夏洛特的网（双语）

E.B.White

简介

Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White. First published in 1952, it tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte, in which Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer not to slaughter him.
《夏洛的网》是著名美国作家 E.B.White 创作的一部获奖儿童小说。1952 年首次出版，讲述了小猪威尔伯和一只名叫夏洛的谷仓蜘蛛之间的友谊故事。夏洛在她的网上写下赞扬威尔伯的信息（例如“了不起的猪”），以说服农场主不要杀掉他。

CHAPTER 1
第一章

Before Breakfast
早餐前

"Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
"爸爸拿着斧头要去哪里呀？"当他们在准备早餐餐桌时，弗恩问她的妈妈。

"Out to the hog house," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night."
"去猪圈那边，"阿雷布尔夫人回答。"昨晚有些小猪出生了。"

"I don't see why he needs an ax," continued Fern, who was only eight.
"我不明白他为什么需要一个斧头，"一个只有八岁的 Fern 继续说道。

"Well," said her mother, "one of the pigs is a runt. It's very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it."
"嗯，"她的母亲说，"有一只小猪是弱小的。它非常小而且弱，永远不会有什么出息。所以你父亲决定把它处理掉。"

"Do away with it?" shrieked Fern. "You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others?"
"处理掉它？Fern 尖叫道。你的意思是杀掉它？就因为它比其他的要小？"

Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table. "Don't yell, Fern!"she said. "Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway."
阿雷布尔夫人把一壶奶油放在桌子上。"别喊了，Fern！"她说。 "你父亲是对的。那头猪可能本来也会死的。"

Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors. The grass was wet and the earth smelled of springtime. Fern's sneakers were sopping by the time she caught up with her father.
Fern 把椅子挪开，跑到了户外。草地上湿漉漉的，泥土散发着春天的气息。Fern 追上父亲时，她的运动鞋已经湿透了。

"Please don't kill it!" she sobbed. "It's unfair."
"求求你别杀它！"她哭着说。"这不公平。"

Mr. Arable stopped walking.
阿雷布尔先生停下了脚步。

"Fern," he said gently, "you will have to learn to control yourself."
"小 Fern，"他温和地说，"你必须学会控制自己。"

"Control myself?" yelled Fern. "This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about "controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks and she took hold of the ax and tried to pull it out of her father's hand.
"控制我自己？"弗恩喊道。"这是生死攸关的事，你却谈论'控制我自己'。"眼泪顺着她的脸颊流下，她抓住斧头，试图从父亲手中把它拔出来。

"Fern," said Mr. Arable, "I know more about raising a litter of pigs than you do. A weakling makes trouble. Now run along!"
"弗恩，"阿雷先生说，"我比你知道得更多，如何养育一窝小猪。懦弱者制造麻烦。现在快走！"

"But it's unfair," cried Fern. "The pig couldn't help being born small,could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?"
"但这不公平，"弗恩哭喊道。"小猪无法帮助自己出生得那么小，对吧？如果我出生时非常小，你会杀了我吗？"

Mr. Arable smiled. "Certainly not," he said, looking down at his daughter with love. "But this is different. A little girl is one thing, a little runty pig is another."
阿雷先生微笑着。"当然不会，"他说，充满爱意地看着女儿。"但这是不同的。一个小女孩是一回事，一个瘦弱的小猪是另一回事。"

"I see no difference," replied Fern, still hanging on to the ax. "This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of."
"我看不出有什么不同，" 费恩回答道，仍然紧握着斧头，"这是我听过的最可怕的不公正案例。"

A queer look came over John Arable's face. He seemed almost ready to cry himself.
约翰·阿雷布的脸色变得古怪起来。他似乎几乎要哭出来了。

"All right," he said. "You go back to the house and I will bring the runt when I come in. I'll let you start it on a bottle, like a baby. Then you'll see what trouble a pig can be."
"好吧，"他说，"你先回屋去，等我回来我会把那小不点带回来。我会让它像婴儿一样用奶瓶喝奶。那样你就会知道猪能惹出什么麻烦了。"

When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.
半小时后，阿雷布先生回到屋里，胳膊下夹着一个纸箱。费恩正在楼上换她的运动鞋。厨房的桌子已经准备好吃早餐了，房间里弥漫着咖啡、培根、潮湿的灰泥和炉子里的木烟的味道。

"Put it on her chair!" said Mrs. Arable. Mr. Arable set the carton down at Fern's place. Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands and dried them on the roller towel.
"把它放在她的椅子上！"阿雷布尔太太说。阿雷布尔先生把纸箱放在费恩的座位上。然后他走到水槽边，洗了手，用卷筒毛巾擦干。

Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.
费恩慢慢地走下楼梯。她的眼睛因为哭泣而发红。当她走近椅子时，纸箱晃了一下，发出刮擦声。费恩看着她的父亲。然后她掀开纸箱的盖子。里面，仰头看着她，是一头新生的小猪。它是一头白色的。晨光照过它的耳朵，让耳朵变成了粉色。

"He's yours," said Mr. Arable. "Saved from an untimely death. And may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness."
"这是你的了，"阿雷布尔先生说。"救了它免于一死。愿上帝原谅我的愚蠢。"

Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, look at him! He's absolutely perfect."
费恩离不开那头小猪的目光。"哦，"她轻声说。"哦，看看它！它简直完美无瑕。"

She closed the carton carefully. First she kissed her father, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek. At this moment her brother Avery came into the room. Avery was ten.
她小心翼翼地关上纸箱。她先吻了吻爸爸，然后又吻了吻妈妈。接着她再次打开盖子，把小猪提出来，抱在脸颊上。就在这时，她哥哥艾弗里走进了房间。艾弗里十岁了。

He was heavily armed - an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.
他武装得很充分——一只手拿着气枪，另一只手拿着木制匕首。

"What's that?" he demanded. "What's Fern got?"
“那是什么？”他问道。“弗恩有什么？”

"She's got a guest for breakfast," said Mrs. Arable. "Wash your hands and face, Avery!"
“她为早餐请了客人，”阿雷布尔夫人说。“艾弗里，洗手洗脸！”

"Let's see it!" said Avery, setting his gun down. "You call that miserable thing a pig? That's a fine specimen of a pig, it's no bigger than a white rat."
“咱们看看吧！”艾弗里放下枪，“你管那可怜东西叫猪？那才是猪的好样儿，跟白老鼠差不多大。”

"Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery!" said his mother. "The school bus will be along in half an hour."
“艾弗里，快洗漱吃早饭！”他妈妈说，“校车半小时就来了。”

"Can I have a pig, too, Pop?" asked Avery.
“我也要一只猪，爸爸。”艾弗里问。

"No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable. "Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the world of injustice. As a result, she now has a pig. A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig. It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly. Let's eat!"
“不行，我只给早起的人发猪，”阿雷布尔先生说，“弗恩天不亮就起床，想消除世间的 injustice。结果她现在有了一只猪。虽然小，但终究是猪。这就说明人要是准时起床，会发生什么。咱们吃饭吧！”

But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had had a drink of milk.
但费恩得等到她的猪喝完牛奶才能吃。

Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple. She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and handed it to Fern. "Give him his breakfast!" she said.
阿雷布尔太太找到了一个婴儿奶瓶和橡胶奶嘴。她把温牛奶倒进奶瓶，把奶嘴套在瓶口上，然后递给费恩。"给他吃早餐！"她说。

A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with her infant between her knees, teaching it to suck from the bottle. The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on quickly.
一分钟后，费恩坐在厨房角落的地上，怀里抱着小猪，教它从奶瓶里喝奶。这头小猪虽然个头小，但胃口很好，学得很快。

The school bus honked from the road.
校车从路上鸣笛。

"Run!" commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern and slipping a doughnut into her hand. Avery grabbed his gun and another doughnut.
"跑！"阿雷布尔夫人命令道，从费恩怀里接过小猪，把一个甜甜圈塞到她手里。艾弗里拿起他的枪和另一个甜甜圈。

The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus. Fern took no notice of the others in the bus. She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig. By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.
孩子们跑出屋子，爬上了校车。费恩对车上的其他人视而不见。她只是坐着，望着窗外，想着这个世界多么美好，自己多么幸运能完全照看一头小猪。等校车到达学校时，费恩已经给她的宠物取了名字，选了最漂亮的名字。

"Its name is Wilbur," she whispered to herself.
它的名字叫威尔伯，她对自己小声说。

She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said: "Fern, what is the capital of Pennsylvania?"
当老师问“费恩，宾夕法尼亚州的首府是什么？”时，她还在想着那只小猪。

"Wilbur," replied Fern, dreamily. The pupils giggled. Fern blushed.
“威尔伯，”费恩梦游般地回答。学生们咯咯地笑起来，费恩的脸红了。

* * *

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CHAPTER 2
第二章

Wilbur
威尔伯

Fern loved Wilbur more than anything. She loved to stroke him, to feed him, to put him to bed. Every morning, as soon as she got up, she warmed his milk, tied his bib on, and held the bottle for him. Every afternoon, when the school bus stopped in front of her house, she jumped out and ran to the kitchen to fix another bottle for him. She fed him again at suppertime, and again just before going to bed. Mrs. Arable gave him a feeding around noontime each day, when Fern was away in school. Wilbur loved his milk, and he was never happier than when Fern was warming up a bottle for him. He would stand and gaze up at her with adoring eyes.
费尔恩比什么都更喜欢威尔伯。她喜欢抚摸他，喂他，给他盖床。每天早上，她一醒来就给他温牛奶，系上围嘴，然后拿着奶瓶喂他。每天下午，当校车停在她家门口时，她会跳下车跑到厨房给他准备另一瓶奶。她会在晚餐时再喂他一次，在睡觉前也会再喂他一次。阿雷布尔太太每天中午费尔恩上学时，都会给他喂奶。威尔伯喜欢他的牛奶，当他看到费尔恩在给他温奶瓶时，他是最开心的。他会站着，用爱慕的眼神仰望着她。

For the first few days of his life, Wilbur was allowed to live in a box near the stove in the kitchen. Then, when Mrs. Arable complained, he was moved to a bigger box in the woodshed. At two weeks of age, he was moved outdoors. It was apple-blossom time, and the days were getting warmer. Mr. Arable fixed a small yard specially for Wilbur under an apple tree, and gave him a large wooden box full of straw, with a doorway cut in it so he could walk in and out as he pleased.
威尔伯出生后的头几天，被允许住在厨房靠近炉子的一个箱子里。后来，当阿雷布尔太太抱怨时，他被移到了木棚里一个更大的箱子里。两周大时，他被移到了户外。那时正值苹果花开放的季节，天气也渐渐变暖。阿雷布尔先生在苹果树下为威尔伯特意修了一个小院子，并给他准备了一个装满干草的大木箱，箱子上挖了一个门洞，他可以随意进出。

"Won't he be cold at night?" asked Fern.
“他晚上不会冷吗？”弗恩问道。

"No," said her father. "You watch and see what he does."
“不会，”她父亲说。“你看着吧，他会做什么。”

Carrying a bottle of milk, Fern sat down under the apple tree inside the yard. Wilbur ran to her and she held the bottle for him while he sucked. When he had finished the last drop, he grunted and walked sleepily into the box. Fern peered through the door. Wilbur was poking the straw with his snout. In a short time he had dug a tunnel in the straw. He crawled into the tunnel and disappeared from sight, completely covered with straw.
弗恩拿着一瓶牛奶，坐在院子里的苹果树下。威尔伯跑过来，她把瓶子递给他，他吸着。当他喝完最后一滴时，他咕哝着，昏昏欲睡地走进盒子。弗恩透过门缝看去。威尔伯用鼻子戳着稻草。不久，他在稻草里挖了一个隧道。他爬进隧道，消失在视野中，全身都裹着稻草。

Fern was enchanted. It relieved her mind to know that her baby would sleep covered up, and would stay warm.
弗恩被迷住了。知道她的宝宝会裹着东西睡觉，会保持温暖，这让她安心。

Every morning after breakfast, Wilbur walked out to the road with Fern and waited with her till the bus came. She would wave good-bye to him, and he would stand and watch the bus until it vanished around a turn. While Fern was in school, Wilbur was shut up inside his yard. But as soon as she got home in the afternoon, she would take him out and he would follow her around the place. If she went into the house, Wilbur went, too. If she went upstairs, Wilbur would wait at the bottom step until she came down again. If she took her doll for a walk in the doll carriage, Wilbur followed along. Sometimes, on these journeys, Wilbur would get tired, and Fern would pick him up and put him in the carriage alongside the doll. He liked this. And if he was very tired, he would close his eyes and go to sleep under the doll's blanket. He looked cute when his eyes were closed, because his lashes were so long. The doll would close her eyes, too, and Fern would wheel the carriage very slowly and smoothly so as not to wake her infants.
每天早餐后，威尔伯都会和弗恩一起走到路边，等巴士来。她会向他挥手告别，而他则站着看着巴士拐弯消失。弗恩上学时，威尔伯就关在院子里。但下午一放学，弗恩就会带他出去，他会跟着她在家里到处跑。如果弗恩进屋，威尔伯也跟着进去。如果弗恩上楼，威尔伯就会在楼梯底等，直到她下来。如果弗恩用娃娃车带她的娃娃出门散步，威尔伯也会跟着。有时候，在这些外出时，威尔伯会累，弗恩就会抱起他，把他放在娃娃旁边的车子里。他喜欢这样。如果他很累，他就会闭上眼睛，在娃娃的毯子下面睡觉。他闭着眼时看起来很可爱，因为他的睫毛很长。娃娃也会闭上眼睛，弗恩会非常缓慢平稳地推着车，以免吵醒她的孩子们。

One warm afternoon, Fern and Avery put on bathing suits and went down to the brook for a swim. Wilbur tagged along at Fern's heels. When she waded into the brook, Wilbur waded in with her. He found the water quite cold - too cold for his liking. So while the children swam and played and splashed water at each other, Wilbur amused himself in the mud along the edge of the brook, where it was warm and moist and delightfully sticky and oozy.
一个温暖的下午，弗恩和艾弗里穿上泳衣，到小溪边去游泳。威尔伯跟在弗恩后面。当弗恩趟进小溪时，威尔伯也跟着趟了进去。他觉得水很冷——冷得让他不喜欢。所以当孩子们在游泳、玩耍、互相泼水时，威尔伯在溪边泥泞的地方自娱自乐，那里温暖湿润，黏糊糊的，非常有趣。

Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful.
每一天都是快乐的一天，每一个夜晚都是宁静的。

Wilbur was what farmers call a spring pig, which simply means that he was born in springtime. When he was five weeks old, Mr. Arable said he was now big enough to sell, and would have to be sold. Fern broke down and wept. But her father was firm about it. Wilbur's appetite had increased; he was beginning to eat scraps of food in addition to milk. Mr. Arable was not willing to provide 瞻养 for him any longer. He had already sold Wilbur's ten brothers and sisters.
威尔伯是农夫们所说的春猪，这意味着他出生在春天。当他五周大时，阿雷布尔先生说他现在够大了，可以卖掉了，必须卖掉。弗恩伤心地哭了。但她的父亲很坚决。威尔伯的食欲增加了；他开始除了牛奶外还吃食物碎屑。阿雷布尔先生不愿意再照顾他了。他已经卖掉了威尔伯的十个兄弟姐妹。

"He's got to go, Fern," he said. "You have had your fun raising a baby pig, but Wilbur is not a baby any longer and he has got to be sold."
“他得走了，弗恩，”他说。“你已经体验过养小猪的乐趣，但威尔伯不再是小猪了，他得卖掉了。”

"Call up the Zuckermans," suggested Mrs. Arable to Fern. "Your Uncle Homer sometimes raises a pig. And if Wilbur goes there to live, you can walk down the road and visit him as often as you like."
"给佐克曼家打电话吧，"阿布尔太太建议弗恩。"你叔叔荷默有时会养一头猪。如果威尔伯去那里生活，你可以沿着小路经常去看望他。"

"How much money should I ask for him?" Fern wanted to know.
"我应该要多少钱呢？"弗恩想知道。

"Well," said her father, "he's a runt. Tell your Uncle Homer you've got a pig you'll sell for six dollars, and see what he says."
"嗯，"她父亲说，"它是个小不点。告诉你的叔叔荷默，你有一头猪愿意卖六美元，看看他会怎么说。"

It was soon arranged. Fern phoned and got her Aunt Edith, and her Aunt Edith hollered for Uncle Homer, and Uncle Homer came in from the barn and talked to Fern. When he heard that the price was only six dollars, he said he would buy the pig. Next day Wilbur was taken from his home under the apple tree and went to live in a manure pile in the cellar of Zuckerman's barn.
很快事情就安排好了。弗恩打电话给埃迪特阿姨，埃迪特阿姨喊来荷默叔叔，荷默叔叔从谷仓里进来和弗恩谈话。当他听说价格只有六美元时，他说他会买下这头猪。第二天，威尔伯被从苹果树下的家带走，去了佐克曼家谷仓地窖里的粪堆里生活。

