原文
"My birthday is next week," said Paul, as they walked up the long red
hill, basking in the June sunshine, "and father wrote me that he is
sending me something that he thinks I'll like better than anything else
he could send. I believe it has come already, for Grandma is keeping the
bookcase drawer locked and that is something new. And when I asked her
why, she just looked mysterious and said little boys mustn't be too
curious. It's very exciting to have a birthday, isn't it? I'll be
eleven. You'd never think it to look at me, would you? Grandma says
I'm very small for my age and that it's all because I don't eat enough
porridge. I do my very best, but Grandma gives such generous platefuls
. . . there's nothing mean about Grandma, I can tell you. Ever since you
and I had that talk about praying going home from Sunday School
that day, teacher . . . when you said we ought to pray about all our
difficulties . . . I've prayed every night that God would give me enough
grace to enable me to eat every bit of my porridge in the mornings. But
I've never been able to do it yet, and whether it's because I have too
little grace or too much porridge I really can't decide. Grandma says
father was brought up on porridge, and it certainly did work well in
his case, for you ought to see the shoulders he has. But sometimes,"
concluded Paul with a sigh and a meditative air "I really think porridge
will be the death of me."
語彙など
- bask in:気持ちよく〜を浴びる
- bookcase:書棚,本箱
- drawer:引き出し
- lock:〜に錠をかける
- mysterious:秘密の
- porridge:ポリッジ(水または牛乳でオートミールなどを煮た粥状のもの)
- do one's best:最善を尽くす
- generous:気前のよい
- plateful:大盛りの
- mean:けちな,意地悪な
- pray:祈る
- grace:恩恵
- bring up:育てる
- conclude:結論を出す
- with a sigh:溜息をついて
- meditative:瞑想的な
- air:雰囲気