Chapter 27

CHAPTER XXVII Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Marilla, walking home one late April evening from an Aid meeting, realized that the winter was over and gone with the thrill of delight that spring never fails to bring to the oldest and saddest as well as to the youngest and merriest. Marilla was not given to subjective analysis of her thoughts and feelings. She probably imagined that she was thinking about the Aids and their missionary box and the new carpet for the vestry room, but under these reflections was a harmonious consciousness of red fields smoking into pale-purply mists in the declining sun, of long, sharp-pointed fir shadows falling over the meadow beyond the brook, of still, crimson-budded maples around a mirrorlike wood pool, of a wakening in the world and a stir of hidden pulses under the gray sod. The spring was abroad in the land and Marilla's sober, middle-aged step was lighter and swifter because of its deep, primal gladness.

第二十七章 虚荣与心灵的烦恼 四月末的一个傍晚，玛丽拉从救助会开完会往家走，她察觉到冬天已经彻底过去，春天带来的喜悦震颤人心，这份喜悦无论对年长忧伤之人，还是年轻快乐的人来说，都从未缺席。 玛丽拉从来不会对自己的想法和感受做主观剖析。 她大概以为自己满脑子想的都是救助会、宣教箱，还有教堂法衣室的新地毯，可在这些思绪之下，她还清晰地感受到：斜晖里，红土地上升起氤氲，晕成淡紫色的雾霭；小溪对岸的草甸上，落着冷杉修长尖顶的影子；如镜的林塘边，枫树静静伫立，已经鼓起深红色的芽苞；灰绿草皮下，整个世界正在苏醒，隐秘的生命脉搏正在跳动。 春天降临了这片大地，玛丽拉稳重的中年脚步，也因为这份深沉原始的喜悦，变得越发轻快起来。

Her eyes dwelt affectionately on Green Gables, peering through its network of trees and reflecting the sunlight back from its windows in several little coruscations of glory. Marilla, as she picked her steps along the damp lane, thought that it was really a satisfaction to know that she was going home to a briskly snapping wood fire and a table nicely spread for tea, instead of to the cold comfort of old Aid meeting evenings before Anne had come to Green Gables. Consequently, when Marilla entered her kitchen and found the fire black out, with no sign of Anne anywhere, she felt justly disappointed and irritated. She had told Anne to be sure and have tea ready at five o'clock, but now she must hurry to take off her second-best dress and prepare the meal herself against Matthew's return from plowing. "I'll settle Miss Anne when she comes home," said Marilla grimly, as she shaved up kindlings with a carving knife and with more vim than was strictly necessary. Matthew had come in and was waiting patiently for his tea in his corner. "She's gadding off somewhere with Diana, writing stories or practicing dialogues or some such tomfoolery,

她满怀爱意的目光落在绿山墙农舍上，农舍掩映在交错的树丛间，阳光从窗玻璃反射出来，闪烁着点点璀璨的光芒。 玛丽拉走在潮湿的小路上，心里想着，能回家真让人满足——等着她的是噼啪烧得旺的炉火，摆得整整齐齐的茶桌，不像安妮来绿山墙之前，每次救助会开完晚归，迎接她的只有冷冰冰的空屋子。 因此，当玛丽拉走进厨房，发现炉火已经熄灭，哪儿都找不到安妮的影子时，她理所当然又失望又恼怒。 她明明叮嘱过安妮，五点钟一定要备好茶，可现在她得赶紧换掉那件次好的衣服，自己动手准备晚饭，赶在马修犁地回来前做好。 “等安妮回来我就得好好治治她，”玛丽拉阴沉着脸说，她用切肉刀削引火木，用的劲比实际需要的大得多。 马修已经进了屋，正耐心坐在自己的角落等着喝茶。 “她肯定是跟戴安娜出去乱跑了，要么写故事，要么排对话，尽搞这些无聊的傻玩意儿，

and never thinking once about the time or her duties. She's just got to be pulled up short and sudden on this sort of thing. I don't care if Mrs. Allan does say she's the brightest and sweetest child she ever knew. She may be bright and sweet enough, but her head is full of nonsense and there's never any knowing what shape it'll break out in next. Just as soon as she grows out of one freak she takes up with another. But there! Here I am saying the very thing I was so riled with Rachel Lynde for saying at the Aid today. I was real glad when Mrs. Allan spoke up for Anne, for if she hadn't I know I'd have said something too sharp to Rachel before everybody. Anne's got plenty of faults, goodness knows, and far be it from me to deny it. But I'm bringing her up and not Rachel Lynde, who'd pick faults in the Angel Gabriel himself if he lived in Avonlea. Just the same, Anne has no business to leave the house like this when I told her she was to stay home this afternoon and look after things. I must say, with all her faults, I never found her disobedient or untrustworthy before and I'm

半点心都不记，也不记得自己该做的活儿。 这种毛病就得立刻给它刹住。 我才不管阿伦太太说她是自己见过最聪明最可爱的孩子呢。 她就算是聪明可爱，也整天满脑子瞎想，谁都猜不到她下回又会闹出什么新花样。 刚改掉一个怪毛病，她立马就又迷上另一个。 可是啊！ 我今天居然说出了跟雷切尔·林德今天在救助会上说的一模一样的话，刚才我还因为她说这话生气呢。 刚才阿伦太太站出来替安妮说话，我可太开心了，不然我肯定当着所有人的面对雷切尔说太难听的话。 老天作证，安妮确实缺点一大堆，我绝对不会否认这一点。 是我在教养她，又不是雷切尔·林德，就算天使加百列住在阿冯利，她都能挑出毛病来。 话虽如此，我明明叮嘱过她今天下午留在家里看好家，她不该就这么出门啊。 说实在的，尽管安妮有不少缺点，可我之前从没发现她不听话、不靠谱，我如今

