評(píng)論
打印
SACRIFICE.
犧牲
Tuesday, 9th.
九日，星期四
My mother is good, and my sister Silvia is like her, and has a large and noble heart. Yesterday evening I was copying a part of the monthly story, From the Apennines to the Andes, which the teacher has distributed among us all in small portions to copy, because it is so long, when Silvia entered on tiptoe, and said to me hastily, and in a low voice: "Come to mamma with me. I heard them talking together this morning: some affair has gone wrong with papa, and he was sad; mamma was encouraging him: we are in difficulties--do you understand? We have no more money. Papa said that it would be necessary to make some sacrifices in order to recover himself. Now we must make sacrifices, too, must we not? Are you ready to do it? Well, I will speak to mamma, and do you nod assent, and promise her on your honor that you will do everything that I shall say."
我的母親固然是好人，雪爾維姊姊像母親一樣，也有著高尚的精神。昨夜，我正抄寫每月例話《六千英里尋母》的一段——因?yàn)樘L(zhǎng)了，先生叫我們四五個(gè)人分開了抄錄——姊姊靜悄悄地進(jìn)來，壓低了聲急忙說：“快到母親那里去！母親和父親剛才在說什么呢，好像已出了什么不幸的事了，很是悲痛。母親在安慰他。說家里要困難了——懂嗎？家里決要沒有錢了！父親說，要做若干犧牲才得恢復(fù)呢。我們也一同做犧牲好嗎？非犧牲不可的！啊！讓我和母親說去，你要贊成我，并且，要照我姊姊所說的樣子，向母親立誓，要什么都答應(yīng)做啊！”
Having said this, she took me by the hand and led me to our mother, who was sewing, absorbed in thought. I sat down on one end of the sofa, Silvia on the other, and she immediately said: "Listen, mamma, I have something to say to you. Both of us have something to say to you." Mamma stared at us in surprise, and Silvia began: "Papa has no money, has he?" "What are you saying?" replied mamma, turning crimson. "Has he not indeed! What do you know about it? Who has told you?" "I know it," said Silvia, resolutely. "Well, then, listen, mamma; we must make some sacrifices, too. You promised me a fan at the end of May, and Enrico expected his box of paints; we won't want anything now; we don't want to waste a soldo; we shall be just as well pleased, you understand?"
姊姊說完，拉了我的手同到母親那里。母親正一邊做著針線，一邊沉思著。我在長(zhǎng)椅子的一端坐下，姊姊坐在那一端，就說：“喂！母親！我有一句話要和母親說。我們兩個(gè)有一句話要和母親說。”母親吃驚地看著我們。姊姊繼續(xù)說：“父親不是說沒有錢了嗎？” “說什么？”母親紅了臉回答。“沒有錢的事，你們知道了嗎？這是誰告訴你們的？”姊姊大膽地說：“我知道哩！所以，母親！我們覺得非一同犧牲不可。你不是說過到了五月終給我買扇子嗎？還答應(yīng)給安利柯弟弟買顏料盒呢。現(xiàn)在，我們什么都不要了。一個(gè)錢也不想用，不給我們也可以。啊！母親！”
Mamma tried to speak; but Silvia said: "No; it must be thus. We have decided. And until papa has money again, we don't want any fruit or anything else; broth will be enough for us, and we will eat bread in the morning for breakfast: thus we shall spend less on the table, for we already spend too much; and we promise you that you will always find us perfectly contented. Is it not so, Enrico?"
母親剛要回答什么，姊姊阻住了她：“不，非這樣不可。我們已經(jīng)這樣決定了。在父親沒有錢的時(shí)候，水果，什么都不要，只要有湯就好，早晨單吃面包也就夠了。這么一來，食費(fèi)是可以多少省些出來吧。一向待我們實(shí)在太好了！我們決定只要這樣就滿足了。喂，安和柯！不是嗎？”
