旧式女孩 英文版 An Old-fashioned Girl
露意莎.梅.奥尔科特 Louisa May Alcott
CHAPTER VI GRANDMA Page 1
WHERE 'S Polly?" asked Fan one snowy afternoon, as she cameinto the dining-room where Tom was reposing on the sofa with hisboots in the air, absorbed in one of those delightful books in whichboys are cast away on desert islands, where every known fruit,vegetable and flower is in its prime all the year round; or, lost inboundless forests, where the young heroes have thrillingadventures, kill impossible beasts, and, when the author'sinvention gives out, suddenly find their way home, laden with tigerskins, tame buffaloes and other pleasing trophies of their prowess.
"Dun no," was Tom's brief reply, for he was just escaping from analligator of the largest size.
"Do put down that stupid book, and let 's do something," saidFanny, after a listless stroll round the room.
"Hi, they 've got him!" was the only answer vouchsafed by theabsorbed reader.
"Where 's Polly?" asked Maud, joining the party with her handsfull of paper dolls all suffering for ball-dresses.
"Do get along, and don't bother me," cried Tom exasperated at theinterruption.
"Then tell us where she is. I 'm sure you know, for she was downhere a little while ago," said Fanny.
"Up in grandma's room, maybe."
"Provoking thing! you knew it all the time, and did n't tell, just toplague us," scolded Maud.
But Tom was now under water stabbing his alligator, and took nonotice of the indignant departure of the young ladies.
"Polly 's always poking up in grandma's room. I don't see what funthere is in it," said Fanny as they went up stairs.
"Polly 's a verwy queer girl, and gwandma pets her a gweat dealmore than she does me," observed Maud, with an injured air.
"Let 's peek and see what they are doing," whispered Fan, pausingat the half-open door.
Grandma was sitting before a quaint old cabinet, the doors ofwhich stood wide open, showing glimpses of the faded relicstreasured there. On a stool, at the old lady's feet, sat Polly, lookingup with intent face and eager eyes, quite absorbed in the history ofa high-heeled brocade shoe which lay in her lap.
"Well, my dear," grandma was saying, "she had it on the very daythat Uncle Joe came in as she sat at work, and said, 'Dolly, wemust be married at once.' 'Very well, Joe,' says Aunt Dolly, anddown she went to the parlor, where the minister was waiting, neverstopping to change the dimity dress she wore, and was actuallymarried with her scissors and pin-ball at her side, and her thimbleon. That was in war times, 1812, my dear, and Uncle Joe was inthe army, so he had to go, and he took that very little pin-ball withhim. Here it is with the mark of a bullet through it, for he alwayssaid his Dolly's cushion saved his life."
"How interesting that is!" cried Polly, as she examined the fadedcushion with the hole in it.
"Why, grandma, you never told me that story," said Fanny,hurrying in, finding the prospect was a pleasant one for a stormyafternoon.
"You never asked me to tell you anything, my dear, so I kept myold stories to myself," answered grandma, quietly.
"Tell some now, please. May we stay and see the funny things?"said Fan and Maud, eyeing the open cabinet with interest.
"If Polly likes; she is my company, and I am trying to entertain her,for I love to have her come," said grandma, with her old-timepoliteness.
"Oh, yes! do let them stay and hear the stories. I 've often told themwhat good times we have up here, and teased them to come, butthey think it 's too quiet. Now, sit down, girls, and let grandma goon. You see I pick out something in the cabinet that looksinteresting, and then she tells me about it," said Polly, eager toinclude the girls in her pleasures, and glad to get them interested ingrandma's reminiscences, for Polly knew how happy it made thelonely old lady to live over her past, and to have the children roundher.
"Here are three drawers that have not been opened yet; each takeone, and choose something from it for me to tell about," saidMadam, quite excited at the unusual interest in her treasures.
So the girls each opened a drawer and turned over the contents tillthey found something they wanted to know about. Maud was readyfirst, and holding up an oddly shaped linen bag, with a big blue Fembroidered on it, demanded her story. Grandma smiled as shesmoothed the old thing tenderly, and began her story with evidentpleasure.
"My sister Nelly and I went to visit an aunt of ours, when we werelittle girls, but we did n't have a very good time, for she wasextremely strict. One afternoon, when she had gone out to tea, andold Debby, the maid, was asleep in her room, we sat on thedoor-step, feeling homesick, and ready for any thing to amuse us.
