"That boy is a perfect Cyclops, isn't he?" said Amy, one day, as Laurie clattered1 by on horseback, with a flourish of his whip as he passed.
"How dare you say so, when he's got both his eyes? and very handsome ones they are, too," cried Jo, who resented any slighting remarks about her friend.
"I didn't say anything about his eyes, and I don't see why you need fire up when I admire his riding."
"Oh, my goodness! that little goose means a centaur2, and she called him a Cyclops," exclaimed Jo, with a burst of laughter.
"You needn't be so rude; it's only a 'lapse3 of lingy,' as Mr. Davis says," retorted Amy, finishing Jo with her Latin. "I just wish I had a little of the money Laurie spends on that horse," she added, as if to herself, yet hoping her sisters would hear.
"I need it so much; I'm dreadfully in debt, and it won't be my turn to have the rag-money for a month."
83 "In debt, Amy? What do you mean?" and Meg looked sober.
"Why, I owe at least a dozen pickled limes, and I can't pay them, you know, till I have money, for Marmee forbade my having anything charged at the shop."
"Tell me all about it. Are limes the fashion now? It used to be pricking7 bits of rubber to make balls;" and Meg tried to keep her countenance8, Amy looked so grave and important.
"Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to be thought mean, you must do it, too. It's nothing but limes now, for every one is sucking them in their desks in school-time, and trading them off for pencils, bead-rings, paper dolls, or something else, at recess9. If one girl likes another, she gives her a lime; if she's mad with her, she eats one before her face, and don't offer even a suck. They treat by turns; and I've had ever so many, but haven't returned them; and I ought, for they are debts of honor, you know."
"How much will pay them off, and restore your credit?" asked Meg, taking out her purse.
"A quarter would more than do it, and leave a few cents over for a treat for you. Don't you like limes?"
"Not much; you may have my share. Here's the money. Make it last as long as you can, for it isn't very plenty, you know."
"Oh, thank you! It must be so nice to have pocket-money! I'll have a grand feast, for I haven't tasted a lime this week. I felt delicate about taking any, as I couldn't return them, and I'm actually suffering for one."
Next day Amy was rather late at school; but could not resist the temptation of displaying, with pardonable pride, a moist brown-paper parcel, before she consigned10 it to the inmost recesses11 of her desk. During the next few minutes the rumor12 that Amy March had got twenty-four delicious limes (she ate one on the way), and was going to treat, circulated through her "set," and the attentions of her friends became quite overwhelming. Katy Brown invited her to her next party on the spot; Mary Kingsley insisted on lending her her watch till recess; and Jenny Snow, a satirical young lady, who had basely twitted Amy upon her limeless state, promptly13 buried the hatchet14, 84 and offered to furnish answers to certain appalling15 sums. But Amy had not forgotten Miss Snow's cutting remarks about "some persons whose noses were not too flat to smell other people's limes, and stuck-up people, who were not too proud to ask for them;" and she instantly crushed "that Snow girl's" hopes by the withering16 telegram, "You needn't be so polite all of a sudden, for you won't get any."
A distinguished17 personage happened to visit the school that morning, and Amy's beautifully drawn18 maps received praise, which honor to her foe19 rankled20 in the soul of Miss Snow, and caused Miss March to assume the airs of a studious young peacock. But, alas21, alas! pride goes before a fall, and the revengeful Snow turned the tables with disastrous22 success. No sooner had the guest paid the usual stale compliments, and bowed himself out, than Jenny, under pretence23 of asking an important question, informed Mr. Davis, the teacher, that Amy March had pickled limes in her desk.
Now Mr. Davis had declared limes a contraband24 article, and solemnly vowed25 to publicly ferrule the first person who was found breaking the law. This much-enduring man had succeeded in banishing26 chewing-gum after a long and stormy war, had made a bonfire of the confiscated27 novels and newspapers, had suppressed a private post-office, had forbidden distortions of the face, nicknames, and caricatures, and done all that one man could do to keep half a hundred rebellious28 girls in order. Boys are trying enough to human patience, goodness knows! but girls are infinitely29 more so, especially to nervous gentlemen, with tyrannical tempers, and no more talent for teaching than Dr. Blimber. Mr. Davis knew any quantity of Greek, Latin, Algebra30, and ologies of all sorts, so he was called a fine teacher; and manners, morals, feelings, and examples were not considered of any particular importance. It was a most unfortunate moment for denouncing Amy, and Jenny knew it. Mr. Davis had evidently taken his coffee too strong that morning; there was an east wind, which always affected31 his neuralgia; and his pupils had not done him the credit which he felt he deserved: therefore, to use the expressive32, if not elegant, language of a school-girl, "he was as nervous as a witch and as cross as a bear." The word "limes" was like fire to 85 powder; his yellow face flushed, and he rapped on his desk with an energy which made Jenny skip to her seat with unusual rapidity.
