赤毛のアンの原文を少しずつ、ほぼ週一ペースで読んでいます。
今回は87回目。
チャプター7の8~14段落までです。
【前回までのおさらい】
マシューとマリラの兄妹はファームの手伝いのため孤児の男の子を迎え入れることにしましたが、やって来たのは赤毛の女の子!
マシューはアンを気に入り引き取りたいと思いました。
翌日、マリラはアンと共にスペンサー夫人を訪れますが、悪名高いブリューエット夫人に引き渡しましょうと言われ、アンが可哀そう過ぎて思いとどまります。
家に帰ってマシューに、アンのことは失敗しない限り口出ししないよう告げました。
その夜、マリラはアに服を畳んでお祈りするよう言うと、アンはお祈りしたことがないと言います。
「神様が誰だか知ってる?!」
【本文】
“‘God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth,’” responded Anne promptly and glibly.
Marilla looked rather relieved.
“So you do know something then, thank goodness! You’re not quite a heathen. Where did you learn that?”
“Oh, at the asylum Sunday-school. They made us learn the whole catechism. I liked it pretty well. There’s something splendid about some of the words. ‘Infinite, eternal and unchangeable.’ Isn’t that grand? It has such a roll to it—just like a big organ playing. You couldn’t quite call it poetry, I suppose, but it sounds a lot like it, doesn’t it?”
“We’re not talking about poetry, Anne—we are talking about saying your prayers. Don’t you know it’s a terrible wicked thing not to say your prayers every night? I’m afraid you are a very bad little girl.”
“You’d find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair,” said Anne reproachfully. “People who haven’t red hair don’t know what trouble is. Mrs. Thomas told me that God made my hair red on purpose, and I’ve never cared about Him since. And anyhow I’d always be too tired at night to bother saying prayers. People who have to look after twins can’t be expected to say their prayers. Now, do you honestly think they can?”
Marilla decided that Anne’s religious training must be begun at once. Plainly there was no time to be lost.
The Project Gutenberg eBookより
詳しい語彙説明はnoteをご覧ください。
https://note.com/kobachism/n/n3fa06c3b7ab8
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