Chapter 2

CHAPTER II Matthew Cuthbert is surprised Matthew Cuthbert and the sorrel mare jogged comfortably over the eight miles to Bright River. It was a pretty road, running along between snug farmsteads, with now and again a bit of balsamy fir wood to drive through or a hollow where wild plums hung out their filmy bloom. The air was sweet with the breath of many apple orchards and the meadows sloped away in the distance to horizon mists of pearl and purple; while "The little birds sang as if it were The one day of summer in all the year." Matthew enjoyed the drive after his own fashion, except during the moments when he met women and had to nod to them-for in Prince Edward island you are supposed to nod to all and sundry you meet on the road whether you know them or not. Matthew dreaded all women except Marilla and Mrs.

第二章 马修·卡思伯特大吃一惊 马修·卡思伯特骑着栗色母马，慢悠悠安稳地走完八英里路程，前往布莱特河。 这条路风景怡人，沿着舒适的农庄延伸，途中时不时会穿过香气清新的冷杉林，或是路过山谷，野李树绽开了轻纱般的柔花。 空气里满是苹果园的甜香，草地向远方倾斜延展，直到融入地平线那珍珠色与淡紫色的薄雾中； 与此同时，“小鸟放声歌唱，仿佛这是全年里独有的美好夏日。” 马修自得其乐地享受着这段车程，唯独碰到女人的时候犯难——你得点头打招呼，因为在爱德华王子岛，路上不管认不认识，碰到谁都得点头问好。 马修害怕所有女人，除了玛丽拉和

Rachel; he had an uncomfortable feeling that the mysterious creatures were secretly laughing at him. He may have been quite right in thinking so, for he was an odd-looking personage, with an ungainly figure and long iron-gray hair that touched his stooping shoulders, and a full, soft brown beard which he had worn ever since he was twenty. In fact, he had looked at twenty very much as he looked at sixty, lacking a little of the grayness. When he reached Bright River there was no sign of any train; he thought he was too early, so he tied his horse in the yard of the small Bright River hotel and went over to the station house. The long platform was almost deserted; the only living creature in sight being a girl who was sitting on a pile of shingles at the extreme end. Matthew, barely noting that it WAS a girl, sidled past her as quickly as possible without looking at her. Had he looked he could hardly have failed to notice the tense rigidity and expectation of her attitude and expression. She was sitting there waiting for something or somebody and, since sitting and waiting was the only thing to do just

雷切尔夫人； 他总觉得浑身不自在，觉得这些神秘的生物总在偷偷笑话他。 他这么想说不定还真没错，马修长得挺特别：身形笨拙，铁灰色的长发垂到他佝偻的肩膀上，从二十岁起就留着一把浓密柔软的棕色大胡子。 其实啊，他二十岁的时候看起来就和六十岁差不多，只是头发没那么灰白罢了。 他走到布莱特河的时候，连火车的影子都没见着； 他以为自己来太早了，就把马拴在布莱特河小旅馆的院子里，然后去了车站。 长长的站台上几乎没什么人； 一眼看去只有一个小姑娘，坐在站台尽头一堆木瓦上面。 马修没太留意那是个姑娘，低着头快步从她身边蹭了过去，连看都没看她一眼。 要是他当时看上一眼，肯定能发现小姑娘的神情姿态满是紧张，又透着期盼。 她坐在那儿等着某个人、某件事，既然眼下除了坐着等待也没别的事可做

then, she sat and waited with all her might and main. Matthew encountered the stationmaster locking up the ticket office preparatory to going home for supper, and asked him if the five-thirty train would soon be along. "The five-thirty train has been in and gone half an hour ago," answered that brisk official. "But there was a passenger dropped off for you-a little girl. She's sitting out there on the shingles. I asked her to go into the ladies" waiting room, but she informed me gravely that she preferred to stay outside. `There was more scope for imagination," she said. She's a case, I should say." "I'm not expecting a girl," said Matthew blankly. "It's a boy I've come for. He should be here. Mrs. Alexander Spencer was to bring him over from Nova Scotia for me." The stationmaster whistled. "Guess there's some mistake," he said. "Mrs. Spencer came off the train with that girl and gave her into my charge. Said you and your sister were adopting her from an orphan asylum and that you would be along for her presently.

，她就拼尽全力，老老实实坐在那儿等着。 马修碰到站长正锁售票处的门，准备回家吃晚饭，就问他五点半的火车是不是快到了。 “五点半的火车到站又开走半小时啦，”动作麻利的站长回答道。 “不过有个乘客留给你了——是个小姑娘。 她正坐在外面的木瓦堆上呢。 我让她去女候车室等着，可她严肃地跟我说，她更愿意待在外面。 她说‘这儿更能发挥想象力’。 要我说啊，这小姑娘挺特别的。” “我不是来接小姑娘的，”马修茫然地说。 “我是来接小男孩的。 他本该到这儿的。 是亚历山大·斯宾塞夫人帮我从新斯科舍接他过来的。” 站长吹了一声口哨。 “我猜肯定是哪里出岔子了，”他说。 “斯宾塞夫人下火车的时候把这姑娘交给我照看。 说你和你姐姐从孤儿院领养她，你很快就会过来接她。

