4 哈利·波特与哈利·波特与火焰杯（人文版）-28

It was high time to go, for the pool was getting quite crowded with thebirds and animals that had fallen into it: there were a Duck and a Dodo, aLory and an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures. Alice led the way,and the whole party swam to the shore.CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long TaleThey were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank--thebirds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close tothem, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable.The first question of course was, how to get dry again: they had aconsultation about this, and after a few minutes it seemed quite natural toAlice to find herself talking familiarly with them, as if she had known themall her life. Indeed, she had quite a long argument with the Lory, who atlast turned sulky, and would only say, `I am older than you, and must knowbetter'; and this Alice would not allow without knowing how old it was, and,as the Lory positively refused to tell its age, there was no more to be said.At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of authority among them,called out, `Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I'LL soon make you dryenough!' They all sat down at once, in a large ring, with the Mouse in themiddle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously fixed on it, for she felt sure she wouldcatch a bad cold if she did not get dry very soon.`Ahem!' said the Mouse with an important air, `are you all ready? This isthe driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please! "William theConqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, was soon submitted toby the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late muchaccustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, the earls ofMercia and Northumbria--"'`Ugh!' said the Lory, with a shiver.`I beg your pardon!' said the Mouse, frowning, but very politely: `Did youspeak?'`Not I!' said the Lory hastily.`I thought you did,' said the Mouse. `--I proceed. "Edwin and Morcar, theearls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him: and even Stigand, thepatriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it advisable--"'`Found WHAT?' said the Duck.`Found IT,' the Mouse replied rather crossly: `of course you know what "it"means.'`I know what "it" means well enough, when I find a thing,' said the Duck:`it's generally a frog or a worm. The question is, what did the archbishopfind?'The Mouse did not notice this question, but hurriedly went on, `"--found itadvisable to go with Edgar Atheling to meet William and offer him thecrown. William's conduct at first was moderate. But the insolence of hisNormans--" How are you getting on now, my dear?' it continued, turning toAlice as it spoke.`As wet as ever,' said Alice in a melancholy tone: `it doesn't seem to dryme at all.'`In that case,' said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, `I move that themeeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies--'`Speak English!' said the Eaglet. `I don't know the meaning of half thoselong words, and, what's more, I don't believe you do either!' And the Eagletbent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly.`What I was going to say,' said the Dodo in an offended tone, `was, thatthe best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.'`What IS a Caucus-race?' said Alice; not that she wanted much to know,but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that SOMEBODY ought to speak,and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.`Why,' said the Dodo, `the best way to explain it is to do it.' (And, as youmight like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how theDodo managed it.)First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (`the exact shapedoesn't matter,' it said,) and then all the party were placed along thecourse, here and there. There was no `One, two, three, and away,' but theybegan running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it wasnot easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had beenrunning half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenlycalled out `The race is over!' and they all crowded round it, panting, andasking, `But who has won?'This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought,and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (theposition in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), whilethe rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, `EVERYBODY has won, andall must have prizes.'`But who is to give the prizes?' quite a chorus of voices asked.`Why, SHE, of course,' said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; andthe whole party at once crowded round her, calling out in a confused way,`Prizes! Prizes!'Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in herpocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not gotinto it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece allround.`But she must have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse.`Of course,' the Dodo replied very gravely. `What else have you got in yourpocket?' he went on, turning to Alice.`Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly.`Hand it over here,' said the Dodo.Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnlypresented the thimble, saying `We beg your acceptance of this elegantthimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave thatshe did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say,she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could.The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise andconfusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs,and the small ones choked and had to be patted on the back. However, itwas over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouseto tell them something more.`You promised to tell me your history, you know,' said Alice, `and why it isyou hate--C and D,' she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would beoffended again.`Mine is a long and a sad tale!' said the Mouse, turning to Alice, andsighing.