Laurie had had some English friends, boys and girls, visiting him during the summer, and the March family were invited to join many walks and river trips, but it was now September, and Laurie was alone again. On one occasion Laurie, from where he lay in his garden, saw the sisters get out for a walk.

　　“Where are those girls going?” he thought. Each wore a large hat, each had a bag over her shoulder, and each carried a stick in her hand. Meg had a cushion, Jo a book, Beth a basket, and Amy her drawing materials. They walked one behind the other, through the garden gate, going down the road and began to climb a hill leading to the wood on the top.

　　“Well! Fancy2 going off like that and not asking me!” Laurie decided to follow them and see what it all meant.

　　By the time he was ready to go, the girls could not be seen, but at last he came upon them seated on the ground under some trees. Laurie stood unnoticed behind a tree watching them. It was a pretty picture. Meg was sewing, Beth playing with her dolls, Amy was drawing, and Jo was making some socks as she read aloud.

　　The boy who watched felt that he should not have come and ought to go away. But he was lonely and stayed. Presently Beth looked up, saw Laurie and smiled.

　　“May I come in, please, or shall I be a nuisance3?” he asked.

　　Jo said, “Of course you may. We should have asked you before, only we thought you wouldn’t care for such a girls’ game as this. You see, we used to play at Pilgrim’s4 Progress, and this summer we deiced to go on with it in the open air. As part of the game we wear old hats, and used the sticks to help us climb the hill.”

　　“Well,” said Meg, “as it is against our rules for anybody to be idle5 here, you take the book and finish reading the story while Jo goes on with her socks.”

　　“Yes, Ma’am,” replied Laurie. “I’ll do anything if you’ll let me stay a bit, for it’s dull as a desert down there alone.” The story was not a long one, and, when it was finished, they sat for a time talking of all the things each wanted to do in the future.

　　“Wouldn’t it be fun if all the things we dream of doing could come true?” said Jo. “Let us each tell what we would most like to do. What about you, Laurie?”

　　“If I tell you, will you tell me?”

　　“Yes, if the others will too.”

　　“We will. Now begin, Laurie.”

　　“Well,” said Laurie, “I should like to travel. Then after I had seen as much of the world as I wanted to, I would live in this country and become a famous musician. I never want to be troubled about money or business, but just to enjoy myself. That’s my favorite dream. What is yours, Meg?”

　　Meg thought for a moment before saying, “I should like a lovely house, full of beautiful things, nice food, pretty clothes, pleasant people. I am to be mistress of the house, have plenty of money and servants, so that I need never work a bit. How I should enjoy it! I would do good though, and make everybody love me.”

　　“Wouldn’t you have a master in your house?” asked Laurie, with a smile.

　　“I said ‘pleasant people’,” and Meg bent to fasten her shoe as she spoke, so that her face could not be seen.

　　“Why don’t you say you’d have a splendid wise husband and some little children? You know your dream house wouldn’t be perfect without,” said Jo.

　　“You would have nothing but horses, pens and ink and books in yours，” answered Meg.

　　“Yes, that’s quite true. I’d have lots of Arabian horses and room full of books, and write a magic pen so that my works would be as famous as Laurie’s music. I want to do something splendid, something wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I am dead. I don’t know what it will be, but I mean to astonish you all some day. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous. That is my favourite dream.”

　　“Mine is to stay at home safe with Father and Mother, and help take care of the family,” said Beth contentedly.

　　“Don’t you wish for anything else?” asked Laurie.

　　“Since I have my piano, I am perfectly satisfied. I only wish we may all keep well and be together. Nothing else.”

　　“I have so many wishes,” said Amy, “but my pet one is to be an artist, to go to Rome to paint fine pictures, and to be the best artist in the whole world.”

　　“We do want a lot, don’t we?” said Laurie.

　　“Except Beth, we all want to be rich and famous. I wonder if any of us will get our wishes.”

　　“Well, if we are all alive in ten years’ time, let’s meet and see how much nearer we are than now,” said Jo, always ready with a plan.

　　“How very old we shall all be then?” exclaimed Meg. “I shall be twenty-seven.”

　　“You and I will be twenty-six, Laurie, Beth twenty-three, and Amy twenty-two. What an ancient party!” said Jo.

　　“I hope I shall have done something to be proud of by that time, Jo but I am so lazy,” said Laurie.

　　“Mother says you need something to work for, and, when you have it, she is sure you will work splendidly.”

　　“Does she really? I will if I get the chance,” cried Laurie.

　　“I do try to please my grandfather, but he wants me to be a merchant, as he was. I hate all the things his old ships bring, and don’t care how soon they go to the bottom6 when I own them. But I’ve got to do as he did, unless I break away like my father. If there was anybody left to stay with the old gentleman, I’d run away tomorrow.”

　　“I advise you to sail away in one of your ships, and never come home again till you have tried your own way,” said Jo.

　　“That’s not right, Jo. You mustn’t talk in that way, and Laurie mustn’t take your bad advice,” said Meg.

　　But the talk was stopped by the sound of a distant bell, and they knew they would have to hurry to get home in time for supper.

　　“May I come again, please?” asked Laurie, as they all stopped to say good-night.

　　“Yes, if you are good and always do your duty, as boys in the lesson books are told to do,” said Meg, smiling.

　　“I’ll try.”

　　“Then you may come, and I’ll teach you to make socks. Everybody wants them just now,” added Jo, waving hers as they parted at the gates.

　　劳里有一些英国朋友，有男有女，他们夏天前来拜访。而马奇家也应邀参加了许多次沿河漫步。可是现在已经九月，劳里又孤单一人了。有一次劳里躺在自家花园，看到她们姐妹们正要出去散步。

　　“她们要到哪儿去呢？”他想。她们每人头戴一顶大大的帽子，肩上扛着一个布袋，手里还拿着一根小棍。梅格拿着一个坐垫，乔拿着一本书，贝丝拿着一个篮子，艾米拿着绘画材料。她们一个接一个穿过花园门口，走下小径，开始攀登一座小山，山顶上有片树林。