CHAPTER 3
第三章

Escape
逃脱

The barn was very large. It was very old. It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a sort of peaceful smell - as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world. It smelled of grain and of harness dressing and of axle grease and of rubber boots and of new rope. And whenever the cat was given a fish-head to eat, the barn would smell of fish. But mostly it smelled of hay, for there was always hay in the great loft up overhead. And there was always hay being pitched down to the cows and the horses and the sheep.
谷仓非常大。它非常古老。它散发着干草的气味，也散发着粪便的气味。它散发着疲惫的马匹的汗水和耐心奶牛的奇妙甜气。它常常有一种平静的气味——仿佛世界上再也不会发生任何坏事。它散发着谷物的气味，也散发着挽具的气味，还散发着车轴润滑油的气味，以及橡胶靴的气味和新绳索的气味。每当猫被给鱼头吃时，谷仓就会散发出鱼腥味。但大多数时候它散发着干草的气味，因为上方巨大的阁楼里总是堆满了干草。而且总有干草被投下来给奶牛、马和羊。

The barn was pleasantly warm in winter when the animals spent most of their time indoors, and it was pleasantly cool in summer when the big doors stood wide open to the breeze. The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups〔美sl.〕拴系牲畜的地方 on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold 羊栏 down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur, and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, pitch forks, monkey wrenches, scythes 长柄的大镰刀, lawn mowers, snow shovels, ax handles, milk pails, water buckets, empty grain sacks, and rusty rat traps. It was the kind of barn that swallows like to build their nests in. It was the kind of barn that children like to play in. And the whole thing was owned by Fern's uncle, Mr. Homer L. Zuckerman.
谷仓在冬天动物们大多待在室内时，感觉温暖宜人，夏天当大门敞开迎接微风时，又凉爽舒适。谷仓主层有供工作马匹使用的马厩，主层有供奶牛使用的拴马桩，下方有供绵羊使用的羊栏，下方还有供威尔伯使用的猪圈。里面装满了谷仓里常见的东西：梯子、磨石、钉耙、扳手、大镰刀、割草机、铲雪铲、斧头柄、牛奶桶、水桶、空粮袋和生锈的老鼠夹。这是那种松鼠喜欢筑巢的谷仓，也是孩子们喜欢玩耍的谷仓。整栋谷仓都属于弗恩的叔叔，霍默·L·朱克曼先生。

Wilbur's new home was in the lower part of the barn, directly underneath the cows. Mr. Zuckerman knew that a manure pile is a good place to keep a young pig. Pigs need warmth, and it was warm and comfortable down there in the barn cellar on the south side.
威尔伯的新家在谷仓的下方部分，正好在奶牛的正下方。朱克曼先生知道，粪堆是养小猪的好地方。猪需要温暖，而谷仓南边的地下室又温暖又舒适。

Fern came almost every day to visit him. She found an old milking stool that had been discarded, and she placed the stool in the sheepfold next to Wilbur's pen. Here she sat quietly during the long afternoons, thinking and listening and watching Wilbur. The sheep soon got to know her and trust her. So did the geese, who lived with the sheep. All the animals trusted her, She was so quiet and friendly. Mr. Zuckerman did not allow her to take Wilbur out, and he did not allow her to get into the pigpen. But he told Fern that she could sit on the stool and watch Wilbur as long as she wanted to. It made her happy just to be near the pig, and it made Wilbur happy to know that she was sitting there, right outside his pen. But he never had any fun, no walks, no rides, no swims.
费恩几乎每天都来探望他。她找来一把被丢弃的老挤奶凳，把它放在威尔伯猪圈的旁边。在漫长的午后，她静静地坐在凳子上，思考着、听着、看着威尔伯。羊很快熟悉了她，信任了她。和羊一起生活的鹅也是如此。所有的动物都信任她，因为她非常安静、非常友好。朱克曼先生不允许她带威尔伯出去，也不允许她进入猪圈。但他告诉费恩，她可以坐在凳子上，想看多久就看多久。只要能靠近猪，她就感到很高兴，而威尔伯也很高兴知道她就在他的猪圈外坐着。但他从来没有什么乐趣，没有散步，没有骑乘，没有游泳。

One afternoon in June, when Wilbur was almost two months old, he wandered out into his small yard outside the barn. Fern had not arrived for her usual visit. Wilbur stood in the sun feeling lonely and bored.
六月份的一个下午，威尔伯刚满两个月时，他漫步到了谷仓外的小院子里。费恩没有像往常一样来探望他。威尔伯站在阳光下，感到孤独和无聊。

"There's never anything to do around here," he thought. He walked slowly to his food trough and sniffed to see if anything had been overlooked at lunch. He found a small strip of potato skin and ate it. His back itched, so he leaned against the fence and rubbed against the boards. When he tired of this, he walked indoors, climbed to the top of the manure pile, and sat down. He didn't feel like going to sleep, he didn't feel like digging, he was tired of standing still, tired of lying down. "I'm less than two months old and I'm tired of living," he said. He walked out to the yard again.
"这里永远没什么可做的，"他想。他慢慢走到他的食槽边，嗅了嗅，看看午餐时有没有什么被遗漏的。他发现了一小片土豆皮，就吃了它。他的背痒，于是靠着栅栏，在木板间蹭来蹭去。当他对此感到厌倦时，他走进屋内，爬到肥料堆的顶端，坐了下来。他不想睡觉，不想挖东西，厌倦了站着，也厌倦了躺着。"我不到两个月大，就已经厌倦生活了，"他说。他又走出了院子。

"When I'm out here," he said, "there's no place to go but in. When I'm indoors, there's no place to go but out in the yard."
"我在这儿的时候，"他说，"除了进屋，没地方可去。我在屋内的时候，除了到院子里，也没地方可去。"

"That's where you're wrong, my friend, my friend," said a voice.
"你错了，我的朋友，我的朋友，"一个声音说道。

Wilbur looked through the fence and saw the goose standing there.
威尔伯从栅栏外望去，看见那只鹅站在那里。

"You don't have to stay in that dirty-little dirty-little dirty-little yard," said the goose, who talked rather fast. "One of the boards is loose. Push on it, push-push-push on it, and come on out!"
"你不必待在那又脏又乱的小院子里，"那只鹅飞快地说。"其中一块木板松了。推它，推推推它，然后出来！"

"What?" said Wilbur. "Say it slower!"
"什么？"威尔伯说。"慢点说！"

"At-at-at, at the risk of repeating myself," said the goose, "I suggest that you come on out. It's wonderful out here."
"呱呱呱，冒着重复我的风险，"鹅说，"我建议你出来。外面很棒。"

"Did you say a board was loose?"
"你说是木板松了？"

"That I did, that I did," said the goose.
"是的，是的，" 鹅说。

Wilbur walked up to the fence and saw that the goose was right – one board was loose. He put his head down, shut his eyes, and pushed. The board gave way. In a minute he had squeezed through the fence and was standing in the long grass outside his yard. The goose chuckled.
威尔伯走到栅栏前，发现鹅说得对——一块木板松动了。他低下头，闭上眼睛，用力推。木板移开了。一分钟内，他挤过栅栏，站在院子外的长草丛中。鹅轻笑了一声。

"How does it feel to be free?" she asked.
"自由的感觉怎么样？" 她问道。

"I like it," said Wilbur. "That is, I guess I like it."
"我喜欢，" 威尔伯说。"那也就是说，我想我是喜欢的。"

Actually, Wilbur felt queer to be outside his fence, with nothing between him and the big world.
实际上，威尔伯觉得在栅栏外很奇怪，没有任何东西能阻隔他和那个大世界。

"Where do you think I'd better go?"
"你觉得我最好去哪里？"

"Anywhere you like, anywhere you like," said the goose. "Go down through the orchard, root up the sod! Go down through the garden, dig up the radishes! Root up everything! Eat grass! Look for corn! Look for oats! Run all over! Skip and dance, jump and prance! Go down through the orchard and stroll in the woods! The world is a wonderful place when you're young."
"随便你去哪里，随便你去哪里，"鹅说。"穿过果园，把草皮刨出来！穿过花园，把萝卜挖出来！把所有东西都刨出来！吃草！找玉米！找燕麦！到处跑！跳跳舞，蹦蹦跳！穿过果园，在树林里散步！年轻时，世界是个奇妙的地方。"

"I can see that," replied Wilbur. He gave a jump in the air, twirled, ran a few steps, stopped, looked all around, sniffed the smells of afternoon, and then set off walking down through the orchard. Pausing in the shade of an apple tree, he put his strong snout into the ground and began pushing, digging, and rooting. He felt very happy. He had plowed up quite a piece of ground before anyone noticed him. Mrs. Zuckerman was the first to see him. She saw him from the kitchen window, and she immediately shouted for the men.
"我知道，"威尔伯回答说。它在空中跳了一下，转了个圈，跑了几步，停了下来，环顾四周，嗅了嗅午后的气息，然后开始穿过果园行走。在苹果树的阴凉处停顿了一下，它把强壮的鼻子插进地里，开始推、挖、刨。它感到非常快乐。在被人注意到之前，它已经刨出了一大片地。朱克曼夫人是第一个看到它的人。她从厨房的窗户看到它，立刻喊来了男人。

"Ho-mer!" she cried. "Pig's out! Lurvy! Pig's out! Homer! Lurvy! Pig's out. He's down there under that apple tree."
"荷默！"她喊道。"小猪大餐！亲爱的！小猪大餐！荷默！亲爱的！小猪大餐。他在那棵苹果树下呢。"

"Now the trouble starts," thought Wilbur. "Now I'll catch it."
"现在麻烦开始了，"威尔伯心想。"现在我要抓住它了。"

The goose heard the racket and she, too, started hollering.
鹅听到吵闹声，她也开始喊叫。

"Run-run-run downhill, make for the woods, the woods!" she shouted to Wilbur. "They'll never-never-never catch you in the woods."
"往下跑，跑向树林，树林！"她对威尔伯喊道。"他们永远永远永远也抓不到你在树林里。"

The cocker spaniel heard the commotion and he ran out from the barn to join the chase. Mr. Zuckerman heard, and he came out of the machine shed where he was mending a tool. Lurvy, the hired man, heard the noise and came up from the asparagus芦笋 patch where he was pulling weeds. Everybody walked toward Wilbur and Wilbur didn't know what to do. The woods seemed a long way off, and anyway, he had never been down there in the woods and wasn't sure he would like it.
猎犬听到了骚动，从谷仓跑出来加入追捕。朱克曼先生听到了，他从正在修理工具的机器棚里出来。雇工鲁维听到动静，从正在拔草的芦笋地里走来。大家都朝威尔伯走去，威尔伯不知道该怎么办。树林看起来很远，而且他从未去过那里，也不确定自己是否喜欢那里。

"Get around behind him, Lurvy," said Mr. Zuckerman, "and drive him toward the barn! And take it easy - don't rush him! I'll go and get a bucket of slops (food for pigs)."
“鲁维，从后面绕过去，”朱克曼先生说，“把他赶向谷仓！而且要小心——别催他！我去拿一桶猪食。”

The news of Wilbur's escape spread rapidly among the animals on the place. Whenever any creature broke loose on Zuckerman's farm, the event was of great interest to the others. The goose shouted to the nearest cow that Wilbur was free, and soon all the cows knew. Then one of the cows told one of the sheep, and soon all the sheep knew. The lambs learned about it from their mothers. The horses, in their stalls in the barn, pricked up their ears when they heard the goose hollering; and soon the horses had caught on to what was happening. "Wilbur's out," they said. Every animal stirred and lifted its head and became excited to know that one of his friends had got free and was no longer penned up or tied fast.
威尔伯逃走的消息迅速传遍了农场上的动物们。每当有生物在朱克曼的农场里挣脱束缚，其他动物都会对此非常感兴趣。鹅向最近的奶牛喊道威尔伯自由了，很快所有奶牛都知道了。接着，奶牛们又告诉了绵羊们，很快所有绵羊都了解了。小羊们从它们的母亲那里得知了这件事。马儿们在谷仓的马厩里，当听到鹅的喊叫时竖起了耳朵；很快马儿们也明白了正在发生的事情。"威尔伯逃出来了"，它们说。每只动物都动了起来，抬起头，因为得知有朋友自由了，不再被关在笼子里或绑得紧紧的，它们都兴奋起来。

Wilbur didn't know what to do or which way to run. It seemed as though everybody was after him. "If this is what it's like to be free," he thought, "I believe I'd rather be penned up in my own yard."
威尔伯不知道该怎么办，也不知道该往哪里跑。似乎每个人都追捕它。"如果这就是自由的样子"，他想道，"我宁愿在自己的院子里被关起来。"

The cocker spaniel was sneaking up on him from one side, Lurvy the hired man was sneaking up on him from the other side. Mrs. Zuckerman stood ready to head him off 阻止, 拦截 if he started for the garden, and now Mr. Zuckerman was coming down toward him carrying a pail. "This is really awful," thought Wilbur. "Why doesn't Fern come?" He began to cry.
猎犬从一边悄悄接近他，雇工卢维从另一边悄悄接近他。佐克曼夫人准备阻止他，如果他要往花园去，而佐克曼先生正拿着一个桶向他走来。"这实在太糟糕了，"威尔伯心想。"为什么弗恩不来？"他开始哭泣。

The goose took command and began to give orders. "Don't just stand there, Wilbur! Dodge about, dodge about!" cried the goose. "Skip around, run toward me, slip in and out, in and out, in and out! Make for the woods! Twist and turn!"
鹅开始发号施令。"别只是站着，威尔伯！躲闪一下，躲闪一下！"鹅喊道。"绕着跑，向我跑来，溜进溜出，溜进溜出，溜进溜出！往树林里跑！转来转去！"

The cocker spaniel sprang for Wilbur's hind leg. Wilbur jumped and ran. Lurvy reached out and grabbed. Mrs. Zuckerman screamed at Lurvy. The goose cheered for Wilbur. Wilbur dodged between Lurvy's legs. Lurvy missed Wilbur and grabbed the spaniel instead.
猎犬扑向威尔伯的后腿。威尔伯跳起来逃跑。卢维伸出手抓住他。佐克曼夫人对卢维尖叫。鹅为威尔伯加油。威尔伯从卢维的腿间躲闪。卢维没抓住威尔伯，反而抓住了猎犬。

"Nicely done, nicely done!" cried the goose. "Try it again, try it again!"
"干得好，干得好！"鹅喊道。"再来一次，再来一次！"

"Run downhill!" suggested the cows.
"往山下跑！"奶牛们建议。

"Run toward me!" yelled the gander (male goose).
"向我跑来！"雄鹅喊道。

"Run uphill!" cried the sheep.
"往山上跑！"绵羊哭喊。

"Turn and twist!" honked the goose.
"转身扭动！"鹅高声鸣叫。

"Jump and dance!" said the rooster.
"跳起来跳舞！"公鸡说。

"Look out for Lurvy!" called the cows.
"小心露比！"奶牛喊道。

"Look out for Zuckerman!" yelled the gander.
"小心朱克曼！"公鹅叫道。

"Watch out for the dog!" cried the sheep.
"小心那只狗！"绵羊哭喊道。

"Listen to me, listen to me!" screamed the goose.
"听我说，听我说！"鹅尖叫道。

Poor Wilbur was dazed and frightened by this hullabaloo (ruckus, uproar, confusion). He didn't like being the center of all this fuss. He tried to follow the instructions his friends were giving him, but he couldn't run downhill and uphill at the same time, and he couldn't turn and twist when he was jumping and dancing, and he was crying so hard he could barely see anything that was happening.
可怜的威尔伯被这嘈杂声（骚动、喧闹、混乱）弄得头晕目眩、惊恐不安。他不喜欢成为这一切关注的中心。他试图遵循朋友们给他的指示，但他不能同时向下跑和向上跑，在跳跃和跳舞时也不能转身和扭曲，他哭得太厉害了，几乎看不见周围发生的事情。

After all, Wilbur was a very young pig - not much more than a baby, really. He wished Fern were there to take him in her arms and comfort him. When he looked up and saw Mr. Zuckerman standing quite close to him, holding a pail of warm slops, he felt relieved. He lifted his nose and sniffed. The smell was delicious - warm milk, potato skins, wheat middlings (小麦的)粗粉, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, and a popover left from the Zuckermans' breakfast.
毕竟，威尔伯是一头非常年幼的小猪——实际上几乎还是个婴儿。他希望弗恩能在那里把他抱在怀里安慰他。当他抬头看到朱克曼先生站在他旁边，手里拿着一桶温热的泔水时，他感到松了一口气。他抬起鼻子闻了闻。气味很美味——温热的牛奶、土豆皮、小麦粗粉、家乐氏玉米片，还有朱克曼家早餐剩下的松饼。

