第14章

星期日

最亲爱的长腿叔叔：

我有个很不好很不好的消息要告诉您，不过我不会以此为开头，我要先让您的心情好起来。

乔若莎·亚伯特已经开始要成为作家了。一首名叫《我的阁楼》的诗，在二月的《月刊》上刊载了——在首页，对一名新生来说，这是非常大的荣耀。我会寄一份给您，这样您就可以读到它了。

让我看看能不能想点其他令人高兴的事——哦，有了！我自己正悄悄地学溜冰，可以自由地滑来滑去。还有，我也学会了如何用绳索从体育馆的屋顶爬下来，我能跨过3英尺6英寸高的栏杆——希望不久后可以提升到4英尺。

现在要告诉您那坏消息了——勇敢点，茱蒂！你一定要讲出来。

您“确定”现在心情愉快吗？我的几何学跟拉丁文没有及格。我正在重读，下个月要补考。如果让您生气了，我很抱歉，不过，我不是很在意，因为我学了这么多学校目录上没有的东西。我已经读了17本小说，还有一堆诗。

如果我保证以后绝不再失败，您能原谅我吗？

您悲伤的，茱蒂

Sunday

Dearest Daddy-Long-Legs,

I have some awful, awful, awful news to tell you, but I won't begin with it;I'll try to get you in a good humour first.

Jerusha Abbott has commenced to be an author. A poem entitled, From my Tower, appears in the February Monthly-on the first page, which is a very great honour for a Freshman.My English instructor stopped me on the way out from chapel last night, and said it was a charming piece of work except for the sixth line, which had too many feet.I will send you a copy in case you care to read it.

Let me see if I can't think of something else pleasant-Oh, yes!I'm learning to skate, and can glide about quite respectably all by myself. Also I've learned how to slide down a rope from the roof of the gymnasium, and I can vault a bar three feet and six inches high-I hope shortly to pull up to four feet.

Now for the news-courage, Judy!-you must tell.

Are you SURELY in a good humour?I failed in mathematics and Latin prose. I am tutoring in them, and will take another examination next month.I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but otherwise I don't care a bit because I've learned such a lot of things not mentioned in the catalogue.I've read seventeen novels and bushels of poetry.

Will you forgive me this once if I promise never to fail again?

Yours in sackcloth,

Judy