牛津书虫系列 风雨河岸柳 5 A lesson for Mr Toad

5 A lesson for Mr Toad

Winter passed, and spring returned to the river bank. Then came a fine morning in early summer, when the world seemed full of sunlight and new green leaves. Down by the river bank, the Mole and the Water Rat were hard at work, mending and cleaning boats, looking for lost oars, and getting ready for a summer on the river. Then they went in to breakfast and had nearly finished when they heard a heavy knock on the door.

The Mole went to see who it was, and came back with a very surprised face. ' Mr Badger' he said.

This was a wonderful thing indeed, for the Badger to come and visit them. He came into the room and stood looking at them, very seriously. The Rat dropped his egg-spoon, and sat open-mouthed.

'The hour has come! 'said the Badger at last.

'What hour?' asked the Rat worriedly, looking at the clock on the wall.

' Whose hour, you mean, 'replied the Badger. ' Why, Toad's hour! The hour of Toad! I said I would teach him a lesson when the summer came, and I'm going to begin today. '

' Toad's hour, of course! 'cried the Mole. ' I remember now. We'll teach him to be a sensible Toad! '

'I learnt last night, ' continued the Badger, ‘ that another new and very fast motor-car has just arrived at Toad Hall. You two must come with me immediately, and we will save Toad from this madness. '

' Right! ' cried the Rat, jumping up. ' Let's go at once. '

When they reached Toad Hall, they saw the new motor-car in front of the house. It was long, shiny, and bright red-Toad's favourite colour. Then Toad himself came down the steps in an enormous overcoat, hat and driving goggles.

' Hello, you fellows! 'Toad called. 'Come for a drive. You're just in time to…to…'

He saw his friends' serious faces and stopped.

The Badger walked up the steps. ' Come inside the house, Toad, 'he said. 'We have to talk to you. '

The three of them took Toad inside and shut the door.

'Now, ' the Badger said to Toad, 'first of all, take off those silly driving-clothes. '

'No, I won't! ' replied Toad. ' What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself at once! '

'Take his things off, you two, ' ordered the Badger.

It wasn't easy to do. The Rat had to sit on Toad, while the Mole pulled off his overcoat, hat and goggles . And Toad called them some very unpleasant names while this was going on. But when he stood up again, he seemed more like himself, the Toad that they had always known.

' You knew this would happen one day, Toad, ' explained the Badger. 'We've warned you so many times, and you haven' t listened. You're spending all your money, you're al-ways in trouble with the police, and you drive like a madman. You will come with me into the next room, and there you will hear some facts about yourself. And you will come out a different Toad. '

He took Toad into a room off the hall and closed the door. The Rat shook his head.' We won't save Toad by just talking to him, ' he said. 'He'll say anything— and then just go and do what he likes. '

After about an hour the door opened, and a very sad and sorry Toad came out, followed by the Badger.

' My friends, ' said the Badger, looking pleased, ' I' am happy to tell you that Toad now realizes how silly he has been. He has promised never to get into a motor-car again. '

'That is very good news, ' said the Mole seriously.

'Very good indeed, 'the Rat said, watching Toad's face carefully.

'Now, Toad, ' continued the Badger, 'I'd like you to repeat your promise in front of your friends. '

There was a long, long silence.

' No! ' said Toad suddenly. ' No, I won't. I'm not sorry, and I haven't been silly at all. It was all wonderful! And I won't promise anything! '

'What?' cried the Badger. 'But in there you told me—'

'Yes, yes, I know, 'said Toad quickly. ' You argue so beautifully, dear Badger, and I can't stop myself agreeing with you. But I' ve been thinking about it. I love driving, I' m a wonderful driver, and I promise you I' ll go on driving for ever! Poop-poop! '

' I told you so, didn' t I? ' the Rat said to the Mole.

' Very well, ' said the Badger . ' If you won' t listen to reason, we' ll have to try another way. We' re going to stay with you in your house until you become sensible. Take him upstairs, you two, and lock him in his bedroom, '

So Toad, fighting and shouting, was pulled upstairs by his two friends.

