章节正文
was time to be going back. She made the remark again and again,
but, every time, the princess begged her to go on just a little
farther and a little farther; reminding her that it was much easier
to go downhill, and saying that when they did turn they would be at
home in a moment. So on and on they did go, now to look at a group
of ferns over whose tops a stream was pouring in a watery arch, now
to pick a shining stone from a rock by the wayside, now to watch
the flight of some bird. Suddenly the shadow of a great mountain
peak came up from behind, and shot in front of them. When the
nurse saw it, she started and shook, and catching hold of the
princess's hand turned and began to run down the hill.
'What's all the haste, nursie?' asked Irene, runningalongside of
her.
'We must not be out a moment longer.'
'But we can't help being out a good many moments longer.'
It was too true. The nurse almost cried. They were much too far
from home. It was against express orders to be out with the
princess one moment after the sun was down; and they were nearly a
mile up the mountain! If His Majesty, Irene's papa, were to hear
of it, Lootie would certainly be dismissed; and to leave the
princess would break her heart. It was no wonder she ran. But
Irene was not in the least frightened, not knowing anything to be
frightened at. She kept on chattering as well as she could, but it
was not easy.
'Lootie! Lootie! why do you run so fast? It shakes my teeth when
I talk.'
'Then don't talk,' said Lootie.
'But the princess went on talking. She was always saying: 'Look,
look, Lootie!' but Lootie paid no more heed to anything she said,
only ran on.
'Look, look, Lootie! Don't you see that funny man peeping over the
rock?'
Lootie only ran the faster. They had to pass the rock, and when
they came nearer, the princess saw it was only a lump of the rock
itself that she had taken for a man.
'Look, look, Lootie! There's such a curious creature at the foot
of that old tree. Look at it, Lootie! It's making faces at us, I
do think.'
Lootie gave a stifled cry, and ran faster still - so fast that
Irene's little legs could not keep up with her, and she fell with
a crash. It was a hard downhill road, and she had been running
very fast - so it was no wonder she began to cry. This put the
nurse nearly beside herself; but all she could do was to run on,
the moment she got the princess on her feet again.
'Who's that laughing at me?' said the princess, trying to keep in
her sobs, and running too fast for her grazed knees.
'Nobody, child,' said the nurse, almost angrily.
But that instant there came a burst of coarse tittering from
somewhere near, and a hoarse indistinct voice that seemed to say:
'Lies! lies! lies!'
'Oh!' cried the nurse with a sigh that was almost a scream, and ran
on faster than ever.
'Nursie! Lootie! I can't run any more. Do let us walk a bit.'
'What am I to do?' said the nurse. 'Here, I will carry you.'
She caught her up; but found her much too heavy to run with, and
had to set her down again. Then she looked wildly about her, gave
a great cry, and said:
'We've taken the wrong turning somewhere, and I don't know where we
are. We are lost, lost!'
The terror she was in had quite bewildered her. It was true enough
they had lost the way. They had been running down into a little
valley in which there was no house to be seen.
Now Irene did not know what good reason there was for her nurse's
terror, for the servants had all strict orders never to mention the
goblins to her, but it was very discomposing to see her nurse in
such a fright. Before, however, she had time to grow thoroughly
alarmed like her, she heard the sound of whistling, and that
revived her. Presently she saw a boy coming up the road from the
valley to meet them. He was the whistler; but before they met his
whistling changed to singing. And this is something like what he
sang:
'Ring! dod! bang!
Go the hammers' clang!
Hit and turn and bore!
Whizz and puff and roar!
Thus we rive the rocks,
Force the goblin locks. -
See the shining ore!
One, two, three -
Bright as gold can be!
Four, five, six -
Shovels, mattocks, picks!
Seven, eight, nine -
Light your lamp at mine.
Ten, eleven, twelve -
Loosely hold the helve.
We're the merry miner-boys,
Make the goblins hold their noise.'
'I wish YOU would hold your noise,' said the nurse rudely, for the
very word GOBLIN at such a time and in such a place made her
tremble. It would bring the goblins upon them to a certainty, she
thought, to defy them in that way. But whether the boy heard her
or not, he did not stop his singing.
'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen -
This is worth the siftin';
Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen -
There's the match, and lay't in.
Nineteen, twenty -
Goblins in a plenty.'
'Do be quiet,' cried the nurse, in a whispered shriek. But the
boy, who was now close at hand, still went on.
'Hush! scush! scurry!
There you go in a hurry!
Gobble! gobble! goblin!
There you go a wobblin';
Hobble, hobble, hobblin' -
Cobble! cobble! cobblin'!
Hob-bob-goblin! -
Huuuuuh!'
'There!' said the boy, as he stood still opposite them. 'There!
that'll do for them. They can't bear singing, and they can't stand
that song. They can't sing themselves, for they have no more voice
than a crow; and they don't like other people to sing.'