"Come, pig!" said Mr. Zuckerman, tapping the pail. "Come pig!"
"来吧，小猪！"朱克曼先生说着，敲了敲桶。"来吧，小猪！"

Wilbur took a step toward the pail.
威尔伯向水桶迈出一步。

"No-no-no!" said the goose. "It's the old pail trick, Wilbur. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it! He's trying to lure you back into captivity-ivity. He's appealing to your stomach."
“不不不！”鹅说。“这是老水桶的把戏，威尔伯。别上当，别上当！他正想把你诱回囚禁——性。他在勾引你的肚子。”

Wilbur didn't care. The food smelled appetizing. He took another step toward the pail.
威尔伯不在乎。食物闻起来很诱人。他又向水桶迈出一步。

"Pig, pig!" said Mr. Zuckerman in a kind voice, and began walking slowly toward the barnyard, looking all about him innocently, as if he didn't know that a little white pig was following along behind him.
“小猪，小猪！”朱克曼先生用温和的声音说，并开始慢慢走向谷仓，天真地四处张望，好像不知道一只小白猪正跟在他后面。

"You'll be sorry-sorry-sorry," called the goose.
"你会后悔-后悔-后悔的，"鹅叫道。

Wilbur didn't care. He kept walking toward the pail of slops.
威尔伯不在乎。他继续朝食槽走去。

"You'll miss your freedom," honked the goose. "An hour of freedom is worth a barrel of slops."
"你会想念你的自由的，"鹅嘎嘎叫道。"一小时的自由值一桶食槽。"

Wilbur didn't care.
威尔伯不在乎。

When Mr. Zuckerman reached the pigpen, he climbed over the fence and poured the slops into the trough. Then he pulled the loose board away from the fence, so that there was a wide hole for Wilbur to walk through.
当佐克曼先生来到猪圈时，他爬过栅栏，把泔水倒入食槽。然后他把松动的木板从栅栏上挪开，为威尔伯留出一个宽宽的洞可以走过去。

"Reconsider, reconsider!" cried the goose.
"三思，三思！"鹅喊道。

Wilbur paid no attention. He stepped through the fence into his yard. He walked to the trough and took a long drink of slops, sucking in the milk hungrily and chewing the popover. It was good to be home again.
威尔伯没理会。他穿过栅栏走进自己的院子。他走到食槽边，大口喝着泔水，贪婪地吸着牛奶，嚼着松饼。回到家真好。

While Wilbur ate, Lurvy fetched a hammer and some 8-penny nails and nailed the board in place. Then he and Mr. Zuckerman leaned lazily on the fence and Mr. Zuckerman scratched Wilbur's back with a stick.
威尔伯吃东西的时候，鲁弗拿来一把锤子和一些 8 分钱的钉子，把木板钉回原处。然后他和佐克曼先生懒洋洋地靠在栅栏上，佐克曼先生用一根棍子挠威尔伯的背。

"He's quite a pig," said Lurvy.
“他真是个猪猡，”露维说。

"Yes, he'll make a good pig," said Mr. Zuckerman.
“是的，他会是个好猪猡，”朱克曼先生说。

Wilbur heard the words of praise. He felt the warm milk inside his stomach. He felt the pleasant rubbing of the stick along his itchy back. He felt peaceful and happy and sleepy. This had been a tiring afternoon. It was still only about four o'clock but Wilbur was ready for bed.
威尔伯听到了赞美的话语。他感到胃里暖洋洋的，舒服的。他感到木棍在他痒痒的背上轻轻地摩擦。他感到平静、快乐又困倦。这是一个累人的下午。虽然才四点钟左右，但威尔伯已经准备好上床睡觉了。

"I'm really too young to go out into the world alone," he thought as he lay down.
他躺下来时心想：“我年纪太小了，不能独自进入这个世界。”

CHAPTER 4
第四章

Loneliness
孤独

The next day was rainy and dark. Rain fell on the roof of the barn and dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain fell in the barnyard and ran in crooked courses down into the lane where thistles and pigweed grew. Rain spattered against Mrs. Zuckerman's kitchen windows and came gushing out of the downspouts. Rain fell on the backs of the sheep as they grazed in the meadow. When the sheep tired of standing in the rain, they walked slowly up the lane and into the fold.
第二天阴雨连绵。雨点落在谷仓屋顶上，从屋檐处持续滴落。谷仓院里也下着雨，雨水蜿蜒流向长满蓟和苋菜的小巷。雨水溅打在朱克曼夫人的厨房窗户上，从排水管中汹涌而出。雨落在吃草的羊背上。当羊群厌倦了在雨中站立时，它们慢慢地沿着小巷走向羊圈。

Rain upset Wilbur's plans. Wilbur had planned to go out, this day, and dig a new hole in his yard. He had other plans, too. His plans for the day went something like this:
雨打乱了威尔伯的计划。威尔伯原本打算今天出去，在他院子里挖一个新的洞。他还计划做些别的事情。他当天的计划大致如下：

Breakfast at six-thirty. Skim milk脱脂乳, crusts, middlings, bits of doughnuts, wheat cakes with drops of maple syrup sticking to them, potato skins, leftover custard pudding with raisins, and bits of Shredded Wheat.
六点半吃早餐。脱脂乳、面包屑、中段、甜甜圈碎片、滴着枫糖浆的小麦蛋糕、土豆皮、带葡萄干的剩余蛋奶布丁，还有碎燕麦片。

Breakfast would be finished at seven.
早餐将在七点结束。

From seven to eight, Wilbur planned to have a talk with Templeton, the rat that lived under his trough. Talking with Templeton was not the most interesting occupation in the world but it was better than nothing.
从七点到八点，威尔伯计划和住在他的食槽下的老鼠泰勒顿谈谈。和泰勒顿谈话不是世界上最有趣的活动，但它比什么都没有要好。

From eight to nine, Wilbur planned to take a nap outdoors in the sun.
从八点到九点，威尔伯计划在太阳下户外打个盹。

From nine to eleven he planned to dig a hole, or trench, and possibly find something good to eat buried in the dirt.
从九点到十一点，他计划挖一个洞，或者沟渠，或许能在泥土里找到一些好吃的东西。

From eleven to twelve he planned to stand still and watch flies on the boards, watch bees in the clover, and watch swallows in the air.
从十一点到十二点，他计划保持静止，观察板上的苍蝇，观察三叶草中的蜜蜂，以及观察空中的燕子。

Twelve o'clock - lunchtime. Middlings, warm water, apple parings 削下的皮, meat gravy, carrot scrapings, meat scraps, stale hominy, and the wrapper off a package of cheese. Lunch would be over at one.
十二点——午餐时间。杂碎、温水、苹果皮、肉汁、胡萝卜碎、肉末、陈玉米和一包奶酪的包装纸。午餐将在一点结束。

From one to two, Wilbur planned to sleep.
从一点到两点，威尔伯计划睡觉。

From two to three, he planned to scratch itchy places by rubbing against the fence.
从两点到三点，他计划通过蹭栏杆来挠痒痒的地方。

From three to four, he planned to stand perfectly still and think of what it was like to be alive, and to wait for Fern.
从三点到四点，他计划完美地静止不动，思考活着是什么感觉，并等待弗恩。

At four would come supper. Skim milk, provender (fodder, hay or grain used as animal feed), leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.
四点时来晚餐。脱脂牛奶、饲料（用作动物食用的干草、谷物等）、露比午餐盒里剩下的三明治、李子皮、一小块这个、一点那个、炸土豆、果酱滴落物、再多一点这个、再多一点那个、一块烤苹果、一块倒扣蛋糕。

Wilbur had gone to sleep thinking about these plans. He awoke at six, and saw the rain, and it seemed as though he couldn't bear it.
威尔伯睡梦中想着这些计划。六点醒来，看到下雨，似乎无法忍受。

"I get everything all beautifully planned out and it has to go and rain," he said.
“我一切都计划得那么美好，结果非要下雨，”他说。

For a while he stood gloomily indoors. Then he walked to the door and looked out. Drops of rain struck his face. His yard was cold and wet. His trough had an inch of rainwater in it. Templeton was nowhere to be seen.
他灰暗地待在室内了一会儿。然后走到门口向外看。雨点打在他的脸上。他的院子又冷又湿。他的食槽里有一英寸的雨水。泰勒顿无影无踪。

"Are you out there, Templeton?" called Wilbur. There was no answer. Suddenly Wilbur felt lonely and friendless.
"你在那里吗，泰勒顿？"威尔伯喊道。没有回答。威尔伯突然感到孤独无依。

"One day just like another," he groaned. "I'm very young, I have no real friend here in the barn, it's going to rain all morning and all afternoon, and Fern won't come in such bad weather. Oh, honestly!" And Wilbur was crying again, for the second time in two days.
"一天和一天一样，"他叹了口气。"我年纪轻轻的，在这谷仓里没有真正的朋友，今天一整天都要下雨，而且弗恩不会在这种坏天气里进来。哦，说真的！"威尔伯又开始哭了，这是两天来的第二次。

At six-thirty Wilbur heard the banging of a pail. Lurvy was standing outside in the rain, stirring up breakfast.
六点半，威尔伯听到了桶子敲击的声音。拉维站在雨中，准备早餐。

"C'mon, pig!" said Lurvy.
"来吧，猪！"拉维说。

Wilbur did not budge. Lurvy dumped the slops, scraped the pail, and walked away. He noticed that something was wrong with the pig.
威尔伯纹丝不动。露比倒掉剩汤，刮干净桶子，然后走开了。他注意到那头猪有点不对劲。

Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love. He wanted a friend – someone who would play with him. He mentioned this to the goose, who was sitting quietly in a corner of the sheepfold.
威尔伯不要食物，他要爱。他想要一个朋友——一个可以和他一起玩的人。他把这个想法告诉了那只鹅，它正安静地坐在羊圈的一个角落里。

"Will you come over and play with me?" he asked.
“你会过来和我一起玩吗？”他问道。

"Sorry, sonny, sorry," said the goose. "I'm sitting-sitting on my eggs. Eight of them. Got to keep them toasty-oasty-oasty warm. I have to stay right here, I'm no flibberty-ibberty-gibbet. I do not play when there are eggs to hatch. I'm expecting goslings (baby goose)."
“对不起，小家伙，对不起，”鹅说。“我在孵蛋——八个蛋。得让它们保持暖烘烘的。我必须留在这里，我不是那种爱玩爱闹的小家伙。有蛋要孵的时候我不玩。我在等小鹅（小鹅）。”

"Well, I didn't think you were expecting woodpeckers," said Wilbur, bitterly.
“呃，我没想过你在等啄木鸟，”威尔伯苦涩地说。

Wilbur next tried one of the lambs.
威尔伯接着试了其中一只小羊。

"Will you please play with me?" he asked.
"你会陪我玩吗？"他问道。

"Certainly not," said the lamb. "In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump over the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me."
"当然不会。"小羊说。"首先，我进不了你的围栏，因为我年纪太小，够不着跳过栅栏。其次，我对猪不感兴趣。猪对我来说一文不值。"

"What do you mean, less than nothing?" replied Wilbur. "I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowest you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something - even though it's just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is."
"你说的‘一文不值’是什么意思？"威尔伯反问道。"我认为根本没有什么‘比一文不值还不值’的东西。‘无’就是‘无’的极限。那是最低限度。那是尽头。什么东西能比‘无’还‘无’呢？如果存在比‘无’还‘无’的东西，那么‘无’就不再是‘无’，它就变成了‘有’——尽管只是一点点‘有’。但如果‘无’就是‘无’，那么‘无’就没有任何比它更‘无’的东西。"

"Oh, be quiet!" said the lamb. "Go play by yourself! I don't play with pigs."
"哦，安静点！"小羊说。"自己去玩吧！我不和猪一起玩。"

Sadly, Wilbur lay down and listened to the rain. Soon he saw the rat climbing down a slanting board that he used as a stairway.
威尔伯伤心地躺下，听着雨声。很快，他看见一只老鼠正沿着他当楼梯用的斜板往下爬。

"Will you play with me, Templeton?" asked Wilbur.
"你要和我一起玩吗，塔普尔顿？"威尔伯问道。

"Play?" said Templeton, twirling his whiskers. "Play? I hardly know the meaning of the word."
"玩？"塔普尔顿转着胡须说。"玩？我几乎不知道这个词的意思。"

"Well," said Wilbur, "it means to have fun, to frolic, to run and skip and make merry."
“嗯，”威尔伯说，“这意味着要好玩，要嬉戏，要奔跑跳跃，要尽情欢乐。”

"I never do those things if I can avoid them," replied the rat, sourly. "I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying, and hiding. I am a glutton but not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat your breakfast, since you haven't got sense enough to eat it yourself." And Templeton, the rat, crept stealthily along the wall and disappeared into a private tunnel that he had dug between the door and the trough in Wilbur's yard. Templeton was a crafty rat, and he had things pretty much his own way. The tunnel was an example of his skill and cunning. The tunnel enabled him to get from the barn to his hiding place under the pig trough without coming out into the open. He had tunnels and runways all over Mr. Zuckerman's farm and could get from one place to another without being seen. Usually he slept during the daytime and was abroad only after dark.
“如果可以，我从不做这些事，”老鼠酸溜溜地回答。“我宁愿花时间吃东西、啃咬、窥探和躲藏。我是个饕餮，但不是乐天派。现在我要去你的食槽吃早餐了，因为你没脑子自己吃。”老鼠泰勒蒙偷偷摸摸地沿着墙边爬行，消失在他在威尔伯院子门和食槽之间挖的私人隧道里。泰勒蒙是个狡猾的老鼠，事情大多按他的方式发展。这个隧道是他技能和狡猾的证明。隧道让他能从谷仓到猪食槽下的藏身之处，而不必出现在开阔地带。他在朱克曼先生的农场到处都有隧道和跑道，可以不被看见地从一个地方到另一个地方。通常他白天睡觉，只在黑夜外出。

Wilbur watched him disappear into his tunnel. In a moment he saw the rat's sharp nose poke out from underneath the wooden trough. Cautiously Templeton pulled himself up over the edge of the trough. This was almost more than Wilbur could stand: on this dreary, rainy day to see his breakfast being eaten by somebody else. He knew Templeton was getting soaked, out there in the pouring rain, but even that didn't comfort him. Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.
威尔伯看着他消失进隧道。片刻后，他看见那只老鼠尖尖的鼻子从木制食槽底下探了出来。泰勒顿小心翼翼地把自己从食槽边缘拉了上来。这几乎让威尔伯无法忍受：在这个阴沉下雨的日子里，看到别人在吃他的早餐。他知道泰勒顿在外面倾盆大雨中淋透了，但这甚至不能让他感到安慰。孤独、沮丧又饥饿，他扑在粪堆上放声大哭。

Late that afternoon, Lurvy went to Mr. Zuckerman. "I think there's something wrong with that pig of yours. He hasn't touched his food."
那天傍晚，露薇去了朱克曼先生家。"我觉得你那头猪有点不对劲。它没碰食物。"

"Give him two spoonfuls of sulphur硫磺 and a little molasses (dark thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar糖蜜)," said Mr. Zuckerman.
"给它两勺硫磺和一点糖蜜（制糖过程中产生的深色浓稠糖浆）,"朱克曼先生说。

Wilbur couldn't believe what was happening to him when Lurvy caught him and forced the medicine down his throat. This was certainly the worst day of his life. He didn't know whether he could endure the awful loneliness any more.
当露薇抓住它并把它灌下药时，威尔伯简直不敢相信发生在他身上的事。这绝对是他一生中最糟糕的一天。他不知道自己是否还能忍受这可怕的孤独。

Darkness settled over ever thing. Soon there were only shadows and the noises of the sheep chewing their cuds, and occasionally the rattle of a cow-chain up overhead. You can imagine Wilbur's surprise when, out of the darkness, came a small voice he had never heard before. It sounded rather thin, but pleasant. "Do you want a friend, Wilbur?" it said. "I'll be a friend to you. I've watched you all day and I like you."
黑暗笼罩了万物。很快，只有羊嚼食反刍的影子，偶尔还有头顶传来牛链的哗啦声。你能想象威尔伯的惊讶，当黑暗中传来一个他从未听过的细小声音。声音听起来有些单薄，但很悦耳。"你想交个朋友，威尔伯？"它说。"我会做你的朋友。我整天都在看你，我喜欢你。"

"But I can't see you," said Wilbur, jumping to his feet. "Where are you? And who are you?"
“但我看不见你，”威尔伯跳起来说。“你在哪里？你是谁？”

"I'm right up here," said the voice. "Go to sleep. You'll see me in the morning."
“我就在这里，”声音说。“去睡觉吧。明天你会看见我的。”

CHAPTER 5
第五章

Charlotte
夏洛

The night seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full. And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.
夜晚似乎很长。威尔伯的肚子空了，但思绪却很充实。而当肚子空了、思绪充实时，总是很难入睡。

