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"What have you in that sack?" asked the peasant. "Rotten apple s," answered the ostler; "a whole sackful of them. They will do to feed the pigs with." "Why, that will be terrible waste," he replied; "I should like to take them home to my old woman. Last year the old apple-tree by the grassplot only bore one apple, and we kept it in the cupboard till it was quite withered and rotten. It was always property, my old woman said; and here she would see a great deal of property. ..a whole sackful: I should like to show them to her." "What will you give me for the sackful?" asked the ostler. "What will I give? Well, I will give you my fowl in exchange." So he gave up the fowl, and received the apples, which he carried into the inn parlour. He leaned the sack carefully against the stove, and then went to the table. But the stove was hot, and he had not thought of that. Many guests were present horse dealers, cattle drivers, and two Englishmen. The Englishmen were so rich that their pockets quite bulged out and seemed ready t o burst. 'Hiss-s-s, hiss-s-s.' What could that be by the stove? The apples were beginning to roast. "What is that?" asked one. "Why, do you know..." said our peasant. And then he told them the whole story of the horse, which he had exchanged for a cow, and all the rest of it, down to the apples. "Well, your old woman will give it you well when you get home," said one of th e Englishmen. "Won't there be a noise? " | 「袋子里面是什么？」农夫问。 「烂掉的苹果，」马夫回答：「满满的一袋。 这些要拿去喂猪。」 「什么，那太浪费了，」他答道：「我想要拿回去给我老婆。 去年草坪旁的老苹果树只结一颗苹果，我们把那颗苹果放在食橱里，一直放到完全萎缩腐烂为止。 我老婆说它永远是财产，而这里她可以看见一大笔财产。我想把这些拿去给她看。」 「你用什么来和我交换这一袋呢？」马夫问。 「该给你什么呢？ 好吧！我就用鸡来和你交换吧！」 因此他把鸡送人，收下苹果。他把苹果带进酒馆里面。 他小心地把那袋子靠在火炉边上，然后走到餐桌旁。 但是火炉烧得很旺，他并没有想到那回事。 客人非常多，有马贩子、赶牛人，还有二个英国人。 英国人相当有钱，他们的口袋装得满满的，几乎要撑破了。 「嘶嘶，嘶嘶！」火炉边到底发生什么事呢？ 那袋苹果开始燃烧起来了。 「那是什么？」一个人问。 「喂！你知道吗。......」 我们的农夫正向他们叙述着整个贩马的故事，他用那匹马换牛，以及后来的全部的经过，一直讲到那袋苹果。 「嗯！你回到家时，你老婆会给你颜色瞧的。」其中一个英国人说。 「会开始和你大吵大闹吧」 |
章节正文
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