' It' s for your own good, Toady, you know, ' said the Rat kindly. ' We' ll all have good times together again soon, when this—this madness has passed. '

' We' ll take good care of you, Toad, ' added the Mole. ' No more trouble with the police. No more crashes, and weeks in hospital, '

Then began a very tiring few weeks for the three friends. Day and night they guarded Toad , and one of them was always with him. They talked to him and tried to amuse him, hoping that he would forget his motor-car madness.

But Toad did not seem to get better. He often put the bed-room chairs together to look like a motor-car. Then he sat in the front one and pretended to drive, making terrible engine noises all the time. His friends tried to interest him in other things, but Toad just became sad and silent.

One day the Rat was the guard for the morning. He went upstairs and found Toad still in bed, ' How are you today, old fellow?' he asked brightly.

A sad whisper came from me bed, ' Thank you so much, dear Ratty! But how are you, and the excellent Mole, and dear old Badger?'

' Fine, fine, ' replied the Rat. ' Badger and Mole, ' he added, perhaps not very sensibly, ' have gone out for a run round. They' ll be out until lunch-time, so you and I will spend a pleasant morning together. '

' I don' t want you to trouble yourself about me, ' Toad said, in a sad little voice. ' I was wondering if you would go down to the village and fetch the doctor. But no, it' s not important. It' s probably too late by now. '

' Are you feeling ill, Toad? What’s the matter? '

' I don't know… I think my heart… But you mustn' t be sad, Ratty. Dear, kind friend… I have enjoyed knowing you so much… hate to say goodbye…' Toad' s whisper became slower and slower, and then stopped.

The Rat felt very worried. Toad lay so still and quiet—perhaps he really was ill. The Rat wished that the other two were not so far away. What should he do? He looked again at the still and silent Toad, and decided that he must get th doctor at once. He hurried out, carefully locking the door behind him, and ran off to the village as fast as he could.

When Toad heard the front door bang, he jumped out of bed, laughing loudly. He quickly put on his best suit and filled his pockets with money. Then he took the sheets off the bed, tied them together, and in minutes he had climbed down from the bedroom window and was running across the garden to-wards the fields.

A few hours later he was a long way from home. As he walked happily along the road, he felt very pleased with him-self. ' A clever piece of work, that was! he boasted to the trees and the fields. ' Poor old Ratty! A good fellow, but not very intelligent. Badger will be so angry with him! '

Soon he came to a small town and decided to have lunch in the pub there. He was very hungry after his long walk. Halfway through his meal, he heard a sound that he knew very well indeed. Poop-poop! The car stopped outside and the people in it came into the pub to have lunch.

Shaking with excitement, Toad paid his bill and hurried out. He walked slowly round the car, looking at it lovingly. Every-body was having lunch and the street was empty.

' I wonder, ' Toad said to himself, ' I wonder if this kind of car starts easily?'

It started very easily, and Toad found himself in the driver' s seat. He did not know how it happened, but a minute later he was driving out of the town, forgetting right and wrong, for-getting everything except this wonderful, beautiful madness.

Faster and faster he drove, singing and laughing, as the car ate up the miles. Once again he knew that he was Toad-Toad the dreamer, Toad the adventurer, Toad the terror of the open road!

' You are a dangerous criminal, ' said the Judge. ' You stole a valuable motor-car, and you drove like a madman. It' s surprising that you didn' t kill somebody. And finally, you were very rude indeed to the police when they arrested you. Because of all this, I am sending you to prison for twenty years. Guards! Take the prisoner away! '

And so, shouting and crying, Toad was taken away. He was taken to an old dark castle, pushed into the smallest and darkest room below the ground, and the door was locked behind him.

5 给癞蛤蟆先生的教训

冬天过去了，春天回到了河岸。这是初夏一个晴朗的早上，世界似乎充满了阳光，长满了新叶。下游的河岸边，鼹鼠和水鼠正卖力地干着活，修补着船然后把它清洗干净，又寻找着不知遗落在何处的船桨，为夏天在河上划船做着准备。忙碌了一阵他们便回家吃早餐。快吃完时，他们突然听到重重的敲门声。

鼹鼠过去看看是谁，回来时表情非常惊讶。他说，“獾先生!”

