泰西50轶事(四十六之二)惠廷顿和他的猫 江铭辉 五梦网
4. THE CAT
Mr. Fitzwarren’s ship made a long voyage, and at last reached a strange land on the other side of the sea. The people had never seen any white men before, and they came in great crowds to buy the fine things with which the ship was loaded.
The captain wanted very much to trade with the king of the country; and it was not long before the king sent word for him to come to the palace and see him.
4. 猫
菲茨瓦伦先生的船经过一段漫长的航行，最后到达了海洋彼岸一个陌生的地方。那里的人以前从来没有见过白种人，他们蜂拥而至，来买船上装载的那些好东西。船长很想和这个国家的国王做生意。不久之后，国王就通知他到王宫去见他。
The captain did so. He was shown into a beautiful room, and given a seat on a rich carpet all flowered with silver and gold. The king and queen were seated not far away; and soon a number of dishes were brought in for dinner.
船长去了，他被带进到一间华丽的房间，坐在华丽的地毯上面，地毯全部布满用金、银丝线绣成的花。国王和王后就坐在近旁，很快许多美味菜盘被端了上来，宴会开始了。
They had hardly begun to eat when an army of rats and mice rushed in, and devoured all the meat before any one could hinder them.
The captain wondered at this, and asked if it was not very unpleasant to have so many rats and mice about.
他们正开始要用餐时，一大群老鼠冲进来，任何人都来不及阻拦，它们就把那些佳肴全部吃光了。船长十分惊奇，问他们有这么多老鼠，是否觉得很讨厌(图4)。
图4：他们正开始要用餐时，一大群老鼠冲进来，把那些佳肴全部吃光了。
“Oh, yes!”was the answer. “It is indeed unpleasant; and the king would give half histreasure if he could get rid of them.”
The captain jumped for joy. He remembered the cat which little Whittington had sent out; and he told the king that he had a little creature on board his ship which would make short work of the pests.
Then it was the king’s turn to jump for joy; and he jumped so high, that his yellow cap, or turban, dropped off his head.
“啊，是的！”有人回答，“真是讨厌极了，如果有人能除掉这些老鼠，国王愿意拿出一半财产给他。”
船长高兴地跳了起来，他想起了小威廷顿送来的那只猫。他告诉国王，他的船上有一只小动物可以很快地把这些害人的家伙解决掉。
然后换成国王高兴得跳了起来。他跳得太高，以至于头上黄色的帽子，或者说头巾从他的头上掉下来。
“Bring the creature to me,”he said. “If she will do what you say, I will load your ship with gold.”
The captain made believe that he would be very sorry to part with the cat; but at last he went down to the ship to get her, while the king and queen made haste to have another dinner made ready.
“把那动物带来给我吧，”他说，“如果它能做到像你说的那样，我将把你的船装满黄金。”
船长假装很难过，舍不得离开那只猫。但是当国王和王后很快又准备好另一桌筵席时，他终于去船上拿猫了。
The captain, with puss under his arm, reached the palace just in time to see the table crowded with rats. The cat leaped out upon them, and oh! What havoc she did make among the troublesome creatures! Most of them were soon stretched dead upon the floor, while the rest scampered away to their holes, and did not dare to come out again.
当船长手里抱着猫到达王宫时，正好看见桌子上挤满了老鼠。猫跳上桌去捕捉它们。啊！对那些讨厌的动物来说，这是何等的灾难啊！很快它们大部分被咬死在地上，剩下的惊惶失措地逃回洞里，再也不敢出来了。
The king had never been so glad in his life; and the queen asked that the creature which had done such wonders should be brought to her. The captain called, “Pussy, pussy, pussy! ”and the cat came up and rubbed against his legs. He picked her up, and offered her to the queen; but at first the queen was afraid to touch her.
国王这辈子都没这么高兴过，王后要求将那只制造奇迹的动物带到她面前。船长叫道：“猫咪，猫咪，猫咪”，那猫咪就走上前去在他的两腿间摩来摩去。他把它抱起来将它献给王后。但一开始王后害怕，不敢摸它。
However, the captain stroked the cat, and called, “Pussy, pussy, pussy! ”and then the queen ventured to touch her. She could only say, “Putty, putty, putty! ”for she had not learned to talk English. The captain then put the cat down on the queen’s lap, where she purred and purred until she went to sleep.
于是船长抚摸着这只猫，叫着：“猫咪，猫咪，猫咪，”王后才大着胆子去摸它。她只会说：“喵，喵，喵！”因为她没有学过英语。
然后船长把猫放到了王后的膝上，它在那儿咕噜咕噜叫，直到它睡着了。
The king would not have missed getting the cat now for the world. He at once made a bargain with the captain for all the goods on board the ship; and then he gave him ten times as much for the cat as all the rest came to.
The captain was very glad. He bade the king and queen good-bye, and the very next day set sail for England.
在这个世界上，国王不愿意再错过得到这只猫的机会了。他立刻和船长商定买下他全船的货物，并出十倍高于那些货物的价钱买下这只猫。
船长非常高兴。第二天，他就向国王和王后道别，起航回英格兰了。
5. THE FORTUNE
One morning Mr. Fitzwarren was sitting at his desk in his office. He heard some one tap softly at his door, and he said, “Who’s there! ”
“A friend.”was the answer, “I have come to bring you news of your ship‘Unicorn.”
