原文
Old Mr. Bentley, the minister whom Anne had found lacking in
imagination, had been pastor of Avonlea for eighteen years. He was a
widower when he came, and a widower he remained, despite the fact that
gossip regularly married him to this, that, or the other one, every year
of his sojourn. In the preceding February he had resigned his charge and
departed amid the regrets of his people, most of whom had the affection
born of long intercourse for their good old minister in spite of his
shortcomings as an orator. Since then the Avonlea church had enjoyed a
variety of religious dissipation in listening to the many and various
candidates and "supplies" who came Sunday after Sunday to preach on
trial. These stood or fell by the judgment of the fathers and mothers
in Israel; but a certain small, red-haired girl who sat meekly in the
corner of the old Cuthbert pew also had her opinions about them and
discussed the same in full with Matthew, Marilla always declining from
principle to criticize ministers in any shape or form.
語彙など
- pastor:牧師
- widower:男やもめ
- despite the fact that:(that 以下)という事実にもかかわらず
- gossip:うわさ話
- sojourn:滞在
- preceding:先立つ
- resign:辞任する,辞職する
- charge:職務
- depart:立ち去る
- amid:〜に囲まれて
- regret:残念,悲嘆
- affection:情愛
- intercourse:交わり,交際
- in spite of:〜にもかかわらず
- shortcoming:欠点
- orator:演説者,雄弁家
- dissipation:浪費,損失
- candidate:候補者
- preach:説教,法話
- judgment:判断
- stand or fall by:すべて〜にかかっている
- Israel:キリスト教徒
- meekly:おとなしく
- decline:辞退する
- principle:原則
- criticize:批判する
- in any shape or form:どんな形ででも