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Amy was in a fair way to be spoiled, for everyone petted her, and her small vanities and selfishnesses were growing nicely. One thing, however, rather quenched the vanities. She had to wear her cousin's clothes. Now Florence's mama hadn't a particle of taste, and Amy suffered deeply at having to wear a red instead of a blue bonnet, unbecoming gowns, and fussy aprons that did not fit. Everything was good, well made, and little worn, but Amy's artistic eyes were much afflicted, especially this winter, when her school dress was a dull purple with yellow dots and no trimming.
艾美差不多被大家寵壞了，她的虛榮和自私也成正比例增長。然而有一件事卻刺傷了她的虛榮心：她得穿表姐的衣服。由于表姐弗洛倫斯的母親毫無品味，艾美大受其苦，帽子該配藍色的卻配了紅色，衣服與她很不協調，而圍裙又過分講究。其實這些衣物全都不錯，做工精細，磨損極少，但艾美的藝術眼光卻不能忍受，尤其是這個冬天，她穿的暗紫色校服布滿黃點還沒有飾邊。
"My only comfort," she said to Meg, with tears in her eyes, "is that Mother doesn't take tucks in my dresses whenever I'm naughty, as Maria Parks's mother does. My dear, it's really dreadful, for sometimes she is so bad her frock is up to her knees, and she can't come to school. When I think of this degerredation, I fell that I can bear even my flat nose and purple gown with yellow skyrockets on it."
“我唯一的安慰，”她對梅格說，眼中淚光閃閃，”是媽媽不像瑪莉亞·帕克的媽媽，她在我淘氣玩耍時也不會把我的裙子卷起來。哎呀，那真是糟糕透了。有時瑪莉亞的長裙子被卷到了膝頭上面，不能來上學，當我想到這種屈辱時，我覺得我的扁鼻梁和那件黃火球紫色衣服也可以忍受了。”
Meg was Amy's confidant and monitor, and by some strange attraction of opposites Jo was gentle Beth's. To Jo alone did the shy child tell her thoughts, and over her big harum-scarum sister Beth unconsciously exercised more influence than anyone in the family. The two older girls were a great deal to one another, but each took one of the younger sisters into her keeping and watched over her in her own way, 'playing mother' they called it, and put their sisters in the places of discarded dolls with the maternal instinct of little women.
梅格是艾美的知己和監護人，也許是一種性格上的異性相吸吧，喬和溫柔的貝思又是一對。靦腆的貝思獨獨跟喬傾訴心事；通過這位高大、冒失的姐姐她不知不覺對全家形成舉足輕重的影響。兩個姐姐互相之間十分要好，但都各以自己的方式照管著一個妹妹--她們稱之為“扮媽媽"--并出于一種小婦人的母性對兩個妹妹呵護有加。
"Has anybody got anything to tell? It's been such a dismal day I'm really dying for some amusement," said Meg, as they sat sewing together that evening.
“你們有什么有趣的事嗎？今天悶死了，講點什么輕松一下，”那天晚上她們坐在一起做針線活兒，梅格這樣問。
"I had a queer time with Aunt today, and, as I got the best of it, I'll tell you about it," began Jo, who dearly loved to tell stories. "I was reading that everlasting Belsham, and droning away as I always do, for Aunt soon drops off, and then I take out some nice book, and read like fury till she wakes up. I actually made myself sleepy, and before she began to nod, I gave such a gape that she asked me what I meant by opening my mouth wide enough to take the whole book in at once."
“今天我和嬸嬸之間有個不尋常的插曲，因為我占了上風，所以講給你們聽，“極愛講故事的喬首先說道，”我像往常一樣用既單調又沉悶的聲調讀永遠讀不完的波爾沙，嬸嬸很快就被我打發入夢鄉，我趁此機會拿出一本好書，如饑似渴地看起來，她醒來的時候我已覺得困了。她問我為什么把嘴巴張得這么大，足可以把整本書一口吞進去。
"I wish I could, and be done with it," said I, trying not to be saucy.
“'真能這樣倒是不錯，正好把它作個了結，'我說，盡量不沖撞她。