A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to figure out what time it was. A barn is never perfectly quiet. Even at midnight there is usually something stirring.
夜里威尔伯醒来过十几次，凝视着黑暗，听着声音，试图弄清楚现在几点了。谷仓永远不会完全安静。即使在午夜，通常也总有些动静。

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin. Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur. "Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"
他第一次醒来时，听到泰勒顿在谷仓里啃洞。泰勒顿的牙齿在木头上刮得嘎嘎作响，吵得相当厉害。"那只疯狂的老鼠！"威尔伯心想。"他为什么非要整夜不睡，磨着他的臼齿，还破坏别人的财产？为什么他不能像其他正经动物一样去睡觉呢？"

The second time Wilbur woke, he heard the goose turning on her nest and chuckling to herself.
第二次威尔伯醒来时，他听到鹅在巢里翻身，自言自语地咯咯笑。

"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the goose.
“现在几点了？”威尔伯对鹅小声问道。

"Probably-obably-obably about half-past eleven," said the goose. "Why aren't you asleep, Wilbur?"
"大概大概大概差不多十二点半了，"鹅说。"你为什么不睡觉呢，威尔伯？"

"Too many things on my mind," said Wilbur.
"我脑子里想的事情太多了，"威尔伯说。

"Well," said the goose, "that's not my trouble. I have nothing at all on my mind, but I've too many things under my behind. Have you ever tried to sleep while sitting on eight eggs?"
"嗯，"鹅说，"那不是我的问题。我脑子里什么都没有，但是屁股底下的事情太多了。你试过坐在八个蛋上睡觉吗？"

"No," replied Wilbur. "I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?"
"没有，"威尔伯回答。"我想那肯定不舒服。鹅蛋孵多久能孵出来？"

"Approximately-oximately thirty days, all told (on the whole)," answered the goose. "But I cheat a little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a little straw over the eggs and go out for a walk."
"大约三十天，总共（总的来说）"，鹅回答道。"但我有点小聪明。在温暖的午后，我就把一点稻草拉到蛋上，然后出去散步。"

Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In his dreams he heard again the voice saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep - you'll see me in the morning."
威尔伯打了个哈欠，又回到了睡眠中。在梦里，他又听到了那个声音说："我会成为你的朋友。去睡觉吧——你明天会见到我。"

About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened.
黎明前大约半个小时，威尔伯醒来并倾听。

The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand. The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth. Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this calm and quiet, waiting for light.
谷仓仍然黑暗。羊躺在那里一动不动。就连鹅也安静了下来。在楼上，主层上什么也没有动静：奶牛在休息，马在打盹。泰勒顿已经停止工作，去某处办事了。唯一的声音是从屋顶传来的轻微刮擦声，风向标在那里来回摆动。威尔伯喜欢谷仓在这种平静而安静的状态下，等待光明的到来。

"Day is almost here," he thought. Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared. One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing. Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.
"白天快到了，"他想。透过一个小窗户，出现了一丝微光。星星一颗接一颗地熄灭了。威尔伯能看到几英尺外的鹅。它把头藏在翅膀下坐着。然后他看到了羊和羊羔。天空亮了起来。

"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."
"哦，美丽的白天，它终于到了！今天我要找到我的朋友。"

Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly. He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided he would have to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of day by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his throat.
威尔伯到处寻找。他仔细检查了自己的笔。他查看窗台，抬头盯着天花板。但他什么新东西也没发现。最后他决定得开口说话了。他讨厌用声音打破白天的宁静，但他想不出任何其他办法找到那个神秘的新朋友，而那个朋友却无处可寻。于是威尔伯清了清嗓子。

"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice. "Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"
“请注意！”他用响亮而坚定的声音说道。“昨晚在睡前与我说话的那位，请通过适当的手势或信号表明自己的身份！”

Wilbur paused and listened. All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed. But he was determined to get in touch with his unknown friend.
威尔伯停顿了一下，仔细倾听。其他所有动物都抬起头看着他。威尔伯脸红了。但他决心要联系他的未知朋友。

"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up. Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"
“请注意！”他说。“我会重复这个信息。昨晚在睡前与我说话的那位，请开口说话。如果你是我的朋友，请告诉我你在哪里！”

The sheep looked at each other in disgust.
羊羔们互相厌恶地看了一眼。

"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep. "If you have a new friend here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?"
"别胡说八道了，威尔伯！"最年长的羊说道。"如果你在这里交了新朋友，你很可能在打扰他的休息；而破坏友谊最快的方法就是在别人还没准备好的时候把他弄醒。你怎么能确定你的朋友是早起的人呢？"

"I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn't mean to be objectionable."
"我向大家道歉，"威尔伯小声说。"我不是故意的，不想惹人讨厌。"

He lay down meekly in the manure, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near. And the old sheep was right - the friend was still asleep.
他顺从地躺在肥料里，面向门口。他不知道的是，他的朋友就在附近。而且老羊说得对——朋友还在睡觉。

Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate everything in a hurry, and licked the trough. The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled along behind them, pulling grass. And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before.
很快露比端着早餐盘出现了。威尔伯冲了出去，匆忙吃掉了所有东西，还舔了舔食槽。羊群沿着小路走开了，公鹅摇摇摆摆地跟在它们后面，拔着草。就在威尔伯准备打盹的时候，他又听到了昨夜对他说过话的那清脆的声音。

"Salutations!" said the voice.
"你好！"那声音说道。

Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.
威尔伯跳了起来。"你好-什么？"他喊道。

"Salutations!" repeated the voice.
"你好！"那声音重复道。

"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?"
他们是谁，你在哪里？"威尔伯尖叫道。"求求你，告诉我你在哪里。还有，问候是什么意思？"

"Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner of the doorway! Here I am. Look, I'm waving!"
"问候是打招呼。"声音说。"当我说是问候时，这只是我表达你好或早上好的方式。实际上，这是一个愚蠢的表达，我很惊讶我竟然用了它。至于我的行踪，那很简单。往门框的角落上看！我就在这里。看，我在挥手！"

At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down, was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop一种水果糖. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. "See me now?" she asked.
最后威尔伯看到了那个对他如此友善的生物。在门框的上部拉着一根大蜘蛛网，从网顶倒挂着一只大灰蜘蛛。她大约像一颗水果糖那么大。她有八条腿，其中一条正友好地向威尔伯挥手问候。"现在看到我了吗？"她问道。

"Oh, yes indeed," said Wilbur. "Yes indeed! How are you? Good morning! Salutations! Very pleased to meet you. What is your name, please? May I have your name?"
"哦，是的确实。"威尔伯说。"是的确实！你好吗？早上好！问候！非常高兴见到你。请问我叫什么名字？我可以知道你的名字吗？"

"My name," said the spider, "is Charlotte."
"我的名字，"蜘蛛说，"是夏洛特。"

"Charlotte what?" asked Wilbur, eagerly.
"夏洛特什么？"威尔伯急切地问。

"Charlotte A. Cavatica. But just call me Charlotte."
"夏洛特·A·卡瓦蒂卡。但叫我夏洛特就好。"

"I think you're beautiful," said Wilbur.
"我觉得你很漂亮，"威尔伯说。

"Well, I am pretty," replied Charlotte. "There's no denying that. Almost all spiders are rather nice-looking. I'm not as flashy as some, but I'll do. I wish I could see you, Wilbur, as clearly as you can see me."
“我挺漂亮的，”夏洛回答。“这毋庸置疑。几乎所有的蜘蛛都挺好看的。我可能不如有些蜘蛛那么耀眼，但我也还行。要是能像你看得那么清楚我一样，我也想看看你，威尔伯。”

"Why can't you?" asked the pig. "I'm right here."
“你怎么看不清呢？”小猪问道。“我就在这儿。”

"Yes, but I'm near-sighted," replied Charlotte. "I've always been dreadfully near-sighted. It's good in some ways, not so good in others. Watch me wrap up this fly."
“是的，但我近视，”夏洛回答。“我一直都近视得厉害。在某些方面这挺好的，但在其他方面就不那么好了。看我包这只苍蝇。”

A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's trough had flown up and blundered into the lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled in the sticky threads. The fly was beating its wings furiously, trying to break loose and free itself.
一只沿着威尔伯食槽爬行的苍蝇飞了起来，一头撞进了夏洛特网的下半部分，被粘稠的丝线缠住了。那只苍蝇拼命拍打着翅膀，试图挣脱束缚。

"First," said Charlotte, "I dive at him." She plunged headfirst toward the fly. As she dropped, a tiny silken thread unwound from her rear end.
“首先，”夏洛特说，“我冲向它。”她头朝下向苍蝇扑去。当她下落时，尾部的一根细丝线松开了。

"Next, I wrap him up." She grabbed the fly, threw a few jets of silk around it, and rolled it over and over, wrapping it so that it couldn't move. Wilbur watched in horror. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and although he detested flies, he was sorry for this one.
“接下来，我把它缠住。”她抓住苍蝇，围绕它喷出几股丝线，然后让它翻来覆去地缠绕，直到它动弹不得。威尔伯惊恐地观看。他几乎不敢相信眼前所见，尽管他讨厌苍蝇，但对这只苍蝇感到抱歉。

"There!" said Charlotte. "Now I knock him out, so he'll be more comfortable." She bit the fly. "He can't feel a thing now," she remarked. "He'll make a perfect breakfast for me."
“好了！”夏洛特说，“现在我要让它昏迷，这样会更舒服些。”她咬了咬苍蝇。“现在它感觉不到任何东西了，”她评论道。“我会用它做一顿完美的早餐。”

"You mean you eat flies?" gasped Wilbur.
"你是说你要吃苍蝇？"威尔伯倒吸一口凉气。

"Certainly. Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice beetles, moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches, gnats, midges, daddy longlegs (type of spider that has a tiny body and very long thin legs), centipedes蜈蚣, mosquitoes, crickets - anything that is careless enough to get caught in my web. I have to live, don't I?"
"当然。苍蝇、虫子、蝗虫、精选的甲虫、蛾子、蝴蝶、美味的蟑螂、蚋、蚋、长脚蜘蛛（一种身体很小、腿非常细长的蜘蛛）、蜈蚣、蚊子、蟋蟀——任何不小心被我网住的东西。我总要活下去，不是吗？"

"Why, yes, of course," said Wilbur. "Do they taste good?"
"是的，当然，"威尔伯说。"它们好吃吗？"

"Delicious. Of course, I don't really eat them. I drink them - drink their blood. I love blood," said Charlotte, and her pleasant, thin voice grew even thinner and more pleasant.
"真好吃。当然，我并不真的吃它们。我喝它们——喝它们的血。我喜欢血，"夏洛说，她那悦耳、尖细的声音变得更加尖细和悦耳。

"Don't say that!" groaned Wilbur. "Please don't say things like that!"
"别这么说！"威尔伯呻吟道。"请不要说这样的话！"

"Why not? It's true, and I have to say what is true. I am not entirely happy about my diet of flies and bugs, but it's the way I'm made. A spider has to pick up a living somehow or other, and I happen to be a trapper. I just naturally build a web and trap flies and other insects. My mother was a trapper before me. Her mother was a trapper before her. All our family have been trappers. Way back for thousands and thousands of years we spiders have been laying for flies and bugs."
"为什么不能？这是真的，我必须说出真相。我对苍蝇和虫子的饮食并不完全满意，但这就是我生来如此。蜘蛛总得想办法谋生，而我恰好是个捕食者。我天生就会结网捕食苍蝇和其他昆虫。我母亲在我之前是个捕食者。她母亲在她之前也是个捕食者。我们家族的祖祖辈辈都是捕食者。早在数千年前的某个时候，我们蜘蛛就开始设下陷阱捕捉苍蝇和虫子了。"

"It's a miserable inheritance," said Wilbur, gloomily. He was sad because his new friend was so bloodthirsty.
"这是一份悲惨的遗产，"威尔伯忧郁地说。他感到悲伤，因为他的新朋友如此嗜血。

"Yes, it is," agreed Charlotte. "But I can't help it. I don't know how the first spider in the early days of the world happened to think up this fancy idea of spinning a web, but she did, and it was clever of her, too. And since then, all of us spiders have had to work the same trick. It's not a bad pitch, on the whole."
"是的，是这么回事，"夏洛同意道。"但我没办法。我不知道世界早期的时候，第一只蜘蛛是怎么想到这个巧妙的想法——织网，但她确实这么做了，而且她很聪明。从那以后，我们所有蜘蛛都必须做同样的把戏。总的来说，这可不是个坏主意。"

"It's cruel," replied Wilbur, who did not intend to be argued out of his position.
"这太残酷了，"威尔伯回答道，他并不打算被说服改变主意。

"Well, you can't talk." said Charlotte. "You have your meals brought to you in a pail. Nobody feeds me. I have to get in own living. I live by my wits. I have to be sharp and clever, lest I go hungry. I have to think things out, catch what I can, take what comes. And it just so happens, my friend, that what comes is flies and insects and bugs. And furthermore," said Charlotte, shaking one of her legs, "do you realize that if I didn't catch bugs and eat them, bugs would increase and multiply and get so numerous that they'd destroy the earth, wipe out everything?"
"好吧，你根本不懂。"夏洛说。"你的食物都是装在桶里送来的。没人喂我。我必须自己谋生。我靠智慧生活。我必须机敏聪明，否则就会挨饿。我必须想好对策，抓住我能抓住的，接受一切发生的事情。而且，我的朋友，恰好发生的事情就是苍蝇、昆虫和虫子。再说，"夏洛一边说着，一边摇晃着一条腿，"你意识到吗？如果我不抓虫子吃掉它们，虫子就会增多、繁殖，变得如此众多，以至于它们会毁灭地球，消灭一切？"

"Really?" said Wilbur. "I wouldn't want that to happen. Perhaps your web is a good thing after all."
"真的吗？"威尔伯说。"我不希望那样发生。也许你的网终究是个好东西。"

The goose had been listening to this conversation and chuckling to herself. "There are a lot of things Wilbur doesn't know about life," she thought. "He's really a very innocent little pig. He doesn't even know what's going to happen to him around Christmastime; he has no idea that Mr. Zuckerman and Lurvy are plotting to kill him." And the goose raised herself a bit and poked her eggs a little further under her so that they would receive the full heat from her warm body and soft feathers.
鹅一直在听着这场对话，自顾自地暗自发笑。"威尔伯有很多事情不知道关于生活，"它心想。"他真是个非常天真的小猪。他甚至不知道圣诞节期间会发生什么；他完全不知道朱克曼先生和拉夫正在密谋要杀他。"于是鹅稍稍抬起了身子，把蛋往自己身下挪了挪一点，这样它们就能完全受到它温暖身体和柔软羽毛的呵护。

Charlotte stood quietly over the fly, preparing to eat it.
夏洛静静地站在飞蛾上方，准备吃掉它。

Wilbur lay down and closed his eyes. He was tired from his wakeful night and from the excitement of meeting someone for the first time. A breeze brought him the smell of clover - the sweet-smelling world beyond his fence. "Well," he thought, "I've got a new friend, all right. But what a gamble friendship is!
威尔伯躺下来，闭上了眼睛。他因为整夜没睡和第一次见到别人的兴奋而感到疲倦。一阵风吹来，带来了三叶草的香味——那是围栏外那个芬芳的世界。"好吧，"他心想，"我确实交了个新朋友。但友谊真是赌注太大！

Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty - everything I don't like. How can I learn to like her, even though she is pretty and, of course, clever?"
夏洛是凶猛的、残忍的、诡计多端的、嗜血的——所有我不喜欢的东西。我怎么能喜欢上她呢，尽管她很漂亮，当然也很聪明？"

Wilbur was merely suffering the doubts and fears that often go with finding a new friend. In good time he was to discover that he was mistaken about Charlotte. Underneath her rather bold and cruel exterior, she had a kind heart, and she was to prove loyal and true to the very end.
威尔伯只是因为交到新朋友而常常感到的怀疑和恐惧。不久他发现他对夏洛特是错的。在她那相当大胆和残酷的外表下，她有一颗善良的心，而且她将始终忠诚可靠。

CHAPTER 6
第六章

Summer Days
夏日时光

The early summer days on a farm are the happiest and fairest days of the year. Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, and then fade. Apple blossoms come with the lilacs, and the bees visit around among the apple trees. The days grow warm and soft. School ends, and children have time to play and to fish for trouts in the brook. Avery often brought a trout home in his pocket, warm and stiff and ready to be fried for supper.
农场的初夏是一年中最快乐、最美好的时光。紫丁香盛开，使空气变得芬芳，然后逐渐凋谢。苹果花随着紫丁香开放，蜜蜂在苹果树间飞舞。天气变得温暖而柔和。学校放假了，孩子们有时间玩耍，并在小溪里钓鱼。艾弗里经常口袋里装着一条鲑鱼回家，那条鲑鱼又暖又硬，准备晚上煎着吃。

