泰西50軼事(四十六之一)惠廷頓和他的貓 江銘輝 五夢網
泰西50軼事(Fifty Famous Stories Retold)，是永恆的短篇故事，它收集的故事：包括浩瀚歷史的著名英雄和他們的羅曼史，故事內容有勇氣、毅力和情感。故事人物包括拿破崙、羅賓漢，喬治華盛頓、成吉思汗等人。這些故事都是老少鹹宜的故事，我將它逐篇翻譯，並配合圖畫，供大家欣賞。
泰西50軼事(四十六)惠廷頓和他的貓
原文及翻譯如下：
Whittington and his cat
惠廷頓和他的貓
1. THE CITY
There was once a little boy whose name was Richard Whittington; but everybody called him Dick. His father and mother had died when he was only a babe, and the people who had the care of him were very poor. Dick was not old enough to work, and so he had a hard time of it indeed. Sometimes he had no breakfast, and sometimes he had no dinner; and he was glad at any time to get a crust of bread or a drop of milk.
1. 城 市
從前有一個小男孩叫做理查·威廷頓(圖1)，但是人人都叫他迪克。當他還是個嬰兒時，他的爸爸媽媽就去世了，照管他的人非常窮。迪克太小，還不能出去工作，所以真的過得很苦，有時吃不上早餐，有時吃不到正餐。他在任何時候，要是得到一點麵包屑或一滴的牛奶，就非常高興了。
圖1：理查·威廷頓(作者：Alex Hogg and Co)
Now, in the town where Dick lived, the people liked to talk about London. None of them had ever been to the great city, but they seemed to know all about the wonderful things which were to be seen there. They said that all the folks who lived in London were fine gentlemen and ladies; that there was singing and music there all day long; that nobody was ever hungry there, and nobody had to work; and that the streets were all paved with gold.
那時，在迪克居住的小鎮裡，人們喜歡談論倫敦。他們誰也沒去過那個大城市，但是似乎都知道那兒所有美妙的事物。他們說住在倫敦的人全都是優雅的紳士和淑女；那兒整天都有著歌唱和音樂音樂；那兒從來沒有人挨餓，也沒有人必須去工作，所有街道都是鋪滿金子。
Dick listened to these stories, and wished that he could go to London.
One day a big waggon drawn by eight horses, all with bells on their heads, drove into the little town. Dick saw the waggon standing by the inn,and he thought that it must be going to the fine city of London.
迪克聽了這些故事，他盼望著自己能去倫敦。
一天，一輛由八匹馬拉著的大四輪馬車駛進了小鎮，馬車，馬頭上全都掛著鈴鐺。迪克看見馬車停在旅館旁邊，他想它一定是去倫敦那個美好的城市。
When the driver came out and was ready to start, the lad ran up and asked him if he might walk by the side of the waggon. The driver asked him some questions; and when he learned how poor Dick was, and that he had neither father nor mother, he told him that he might do as he liked.
當車夫走出來準備出發時，這個孩子跑上去問是否可以坐在馬車的旁邊一起走。車夫問了他幾個問題，當得知迪克非常可憐，沒有爸爸也沒有媽媽，他告訴他，他可以照他喜歡的去做(圖2)。
圖2：迪克和車夫坐著八匹馬拖的馬車到倫敦。
It was a long walk for the little lad; but by and by he came to the city of London. He was in such a hurry to see the wonderful sights, that he forgot to thank the driver of the waggon. He ran as fast as he could, from one street to another, trying to find those that were paved with gold.
對這個小孩來說，那真是一段長途跋涉。但是，他終於到了倫敦。他因為急著去看那些美妙的景象，竟忘了向車夫道謝。他拼命地跑著，從這條街跑到那條街，想找那些鋪著金子的路。
He had once seen a piece of money that was gold, and he knew that it would buy a great, great many things; and now he thought that if he could get only a little bit of the pavement, he would have everything that he wanted.
他曾見過一個金幣，知道那可以買許許多多的東西。他想現在要是能找到一小段鋪著黃金的路面，他就可以買一切他所要的東西了。
Poor Dick ran till he was so tired that he could run no farther. It was growing dark, and in every street there was only dirt instead of gold. He sat down in a dark corner, and cried himself to sleep.
可憐的迪克一直跑到累得跑不動。天逐漸黑了，每一條街上都只有泥土，而不是金子。他坐在一個黑暗的角落裡，大哭起來，直到睡著了。
When he woke up the next morning, he was very hungry; but there was not even a crust of bread for him to eat. He forgot all about the golden pavements, and thought only of food. He walked about from one street to another, and at last grew so hungry that he began to ask those whom he met to give him a penny to buy something to eat.
