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"What in the world are you going to do now, Jo?" asked Meg one snowy afternoon, as her sister came tramping through the hall, in rubber boots, old sack, and hood, with a broom in one hand and a shovel in the other.
“你究竟是去干什么，喬？”梅格問道。時值午后，雪花起飛，她看到妹妹腳踏膠靴，頭戴雪帽，披著舊布袋，一手拿著把掃帚，一手提著個鐵鍬，正大步走過大廳。
"Going out for exercise," answered Jo with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“出去鍛煉，”喬答，眼睛調皮地一閃一閃。
"I should think two long walks this morning would have been enough! It's cold and dull out, and I advise you to stay warm and dry by the fire, as I do," said Meg with a shiver.
“今天早上散了兩次步，還不夠么？外面又冷又悶，我勸你還是呆在火邊暖和暖和，就像我一樣，”梅格說著打了個冷顫。
"Never take advice! Can't keep still all day, and not being a pussycat, I don't like to doze by the fire. I like adventures, and I'm going to find some."
“不接受意見！我不能一整天都安靜地呆著，我又不是小貓咪，不喜歡在火爐邊打盹兒，我喜歡探險，我這就打算去。”
Meg went back to toast her feet and read _Ivanhoe_, and Jo began to dig paths with great energy. The snow was light, and with her broom she soon swept a path all round the garden, for Beth to walk in when the sun came out and the invalid dolls needed air. Now, the garden separated the Marches' house from that of Mr. Laurence. Both stood in a suburb of the city, which was still countrylike, with groves and lawns, large gardens, and quiet streets. A low hedge parted the two estates. On one side was an old, brown house, looking rather bare and shabby, robbed of the vines that in summer covered its walls and the flowers, which then surrounded it. On the other side was a stately stone mansion, plainly betokening every sort of comfort and luxury, from the big coach house and well-kept grounds to the conservatory and the glimpses of lovely things one caught between the rich curtains.
梅格走回去烤腳，讀她的《艾凡赫》，喬則開始使勁挖路。積雪不厚，她很快便用掃帚繞著花園掃出一條小道，這樣，太陽出來時，貝思便可以在這里散步，把病娃娃抱出來呼吸新鮮空氣。馬奇家的屋子和勞倫斯家的只有一園之隔。兩座屋子地處市郊，頗富鄉村風味，周圍是草皮、小樹林、大花園，還有靜靜的街道。一道低矮的樹籬把兩戶人家分隔開來。樹籬的一面是一所破舊的棕色房子，顯得頹敗荒蕪，夏天蓋在墻上的藤葉和繞屋的鮮花早已凋零。另一面是一棟很有氣派的石樓，內設大型馬車房和植物溫室，地面保持得干干凈凈，透過華麗的窗簾布，隱約可以看到漂亮精致的家居布置，一望而知里頭的主人過著安逸豪華的生活。
