“Yes.”

“Thank you for your Christmas present! We had such a wonderful dinner.”

“My grandpa sent it.”

“But you told him to do so, didn’t you, Mr. Laurence?”

“Please, Miss March, call me Laurie”, asked the boy.

“Then I am just Jo and not Miss March.”

They talked and talked. Laurie told her about his voyage to Paris, how he learned French. Jo was very curious how old he was, and he told her that he was going to be sixteen next month. Then they heard nice fast music and Laurie said he wanted to go dancing.

“But I can’t go!” said Jo.

“Why?”

“You won’t tell anyone?” asked Jo

“Never!”

“I stood near the fireplace and burned the back of my dress. You can laugh, if you want.”

Laurie didn’t laugh. “You know what? We can go to the hall, there are no people in the hall, we can dance there. No one will see your burned dress.”

The went dancing and danced until they saw Meg. She went looking for her sister. Her shoes were too small and she hurt her foot. Laurie offered to go in his carriage and they went talking about this evening.

__________

*shake hands – здороваться за руки

Chapter 4

Christmas holidays were over.

“I wish it were Christmas or New Year all the time!” said Jo.

“What’s the use of* looking pretty if no one sees it, only my sisters?” said Meg angrily.

Beth was lying on the some with her cat and three kittens.

“Beth, keep your cats in the cellar. I don’t want them here!” said Meg.

Amy was crying because she couldn’t do Maths’ exercise.

“This is such an angry family!” cried Jo.

“But you are the angriest!” said Amy.

“Girls, can you be quiet for a minute! I need to finish my mail,” said Mother.

Soon, the girls left the house but continued arguing.

When Mr. March lost a lot of money, two eldest girls asked to help the family. Margaret found a job as a nurse and felt rich with her small salary. It was harder for her to live like this because she remembered the times when they were rich. She was envious of dresses, concerts, pretty things and happy friends other girls had.

Jo helped Aunt March. He didn’t like the job very much but took it anyway as there wasn’t anything better. No one could understand how Jo could be friendly with such a grumpy lady. But the old lady had a big library with books which Jo liked very much. Every time Aunt March went to sleep and wanted to sit in silence, Jo went into the library and read books.

Beth was very shy and couldn’t go to school so she had lessons at home. She studied with father, but then he went to the army and she studied alone. Every morning she dressed her six old and broken dolls which she got from her sisters, but she loved them. After that she helped Hannah.

She also loved music. She wanted to have a good piano and music lessons but the family only had old broken piano which played very bad. She sometimes cried when the broken piano couldn’t make the sound she needed.

Amy was said because she didn’t like her nose. She hoped the nose would grow better. She also liked drawing and could spend hours drawing flowers and animals. She also didn’t like the clothes she wore. They were good and net, but didn’t have the taste.

The evening came and the girls returned home. Jo told them how today, she took a nice book from the library and read it to the Aunt March. And she liked it better than her old boring book she usually read!

Then the girls asked their mother to tell a story.

“Once upon a time there were four girls,” mother started. “They had food and clothes, friends and kind parents but they were not happy. They always complained and wanted more. Once they met an old woman who knew magic and they asked her for a spell. The old woman said ‘When you feel unhappy, think about what you already have and say thanks for this.’ The girls tried saying thanks for what they had and soon became happy. They had food and clothes; they were young and could play games with each other.”

“Thank you, mother, for the story. Now we understand. And we will never forget this story.”

__________

*What’s the use of – в чем смысл

Chapter 5

A few days passed and Jo didn’t see Laurence. Then once, she went outside and saw his pale face in the window and decided that he needed help.

She threw a snowball at his window.

“How are you? Are you sick?” shouted Jo.

Laurie opened the window and said in a quiet voice. “Better, thank you. I had a cold* and my grandpa closed me in for a week.”

“Do you want me to read to you? I can come.”

“Will you?” asked Laurie.

“Yes, I will go and ask my mother.”

She came to Laurie with a dish from mother, dessert from Meg and kittens from Beth. Jo helped him to clean the room and they talked a lot. Jo understood that Laurie is lonely in this big house with no sisters or brothers and invited him to go her house. She also found that Laurie liked books too and read more books than Jo.

“You can come to our house and read books,” said Laurie. “Don’t be afraid of my grandpa.”

“I’m not afraid of anyone! Well, maybe a little of your grandpa.” said Jo.

Laurie went to show Jo rooms and books in the library. Then the doctor came and Laurie left Jo for a few minutes. Jo came to a portrait of his grandpa and looked at it.

“You know, your grandpa is not that scary. His mouth looks angry, but he has kind eyes. I like him.”

“Thank you, young lady,” said an old voice. It wasn’t Laurie, it was Mr. Laurence.

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