Anne of Green Gables — Page 8

当她的声音恢复时，她质问道。

she demanded when voice returned to her.

"当然，是的，"玛丽拉说，语气平静，仿佛从新斯科舍省的孤儿院领养男孩，不过是爱芙丽农庄春季例行农事的一部分，而非什么前所未闻的新鲜事。

"Yes, of course," said Marilla, as if getting boys from orphan asylums in Nova Scotia were part of the usual spring work on any well-regulated Avonlea farm instead of being an unheard of innovation.

雷切尔太太觉得自己的心神受到了强烈的震动。她的思绪里全是感叹号。一个男孩！竟然是玛丽拉和马修·库思伯特领养了一个男孩！还是从孤儿院领来的！唉，这个世界可真是彻底翻了个底朝天！经过此事之后，她觉得什么事都不会再让她感到惊讶了！什么都不会！

Mrs. Rachel felt that she had received a severe mental jolt. She thought in exclamation points. A boy! Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of all people adopting a boy! From an orphan asylum! Well, the world was certainly turning upside down! She would be surprised at nothing after this! Nothing!

"你们到底是怎么想到这个主意的？"她带着不赞同的语气质问道。

"What on earth put such a notion into your head?" she demanded disapprovingly.

这件事没有事先征求她的意见，因此她自然是要表示反对的。

This had been done without her advice being asked, and must perforce be disapproved.

"嗯，我们考虑这件事已经有一段时间了——事实上整个冬天都在想，"玛丽拉回答说。"亚历山大·斯宾塞太太圣诞节前有一天来过这里，她说她打算春天从霍普顿那边的孤儿院领养一个小女孩。她表姐就住在那里，斯宾塞太太去探望过她，对那里的情况很了解。所以马修和我就这件事断断续续地商量了许久。我们想领养一个男孩。你知道的，马修年纪渐渐大了——他已经六十岁了——不像从前那样矫健了。他的心脏也让他很是烦恼。你也知道，现在要雇到帮手是多么难的事。

"Well, we've been thinking about it for some time--all winter in fact," returned Marilla. "Mrs. Alexander Spencer was up here one day before Christmas and she said she was going to get a little girl from the asylum over in Hopeton in the spring. Her cousin lives there and Mrs. Spencer has visited her and knows all about it. So Matthew and I have talked it over off and on ever since. We thought we'd get a boy. Matthew is getting up in years, you know--he's sixty--and he isn't so spry as he once was. His heart troubles him a good deal. And you know how desperate hard it's got to be to get hired help.