Laurie had had some English friends, boys and girls, visiting him during the summer, and the March family were invited to join many walks and river trips, but it was now September, and Laurie was alone again. On one occasion Laurie, from where he lay in his garden, saw the sisters get out for a walk.
“Where are those girls going?” he thought. Each wore a large hat, each had a bag over her shoulder, and each carried a stick in her hand. Meg had a cushion, Jo a book, Beth a basket, and Amy her drawing materials. They walked one behind the other, through the garden gate, going down the road and began to climb a hill leading to the wood on the top.
“Well! Fancy2 going off like that and not asking me!” Laurie decided to follow them and see what it all meant.
By the time he was ready to go, the girls could not be seen, but at last he came upon them seated on the ground under some trees. Laurie stood unnoticed behind a tree watching them. It was a pretty picture. Meg was sewing, Beth playing with her dolls, Amy was drawing, and Jo was making some socks as she read aloud.
The boy who watched felt that he should not have come and ought to go away. But he was lonely and stayed. Presently Beth looked up, saw Laurie and smiled.
“May I come in, please, or shall I be a nuisance3?” he asked.
Jo said, “Of course you may. We should have asked you before, only we thought you wouldn’t care for such a girls’ game as this. You see, we used to play at Pilgrim’s4 Progress, and this summer we deiced to go on with it in the open air. As part of the game we wear old hats, and used the sticks to help us climb the hill.”
“Well,” said Meg, “as it is against our rules for anybody to be idle5 here, you take the book and finish reading the story while Jo goes on with her socks.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” replied Laurie. “I’ll do anything if you’ll let me stay a bit, for it’s dull as a desert down there alone.” The story was not a long one, and, when it was finished, they sat for a time talking of all the things each wanted to do in the future.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if all the things we dream of doing could come true?” said Jo. “Let us each tell what we would most like to do. What about you, Laurie?”
“If I tell you, will you tell me?”
“Yes, if the others will too.”
“We will. Now begin, Laurie.”
“Well,” said Laurie, “I should like to travel. Then after I had seen as much of the world as I wanted to, I would live in this country and become a famous musician. I never want to be troubled about money or business, but just to enjoy myself. That’s my favorite dream. What is yours, Meg?”
Meg thought for a moment before saying, “I should like a lovely house, full of beautiful things, nice food, pretty clothes, pleasant people. I am to be mistress of the house, have plenty of money and servants, so that I need never work a bit. How I should enjoy it! I would do good though, and make everybody love me.”
“Wouldn’t you have a master in your house?” asked Laurie, with a smile.
“I said ‘pleasant people’,” and Meg bent to fasten her shoe as she spoke, so that her face could not be seen.
“Why don’t you say you’d have a splendid wise husband and some little children? You know your dream house wouldn’t be perfect without,” said Jo.
“You would have nothing but horses, pens and ink and books in yours，” answered Meg.
“Yes, that’s quite true. I’d have lots of Arabian horses and room full of books, and write a magic pen so that my works would be as famous as Laurie’s music. I want to do something splendid, something wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I am dead. I don’t know what it will be, but I mean to astonish you all some day. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous. That is my favourite dream.”
“Mine is to stay at home safe with Father and Mother, and help take care of the family,” said Beth contentedly.
“Don’t you wish for anything else?” asked Laurie.
“Since I have my piano, I am perfectly satisfied. I only wish we may all keep well and be together. Nothing else.”
“I have so many wishes,” said Amy, “but my pet one is to be an artist, to go to Rome to paint fine pictures, and to be the best artist in the whole world.”
“We do want a lot, don’t we?” said Laurie.
“Except Beth, we all want to be rich and famous. I wonder if any of us will get our wishes.”
“Well, if we are all alive in ten years’ time, let’s meet and see how much nearer we are than now,” said Jo, always ready with a plan.
“How very old we shall all be then?” exclaimed Meg. “I shall be twenty-seven.”
“You and I will be twenty-six, Laurie, Beth twenty-three, and Amy twenty-two. What an ancient party!” said Jo.
“I hope I shall have done something to be proud of by that time, Jo but I am so lazy,” said Laurie.
“Mother says you need something to work for, and, when you have it, she is sure you will work splendidly.”
“Does she really? I will if I get the chance,” cried Laurie.
“I do try to please my grandfather, but he wants me to be a merchant, as he was. I hate all the things his old ships bring, and don’t care how soon they go to the bottom6 when I own them. But I’ve got to do as he did, unless I break away like my father. If there was anybody left to stay with the old gentleman, I’d run away tomorrow.”
“I advise you to sail away in one of your ships, and never come home again till you have tried your own way,” said Jo.
“That’s not right, Jo. You mustn’t talk in that way, and Laurie mustn’t take your bad advice,” said Meg.
But the talk was stopped by the sound of a distant bell, and they knew they would have to hurry to get home in time for supper.
“May I come again, please?” asked Laurie, as they all stopped to say good-night.
“Yes, if you are good and always do your duty, as boys in the lesson books are told to do,” said Meg, smiling.
“I’ll try.”
“Then you may come, and I’ll teach you to make socks. Everybody wants them just now,” added Jo, waving hers as they parted at the gates.
