CXXV. Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves马修对泡泡袖的坚持(5)

CXXV.Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves马修对泡泡袖的坚持(5)

“It’ll be a real satisfaction to see thatpoor child wearing something decent for once. The way Marilla dresses her ispositively ridiculous, that’s what, and I’ve ached to tell her so plainly adozen times. I’ve held my tongue though, for I can see Marilla doesn’t wantadvice and she thinks she knows more about bringing children up than I do forall she’s an old maid. But that’s always the way. Folks that has brought upchildren know that there’s no hard and fast method in the world that’ll suitevery child. But them as never have think it’s all as plain and easy as Rule ofThree—just set your three terms down so fashion, and the sum ‘ll work outcorrect. But flesh and blood don’t come under the head of arithmetic and that’swhere Marilla Cuthbert makes her mistake. I suppose she’s trying to cultivate aspirit of humility in Anne by dressing her as she does; but it’s more likely tocultivate envy and discontent. I’m sure the child must feel the differencebetween her clothes and the other girls’. But to think of Matthew taking noticeof it! That man is waking up after being asleep for over sixty years.”

“总算能看到那个孩子好好穿回衣服了，也算是个好事，玛丽拉把她打扮的简直一言难尽，都已经给她说过无数次了，安妮的衣服太简漏了。但是我很明白，玛丽拉根本听不进去我的意见，我也就不说了，虽然她还只是个老处女，但是她很显然觉得她比我更懂得怎么养孩子。但是这就是常态，那些养过孩子的的人，总是很明白，养孩子可不是简单粗暴的事情，也没有快捷方式，没有哪种方式是对每个孩子都是适用的，但是没有孩子的人就总是觉得，养孩子就照着公式养就行了，只要你把孩子数据放进去，结果就会照着理想的来了。但是孩子是有血有肉的，这可不是简单的算术就能解决的，这才是玛丽拉卡斯伯特犯的最大的错误，我猜她让安妮穿成这样是在培养安妮的羞耻心，但是结果却恰恰相反，这其实是在培养她的嫉妒心和不满足。我保证，安妮已经意识到了自己和其他女生们的穿着打扮有很大的差距，但是想象马修终于意识到了这一点，也还算庆幸，这个男人迷迷糊糊的混了六十年，可算是醒过来了。

Marilla knew all the following fortnightthat Matthew had something on his mind, but what it was she could not guess,until Christmas Eve, when Mrs. Lynde brought up the new dress. Marilla behavedpretty well on the whole, although it is very likely she distrusted Mrs.Lynde’s diplomatic explanation that she had made the dress because Matthew wasafraid Anne would find out about it too soon if Marilla made it.

“So this is what Matthew has been lookingso mysterious over and grinning about to himself for two weeks, is it?” shesaid a little stiffly but tolerantly. “I knew he was up to some foolishness. Well,I must say I don’t think Anne needed any more dresses. I made her three good,warm, serviceable ones this fall, and anything more is sheer extravagance.There’s enough material in those sleeves alone to make a waist, I declare thereis. You’ll just pamper Anne’s vanity, Matthew, and she’s as vain as a peacocknow. Well, I hope she’ll be satisfied at last, for I know she’s been hankeringafter those silly sleeves ever since they came in, although she never said aword after the first. The puffs have been getting bigger and more ridiculousright along; they’re as big as balloons now. Next year anybody who wears themwill have to go through a door sideways.”

接下来的两个星期，玛丽拉意识到，马修心里有事瞒着她，但是一直到圣诞前夜，林德夫人带来了新的裙子，她才知道到底是什么？林德夫人官方的解释是，马修害怕安妮会很快发现这个惊喜，如果让玛丽拉来做的话。玛丽拉大体表现的还是很适当的，但是她心里并不相信林德夫人的说辞。

“所以，这就是马修近两个星期一直躲躲闪闪，偷着乐的原因了？”玛丽拉的语调很生硬，但还是表现的很大方“我就知道他会做些蠢事，虽然，我必须要说我觉得安妮并不需要别的裙子了，秋天的时候我给她做了三条得体，暖和，实用的裙子，再多就是奢侈了。看看这些袖子的料子，我看都够做一条腰封了。你这样会催生安妮的虚荣心马修，她现在已经像是孔雀开屏一样了。好吧，我希望她会满意的，我知道，自从这种不实用的袖子开始流行以后，她就一直渴望穿这种款式，虽然她就只是说了一次而已。看看这些泡泡袖，真是越来越大的离谱了，都快跟气球一样大了。明年，估计穿这种款式的人，要进门都要侧身才能通过了。