原文
"I should think Marilla's raspberry cordial would prob'ly be much nicer
than Mrs. Lynde's," said Anne loyally. "Marilla is a famous cook. She is
trying to teach me to cook but I assure you, Diana, it is uphill work.
There's so little scope for imagination in cookery. You just have to go
by rules. The last time I made a cake I forgot to put the flour in. I
was thinking the loveliest story about you and me, Diana. I thought you
were desperately ill with smallpox and everybody deserted you, but I
went boldly to your bedside and nursed you back to life; and then I took
the smallpox and died and I was buried under those poplar trees in the
graveyard and you planted a rosebush by my grave and watered it with
your tears; and you never, never forgot the friend of your youth who
sacrificed her life for you. Oh, it was such a pathetic tale, Diana.
The tears just rained down over my cheeks while I mixed the cake. But
I forgot the flour and the cake was a dismal failure. Flour is so
essential to cakes, you know. Marilla was very cross and I don't wonder.
I'm a great trial to her. She was terribly mortified about the pudding
sauce last week. We had a plum pudding for dinner on Tuesday and there
was half the pudding and a pitcherful of sauce left over. Marilla said
there was enough for another dinner and told me to set it on the pantry
shelf and cover it. I meant to cover it just as much as could be, Diana,
but when I carried it in I was imagining I was a nun--of course I'm a
Protestant but I imagined I was a Catholic--taking the veil to bury a
broken heart in cloistered seclusion; and I forgot all about covering
the pudding sauce. I thought of it next morning and ran to the pantry.
Diana, fancy if you can my extreme horror at finding a mouse drowned in
that pudding sauce! I lifted the mouse out with a spoon and threw it out
in the yard and then I washed the spoon in three waters. Marilla was out
milking and I fully intended to ask her when she came in if I'd give the
sauce to the pigs; but when she did come in I was imagining that I was
a frost fairy going through the woods turning the trees red and yellow,
whichever they wanted to be, so I never thought about the pudding sauce
again and Marilla sent me out to pick apples. Well, Mr. and Mrs. Chester
Ross from Spencervale came here that morning. You know they are very
stylish people, especially Mrs. Chester Ross. When Marilla called me in
dinner was all ready and everybody was at the table. I tried to be as
polite and dignified as I could be, for I wanted Mrs. Chester Ross to
think I was a ladylike little girl even if I wasn't pretty. Everything
went right until I saw Marilla coming with the plum pudding in one hand
and the pitcher of pudding sauce WARMED UP, in the other. Diana, that
was a terrible moment. I remembered everything and I just stood up in
my place and shrieked out 'Marilla, you mustn't use that pudding sauce.
There was a mouse drowned in it. I forgot to tell you before.' Oh,
Diana, I shall never forget that awful moment if I live to be a hundred.
Mrs. Chester Ross just LOOKED at me and I thought I would sink through
the floor with mortification. She is such a perfect housekeeper and
fancy what she must have thought of us. Marilla turned red as fire but
she never said a word--then. She just carried that sauce and pudding out
and brought in some strawberry preserves. She even offered me some, but
I couldn't swallow a mouthful. It was like heaping coals of fire on
my head. After Mrs. Chester Ross went away, Marilla gave me a dreadful
scolding. Why, Diana, what is the matter?"
語彙など
- cordial:コーディアル(幼児や子供向けの果汁シロップを水で薄めた甘い飲み物)
- loyally:忠実に
- uphill work:苦しい仕事
- scope:領域
- cookery:料理法
- flour:小麦粉
- desperately:ひどく
- smallpox:天然痘,疱瘡
- desert:見捨てる
- boldly:大胆に
- bury:埋葬する
- poplar:ポプラ
- graveyard:墓地
- rosebush:バラの木
- sacrifice:〜を犠牲にする
- pathetic tale:救いようのない話
- dismal failure:惨めな失敗
- cross:不機嫌な,お冠である
- trial to:〜に苦痛となるもの
- mortify:悔しがらせる
- pudding:プディング菓子
- pitcherful:水差し1杯分
- pantry:食器室,食品庫
- nun:修道女,尼僧
- take the veil:修道院に入る,修道女になる
- cloistered:隠遁的な
- seclusion:人里離れた場所
- fancy:想像する
- drowned:おぼれ死んだ
- milk:乳を搾る
- frost:霜,寒気
- fairy:妖精
- stylish:上品な
- dignified:品位のある
- mortification:くやしさ
- preserve:果物の砂糖煮
- heap coals of fire upon someone's head:恨みに対し徳を行い(人)を恥じ入らせる
- scold:〜を叱る,説教する