" 'What shall we do?' said Nelly.
"Just as she spoke, a ripe plum dropped bounce on the grass beforeus, as if answering her question. It was all the plum's fault, for if ithad n't fallen at that minute, I never should have had the thoughtwhich popped into my mischievous mind.
" 'Let 's have as many as we want, and plague Aunt Betsey, to payher for being so cross,' I said, giving Nelly half the great purpleplum.
" 'It would be dreadful naughty,' began Nelly, 'but I guess we will,'she added, as the sweet mouthful slipped down her throat.
" 'Debby 's asleep. Come on, then, and help me shake,' I said,getting up, eager for the fun.
"We shook and shook till we got red in the face, but not onedropped, for the tree was large, and our little arms were not strongenough to stir the boughs. Then we threw stones, but only onegreen and one half-ripe one came down, and my last stone brokethe shed window, so there was an end of that.
" 'It 's as provoking as Aunt Betsey herself,' said Nelly, as we satdown, out of breath.
peppermint drop still lingering in some.
" 'I wish the wind would come and blow 'em down for us,' panted I,staring up at the plums with longing eyes.
" 'You might as well wish 'em in your mouth and done with it, ifyou are too lazy to pick 'em up. If the ladder was n't too heavy wecould try that,' said I, determined to have them.
" 'You know we can't stir it, so what is the use of talking about it?You proposed getting the plums, now let 's see you do it,' answeredNelly, rather crossly, for she had bitten the green plum, and itpuckered her mouth.
AuntBetsey, and burst in upon the old ladies sitting .
" 'Wait a minute, and you will see me do it,' cried I, as a newthought came into my naughty head.
" 'What are you taking your shoes and socks off for? You can'tclimb the tree, Fan.' " 'Don't ask questions, but be ready to pick 'emup when they fall, Miss Lazybones.' "With this mysterious speech Ipattered into the house bare-footed and full of my plan. Up stairs Iwent to a window opening on the shed roof. Out I got, andcreeping carefully along till I came near the tree, I stood up, andsuddenly crowed like the little rooster. Nelly looked up, and stared,and laughed, and clapped her hands when she saw what I wasgoing to do.
" 'I 'm afraid you 'll slip and get hurt.' " 'Don't care if I do; I 'll havethose plums if I break my neck doing it,' and half sliding, halfwalking I went down the sloping roof, till the boughs of the treewere within my reach.
"Hurrah!" cried Nelly, dancing down below, as my first shake senta dozen plums rattling round her.
"'Hurrah!" cried I, letting go one branch and trying to reachanother. But as I did so my foot slipped, I tried to catch somethingto hold by, but found nothing, and with a cry, down I fell, like avery big plum on the grass below.
"Fortunately the shed was low, the grass was thick and the treebroke my fall, but I got a bad bump and a terrible shaking. Nellythought I was killed, and began to cry with her mouth full. But Ipicked myself up in a minute, for I was used to such tumbles; anddid n't mind the pain half as much as the loss of the plums.
" 'Hush! Debby will hear and spoil all the fun. I said I 'd get 'emand I have. See what lots have come down with me.' "So there had,for my fall shook the tree almost as much as it did me, and thegreen and purple fruit lay all about us.
"By the time the bump on my forehead had swelled as big as a nut,our aprons were half full, and we sat down to enjoy ourselves. Butwe did n't. O dear, no! for many of the plums were not ripe, somewere hurt by the birds, some crushed in falling, and many as hardas stones. Nelly got stung by a wasp, my head began to ache, andwe sat looking at one another rather dismally, when Nelly had abright idea.
" 'Let 's cook 'em, then they 'll be good, and we can put some awayin our little pails for to-morrow.' " 'That will be splendid! There 's afire in the kitchen, Debby always leaves the kettle on, and we canuse her saucepan, and I know where the sugar is, and we 'll have agrand time.' "In we went, and fell to work very quietly. It was alarge, open fire-place, with the coals nicely covered up, and the bigkettle simmering on the hook. We raked open the fire, put on thesaucepan, and in it the best of our plums, with water enough tospoil them. But we did n't know that, and felt very important as wesat waiting for it to boil, each armed with a big spoon, while thesugar box stood between us ready to be used.
"How slow they were, to be sure! I never knew such obstinatethings, for they would n't soften, though they danced about in theboiling water, and bobbed against the cover as if they were doingtheir best.
