第十九章 艾米的遗嘱 A

CHAPTER NINETEEN A
第十九章 A 
AMY'S WILL
艾米的遗嘱
While these things were happening at home, Amy was having hard times at Aunt March's. She felt her exile deeply, and for the first time in her life, realized how much she was beloved and petted at home. Aunt March never petted any one; she did not approve of it, but she meant to be kind, for the well-behaved little girl pleased her very much, and Aunt March had a soft place in her old heart for her nephew's children, though she didn't think it proper to confess it. She really did her best to make Amy happy, but, dear me, what mistakes she made. Some old people keep young at heart in spite of wrinkles and gray hairs, can sympathize with children's little cares and joys, make them feel at home, and can hide wise lessons under pleasant plays, giving and receiving friendship in the sweetest way. But Aunt March had not this gift, and she worried Amy very much with her rules and orders, her prim ways, and long, prosy talks. Finding the child more docile and amiable than her sister, the old lady felt it her duty to try and counteract, as far as possible, the bad effects of home freedom and indulgence. So she took Amy by the hand, and taught her as she herself had been taught sixty years ago, a process which carried dismay to Amy's soul, and made her feel like a fly in the web of a very strict spider.
当这些事情发生在家里的时候，艾米正在马奇婶婶家过着艰难的日子。她深深地感到自己被放逐了，生平第一次意识到自己在家里是多么受人宠爱。马奇婶婶从不爱抚任何人;她不赞成这样做，但她是出于好意，因为这个举止得体的小女孩非常讨她的欢心，而马奇婶婶年迈的心对侄儿的孩子们很有好感，尽管她认为不应该承认这一点。她真的尽了最大的努力让艾美幸福，但是，天哪，她犯了多么大的错误啊。有些老人尽管有皱纹和白发，但内心仍保持年轻，能同情孩子们的小关怀和快乐，让他们有宾至如归的感觉，能在愉快的游戏中隐藏智慧的教训，以最甜蜜的方式给予和接受友谊。但马奇婶婶没有这种天赋，她对她的规矩和命令、她古板的方式和冗长乏味的谈话非常担心。老太太发现这个孩子比她姐姐温顺可亲，觉得自己有责任尽量消除家庭自由和放纵的不良影响。于是她拉着艾美的手，像六十年前她自己被教导的那样教她，这一过程让艾美灵魂沮丧，让她觉得自己像一只在严格的蜘蛛网里的苍蝇。
She had to wash the cups every morning, and polish up the old-fashioned spoons, the fat silver teapot, and the glasses till they shone. Then she must dust the room, and what a trying job that was. Not a speck escaped Aunt March's eye, and all the furniture had claw legs and much carving, which was never dusted to suit. Then Polly had to be fed, the lap dog combed, and a dozen trips upstairs and down to get things or deliver orders, for the old lady was very lame and seldom left her big chair. After these tiresome labors, she must do her lessons, which was a daily trial of every virtue she possessed. Then she was allowed one hour for exercise or play, and didn't she enjoy it?
她每天早上都要洗杯子，把老式的勺子、肥大的银茶壶和玻璃杯擦得锃亮。然后她必须打扫房间，这是一项多么艰巨的工作啊。每一个斑点都逃不过马奇婶婶的眼睛，所有的家具都有爪形的腿和许多雕刻，这些雕刻从来没有沾过灰尘。然后还要喂波莉，给哈巴狗梳头，还要上上上下下十几次去取东西或送外卖，因为这位老太太的腿很瘸，很少离开她的大椅子。在这些累人的劳动之后，她必须做功课，这是对她所拥有的每一种美德的每天考验。然后她被允许一个小时的锻炼或玩耍，她不喜欢吗
Laurie came every day, and wheedled Aunt March till Amy was allowed to go out with him, when they walked and rode and had capital times. After dinner, she had to read aloud, and sit still while the old lady slept, which she usually did for an hour, as she dropped off over the first page. Then patchwork or towels appeared, and Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk, when she was allowed to amuse herself as she liked till teatime. The evenings were the worst of all, for Aunt March fell to telling long stories about her youth, which were so unutterably dull that Amy was always ready to go to bed, intending to cry over her hard fate, but usually going to sleep before she had squeezed out more than a tear or two.
