原文
"Oh, how can you call Ben Hur a novel when it's really such a religious
book?" protested Anne. "Of course it's a little too exciting to be
proper reading for Sunday, and I only read it on weekdays. And I never
read ANY book now unless either Miss Stacy or Mrs. Allan thinks it is a
proper book for a girl thirteen and three-quarters to read. Miss Stacy
made me promise that. She found me reading a book one day called, The
Lurid Mystery of the Haunted Hall. It was one Ruby Gillis had lent me,
and, oh, Marilla, it was so fascinating and creepy. It just curdled the
blood in my veins. But Miss Stacy said it was a very silly, unwholesome
book, and she asked me not to read any more of it or any like it. I
didn't mind promising not to read any more like it, but it was AGONIZING
to give back that book without knowing how it turned out. But my love
for Miss Stacy stood the test and I did. It's really wonderful, Marilla,
what you can do when you're truly anxious to please a certain person."
語彙など
- religious:宗教的な
- protest:〜に抗議する
- proper:適切な,ふさわしい
- three quarters:4分の3
- lurid:身の毛のよだつような
- haunted:幽霊がよく出る
- fascinating:興味をそそる
- creepy:気味悪い,ゾッとする
- curdle the blood:ゾッとさせる,血も凍る思いをさせる
- vein:静脈,血管
- silly:くだらない
- unwholesome:不健全な
- agonizing:苦しい
- turn out:〜に進展する
- stand the test:試練に耐える
- anxious:ぜひ〜したいと思って