第二天早上當他醒來時，覺得很餓，但是甚至沒有一塊麵包屑可以吃到。他忘記所有關於鋪金子的路，只想著食物。他從這條街走到那條街；最後，他實在太餓了，就開始向碰到的人乞討一個便士來買點東西吃。
“Go to work, you idle fellow.”said some of them; and the rest passed him by without even looking at him.
“I wish I could go to work! ”said Dick.
“去工作，你這懶惰的傢伙。”有人說。有的人經過他時，甚至看都不看他一眼。
“我希望我能去工作！”迪克說。
2.THE KITCHEN
By and by Dick grew so faint and tired that he could go no farther. He sat down by the door of a fine house, and wished that he was back again in the little town where he was born.
2. 廚 房
不久以後，迪克就變得又虛弱又疲倦，再也走不動了。他在一幢華麗房屋的門口坐下，希望自己能重新回到出生的那個小鎮。
The cookmaid, who was just getting dinner, saw him, and called out, “What are you doing there, you little beggar? If you don’t get away quick,I’ll throw a panful of hot dish-water over you. Then I guess you will jump.”
這時一個廚娘正在做午餐，看見了他，大聲地叫道：
“你在這裡幹什麼，你這個小乞丐？如果不快點滾開，我就把一滿鍋滾燙的洗碗水潑到你的身上。我想你會跳起來。”
Just at that time the master of the house, whose name was Mr.Fitzwarren, came home to dinner. When he saw the ragged little fellow at his door, he said, “My lad, what are you doing here? I am afraid you are a lazy fellow, and that you want to live without work.”
正在此時，這房子的主人菲茨瓦倫先生回家吃午飯了。當他看見這個衣衫襤褸的小傢伙坐在家門口時，他說：
“我的孩子，你在這裡做什麼呢？恐怕你是個懶漢，不想工作而討東西吧。”
“No, indeed! ”said Dick. “I would like to work, if I could find any thing to do. But I do not know anybody in this town, and I have not had anything to eat for a long time.”
“不是的！”迪克說，“如果我能找到任何事情來做，我很願意工作。可是我在這個城市一個人也不認識，我已經很久沒吃任何東西了。”
“Poor little fellow! ”said Mr. Fitzwarren. “Come in, and I will see what I can do for you.”And he ordered the cook to give the lad a good dinner, and then to find some light work for him to do.
“可憐的小傢伙！”菲茨瓦倫先生說，“進來吧，我看看能為你做點什麼。”然後他吩咐廚師給這個孩子一頓很好的午餐，接著又找一些輕鬆的工作給他做。
Little Dick would have been very happy in the new home which he had thus found, if it had not been for the cross cook. She would often say, “You are my boy now, and so you must do as I tell you. Look sharp there! Make the fires, carry out the ashes, wash these dishes, sweep the floor, bring in the wood! Oh, what a lazy fellow you are! ”And then she would box his ears, or beat him with the broomstick.
如果沒有那壞脾氣的廚娘，小迪克在這個新找的家裡，會覺得很快樂。她常說：“現在你是我的僕人，所以必須照我吩咐的話去做。在這裡眼睛要放亮一點！生火吧，把灰倒出去，洗碗，掃地，加柴火！啊，你真是個懶傢伙！”然後她就會打他的耳光，或是用掃帚柄打他。
At last, little Alice, his master’s daughter, saw how he was treated, and she told the cook she would be turned off if she was not kinder to the lad. After that, Dick had an easier time of it; but his troubles were not over yet, by any means.
後來，主人的女兒愛麗絲發現他的遭遇就警告廚娘，如果她不對那個孩子好一點，就要把她解雇。此後，迪克的日子才過得稍好些。但是無論如何，他的煩惱仍然沒有解除。
His bed was in a garret at the top of the house, far away from the where the other people slept. There were many holes in the floor and walls, and every night a great number of rats and mice came in. They tormented Dick so much, that he did not know what to do.
他的床設在屋頂上的閣樓裡，離別人的臥室很遠。牆上和地板上都有很多洞，每天晚上有很多大小的老鼠跑進來。它們擾亂迪克，使他不得安寧，他不知道該怎麼辦才好。
One day a gentleman gave him a penny for cleaning his shoes, and he made up his mind that he would buy a cat with it. The very next morning he met a girl who was carrying a cat in her arms.
“I will give you a penny for that cat,”he said.
“All right,”the girl said. “You may have her, and you will find that she is a good mouser too.”
一天，他給一位紳士擦鞋，得到了一便士，決定用它來買一隻貓。第二天早晨，他就遇到一個手裡抱著一隻貓的女孩。
“我願用一個便士來換你的貓，”他說。
“好吧，”那女孩說，“賣給你吧，你會發現它也是一隻擅長捕鼠的貓。”
Dick hid his cat in the garret, and every day he carried a part of his dinner to her. It was not long before she had driven all the rats and mice away; and then Dick could sleep soundly every night.
