原文
"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas moved away from Bolingbroke to Marysville, and I
lived with them until I was eight years old. I helped look after the
Thomas children--there were four of them younger than me--and I can tell
you they took a lot of looking after. Then Mr. Thomas was killed
falling under a train and his mother offered to take Mrs. Thomas and the
children, but she didn't want me. Mrs. Thomas was at HER wits' end, so
she said, what to do with me. Then Mrs. Hammond from up the river came
down and said she'd take me, seeing I was handy with children, and
I went up the river to live with her in a little clearing among the
stumps. It was a very lonesome place. I'm sure I could never have
lived there if I hadn't had an imagination. Mr. Hammond worked a little
sawmill up there, and Mrs. Hammond had eight children. She had twins
three times. I like babies in moderation, but twins three times in
succession is TOO MUCH. I told Mrs. Hammond so firmly, when the last
pair came. I used to get so dreadfully tired carrying them about.
"I lived up river with Mrs. Hammond over two years, and then Mr. Hammond
died and Mrs. Hammond broke up housekeeping. She divided her children
among her relatives and went to the States. I had to go to the asylum
at Hopeton, because nobody would take me. They didn't want me at the
asylum, either; they said they were over-crowded as it was. But they had
to take me and I was there four months until Mrs. Spencer came."
Anne finished up with another sigh, of relief this time. Evidently she did not like talking about her experiences in a world that had not wanted her.
"Did you ever go to school?" demanded Marilla, turning the sorrel mare down the shore road.
語彙など
- Marysville:メリーズビル
- look after:〜の世話をする
- be at one's wit's end:困り切る
- handy:役に立つ
- clearing:開拓地,森の中の木を切り開いた所
- stump:切り株,幹
- lonesome place:人里離れた寂しい場所
- sawmill:製材工場
- in moderation:ほどほどに,適度に
- in succession:連続して,続けざまに
- firmly:確固として
- used to:よく〜したものだ
- dreadfully:すごく
- break up:分散する,離散する
- housekeeping:家政
- divide:分ける
- relative:身内,親戚
- asylum:孤児院
- finish up with:〜で締めくくる
- sigh of relief:安堵の溜息
- evidently:どうやら
- demand:求める
- sorrel:栗色の
- mare:雌馬