Little Women · chapter 25 of 31
Beth's Secret
贝丝的秘密
By the quiet sea, Beth rests her head in Jo's lap day after day, and the two sisters keep a secret that neither of them wants to say out loud.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那年夏天，乔带贝丝来到海边。
Nà nián xiàtiān, Qiáo dài Bèisī láidào hǎibiān.
That summer, Jo brought Beth to the sea.
- Jo 贝丝，头放在我腿上吧。今天的太阳真好。
Bèisī, tóu fàng zài wǒ tuǐ shang ba. Jīntiān de tàiyáng zhēn hǎo.
Beth, rest your head in my lap. The sun is lovely today.
- Beth 好。乔，这儿真好。我很喜欢。
Hǎo. Qiáo, zhèr zhēn hǎo. Wǒ hěn xǐhuan.
All right. Jo, it's so nice here. I love it.
Chapter 25 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Little Women (chapters 1–6) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Jo 你真能坐！我在这儿，一分钟也坐不住！
Nǐ zhēn néng zuò! Wǒ zài zhèr, yì fēnzhōng yě zuò bu zhù!
You're so good at sitting still! I can't sit still here for one minute!
- Beth 那你去玩吧，乔。我在这儿看着你。
Nà nǐ qù wán ba, Qiáo. Wǒ zài zhèr kànzhe nǐ.
Then go and play, Jo. I'll watch you from here.
- Beth 太重了，我拿不住。
Tài zhòng le, wǒ ná bu zhù.
It's too heavy. I can't hold it.
- Jo 这么小的东西？
Zhème xiǎo de dōngxi?
Such a little thing?
- Jo 她的手这么白……我知道了。可是我不想说。说出来，就真的是这样了。
Tā de shǒu zhème bái… wǒ zhīdào le. Kěshì wǒ bù xiǎng shuō. Shuō chūlai, jiù zhēn de shì zhèyàng le.
Her hands are so pale... I know. But I don't want to say it. If I say it out loud, it will really be true.
- Narrator 很多天过去了。姐妹两个，谁也没有说。
Hěn duō tiān guòqù le. Jiěmèi liǎng gè, shéi yě méiyǒu shuō.
Many days went by. Neither sister spoke of it.
- Beth 乔，我有一个秘密。你知道了，对吗？
Qiáo, wǒ yǒu yí gè mìmì. Nǐ zhīdào le, duì ma?
Jo, I have a secret. You know it, don't you?
- Jo 知道什么？
Zhīdào shénme?
Know what?
- Beth 你知道了。我很高兴。我一直想告诉你，可是说不出来。
Nǐ zhīdào le. Wǒ hěn gāoxìng. Wǒ yìzhí xiǎng gàosu nǐ, kěshì shuō bu chūlai.
You know. I'm glad. I always wanted to tell you, but I couldn't say it.
- Jo 去年秋天，你的眼睛红红的。我还以为，是因为劳里。
Qùnián qiūtiān, nǐ de yǎnjing hónghóng de. Wǒ hái yǐwéi, shì yīnwèi Láolǐ.
Last autumn your eyes were red. I thought it was because of Laurie.
- Beth 劳里？我爱劳里，像爱哥哥一样。
Láolǐ? Wǒ ài Láolǐ, xiàng ài gēge yíyàng.
Laurie? I love Laurie like a brother.
- Jo 天哪！我都想错了！
Tiān na! Wǒ dōu xiǎng cuò le!
Good heavens! I had it all wrong!
- Beth 那时候，我就知道了。我不想让你们难过，就一直没说。
Nà shíhou, wǒ jiù zhīdào le. Wǒ bù xiǎng ràng nǐmen nánguò, jiù yìzhí méi shuō.
I already knew back then. I didn't want to make you all sad, so I kept quiet.
- Jo 你一定会好起来的！
Nǐ yídìng huì hǎo qǐlai de!
You're going to get well, I know it!
- Beth 我也很想，乔。可是我一天比一天累了。
Wǒ yě hěn xiǎng, Qiáo. Kěshì wǒ yì tiān bǐ yì tiān lèi le.
I want to, Jo, so much. But every day I'm a little more tired.
- Jo 别这么说，贝丝！
Bié zhème shuō, Bèisī!
Don't say that, Beth!
- Beth 乔，你看潮水。
Qiáo, nǐ kàn cháoshuǐ.
Jo, look at the tide.
- Beth 我就像潮水，走得很慢，可是谁也叫不回来。
Wǒ jiù xiàng cháoshuǐ, zǒu de hěn màn, kěshì shéi yě jiào bu huílai.
I'm like the tide. It goes out very slowly, but no one can call it back.
- Jo 不！潮水走了，还会回来的！
Bù! Cháoshuǐ zǒu le, hái huì huílai de!
No! The tide goes out, but it comes back again!
- Narrator 乔抱着贝丝，抱了很久，什么也没有说。
Qiáo bàozhe Bèisī, bào le hěn jiǔ, shénme yě méiyǒu shuō.
Jo held Beth for a long time, and said nothing.
- Beth 乔，回家以后，你帮我告诉爸爸妈妈，好吗？
Qiáo, huí jiā yǐhòu, nǐ bāng wǒ gàosu bàba māma, hǎo ma?
Jo, when we go home, will you tell Father and Marmee for me?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Beth say about the little thing in her hand?
“太重了，我拿不住”
- Why doesn't Jo want to say what she knows?
“可是我不想说。说出来，就真的是这样了”
- How does Beth love Laurie?
“我爱劳里，像爱哥哥一样”
- What does Beth say she is like?
“我就像潮水，走得很慢，可是谁也叫不回来”
- What does Beth ask Jo to do at home?
“你帮我告诉爸爸妈妈”