The boy was dressed in a miner's dress, with a curious cap on his
head. He was a very nice-looking boy, with eyes as dark as the
mines in which he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their
rocks. He was about twelve years old. His face was almost too
pale for beauty, which came of his being so little in the open air
and the sunlight - for even vegetables grown in the dark are white;
but he looked happy, merry indeed - perhaps at the thought of
having routed the goblins; and his bearing as he stood before them
had nothing clownish or rude about it.
'I saw them,' he went on, 'as I came up; and I'm very glad I did.
I knew they were after somebody, but I couldn't see who it was.
They won't touch you so long as I'm with you.'
'Why, who are you?' asked the nurse, offended at the freedom with
which he spoke to them.
'I'm Peter's son.'
'Who's Peter?'
'Peter the miner.'
'I don't know him.'
'I'm his son, though.'
'And why should the goblins mind you, pray?'
'Because I don't mind them. I'm used to them.'
'What difference does that make?'
'If you're not afraid of them, they're afraid of you. I'm not
afraid of them. That's all. But it's all that's wanted - up here,
that is. It's a different thing down there. They won't always
mind that song even, down there. And if anyone sings it, they
stand grinning at him awfully; and if he gets frightened, and
misses a word, or says a wrong one, they - oh! don't they give it
him!'
'What do they do to him?' asked Irene, with a trembling voice.
'Don't go frightening the princess,' said the nurse.
'The princess!' repeated the little miner, taking off his curious
cap. 'I beg your pardon; but you oughtn't to be out so late.
Everybody knows that's against the law.'
'Yes, indeed it is!' said the nurse, beginning to cry again. 'And
I shall have to suffer for it.'
'What does that matter?' said the boy. 'It must be your fault. It
is the princess who will suffer for it. I hope they didn't hear
you call her the princess. If they did, they're sure to know her
again: they're awfully sharp.'
'Lootie! Lootie!' cried the princess. 'Take me home.'
'Don't go on like that,' said the nurse to the boy, almost
fiercely. 'How could I help it? I lost my way.'
'You shouldn't have been out so late. You wouldn't have lost your
way if you hadn't been frightened,' said the boy. 'Come along.
I'll soon set you right again. Shall I carry your little
Highness?'
'Impertinence!' murmured the nurse, but she did not say it aloud,
for she thought if she made him angry he might take his revenge by
telling someone belonging to the house, and then it would be sure
to come to the king's ears. 'No, thank you,' said Irene. 'I can
walk very well, though I can't run so fast as nursie. If you will
give me one hand, Lootie will give me another, and then I shall get
on famously.'
They soon had her between them, holding a hand of each.
'Now let's run,' said the nurse.
'No, no!' said the little miner. 'That's the worst thing you can
do. If you hadn't run before, you would not have lost your way.
And if you run now, they will be after you in a moment.'
'I don't want to run,' said Irene.
'You don't think of me,' said the nurse.
'Yes, I do, Lootie. The boy says they won't touch us if we don't
run.'
'Yes, but if they know at the house that I've kept you out so late
I shall be turned away, and that would break my heart.'
'Turned away, Lootie! Who would turn you away?'
'Your papa, child.'
'But I'll tell him it was all my fault. And you know it was,
Lootie.'
'He won't mind that. I'm sure he won't.'
'Then I'll cry, and go down on my knees to him, and beg him not to
take away my own dear Lootie.'
The nurse was comforted at hearing this, and said no more. They
went on, walking pretty fast, but taking care not to run a step.
'I want to talk to you,' said Irene to the little miner; 'but it's
so awkward! I don't know your name.'
'My name's Curdie, little princess.'
'What a funny name! Curdie! What more?'
'Curdie Peterson. What's your name, please?'
'Irene.'
'What more?'
'I don't know what more. What more is my name, Lootie?'
'Princesses haven't got more than one name. They don't want it.'
'Oh, then, Curdie, you must call me just Irene and no more.'
'No, indeed,' said the nurse indignantly. 'He shall do no such
thing.'
'What shall he call me, then, Lootie?'
'Your Royal Highness.'
but, every time, the princess begged her to go on just a little
farther and a little farther; reminding her that it was much easier
to go downhill, and saying that when they did turn they would be at
home in a moment. So on and on they did go, now to look at a group
of ferns over whose tops a stream was pouring in a watery arch, now
to pick a shining stone from a rock by the wayside, now to watch
the flight of some bird. Suddenly the shadow of a great mountain
peak came up from behind, and shot in front of them. When the
nurse saw it, she started and shook, and catching hold of the
princess's hand turned and began to run down the hill.
'What's all the haste, nursie?' asked Irene, runningalongside of
her.
'We must not be out a moment longer.'
'But we can't help being out a good many moments longer.'
