原文
"PROSPECT POINT, "August 20th.
"Dear Anne--spelled--with--an--E," wrote Phil, "I must prop my eyelids open long enough to write you. I've neglected you shamefully this summer, honey, but all my other correspondents have been neglected, too. I have a huge pile of letters to answer, so I must gird up the loins of my mind and hoe in. Excuse my mixed metaphors. I'm fearfully sleepy. Last night Cousin Emily and I were calling at a neighbor's. There were several other callers there, and as soon as those unfortunate creatures left, our hostess and her three daughters picked them all to pieces. I knew they would begin on Cousin Emily and me as soon as the door shut behind us. When we came home Mrs. Lilly informed us that the aforesaid neighbor's hired boy was supposed to be down with scarlet fever. You can always trust Mrs. Lilly to tell you cheerful things like that. I have a horror of scarlet fever. I couldn't sleep when I went to bed for thinking of it. I tossed and tumbled about, dreaming fearful dreams when I did snooze for a minute; and at three I wakened up with a high fever, a sore throat, and a raging headache. I knew I had scarlet fever; I got up in a panic and hunted up Cousin Emily's 'doctor book' to read up the symptoms. Anne, I had them all. So I went back to bed, and knowing the worst, slept like a top the rest of the night. Though why a top should sleep sounder than anything else I never could understand. But this morning I was quite well, so it couldn't have been the fever. I suppose if I did catch it last night it couldn't have developed so soon. I can remember that in daytime, but at three o'clock at night I never can be logical.
語彙など
- Prospect Point: a point at the northern tip of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- prop:支える
- eyelid:まぶた
- shamefully:恥ずかしくも
- correspondent:文通者
- gird up one's loins:気持ちを引き締める
- hoe:くわで掘る
- metaphor:たとえ,比喩
- pick someone to pieces:(人)の悪口を言う
- begin on:〜に手をつける
- aforesaid:前述の
- scarlet fever:猩紅熱
- toss:寝返りを打つ
- tumble:転び回る
- snooze:うたた寝する,居眠りする
- high fever:高熱
- sore throat:喉の痛み
- raging:激しい
- in a panic
- 慌てふためいて,恐慌状態で
- doctor book:家庭用医学書
- read up:本で調べる
- symptom:症状
- top:こま
- sleep like a top:ぐっすり眠る
- sleep sound:熟睡する
- logical:論理的な