新葉子

張恒

“Why are you crying， Little Cat？” asked Little Dog.

“你為什么哭啊，小貓？”小狗問。

“Because my paws are so cold！” said Little Cat. “I have been digging in the snow and I cannot find one.”

“因為我的爪子很冷！”小貓說?！拔乙恢痹谘├锿?，卻一片也找不到?！?/p>

“One what？” asked Little Dog.

“找一片什么？”小狗問。

“One new leaf.”

“一片新葉子。”

“What do you want of a new leaf？”

“你要一片新葉子干什么？”

“I want to turn it over， but there just arent any to turn.”

“我想把它翻過來，但一片都沒有。”

“Of course there arent！” said Little Dog. “It is winter.”

“當(dāng)然沒有！“小狗說?！艾F(xiàn)在是冬天?！?/p>

“But Little Girl is going to find one，” said Little Cat. “I heard her mother say to her， ‘You really must turn over a new leaf！ and she said， ‘I truthfully will， Mamma！ and when Little Girl says she truthfully will she always does. Then her mother kissed her， and said everybody had to turn over new leaves now， and she had some of her own to turn， so she knew just how it was. The door shut then—on the tip of my tail， too—and I heard no more; but what do you suppose it means？”

“但小女孩要找，”小貓咪說?！拔衣牭剿龐寢寣λf：‘你真得必須翻一片新葉子（改過自新）！她說：‘我一定會的，媽媽！”小女孩真心答應(yīng)了，她就一定會做到。然后她媽媽親親她說，現(xiàn)在每個人都得把新葉子翻過來，她自己也有一些要翻，所以她知道是怎么回事。然后門關(guān)上了，差點夾到我的尾巴尖，后面的就沒聽到了。你覺得這是什么意思呢？”

Little Dog shook his head. “We must ask somebody，” he said. “Let me see！Great Old Dog is out for a walk， and Crosspatch1 Parrot bit me the last time I asked her a question.”

小狗搖了搖頭?！拔覀兊脝枂杽e人，”他說?！白屛蚁胂耄〈罄瞎烦鋈ド⒉搅?，上一次我問那只壞脾氣的鸚鵡問題時，她咬了我一口。”

“I know，” said Little Cat. “We will ask Old Cat in the Barn2. She knows a good many things， and if she isnt catching rats—but she generally is—she will tell us.”

“我知道，”小貓說?！拔覀?nèi)枂柟葌}里的老貓。她知道很多事情，如果她不是在抓老鼠的話——但她通常都在抓——她會告訴我們的?！?/p>

They found Old Cat in the Barn sitting on a truss of hay， washing herself. She listened to Little Cats story， and her green eyes twinkled.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)谷倉里的老貓正坐在一捆干草上洗臉。她聽了小貓的故事，綠色的眼睛閃閃發(fā)光。

“So you have been looking for new leaves under the snow！” she said.

“所以你一直在雪下面尋找新的葉子！”她說。

“Yes，” said Little Cat. “First I looked on the trees， and there werent any there; so I thought it must be leaves of plants and things， so I scratched3 and dug till my poor paws were almost quite frozen， but not one single scrap4 of a leaf could I find.”

“是的，”小貓說。“我先在樹上找了找，什么也沒有，所以我想一定是植物的葉子和其它的東西，所以我就挖啊挖，直到我可憐的爪子幾乎都凍住了，卻一片葉子也沒找到?！?/p>

“This barn is full of them！” said Old Cat in the Barn.

谷倉里的老貓說：“這個谷倉里裝滿了樹葉！”

“Full of leaves！” cried Little Cat and Little Dog together. “What can you mean， Old Cat？ We dont call hay5 leaves！”

“裝滿樹葉！“小貓和小狗一起叫道?！澳闶裁匆馑迹县?？干草可不是葉子！”

“How many rats have you caught this week？” asked Old Cat， turning to Little Dog.

“這周你抓了多少只老鼠？”老貓問小狗。

“None！” said Little Dog. “The last rat I caught bit me horridly; besides， they are odious6， vulgar7 beasts， and I dont care to have anything to do with them.”

“一只也沒有！”小狗說?！拔疑洗巫サ降哪侵焕鲜笠Я宋乙豢冢鼈兪强蓯?、粗俗的野獸，我不想和它們有任何關(guān)系?！?/p>

“Little Cat， how many mice have you caught in the kitchen this week？” said Old Cat.