That's all I know about it-and I haven't got any more orphans concealed hereabouts." "I don't understand," said Matthew helplessly, wishing that Marilla was at hand to cope with the situation. "Well, you'd better question the girl," said the stationmaster carelessly. "I dare say she'll be able to explain-she's got a tongue of her own, that's certain. Maybe they were out of boys of the brand you wanted." He walked jauntily away, being hungry, and the unfortunate Matthew was left to do that which was harder for him than bearding a lion in its den-walk up to a girl-a strange girl-an orphan girl-and demand of her why she wasn't a boy. Matthew groaned in spirit as he turned about and shuffled gently down the platform towards her. She had been watching him ever since he had passed her and she had her eyes on him now. Matthew was not looking at her and would not have seen what she was really like if he had been, but an ordinary observer would have seen this: A child of about eleven, garbed in a very short, very tight, very ugly dress of yellowish-gray

我知道的就这些——这附近我可没藏着别的孤儿了。” “我搞不懂啊，”马修无助地说，心里盼着玛丽拉现在就在这儿帮他处理。 “哎呀，你最好去问问那姑娘，”站长满不在乎地说。 “我敢说她肯定能说清楚——她口才好得很，这绝对没错。 说不定你们要的那种小男孩，人家孤儿院没有了呢。” 他饿了，迈着轻快的步子走了，留下倒霉的马修去做一件对他来说比摸狮子胡须还难的事——走向一个姑娘，一个陌生姑娘，一个孤儿姑娘，问她为什么不是小男孩。 马修在心里叹了口气，转过身，拖着脚慢慢沿着站台走向她。 自从马修路过之后，她就一直盯着他看，现在也还是目光落在他身上。 马修没看她，就算他看了也不一定能看清她的模样，不过换作普通人会看到：这是个十一岁左右的孩子，穿着一件很短很紧、丑乎乎的黄灰色连衣裙

wincey. She wore a faded brown sailor hat and beneath the hat, extending down her back, were two braids of very thick, decidedly red hair. Her face was small, white and thin, also much freckled; her mouth was large and so were her eyes, which looked green in some lights and moods and gray in others. So far, the ordinary observer; an extraordinary observer might have seen that the chin was very pointed and pronounced; that the big eyes were full of spirit and vivacity; that the mouth was sweet-lipped and expressive; that the forehead was broad and full; in short, our discerning extraordinary observer might have concluded that no commonplace soul inhabited the body of this stray womanchild of whom shy Matthew Cuthbert was so ludicrously afraid. Matthew, however, was spared the ordeal of speaking first, for as soon as she concluded that he was coming to her she stood up, grasping with one thin brown hand the handle of a shabby, old-fashioned carpet-bag; the other she held out to him. "I suppose you are Mr. Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables?" she said in a peculiarly clear,

温西。 她戴着一顶褪色的棕色水手帽，帽子下面垂着两条格外粗、颜色艳红的大辫子，一直拖到后背。 她的脸小小的，苍白又瘦削，还长了好多雀斑； 她嘴巴大大的，眼睛也是，在不同光线和心情下，眼睛一会儿泛绿一会儿发灰。 在普通人眼里，也就这些； 但敏锐的人能发现，她的下巴很尖，轮廓格外清晰； 那双大眼睛里满是灵气与活力； 嘴唇娇柔，十分灵动； 额头饱满宽阔； 总而言之，眼光独到的人能看出，这个让害羞的马修·卡斯伯特慌得不行的流浪小姑娘，身体里住着一个绝不平庸的灵魂。 不过马修不用硬着头皮先开口，因为她一认出是来接自己的，就立刻站了起来，一只瘦瘦的褐色小手攥着一个老旧寒酸的老式毡布手提包的提手， 另一只手朝马修伸了过来。 “你就是绿山墙的马修·卡斯伯特先生吧？” 她开口说道，声音格外清亮，

sweet voice. "I'm very glad to see you. I was beginning to be afraid you weren't coming for me and I was imagining all the things that might have happened to prevent you. I had made up my mind that if you didn't come for me to-night I'd go down the track to that big wild cherry-tree at the bend, and climb up into it to stay all night. I wouldn't be a bit afraid, and it would be lovely to sleep in a wild cherry-tree all white with bloom in the moonshine, don't you think? You could imagine you were dwelling in marble halls, couldn't you? And I was quite sure you would come for me in the morning, if you didn't to-night." Matthew had taken the scrawny little hand awkwardly in his; then and there he decided what to do. He could not tell this child with the glowing eyes that there had been a mistake; he would take her home and let Marilla do that. She couldn't be left at Bright River anyhow, no matter what mistake had been made, so all questions and explanations might as well be deferred until he was safely back at Green Gables. "I'm sorry I was late," he said shyly. "Come along.

甜丝丝的。 “我真高兴见到你。 我刚才都开始怕你不来接我了，脑子里想了好多各种可能耽误你过来的意外。 我都打定主意了，要是你今晚不来，我就沿着铁轨走到拐弯处那棵大大的野樱桃树，爬到树上待一整夜。 我一点都不怕，在开满白花、浸着月光的野樱桃树上睡觉多美妙啊，你说对不对？ 你都能想象自己住在大理石宫殿里，对吧？ 而且我敢肯定，就算你今晚不来，明天早上也一定会来接我的。” 马修笨手笨脚地握住她瘦瘦的小手，当场就拿定了主意。 他没法对这个眼睛亮晶晶的孩子说，这里面出了个差错； 他要先把她带回家，让玛丽拉去说这件事。 不管出了什么错，总不能把她留在布莱特河，所以所有问题和解释都等平安回到绿山墙再说吧。 “不好意思我来晚了。”他害羞地说。 “走吧。