獾来拜访他们，的确是不可思议的事。他走进屋里，非常严肃地站着看着他们。水鼠坐在那儿张大着嘴巴，手中的汤匙掉在地上。

“时辰到了!”獾最后说。

“什么时辰?”水鼠担心地问，一边看着墙上的钟。

“你是说，谁的时辰?”灌回答道。“哎，蛤蟆的时辰!癞蛤蟆的时辰!我说过夏天来了我要教训教训他，今天我就要着手干了。”

“癞蛤蟆的时辰，当然!”鼹鼠叫道。“我现在想起来了，我们要把他教育成理智的癞蛤蟆!”

“昨晚我听说，”獾继续着，“另一辆崭新的、高速的汽车刚刚抵达蛤蟆宅第，你们俩必须马上跟我走，我们得把癞蛤蟆从疯狂中救醒过来。”

“好!”水鼠叫道，然后跳起来说：“我们马上走。”

当他们到达蛤蟆宅第，他们看见这辆新车正停放在房子前。车身很长，锃亮耀眼，是蛤蟆最喜欢的艳红色。只见癞蛤蟆他自己穿着特大外套，戴着帽子和护目镜，正从台阶上走下来。

“你们好，伙计们!”癞蛤蟆打着招呼，“你们来得正好，一起兜风去……”

他看到朋友们都板着脸，便打住了。

灌走上台阶，说：“进屋去，癞蛤蟆!我们得和你谈谈。”

他们把癞蛤蟆带进屋里，然后关上大门。

“现在，”獾对癞蛤蟆说，“首先，脱下你那可笑的驾车服。”

“不，我决不!”癞蛤蟆答道，“这是什么意思?马上给我解释!”

“脱下他那身玩意儿，你们俩，”獾命令道。

这可不是件容易的事。水鼠不得不坐在癞蛤蟆身上压住他以便鼹鼠脱下他的外衣，帽子和护目镜。癞蛤蟆嘴里一直对他们骂骂咧咧的。但当他再次站起来时，他似乎更像他自己，更像大家所熟悉的癞蛤蟆了。

“你应该知道这件事总有一天会发生的，蛤蟆，”獾解释说。“我们警告过你多次而你从来不听。你正在花光你所有的钱财，又总是给警察找麻烦，因为你开车像疯子。你跟我到另一个房间去，在那儿你会听到你自己的一些荒唐事。你出来后将会变个样。”

他带癞蛤蟆离开大厅走进一个房间关上了门。水鼠摇着头，说：“仅仅跟他谈谈是救不了他的，他将会作一些许诺——然后又去干他喜欢干的事。”

大约过了一小时，门开了，一只很伤心、很愧疚的癞蛤蟆走了出来，獾跟在他的后面。

“朋友们，”獾看起来很开心，“我高兴地告诉你们癞蛤蟆现在已认识到他曾经有多愚蠢。他已发誓再也不走进汽车。”

“这倒是非常不错的消息，”鼹鼠一本正经地说。

“的确不赖，”水鼠边说边审视着癞蛤蟆脸上的表情。

“好了，蛤蟆，”獾接着说，“我要你在你朋友面前重复你的诺言。”

接下来是一段长长的沉默。

“不!”癞蛤蟆突然说。“不，我不。我不感到愧疚，我一点儿也不愚蠢。那整个太精彩了!我才不发什么誓呢!”

“什么?”獾叫道。“但是在那儿你告诉我——”

“是的，是的，我知道，”癞蛤蟆赶快说，“你说得那么至情至理，亲爱的獾，我就忍不住答应你了。但是我一直在想这个问题。我喜欢开车，我是了不起的驾车手，我发誓我将继续永远开车!扑扑-扑扑!”

