原文
Marilla pessimistically expected more trouble since Anne had again begun
to go to school. But none developed. Perhaps Anne caught something of
the "model" spirit from Minnie Andrews; at least she got on very well
with Mr. Phillips thenceforth. She flung herself into her studies heart
and soul, determined not to be outdone in any class by Gilbert Blythe.
The rivalry between them was soon apparent; it was entirely good natured
on Gilbert's side; but it is much to be feared that the same thing
cannot be said of Anne, who had certainly an unpraiseworthy tenacity for
holding grudges. She was as intense in her hatreds as in her loves. She
would not stoop to admit that she meant to rival Gilbert in schoolwork,
because that would have been to acknowledge his existence which Anne
persistently ignored; but the rivalry was there and honors fluctuated
between them. Now Gilbert was head of the spelling class; now Anne, with
a toss of her long red braids, spelled him down. One morning Gilbert had
all his sums done correctly and had his name written on the blackboard
on the roll of honor; the next morning Anne, having wrestled wildly with
decimals the entire evening before, would be first. One awful day they
were ties and their names were written up together. It was almost as bad
as a take-notice and Anne's mortification was as evident as Gilbert's
satisfaction. When the written examinations at the end of each month
were held the suspense was terrible. The first month Gilbert came out
three marks ahead. The second Anne beat him by five. But her triumph was
marred by the fact that Gilbert congratulated her heartily before the
whole school. It would have been ever so much sweeter to her if he had
felt the sting of his defeat.
語彙など
- pessimistically:悲観的に
- get on well with:(人)との仲がうまくいく
- thenceforth:そのとき以来
- fling oneself into:〜に身を投じる
- heart and soul:一心不乱に
- outdo:〜に勝る
- rivalry:競争
- apparent:明らかな
- entirely:完全に
- good-natured:性格の良い,気さくな
- unpraised:賞揚されない
- tenacity:固執
- hold grudge:恨みを抱く
- intense:強烈な
- hatred:憎しみ
- stoop to:〜するというみっともないことをする
- acknowledge:認める
- existence:存在
- persistently:しつこく
- fluctuate:変動する
- spelling class:スペリング[綴り字]の授業
- toss:放ること
- braid:三つ編み(の髪),お下げ髪
- sums:算数の問題
- be on the rolls:名簿に載っている
- honor:名誉
- wrestle with:〜に取り組む
- decimal:小数,10進法
- awful:不愉快な
- tie:同順位
- take notice:注意する
- mortification:くやしさ
- evident:明らかな
- suspense:どっちつかずの状態
- come out:〜という結果になる
- beat:負かす
- triumph:勝利
- mar:傷つける,台無しにする
- congratulate:祝う
- heartily:心から
- feel the sting of defeat:敗北の痛みを感じる