Chapter 25

CHAPTER XXV Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves Matthew was having a bad ten minutes of it. He had come into the kitchen, in the twilight of a cold, gray December evening, and had sat down in the woodbox corner to take off his heavy boots, unconscious of the fact that Anne and a bevy of her schoolmates were having a practice of "The Fairy Queen" in the sitting room. Presently they came trooping through the hall and out into the kitchen, laughing and chattering gaily. They did not see Matthew, who shrank bashfully back into the shadows beyond the woodbox with a boot in one hand and a bootjack in the other, and he watched them shyly for the aforesaid ten minutes as they put on caps and jackets and talked about the dialogue and the concert. Anne stood among them, bright eyed and animated as they; but Matthew suddenly became conscious that there was something about her

第二十五章 马修坚持要灯笼袖 这十分钟对马修来说可太不好熬了。 那是十二月一个阴冷灰蒙蒙的傍晚，暮色里马修走进厨房，坐在柴火箱角落脱厚靴子，完全没发现安妮和一群同学正在客厅排演《仙后》。 没过一会儿，她们闹哄哄穿过走廊走进厨房，嘻嘻哈哈聊个不停。 她们没看见马修，马修害羞地缩到柴火箱后的阴影里，一手拿靴子，一手拿靴拔，就这么不好意思地看了她们十分钟，姑娘们正一边戴帽子穿外套，一边聊台词和音乐会。 安妮站在她们中间，和其他人一样眼睛亮晶晶，满是活力。 可马修突然察觉到，安妮身上有某个地方

different from her mates. And what worried Matthew was that the difference impressed him as being something that should not exist. Anne had a brighter face, and bigger, starrier eyes, and more delicate features than the other; even shy, unobservant Matthew had learned to take note of these things; but the difference that disturbed him did not consist in any of these respects. Then in what did it consist? Matthew was haunted by this question long after the girls had gone, arm in arm, down the long, hard-frozen lane and Anne had betaken herself to her books. He could not refer it to Marilla, who, he felt, would be quite sure to sniff scornfully and remark that the only difference she saw between Anne and the other girls was that they sometimes kept their tongues quiet while Anne never did. This, Matthew felt, would be no great help. He had recourse to his pipe that evening to help him study it out, much to Marilla's disgust. After two hours of smoking and hard reflection Matthew arrived at a solution of his problem. Anne was not dressed like the other girls!

和她的伙伴们不一样。 让马修发愁的是，他觉得这种不一样不对劲，不该存在。 安妮的脸蛋更灵动，眼睛更大更亮像星星，五官也比其他女孩更精致。 就连生性害羞、不爱观察的马修，都早就注意到这些地方了。 可让他不安的那种不一样，根本和这些没关系。 那到底是哪儿不一样呢？ 姑娘们挽着胳膊沿着冻得硬邦邦的小路走远，安妮也回房看书了，这个问题还一直缠着马修。 他没法问玛丽拉，他觉得玛丽拉肯定会嗤之以鼻，说她能看出的唯一区别就是别的姑娘偶尔会闭嘴，可安妮从来不会。 马修觉得，这根本帮不上忙。 这天晚上他掏出烟斗想琢磨出答案，可把玛丽拉烦坏了。 抽了两个小时烟，苦思冥想之后，马修终于想出了答案。 安妮穿的衣服和别的女孩不一样！

The more Matthew thought about the matter the more he was convinced that Anne never had been dressed like the other girls-never since she had come to Green Gables. Marilla kept her clothed in plain, dark dresses, all made after the same unvarying pattern. If Matthew knew there was such a thing as fashion in dress it was as much as he did; but he was quite sure that Anne's sleeves did not look at all like the sleeves the other girls wore. He recalled the cluster of little girls he had seen around her that evening-all gay in waists of red and blue and pink and white-and he wondered why Marilla always kept her so plainly and soberly gowned. Of course, it must be all right. Marilla knew best and Marilla was bringing her up. Probably some wise, inscrutable motive was to be served thereby. But surely it would do no harm to let the child have one pretty dress-something like Diana Barry always wore. Matthew decided that he would give her one; that surely could not be objected to as an unwarranted putting in of his oar. Christmas was only a fortnight off. A nice new dress would be the very thing for a present.

马修越想这件事，就越确定安妮从来就没穿得像别的女孩——从她来到绿山墙就没有过。 玛丽拉一直给她穿素净的深色裙子，全都是按一成不变的同一款式做的。 马修就算知道穿衣有潮流这回事，也就只知道这点了。 可他非常确定，安妮的袖子看起来和别的女孩穿的完全不一样。 他想起那天晚上围在安妮身边的小姑娘们，个个都穿着红、蓝、粉、白颜色的漂亮收腰裙，他纳闷为什么玛丽拉总把安妮打扮得这么素净暗沉。 当然啦，玛丽拉做的肯定没错。 玛丽拉懂分寸，也是玛丽拉在抚养安妮。 这么做肯定有什么深奥明智的道理。 可给孩子买一件漂亮裙子肯定不会有错呀，就像戴安娜·巴里常穿的那种。 马修决定，他要给安妮买一件。 这样总不会被说成是多管闲事，遭到反对了。 再过两个星期就是圣诞节了。 一条漂亮的新裙子当礼物再合适不过了。