"The sun began to get low, we were afraid Debby would comedown, and still those dreadful plums would n't look like sauce. Atlast they began to burst, the water got a lovely purple, we put lotsof sugar in, and kept tasting till our aprons and faces were red, andour lips burnt with the hot spoons.
"'There 's too much juice,' said Nelly, shaking her head wisely. 'Itought to be thick and nice like mamma's.' "'I 'll pour off some ofthe juice, and we can drink it,' said I, feeling that I 'd made amistake in my cooking.
"So Nelly got a bowl, and I got a towel and lifted the big saucepancarefully off. It was heavy and hot, and I was a little afraid of it,but did n't like to say so. Just as I began to pour, Debby suddenlycalled from the top of the stairs, 'Children, what under the sun areyou doing?' "It startled us both. Nelly dropped the bowl and ran. Idropped the saucepan and did n't run, for a part of the hot juicesplashed upon my bare feet, and ankles, and made me scream withdreadful pain.
"Down rushed Debby to find me dancing about the kitchen with agreat bump on my forehead, a big spoon in my hand, and a pair ofbright purple feet. The plums were lying all over the hearth, thesaucepan in the middle of the room, the basin was broken, and thesugar swimming about as if the bowl had turned itself over tryingto sweeten our mess for us.
"Debby was very good to me, for she never stopped to scold, butlaid me down on the old sofa, and bound up my poor little feetwith oil and cotton wool. Nelly, seeing me lie white and weak,thought I was dying, and went over to the neighbor's for AuntBetsey, and burst in upon the old ladies sitting primly at, their tea,crying, distractedly, " 'Oh, Aunt Betsey, come quick! for thesaucepan fell off the shed, and Fan's feet are all boiled purple!'"Nobody laughed at this funny message, and Aunt Betsey ran allthe way home with a muffin in her hand and her ball in her pocket,though the knitting was left behind.
"I suffered a great deal, but I was n't sorry afterward, for I learnedto love Aunt Betsey, who nursed me tenderly, and seemed to forgether strict ways in her anxiety for me.
"This bag was made for my special comfort, and hung on the sofawhere I lay all those weary days. Aunt kept it full of prettypatchwork or, what I liked better, ginger-nuts, and peppermintdrops, to amuse me, though she did n't approve of cossetingchildren up, any more than I do now."
"I like that vewy well, and I wish I could have been there," wasMaud's condescending remark, as she put back the little bag, aftera careful peep inside, as if she hoped to find an ancient ginger-nut,or a well-preserved peppermint drop still lingering in some corner.
vouchsafed by theabsorbed reader.professedgreat weariness.
"We had plums enough that autumn, but did n't seem to care muchabout them, after all, for our prank became a household joke, and,for years, we never saw the fruit, but Nelly would look at me witha funny face, and whisper, 'Purple stockings, Fan!' "
"Thank you, ma'am," said Polly. "Now, Fan, your turn next."
"Well, I 've a bundle of old letters, and I 'd like to know if there isany story about them," answered Fanny, hoping some romancemight be forthcoming.
Grandma turned over the little packet tied up with a faded pinkribbon; a dozen yellow notes written on rough, thick paper, withred wafers still adhering to the folds, showing plainly that theywere written before the day of initial note-paper and self-sealingenvelopes.
"They are not love-letters, deary, but notes from my mates after Ileft Miss Cotton's boarding-school. I don't think there is any storyabout them," and grandma turned them over with spectacles beforethe dim eyes, so young and bright when they first read the verysame notes.
Fanny was about to say, "I 'll choose again," when grandma beganto laugh so heartily that the girls felt sure she had caught somemerry old memory which would amuse them.
"Bless my heart, I have n't thought of that frolic this forty years.Poor, dear, giddy Sally Pomroy, and she 's a great-grandmothernow!" cried the old lady, after reading one of the notes, andclearing the mist off her glasses.
"Now, please tell about her; I know it 's something funny to makeyou laugh so," said Polly and Fan together.
"Well, it was droll, and I 'm glad I remembered it for it 's just thestory to tell you young things.
"It was years ago," began grandma, briskly, "and teachers werevery much stricter than they are now. The girls at Miss Cotton'swere not allowed lights in their rooms after nine o'clock, neverwent out alone, and were expected to behave like models ofpropriety from morning till night.
"As you may imagine, ten young girls, full of spirits and fun, foundthese rules hard to keep, and made up for good behavior in publicby all sorts of frolics in private.