It was too true. The nurse almost cried. They were much too far
from home. It was against express orders to be out with the
princess one moment after the sun was down; and they were nearly a
mile up the mountain! If His Majesty, Irene's papa, were to hear
of it, Lootie would certainly be dismissed; and to leave the
princess would break her heart. It was no wonder she ran. But
Irene was not in the least frightened, not knowing anything to be
frightened at. She kept on chattering as well as she could, but it
was not easy.
'Lootie! Lootie! why do you run so fast? It shakes my teeth when
I talk.'
'Then don't talk,' said Lootie.
'But the princess went on talking. She was always saying: 'Look,
look, Lootie!' but Lootie paid no more heed to anything she said,
only ran on.
'Look, look, Lootie! Don't you see that funny man peeping over the
rock?'
Lootie only ran the faster. They had to pass the rock, and when
they came nearer, the princess saw it was only a lump of the rock
itself that she had taken for a man.
'Look, look, Lootie! There's such a curious creature at the foot
of that old tree. Look at it, Lootie! It's making faces at us, I
do think.'
Lootie gave a stifled cry, and ran faster still - so fast that
Irene's little legs could not keep up with her, and she fell with
a crash. It was a hard downhill road, and she had been running
very fast - so it was no wonder she began to cry. This put the
nurse nearly beside herself; but all she could do was to run on,
the moment she got the princess on her feet again.
'Who's that laughing at me?' said the princess, trying to keep in
her sobs, and running too fast for her grazed knees.
'Nobody, child,' said the nurse, almost angrily.
But that instant there came a burst of coarse tittering from
somewhere near, and a hoarse indistinct voice that seemed to say:
'Lies! lies! lies!'
'Oh!' cried the nurse with a sigh that was almost a scream, and ran
on faster than ever.
'Nursie! Lootie! I can't run any more. Do let us walk a bit.'
'What am I to do?' said the nurse. 'Here, I will carry you.'
She caught her up; but found her much too heavy to run with, and
had to set her down again. Then she looked wildly about her, gave
a great cry, and said:
'We've taken the wrong turning somewhere, and I don't know where we
are. We are lost, lost!'
The terror she was in had quite bewildered her. It was true enough
they had lost the way. They had been running down into a little
valley in which there was no house to be seen.
Now Irene did not know what good reason there was for her nurse's
terror, for the servants had all strict orders never to mention the
goblins to her, but it was very discomposing to see her nurse in
such a fright. Before, however, she had time to grow thoroughly
alarmed like her, she heard the sound of whistling, and that
revived her. Presently she saw a boy coming up the road from the
valley to meet them. He was the whistler; but before they met his
whistling changed to singing. And this is something like what he
sang:
'Ring! dod! bang!
Go the hammers' clang!
Hit and turn and bore!
Whizz and puff and roar!
Thus we rive the rocks,
Force the goblin locks. -
See the shining ore!
One, two, three -
Bright as gold can be!
Four, five, six -
Shovels, mattocks, picks!
Seven, eight, nine -
Light your lamp at mine.
Ten, eleven, twelve -
Loosely hold the helve.
We're the merry miner-boys,
Make the goblins hold their noise.'
'I wish YOU would hold your noise,' said the nurse rudely, for the
very word GOBLIN at such a time and in such a place made her
tremble. It would bring the goblins upon them to a certainty, she
thought, to defy them in that way. But whether the boy heard her
or not, he did not stop his singing.
'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen -
This is worth the siftin';
Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen -
There's the match, and lay't in.
Nineteen, twenty -
Goblins in a plenty.'
'Do be quiet,' cried the nurse, in a whispered shriek. But the
boy, who was now close at hand, still went on.
'Hush! scush! scurry!
There you go in a hurry!
Gobble! gobble! goblin!
There you go a wobblin';
Hobble, hobble, hobblin' -
Cobble! cobble! cobblin'!
Hob-bob-goblin! -
Huuuuuh!'
'There!' said the boy, as he stood still opposite them. 'There!
that'll do for them. They can't bear singing, and they can't stand
that song. They can't sing themselves, for they have no more voice
than a crow; and they don't like other people to sing.'
The boy was dressed in a miner's dress, with a curious cap on his
head. He was a very nice-looking boy, with eyes as dark as the
mines in which he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their
rocks. He was about twelve years old. His face was almost too
pale for beauty, which came of his being so little in the open air
and the sunlight - for even vegetables grown in the dark are white;
but he looked happy, merry indeed - perhaps at the thought of
having routed the goblins; and his bearing as he stood before them
had nothing clownish or rude about it.
'I saw them,' he went on, 'as I came up; and I'm very glad I did.
I knew they were after somebody, but I couldn't see who it was.
They won't touch you so long as I'm with you.'
