親愛的長腿叔叔：

    你應該看看我們全校都在努力啃書！我們把剛過完的假期忘得精光。過去四天裹我背了五十七個不規則動詞，但願考試前不會忘記。

    有的女孩把念過的課本掉了，我打算全部留著。畢業後好把我受過的教育陳列在書架上，如果要查詢資料，還可以隨時翻閱。這比全部記在腦子裹要容易得多，也更準確。

     晚上，朱麗雅˙彭德爾頓突然來我這裹做禮貌性的拜訪，坐了整整一個小時。她談開了家庭，我無法打斷這個話題。她要知道我母親的娘家姓―你聽過有誰這樣冒昧問孤兒院的人這種問題嗎？我沒有勇氣說我不曉得，只得可憐巴巴地隨口瞎說了一個―蒙哥馬利。她又追問是麻薩諸塞的蒙哥馬利家族，還是維吉尼亞州的蒙哥馬利家族。

     她的母親姓路德福特，這一姓氏可以上溯到方舟時代，還曾經和亨利八世聯姻。她父親那一方始於亞當之前。她家系中最早的一支，是一群毛色柔美、尾巴奇長的良種猿猴。

     今天晚上，本來想高高興興寫信給你，但我太睏了，而且憂心忡忡。大一學生可真苦。

快要考試的朱蒂˙艾博特

考試前夕

On the Eve

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

     You should see the way this college Is studying!  We’ve forgotten we ever had a vacation.  Fifty-seven irregular verbs have I introduced to my brain in the past four days―I’m only hoping they’ll stay till after examinations.

     Some of the girls sell their textbooks when they’re through with them, but I intend to keep mine.  Then after I’ve graduated I shall have my whole education in a row n the bookcase, and when I need to use any detail, I can turn to it without the slightest hesitation.  So much easier and more accurate than trying to keep it in your head.

     Julia Pendleton dropped in this evening to pay a social call, and stayed a solid hour.  She got started on the subject of family, and I couldn’t switch her off.  She wanted to know what my mother’s maiden name was ―did you ever hear such an impertinent question to ask of a person from a founding asylum?  I didn’t have the courage to say I didn’t know, so I just miserably plumped on the first name I could think of, and that was Montgomery.  Then she wanted to know whether I belonged to the Massachusetts Montgomerys or the Virginia Montgomerys.

     Her mother was a Rutherford.  The family came over in the ark[基督教聖經中為避洪水而造的方形大船。], and were connected by marriage with Henry the Eighth.  On her father’s side they date back further than Adam[亞當，基督教聖經中人類的始祖。].  On the topmost branches of her family tree there’s a superior breed of monkeys, with very fine silky hair and extra long tails.

     I meant to write you a nice, cheerful, entertaining letter tonight, but I’m too sleepy―and scared.  The freshman’s lot is not a happy one.

Yours, about to be examined,

Judy Abbott