"Miss Cotton and her brother sat in the back parlor after schoolwas over, and the young ladies were sent to bed. Mr. John wasvery deaf, and Miss Priscilla very near-sighted, two convenientafflictions for the girls on some occasions, but once they provedquite the reverse, as you shall hear.
"We had been very prim for a week, and our bottled up spiritscould no longer be contained; so we planed a revel after our ownhearts, and set our wits to work to execute it.
"The first obstacle was surmounted in this way. As none of uscould get out alone, we resolved to lower Sally from the window,for she was light and small, and very smart.
"With our combined pocket-money she was to buy nuts and candy,cake and fruit, pie, and a candle, so that we might have a light,after Betsey took ours away as usual. "We were to darken thewindow of the inner chamber, set a watch in the little entry, lightup, and then for a good time.
"At eight o'clock on the appointed evening, several of us professedgreat weariness, and went to our room, leaving the rest sewingvirtuously with Miss Cotton, who read Hannah More's SacredDramas aloud, in a way that fitted the listeners for bed as well as adose of opium would have done.
"I am sorry to say I was one of the ringleaders; and as soon as wegot up stairs, produced the rope provided for the purpose, andinvited Sally to be lowered. It was an old-fashioned house, slopingdown behind, and the closet window chosen by us was not manyfeet from the ground.
"It was a summer evening, so that at eight o'clock it was still light;but we were not afraid of being seen, for the street was a lonelyone, and our only neighbors two old ladies, who put down theircurtains at sunset, and never looked out till morning.
"Sally had been bribed by promises of as many 'goodies' as shecould eat, and being a regular madcap, she was ready for anything.
"Then we put our night-gowns over our dresses, and were laidpeacefully in bed when Betsey came up, earlier than usual; for itwas evident that Miss Cotton felt a little suspicious at our suddenweariness.
"For half an hour we lay laughing and whispering, as we waited forthe signal from Sally. At last we heard a cricket chirp shrilly underthe window, and flying up, saw a little figure below in the twilight.
" 'O, quick! quick!' cried Sally, panting with haste. 'Draw up thebasket and then get me in, for I saw Mr. Cotton in the market, andran all the way home, so that I might get in before he came.' "Upcame the heavy basket, bumping and scraping on the way, andsmelling, O, so nice! Down went the rope, and with a long pull, astrong pull, and a pull all together, we hoisted poor Sally half-wayup to the window, when, sad to tell, the rope slipped and down shefell, only being saved from broken bones by the hay-cock underthe window.
"'He 's coming! he 's coming! O pull me up, for mercy sake!' criedSally, scrambling to her feet unhurt, but a good deal shaken.
"We saw a dark figure approaching, and dragged her in with morebumping and scraping, and embraced her with rapture, for we hadjust escaped being detected by Mr. John, whose eyes were as sharpas his ears were dull.
"We heard the front-door shut, then a murmur of voices, and thenBetsey's heavy step coming up stairs.
"Under the bed went the basket, and into the beds went theconspirators, and nothing could have been more decorous than theappearance of the room when Betsey popped her head in.
" 'Master's an old fidget to send me travelling up again, justbecause he fancied he saw something amiss at the window.Nothing but a curtain flapping, or a shadder, for the poor dears issleeping like lambs.' "We heard her say this to herself, and ageneral titter agitated the white coverlets as she departed.
"Sally was in high feather at the success of her exploit, and dancedabout like an elf, as she put her night-gown on over her frock,braided her hair in funny little tails all over her head, and fastenedthe great red pin-cushion on her bosom for a breastpin in honor ofthe feast.
"The other girls went to their rooms as agreed upon, and all wassoon dark and still up stairs, while Miss Cotton began to enjoyherself below, as she always did when 'her young charges' weresafely disposed of.
get along, and don't bother me," cried ?
"Then ghosts began to walk, and the mice scuttled back to theirholes in alarm, for white figures glided from room to room, till allwere assembled in the little chamber.
"The watch was set at the entry door, the signal agreed upon, thecandle lighted, and the feast spread forth upon a newspaper on thebed, with the coverlet arranged so that it could be whisked over therefreshments at a moment's notice.
"How good everything was, to be sure! I don't think I 've eaten anypies since that had such a delicious flavor as those broken ones,eaten hastily, in that little oven of a room, with Sally making jokesand the others enjoying stolen sweets with true girlish relish. Ofcourse it was very wicked, but I must tell the truth.