Chapter 19

CHAPTER XIX A Concert a Catastrophe and a Confession "MARILLA, can I go over to see Diana just for a minute?" asked Anne, running breathlessly down from the east gable one February evening. "I don't see what you want to be traipsing about after dark for," said Marilla shortly. "You and Diana walked home from school together and then stood down there in the snow for half an hour more, your tongues going the whole blessed time, clickety-clack. So I don't think you're very badly off to see her again." "But she wants to see me," pleaded Anne. "She has something very important to tell me." "How do you know she has?" "Because she just signaled to me from her window. We have arranged a way to signal with our candles and cardboard. We set the candle on the window sill and make flashes by passing the cardboard back and forth. So many flashes mean a certain thing.

第十九章 一场音乐会，一场灾难，一次告白 “玛丽拉，我能过去找戴安娜待一小会儿吗？” 二月的一个傍晚，安妮气喘吁吁从东山墙跑下来，开口问道。 “我真搞不懂你天黑了还要乱跑什么，”玛丽拉直截了当地说。 你和戴安娜放学一起走回家，还在那边雪地里站了半个多小时，嘴巴噼里啪啦一直说个不停。 所以我觉得你没必要急着再去见她。” “可是她想见我呀，”安妮恳求道。 “她有很重要的事要告诉我。” “你怎么知道她有重要的事？” “因为她刚从她家窗户给我发信号了。 我们商量好了，用蜡烛和纸板发信号。 我们把蜡烛放在窗台上，来回挡纸板就能打出闪光。 闪不同次数代表不同的意思。

It was my idea, Marilla." "I'll warrant you it was," said Marilla emphatically. "And the next thing you'll be setting fire to the curtains with your signaling nonsense." "Oh, we're very careful, Marilla. And it's so interesting. Two flashes mean, `Are you there?" Three mean `yes" and four `no." Five mean, `Come over as soon as possible, because I have something important to reveal." Diana has just signaled five flashes, and I'm really suffering to know what it is." "Well, you needn't suffer any longer," said Marilla sarcastically. "You can go, but you're to be back here in just ten minutes, remember that." Anne did remember it and was back in the stipulated time, although probably no mortal will ever know just what it cost her to confine the discussion of Diana's important communication within the limits of ten minutes. But at least she had made good use of them. "Oh, Marilla, what do you think? You know tomorrow is Diana's birthday. Well, her mother told her she could ask me to go home with her from school and stay all night with her. And her cousins are coming over from Newbridge in a big

这是我想出来的办法哦，玛丽拉。” “我就知道是你想的鬼点子，”玛丽拉加重语气说。 “搞这种瞎胡闹的信号，下一次你就要把窗帘给点着了。” “哎呀，我们可小心了，玛丽拉。 而且这真的太有意思了。 闪两下代表“你在吗？” 闪三下是“在”，闪四下是“不在”。 闪五下代表“快点过来，我有重要的事要说”。 戴安娜刚发了五闪，我心都挠痒了好想知道是什么事。 “行啦，你不用再挠心了，”玛丽拉嘲讽地说。 “你可以去，但是十分钟之内必须回来，记住了。” 安妮确实记住了，也按时回来了，不过没人知道，把和戴安娜聊重要事的时间压缩在十分钟里，对她来说有多难。 但至少她把这十分钟用得满满当当。 “哦，玛丽拉，你猜怎么着？ 你知道明天是戴安娜的生日对不对。 她妈妈说允许她邀我放学一起回她家，在那里住一整晚。 她的表亲们从纽布里奇坐着大大的

pung sleigh to go to the Debating Club concert at the hall tomorrow night. And they are going to take Diana and me to the concert-if you'll let me go, that is. You will, won't you, Marilla? Oh, I feel so excited." "You can calm down then, because you're not going. You're better at home in your own bed, and as for that club concert, it's all nonsense, and little girls should not be allowed to go out to such places at all." "I'm sure the Debating Club is a most respectable affair," pleaded Anne. "I'm not saying it isn't. But you're not going to begin gadding about to concerts and staying out all hours of the night. Pretty doings for children. I'm surprised at Mrs. Barry's letting Diana go." "But it's such a very special occasion," mourned Anne, on the verge of tears. "Diana has only one birthday in a year. It isn't as if birthdays were common things, Marilla. Prissy Andrews is going to recite `Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight." That is such a good moral piece, Marilla, I'm sure it would do me lots of good to hear it. And the choir are going to sing four lovely pathetic songs that are pretty near as good as hymns. And oh,

单马拉雪橇，明天晚上要去礼堂参加辩论社的音乐会。 他们要带我和戴安娜一起去音乐会——当然啦，得你答应让我去才行。 你会答应我的对不对，玛丽拉？ 我现在真的太激动啦。” “那你可以冷静一下了，你不能去。 你乖乖待在家里自己床上才好，什么俱乐部音乐会，全是瞎胡闹，根本不该允许小女孩去那种地方。” “我敢保证辩论社真的特别正派，”安妮恳求道。 “我没说它不正派。 但你不能这么小就开始到处乱跑参加音乐会，大半夜还不回家。 小孩子不该做这种事。 巴里太太居然允许戴安娜去，我真觉得吃惊。” “可是这真的是特别的日子呀，”安妮快哭出来，伤心地说。 “戴安娜一年才过一次生日。 生日又不是天天都有，玛丽拉。 普丽西·安德鲁斯要朗诵《宵禁今晚不许敲响》。 那可是特别有教育意义的好作品，玛丽拉，我听了肯定会很有收获的。 还有合唱队要唱四首动人的哀歌，几乎和赞美诗一样好听。 还有哦，

Marilla, the minister is going to take part; yes, indeed, he is; he's going to give an address. That will be just about the same thing as a sermon. Please, mayn't I go, Marilla?" "You heard what I said, Anne, didn't you? Take off your boots now and go to bed. It's past eight." "There's just one more thing, Marilla," said Anne, with the air of producing the last shot in her locker. "Mrs. Barry told Diana that we might sleep in the spare-room bed. Think of the honor of your little Anne being put in the spare-room bed." "It's an honor you'll have to get along without. Go to bed, Anne, and don't let me hear another word out of you." When Anne, with tears rolling over her cheeks, had gone sorrowfully upstairs, Matthew, who had been apparently sound asleep on the lounge during the whole dialogue, opened his eyes and said decidedly: "Well now, Marilla, I think you ought to let Anne go." "I don't then," retorted Marilla. "Who's bringing this child up, Matthew, you or me?" "Well now, you," admitted Matthew. "Don't interfere then."