“我告诉过你吧，是不是?”水鼠对鼹鼠说。

“很好，”獾说，“如果你不听忠告，我们将不得不采取另一种方法。我们打算和你呆在你的屋里直到你清醒过来。带他上楼去，你们俩，把他锁在卧室里。”

癞蛤蟆又打又叫，但还是被他俩朋友拉上了楼。

“这是为你好，蛤蟆兄，你知道，”水鼠和善地说。“当这种——这种疯狂过去时，我们又可以一起享受美好时光了。”

“我们会好好照顾你的，蛤蟆，”鼹鼠接着说。“你不再会给警察找麻烦，不会再撞车，不再会几星期呆在医院了。”

接下来三个朋友开始了几星期的辛苦行动。他们日夜看管着癞蛤蟆，并且总有一个人和他在一起。他们和他聊天，想方设法逗他开心，希望他会忘记他那驾车狂热。

但是癞蛤蟆似乎并没有变好。他时常把卧室里的椅子摆成汽车状，然后他坐在前面的椅子上假装开车，还不停地发出刺耳的引擎声。当他的朋友试着用别的事情以引起他的兴趣时，他却只是在那儿一言不发，显得很伤感。

一天早上，轮到水鼠看管癞蛤螅他走上楼看见癞蛤蟆仍躺在床上，便轻快地问：“今天怎么样，老伙计?”

从床上传来伤感的低低的回答声：“非常感谢你，亲爱的阿鼠!不过你怎么样，还有极好的鼹鼠和亲爱的老獾?”

“好，都好，”水鼠答道。“獾和鼹鼠，”他也许不很明智地又补充说，“已出去跑步了，他们要到中饭时间才回来，所以就你和我将一起度过这个愉快的早上。”

“我不想因为我而麻烦你，”蛤蟆伤心地低声说。“我想你能否下楼去村里找位医生。不过算了，这已不重要了。很可能现在已经太迟了。”

“你病啦，癞蛤蟆?怎么啦?”

“我不知道……我想我的心……不过你不必伤心，阿鼠。亲爱的，善良的朋友……我真高兴跟你这么熟……真不愿对你说再见……”蛤蟆低低的声音越来越慢，然后停了。

水鼠非常担心，癞蛤蟆躺在那儿安安静静的，一动不动——也许他真的病了。水鼠希望他们俩没跑得太远，他该怎么办?他又看了一眼安静沉默的癞蛤蟆，决定马上去叫医生。他急忙出去小心地锁上了门，然后尽可能快地向村子跑去。

当癞蛤蟆听到大厅前门砰地一响，他马上从床上跳下来，大声地笑起来。他快速地穿上最好的外套并往口袋里塞满了钞票，然后他从床上扯过床单，把它们系在一起。几分钟后，他已从卧室的窗户爬了下来，穿过花园向野外跑去。

几小时以后，他已离家很远了。他高兴地走在公路上，对自己的行为非常满意。“那真是聪明之举!”他对着树木和田野自吹道。“可怜的老阿鼠!一个好人，但不太聪明。獾肯定要对他发火的!”

不久他来到了一座小镇，便决定在那儿的酒馆用午餐。走了那么长的路，他已经非常饿了。吃到半截，他听到了他实在是非常熟悉的声音。扑扑-扑扑!汽车停在了外面，车上的人下来走进酒馆来用餐。

癞蛤蟆兴奋得浑身发抖，他付完账冲了出去。他跑到汽车跟前绕着它来回走，用爱抚的目光盯着它。每个人都在吃午饭，街道里空无一人。

“我想知道，”癞蛤蟆自言自语，“我想知道这种汽车是不是容易发动?”

很容易就启动了，癞蛤蟆发现他坐在了驾驶室。他不知道是怎么发生的，反正一分钟之后，他已驶出了小镇，除了这美妙迷人的疯狂，他忘记了对与错，忘记了一切。

当汽车驶出数英里时，他不断地加大马力，唱着，笑着，把汽车开得越来越快。他再一次认识到他是蛤蟆——集梦想家，冒险家，还有公路上的恐怖分子于一身的癞蛤蟆!

“你是一个危险的犯人，”法官说，“你偷了昂贵的汽车，还像疯子似的驾车。真奇怪你居然没有撞倒人。最后当警察逮捕你时，你还对他们非常粗鲁。基于此，我判你入狱二十年。卫士!把犯人带下去!”

癞蛤蟆叫嚷着哭喊着，被带到一座破旧黑暗的城堡，推进了一间地下最小最黑的房子里，然后门在他身后锁上了。