"Young ladies, attention, if you please!"
At the stern order the buzz ceased, and fifty pairs of blue, black, gray, and brown eyes were obediently fixed33 upon his awful countenance.
"Miss March, come to the desk."
Amy rose to comply with outward composure, but a secret fear oppressed her, for the limes weighed upon her conscience.
"Bring with you the limes you have in your desk," was the unexpected command which arrested her before she got out of her seat.
"Don't take all," whispered her neighbor, a young lady of great presence of mind.
Amy hastily shook out half a dozen, and laid the rest down before Mr. Davis, feeling that any man possessing a human heart would relent when that delicious perfume met his nose. Unfortunately, Mr. Davis particularly detested34 the odor of the fashionable pickle5, and disgust added to his wrath36.
"Is that all?"
"Bring the rest immediately."
With a despairing glance at her set, she obeyed.
"You are sure there are no more?"
"I never lie, sir."
"So I see. Now take these disgusting things two by two, and throw them out of the window."
There was a simultaneous sigh, which created quite a little gust35, as the last hope fled, and the treat was ravished from their longing38 lips. Scarlet39 with shame and anger, Amy went to and fro six dreadful times; and as each doomed40 couple—looking oh! so plump and juicy—fell from her reluctant hands, a shout from the street completed the anguish41 of the girls, for it told them that their feast was being exulted42 over by the little Irish children, who were their sworn foes43. This—this was too much; all flashed indignant or appealing glances at the inexorable Davis, and one passionate44 lime-lover burst into tears.
As Amy returned from her last trip, Mr. Davis gave a portentous45 "Hem6!" and said, in his most impressive manner,—
86 "Young ladies, you remember what I said to you a week ago. I am sorry this has happened, but I never allow my rules to be infringed46, and I never break my word. Miss March, hold out your hand."
Amy started, and put both hands behind her, turning on him an imploring47 look which pleaded for her better than the words she could not utter. She was rather a favorite with "old Davis," as, of course, he was called, and it's my private belief that he would have broken his word if the indignation of one irrepressible young lady had not found vent48 in a hiss49. That hiss, faint as it was, irritated the irascible gentleman, and sealed the culprit's fate.
"Your hand, Miss March!" was the only answer her mute appeal received; and, too proud to cry or beseech50, Amy set her teeth, 87 threw back her head defiantly51, and bore without flinching52 several tingling53 blows on her little palm. They were neither many nor heavy, but that made no difference to her. For the first time in her life she had been struck; and the disgrace, in her eyes, was as deep as if he had knocked her down.
Amy bore without flinching several tingling blows
"You will now stand on the platform till recess," said Mr. Davis, resolved to do the thing thoroughly54, since he had begun.
That was dreadful. It would have been bad enough to go to her seat, and see the pitying faces of her friends, or the satisfied ones of her few enemies; but to face the whole school, with that shame fresh upon her, seemed impossible, and for a second she felt as if she could only drop down where she stood, and break her heart with crying. A bitter sense of wrong, and the thought of Jenny Snow, helped her to bear it; and, taking the ignominious55 place, she fixed her eyes on the stove-funnel above what now seemed a sea of faces, and stood there, so motionless and white that the girls found it very hard to study, with that pathetic figure before them.
During the fifteen minutes that followed, the proud and sensitive little girl suffered a shame and pain which she never forgot. To others it might seem a ludicrous or trivial affair, but to her it was a hard experience; for during the twelve years of her life she had been governed by love alone, and a blow of that sort had never touched her before. The smart of her hand and the ache of her heart were forgotten in the sting of the thought,—
"I shall have to tell at home, and they will be so disappointed in me!"
The fifteen minutes seemed an hour; but they came to an end at last, and the word "Recess!" had never seemed so welcome to her before.
"You can go, Miss March," said Mr. Davis, looking, as he felt, uncomfortable.
