原文
"Nobody," confessed Anne. "Diana and I just imagined the wood was
haunted. All the places around here are so--so--COMMONPLACE. We just got
this up for our own amusement. We began it in April. A haunted wood is
so very romantic, Marilla. We chose the spruce grove because it's so
gloomy. Oh, we have imagined the most harrowing things. There's a white
lady walks along the brook just about this time of the night and wrings
her hands and utters wailing cries. She appears when there is to be a
death in the family. And the ghost of a little murdered child haunts the
corner up by Idlewild; it creeps up behind you and lays its cold fingers
on your hand--so. Oh, Marilla, it gives me a shudder to think of it. And
there's a headless man stalks up and down the path and skeletons glower
at you between the boughs. Oh, Marilla, I wouldn't go through the
Haunted Wood after dark now for anything. I'd be sure that white things
would reach out from behind the trees and grab me."
語彙など
- confess:白状する
- haunt:〜に取り付かれる
- commonplace:ありふれた
- get up:仕上げる,仕組む
- spruce:トウヒ,マツ科トウヒ属の常緑高木
- grove:林
- gloomy:暗い,陰気な
- harrowing:悲惨な
- wring one's hands:(悲しみ･絶望などで)両手をもみ絞る,残念がる
- utter:口に出す
- wailing:嘆きの
- ghost:幽霊,亡霊
- murder:殺す
- haunt:〜に出没する
- creep:忍び寄る
- shudder to think:〜と考えてゾッとする
- headless:首なしの
- stalk:闊歩する,大股で歩く
- skeleton:骸骨
- glower at:睨みつける
- bough:大枝
- for anything:どんなことがあっても
- grab:ひっつかむ