劳里每天都来，哄着马奇婶婶，直到允许艾美和他一起出去，这样他们就可以散步、骑马，享受美好的时光。晚饭后，她必须大声朗读，当老妇人睡着时，她就静静地坐着，通常她在读第一页的时候就这样坐上一个小时。这时出现了拼布或毛巾，艾美表面温顺，内心却很叛逆，一直缝到黄昏，然后她就可以随心喜好地自娱自乐，一直缝到下午茶时间。晚上是最糟糕的是,降至3月告诉阿姨长她的青春的故事,它很坏透地乏味,艾米总是准备上床睡觉,打算在她艰难的命运而哭泣,但通常睡觉前她挤出了一、两滴眼泪。
If it had not been for Laurie, and old Esther, the maid, she felt that she never could have got through that dreadful time. The parrot alone was enough to drive her distracted, for he soon felt that she did not admire him, and revenged himself by being as mischievous as possible. He pulled her hair whenever she came near him, upset his bread and milk to plague her when she had newly cleaned his cage, made Mop bark by pecking at him while Madam dozed, called her names before company, and behaved in all respects like an reprehensible old bird. Then she could not endure the dog, a fat, cross beast who snarled and yelped at her when she made his toilet, and who lay on his back with all his legs in the air and a most idiotic expression of countenance when he wanted something to eat, which was about a dozen times a day. The cook was bad-tempered, the old coachman was deaf, and Esther the only one who ever took any notice of the young lady.
如果没有劳里和女仆老埃丝特，她觉得自己永远也熬不过那可怕的时刻。只有鹦鹉一个人就足以使她心烦意乱，因为他很快就觉得她不喜欢他，于是就尽可能地恶作剧来报复自己。每当她走近他，他就拉她的头发，当她刚洗完笼子，他就把他的面包和牛奶打翻来折磨她，当夫人打盹时，他啄它，弄得Mop汪汪叫，当着客人的面叫她的名字，而且在各方面都像一只应受责备的老鸟。然后她无法忍受狗,脂肪,交叉野兽咆哮,叫喊起来当她做了他的卫生间,和他躺在他的腿在空中和最白痴的表情的面容时,他想要去吃点东西,一天大约12次。厨师脾气很坏，老马车夫是个聋子，而埃丝特是唯一一个注意过这位年轻女士的人。
Esther was a Frenchwoman, who had lived with 'Madame', as she called her mistress, for many years, and who rather tyrannized over the old lady, who could not get along without her. Her real name was Estelle, but Aunt March ordered her to change it, and she obeyed, on condition that she was never asked to change her religion. She took a fancy to Mademoiselle, and amused her very much with odd stories of her life in France, when Amy sat with her while she got up Madame's laces. She also allowed her to roam about the great house, and examine the curious and pretty things stored away in the big wardrobes and the ancient chests, for Aunt March hoarded like a magpie. Amy's chief delight was an Indian cabinet, full of queer drawers, little pigeonholes, and secret places, in which were kept all sorts of ornaments, some precious, some merely curious, all more or less antique. To examine and arrange these things gave Amy great satisfaction, especially the jewel cases, in which on velvet cushions reposed the ornaments which had adorned a belle forty years ago. There was the garnet set which Aunt March wore when she came out, the pearls her father gave her on her wedding day, her lover's diamonds, the jet mourning rings and pins, the queer lockets, with portraits of dead friends and weeping willows made of hair inside, the baby bracelets her one little daughter had worn, Uncle March's big watch, with the red seal so many childish hands had played with, and in a box all by itself lay Aunt March's wedding ring, too small now for her fat finger, but put carefully away like the most precious jewel of them all.
埃丝特是一个法国女人，她和“夫人”(她称她的女主人)一起生活了许多年，她对老妇人相当专横，老妇人没有她就无法生活。她的真名叫埃斯特尔，但马奇婶婶命令她改名字，她服从了，条件是永远不要要求她改变宗教信仰。她喜欢上了这位小姐。当艾美坐在她身边给夫人系鞋带时，她就用她在法国生活的古怪故事逗她开心。她还允许她在这座大房子里四处走动，查看那些藏在大衣橱和古老箱子里的奇怪而漂亮的东西，因为马奇婶婶像喜鹊一样囤积东西。艾美最喜欢的是一个印度橱柜，里面装满了奇形怪状的抽屉、小鸽子洞和秘密的地方，里面放着各种各样的装饰品，有的很珍贵，有的只是稀奇古怪，都多少有些古董了。检视和整理这些东西，使艾美感到非常满意，尤其是那些珠宝盒，里面放着四十年前曾经装饰过一位美女的天鹅绒靠垫。有石榴石集马奇婶婶穿当她走出来的时候,她的父亲给她的珍珠在她的婚礼上,她的情人的钻石,喷气哀悼环和别针,酷儿身边,与死去的朋友的肖像和垂柳的头发里面,婴儿手镯一个小的女儿穿,3月叔叔的大表,还有马奇婶婶的结婚戒指，它单独放在一个盒子里，现在对她的胖手指来说太小了，但却像最珍贵的珠宝一样被小心地收藏起来。