Now that school was over, Fern visited the barn almost every day, to sit quietly on her stool. The animals treated her as an equal. The sheep lay calmly at her feet.
学校放假后，费恩几乎每天都去谷仓，静静地坐在她的凳子上。动物们把她当作平等的伙伴。羊在她脚边平静地躺着。

Around the first of July, the work horses were hitched to the mowing machine, and Mr. Zuckerman climbed into the seat and drove into the field. All morning you could hear the rattle of the machine as it went round and round, while the tall grass fell down behind the cutter bar in long green swathes. Next day, if there was no thunder shower, all hands would help rake and pitch and load, and the hay would be hauled to the barn in the high hay wagon, with Fern and Avery riding at the top of the load. Then the hay would be hoisted, sweet and warm, into the big loft, until the whole barn seemed like a wonderful bed of timothy and clover. It was fine to jump in, and perfect to hide in. And sometimes Avery would find a little grass snake in the hay, and would add it to the other things in his pocket.
七月初，马拉着割草机开始工作，佐克曼先生坐进驾驶座，驶向田野。整个上午，你能听到割草机来回转动的咔嗒声，高高的草在割草机后面倒下，形成一条条绿色的草带。第二天，如果没有雷阵雨，所有人都会帮忙耙草、堆草和装车，干草会被运到高大的干草车上，费恩和艾弗里坐在装草的顶端。然后，干草会被吊进大仓库的顶层，直到整个仓库看起来像是一床完美的梯牧草和三叶草床。跳进去很舒服，躲在里面也很完美。有时艾弗里会在干草里发现一条小草蛇，把它放进他口袋里的其他东西里。

Early summer days are a jubilee (time of celebration and rejoicing) time for birds. In the fields, around the house, in the barn, in the woods, in the swamp - everywhere love and songs and nests and eggs. From the edge of the woods, the white-throated sparrow (which must come all the way from Boston) calls, "Oh, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody!" On an apple bough, the phoebe teeters and wags its tail and says, "Phoebe, phoe-bee!" The song sparrow, who knows how brief and lovely life is, says, "Sweet, sweet, sweet interlude; sweet, sweet, sweet interlude." If you enter the barn, the swallows swoop down from their nests and scold. "Cheeky, cheeky!" they say.
初夏的日子是鸟儿欢庆的时光。在田野里、在屋旁、在谷仓中、在树林里、在沼泽地——到处都是爱情、歌声、鸟巢和鸟蛋。从树林边缘传来白喉雀（它一定是从波士顿飞来的）的叫声：“哦，皮博迪，皮博迪，皮博迪！”在苹果树枝上，普通黄鹂摇摆着尾巴，唱道：“普通黄鹂，普菲比！”知更鸟，它知道生命短暂而美好，唱道：“甜美，甜美，甜美插曲；甜美，甜美，甜美插曲。”如果你走进谷仓，燕子会从它们的巢中俯冲而下，责骂道：“ cheeky, cheeky!”它们说。

In early summer there are plenty of things for a child to eat and drink and suck and chew. Dandelion stems are full of milk, clover heads are loaded with nectar, the Frigidaire is full of ice-cold drinks. Everywhere you look is life; even the little ball of spit on the weed stalk, if you poke it apart, has a green worm inside it. And on the under side of the leaf of the potato vine are the bright orange eggs of the potato bug.
初夏时节，孩子有足够的东西可以吃、喝、吮吸和咀嚼。蒲公英茎里满是牛奶，三叶草头上装满了花蜜，冰箱里装满了冰镇饮料。你往哪里看都是生机；就连杂草茎上的小团唾液，如果你把它弄开，里面还有一条绿虫。而且马铃薯藤叶的下面是马铃薯甲虫明亮的橙色卵。

It was on a day in early summer that the goose eggs hatched.
鹅蛋是在初夏的一天孵化的。

This was an important event in the barn cellar. Fern was there, sitting on her stool, when it happened.
这是谷仓地窖里的一件重要事情。当事情发生时，蕨正坐在她的凳子上。

Except for the goose herself, Charlotte was the first to know that the goslings had at last arrived. The goose knew a day in advance that they were coming - she could hear their weak voices calling from inside the egg. She knew that they were in a desperately cramped position inside the shell and were most anxious to break through and get out. So she sat quite still, and talked less than usual.
除了鹅本身，夏洛特是第一个知道小鹅终于到来了的人。鹅提前一天就知道了它们要来——她能听到它们从蛋里传来的微弱叫声。她知道它们在壳里挤得极其狭窄，非常渴望破壳而出。所以她静静地坐着，比平时话还少。

When the first gosling poked its grey-green head through the goose's feathers and looked around, Charlotte spied it and made the announcement.
当第一只小鹅把灰绿色的头从鹅毛里钻出来四处张望时，夏洛特发现了它，并做了宣布。

"I am sure," she said, "that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it. The goslings have arrived. May I offer my sincere congratulations!"
"我确信，"她说，"我们每个人在这里都会很高兴地得知，经过我们朋友鹅四周不懈的努力和耐心，她现在总算有了一些成果。小鹅们来了。我能献上我诚挚的祝贺吗！"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" said the goose, nodding and bowing shamelessly.
"谢谢你，谢谢你，谢谢你！"鹅说着，羞愧地点头鞠躬。

"Thank you," said the gander.
"谢谢你，"雄鹅说。

"Congratulations!" shouted Wilbur. "How many goslings are there? I can only see one."
"祝贺你！"威尔伯喊道。"有多少只小鹅？我只看到一只。"

"There are seven," said the goose.
"有七个，"鹅说。

"Fine!" said Charlotte. "Seven is a lucky number."
"很好！"夏洛说。"七是个幸运数字。"

"Luck had nothing to do with this," said the goose. "It was good management and hard work."
"运气与此无关，"鹅说。"这是良好的管理和辛勤的工作。"

At this point, Templeton showed his nose from his hiding place under Wilbur's trough. He glanced at Fern, then crept cautiously toward the goose, keeping close to the wall. Everyone watched him, for he was not well liked, not trusted.
这时，坦普尔顿从威尔伯食槽下的藏身之处探出头来。他瞥了一眼弗恩，然后小心翼翼地向鹅爬去，紧贴着墙壁。大家都看着他，因为他不受欢迎，不被信任。

"Look," he began in his sharp voice, "you say you have seven goslings. There were eight eggs. What happened to the other egg? Why didn't it hatch?"
"看，"他用尖锐的声音开始说，"你说你有七只小鹅。有八个蛋。另一个蛋怎么了？为什么没孵出来？"

"It's a dud, I guess," said the goose.
"估计是个坏蛋，"鹅说。

"What are you going to do with it?" continued Templeton, his little round beady eyes fixed on the goose.
“你打算用它做什么？”泰勒顿继续问道，他那双小而圆的小眼睛盯着鹅。

"You can have it," replied the goose. "Roll it away and add it to that nasty collection of yours." (Templeton had a habit of picking up unusual objects around the farm and storing them in his home. He saved everything.)
“你可以拿走它，”鹅回答说。“把它滚走，加到你的那堆讨厌的收藏品里。”（泰勒顿有个习惯，总是在农场周围捡拾不寻常的物品，然后存放在家里。他什么都保存。）

"Certainly-ertainly-ertainly," said the gander. "You may have the egg. But I'll tell you one thing, Templeton, if I ever catch you poking-oking-oking your ugly nose around our goslings, I'll give you the worst pounding a rat ever took." And the gander opened his strong wings and beat the air with them to show his power. He was strong and brave, but the truth is, both the goose and the gander were worried about Templeton. And with good reason. The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions (uneasiness of conscience, remorse), no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything. He would kill a gosling if he could get away with it - the goose knew that.Everybody knew it.
“当然——当然——当然，”公鹅说。“你可以拿走那个蛋。但我得告诉你一件事，泰勒顿，如果我 ever 抓到你用那张丑陋的鼻子在我们的小鹅周围乱摸，我会给你一顿老鼠从未经历过的最猛烈的教训。”公鹅展开他强壮的翅膀，用力拍打着空气，以展示他的力量。他很强壮也很勇敢，但事实上，鹅和公鹅都担心泰勒顿。而且有充分的理由。老鼠没有道德，没有良心，没有原则，没有考虑，没有体面，没有啮齿动物的善良，没有内疚感（良心不安，悔恨），没有更高的情感，没有友善，没有别的任何东西。如果可以逃脱的话，他会杀死一只小鹅——鹅知道这一点。每个人都知道这一点。

With her broad bill the goose pushed the unhatched egg out of the nest, and the entire company watched in disgust while the rat rolled it away. Even Wilbur, who could eat almost anything, was appalled. "Imagine wanting a junky old rotten egg!" he muttered.
鹅用它宽大的喙把未孵化的蛋从巢里推了出去，整个群体都厌恶地看着老鼠把它滚走。就连几乎什么都吃得下的威尔伯也感到震惊。"想象一下想要一个破旧发霉的蛋！"他咕哝道。

"A rat is a rat," said Charlotte. She laughed a tinkling little laugh. "But, my friends, if that ancient egg ever breaks, this barn will be untenable."
"老鼠就是老鼠，"夏洛说。她发出清脆的笑声。"但是，我的朋友们，如果那个古老的蛋破了，这个谷仓将无法居住。"

"What's that mean?" asked Wilbur.
“那是什么意思？”威尔伯问道。

"It means nobody will be able to live here on account of the smell. A rotten egg is a regular stink bomb."
“意思是由于气味，这里将无人能住。一个臭鸡蛋简直是个炸弹。”

"I won't break it," snarled Templeton. "I know what I'm doing. I handle stuff like this all the time."
“我不会打破它的，”泰勒顿咆哮道，“我知道自己在做什么。我经常处理这类东西。”

He disappeared into his tunnel, pushing the goose egg in front of him. He pushed and nudged till he succeeded in rolling it to his lair under the trough.
他消失进自己的隧道，把鹅蛋推在前面。他推着、拱着，直到成功地把蛋滚到食槽下的巢穴里。

That afternoon, when the wind had died down and the barnyard was quiet and warm, the grey goose led her seven goslings off the nest and out into the world. Mr. Zuckerman spied them when he came with Wilbur's supper.
那天下午，风停了，谷仓里安静而温暖，灰鹅领着她七个小鹅离开了巢穴，走进了世界。当朱克曼先生带着威尔伯的晚餐来时，他发现了它们。

"Well, hello there!" he said, smiling all over. "Let's see ... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven baby geese.
"嗨，你们好！"他满脸笑容地说。"让我看看...一、二、三、四、五、六、七。七个小鹅。

Now isn't that lovely!
多可爱啊！

CHAPTER 7
第七章

Bad News
坏消息

Wilbur liked Charlotte better and better each day. Her campaign against insects seemed sensible and useful. Hardly anybody around the farm had a good word to say for a fly. Flies spent their time pestering others. The cows hated them. The horses detested them. The sheep loathed them. Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman were always complaining about them, and putting up screens.
威尔伯对夏洛的喜爱与日俱增。她针对昆虫的宣传活动看起来既明智又实用。农场周围几乎没有人会对苍蝇说好话。苍蝇总是打扰别人。奶牛讨厌它们。马匹憎恨它们。绵羊厌恶它们。朱克曼先生和太太总是抱怨它们，还挂上了纱窗。

Wilbur admired the way Charlotte managed. He was particularly glad that she always put her victim to sleep before eating it.
威尔伯赞赏夏洛的管理方式。他尤其高兴的是，她总是在吃掉猎物之前让它睡着。

"It's real thoughtful of you to do that, Charlotte," he said.
“你这样做真是太体贴了，夏洛，”他说。

"Yes," she replied in her sweet, musical voice, "I always give them an anaesthetic so they won't feel pain. It's a little service I throw in."
"是的，"她用甜美的、悦耳的声音回答道，"我总是给他们麻醉，这样他们就不会感到疼痛。这是我提供的一点小服务。"

As the days went by, Wilbur grew and grew. He ate three big meals a day. He spent long hours lying on his side, half asleep, dreaming pleasant dreams. He enjoyed good health and he gained a lot of weight. One afternoon, when Fern was sitting on her stool, the oldest sheep walked into the barn, and stopped to pay a call on Wilbur.
随着时间的推移，威尔伯越长越大。他每天吃三顿大餐。他花很长时间侧躺着，半睡半醒，做着美梦。他身体健康，体重也增加了不少。一天下午，当弗恩坐在她的凳子上时，最老的那只羊走进了谷仓，停下来拜访威尔伯。

"Hello!" she said. "Seems to me you're putting on weight."
"你好！"她说。"看起来你胖了。"

"Yes, I guess I am," replied Wilbur. "At my age it's a good idea to keep gaining."
"是的，我想是吧，"威尔伯回答道。"在我这个年纪，继续增重是个好主意。"

"Just the same, I don't envy you," said the old sheep. "You know why they're fattening you up, don't you?"
同样地，老羊说："我不羡慕你。" "你知道他们为什么要把你养肥吗？"

"No," said Wilbur.
"不知道。"威尔伯说。

"Well, I don't like to spread bad news," said the sheep, "but they're fattening you up because they're going to kill you, that's why."
"唉，我不喜欢传播坏消息，"羊说，"但他们把你养肥是因为他们要杀了你，这就是原因。"

"They're going to what?" screamed Wilbur. Fern grew rigid on her stool.
"他们要干什么？"威尔伯尖叫道。弗恩在凳子上僵住了。

"Kill you. Turn you into smoked bacon and ham," continued the old sheep. "Almost all young pigs get murdered by the farmer as soon as the real cold weather sets in. There's a regular conspiracy around here to kill you at Christmastime. Everybody is in the plot - Lurvy, Zuckerman, even John Arable."
"杀了你。把你变成熏肉和火腿,"老绵羊继续说道。"一到真正的寒冷天气，几乎所有的年轻小猪都会被农夫杀死。这里有一股常规的阴谋要在圣诞节时杀了你。每个人都参与了这场阴谋——拉维、朱克曼，甚至约翰·阿雷布尔。"

"Mr. Arable?" sobbed Wilbur. "Fern's father?"
"阿雷布尔先生？"威尔伯哽咽道。"弗恩的父亲？"

"Certainly. When a pig is to be butchered, everybody helps. I'm an old sheep and I see the same thing, same old business, year after year. Arable arrives with his .22, shoots the ..."
"当然。当一只猪要被屠宰时，每个人都帮忙。我是一只好老绵羊，每年都看到同样的事情，老生常谈的业务。阿雷布尔拿着他的.22 口径手枪，射中……"

"Stop!" screamed Wilbur. "I don't want to die! Save me, somebody! Save me!" Fern was just about to jump up when a voice was heard.
"停下！"威尔伯尖叫道。"我不想死！救救我，有人！救救我！"弗恩正要跳起来时，听到了一个声音。

"Be quiet, Wilbur!" said Charlotte, who had been listening to this awful conversation.
"安静点，威尔伯！"夏洛说，她一直在听这场糟糕的对话。

"I can't be quiet," screamed Wilbur, racing up and down. "I don't want to be killed. I don't want to die. Is it true what the old sheep says, Charlotte? Is it true they are going to kill me when the cold weather comes?"
"我无法安静下来，"威尔伯尖叫着，上上下下地跑来跑去，"我不想被杀。我不想死。老绵羊说的话是真的吗，夏洛？真的会在我冷的时候杀了我吗？"

"Well," said the spider, plucking thoughtfully at her web, "the old sheep has been around this barn a long time. She has seen many a spring pig come and go. If she says they plan to kill you, I'm sure it's true. It's also the dirtiest trick I ever heard of. What people don't think of!"
“嗯，”蜘蛛一边若有所思地扯着她的网，一边说道，“那只老羊在这谷仓里待了很长时间。她见过许多小猪的来来去去。如果她说他们打算杀你，我肯定是真的。这也是我听过的最肮脏的把戏。人们简直想不出来！”

Wilbur burst into tears. "I don't want to die," he moaned. "I want to stay alive, right here in my comfortable manure pile with all my friends. I want to breathe the beautiful air and lie in the beautiful sun."
威尔伯突然哭了起来。“我不想死，”他哀求道，“我想活下去，就待在我舒适的下料堆里，和所有朋友在一起。我想呼吸美丽的空气，躺在美丽的阳光下。”

"You're certainly making a beautiful noise," snapped the old sheep.
“你确实发出很美的声音，”老羊尖刻地说。

"I don't want to die!" screamed Wilbur, throwing himself to the ground.
“我不想死！”威尔伯尖叫着，把自己摔到了地上。

"You shall not die," said Charlotte, briskly.
“你不会死的，”夏洛爽快地说。

"What? Really?" cried Wilbur. "Who's going to save me?"
“什么？真的吗？”威尔伯喊道。“谁会救我？”

