Yet it seemed a lonely, lifeless sort of house, for no children frolicked on the lawn, no motherly face ever smiled at the windows, and few people went in and out, except the old gentleman and his grandson.
然而这栋房子似乎孤单寂寞、缺乏生气,草皮上没有孩子在玩耍,窗边见不到母亲的笑脸,门庭冷落,进进出出,只能见到老绅士和他的孙子。
To Jo's lively fancy, this fine house seemed a kind of enchanted palace, full of splendors and delights which no one enjoyed. She had long wanted to behold these hidden glories, and to know the Laurence boy, who looked as if he would like to be known, if he only knew how to begin. Since the party, she had been more eager than ever, and had planned many ways of making friends with him, but he had not been seen lately, and Jo began to think he had gone away, when she one day spied a brown face at an upper window, looking wistfully down into their garden, where Beth and Amy were snow-balling one another.
在富有想像力的乔眼里,这栋富丽的楼房就像是一座幻想中的宫殿,流光溢彩,富丽堂皇,但却无人欣赏。她早就想看看里头究竟藏着什么宝物,并结识那位"劳伦斯家的男孩"。他看来也有意想交个朋友,只是不知从何做起。自从那次晚会之后,她这种愿望尤其强烈,心里盘算了许多与他交朋友的方法;但最近他却很少露面,乔正以为他出了远门,一天却突然发现楼上一扇窗边露出一个脸孔,若有所思地往下望着她们的花园,花园里贝思和艾美正在一起玩雪球。
"That boy is suffering for society and fun," she said to herself. "His grandpa does not know what's good for him, and keeps him shut up all alone. He needs a party of jolly boys to play with, or somebody young and lively. I've a great mind to go over and tell the old gentleman so!"
“这个小伙子没有朋友,没有欢乐,”她心里说,”他爷爷不知道他需要什么,总是把他孤零零地关在屋里。其实他很需要一班快乐的小伙子来陪他玩,需要活泼有朝气的年青人作伴。我真想走过去把这些话告诉那位老绅士!”