名著精读:《小妇人》第三章:劳伦斯家的男孩 第3节

"You may have it, you may! Only don't stain it, and do behave nicely. Don't put your hands behind you, or stare, or say 'Christopher Columbus!' will you?"

“你可以戴我的，可以！只是别把它弄脏了，而且一定要言行检点。别把手放在身后，不要瞪着眼看人，不要说'我的天哪！'好吗？”

"Don't worry about me. I'll be as prim as I can and not get into any scrapes, if I can help it. Now go and answer your note, and let me finish this splendid story."

“别担心。我会尽量板着面孔，不去闯祸，如果我能做到的话。你现在去给人家回个条吧，让我把这个精彩故事看完。”

So Meg went away to 'accept with thanks', look over her dress, and sing blithely as she did up her one real lace frill, while Jo finished her story, her four apples, and had a game of romps with Scrabble.

梅格于是去写她的"万分感谢地接受"等话，把衣裳再过了一次目，又愉快地唱着歌儿把网眼花边镶好。这边乔读完故事，吃掉四个苹果，又和扒扒嬉戏了一番。

On New Year's Eve the parlor was deserted, for the two younger girls played dressing maids and the two elder were absorbed in the all-important business of 'getting ready for the party'. Simple as the toilets were, there was a great deal of running up and down, laughing and talking, and at one time a strong smell of burned hair pervaded the house.

Meg wanted a few curls about her face, and Jo undertook to pinch the papered locks with a pair of hot tongs.

除夕，客厅里显得特别的静，两个姐姐在专心致志地做异常重要的事情--"为晚会做准备"，两个妹妹则侍候她们化妆。虽然化妆并不复杂，姐妹们还是跑上跑下，又说又笑，有一阵子屋子里弥漫着一股强烈的烧焦头发的异味。梅格想弄几缕卷曲的刘海，乔便将的头发用纸片包起来，再用一把烧热的火钳夹祝。

"Ought they to smoke like that?" asked Beth from her perch on the bed.

"头发会这样冒烟吗？”贝思倚在床上问。

"It's the dampness drying," replied Jo.

“这是湿气在蒸发哩，”乔答。

"What a queer smell! It's like burned feathers," observed Amy, smoothing her own pretty curls with a superior air.

“味道真怪！像是烧焦了的羽毛，”艾美一边评论一边自豪地摸摸自己美丽的曲发。

"There, now I'll take off the papers and you'll see a cloud of little ringlets," said Jo, putting down the tongs.
　　
“好了，我把纸片拿开，你们就会看到一堆小鬈发了，”乔说着放下火钳。

[prim] adj. 规规矩矩的，呆板的，拘谨的 vt. 使一本正经，使整洁

You can't tell that joke to her she's much too prim and proper.
可别给她讲那样的笑话--她这人过於古板和认真。

into scrapes 陷入困境,惹上麻烦

hely['blaiðli] adv. 愉快地，无挂虑地

She continued blithely on in spite of all difficulties.
虽然困难重重，她却仍然无忧无虑地干下去。

ade v. 弥漫，遍及，漫延

Her work is pervaded by nostalgia for a past age.
她的作品充满了怀旧之情。