Laurie给Mr.Brooke为Meg准备的小屋命名为‘Dovecote’ ，说非常适合给像一对斑鸠一样谈情说爱的温存情侣一起居住。
Laurie had christened it, saying it was highly appropriate to the gentle lovers who `went on together like a pair of turtledoves, with first a bill and then a coo'.
christen 【v】为……命名；给……施洗；隆重的首次使用
bill and coo【na.】（鸽子）触喙；比喻（男女间）相互接吻，谈情说爱
Meg准备在屋后的花园里造一个喷泉，种上一些灌木和可爱的花儿。
Here Meg meant to have a fountain, shrubbery, and a profusion of lovely flowers, though just at present the fountain was represented by a weather-beaten urn, very like a dilapidated slopbowl, the shrubbery consisted of several young larches, undecided whether to live or die, and the profusion of flowers was merely hinted by regiments of sticks to show where seeds were planted.
shrubbery【n】灌木丛；灌木丛生的地方；络腮胡
profusion【n】大量；众多
a profusion of 表示大量的丰富的，与 a large quantity of / a large number of 同义，都用于可数名词；表示此类意思的用于不可数名词的有 a whole lot of / a great deal of；plenty of 既可用于可数名词也可用于不可数名词。
weather-beaten【adj】饱经风霜; 经风吹雨打的；被风雨弄坏的
名词+动词-ed/-ing是一种常见的合成形容词，主动的用-ing，被动的用-ed，e.g.time-comsuming / peace-loving /eye-catching / poverty-stricken / heart-broken 。其他组合形式还有：名词+形容词，e.g.oil-rich / duty-free / life-long。
urn【n】瓮；缸；（尤指）骨灰盒
dilapidated【adj】破烂的；年久失修的
slopbowl【n】废水盂
larches【n】落叶松木材
hint【v】暗示；表明；透露
regiment【n】组织；大量
regiments of 跟前面的 a profusion of 用法类似
目前的喷泉被一个饱经风霜的像破烂废水桶的大缸代替，灌木丛里只有几颗小小的松树，能不能存活还尚未可知，至于花丛，现在只仅仅能够通过土里竖起的几根枝条判断出播种的地方。
虽然外面看起来有些破旧，但‘Dovecote’内部还是很有吸引力的，Meg非常喜欢。
But inside, it was altogether charming, and the happy bride saw no fault from garret to cellar.
see no fault 看不出错误，可以理解为哪儿哪儿都喜欢，无论是阁楼还是地窖，Meg都喜欢的不得了。
There were no marble-topped tables, long mirrors, or lace curtains in the little parlor, but simple furniture, plenty of books, a fine picture or two, a stand of flowers in the bay window, and, scattered all about, the pretty gifts which came from friendly hands and were the fairer for the loving messages they brought.
marble-topped【adj】大理石顶的
fairer【n】露天游乐场；集市；展销会
屋子里没有大理石桌面的桌子，长的全身镜，小小的客厅里也没有蕾丝的窗帘，但简单的家具，一摞摞书，一两幅优美的画像，凸窗前的一把鲜花，以及散布在屋里各处的朋友们赠送的礼物都是都是对他们带来爱意的最好展示。
a wonderful boiler which would wash articles in its own steam with every prospect of exploding in the process.
article【n】文章；物品；产品；杂物
一个每次沸腾都会洗掉水汽里杂物的水壶。
屋内收拾好之后，姐妹们在讨论是否需要佣人的事情，Ms.March教导女儿们：
It's a great mistake for young girls like Meg to leave themselves nothing to do but dress, give orders, and gossip. When I was first married, I used to long for my new clothes to wear out or get torn, so that i might have the pleasure of mending them, for I got heartily sick of doing fancywork and tending my pocket handkerchief.
对于像Meg一样的年轻女孩，每天只是穿衣打扮、发号施令、八卦，其他什么事都不做这样是不对的。我刚结婚的时候，常常期待新衣服能够穿旧或者穿破，这样我就，可以享受修补它们的乐趣，因为我已经对刺绣、缝补手帕感到厌烦。
在上大学的Laurie也回来祝贺Meg新婚快乐，还是一样的孩子气，一一问候大家：
"For Mrs. John Brooke, with the maker's congratulations and compliments. Bless you, Beth! What a refreshing spectacle you are, Jo. Amy, you are getting altogether too handsome for a single lady."
短暂聚后，大家又各自忙去了为明天婚礼做准备，Jo严肃地跟Laurie说：
You must promise to behave well, and not cut up any pranks, and spoil our plans
cut up means to behave in a humorous and disruptive way
prank【n】恶作剧；鬼把戏
play a prank on sb 对某人开玩笑，这里的 cut up pranks 也是开玩笑，恶作剧的意思
