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小说: the water-babies 字数: 每页4000字

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babies?〃

And the sea…snails answered; 〃Whence we come we know not; and whither we are going; who can tell?  We float out our life in the mid…ocean; with the warm sunshine above our heads; and the warm gulf…stream below; and that is enough for us。  Yes; perhaps we have seen the water…babies。  We have seen many strange things as we sailed along。〃  And they floated away; the happy stupid things; and all went ashore upon the sands。

Then there came in a great lazy sunfish; as big as a fat pig cut in half; and he seemed to have been cut in half too; and squeezed in a clothes…press till he was flat; but to all his big body and big fins he had only a little rabbit's mouth; no bigger than Tom's; and; when Tom questioned him; he answered in a little squeaky feeble voice:

〃I'm sure I don't know; I've lost my way。  I meant to go to the Chesapeake; and I'm afraid I've got wrong somehow。  Dear me! it was all by following that pleasant warm water。  I'm sure I've lost my way。〃

And; when Tom asked him again; he could only answer; 〃I've lost my way。  Don't talk to me; I want to think。〃

But; like a good many other people; the more he tried to think the less he could think; and Tom saw him blundering about all day; till the coast…guardsmen saw his big fin above the water; and rowed out; and struck a boat…hook into him; and took him away。  They took him up to the town and showed him for a penny a head; and made a good day's work of it。  But of course Tom did not know that。

Then there came by a shoal of porpoises; rolling as they went … papas; and mammas; and little children … and all quite smooth and shiny; because the fairies French…polish them every morning; and they sighed so softly as they came by; that Tom took courage to speak to them:  but all they answered was; 〃Hush; hush; hush;〃 for that was all they had learnt to say。

And then there came a shoal of basking sharks' some of them as long as a boat; and Tom was frightened at them。  But they were very lazy good…natured fellows; not greedy tyrants; like white sharks and blue sharks and ground sharks and hammer…heads; who eat men; or saw…fish and threshers and ice…sharks; who hunt the poor old whales。  They came and rubbed their great sides against the buoy; and lay basking in the sun with their backfins out of water; and winked at Tom:  but he never could get them to speak。  They had eaten so many herrings that they were quite stupid; and Tom was glad when a collier brig came by and frightened them all away; for they did smell most horribly; certainly; and he had to hold his nose tight as long as they were there。

And then there came by a beautiful creature; like a ribbon of pure silver with a sharp head and very long teeth; but it seemed very sick and sad。  Sometimes it rolled helpless on its side; and then it dashed away glittering like white fire; and then it lay sick again and motionless。

〃Where do you come from?〃 asked Tom。  〃And why are YOU so sick and sad?〃

〃I come from the warm Carolinas; and the sandbanks fringed with pines; where the great owl…rays leap and flap; like giant bats; upon the tide。  But I wandered north and north; upon the treacherous warm gulf…stream; till I met with the cold icebergs; afloat in the mid ocean。  So I got tangled among the icebergs; and chilled with their frozen breath。  But the water…babies helped me from among them; and set me free again。  And now I am mending every day; but I am very sick and sad; and perhaps I shall never get home again to play with the owl…rays any more。〃

〃Oh!〃 cried Tom。  〃And you have seen water…babies?  Have you seen any near here?〃

〃Yes; they helped me again last night; or I should have been eaten by a great black porpoise。〃

How vexatious!  The water…babies close to him; and yet he could not find one。

And then he left the buoy; and used to go along the sands and round the rocks; and come out in the night … like the forsaken Merman in Mr。 Arnold's beautiful; beautiful poem; which you must learn by heart some day … and sit upon a point of rock; among the shining sea…weeds; in the low October tides; and cry and call for the water…babies; but he never heard a voice call in return。  And at last; with his fretting and crying; he grew quite lean and thin。