劳里有一些英国朋友，有男有女，他们夏天前来拜访。而马奇家也应邀参加了许多次沿河漫步。可是现在已经九月，劳里又孤单一人了。有一次劳里躺在自家花园，看到她们姐妹们正要出去散步。
“她们要到哪儿去呢？”他想。她们每人头戴一顶大大的帽子，肩上扛着一个布袋，手里还拿着一根小棍。梅格拿着一个坐垫，乔拿着一本书，贝丝拿着一个篮子，艾米拿着绘画材料。她们一个接一个穿过花园门口，走下小径，开始攀登一座小山，山顶上有片树林。
“好啊！想这样出去玩不叫上我！”劳里决定跟着她们，一探究竟。
当他准备出发时，女孩们已经不见踪影。但最后他发现她们坐在树下的草地上。劳里躲在一棵树后看着她们。这真是一幅美丽的图画：梅格在做针线活儿，贝丝在玩她的洋娃娃，艾米在画画，乔则一边朗诵一边织袜子。
这个正在窥视的男孩觉得自己不该来，该离开了。可他很孤独，迈不开脚。过了不久，贝丝抬起头，看见了劳里，微笑着朝他打招呼。
“请问，我可以加入吗？还是我会打扰你们？”他问。
乔说：“你当然可以加入。我们应该提前叫上你的，我们只是觉得你不会喜欢这种女孩们的游戏。你看，我们从前经常玩‘天路历程’的游戏，今年夏天我们决定露天玩这个游戏。作为游戏的一部分，我们会戴上旧式帽子，拄手杖登山。”
“好吧，”梅格说，“我们的规定是不许任何人闲着，所以当乔织袜子的时候，你要拿起书读完那个故事。”
“是，女士，”劳里回答道，“只要你允许我在这儿呆一会儿，我可以做任何事。一个人在山下就好像在沙漠里一样毫无生趣。”这个故事并不长，因此读完的时候，她们便坐在一起谈起了每个人对未来的梦想。
“如果我们想做的所有事都能实现，那该多有趣啊？”乔说，“让我们每个人都说说最喜欢做的是什么。你最喜欢做什么，劳里？”
“如果我告诉你们，你们会告诉我吗？”
“我会的，如果她们也会说的话。”
“我们会的。现在开始吧，劳里。”
“好，”劳里说，“我喜欢旅行。等去遍了我想去的地方之后，我要在这里住下来，成为一名著名的音乐家。我从来不想为金钱或生意烦恼，只想享受人生。这就是我的美梦。你的呢，梅格？”
梅格想了一会儿说：“我希望有一所可爱的房子，里面有漂亮的摆设、精美的食物、华丽的衣服和可爱的人。我是房子的女主人，有很多钱、很多仆人，因此我不需要干丁点儿活。那样生活该多么美妙啊！但是我会做个好人，让每个人都喜欢我。”
“你的房子里没有男主人吗？”劳里笑着问。
“我说了要有‘可爱的人’。”梅格弯下身子系紧她的鞋带，别人看不到她说话时的表情。
“为什么不说你想有一位体面又聪明的丈夫和几个孩子呢？你知道你梦中的房子没了这些的话，不会完美的。”乔说。
“你除了马、笔墨和书以外，就没别的需要了。”梅格回答。
“是的，非常正确。我会有很多阿拉伯马，房里全是书，而且用一只充满魔力的笔写作，我的作品会如劳里的音乐一样有名。我想做些了不起的事，那些事让我死后不会被遗忘。我不知道会是什么事，但有天我会让你们都大吃一惊的。我想我会写书，而且会名利双收。那便是我最想实现的梦想。”
“我的梦想是留在家里，跟父母平平安安地在一起，并帮他们照料家人。”贝丝满足地说。
“你没其它愿望了吗？”劳里问。
“自从我有了钢琴，我就很满足了。我只希望我们能好好相处，守在一起，没别的了。”
“我有许多愿望，”艾美说，“但我最大的愿望是能成为一名画家，到罗马去画优秀的作品，成为世界上最伟大的画家。”
“我们想要的太多了，不是吗？”劳里说。
“除了贝丝，我们都想成为既有钱又出名的人。不知道我们中哪个人可以如愿以偿。”
“那么，如果十年后我们都还活着，就让我们再见面，看看我们各自离梦想近了多少！”乔说，他总是订好计划。
“我们那时多大了？”梅格大叫，“我会是27岁。”
“劳里，你和我26岁，贝丝23岁，艾米22岁，真是个高龄聚会！”乔说。
“我希望到那会儿我已经做了些值得骄傲的事。可是乔，你知道我太懒了。”劳里说。
“妈妈说你需要有个为之奋斗的目标，当你有了目标的时候，她确信你会做得很棒的。”
“她真的这样说吗？如果有机会我会的。”劳里喊道。
“我想让爷爷开心，但他想要我和他一样成为一个商人。我恨他那些旧船所带来的一切。一旦我继承了它们，我才不会在乎它们什么时候沉入海底。但是我必须照他说的去做，除非我像父亲一样离家出走。如果有谁愿意留下来陪伴这位老先生，我明天就离开。”
“我劝你坐上你们家一艘船远行，永远不要回来，直到你已尝试完自己的生活方式为止。”乔说。
“那样做不对，乔，你不应该说这种话。劳里千万不能听你的坏主意。”梅格说。
但是谈话因远处钟声响起而停下来，她们知道必须赶快回家，晚饭时间到了。
“请问，我能再来吗？”当她们都停下来向他道别的时候，劳里问。
“可以，假如你能尽忠职守，表现得像课本里的男孩那样的话。”梅格笑着说。
“我会试着去做的。”
“那么，你可以参加，我可以教你织袜子。现在每个人都想要一双。”当他们在大门口分手时，乔挥舞着手中的袜子说。
1. 路易莎·梅·奥尔科特（1832—1888），美国作家，年轻时做过佣人，当过教师、护士。《小妇人》是美国最优秀的家庭小说之一，路易莎的早期生活经历为本书的创作提供了真实的素材。
2. fancy v. 想不到
3. nuisance n. 讨厌的人或事
4. pilgrim n. 朝圣者
5. idle adj. 空闲的
6. go to the bottom 沉没