real sorry to find her so now." "Well now, I dunno," said Matthew, who, being patient and wise and, above all, hungry, had deemed it best to let Marilla talk her wrath out unhindered, having learned by experience that she got through with whatever work was on hand much quicker if not delayed by untimely argument. "Perhaps you're judging her too hasty, Marilla. Don't call her untrustworthy until you're sure she has disobeyed you. Mebbe it can all be explained-Anne's a great hand at explaining." "She's not here when I told her to stay," retorted Marilla. "I reckon she'll find it hard to explain THAT to my satisfaction. Of course I knew you'd take her part, Matthew. But I'm bringing her up, not you." It was dark when supper was ready, and still no sign of Anne, coming hurriedly over the log bridge or up Lover's Lane, breathless and repentant with a sense of neglected duties. Marilla washed and put away the dishes grimly. Then, wanting a candle to light her way down the cellar, she went up to the east gable for the one that generally stood on Anne's table.

真的很难过，发现她居然是这个样子。” “哎呀，我不清楚，”马修说，马修性子耐心又明理，最重要的是他饿了，他觉得最好让玛丽拉不受打扰地把火气发泄完，他从经验里知道，要是不冒失插话耽误事，玛丽拉能更快把手头的活干完。 “说不定你急着下结论错怪她了，玛丽拉。 在你确定她违抗了你之前，先别说她不靠谱。 说不定这事能解释清楚——安妮最会把事情说清楚啦。” “我让她待在家里，她人却不在，”玛丽拉反驳道。 “我看她再怎么解释，也没法让我满意。 我当然知道你会帮她说话，马修。 是我在教养她，又不是你。” 晚饭做好的时候天已经黑了，还是不见安妮的影子，她没有急冲冲跑过木桥，或是沿着情人小径赶回来，喘着气为自己忘了活儿忏悔。 玛丽拉阴沉着脸洗完碗，把餐具收拾好。 之后，她要去地窖，需要拿根蜡烛照亮，就上楼去东厢房拿通常放在安妮桌子上的那根蜡烛。

Lighting it, she turned around to see Anne herself lying on the bed, face downward among the pillows. "Mercy on us," said astonished Marilla, "have you been asleep, Anne?" "No," was the muffled reply. "Are you sick then?" demanded Marilla anxiously, going over to the bed. Anne cowered deeper into her pillows as if desirous of hiding herself forever from mortal eyes. "No. But please, Marilla, go away and don't look at me. I'm in the depths of despair and I don't care who gets head in class or writes the best composition or sings in the Sunday-school choir any more. Little things like that are of no importance now because I don't suppose I'll ever be able to go anywhere again. My career is closed. Please, Marilla, go away and don't look at me." "Did anyone ever hear the like?" the mystified Marilla wanted to know. "Anne Shirley, whatever is the matter with you? What have you done?

点上蜡烛后，玛丽拉转过身，看见安妮正脸朝下趴在床的枕头堆里。 "我的天哪，"惊讶的玛丽拉说道，"安妮，你睡着了吗？" "没有。"闷闷的声音传了出来。 "那你是生病了吗？"玛丽拉焦急地问，说着走到了床边。 安妮往枕头里缩得更深了，好像想永远躲起来，不让世人看见。 "没有。" 求求你了玛丽拉，走开吧，别看着我。 我现在绝望透顶，再也不在乎班里谁考第一、谁写最好的作文、谁能去主日学校合唱队唱歌了。 这种小事现在根本不重要，我觉得我以后再也没法出门见人了。 我的人生全毁了。 求求你了玛丽拉，走开吧，别看着我。" "谁听说过这种荒唐事呀？" 困惑不已的玛丽拉纳闷地问道。 "安妮·雪莉，你到底出什么事了？ 你都做了什么？"

Get right up this minute and tell me. This minute, I say. There now, what is it?" Anne had slid to the floor in despairing obedience. "Look at my hair, Marilla," she whispered. Accordingly, Marilla lifted her candle and looked scrutinizingly at Anne's hair, flowing in heavy masses down her back. It certainly had a very strange appearance. "Anne Shirley, what have you done to your hair? Why, it's GREEN!" Green it might be called, if it were any earthly color-a queer, dull, bronzy green, with streaks here and there of the original red to heighten the ghastly effect. Never in all her life had Marilla seen anything so grotesque as Anne's hair at that moment. "Yes, it's green," moaned Anne. "I thought nothing could be as bad as red hair. But now I know it's ten times worse to have green hair. Oh, Marilla, you little know how utterly wretched I am." "I little know how you got into this fix, but I mean to find out," said Marilla. "Come right down to the kitchen-it's too cold up here-and tell me just

赶快给我起来，告诉我怎么回事。 我说，现在立刻起来。 好了，到底出什么事了？" 安妮绝望地听从吩咐，滑落到了地板上。 "看看我的头发吧，玛丽拉。"她小声说。 于是玛丽拉举着蜡烛，仔细端详安妮披在后背的浓密长发。 这头发的样子实在太奇怪了。 "安妮·雪莉，你对你的头发做了什么？ 天哪，它居然变成绿色了！" 这头发确实能叫绿色——一种古怪、暗沉的铜绿色，还到处夹杂着原本的红发，让这可怕的样子更怪异了。 玛丽拉活了这么大，从来没见过比安妮此刻的头发更离谱的东西了。 没错，它就是绿的，"安妮呜咽着说。 "我本来以为没有什么比红头发更糟糕了。 可现在我知道，绿头发比红头发要糟糕十倍。 哦玛丽拉，你根本不知道我现在有多难过。" 我不知道你怎么搞成这样的，但我一定会弄清楚，"玛丽拉说。 "立刻跟我下楼来——这儿太冷了——告诉我你