"I am," said Charlotte.
“是我，”夏洛说。

"How?" asked Wilbur.
“怎么救？”威尔伯问道。

"That remains to be seen. But I am going to save you, and I want you to quiet down immediately. You're carrying on in a childish way. Stop your crying! I can't stand hysterics."
那还有待观察。但我将要救你，我要求你立刻安静下来。你这样幼稚地闹着。别哭了！我受不了歇斯底里了。

CHAPTER 8
第八章

A Talk At Home
家中的谈话

On Sunday morning Mr. and Mrs. Arable and Fern were sitting at breakfast in the kitchen. Avery had finished and was upstairs looking for his slingshot.
星期一早晨，亚雷尔先生和夫人还有弗恩正坐在厨房里吃早餐。艾弗里已经吃完，正 upstairs 在找他的弹弓。

"Did you know that Uncle Homer's goslings had hatched?" asked Fern.
"你知道霍默叔叔的鹅蛋孵了吗？"弗恩问道。

"How many?" asked Mr. Arable.
"有几个？"阿雷布尔先生问道。

"Seven," replied Fern. "There were eight eggs but one egg didn't hatch and the goose told Templeton she didn't want it any more, so he took it away."
"七个，"弗恩回答道。"原来有八个蛋，但有一个没孵出来，鹅告诉泰勒顿它不想养了，所以他把它带走了。"

"The goose did what?" asked Mrs. Arable, gazing at her daughter with a queer, worried look.
"鹅做了什么？"阿雷布尔太太问道，她用一种奇怪而担忧的眼神看着女儿。

"Told Templeton she didn't want the egg any more," repeated Fern.
“告诉泰勒蒙她不想再要那个蛋了，”费恩重复道。

"Who is Templeton?" asked Mrs. Arable.
“泰勒蒙是谁？”阿雷布尔夫人问道。

"He's the rat," replied Fern. "None of us like him much."
“他是那只老鼠，”费恩回答。“我们都不太喜欢他。”

"Who's 'us'?" asked Mr. Arable.
“‘我们’是谁？”阿雷布尔先生问道。

"Oh, everybody in the barn cellar. Wilbur and the sheep and the lambs and the goose and the gander and the goslings and Charlotte and me."
"哦，谷仓地下室里的每一个人。威尔伯、绵羊、小羊羔、鹅、公鹅、小鹅、夏洛和我。"

"Charlotte?" said Mrs. Arable. "Who's Charlotte?"
"夏洛？"阿雷布尔太太问道。"夏洛是谁？"

"She's Wilbur's best friend. She's terribly clever."
"她是威尔伯最好的朋友。她非常聪明。"

"What does she look like?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"她长什么样？"阿雷布尔太太问道。

"Well-l," said Fern, thoughtfully, "she has eight legs. All spiders do, I guess."
"嗯，" 费恩若有所思地说，"她有八条腿。我想所有蜘蛛都是这样。"

"Charlotte is a spider?" asked Fern's mother.
"夏洛特是一只蜘蛛？" 费恩的妈妈问道。

Fern nodded. "A big grey one. She has a web across the top of Wilbur's doorway. She catches flies and sucks their blood. Wilbur adores her."
费恩点点头。"一只大灰色的。她在威尔伯的门廊上结了网。她抓苍蝇并吸它们的血。威尔伯非常喜欢她。"

"Does he really?" said Mrs. Arable, rather vaguely. She was staring at Fern with a worried expression on her face.
"真的吗？" 阿拉布尔太太有些含糊地说。她脸上带着担忧的表情，正盯着费恩看。

"Oh, yes, Wilbur adores Charlotte," said Fern. "Do you know what Charlotte said when the goslings hatched?
"哦，是的，威尔伯非常喜欢夏洛，"费恩说。"你知道当小鹅孵出来时夏洛说了什么吗？

"I haven't the faintest idea," said Mr. Arable. "Tell us."
"我一点也不知道，"阿雷布尔先生说。"告诉我们。

"Well, when the first gosling stuck its little head out from under the goose, I was sitting on my stool in the corner and Charlotte was on her web. She made a speech. She said: 'I am sure that every one of us here in the barn cellar will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of the goose, she now has something to show for it." Don't you think that was a pleasant thing for her to say?"
"嗯，当第一只小鹅从鹅肚下伸出小脑袋时，我坐在角落的凳子上，夏洛在她的网上。她发表了一篇演讲。她说：'我确信我们谷仓地下室里的每一个人都会很高兴地得知，经过鹅四周不断的努力和耐心，她现在总算有了一些成果。"你以为她这么说很愉快吗？"

"Yes, I do," said Mrs. Arable. "And now, Fern, it's time to get ready for Sunday School. And tell Avery to get ready. And this afternoon you can tell me more about what goes on in Uncle Homer's barn. Aren't you spending quite a lot of time there? You go there almost every afternoon, don't you?"
"是的，我觉得是，"阿雷布尔太太说。"现在，费恩，是时候准备上主日学了。还有告诉艾弗里也准备一下。今天下午你可以告诉我更多关于霍默叔叔谷仓里发生的事情。你花在那里的时间是不是相当多？你几乎每天下午都去那里，对吧？"

"I like it there," replied Fern. She wiped her mouth and ran upstairs. After she had left the room, Mrs. Arable spoke in a low voice to her husband.
“我喜欢那里，”弗恩回答。她擦了擦嘴，跑上了楼。她离开房间后，阿雷布尔夫人低声对丈夫说话。

"I worry about Fern," she said. "Did you hear the way she rambled on about the animals, pretending that they talked?"
“我担心弗恩，”她说。“你听见她大谈特谈那些动物，假装它们会说话了吗？”

Mr. Arable chuckled.
亚雷先生轻笑一声。

"Maybe they do talk," he said. "I've sometimes wondered. At any rate, don't worry about Fern - she's just got a lively imagination. Kids think they hear all sorts of things."
“也许它们真的会说话，”他说。“我有时会想。无论如何，别担心弗恩——她只是想象力丰富。孩子们总觉得自己能听到各种奇怪的声音。”

"Just the same, I do worry about her," replied Mrs. Arable. "I think I shall ask Dr. Dorian about her the next time I see him. He loves Fern almost as much as we do, and I want him to know how queerly she is acting about that pig and everything. I don't think it's normal. You know perfectly well animals don't talk."
“尽管如此，我还是担心她，”亚雷太太回答道。“下次我见到多里恩医生时，我会问他关于弗恩的事。他几乎和咱们一样喜欢弗恩，我想让他知道她那头猪和其他一切奇怪的行为。我觉得这不正常。你非常清楚动物是不会说话的。”

Mr. Arable grinned. "Maybe our ears aren't as sharp as Fern's," he said.
亚雷先生露出了微笑。"我们的耳朵可能没有弗恩的那么灵敏，"他说。

CHAPTER 9
第九章

Wilbur's Boast
威尔伯的自夸

A spider's web is stronger than it looks. Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken. However, a web gets torn every day by the insects that kick around in it, and a spider must rebuild it when it gets full of holes. Charlotte liked to do her weaving during the late afternoon, and Fern liked to sit nearby and watch. One afternoon she heard a most interesting conversation and witnessed a strange event.
蜘蛛网看起来比实际更结实。尽管它由细小的丝线构成，但网并不容易被弄破。然而，每天都会有在网中翻滚的昆虫把网弄破，蜘蛛必须在网布满破洞时重新编织。夏洛喜欢在傍晚时分织网，弗恩则喜欢坐在旁边观看。一天下午，她听到了一段非常有趣的对话，见证了一件奇怪的事情。

"You have awfully hairy legs, Charlotte," said Wilbur, as the spider busily worked at her task.
“你的腿毛茸茸的，夏洛特，”威尔伯说，这时那只蜘蛛正忙着做她的工作。

"My legs are hairy for a good reason," replied Charlotte. "Furthermore, each leg of mine has seven sections - the coxa, the trochanter, the femur, the patella, the tibia, the metatarsus, and the tarsus."
“我的腿毛茸茸是有原因的，”夏洛特回答说。“而且，我的每条腿都有七个部分——股节、转节、股骨、髌骨、胫骨、跗骨和跖骨。”

Wilbur sat bolt upright. "You're kidding," he said.
威尔伯直挺挺地坐着。“你在开玩笑吧，”他说。

"No, I'm not, either."
不，我也不是。

"Say those names again, I didn't catch them the first time.
再说一遍那些名字，我第一次没听清。

"Coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus."
髋关节、股骨、髌骨、胫骨、跖骨和跗骨。

"Goodness!" said Wilbur, looking down at his own chubby legs. "I don't think my legs have seven sections."
“天哪！”威尔伯低头看着自己胖乎乎的腿说，“我想我的腿没有七个部分。”

"Well," said Charlotte, "you and I lead different lives. You don't have to spin a web. That takes real leg work."
“嗯，”夏洛说，“你和我过着不同的生活。你不用织网。那需要真正的体力劳动。”

"I could spin a web if I tried," said Wilbur, boasting. "I've just never tried."
“如果我试试的话，我就能织网，”威尔伯骄傲地说。“我只是从没试过。”

"Let's see you do it," said Charlotte. Fern chuckled softly, and her eyes grew wide with love for the pig.
“那我们看看你织吧，”夏洛说。弗恩轻声笑了，她看着小猪的眼神充满了爱意。

"O.K.," replied Wilbur. "You coach me and I'll spin one. It must be a lot of fun to spin a web. How do I start?"
“好吧，”威尔伯回答。“你指导我，我就织一个。织网一定很有趣。我该怎么开始呢？”

"Take a deep breath!" said Charlotte, smiling. Wilbur breathed deeply. "Now climb to the highest place you can get to, like this." Charlotte raced up to the top of the doorway. Wilbur scrambled to the top of the manure pile.
"深呼吸！"夏洛笑着说。威尔伯深深地吸了一口气。“现在爬到你能爬到的最高处，像这样。”夏洛飞快地爬到了门框的顶端。威尔伯费力地爬到了肥料堆的顶端。

"Very good!" said Charlotte. "Now make an attachment with your spinnerets, hurl yourself into space, and let out a dragline as you go down!"
“非常好！”夏洛说。“现在用你的纺器制作一个附件，把自己抛向空中，并在下落时放出一根牵引线！”

Wilbur hesitated a moment, then jumped out into the air. He glanced hastily behind to see if a piece of rope was following him to check his fall, but nothing seemed to be happening in his rear, and the next thing he knew he landed with a thump. "Ooomp!" he grunted.
威尔伯犹豫了一下，然后跳了起来。他匆忙向后看，看看是否有绳子跟着他来检查他的降落，但他的后面似乎什么都没有发生，而下一刻他就重重地落了下来。“噗！”他咕哝着。

Charlotte laughed so hard her web began to sway.
夏洛笑得如此厉害，以至于她的网开始摇晃。

"What did I do wrong?" asked the pig, when he recovered from his bump.
"我哪里做错了？"猪在恢复知觉后问道。

"Nothing," said Charlotte. "It was a nice try."
"没什么，"夏洛说。"你试得很棒。"

"I think it try again," said Wilbur, cheerfully. "I believe what I need is a little piece of string to hold me."
"我想再试一次，"威尔伯愉快地说。"我相信我需要的是一小段绳子来固定我。"

The pig walked out to his yard. "You there, Templeton?" he called.
猪走到他的院子里。"你那里，坦普尔顿？"他喊道。

The rat poked his head out from under the trough.
老鼠把头从食槽底下探了出来。

"Got a little piece of string I could borrow?" asked Wilbur. "I need it to spin a web."
"能借我一小段线吗？"威尔伯问道。"我需要用它来织网。"

"Yes, indeed," replied Templeton, who saved string. "No trouble at all. Anything to oblige." He crept down into his hole, pushed the goose egg out of the way, and returned with an old piece of dirty white string. Wilbur examined it.
"当然可以，"塔普尔顿回答道，他是个爱攒线的人。"一点也不麻烦。有什么需要帮忙的尽管说。"他悄悄钻进洞里，把鹅蛋挪开，拿回来一段又脏又旧的白色线。威尔伯仔细检查了它。

"That's just the thing," he said. "Tie one end to my tail, will you, Templeton?"
"这正是我需要的，"他说道。"塔普尔顿，你能把一端系在我的尾巴上吗？"

Wilbur crouched low, with his thin, curly tail toward the rat. Templeton seized the string, passed it around the end of the pig's tail, and tied two half hitches. Charlotte watched in delight. Like Fern, she was truly fond of Wilbur, whose smelly pen and stale food attracted the flies that she needed, and she was proud to see that he was not a quitter and was willing to try again to spin a web.
威尔伯蹲得很低，把细小的卷曲尾巴朝向老鼠。塔普尔顿抓住线，绕过猪尾巴的末端，系了两个半结。夏洛高兴地观看。像费恩一样，她也真心喜欢威尔伯，因为他的臭猪圈和发霉的食物吸引了她需要的苍蝇，她很高兴看到他不是个放弃者，愿意再次尝试织网。

While the rat and the spider and the little girl watched, Wilbur climbed again to the top of the manure pile, full of energy and hope.
在老鼠、蜘蛛和小女孩的注视下，威尔伯再次充满活力和希望地爬上了肥料堆的顶端。

"Ever body watch!" he cried. And summoning all his strength, he threw himself into the air, headfirst. The string trailed behind him. But as he had neglected to fasten the other end to anything, it didn't really do any good, and Wilbur landed with a thud, crushed and hurt. Tears came to his eyes. Templeton grinned. Charlotte just sat quietly. After a bit she spoke.
"大家看啊！"他喊道。他使出全身力气，头朝下跳向空中。绳子在他身后拖曳。但由于他忘记把另一端系在什么东西上，这并没有什么用，威尔伯重重地摔了下来，被压得粉碎且受伤。他的眼睛里涌出了泪水。泰勒顿露出了微笑。夏洛只是静静地坐着。过了一会儿，她开口说话了。

"You can't spin a web, Wilbur, and I advise you to put the idea out of your mind. You lack two things needed for spinning a web."
"你不能织网，威尔伯，我建议你把这种想法从脑中排除。织网需要两样东西，而你没有。"

"What are they?" asked Wilbur, sadly.
"是什么？"威尔伯悲伤地问。

"You lack a set of spinnerets, and you lack know-how. But cheer up, you don't need a web. Zuckerman supplies you with three big meals a day. Why should you worry about trapping food?"
"你没有纺器，也不懂如何织网。但振作起来，你不需要网。朱克曼每天给你三顿大餐。你为什么要担心捕食呢？"

Wilbur sighed. "You're ever so much cleverer and brighter than I am, Charlotte. I guess I was just trying to show off. Serves me right."
威尔伯叹了口气。"你比我聪明得多，查理。我猜我只是在炫耀。活该。"

Templeton untied his string and took it back to his home. Charlotte returned to her weaving.
Templeton 解开他的绳子，把它带回家。夏洛回到她的织布机旁。

"You needn't feel too badly, Wilbur," she said. "Not many creatures can spin webs. Even men aren't as good at it as spiders, although they think they're pretty good, and they'll try anything. Did you ever hear of the Queensborough Bridge?"
"你不必太难过了，威尔伯，"她说。"不是很多生物会织网。即使是人类，也不像蜘蛛那么擅长，尽管他们自认为挺擅长，而且他们会尝试任何事。你听说过昆士伯桥吗？"

Wilbur shook his head. "Is it a web?"
威尔伯摇了摇头。"是网吗？"

"Sort of," replied Charlotte. "But do you know how long it took men to build it? Eight whole years. My goodness, I would have starved to death waiting that long. I can make a web in a single evening."
"算是吧，"夏洛回答。"但你知道人类建造它花了多长时间吗？整整八年。天哪，我等那么久都要饿死了。我一天就能织一张网。"

"What do people catch in the Queensborough Bridge - bugs?" asked Wilbur.
“昆斯伯勒桥上的人们会抓到什么——是虫子吗？”威尔伯问道。

"No," said Charlotte. "They don't catch anything. They just keep trotting back and forth across the bridge thinking there is something better on the other side. If they'd hang head-down at the top of the thing and wait quietly, maybe something good would come along. But no - with men it's rush, rush, rush, every minute. I'm glad I'm a sedentary spider."
“不，”夏洛说。“他们什么也不会抓。他们只是不停地来回在桥上跑，以为另一边有更好的东西。如果他们在顶端倒挂着，静静地等待，也许会有好事发生。但是不——对男人来说，每一分钟都是急急忙忙。我很庆幸自己是一只不爱动的蜘蛛。”

"What does sedentary mean?" asked Wilbur.
“‘不爱动’是什么意思？”威尔伯问道。

"Means I sit still a good part of the time and don't go wandering all over creation. I know a good thing when I see it, and my web is a good thing. I stay put and wait for what comes. Gives me a chance to think."
“意思是我在大部分时间里都保持静止，不会到处乱跑。我知道什么是好东西，我的网就是好东西。我待在原地等待发生的事情。这样我才有机会思考。”