But one day among the rocks he found a playfellow。  It was not a water…baby; alas! but it was a lobster; and a very distinguished lobster he was; for he had live barnacles on his claws; which is a great mark of distinction in lobsterdom; and no more to be bought for money than a good conscience or the Victoria Cross。

Tom had never seen a lobster before; and he was mightily taken with this one; for he thought him the most curious; odd; ridiculous creature he had ever seen; and there he was not far wrong; for all the ingenious men; and all the scientific men; and all the fanciful men; in the world; with all the old German bogy…painters into the bargain; could never invent; if all their wits were boiled into one; anything so curious; and so ridiculous; as a lobster。

He had one claw knobbed and the other jagged; and Tom delighted in watching him hold on to the seaweed with his knobbed claw; while he cut up salads with his jagged one; and then put them into his mouth; after smelling at them; like a monkey。  And always the little barnacles threw out their casting…nets and swept the water; and came in for their share of whatever there was for dinner。

But Tom was most astonished to see how he fired himself off … snap! like the leap…frogs which you make out of a goose's breast…bone。 Certainly he took the most wonderful shots; and backwards; too。 For; if he wanted to go into a narrow crack ten yards off; what do you think he did?  If he had gone in head foremost; of course he could not have turned round。  So he used to turn his tail to it; and lay his long horns; which carry his sixth sense in their tips (and nobody knows what that sixth sense is); straight down his back to guide him; and twist his eyes back till they almost came out of their sockets; and then made ready; present; fire; snap! … and away he went; pop into the hole; and peeped out and twiddled his whiskers; as much as to say; 〃You couldn't do that。〃

Tom asked him about water…babies。  〃Yes;〃 he said。  He had seen them often。  But he did not think much of them。  They were meddlesome little creatures; that went about helping fish and shells which got into scrapes。  Well; for his part; he should be ashamed to be helped by little soft creatures that had not even a shell on their backs。  He had lived quite long enough in the world to take care of himself。

He was a conceited fellow; the old lobster; and not very civil to Tom; and you will hear how he had to alter his mind before he was done; as conceited people generally have。  But he was so funny; and Tom so lonely; that he could not quarrel with him; and they used to sit in holes in the rocks; and chat for hours。

And about this time there happened to Tom a very strange and important adventure … so important; indeed; that he was very near never finding the water…babies at all; and I am sure you would have been sorry for that。

I hope that you have not forgotten the little white lady all this while。  At least; here she comes; looking like a clean white good little darling; as she always was; and always will be。  For it befell in the pleasant short December days; when the wind always blows from the south…west; till Old Father Christmas comes and spreads the great white table…cloth; ready for little boys and girls to give the birds their Christmas dinner of crumbs … it befell (to go on) in the pleasant December days; that Sir John was so busy hunting that nobody at home could get a word out of him。 Four days a week he hunted; and very good sport he had; and the other two he went to the bench and the board of guardians; and very good justice he did; and; when he got home in time; he dined at five; for he hated this absurd new fashion of dining at eight in the hunting season; which forces a man to make interest with the footman for cold beef and beer as soon as he comes in; and so spoil his appetite; and then sleep in an arm…chair in his bedroom; all stiff and tired; for two or three hours before he can get his dinner like a gentleman。  And do you be like Sir John; my dear little man; when you are your own master; and; if you want either to read hard or ride hard; stick to the good old Cambridge hours of breakfast at eight and dinner at five; by which you may get two days' work out of one。  But; of course; if you find a fox at three in the afternoon and run him till dark; and leave off twenty miles from home; why you must wait for your dinner till you can get it; as better men than you have done。  Only see that; if you go hungry; your horse does not; but give him his warm gruel and beer; and take him gently home; remembering that good horses don't grow on the hedge like blackberries。

It befell (to go on a second time) that Sir John; hunting all day; and dining at five; fell asleep every evening; and snored so terribly that all the windows in Harthover shook; and the soot fell down the chimneys。  Whereon My Lady; being no more able to get conversation out of him than a song out of a dead nightingale; determined to go off and leave him; a

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