He did not soon forget the reproachful glance Amy gave him, as she went, without a word to any one, straight into the ante-room, snatched her things, and left the place "forever," as she passionately56 declared to herself. She was in a sad state when she got home; and when the older girls arrived, some time later, an indignation meeting was 88 held at once. Mrs. March did not say much, but looked disturbed, and comforted her afflicted57 little daughter in her tenderest manner. Meg bathed the insulted hand with glycerine and tears; Beth felt that even her beloved kittens would fail as a balm for griefs like this; Jo wrathfully proposed that Mr. Davis be arrested without delay; and Hannah shook her fist at the "villain," and pounded potatoes for dinner as if she had him under her pestle58.
No notice was taken of Amy's flight, except by her mates; but the sharp-eyed demoiselles discovered that Mr. Davis was quite benignant in the afternoon, also unusually nervous. Just before school closed, Jo appeared, wearing a grim expression, as she stalked up to the desk, and delivered a letter from her mother; then collected Amy's property, and departed, carefully scraping the mud from her boots on the door-mat, as if she shook the dust of the place off her feet.
"Yes, you can have a vacation from school, but I want you to study a little every day, with Beth," said Mrs. March, that evening. "I don't approve of corporal punishment, especially for girls. I dislike Mr. Davis's manner of teaching, and don't think the girls you associate with are doing you any good, so I shall ask your father's advice before I send you anywhere else."
"That's good! I wish all the girls would leave, and spoil his old school. It's perfectly59 maddening to think of those lovely limes," sighed Amy, with the air of a martyr60.
"I am not sorry you lost them, for you broke the rules, and deserved some punishment for disobedience," was the severe reply, which rather disappointed the young lady, who expected nothing but sympathy.
"Do you mean you are glad I was disgraced before the whole school?" cried Amy.
"I should not have chosen that way of mending a fault," replied her mother; "but I'm not sure that it won't do you more good than a milder method. You are getting to be rather conceited61, my dear, and it is quite time you set about correcting it. You have a good many little gifts and virtues63, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit62 spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the 89 consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty64."
"So it is!" cried Laurie, who was playing chess in a corner with Jo. "I knew a girl, once, who had a really remarkable65 talent for music, and she didn't know it; never guessed what sweet little things she composed when she was alone, and wouldn't have believed it if any one had told her."
"I wish I'd known that nice girl; maybe she would have helped me, I'm so stupid," said Beth, who stood beside him, listening eagerly.
"You do know her, and she helps you better than any one else could," answered Laurie, looking at her with such mischievous66 meaning in his merry black eyes, that Beth suddenly turned very red, and hid her face in the sofa-cushion, quite overcome by such an unexpected discovery.
You do know her
Jo let Laurie win the game, to pay for that praise of her Beth, who 90 could not be prevailed upon to play for them after her compliment. So Laurie did his best, and sung delightfully67, being in a particularly lively humor, for to the Marches he seldom showed the moody68 side of his character. When he was gone, Amy, who had been pensive69 all the evening, said suddenly, as if busy over some new idea,—
"Is Laurie an accomplished70 boy?"
"Yes; he has had an excellent education, and has much talent; he will make a fine man, if not spoilt by petting," replied her mother.
"And he isn't conceited, is he?" asked Amy.
"Not in the least; that is why he is so charming, and we all like him so much."
"I see; it's nice to have accomplishments71, and be elegant; but not to show off, or get perked72 up," said Amy thoughtfully.
"These things are always seen and felt in a person's manner and conversation, if modestly used; but it is not necessary to display them," said Mrs. March.
"Any more than it's proper to wear all your bonnets73 and gowns and ribbons at once, that folks may know you've got them," added Jo; and the lecture ended in a laugh.
Girls, where are you going?
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收听单词发音
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1
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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centaur
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| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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pickle
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| n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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12
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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rankled
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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banishing
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的现在分词 ) | |
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confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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algebra
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| n.代数学 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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42
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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44
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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45
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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46
infringed
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| v.违反（规章等）( infringe的过去式和过去分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等） | |
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imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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49
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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50
beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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51
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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52
flinching
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的现在分词 ) | |
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53
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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54
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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55
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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56
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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57
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
pestle
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| n.杵 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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61
conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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64
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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65
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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68
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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69
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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72
perked
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| （使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
参考例句： |
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bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
参考例句： |
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