5. 好运
一天早晨，菲茨瓦伦先生正坐在办公室的书桌前，听到有人轻轻地拍门，他问道：
“是谁呀？”
“一个朋友，”那人回答，“我是来告诉你，关于你的‘独角兽’
号的消息。”
Mr. Fitzwarren jumped up quickly, and opened the door. Whom should he see waiting there but the captain, with a bill of lading in one hand and a box of jewels in the other? He was so full of joy that he lifted up his eyes, and thanked Heaven for sending him such good fortune.
菲茨瓦伦先生很快地跳起来，打开了门。他看到，等在那儿一手拿着一张货物清单、另一只手提着一只珠宝箱的，不正是那个船长吗？他高兴极了，眼睛往上看，感谢上帝赐给他这么好的运气。
The captain soon told the story of the cat; and then he showed the rich present which the king and queen had sent to poor Dick in payment for her.
As soon as the good gentleman heard this, he called out to his servants,
“Go send him in, and tell him of his fame, Pray call him Mr. Whittington by name,”
Some of the men who stood by said that so great a present ought not to
be given to a mere boy; but Mr. Fitzwarren frowned upon them.
船长立刻讲述了那只猫的故事，还拿出了许多贵重的礼物，那些都是国王和王后作为买猫的报酬送给可怜的迪克的。当这位仁慈的绅士一听到这消息，就大声地对仆人说道：
“去把他叫来，告诉他这些荣誉，请你尊称他为威廷顿先生。”
站在一旁的几个人说，不应该把这么贵重的一份礼物交给一个小男孩，但是菲茨瓦伦先生对他们皱皱眉，表示不赞同。
“It is his own,”he said,“and I will not hold back one penny from him.”
Dick was scouring the pots when word was brought to him that he should go to the office.
“Oh, I am so dirty!”he said,“and my shoes are full of hobnails.”But he was told to make haste.
“这是他的，”他说，“我不愿意从他那儿扣下一个便士。” 当传话的人来叫他去办公室时，迪克正在洗锅子。
“啊，我太脏了！”他说，“而且我的鞋子上钉满了鞋钉。”但他被催促着赶快去。
Mr. Fitzwarren ordered a chair to be set for him, and then the lad began to think that they were making fun of him.
“I beg that you won’t play tricks with a poor boy like me,”he said.
“Please let me go back to my work.”
“Mr. Whittington,”said Mr. Fitzwarren.“this is no joke at all. The captain has sold your cat, and has brought you, in return for her, more riches than I have in the whole world.”
菲茨瓦伦先生命人抬一把椅子给他坐，这孩子开始觉得他们在和他开完笑。
“我请求你们不要捉弄像我这样可怜的孩子，”他说，“让我回去工作吧。”
“威廷顿先生，”菲茨瓦伦先生说，“这根本不是在开玩笑。船长卖掉了你的猫，并带回了你的报酬，那笔钱比我所有的加起来还多呢。”
Then he opened the box of jewels, and showed Dick his treasures.
The poor boy did not know what to do. He begged his master to take apart of it; but Mr. Fitzwarren said, “No, it is all your own; and I feel sure that you willmake good use of it.”
然后他打开了珠宝箱，把那些金银财宝展示给迪克看。
这个可怜的男孩不知道该怎么办，他恳求他的主人拿去一部分。但是菲茨瓦伦先生说：“不，这全是你自己的，我想你会好好利用它们的。”
Dick then offered some of his jewels to his mistress and little Alice. They thanked him, and told him that they felt great joy at his good luck, but wished him to keep his riches for himself.
于是迪克把一些珠宝送给他的女主人和小艾丽丝。她们向他道谢，并且说她们为他的好运感到非常高兴，但是希望他能为自己留着那些财产。
But he was too kind hearted to keep everything for himself. He gave nice presents to the captain and the sailors, and to the servants in Mr. Fitzwarren’s house. He even remembered the cross old cook.
但他的心地太善良了，不愿一个人独享一切。他送给船长和水手们，还有菲茨瓦伦家里的仆人们很好的礼物。他甚至没有忘记那个坏脾气的老厨娘。
After that, Whittington’s face was washed, and his hair curled, and he was dressed in a nice suit of clothes; and then he was as handsome a young man as ever walked the streets of London.
从此以后，威廷顿的脸洗得很干净，头发也烫卷了，还穿着华丽的衣服。他像走在伦敦街头的那些年轻人一样，成了一个翩翩的少年。
Some time after that, there was a fine wedding at the finest church in London; and Miss Alice became the wife of Mr. Richard Whittington. And the lord mayor was there, and the great judges, and the sheriffs, and many rich merchants; and everybody was very happy.
And Richard Whittington became a great merchant, and was one of the foremost men in London. He was sheriff of the city, and thrice lord mayor;
and King Henry V make him a knight.
几年之后，伦敦最华丽的教堂里举行了一场盛大的婚礼，艾丽斯小姐成了理查德·威廷顿的妻子。
到场的有市长、大法官、郡长，还有许多富商，每个人都很开心参加婚礼。理查德·威廷顿成为了一个大商人，也是伦敦最杰出的人物之一。他做过城里的郡长，还作过三任市长，被亨利五世国王封为爵士。
He built the famous prison of Newgate in London. On the archway in front of the prison was a figure, cut in stone, of Sir Richard Whittington and his cat;andfor three hundred years this figure was shown to all who visited London.
他在伦敦建了一所著名的纽盖特监狱。今天，在监狱前面的门廊上耸立着一座雕像，上面刻的是理查德·威廷顿先生和他的猫。三百多年来，到伦敦参观的人都能看到这座雕像(图5)。