精彩对白

Alice: Hamish, do you ever get tired of quadrille?

Hamish: On the contrary. I find it envigorating. Do I amuse you?

Alice: No. I had a sudden vision. Off all the ladies in trousers and the men wearing dresses

Hamish: It would be best to keep your visions to yourself. When in doubt, remain silent. Pardon us, sir. Ms. Kingsley is distracted today. Where is your head?

Alice: I was wondering what it would be like to fly.

Hamish: Why would spend your time thinking about such an impossible thing?

Alice: Why wouldn't I? My father said he sometimes believed in six impossible things before breakfast.

Hamish: Alice, meet me at the Gazebo in precisely¹ ten minutes.

Girls: We have a secret to tell you.

Alice: If you're telling me, then it's not much of a secret.

Girls: Perhaps we shouldn't. We've decided² we should. If you tell us, we won't be surprised. Will you be surprised?

Alice: Not if you tell me. But now you've brought it up, you have to.

Girls: No, we don't. In fact, we won't.

Alice: I wonder if your mother knows that you two swim naked into Havershim pond.

Girls: You wouldn't.

Alice: Oh, but I would. There's your mother right now

Girls: Hamish is going to ask for your hand.

Margaret: You've ruined the surprise. Oh, I could strangle them! Everyone of us went through so much trouble to keep it a secret.

Alice: Does everyone know?

Margaret: That's why they have all come. This is your engagement party. Hamish will ask you under the gazebo when you say "yes" ...

Alice: But I don't know if I want to marry Hamish.

Margaret: Who then? You won't do better than a lord. You'll soon be 20, Alice. That pretty face won't last forever. You don't want to end up like aunt Imogen. You don't want to be a burden for mother, do you?

Alice: No.

Margaret: So, you'll marry Hamish. You'll be as happy as I am with Lowell and you live will be perfect. It's already decided.

Hamish's mother: Alice, dear.

Margaret: I'll leave you to it.

hamish's mother: Shall we take a leisurely³ stroll through the garden, just you and me?Do you know what I've always dreaded⁴?

Alice: The decline of teh artistocracy ?

Hamish's mother: Ugly grandchildren. But you are lovely. You are bound to produce little...Imbeciles! The gardeners planted white roses when i specifically asked for red.

Alice: You could always paint the roses red.

Hamish's mother: What an odd thing to say. You should know that my son has extremely delicate digestion⁵.

Alice: Did you see that?

Hamish's mother: See what?

Alice: It was a rabbit, I think.

Hamish's mother: Nasty things. I'd enjoy setting the dogs on them. If you serve Hamish the wrong foods, he could get a blockage⁶.

Alice: Did you see it that time?

Hamish's mother: See what?

Alice: The rabbit!

Hamish's mother: Don't shout! Now pay attention. Hamish said you were easily distracted. What was I saying?

Alice: Hamish was a blockage. I couldn't be more interested, but you'll have to excuse me. Aunt Imogen! I think I'm going mad. I keep seeing a rabbit in a waist coat.

Imogen: I can't be bothered with you fancy rabbit now. I'm waiting for my fiancee.

Alice: Your have a fiancee? There! Did you see it?

Imogen: He's a prince. But alas⁷ he can not marry me unless he renounces⁹ his crown. It's tragic¹⁰, isn't it?

Alice: Very. Lowell?

Lowell: Alice! We were just ...Kathy is an old friend.

Alice: I can see you are very close.

Lowell: You won't mention this to your sister, will you?

Alice: I don't know. I'm confused. I need time to think;

Lowell: Well, think About Margaret. She'd never trust me again. You don't want to ruin her marriage, do you?

Alice: Me?  But I'm not the one who is sneaking¹² around her back...

Hamish: Here you are. Alice Kingsley ...

Alice: Hamish.

Hamish: What is it?

Alice: You have a caterpillar¹³ on his shoulder.

Hamish: You'll want to wash that finger. Alice Kingsley ... Will you be my wife?

Alice: Well ...Everyone expects me to. And, you are a Lord. My fast won't last and I don't want to end up like..But this is happening so quickly, I...I think I ... I need a moment.

妙语佳句 活学活用

1. quadrille: 方阵舞，卡德利尔舞（旧时流行，由四对或以上的男女构成方阵），也可以表示跳方阵舞时的舞曲。

2. where is your head：你在想什么？

3. gazebo: 露台，凉亭，也可以表示屋顶塔楼。

4. not much of a：称不上。爱丽丝的意思是“如果你们要告诉我，那就算不上秘密了。”

例如：It's not much of a dinner.（这算不上什么正餐。）

5. ask for one's hand：向某人求婚。如果接受了对方的求婚，就是give one's hand。

6. strangle：勒死，使窒息。大家费尽心思保守的秘密被姐妹俩泄露了，所以玛格丽特说“我得掐死她们”。

例如：The hooligan strangled her with a piece of string. 那流氓用一根绳子把她勒死了。

7. engagement party：订婚派对，订婚宴。Engagement在这里就是“订婚”的意思，所以订婚时男女戴的戒指就被称为engagement ring。

8. imbecile：笨蛋，蠢货。

9. blockage: 原意为“阻塞物”，在这里是说哈米什容易“消化不良”。爱丽丝没有专心听未来的婆婆训话，所以在被要求重复时，说成了“哈米什是个塞子”。

10. waist coat：马甲，西服的背心。

11. renounce⁸ one's crown：放弃王位。Renounce在这里表示“断绝关系”。

12. sneak¹¹ around one's back：sneak around表示“偷跑出去瞎混”。这句话是指洛威尔“背着妻子玛格丽特偷腥”。

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