Anne of Green Gables — Page 11

马修很少下定决心做什么事，所以每当他真的下定决心时，我总觉得自己有责任顺从他。至于风险嘛，人世间几乎任何事都有风险。

It's so seldom Matthew sets his mind on anything that when he does I always feel it's my duty to give in. And as for the risk, there's risks in pretty near everything a body does in this world.

就拿人们生自己的孩子来说也是有风险的——孩子不见得都能成器。

There's risks in people's having children of their own if it comes to that--they don't always turn out well.

再说，新斯科舍就紧挨着这座岛，又不是从英格兰或美国接来的孩子，应该跟我们差不了多少。"

And then Nova Scotia is right close to the Island. It isn't as if we were getting him from England or the States. He can't be much different from ourselves."

"好吧，我希望一切顺利，"雷切尔太太用一种明显流露出深深疑虑的语气说道，"只是，如果他烧了绿山墙农舍，或者往井里投放番木鳖碱，你可别说我没有提醒过你——

"Well, I hope it will turn out all right," said Mrs. Rachel in a tone that plainly indicated her painful doubts. "Only don't say I didn't warn you if he burns Green Gables down or puts strychnine in the well--

我曾听说新不伦瑞克那边有个孤儿院的孩子就干过这种事，害得全家人痛苦万分地死去。不过，那一次是个女孩。"

I heard of a case over in New Brunswick where an orphan asylum child did that and the whole family died in fearful agonies. Only, it was a girl in that instance."

"嗯，我们接来的可不是女孩，"马里拉说道，仿佛投毒这种事纯粹是女孩的专长，男孩根本不必担心。

"Well, we're not getting a girl," said Marilla, as if poisoning wells were a purely feminine accomplishment and not to be dreaded in the case of a boy.

"我做梦都不会想到去收养一个女孩来抚养。亚历山大·斯宾塞太太这样做，真让我感到奇怪。不过呢，她要是一时兴起，只怕把整个孤儿院都领回来也不一定。"

"I'd never dream of taking a girl to bring up. I wonder at Mrs. Alexander Spencer for doing it. But there, she wouldn't shrink from adopting a whole orphan asylum if she took it into her head."

雷切尔太太很想留下来，等到马修把那个从外地领来的孤儿带回家。

Mrs. Rachel would have liked to stay until Matthew came home with his imported orphan.