第十八章 阴暗的日子 C

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN C
第十八章 C
Laurie, though decidedly amazed, behaved with great presence of mind.
劳里虽然明显感到惊讶，但表现得镇定自若。
He patted her back soothingly, and finding that she was recovering, followed it up by a bashful kiss or two, which brought Jo round at once. Holding on to the banisters, she put him gently away, saying breathlessly, "Oh, don't! I didn't mean to, it was dreadful of me, but you were such a dear to go and do it in spite of Hannah that I couldn't help flying at you. Tell me all about it, and don't give me wine again, it makes me act so."
他安慰地拍了拍她的背，发现她正在恢复，接着害羞地吻了她一两下，乔立刻就回过神来。她抓住栏杆，轻轻地把他放了开去，上气不接下气地说:“哦，别这样!我不是故意的，我太可怕了，但你太好了，不顾汉娜的反对去做这件事，我忍不住向你扑来。把这一切都告诉我，别再给我酒了，这使我变得这样。”
"I don't mind," laughed Laurie, as he settled his tie. "Why, you see I got fidgety, and so did Grandpa. We thought Hannah was overdoing the authority business, and your mother ought to know. She'd never forgive us if Beth...
“我不在乎，”劳里笑着，系好领带。“怎么，你知道我很烦躁，爷爷也是。我们认为汉娜做得太过火了，你妈妈应该知道。她永远不会原谅我们的，如果贝丝…
Well, if anything happened, you know. So I got grandpa to say it was high time we did something, and off I pelted to the office yesterday, for the doctor looked sober, and Hannah most took my head off when I proposed a telegram. I never can bear to be 'lorded over', so that settled my mind, and I did it. Your mother will come, I know, and the late train is in at two A.M. I shall go for her, and you've only got to bottle up your rapture, and keep Beth quiet till that blessed lady gets here."
如果发生什么事，你知道的。所以我让爷爷说我们该做点什么了，昨天我就飞奔到办公室，因为医生看上去很清醒，当我提议发电报时，汉娜几乎要把我气疯了。我永远不能忍受别人对我颐指气使，所以我下定决心，就照做了。我知道你妈妈会来的，而且晚点的火车在凌晨两点才到我去找她，你只要抑制住自己的狂喜，让贝思保持安静，等那位幸运的夫人来。”
"Laurie, you're an angel! How shall I ever thank you?"
“劳里，你真是个天使!”我该怎么感谢你呢?”
"Fly at me again. I rather liked it," said Laurie, looking mischievous, a thing he had not done for a fortnight.
“再朝我飞来。我挺喜欢的，”劳里说，一副淘气的样子，他已经有两个星期没这么做了。
"No, thank you. I'll do it by proxy, when your grandpa comes. Don't tease, but go home and rest, for you'll be up half the night. Bless you, Teddy, bless you!"
“不,谢谢你。等你爷爷来了，我代你做这件事。别开玩笑了，回家休息吧，因为你会熬到半夜的。祝福你，特迪，祝福你!”
Jo had backed into a corner, and as she finished her speech, she vanished precipitately into the kitchen, where she sat down upon a dresser and told the assembled cats that she was "happy, oh, so happy!" while Laurie departed, feeling that he had made a rather neat thing of it.
乔已经被逼到角落里,当她完成了她的演讲,她陡然消失进了厨房,在那里,她坐下来在一个梳妆台,告诉与会的猫,她是“快乐,哦,太高兴了!”罗力离去时,感觉自己犯了一个相当整洁的。
"That's the interferingest chap I ever see, but I forgive him and do hope Mrs. March is coming right away," said Hannah, with an air of relief, when Jo told the good news.
“这是我见过的最爱管闲事的家伙，但我原谅他，真希望马奇太太马上就来，”当乔告诉她这个好消息时，汉娜宽慰地说。
Meg had a quiet rapture, and then brooded over the letter, while Jo set the sickroom in order, and Hannah "knocked up a couple of pies in case of company unexpected". A breath of fresh air seemed to blow through the house, and something better than sunshine brightened the quiet rooms.