Matthew, with a sigh of satisfaction, put away his pipe and went to bed, while Marilla opened all the doors and aired the house. The very next evening Matthew betook himself to Carmody to buy the dress, determined to get the worst over and have done with it. It would be, he felt assured, no trifling ordeal. There were some things Matthew could buy and prove himself no mean bargainer; but he knew he would be at the mercy of shopkeepers when it came to buying a girl's dress. After much cogitation Matthew resolved to go to Samuel Lawson's store instead of William Blair's. To be sure, the Cuthberts always had gone to William Blair's; it was almost as much a matter of conscience with them as to attend the Presbyterian church and vote Conservative. But William Blair's two daughters frequently waited on customers there and Matthew held them in absolute dread. He could contrive to deal with them when he knew exactly what he wanted and could point it out; but in such a matter as this, requiring explanation and consultation, Matthew felt that he must be sure of a man behind the

马修满意地叹了口气，收起烟斗上床睡觉了，玛丽拉则打开所有门窗给房子通风。 第二天晚上，马修就动身去卡莫迪买裙子，下定决心要把这件难事搞定。 他心里清楚，这绝对是一桩不小的考验。 有些东西马修能买，还能把价砍得很漂亮。 可要是买女孩的裙子，他知道自己肯定只能任由店家摆布了。 思来想去，马修决定去塞缪尔·劳森的店，不去威廉·布莱尔的店。 没错，卡斯伯特家一向都去威廉·布莱尔的店买东西。 这对他们来说，几乎和去长老会做礼拜、投保守党票一样，是关乎良心的铁定规矩。 可威廉·布莱尔店里经常是他的两个女儿招呼客人，马修实在怕得不行。 要是他清楚自己要什么，能直接指出来，他还能设法应付她们。 可买裙子这件事需要解释和商量，马修觉得他必须得确认，站在柜台后面的得是个男人

counter. So he would go to Lawson's, where Samuel or his son would wait on him. Alas! Matthew did not know that Samuel, in the recent expansion of his business, had set up a lady clerk also; she was a niece of his wife's and a very dashing young person indeed, with a huge, drooping pompadour, big, rolling brown eyes, and a most extensive and bewildering smile. She was dressed with exceeding smartness and wore several bangle bracelets that glittered and rattled and tinkled with every movement of her hands. Matthew was covered with confusion at finding her there at all; and those bangles completely wrecked his wits at one fell swoop. "What can I do for you this evening, Mr. Cuthbert?" Miss Lucilla Harris inquired, briskly and ingratiatingly, tapping the counter with both hands. "Have you any-any-any-well now, say any garden rakes?" stammered Matthew. Miss Harris looked somewhat surprised, as well she might, to hear a man inquiring for garden rakes in the middle of December. "I believe we have one or two left over," she said, "but they're upstairs in the lumber room. I'll

柜台。 所以他打算去劳森商店，塞缪尔或是他儿子会在那里接待他。 哎呀！ 马修不知道，塞缪尔最近扩大生意，还雇了一名女店员； 她是塞缪尔妻子的侄女，是个非常活泼时髦的年轻人，留着一头蓬松柔软的大刘海，长着圆圆的棕色大眼睛，笑起来特别灿烂动人。 她穿得格外整洁漂亮，手上戴了好几个镯子，抬手的时候镯子闪闪发光，还叮当作响。 马修一看见是她在这儿，整个人都慌了； 那些镯子一下子就把他吓得六神无主。 “今晚您需要点什么，卡斯伯特先生？” 露西拉·哈里斯小姐双手轻敲着柜台，殷勤又轻快地问道。 “你们有……有……有没有……花园用的耙子？”马修结结巴巴地问。 哈里斯小姐有点吃惊，也难怪她吃惊，十二月中旬居然会有人来买花园耙子。 “我记得我们还剩一两把，”她说，“不过放在楼上的杂物间里。” 我这就

go and see." During her absence Matthew collected his scattered senses for another effort. When Miss Harris returned with the rake and cheerfully inquired: "Anything else tonight, Mr. Cuthbert?" Matthew took his courage in both hands and replied: "Well now, since you suggest it, I might as well-take-that is-look at-buy some-some hayseed." Miss Harris had heard Matthew Cuthbert called odd. She now concluded that he was entirely crazy. "We only keep hayseed in the spring," she explained loftily. "We've none on hand just now." "Oh, certainly-certainly-just as you say," stammered unhappy Matthew, seizing the rake and making for the door. At the threshold he recollected that he had not paid for it and he turned miserably back. While Miss Harris was counting out his change he rallied his powers for a final desperate attempt. "Well now-if it isn't too much trouble-I might as well-that is-I'd like to look at-at-some sugar." "White or brown?" queried Miss Harris patiently.

去看看。” 哈里斯小姐走了之后，马修好不容易收拢了慌乱的心神，准备再开口。 哈里斯小姐拿着耙子回来，高高兴兴地问：“卡斯伯特先生，您还要点别的什么吗？” 马修鼓起勇气回答道：“嗯……既然你这么说，那我不如……就是说……我想买……一些干草种子。” 哈里斯小姐早就听过别人说马修·卡斯伯特性格古怪。 现在她直接认定马修彻底疯了。 “我们只在春天卖干草种子，”她傲慢地解释道。 “我们现在手头没有存货。” “哦，当然……当然……就按你说的，”不高兴的马修结结巴巴地说着，抓起耙子就往门口走。 走到门口的时候，他想起还没付钱，只好苦恼地转回来。 哈里斯小姐给他找零钱的时候，马修攒起最后一点力气，准备再试一次。 “那个……如果不麻烦的话……我想看看……一些糖。” “要白糖还是红糖？”哈里斯小姐耐心地问道。