第 11 节
作者:换裁判      更新:2024-09-08 23:53      字数:9322
  there was no Mouse!
  HE has wriggled out and run away; and he is dancing a jig on the top
  of the cupboard!
  THE END
  43
  … Page 44…
  The Original Peter Rabbit Books
  THE TALE OF MR。 JEREMY
  FISHER
  FOR STEPHANIE FROM COUSIN B。
  ONCE   upon   a   time   there   was   a   frog   called   Mr。   Jeremy   Fisher;   he
  lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond。
  THE water was all slippy… sloppy in the larder and in the back passage。
  But Mr。 Jeremy liked getting his feet wet; nobody ever scolded him;
  and he never caught a cold!
  HE was quite pleased when he looked out and saw large drops of rain;
  splashing in the pond
  〃I WILL get some worms and go fishing and catch a dish of minnows
  for my dinner;〃 said Mr。 Jeremy Fisher。 〃If I catch more than five fish; I
  will   invite  my    friends  Mr。   Alderman     Ptolemy    Tortoise   and   Sir  Isaac
  Newton。 The Alderman; however; eats salad。〃
  MR。  JEREMY  put on   a   macintosh;  and   a   pair   of shiny  goloshes;   he
  took his rod and basket; and set off with enormous hops to the place where
  he kept his boat。
  THE boat was round and green; and very like the other lily…leaves。 It
  was tied to a water…plant in the middle of the pond。
  MR。   JEREMY  took   a   reed   pole;   and   pushed   the   boat   out   into   open
  water。 〃I know a good place for minnows;〃 said Mr。 Jeremy Fisher。
  MR。 JEREMY stuck his pole into the mud and fastened his boat to it。
  Then he settled himself cross…legged and arranged his fishing tackle。
  He had the dearest little red float。 His rod was a tough stalk of grass; his
  line was a fine long white horse…hair; and he tied a little wriggling worm at
  the end。
  THE rain trickled down his back; and for nearly an hour he stared at
  the float。
  〃This is getting tiresome; I think I should like some lunch;〃 said Mr。
  Jeremy Fisher。
  HE punted back again amongst the water… plants; and took some lunch
  out of his basket。
  44
  … Page 45…
  The Original Peter Rabbit Books
  〃I will eat a butterfly sandwich; and wait till the shower is over;〃 said
  Mr。 Jeremy Fisher。
  A   GREAT       big   water…beetle     came    up  underneath      the  lily  leaf  and
  tweaked the toe of one of his goloshes。
  Mr。   Jeremy   crossed   his   legs   up   shorter;   out   of   reach;   and   went   on
  eating his sandwich。
  ONCE   or   twice   something   moved   about   with   a   rustle   and   a   splash
  amongst the rushes at the side of the pond。
  〃I trust that is not a rat;〃 said Mr。 Jeremy Fisher; 〃I think I had better
  get away from here。〃
  MR。 JEREMY shoved the boat out again a little way; and dropped in
  the   bait。   There   was   a   bite   almost   directly;   the   float   gave   a   tremendous
  bobbit!
  〃A  minnow!   a   minnow!   I   have   him   by   the   nose!〃   cried   Mr。   Jeremy
  Fisher; jerking up his rod。
  BUT  what   a   horrible   surprise!   Instead   of   a   smooth   fat   minnow;   Mr。
  Jeremy landed little Jack Sharp the stickleback; covered with spines!
  THE   stickleback   floundered   about   the   boat;   pricking   and   snapping
  until he was quite out of breath。 Then he jumped back into the water。
  AND a shoal of other little fishes put their heads out; and laughed at
  Mr。 Jeremy Fisher。
  AND   while   Mr。   Jeremy   sat   disconsolately   on   the   edge   of   his   boat
  sucking his sore fingers and peering down into the watera MUCH worse
  thing   happened;   a   really   FRIGHTFUL  thing   it   would   have   been;   if   Mr。
  Jeremy had not been wearing a macintosh!
  A   GREAT       big   enormous      trout  came    upker…    pflop…p…p…p!     with   a
  splash and it seized Mr。 Jeremy with a snap; 〃Ow! Ow! Ow!〃 and then
  it turned and dived down to the bottom of the pond!
