原文
Matthew, much to his own surprise, was enjoying himself. Like most quiet
folks he liked talkative people when they were willing to do the talking
themselves and did not expect him to keep up his end of it. But he had
never expected to enjoy the society of a little girl. Women were bad
enough in all conscience, but little girls were worse. He detested the
way they had of sidling past him timidly, with sidewise glances, as if
they expected him to gobble them up at a mouthful if they ventured to
say a word. That was the Avonlea type of well-bred little girl. But
this freckled witch was very different, and although he found it rather
difficult for his slower intelligence to keep up with her brisk mental
processes he thought that he "kind of liked her chatter." So he said as
shyly as usual:
語彙など
- to one's surprise:意外なことに
- folk:人々
- talkative:おしゃべりな
- keep up his end of it:会話の相手をすること
- society:つきあい
- in conscience:正直言って
- detest:ひどく嫌う
- sidle:コソコソ歩く
- timidly:こわごわ
- sidewise: = sideways
- sideways glance:横目
- gobble up:ぺろりと食べる
- at a mouthful:一口で
- venture:思い切って〜する
- well bred:育ちの良い
- freckled:そばかすのある
- witch:若い女(俗)
- keep up with:〜について行く
- brisk:活発な
- mental processes:心の動き,頭の回転
- kind of:やや,なんだか