老貓說：“小貓，這周你在廚房抓了多少老鼠？”

Little Cat hung her head. “I havent caught any，” she said. “I dont care for mice， the flavor is too strong; I like cream better.”

小貓垂著頭?！拔乙恢灰矝]抓到，”她說?！拔也幌矚g老鼠，味道太臭了，我更喜歡奶油?！?/p>

Old Cat， with her green eyes shot out sparks， and her fur began to stand up， said， “Now， you two， listen to me！Why do you think the Big People keep you？ Because you are soft and pretty and foolish？ Not at all！They keep you because you are supposed to be useful. Your mother， Little Cat， was a hard-working， self-respecting mouser， who caught her daily mouse as regularly as she ate her daily bread and milk. Your father， Little Dog， hunted rats with me in this barn as long as he had legs to stand upon， and between us we kept the place in tolerable8 order. Great Old Dog cannot be expected to hunt at his age， and besides， he is too big; one might as well hunt with an ox. But since your parents died you two lazy children have done next to nothing， and what is the consequence9？ I am worked to skin and bone， and the mice are all over the house; I heard Cook say so. Mind what I say： No creature， with four legs or two， is worth his salt unless he earns it， in one way or another. Now， what have you to say for yourselves？”

老貓的綠眼睛射出火花，她的毛都豎起來了，說道：“你們兩個，聽我說！為什么你們認(rèn)為大人物會養(yǎng)你們？因為你們溫柔、漂亮又愚蠢？絕對不是！他們養(yǎng)你們是因為你們有用。你媽媽，小貓，是一個勤勞、有自尊心的捕鼠健將，她每天抓老鼠就像每天吃面包和牛奶一樣規(guī)律。你父親，小狗，只要他的腿能站起來就會和我一起在這個谷倉里捕鼠，我們將這個地方的秩序維持得很好。大老狗在他這個年紀(jì)是不可能捕獵了，而且它個子太大了，還不如用一頭牛去捕獵。但是，自從你們的父母去世后，你們兩個懶惰的孩子幾乎什么也沒做，結(jié)果怎么樣呢？我吃苦耐勞地工作，可家里到處都是老鼠，我聽見廚子這么說的。記住我說的話：任何一個四腳或兩腳的生物除非是以某種方式來賺錢，否則都不該吃白食?，F(xiàn)在，你們有什么要說的嗎？”

“Miaouw！” said Little Cat. “I am very sorry， Old Cat.”

“喵！“小貓說?！拔液鼙福县?。

“Yap！Yap！” said Little Dog. “I am sorry too， Old Cat.”

“是的！是的！“小狗說?！拔乙埠鼙?，老貓?！?/p>

“Very well！” said Old Cat in the Barn. “Then turn over a new leaf！”

“很好！“谷倉里的老貓說?！澳蔷蛽Q一片新的葉子吧！”

“Miaouw！” “Yap！” “That is just what we want to do！” said Little Cat and Little Dog together， “but we cant find any.”

“喵！”“是的！”“這正是我們想要做的！”小貓和小狗一起說，”但我們找不到。”

“The fact is，” said Old Cat in the Barn， “it is one of the foolish ways of speaking that the Big People have. It just means， stop being bad and begin to be good. Now do you see？”

“事實是，”谷倉里的老貓說，“這是大人物一種愚蠢的說話方式。意思是停止變壞，開始變好?，F(xiàn)在你們明白了嗎？”

“Now I see. I will go and catch a mouse this minute， Old Cat.” said Little Cat.

小貓說：“現(xiàn)在我明白了。我馬上去抓老鼠，老貓。”

“Wuff！” said Little Dog， “I see， too， and I will come and hunt rats with you， Old Cat.”

“嗚汪！”小狗說，“我也明白了，我也要跟你一起去捉老鼠，老貓?！?/p>

“That is right！Go to work， like good children， and as I may have been rather short with you lately I will turn over a new leaf， too， and ask you both to supper with me in my hay-parlor10. Cook gave me the bones of the Christmas goose， and we will have a great feast，” said Old Cat in the Barn.

谷倉里的老貓說：“這就對了！像好孩子一樣去工作，因為我最近可能對你們很無禮，我也要改過，重新開始，請你們倆在我的干草垛上和我一起吃晚飯。廚子把圣誕燒鵝的骨頭給了我，我們可以來一場盛宴了。”