If you say ‘war’ just once more, I’ll go in the house and shut the door. I’ve never gotten so tired of any one word in my life as ‘war,’ unless it’s ‘ secession .’ Pa talks war morning, noon and night, and all the gentlemen who come to see him shout about Fort Sumter and States’ Rights and Abe Lincoln till I get so bored I could scream! And that’s all the boys talk about, too, that and their old Troop. There hasn’t been any fun at any party this spring because the boys can’t talk about anything else. I’m mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas before it seceded or it would have ruined the Christmas parties, too. If you say ‘war’ again, I’ll go in the house.”

“只要你再說一聲‘戰爭’，我就進屋去，把門關上，我這輩子還從來沒有像對‘戰爭’這個詞感到討厭，除非那個詞意味著'脫離聯邦'。爸爸總是從早到晚談論戰爭，戰爭，所有來看他的紳士們也叫嚷著什么薩姆特要塞、州權、亞伯·林肯，簡直煩得我要大喊大叫！而且所有的男孩子也都在談這些，還有他們的軍隊。今年春天，任何晚會上也沒有聽到這什么快樂的事情，因為男孩子再不談別的了。我最高興的是佐治亞要等到過了圣誕節以后才宣布脫離聯邦，要不然會把圣誕晚會也糟蹋了。要是你再談‘戰爭’我就馬上進屋去了。”

She meant what she said, for she could never long endure any conversation of which she was not the chief subject. But she smiled when she spoke, consciously deepening her dimple and fluttering her bristly black lashes as swiftly as butterflies’ wings. The boys were enchanted, as she had intended them to be, and they hastened to apologize for boring her. They thought none the less of her for her lack of interest. Indeed, they thought more. War was men’s business, not ladies’, and they took her attitude as evidence of her femininity .

她說到做到，因為她從來就忍受不了不以她為主題的談話。不過她說話時總是面帶微笑，刻意加深臉的酒窩，同時把像蝴蝶翅膀似的兩圈又硬又黑的睫毛迅速地扇動起來。小伙子們給迷住了，這正中她的心意，于是他們向她道歉，他們并不因為她對戰爭不感興趣而絲毫輕視她。相反，他們更敬重她了。戰爭原來是男人的事，與女人無關，因此他們便把她的態度當成是女人味十足的特征。

Having maneuvered them away from the boring subject of war, she went back with interest to their immediate situation.

把他們從討厭戰爭的話題支使開以后，她便饒有興趣地回到他們當前的環境上來。

“What did your mother say about you two being expelled again?”

“對于你倆再一次開除的事你母親說了些什么呀？”

The boys looked uncomfortable, recalling their mother’s conduct three months ago when they had come home, by request, from the University of Virginia.

小伙子顯得有點不自在，想起三個月前他們從弗吉尼亞大學被請回家時母親的那番表現。

“Well,” said Stuart, “she hasn’t had a chance to say anything yet. Tom and us left home early this morning before she got up, and Tom’s laying out over at the Fontaines’ while we came over here.”

“唔，她還沒有機會說呢，”斯圖爾特答道。"今天一清早她還沒起床，湯姆和我倆便出門了。湯姆半路上去方丹家了，我們便徑直到這兒來了。”

“Didn’t she say anything when you got home last night?”

“昨天晚上你們到家時難道她什么話也沒說嗎？”