

在普卢姆菲尔德散了一小会儿步，让汤米带他看看那块地。 房子周围长长的车道通向一个旧谷仓。 里面有各种形状和大小的动物：豚鼠、老鼠、鸟、驴、狗和母鸡。

"My father sent me the money for the hens once he heard we were to raise them ourselves," Tommy explained, and pointed to a sign that identified the hens as his. "That's how most of the boys got their pets. People either gave 'em to us or we bought them with money from our parents." Nat nodded, sad because he had no parents to send him money for a pet. "Mother Jo lets me sell the eggs to her, and a little bit goes back to my father each time to pay him back. Oh, I always give her a fair price," Tommy said. "I'd be ashamed not to." Nat looked around at all the animals and said, "They are all great pets, but I think if I should have one, I would like the donkey." Tommy nodded. "Mr. Laurie sent Toby over so Mother Jo wouldn't have to carry Teddy on our walks. He is a very good little donkey."

“我父亲听说我们要自己养母鸡后，就把钱寄给我了。”汤米解释道，并指着一个标志，上面写着母鸡是他的。 “大多数男孩就是这样养宠物的。 要么是别人送给我们的，要么是我们用父母的钱买的。” 纳特点点头，很难过，因为他没有父母给他寄钱买宠物。 “乔妈妈让我把鸡蛋卖给她，每次还给爸爸一点。 哦，我总是给她一个公平的价格，”汤米说。 “如果不去，我会感到羞耻的。”纳特看了看所有的动物，说：“它们都是很棒的宠物，但我想如果我应该养一只，我会喜欢驴子。” 汤米点点头。“罗瑞先生派托比过来，这样乔妈妈就不用带着特迪去散步了。 它是一头非常好的小驴。”