玛丽拉，牧师也要参加，真的真的，他还要发表讲话呢。 那不就和听布道差不多嘛。 求求你了，我能不能去呀，玛丽拉？” “你听见我说的话了对不对，安妮？ 现在脱靴子上床睡觉。 都已经过八点了。” “还有最后一件事，玛丽拉，”安妮说，摆出使出最后底牌的样子。 “巴里太太告诉戴安娜，我们可以睡在客房的床上。 想想呀，你的小安妮能睡客房，这多光荣呀。” “这份光荣你还是别享了。 上床去，安妮，别再让我听见你说一个字。” 安妮眼泪顺着脸颊往下掉，伤心地上楼之后，整场对话都在躺椅上假装熟睡的马修睁开眼睛，斩钉截铁地说：“我说啊，玛丽拉，你该让安妮去。” “我就是不让，”玛丽拉反驳道。 “这孩子是谁在带啊，马修，是你还是我？” “呃，是你，”马修承认道。 “那你就别插手。”

"Well now, I ain't interfering. It ain't interfering to have your own opinion. And my opinion is that you ought to let Anne go." "You'd think I ought to let Anne go to the moon if she took the notion, I've no doubt" was Marilla's amiable rejoinder. "I might have let her spend the night with Diana, if that was all. But I don't approve of this concert plan. She'd go there and catch cold like as not, and have her head filled up with nonsense and excitement. It would unsettle her for a week. I understand that child's disposition and what's good for it better than you, Matthew." "I think you ought to let Anne go," repeated Matthew firmly. Argument was not his strong point, but holding fast to his opinion certainly was. Marilla gave a gasp of helplessness and took refuge in silence. The next morning, when Anne was washing the breakfast dishes in the pantry, Matthew paused on his way out to the barn to say to Marilla again: "I think you ought to let Anne go, Marilla." For a moment Marilla looked things not lawful to be uttered.

“好了好了，我可不是来干涉你的。 有自己的想法算不上干涉。 我就觉得，你该让安妮去。” “我看呐，只要安妮起了念头，就算想去月亮你也会放她走，你肯定就是这么想的对吧”，玛丽拉故作温和地反驳道。 “要是只是让她去戴安娜家住一晚，我说不定早就同意了。 可我不赞成这个音乐会的计划。 她去那儿十有八九会着凉，还会满脑子装着乱七八糟的东西，兴奋得静不下来。 这得让她心浮气躁整整一个礼拜。 我比你更清楚这孩子的性子，也更清楚什么对她好，马修。” “我觉得你该让安妮去”，马修坚定地重复道。 讲道理可不是马修的强项，但咬定自己的观点，他绝对没问题。 玛丽拉无助地倒吸一口气，只好闭嘴不说了。 第二天早上，安妮在配餐室洗早餐盘子，马修正要出门去谷仓，路过的时候又对玛丽拉说：“玛丽拉，我觉得你该让安妮去。” 那一瞬间，玛丽拉满肚子都是不好说出口的气话。

Then she yielded to the inevitable and said tartly: "Very well, she can go, since nothing else'll please you." Anne flew out of the pantry, dripping dishcloth in hand. "Oh, Marilla, Marilla, say those blessed words again." "I guess once is enough to say them. This is Matthew's doings and I wash my hands of it. If you catch pneumonia sleeping in a strange bed or coming out of that hot hall in the middle of the night, don't blame me, blame Matthew. Anne Shirley, you're dripping greasy water all over the floor. I never saw such a careless child." "Oh, I know I'm a great trial to you, Marilla," said Anne repentantly. "I make so many mistakes. But then just think of all the mistakes I don't make, although I might. I'll get some sand and scrub up the spots before I go to school. Oh, Marilla, my heart was just set on going to that concert. I never was to a concert in my life, and when the other girls talk about them in school I feel so out of it. You didn't know just how I felt about it, but you see Matthew did. Matthew

最后玛丽拉拗不过事实，尖刻地说：“行了，让她去好了，不然你是不会满意的。” 安妮攥着滴着水的洗碗布，一下子从配餐室冲了出来。 “哦，玛丽拉，玛丽拉，再把这句好听的话再说一遍好不好。” “我觉得说一遍就够了。 这都是马修的主意，我撒手不管了。 要是你睡陌生床、或是半夜从暖融融的礼堂出来染上肺炎，别赖我，怪马修去。 安妮·雪莉，你把油水滴得满地都是。 我从没见过这么粗心的孩子。” “哦，我知道我老是给你添麻烦，玛丽拉，”安妮懊悔地说。 “我真的犯了好多错。 不过你想想，好多我可能犯的错，我都没犯呀。 我上学前会拿沙子把这些污渍擦干净的。 哦，玛丽拉，我一心就想去这场音乐会。 我长这么大还从没去过音乐会，别的女生在学校聊起音乐会的时候，我都觉得格格不入。 你不知道我有多想去，可是马修懂呀。 马修