  BUT the trout was so displeased with the taste of the macintosh; that in
  less   than   half   a  minute    it  spat  him    out  again;   and    the  only   thing   it
  swallowed was Mr。 Jeremy's goloshes。
  MR。 JEREMY bounced up to the surface of the water; like a cork and
  the bubbles out of a soda water bottle; and he swam with all his might to
  the edge of the pond。
  45
  … Page 46…
  The Original Peter Rabbit Books
  HE scrambled out on the first bank he came to; and he hopped home
  across the meadow with his macintosh all in tatters。
  〃WHAT a mercy that was not a pike!〃 said Mr。 Jeremy Fisher。 〃I have
  lost my rod and basket; but it does not much matter; for I am sure I should
  never have dared to go fishing again!〃
  HE put some sticking plaster on his fingers; and his friends both came
  to dinner。 He could not offer them fish; but he had something else in his
  larder。
  SIR ISAAC NEWTON wore his black and gold waistcoat;
  AND  Mr。 Alderman   Ptolemy Tortoise   brought a   salad   with   him  in   a
  string bag。
  AND      instead    of   a  nice   dish   of   minnowsthey       had    a  roasted
  grasshopper with lady…bird sauce; which frogs consider a beautiful treat;
  but _I_ think it must have been nasty!
  THE END
  46
  … Page 47…
  The Original Peter Rabbit Books
  THE TALE OF TIMMY TIPTOES
  FOR     MANY        UNKNOWN            LITTLE      FRIENDS;        INCLUDING
  MONICA
  ONCE   upon   a   time   there   was   a   little   fat   comfortable   grey   squirrel;
  called Timmy Tiptoes。 He had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a
  tall tree; and he had a little squirrel wife called Goody。
  TIMMY  TIPTOES   sat   out;   enjoying   the   breeze;   he   whisked   his   tail
  and   chuckled   〃Little   wife   Goody;   the   nuts   are   ripe;   we   must   lay   up   a
  store for winter and spring。〃 Goody Tiptoes was busy pushing moss under
  the   thatch〃The   nest   is   so   snug;   we   shall   be   sound   asleep   all   winter。〃
  〃Then   we   shall   wake   up   all   the   thinner;   when   there   is   nothing   to   eat   in
  spring…time;〃 replied prudent Timothy。
  WHEN Timmy and Goody Tiptoes came to the nut thicket; they found
  other squirrels were there already。
  Timmy took off his jacket and hung it on a twig; they worked away
  quietly by themselves。
  EVERY day they made several journeys and picked quantities of nuts。
  They carried them away in bags; and stored them in several hollow stumps
  near the tree where they had built their nest。
  WHEN  these stumps   were   full; they  began   to   empty  the   bags   into   a
  hole high up a tree; that had belonged to a wood…pecker; the nuts rattled
  downdown down inside。
  〃How shall you ever get them out again? It is like a money…box!〃 said
  Goody。
  〃I   shall   be   much   thinner   before   spring…time;   my   love;〃   said   Timmy
  Tiptoes; peeping into the hole。
  THEY      did   collect   quantities    because    they   did   not   lose   them!
  Squirrels who bury their nuts in the ground lose more than half; because
  they cannot remember the place。
  The most forgetful squirrel in the wood was called Silvertail。 He began
  to dig; and he could not remember。 And then he dug again and found some
  nuts that did not belong to him; and there was a fight。 And other squirrels
  47
  … Page 48…
  The Original Peter Rabbit Books
  began to dig;the whole wood was in commotion!
  UNFORTUNATELY;   just   at   this   time   a   flock   of   little   birds   flew   by;
  from bush to bush; searching for green caterpillars and spiders。 There were
  several sorts of little birds; twittering different songs。
  The   first   one   sang   〃Who's   bin   digging…up   MY   nuts?   Who's…been…
  digging… up MY nuts?〃
  And another sang〃Little bita bread and…NO…cheese! Little bit…a…bread
  an'…NO… cheese!〃
  THE squirrels followed and listened。 The first little bird flew into the
  bush where Timmy and Goody Tiptoes were quietly tying up their bags;
  and   it   sang〃Who's…   bin   digging…up   MY   nuts?   Who's   been   digging…up
  MY… nuts?〃
  Timmy  Tiptoes   went   on   with   his   work   without   replying;   indeed;   the
  little bird did not expect an answer。 It was only singing its natural song;
  and it meant nothing at all。
  BUT     when    the   other   squirrels   heard   that  song;   they   rushed    upon
  Timmy Tiptoes and cuffed and scratche