"Maybe it's true," said Mick, still hesitating: he did not know what to do-he could hardly help believing the old man-and finally, in a fit of desperation, he seized the bottle. "Take the cow," said he, "and if you are telling a lie, the curse of the poor will be on you."
"I care neither for your curses nor your blessings, but I have spoken truth, Mick Purcell, and that you will find tonight, if you do what I tell you."
"And what's that?" says Mick.
"When you go home, never mind if your wife is angry, but be quiet yourself, and make her sweep the room clean, set the table out right, and spread a clean cloth over it; then put the bottle on the ground, saying these words: 'Bottle, do your duty,' and you will see the end of it." "And is this all?" says Mick.
"No more," said the stranger. "Goodbye, Mick Purcell-you are a rich man."
"God grant it!" said Mick, as the old man moved after the cow, and Mick retraced the road towards his cabin; but he could not help turning back his head to look after the purchaser of his cow, who was nowhere to be seen.
"Lord between us and harm!" said Mick. "He can't belong to this earth; but where is the cow?" She too was gone, and Mick went homeward muttering prayers and holding fast the bottle.
"And what would I do if it broke?" thought he. "Oh! But I'll take care of that." So he put it into his inside coat pocket, and went on anxious to prove his bottle, and doubting of the reception he should meet from his wife. Balancing his anxieties with his expectations, his fears with his hopes, he reached home in the evening, and surprised his wife, sitting over the turf fire in the big chimney.
"Oh! Mick, are you come back? Sure you weren't at Cork all the way! What has happened to you? Where is the cow? Did you sell her) How much money did you get for her? What news have you? Tell us everything about it."
"Why, then, Molly, if you'll give me time, I'll tell you all about it. If you want to know where the cow is, 'tisn't Mick can tell you, for the never a know does he know, where she is now."
"Oh! Then you sold her; and where's the money?"
"Arrah! Stop awhile, Molly, and I'll tell you all about it."
"But what is that bottle under your waistcoat?" said Molly, spying its neck sticking out.
"Why, then, be easy now, can't you?" says Mick, "till I tell it to you," and putting the bottle on the table, "That's all I got for the cow."
His poor wife was thunderstruck. "All you got! And what good is that, Mick? Oh! I never thought you were such a fool; and what'll we do for the rent?"
"Now, Molly," says Mick, "can't you listen to reason? Didn't I tell you how the old man, or whatever he was, met me-no, he did not meet me neither, but he was there with me-on the big hill, and how he made me sell him the cow, and told me the bottle was the only thing for me?"
"Yes, indeed, the only thing for you, you fool!" said Molly, seizing the bottle to hurl it at her poor husband's head; but Mick caught it, and quietly (for he minded the old man's advice) loosened his wife's grasp, and placed the bottle again in his coat. Poor Molly sat down crying while Mick told her his story. His wife could not help believing him, particularly as she had as much faith in fairies as she had in the priest. She got up, however, without saying one word, and began to sweep the earthen floor with a bunch of heath; then she tidied up everything, and put out the long table, and spread the clean cloth, for she had only one, upon it, and Mick, placing the bottle on the ground, looked at it and said:
"Bottle, do your duty."
"Look there! Look there, Mammy!" said his chubby eldest son, a boy about five years old. "Look there! Look there!" And he sprang to his mother's side as two tiny little fellows rose like light from the bottle, and in an instant covered the table with dishes and plates of gold and silver, full of the finest victuals that ever were seen, and when all was done went into the bottle again. Mick and his wife looked at everything with astonishment; they had never seen such plates and dishes before, and didn't think they could ever admire them enough; the very sight almost took away their appetites; but at length Molly said:
"Come and sit down, Mick, and try and eat a bit, sure you ought to be hungry after such a good day's work."
"Why, then, the man told no lie about the bottle."
关键字:小说寓言
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"I care neither for your curses nor your blessings, but I have spoken truth, Mick Purcell, and that you will find tonight, if you do what I tell you."
"And what's that?" says Mick.
"When you go home, never mind if your wife is angry, but be quiet yourself, and make her sweep the room clean, set the table out right, and spread a clean cloth over it; then put the bottle on the ground, saying these words: 'Bottle, do your duty,' and you will see the end of it." "And is this all?" says Mick.
"No more," said the stranger. "Goodbye, Mick Purcell-you are a rich man."
"God grant it!" said Mick, as the old man moved after the cow, and Mick retraced the road towards his cabin; but he could not help turning back his head to look after the purchaser of his cow, who was nowhere to be seen.
"Lord between us and harm!" said Mick. "He can't belong to this earth; but where is the cow?" She too was gone, and Mick went homeward muttering prayers and holding fast the bottle.
"And what would I do if it broke?" thought he. "Oh! But I'll take care of that." So he put it into his inside coat pocket, and went on anxious to prove his bottle, and doubting of the reception he should meet from his wife. Balancing his anxieties with his expectations, his fears with his hopes, he reached home in the evening, and surprised his wife, sitting over the turf fire in the big chimney.
"Oh! Mick, are you come back? Sure you weren't at Cork all the way! What has happened to you? Where is the cow? Did you sell her) How much money did you get for her? What news have you? Tell us everything about it."
"Why, then, Molly, if you'll give me time, I'll tell you all about it. If you want to know where the cow is, 'tisn't Mick can tell you, for the never a know does he know, where she is now."
"Oh! Then you sold her; and where's the money?"
"Arrah! Stop awhile, Molly, and I'll tell you all about it."
"But what is that bottle under your waistcoat?" said Molly, spying its neck sticking out.
"Why, then, be easy now, can't you?" says Mick, "till I tell it to you," and putting the bottle on the table, "That's all I got for the cow."
His poor wife was thunderstruck. "All you got! And what good is that, Mick? Oh! I never thought you were such a fool; and what'll we do for the rent?"
"Now, Molly," says Mick, "can't you listen to reason? Didn't I tell you how the old man, or whatever he was, met me-no, he did not meet me neither, but he was there with me-on the big hill, and how he made me sell him the cow, and told me the bottle was the only thing for me?"
"Yes, indeed, the only thing for you, you fool!" said Molly, seizing the bottle to hurl it at her poor husband's head; but Mick caught it, and quietly (for he minded the old man's advice) loosened his wife's grasp, and placed the bottle again in his coat. Poor Molly sat down crying while Mick told her his story. His wife could not help believing him, particularly as she had as much faith in fairies as she had in the priest. She got up, however, without saying one word, and began to sweep the earthen floor with a bunch of heath; then she tidied up everything, and put out the long table, and spread the clean cloth, for she had only one, upon it, and Mick, placing the bottle on the ground, looked at it and said:
"Bottle, do your duty."
"Look there! Look there, Mammy!" said his chubby eldest son, a boy about five years old. "Look there! Look there!" And he sprang to his mother's side as two tiny little fellows rose like light from the bottle, and in an instant covered the table with dishes and plates of gold and silver, full of the finest victuals that ever were seen, and when all was done went into the bottle again. Mick and his wife looked at everything with astonishment; they had never seen such plates and dishes before, and didn't think they could ever admire them enough; the very sight almost took away their appetites; but at length Molly said:
"Come and sit down, Mick, and try and eat a bit, sure you ought to be hungry after such a good day's work."
"Why, then, the man told no lie about the bottle."
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