'Why, who are you?' asked the nurse, offended at the freedom with
which he spoke to them.
'I'm Peter's son.'
'Who's Peter?'
'Peter the miner.'
'I don't know him.'
'I'm his son, though.'
'And why should the goblins mind you, pray?'
'Because I don't mind them. I'm used to them.'
'What difference does that make?'
'If you're not afraid of them, they're afraid of you. I'm not
afraid of them. That's all. But it's all that's wanted - up here,
that is. It's a different thing down there. They won't always
mind that song even, down there. And if anyone sings it, they
stand grinning at him awfully; and if he gets frightened, and
misses a word, or says a wrong one, they - oh! don't they give it
him!'
'What do they do to him?' asked Irene, with a trembling voice.
'Don't go frightening the princess,' said the nurse.
'The princess!' repeated the little miner, taking off his curious
cap. 'I beg your pardon; but you oughtn't to be out so late.
Everybody knows that's against the law.'
'Yes, indeed it is!' said the nurse, beginning to cry again. 'And
I shall have to suffer for it.'
'What does that matter?' said the boy. 'It must be your fault. It
is the princess who will suffer for it. I hope they didn't hear
you call her the princess. If they did, they're sure to know her
again: they're awfully sharp.'
'Lootie! Lootie!' cried the princess. 'Take me home.'
'Don't go on like that,' said the nurse to the boy, almost
fiercely. 'How could I help it? I lost my way.'
'You shouldn't have been out so late. You wouldn't have lost your
way if you hadn't been frightened,' said the boy. 'Come along.
I'll soon set you right again. Shall I carry your little
Highness?'
'Impertinence!' murmured the nurse, but she did not say it aloud,
for she thought if she made him angry he might take his revenge by
telling someone belonging to the house, and then it would be sure
to come to the king's ears. 'No, thank you,' said Irene. 'I can
walk very well, though I can't run so fast as nursie. If you will
give me one hand, Lootie will give me another, and then I shall get
on famously.'
They soon had her between them, holding a hand of each.
'Now let's run,' said the nurse.
'No, no!' said the little miner. 'That's the worst thing you can
do. If you hadn't run before, you would not have lost your way.
And if you run now, they will be after you in a moment.'
'I don't want to run,' said Irene.
'You don't think of me,' said the nurse.
'Yes, I do, Lootie. The boy says they won't touch us if we don't
run.'
'Yes, but if they know at the house that I've kept you out so late
I shall be turned away, and that would break my heart.'
'Turned away, Lootie! Who would turn you away?'
'Your papa, child.'
'But I'll tell him it was all my fault. And you know it was,
Lootie.'
'He won't mind that. I'm sure he won't.'
'Then I'll cry, and go down on my knees to him, and beg him not to
take away my own dear Lootie.'
The nurse was comforted at hearing this, and said no more. They
went on, walking pretty fast, but taking care not to run a step.
'I want to talk to you,' said Irene to the little miner; 'but it's
so awkward! I don't know your name.'
'My name's Curdie, little princess.'
'What a funny name! Curdie! What more?'
'Curdie Peterson. What's your name, please?'
'Irene.'
'What more?'
'I don't know what more. What more is my name, Lootie?'
'Princesses haven't got more than one name. They don't want it.'
'Oh, then, Curdie, you must call me just Irene and no more.'
'No, indeed,' said the nurse indignantly. 'He shall do no such
thing.'
'What shall he call me, then, Lootie?'
'Your Royal Highness.'
- princess [,prin´ses]
n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词) - stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
- flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- majesty [´mædʒisti] n.壮丽；崇高；尊严 (初中英语单词)
- knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
- instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)
- coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)
- scream [skri:m] v.&n.尖叫(声) (初中英语单词)
- terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
- fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)
- presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
- shriek [ʃri:k] v.&n.尖叫(声) (初中英语单词)
- sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)
- pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- revenge [ri´vendʒ] vt.报复 n.报仇；报复 (初中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- alongside [əlɔŋ´said] ad.在旁 prep.横靠 (高中英语单词)
- strict [strikt] a.严厉的；精确的 (高中英语单词)
- goblin [´gɔblin] n.恶鬼，小妖精 (高中英语单词)
- certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)
- bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)
- awfully [´ɔ:fuli] ad.令人畏惧地 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- hoarse [hɔ:s] a.嘶哑的；嗓门粗哑的 (英语四级单词)
- watery [´wɔ:təri] a.水的；像水的 (英语六级单词)
- wayside [´weisaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语六级单词)
- whistler [´wislə] n.吹口哨的人 (英语六级单词)
- rudely [´ru:dli] ad.粗鲁地；粗略地 (英语六级单词)
- hobble [´hɔbəl] vi.跛行 (英语六级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
- indignantly [in´dignəntli] ad.愤慨地，义愤地 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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