迪克把貓藏在閣樓裡，每天都把自己餐後的食物分給它吃。沒過多久，它就把那些老鼠全趕走了，於是迪克每晚都睡能很安穩了。
3.THE VENTURE
Some time after that, a ship that belonged to Mr. Fitzwarren was about to start on a voyage across the sea. It was loaded with goods which were to be sold in lands far away. Mr. Fitzwarren wanted to give his servants a chance for good fortune too, and so he called all of them into the parlour, and asked if they had anything they would like to send out in the ship for trade.
3. 冒險事業
過了一段時間，一艘屬於菲茨瓦倫先生的船將要啟航，穿越大海航運去。船上裝滿了要運到遠方去出售的貨物。菲茨瓦倫先生想給他的僕人們一個賺錢的好機會，於是把他們都叫到客廳，問有沒有什麼東西想送到船上帶出去交易。
Every one had something to send, — every one but Dick; and as he had neither money nor goods, he stayed in the kitchen, and did not come in with the rest. Little Alice guessed why he did not come, and so she said to her papa, “Poor Dick ought to have a chance too. Here is some money out of my own purse that you may put in for him.”
每一個人除了迪克外都有東西要送去。因為他既沒有錢也沒有貨物。他呆在廚房裡，沒有和其他人來到客廳。小艾麗絲猜他為什麼沒有來，於是對她爸爸說：
“可憐的迪克也應該有個機會。我的錢袋裡還有一些錢，你把它拿去作為他的投資吧。”
“No, no, my child! ”said Mr. Fitzwarren. “He must risk something of his own.”And then he called very loud,“Here, Dick! What are you going to send out on the ship?”
“不，不，我的孩子！”菲茨瓦倫先生說，“他必須用自己的東西去冒險。”然後他大聲地叫道：“過來，迪克！你準備把什麼送到船上去？”
Dick heard him, and came into the room.
“I have nothing in the world,”he said,“but a cat which I bought some time ago for a penny.”
迪克聽到後，走進了客廳。
“在這世上我一無所有，”他說，“除了不久前我花了一便士買的一隻貓。”
“Fetch your cat, then, my lad,” said Mr. Fitzwarren, “and let her go out.
Who knows but that she will bring you some profit?” Dick, with tears in his eyes, carried poor puss down to the ship, and gave her to the captain. Everybody laughed at his queer venture; but little Alice felt sorry forhim, and gave him money to buy another cat.
“我的孩子，那就去把你的貓拿來，”菲茨瓦倫先生說，“讓它去吧，誰知道它能否給你帶來一些利益呢？”
迪克含著眼淚把可憐的貓咪送到了船上，把它交給了船長。人人都嘲笑他這奇怪的投資。只有小艾麗絲為他感到難過，並給他錢去另外買一隻貓。
After that, the cook was worse than before. She made fun of him for sending his cat to sea.
Do you think,” she would say, “that puss will sell for enough money to buy a stick to beat you?”
從此以後，那廚娘對他更凶了。她取笑他把那只貓送到海上去。“你想，”她說，“賣掉那只貓的錢，能夠買一根棍子打你嗎？”
At last Dick could not stand her abuse any longer, and he made up his mind to go back to his old home in the little country town. So, very early in the morning on All hollows Day, he started. He walked as far as the place called Holloway, and there he sat down on a stone, which to this day is called “Whittington’s Stone.”
最後，迪克再也忍受不了她的虐待，決定回老家，那個小村鎮。於是，在萬聖節的早晨，他很出發了。他一直走到一個叫好樂威的地方，坐在一顆石頭上，那塊石頭今天被叫做“威廷頓石”(圖3)。
圖3：迪克坐在一顆石頭上，那塊石頭今天被叫做“威廷頓石”。
As he sat there very sad, and wondering which way he should go, he heard the bells on Bow Church, far away, ringing out a merry chime. He listened.They seemed to say to him,
“Turn again, Whittington, Thrice Lord Mayor of London.”
“Well, well! ”he said to himself. “I would put up with almost anything, to be Lord Mayor of London when I am a man, and to ride in a fine coach! I think I will go back and let the old cook cuff and scold as much as she pleases.”
當他非常傷心地坐在那兒，不知道該往哪裡去時，突然聽到遠處的教堂傳來一陣歡樂的鐘聲。他聆聽著，那鐘聲好像在對他說：
轉身回去吧，威廷頓，你將三次當上倫敦的市長“
好！好！”他自言自語，“我要忍受一切磨難，長大後成為倫敦市長，坐在華麗的馬車裡。我想還是回去吧，隨那老廚娘高興怎麼打罵。”
Dick did go back, and he was lucky enough to get into the kitchen, and set about his work, before the cook came downstairs to get breakfast.
迪克回去了，他足夠幸運地，這時正好是廚娘正下樓準備早餐前，他溜進了廚房工作。