"Well, I'm sort of sedentary myself, I guess," said the pig. "I have to hang around here whether I want to or not. You know where I'd really like to be this evening?"
“嗯，我本人也挺懒散的，我想，”猪说道，“不管我愿不愿意，都得待在这儿。你知道今晚我最想去哪儿吗？”

"Where?"
“哪儿？”

"In a forest looking for beechnuts and truffles and delectable roots, pushing leaves aside with my wonderful strong nose, searching and sniffing along the ground, smelling, smelling, smelling..."
“去森林里找榛子和松露，还有美味的小根，用我那神奇的强壮鼻子拨开叶子，在地上搜寻、嗅闻，闻啊，闻啊，闻啊……”

"You smell just the way you are," remarked a lamb who had just walked in. "I can smell you from here. You're the smelliest creature in the place."
“你闻起来就是这样，”刚走进来的小羊评论道，“我在这儿就能闻到你。你是最有味道的小家伙。”

Wilbur hung his head. His eyes grew wet with tears.
威尔伯垂下了头。他的眼睛因泪水而湿润。

Charlotte noticed his embarrassment and she spoke sharply to the lamb.
夏洛注意到他的尴尬，便严厉地对小羊说话。

"Let Wilbur alone!" she said. "He has a perfect right to smell, considering his surroundings. You're no bundle of sweet peas yourself. Furthermore, you are interrupting a very pleasant conversation. What were we talking about, Wilbur, when we were so rudely interrupted?
“别管威尔伯！”她说。“考虑到他的周围环境，他有权利闻。你自己也不见得是什么甜豌豆。再说，你打断了一场非常愉快的谈话。我们被打扰前在谈论什么，威尔伯？”

"Oh, I don't remember," said Wilbur. "It doesn't make any difference. Let's not talk any more for a while, Charlotte. I'm getting sleepy. You go ahead and finish fixing your web and I'll just lie here and watch you. It's a lovely evening." Wilbur stretched out on his side.
“哦，我不记得了，”威尔伯说。“没关系。我们暂时别再说话了，夏洛。我有点困了。你继续织你的网，我就躺在这里看着你。今晚真美。”威尔伯侧身躺了下来。

Twilight settled over Zuckerman's barn, and a feeling of peace. Fern knew it was almost suppertime but she couldn't bear to leave. Swallows passed on silent wings, in and out of the doorways, bringing food to their young ones. From across the road a bird sang "Whippoorwill, whippoorwill!" Lurvy sat down under an apple tree and lit his pipe; the animals sniffed the familiar smell of strong tobacco. Wilbur heard the trill of the tree toad and the occasional slamming of the kitchen door. All these sounds made him feel comfortable and happy, for he loved life and loved to be a part of the world on a summer evening. But as he lay there he remembered what the old sheep had told him. The thought of death came to him and he began to tremble with fear.
黄昏笼罩着佐克曼的谷仓，带来一种宁静。费恩知道快到晚餐时间了，但她舍不得离开。燕子在寂静的翅膀上飞过，进出门口，为它们的幼鸟带来食物。从马路对面传来一只鸟的歌声：“猫头鹰，猫头鹰！”鲁维在苹果树下坐下，点燃了他的烟斗；动物们闻到了熟悉的浓烈烟草味。威尔伯听到了树蛙的鸣叫声和厨房门偶尔的砰砰声。所有这些声音让他感到舒适和快乐，因为他热爱生活，喜欢在夏日的傍晚成为这个世界的一部分。但当他躺在那里时，他记起了老羊告诉他的话。死亡的想法浮现在他脑海中，他开始因恐惧而颤抖。

"Charlotte?" he said, softly.
"夏洛特？"他说，轻声地。

"Yes, Wilbur?"
"是的，威尔伯？"

"I don't want to die."
"我不想死。"

"Of course you don't," said Charlotte in a comforting voice.
"当然不想，"夏洛用安慰的语气说。

"I just love it here in the barn," said Wilbur. "I love everything about this place."
"我就喜欢谷仓里的这个地方，"威尔伯说。"我喜欢这里的一切。"

"Of course you do," said Charlotte. "We all do."
"当然啦，"夏洛说。"我们都会的。"

The goose appeared, followed by her seven goslings. They thrust their little necks out and kept up a musical whistling, like a tiny troupe (traveling band of performers) of pipers. Wilbur listened to the sound with love in his heart.
鹅出现了，随后是它的七个小鹅。它们伸着小脖子，不停地吹着悦耳的口哨，就像一个由小号手组成的小型旅行乐队。威尔伯怀着爱意听着这声音。

"Charlotte?" he said.
"夏洛？"

"Yes?" said the spider.
"嗯？"蜘蛛回答。

"Were you serious when you promised you would keep them from killing me?"
"你当时承诺会阻止他们杀我时是认真的吗？"

"I was never more serious in my life. I am not going to let you die, Wilbur."
"我一生中从未如此认真过。我不会让你死的，威尔伯。"

"How are you going to save me?" asked Wilbur, whose curiosity was very strong on this point.
"你打算怎么救我？"威尔伯问道，他对这一点非常好奇。

"Well," said Charlotte, vaguely, "I don't really know. But I'm working on a plan."
"嗯，"夏洛含糊地说，"我其实也不知道。但我正在制定一个计划。"

"That's wonderful," said Wilbur. "How is the plan coming, Charlotte? Have you got very far with it? Is it coming along pretty well?" Wilbur was trembling again, but Charlotte was cool and collected.
“那太好了，”威尔伯说。“查理，计划进行得怎么样了？你进展得怎么样？进行得还顺利吗？”威尔伯又开始颤抖了，但查理却很冷静。

"Oh, it's coming all right," she said, lightly. "The plan is still in its early stages and hasn't completely shaped up yet, but I'm working on it."
“哦，进行得还不错，”她轻描淡写地说。“计划还处于早期阶段，还没有完全成形，但我正在努力。”

"When do you work on it?" begged Wilbur.
“你什么时候工作？”威尔伯恳求道。

"When I'm hanging head-down at the top of my web. That's when I do my thinking, because then all the blood is in my head."
“当我头朝下挂在蛛网上的时候。那时候我才能思考，因为那时所有的血液都在我的头部。”

"I'd be only too glad to help in any way I can."
"只要我能帮上忙，我非常乐意。"

"Oh, I'll work it out alone," said Charlotte. "I can think better if I think alone."
"哦，我会一个人解决，" 夏洛特说。"我单独思考时能想得更清楚。"

"All right," said Wilbur. "But don't fail to let me know if there's anything I can do to help, no matter how slight."
“好吧，”威尔伯说。“但如果有任何我能帮忙的事情，无论多么微小，都请一定告诉我。”

"Well," replied Charlotte, "you must try to build yourself up. I want you to get plenty of sleep, and stop worrying. Never hurry and never worry! Chew your food thoroughly and eat every bit of it, except you must leave just enough for Templeton. Gain weight and stay well - that's the way you can help. Keep fit, and don't lose your nerve. Do you think you understand?"
“嗯，”夏洛回答，“你必须努力让自己强壮起来。我要你保证充足的睡眠，停止担忧。不要匆忙，也不要担忧！彻底咀嚼食物，吃光每一口，但必须留足够给坦普尔顿。增重并保持健康——这就是你能帮忙的方式。保持健康，不要失去信心。你觉得明白了吗？”

"Yes, I understand," said Wilbur.
“是的，我明白了，”威尔伯说。

"Go along to bed, then," said Charlotte. "Sleep is important."
“那么就去睡觉吧，”夏洛说。“睡眠很重要。”

Wilbur trotted over to the darkest corner of his pen and threw himself down. He closed his eyes. In another minute he spoke.
威尔伯小跑到猪圈的 darkest corner（最暗的角落）并躺了下去。他闭上了眼睛。又过了一分钟，他开口了。

"Charlotte?" he said.
“夏洛特？”他说。

"Yes, Wilbur?"
“是的，威尔伯？”

"May I go out to my trough and see if I left any of my supper? I think I left just a tiny bit of mashed potato."
"我可以去我的食槽看看我有没有剩下晚餐吗？我想我可能只留下了一点点土豆泥。"

"Very well," said Charlotte. "But I want you in bed again without delay."
"好的，"夏洛说。"但我希望你能立刻回到床上。"

Wilbur started to race out to his yard.
威尔伯开始飞快地跑向他的院子。

"Slowly, slowly!" said Charlotte. "Never hurry and never worry!"
"慢慢来，慢慢来！永远不要着急，永远不要担心！"夏洛说。

Wilbur checked himself and crept slowly to his trough. He found a bit of potato, chewed it carefully, swallowed it, and walked back to bed. He closed his eyes and was silent for a while.
威尔伯控制住自己，慢慢地爬到他的食槽。他找到了一点土豆，仔细地嚼着，咽下，然后走回床边。他闭上眼睛，静静地待了一会儿。

"Charlotte?" he said, in a whisper.
“夏洛特？”他用低声说。

"Yes?
“嗯？

"May I get a drink of milk? I think there are a few drops of milk left in my trough."
“我可以喝点牛奶吗？我想我的食槽里还剩下几滴牛奶。”

"No, the trough is dry, and I want you to go to sleep. No more talking! Close your eyes and go to sleep!"
不，食槽是空的，我想让你去睡觉。别再说话了！闭上眼睛去睡觉！”

Wilbur shut his eyes. Fern got up from her stool and started for home, her mind full of everything she had seen and heard.
威尔伯闭上了眼睛。费恩从凳子上站起来，开始往家走，心里想着她所看到和听到的一切。

"Good night, Charlotte!" said Wilbur.
“晚安，夏洛！”

"Good night, Wilbur!"
“晚安，威尔伯！”

There was a pause.
有一个停顿。

"Good night, Charlotte!"
"晚安，夏洛！"

"Good night, Wilbur!"
"晚安，威尔伯！"

"Good night!"
"晚安！"

"Good night!"
"晚安！"

CHAPTER 10
第 10 章

An Explosion
爆炸

Day after day the spider waited, head-down, for an idea to come to her. Hour by hour she sat motionless, deep in thought.
一天又一天，蜘蛛低着头等待着灵感降临。一小时又一小时，她一动不动地坐着，陷入沉思。

Having promised Wilbur that she would save his life, she was determined to keep her promise. Charlotte was naturally patient.
她向威尔伯承诺会救他的命，因此决心信守承诺。夏洛自然很有耐心。

She knew from experience that if she waited long enough, a fly would come to her web; and she felt sure that if she thought long enough about Wilbur's problem, an idea would come to her mind.
她从经验中知道，只要等得够久，苍蝇就会来到她的网上；她确信，只要足够长时间思考威尔伯的问题，就会想到解决的办法。

Finally, one morning toward the middle of July, the idea came. "Why, how perfectly simple!" she said to herself. "The way to save Wilbur's life is to play a trick on Zuckerman. If I can fool a bug," thought Charlotte, "I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs."
最后，七月中旬的一个早晨，这个想法来了。"多简单啊！"她对自己说。 "救威尔伯的命的方法就是捉弄朱克曼。如果我能够骗过一只虫子，"夏洛想， "我当然也能骗过一个人。人们不像虫子那么聪明。"

Wilbur walked into his yard just at that moment.
威尔伯就在那时走进了院子。

"What are you thinking about, Charlotte?" he asked.
"你在想什么，夏洛？"他问道。

"I was just thinking," said the spider, "that people are very gullible."
"我只是在想，"蜘蛛说， "人们很容易上当。"

"What does 'gullible' mean?"
'gullible'是什么意思？

"Easy to fool," said Charlotte.
"容易上当受骗，"夏洛说。

"That's a mercy," replied Wilbur, and he lay down in the shade of his fence and went fast asleep. The spider, however, stayed wide awake, gazing affectionately at him and making plans for his future. Summer was half gone. She knew she didn't have much time.
"那倒是件好事，"威尔伯回答道，他躺在栅栏的阴凉处，很快就沉沉睡去。然而，蜘蛛却醒着，温柔地望着他，并为他未来做计划。夏天已经过去一半了。她知道时间不多了。

That morning, just as Wilbur fell asleep, Avery Arable wandered into the Zuckerman's front yard, followed by Fern. Avery carried a live frog in his hand. Fern had a crown of daisies in her hair. The children ran for the kitchen.
那天早上，威尔伯刚睡着，阿 very·阿布尔就走进了朱克曼家的前院，费恩跟在后面。阿 very 手里拿着一只活青蛙。费恩的头发上戴着一顶雏菊花环。孩子们跑向厨房。

"Just in time for a piece of blueberry pie," said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"正好来块蓝莓派,"佐克曼太太说。

"Look at my frog!" said Avery, placing the frog on the drainboard and holding out his hand for pie.
"看我青蛙！"艾弗里说着，把青蛙放在水槽板上，伸出手要派。

"Take that thing out of here!" said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"把那东西拿走！"佐克曼太太说。

"He's hot," said Fern. "He's almost dead, that frog."
"他热着呢，"费恩说。"那只青蛙快死了。"

"He is not," said Avery. "He lets me scratch him between the eyes." The frog jumped and landed in Mrs. Zuckerman's dishpan full of soapy water.
"他没有，"艾弗里说。"他让我用手指挠他的眼睛之间。"青蛙跳了起来，落进了佐克曼太太装满肥皂水的洗碗盆里。

"You're getting your pie on you," said Fern. "Can I look for eggs in the henhouse, Aunt Edith?"
"你脸上沾到派了，"费恩说。"我可以去鸡舍找鸡蛋吗，艾迪丝阿姨？"

"Run outdoors, both of you! And don't bother the hens!"
"到户外跑，你们俩！别打扰母鸡！"

"It's getting all over everything," shouted Fern. "His pie is all over his front."
"到处都是了，"费恩喊道。"他的派全都弄到前面了。"

"Come on, frog!" cried Avery. He scooped up his frog. The frog kicked, splashing soapy water onto the blueberry pie.
"快点，青蛙！"艾弗里喊道。他捧起青蛙。青蛙踢了一下，把肥皂水溅到了蓝莓派上。

"Another crisis!" groaned Fern.
"又是一场危机！"费恩叹了口气。

"Let's swing in the swing!" said Avery.
“我们去秋千上荡秋千吧！”艾弗里说。

The children ran to the barn.
孩子们跑到谷仓。

Mr. Zuckerman had the best swing in the county. It was a single long piece of heavy rope tied to the beam over the north doorway. At the bottom end of the rope was a fat knot to sit on.
朱克曼先生是全县最好的秋千。它是一根长而重的绳子，系在北门上方的横梁上。绳子的下端有一个大结，可以坐在上面。

It was arranged so that you could swing without being pushed. You climbed a ladder to the hayloft. Then, holding the rope, you stood at the edge and looked down, and were scared and dizzy. Then you straddled the knot, so that it acted as a seat. Then you got up all your nerve, took a deep breath, and jumped. For a second you seemed to be falling to the barn floor far below, but then suddenly the rope would begin to catch you, and you would sail through the barn door going a mile a minute, with the wind whistling in your eyes and ears and hair. Then you would zoom upward into the sky, and look up at the clouds, and the rope would twist and you would twist and turn with the rope. Then you would drop down, down, down out of the sky and come sailing back into the barn almost into the hayloft, then sail out again (not quite so far this time), then in again (not quite so high), then out again, then in again, then out, then in; and then you'd jump off and fall down and let somebody else try it.
安排得让你可以荡而不需推力。你爬上梯子到干草棚。然后握住绳子，站在边缘向下看，感到害怕和头晕。接着你跨过绳结，让它当作座位。然后鼓足勇气，深吸一口气，跳了下去。你似乎一下子就要落到远处的谷仓地板上，但突然绳子开始拉住你，你以每分钟一英里的速度穿过谷仓大门，风在眼中、耳中和头发间呼啸。接着你向上冲向天空，抬头看云，绳子扭曲，你也跟着旋转。然后你从天空落下，落下，落下，几乎飞回谷仓的干草棚，然后再次飞出去（这次没那么远），然后飞进来（这次没那么高），然后飞出去，再飞进来，再飞出去；然后你跳下来，让其他人试试。

Mothers for miles around worried about Zuckerman's swing. They feared some child would fall off. But no child ever did. Children almost always hang onto things tighter than their parents think they will.
远处的母亲们担心兹克曼的秋千。她们害怕有孩子会摔下来。但从未有孩子真的摔下来。孩子们抓东西的紧程度几乎总是比父母想象的要紧。

Avery put the frog in his pocket and climbed to the hayloft.
艾弗里把青蛙放进口袋，爬到了干草堆上。

"The last time I swang in this swing, I almost crashed into a barn swallow," he yelled.
“上次我在这个秋千上荡的时候，差点撞到一只燕子，”他喊道。