梅格心花怒放，然后沉思着写那封信。乔在病房里整理，汉娜“狼吞虎咽地做了两个馅饼，以防有人不速之客”。一股新鲜空气似乎从屋子里吹进来，一种比阳光更好的东西照亮了安静的房间。
Everything appeared to feel the hopeful change. Beth's bird began to chirp again, and a half-blown rose was discovered on Amy's bush in the window.
一切似乎都有了希望。贝思的小鸟又开始唧唧喳喳地叫了起来，窗台上艾美的花丛上发现了一朵尚未盛开的玫瑰。
The fires seemed to burn with unusual cheeriness, and every time the girls met, their pale faces broke into smiles as they hugged one another, whispering encouragingly, "Mother's coming, dear! Mother's coming!" Every one rejoiced but Beth. She lay in that heavy stupor, alike unconscious of hope and joy, doubt and danger. It was a piteous sight, the once rosy face so changed and vacant, the once busy hands so weak and wasted, the once smiling lips quite dumb, and the once pretty, well-kept hair scattered rough and tangled on the pillow. All day she lay so, only rousing now and then to mutter, "Water!" with lips so parched they could hardly shape the word. All day Jo and Meg hovered over her, watching, waiting, hoping, and trusting in God and Mother, and all day the snow fell, the bitter wind raged, and the hours dragged slowly by. But night came at last, and every time the clock struck, the sisters, still sitting on either side of the bed, looked at each other with brightening eyes, for each hour brought help nearer. The doctor had been in to say that some change, for better or worse, would probably take place about midnight, at which time he would return.
炉火似乎异常欢快地燃烧着，姑娘们每次见面，苍白的脸上都绽开笑容，互相拥抱，低声鼓励地说:“亲爱的，妈妈回来了!妈妈来了!”除了贝丝，大家都很高兴。她躺在那沉重的昏迷中，对希望和欢乐、怀疑和危险都完全失去了知觉。这是一幅令人可怜的景象:曾经红润的脸变得如此苍白，曾经忙碌的手变得如此虚弱和消瘦，曾经微笑的嘴唇变得麻木，曾经漂亮的、保养得很好的头发凌乱地散落在枕头上。她整天就这样躺着，只是偶尔醒过来，嘴里咕哝着:“水!"嘴唇干得几乎说不出这个字来。一整天琼和梅格都在她身边徘徊，注视着，等待着，希望着，相信上帝和母亲。一整天都在下雪，寒风凛冽，时间慢慢地流逝。但是，夜晚终于来临了。钟一响，仍然坐在床的两边的姐妹们就目光炯炯地望着对方，因为每过一小时，帮助就更近了。医生来过，说午夜前后病情可能会有好转或恶化，那时他就会回来。
Hannah, quite worn out, lay down on the sofa at the bed's foot and fell fast asleep, Mr. Laurence marched to and fro in the parlor, feeling that he would rather face a rebel battery than Mrs. March's countenance as she entered.
汉娜累坏了，躺在床脚的沙发上睡着了。劳伦斯先生在客厅里走来走去，觉得他宁愿面对反抗的攻击，也不愿面对进来时马奇太太的脸色。
Laurie lay on the rug, pretending to rest, but staring into the fire with the thoughtful look which made his black eyes beautifully soft and clear.
劳里躺在地毯上，假装休息，但他凝视着炉火，若有所思的目光使他的黑眼睛美丽地柔和而清澈。
The girls never forgot that night, for no sleep came to them as they kept their watch, with that dreadful sense of powerlessness which comes to us in hours like those.
姑娘们永远忘不了那一夜，因为她们守夜的时候睡不着觉，那种可怕的无能为力的感觉，在我们这种时候就会出现。
"If God spares Beth, I never will complain again," whispered Meg earnestly.
“如果上帝饶恕贝思，我就再也不抱怨了，”梅格热切地低声说。
"If god spares Beth, I'll try to love and serve Him all my life," answered Jo, with equal fervor.
“如果上帝饶恕贝思，我将尽力爱他，侍奉他一辈子，”乔同样热情地回答。
"I wish I had no heart, it aches so," sighed Meg, after a pause.
“我要是没有心就好了，疼死了，”梅格停了一会儿，叹了口气。
"If life is often as hard as this, I don't see how we ever shall get through it," added her sister despondently.
姐姐又沮丧地说:“如果生活总是这样艰难，我真不知道我们怎么能熬过去。”