原文
"When we reached the Academy there were scores of students there from
all over the Island. The first person we saw was Moody Spurgeon sitting
on the steps and muttering away to himself. Jane asked him what on earth
he was doing and he said he was repeating the multiplication table over
and over to steady his nerves and for pity's sake not to interrupt
him, because if he stopped for a moment he got frightened and forgot
everything he ever knew, but the multiplication table kept all his facts
firmly in their proper place!
語彙など
- scores of:たくさんの
- step:段階
- mutter away:絶えずつぶやき続ける
- on earth:一体全体
- multiplication table:(掛け算の)九九表
- steady one's mind:心を静める
- for pity's sake:一生のお願いですから
- interrupt:邪魔をする
- for a moment:一瞬
- firmly:しっかりと
- proper:適切な