`It IS a long tail, certainly,' said Alice, looking down with wonder at theMouse's tail; `but why do you call it sad?' And she kept on puzzling about itwhile the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was somethinglike this:--`Fury said to mouse, That met in the house, "Let us both go to law: I willprosecute YOU. --Come, I'll take no denial;We must have a trial: Forreally this morning I'venothing to do." Said the mouse to the cur, "Such atrial,dear Sir, Withno juryor judge, would bewasting our breath." "I'll bejudge, I'll be jury," Said cunning old Fury: "I'll try the whole cause,and condemn you to death."'`You are not attending!' said the Mouse to Alice severely. `What are youthinking of?'`I beg your pardon,' said Alice very humbly: `you had got to the fifth bend,I think?'`I had NOT!' cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.`A knot!' said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and lookinganxiously about her. `Oh, do let me help to undo it!'`I shall do nothing of the sort,' said the Mouse, getting up and walkingaway. `You insult me by talking such nonsense!'`I didn't mean it!' pleaded poor Alice. `But you're so easily offended, youknow!'The Mouse only growled in reply.`Please come back and finish your story!' Alice called after it; and theothers all joined in chorus, `Yes, please do!' but the Mouse only shook itshead impatiently, and walked a little quicker.`What a pity it wouldn't stay!' sighed the Lory, as soon as it was quite outof sight; and an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her daughter`Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose YOUR temper!'`Hold your tongue, Ma!' said the young Crab, a little snappishly. `You'reenough to try the patience of an oyster!'`I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do!' said Alice aloud, addressingnobody in particular. `She'd soon fetch it back!'`And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question?' said the Lory.Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her pet:`Dinah's our cat. And she's such a capital one for catching mice you can'tthink! And oh, I wish you could see her after the birds! Why, she'll eat alittle bird as soon as look at it!'This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of thebirds hurried off at once: one old Magpie began wrapping itself up verycarefully, remarking, `I really must be getting home; the night-air doesn'tsuit my throat!' and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to its children,`Come away, my dears! It's high time you were all in bed!' On variouspretexts they all moved off, and Alice was soon left alone.`I wish I hadn't mentioned Dinah!' she said to herself in a melancholy tone.`Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I'm sure she's the best cat inthe world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall ever see you any more!'And here poor Alice began to cry again, for she felt very lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard a little pattering offootsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly, half hoping that theMouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to finish his story.CHAPTER IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little BillIt was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiouslyabout as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering toitself `The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur andwhiskers! She'll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets! Where CANI have dropped them, I wonder?' Alice guessed in a moment that it waslooking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she very good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were nowhere to beseen--everything seemed to have changed since her swim in the pool, andthe great hall, with the glass table and the little door, had vanishedcompletely.Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and calledout to her in an angry tone, `Why, Mary Ann, what ARE you doing outhere? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan!Quick, now!' And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once inthe direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it hadmade.`He took me for his housemaid,' she said to herself as she ran. `Howsurprised he'll be when he finds out who I am! But I'd better take him hisfan and gloves--that is, if I can find them.' As she said this, she came upona neat little house, on the door of which was a bright brass plate with thename `W. RABBIT' engraved upon it. She went in without knocking, andhurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the real Mary Ann, andbe turned out of the house before she had found the fan and gloves.`How queer it seems,' Alice said to herself, `to be going messages for arabbit! I suppose Dinah'll be sending me on messages next!' And she beganfancying the sort of thing that would happen: `"Miss Alice! Come heredirectly, and get ready for your walk!" "Coming in a minute, nurse! But I'vegot to see that the mouse doesn't get out." Only I don't think,' Alice wenton, `that they'd let Dinah stop in the house if it began ordering peopleabout like that!'By this time she had found her way into a tidy little room with a table in thewindow, and on it (as she had hoped) a fan and two or three pairs of tinywhite kid gloves: she took up the fan and a pair of the gloves, and was justgoing to leave the room, when her eye fell upon a little bottle that stoodnear the looking- glass. There was no label this time with the words`DRINK ME,' but nevertheless she uncorked it and put it to her lips. `I knowSOMETHING interesting is sure to happen,' she said to herself, `whenever Ieat or drink anything; so I'll just see what this bottle does. I do hope it'llmake me grow large again, for really I'm quite tired of being such a tinylittle thing!'It did so indeed, and much sooner than she had expected: before she haddrunk half the bottle, she found her head pressing against the ceiling, andhad to stoop to save her neck from being broken. She hastily put down thebottle, saying to herself `That's quite enough--I hope I shan't grow anymore--As it is, I can't get out at the door--I do wish I hadn't drunk quite somuch!'Alas! it was too late to wish that! She went on growing, and growing, andvery soon had to kneel down on the floor: in another minute there was noteven room for this, and she tried the effect of lying down with one elbowagainst the door, and the other arm curled round her head. Still she wenton growing, and, as a last resource, she put one arm out of the window,and one foot up the chimney, and said to herself `Now I can do no more,whatever happens. What WILL become of me?'Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had its full effect, and shegrew no larger: still it was very uncomfortable, and, as there seemed to beno sort of chance of her ever getting out of the room again, no wonder shefelt unhappy.`It was much pleasanter at home,' thought poor Alice, `when one wasn'talways growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice andrabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole--and yet--andyet--it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what CANhave happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kindof thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! Thereought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I growup, I'll write one--but I'm grown up now,' she added in a sorrowful tone;`at least there's no room to grow up any more HERE.'`But then,' thought Alice, `shall I NEVER get any older than I am now?That'll be a comfort, one way--never to be an old woman-- but then--always to have lessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like THAT!'`Oh, you foolish Alice!' she answered herself. `How can you learn lessons inhere? Why, there's hardly room for YOU, and no room at all for anylesson-books!'And so she went on, taking first one side and then the other, and makingquite a conversation of it altogether; but after a few minutes she heard avoice outside, and stopped to listen.`Mary Ann! Mary Ann!' said the voice. `Fetch me my gloves this moment!'Then came a little pattering of feet on the stairs. Alice knew it was theRabbit coming to look for her, and she trembled till she shook the house,quite forgetting that she was now about a thousand times as large as theRabbit, and had no reason to be afraid of it.Presently the Rabbit came up to the door, and tried to open it; but, as thedoor opened inwards, and Alice's elbow was pressed hard against it, thatattempt proved a failure. Alice heard it say to itself `Then I'll go round andget in at the window.'`THAT you won't' thought Alice, and, after waiting till she fancied she heardthe Rabbit just under the window, she suddenly spread out her hand, andmade a snatch in the air. She did not get hold of anything, but she heard alittle shriek and a fall, and a crash of broken glass, from which sheconcluded that it was just possible it had fallen into a cucumber-frame, orsomething of the sort.Next came an angry voice--the Rabbit's--`Pat! Pat! Where are you?' Andthen a voice she had never heard before, `Sure then I'm here! Digging forapples, yer honour!'`Digging for apples, indeed!' said the Rabbit angrily. `Here! Come and helpme out of THIS!' (Sounds of more broken glass.)`Now tell me, Pat, what's that in the window?'`Sure, it's an arm, yer honour!' (He pronounced it `arrum.')`An arm, you goose! Who ever saw one that size? Why, it fills the wholewindow!'`Sure, it does, yer honour: but it's an arm for all that.'`Well, it's got no business there, at any rate: go and take it away!'There was a long silence after this, and Alice could only hear whispers nowand then; such as, `Sure, I don't like it, yer honour, at all, at all!' `Do as Itell you, you coward!' and at last she spread out her hand again, and madeanother snatch in the air. This time there were TWO little shrieks, and moresounds of broken glass. `What a number of cucumber-frames there mustbe!' thought Alice. `I wonder what they'll do next! As for pulling me out ofthe window, I only wish they COULD! I'm sure I don't want to stay in hereany longer!'She waited for some time without hearing anything more: at last came arumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voices alltalking together: she made out the words: `Where's the other ladder?--Why, I hadn't to bring but one; Bill's got the other--Bill! fetch it here,lad!--Here, put 'em up at this corner--No, tie 'em together first--they don'treach half high enough yet--Oh! they'll do well enough; don't beparticular-- Here, Bill! catch hold of this rope--Will the roof bear?--Mind thatloose slate--Oh, it's coming down! Heads below!' (a loud crash)--`Now, whodid that?--It was Bill, I fancy--Who's to go down the chimney?--Nay, Ishan't! YOU do it!--That I won't, then!--Bill's to go down--Here, Bill! themaster says you're to go down the chimney!'`Oh! So Bill's got to come down the chimney, has he?' said Alice to herself.`Shy, they seem to put everything upon Bill! I wouldn't be in Bill's place fora good deal: this fireplace is narrow, to be sure; but I THINK I can kick a little!'She drew her foot as far down the chimney as she could, and waited tillshe heard a little animal (she couldn't guess of what sort it was) scratchingand scrambling about in the chimney close above her: then, saying toherself `This is Bill,' she gave one sharp kick, and waited to see what wouldhappen next.The first thing she heard was a general chorus of `There goes Bill!' thenthe Rabbit's voice along--`Catch him, you by the hedge!' then silence, andthen another confusion of voices--`Hold up his head--Brandy now--Don'tchoke him--How was it, old fellow? What happened to you? Tell us all aboutit!'Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, (`That's Bill,' thought Alice,)`Well, I hardly know--No more, thank ye; I'm better now--but I'm a dealtoo flustered to tell you--all I know is, something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!'`So you did, old fellow!' said the others.`We must burn the house down!' said the Rabbit's voice; and Alice calledout as loud as she could, `If you do. I'll set Dinah at you!'There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice thought to herself, `I wonderwhat they WILL do next! If they had any sense, they'd take the roof off.'After a minute or two, they began moving about again, and Alice heard theRabbit say, `A barrowful will do, to begin with.'`A barrowful of WHAT?' thought Alice; but she had not long to doubt, forthe next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at the window,and some of them hit her in the face. `I'll put a stop to this,' she said toherself, and shouted out, `You'd better not do that again!' which producedanother dead silence.Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning into littlecakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into her head. `If Ieat one of these cakes,' she thought, `it's sure to make SOME change in mysize; and as it can't possibly make me larger, it must make me smaller, Isuppose.'