原文
For a few minutes Anne, drifting slowly down, enjoyed the romance of her
situation to the full. Then something happened not at all romantic. The
flat began to leak. In a very few moments it was necessary for Elaine
to scramble to her feet, pick up her cloth of gold coverlet and pall
of blackest samite and gaze blankly at a big crack in the bottom of her
barge through which the water was literally pouring. That sharp stake at
the landing had torn off the strip of batting nailed on the flat. Anne
did not know this, but it did not take her long to realize that she was
in a dangerous plight. At this rate the flat would fill and sink long
before it could drift to the lower headland. Where were the oars? Left
behind at the landing!
Anne gave one gasping little scream which nobody ever heard; she was white to the lips, but she did not lose her self-possession. There was one chance--just one.
語彙など
- drift:漂流する
- to the full:心ゆくまで
- scramble to one's feet:よろよろ立ち上がる
- coverlet:上掛け,覆い
- pall:棺に掛ける布
- samite:金襴,銀襴（中世の服地）
- blankly:ぼんやりと
- crack:ひび,亀裂
- barge:平底船
- literally:本当に,まさに
- pour:殺到する
- stake:杭
- landing:上陸場
- tear off:引きはがす
- strip:細長い一片
- batting:詰め物
- nail on:くぎで〜に留める
- flat:平底船
- plight:窮地
- headland:出鼻,岬
- oar:オール
- leave behind:〜を置いて来る
- gasp:恐怖であえぐ
- scream:悲鳴
- self-possession:冷静