Jo’s Boys. Луиза Мэй Олкотт

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СКАЧАТЬ tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl or a bit of ambrosia?’ asked Laurie, who was wandering about with a sugar-basin in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for sweetening cups and feeding the hungry was work he loved.

      ‘Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me’; and Mr March turned to Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of fresh milk.

      ‘Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty contradiction of the song that “youth and age cannot live together”!’ answered Laurie, smiling at the pair.

      ‘“Crabbed age”, papa; that makes all the difference in the world,’ said Bess quickly; for she loved poetry, and read the best.

       ‘Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow

       In a reverend bed of snow?’

      quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm, looking like a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot discussion with Ted, and had got the worst of it.

      ‘Grandpa, must women always obey men and say they are the wisest, just because they are the strongest?’ she cried, looking fiercely at her cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking smile on the boyish face that was always very comical atop of that tall figure.

      ‘Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take some time to change it. But I think the woman’s hour has struck; and it looks to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are abreast now, and may reach the goal first,’ answered Mr March, surveying with paternal satisfaction the bright faces of the young women, who were among the best students in the college.

      ‘The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the obstacles thrown in their way—not golden apples, by any means—but I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to run better,’ laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie’s breezy hair, which stood up like the fur of an angry kitten.

      ‘Whole barrels of apples won’t stop me when I start, and a dozen Teds won’t trip me up, though they may try. I’ll show him that a woman can act as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done, and will be again; and I’ll never own that my brain isn’t as good as his, though it may be smaller,’ cried the excited young person.

      ‘If you shake your head in that violent way you’ll addle what brains you have got; and I’d take care of ’em, if I were you,’ began teasing Ted.

      ‘What started this civil war?’ asked Grandpapa, with a gentle emphasis on the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm their ardour a little.

      ‘Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus tells Juno not to inquire into his plans or he’ll whip her, and Jo was disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right, and agreed with the old fellow that women didn’t know much and ought to obey men,’ explained Ted, to the great amusement of his hearers.

      ‘Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan women were poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn’t fight their own battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and Venus, and Juno, when they were going to get beaten. The idea of two armies stopping and sitting down while a pair of heroes flung stones at one another! I don’t think much of your old Homer. Give me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.’

      Josie’s scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an ostrich, and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet and criticized the gods.

      ‘Napoleon’s Juno had a nice time; didn’t she? That’s just the way girls argue—first one way and then the other,’ jeered Ted.

      ‘Like Johnson’s young lady, who was “not categorical, but all wiggle-waggle”,’ added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle immensely.

      ‘I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the woman side of it, wasn’t Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a happy woman? He didn’t threaten to whip her if she asked a natural question; and if Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could fight, and didn’t want any Minerva to come fussing over him. They were a stupid set, from dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his ships, and I won’t change my opinion for all the Hectors and Agamemnons in Greece,’ said Josie, still unconquered.

      ‘You can fight like a Trojan, that’s evident; and we will be the two obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,’ began Uncle Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his spear.

      ‘I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry off our Hector,’ said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her son that suppertime was near.

      ‘We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to interfere,’ said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity, remembering the treat in store.

      ‘Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!’ called Josie after him, exulting in an opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her sex.

      But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by replying, with a highly virtuous expression: ‘Obedience is a soldier’s first duty.’

      Bent on her woman’s privilege of having the last word, Josie ran after him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a very brown young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps with a cheery ‘Ahoy! ahoy! where is everybody?’

      ‘Emil! Emil!’ cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and the late enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the newcomer.

      Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy little tugs with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the parlour, where Emil kissed all the women and shook hands with all the men except his uncle; him he embraced in the good old German style, to the great delight of the observers.

      ‘Didn’t think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away for Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your hearts, how glad I am to see you all!’ exclaimed the sailor boy, beaming at them, as he stood with his legs apart as if he still felt the rocking deck under his feet.

      ‘You ought to “shiver your timbers”, not “bless our hearts”, Emil; it’s not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do smell!’ said Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh sea odours he brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and she was his pet; so she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue jacket contained treasures for her at least.

      ‘Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,’ laughed Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding her off with one hand while with the other he rummaged out sundry foreign little boxes and parcels marked with different names, and handed them round with appropriate remarks, which caused much laughter; for Emil was a wag.

      ‘There’s a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about five minutes,’ he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over Josie’s head; ‘and here’s something the mermaids sent to Undine,’ he added, handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain. ‘I thought Daisy would like a fiddle, and Nat can find her a beau,’ continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree brooch in the shape of a violin.

      ‘I know she will, and I’ll take it СКАЧАТЬ