"Take that frog out!" ordered Fern.
“把那只青蛙拿出来！”弗恩命令道。

Avery straddled the rope and jumped. He sailed out through the door, frog and all, and into the sky, frog and all. Then he sailed back into the barn.
艾弗里跨过绳索跳了出去。他带着青蛙一起飞过门，飞向天空，青蛙也一起飞了。然后他又带着青蛙飞回了谷仓。

"Your tongue is purple!" screamed Fern.
“你的舌头是紫色的！”弗恩尖叫道。

"So is yours!" cried Avery, sailing out again with the frog.
“你的也是！”艾弗里喊道，再次带着青蛙飞了出去。

"I have hay inside my dress! It itches!" called Fern.
“我的裙子里面塞了干草！痒死了！”弗恩叫道。

"Scratch it!" yelled Avery, as he sailed back.
"刮掉它！"艾弗里喊道，同时他飞了回去。

"It's my turn," said Fern. "Jump off!"
"轮到我了，"费恩说。"跳下去！"

"Fern's got the itch!" sang Avery.
“弗恩想荡秋千！”艾弗里唱道。

When he jumped off, he threw the swing up to his sister. She shut her eyes tight and jumped. She felt the dizzy drop, then the supporting lift of the swing. When she opened her eyes she was looking up into the blue sky and was about to fly back through the door.
当他跳下来时，他把秋千扔给了妹妹。她闭紧眼睛跳了上去。她感到头晕目眩的下降，然后是秋千的支撑上升。当她睁开眼睛时，她正仰望着蓝天，即将飞回门口。

They took turns for an hour.
他们轮流荡了一个小时。

When the children grew tired of swinging they went down toward the pasture and picked wild raspberries and ate them.
当孩子们厌倦了荡秋千时，他们向牧场走去，摘了野草莓吃。

Their tongues turned from purple to red. Fern bit into a raspberry that had a bad-tasting bug inside it, and got discouraged. Avery found an empty candy box and put his frog in it. The frog seemed tired after his morning in the swing. The children walked slowly up toward the barn. They, too, were tired and hardly had energy enough to walk.
它们的舌头从紫色变成了红色。费恩咬了一口里面有坏味道虫子的覆盆子，感到很沮丧。艾弗里找到了一个空糖果盒，把他的青蛙放了进去。青蛙在早晨的秋千上玩耍后，看起来很累。孩子们慢慢地朝着谷仓走去。他们也很累，几乎没什么力气走路。

"Let's build a tree house," suggested Avery. "I want to live in a tree, with my frog."
“我们建一个树屋吧，”艾弗里建议道。“我想住在树上，和我的青蛙在一起。”

"I'm going to visit Wilbur," Fern announced.
“我要去拜访威尔伯，”费恩宣布。

They climbed the fence into the lane and walked lazily toward the pigpen. Wilbur heard them coming and got up.
他们翻过栅栏进入小路，懒洋洋地朝着猪圈走去。威尔伯听到他们来了，就站了起来。

Avery noticed the spider web, and, coming closer, he saw Charlotte.
艾弗里注意到了蜘蛛网，走近后，他看到了夏洛特。

"Hey, look at that big spider!" he said. "It's tremenjus."
“嘿，快看那只大蜘蛛！”他说。“它真吓人。”

"Leave it alone!" commanded Fern. "You've got a frog - isn't that enough?"
"别碰它！"弗恩命令道。"你已经有只青蛙了——这还不够吗？"

"That's a fine spider and I'm going to capture it," said Avery. He took the cover off the candy box. Then he picked up a stick. "I'm going to knock that ol' spider into this box," he said.
"那是一只好蜘蛛，我要抓住它，"艾弗里说。他掀开了糖果盒的盖子。接着他捡起一根树枝。"我要把那只老蜘蛛打进这个盒子里，"他说。

Wilbur's heart almost stopped when he saw what was going on.
威尔伯看到发生的一切时，心几乎停止了跳动。

This might be the end of Charlotte if the boy succeeded in catching her.
如果那个男孩成功抓住她，这可能是夏洛特的末日。

"You stop it, Avery!" cried Fern.
“你停下，艾弗里！”弗恩喊道。

Avery put one leg over the fence of the pigpen. He was just about to raise his stick to hit Charlotte when he lost his balance. He swayed and toppled and landed on the edge of Wilbur's trough. The trough tipped up and then came down with a slap. The goose egg was right underneath. There was a dull explosion as the egg broke, and then a horrible smell.
艾弗里的一条腿跨过猪圈的栅栏。他正要举起棍子打夏洛特时，失去了平衡。他摇晃着倒下，摔在了威尔伯食槽的边缘。食槽翻倒，然后啪的一声掉下来。鹅蛋正好在下面。蛋破了，发出沉闷的爆炸声，接着是一股可怕的气味。

Fern screamed. Avery jumped to his feet. The air was filled with the terrible gases and smells from the rotten egg. Templeton, who had been resting in his home, scuttled away into the barn.
弗恩尖叫起来。艾弗里跳了起来。空气中充满了腐烂的蛋产生的可怕气体和气味。正在家里休息的坦普尔顿迅速爬进了谷仓。

"Good night!" screamed Avery. "Good night! What a stink! Let's get out of here!"
“晚安！”艾弗里尖叫道。“晚安！真臭！我们离开这里吧！”

Fern was crying. She held her nose and ran toward the house. Avery ran after her, holding his nose.
弗恩在哭泣。她捂住鼻子跑向房子。艾弗里跟着她跑，也捂着鼻子。

Charlotte felt greatly relieved to see him go. It had been a narrow escape.
看到他离开，夏洛特感到非常宽慰。这真是九死一生。

Later on that morning, the animals came up from the pasture - the sheep, the lambs, the gander, the goose, and the seven goslings. There were many complaints about the awful smell, and Wilbur had to tell the story over and over again, of how the Arable boy had tried to capture Charlotte, and how the smell of the broken egg drove him away just in time. "It was that rotten goose egg that saved Charlotte's life," said Wilbur.
那天上午稍晚些时候，动物们从牧场回来了——羊群、小羊羔、公鸭、母鹅和七只小鹅。大家纷纷抱怨那可怕的气味，威尔伯不得不一遍又一遍地讲述阿布尔男孩试图捕捉夏洛特的故事，以及那枚碎蛋的气味让他及时逃走的故事。"是那枚腐烂的鹅蛋救了夏洛特的命，"威尔伯说。

The goose was proud of her share in the adventure. "I'm delighted that the egg never hatched," she gabbled.
鹅为她在冒险中的份额感到自豪。"我很高兴那个蛋没有孵出来，"她喋喋不休地说。

Templeton, of course, was miserable over the loss of his beloved egg. But he couldn't resist boasting. "It pays to save things," he said in his surly voice. "A rat never knows when something is going to come in handy. I never throw anything away."
当然，塔姆尔顿对他心爱的蛋的丢失感到非常痛苦。但他还是忍不住吹嘘。"保存东西是有好处的，"他用粗鲁的声音说。"老鼠永远不会知道什么时候什么东西会派上用场。我从不扔任何东西。"

"Well," said one of the lambs, "this whole business is all well and good for Charlotte, but what about the rest of us? The smell is unbearable. Who wants to live in a barn that is perfumed with rotten egg?"
"嗯，"一只小羊说，"这对夏洛特来说一切都很好，但对我们其他人呢？这股气味让人无法忍受。谁愿意住在一个散发着臭鸡蛋味的谷仓里？"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," said Templeton. He sat up and pulled wisely at his long whiskers, then crept away to pay a visit to the dump.
"别担心，你会习惯的，"塔姆尔顿说。他坐起来，巧妙地拉了拉他的长胡子，然后悄悄地溜去看垃圾堆。

When Lurvy showed up at lunchtime carrying a pail of food for Wilbur, he stopped short a few paces from the pigpen. He sniffed the air and made a face.
当露比带着一桶食物去给威尔伯吃午饭时，他在猪圈前几步停了下来。他嗅了嗅空气，皱起了脸。

"What in thunder?" he said. Setting the pail down, he picked up the stick that Avery had dropped and pried the trough up. "Rats!" he said. "Fhew! I mighta known a rat would make a nest under this trough. How I hate a rat!"
"天哪！"他说。他把桶放下，捡起艾弗里掉落的棍子撬起食槽。"该死！"他说。"呸！我早该知道会有老鼠在这个食槽下筑巢。我多么讨厌老鼠！"

And Lurvy dragged Wilbur's trough across the yard and kicked some dirt into the rat's nest, burying the broken egg and all Templeton's other possessions. Then he picked up the pail. Wilbur stood in the trough, drooling with hunger. Lurvy poured. The slops ran creamily down around the pig's eyes and ears. Wilbur grunted. He gulped and sucked, and sucked and gulped, making swishing and swooshing noises, anxious to get everything at once. It was a delicious meal - skim milk, wheat middlings, leftover pancakes, half a doughnut, the rind of a summer squash, two pieces of stale toast, a third of a gingersnap姜饼, a fish tail, one orange peel, several noodles from a noodle soup, the scum off a cup of cocoa, an ancient jelly roll, a strip of paper from the lining of the garbage pail, and a spoonful of raspberry jello布丁甜点.
露比拖过威尔伯的食槽，把一些泥土踢进老鼠窝里，把碎蛋和其他所有泰勒顿的物品都埋了起来。然后他拿起桶。威尔伯站在食槽里，因饥饿而流口水。露比倒水。稀汤乳白色地流过猪的眼睛和耳朵。威尔伯哼了一声。他大口吞咽，吸吮，吸吮，大口吞咽，发出哗啦哗啦的声音，急切地想把所有东西都吃光。这是一顿美味的餐食——脱脂牛奶，麦麸，剩下的煎饼，半个甜甜圈，一个夏南瓜皮，两片干面包，三分之一块姜饼，一条鱼尾巴，一个橙子皮，几根面条汤里的面条，一杯可可上的浮沫，一个古老的果冻卷，垃圾桶衬里的一小片纸，还有一勺覆盆子果冻甜点。

Wilbur ate heartily. He planned to leave half a noodle and a few drops of milk for Templeton. Then he remembered that the rat had been useful in saving Charlotte's life, and that Charlotte was trying to save his life. So he left a whole noodle, instead of a half.
威尔伯大口大口地吃着。他原本打算留下半根面条和几滴牛奶给泰勒顿。但后来他想起那只老鼠曾救过夏洛特，而夏洛特正试图救他的命。于是他留下了一整根面条，而不是半根。

Now that the broken egg was buried, the air cleared and the barn smelled good again. The afternoon passed, and evening came.
现在，打碎的鸡蛋被埋好了，空气变得清新，谷仓又闻起来很香了。下午过去了，夜幕降临。

Shadows lengthened. The cool and kindly breath of evening entered through doors and windows. Astride her web, Charlotte sat moodily eating a horsefly and thinking about the future. After a while she bestirred herself.
影子变长了。凉爽而温和的夜风从门窗吹入。夏洛特坐在她的网中，闷闷不乐地吃着马蝇，想着未来。过了一会儿，她活动了一下身体。

She descended to the center of the web and there she began to cut some of her lines. She worked slowly but steadily while the other creatures drowsed. None of the others, not even the goose, noticed that she was at work. Deep in his soft bed, Wilbur snoozed. Over in their favorite corner, the goslings whistled a night song.
她降到网的中心，开始剪断一些线。她慢慢地、稳定地工作，而其他生物都在打瞌睡。其他生物中，甚至鹅都没有注意到她在工作。威尔伯在柔软的床上打盹。在他最喜欢的角落里，小鹅们唱起了夜曲。

Charlotte tore quite a section out of her web, leaving an open space in the middle. Then she started weaving something to take the place of the threads she had removed. When Templeton got back from the dump, around midnight, the spider was still at work.
夏洛特从她的网中扯下一大块，中间留出了一个空隙。接着她开始编织一些东西来替代她扯掉的线。当泰勒顿午夜时分从垃圾堆回来时，蜘蛛还在工作。

CHAPTER 11
第十一章

The Miracle
奇迹

The next day was foggy. Everything on the farm was dripping wet. The grass looked like a magic carpet. The asparagus patch looked like a silver forest.
第二天有雾。农场上的所有东西都湿漉漉的。草看起来像一张魔法地毯。芦笋地看起来像一片银色的森林。

On foggy mornings, Charlotte's web was truly a thing of beauty. This morning each thin strand was decorated with dozens of tiny beads of water. The web glistened in the light and made a pattern of loveliness and mystery, like a delicate veil. Even Lurvy, who wasn't particularly interested in beauty, noticed the web when he came with the pig's breakfast. He noted how clearly it showed up and he noted how big and carefully built it was. And then he took another look and he saw something that made him set his pail down. There, in the center of the web, neatly woven in block letters, was a message. It said:
在雾蒙蒙的早晨，夏洛的网确实是一件美丽的东西。今天早晨，每一根细丝上都装饰着几十颗小小的水珠。在光线下，网闪闪发光，形成了一种可爱又神秘的图案，像一层精致的面纱。就连对美不特别感兴趣的鲁里，在送猪的早餐时也注意到了这张网。他注意到网非常清晰，也注意到它有多大、建造得多么仔细。然后他再看了一下，他看到了让他放下桶的东西。在那里，在网的中心，用整齐的印刷体编织着一条信息。上面写着：

SOME PIG!
了不起的猪！

Lurvy felt weak. He brushed his hand across his eyes and stared harder at Charlotte's web.
鲁里感到虚弱。他用手擦了擦眼睛，更仔细地盯着夏洛的网。

"I'm seeing things," he whispered. He dropped to his knees and uttered a short prayer. Then, forgetting all about Wilbur's breakfast, he walked back to the house and called Mr. Zuckerman.
"我在胡思乱想，"他低语道。他跪了下来，说了一个简短的祷告。然后，完全忘记了威尔伯的早餐，他走回房子，给朱克曼先生打电话。

"I think you'd better come down to the pigpen," he said.
"我建议你到猪圈来看看，"他说。

"What's the trouble?" asked Mr. Zuckerman. "Anything wrong with the pig?"
"出什么事了？"朱克曼先生问道。"猪怎么了？"

"N-not exactly," said Lurvy. "Come and see for yourself."
"不，不完全是，"鲁维说。"自己来看看吧。"

The two men walked silently down to Wilbur's yard. Lurvy pointed to the spider's web. "Do you see what I see?" he asked.
两个人默默地走到威尔伯的院子。鲁维指着蜘蛛网。"你看到我看到的了吗？"他问道。

Zuckerman stared at the writing on the web. Then he murmured the words "Some Pig." Then he looked at Lurvy. Then they both began to tremble. Charlotte, sleepy after her night's exertions, smiled as she watched. Wilbur came and stood directly under the web.
朱克曼盯着网上的字。然后他低声念出"一些小猪。"接着他看向露比。他们两人都开始发抖。夏洛在经历了一夜的劳累后显得有些困倦，看着他们微笑。威尔伯走过来，直接站在网的正下方。

"Some pig!" muttered Lurvy in a low voice.
“真是个猪猡！”露维低声咕哝道。

"Some pig!" whispered Mr. Zuckerman. They stared and stared for a long time at Wilbur. Then they stared at Charlotte.
“真是个猪猡！”朱克曼先生低声耳语。他们久久地盯着威尔伯，然后又盯着夏洛。

"You don't suppose that that spider ..." began Mr. Zuckerman - but he shook his head and didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he walked solemnly back up to the house and spoke to his wife. "Edith, something has happened," he said, in a weak voice. He went into the living room and sat down, and Mrs. Zuckerman followed.
“你不会以为那只蜘蛛……”朱克曼先生刚要开口——但他摇了摇头，没把话说完。相反，他庄重地走回房子，对妻子说话。“伊迪丝，出事了，”他用虚弱的声音说。他走进客厅坐下，朱克曼夫人也跟了进来。

"I've got something to tell you, Edith," he said. "You better sit down."
“我有些事要告诉你，伊迪丝，”他说。“你最好坐下。”

Mrs. Zuckerman sank into a chair. She looked pale and frightened.
朱克曼夫人陷进椅子里。她脸色苍白，惊恐不安。

"Edith," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "I think you had best be told that we have a very unusual pig."
"艾迪斯，"他试图让自己的声音保持平稳，"我想你最好被告知，我们有一头非常不寻常的猪。"

A look of complete bewilderment came over Mrs. Zuckerman's face. "Homer Zuckerman, what in the world are you talking about?" she said.
朱克曼太太脸上露出完全困惑的神情。"赫默·朱克曼，你到底在说什么？"她说。

"This is a very serious thing, Edith," he replied. "Our pig is completely out of the ordinary."
"这事很严重，艾迪丝，"他回答道。"我们的猪完全不同寻常。"

"What's unusual about the pig?" asked Mrs. Zuckerman, who was beginning to recover from her scare.
"猪有什么不同寻常的？"朱克曼太太问道，她正逐渐从惊吓中恢复过来。

"Well, I don't really know yet," said Mr. Zuckerman. "But we have received a sign, Edith - a mysterious sign. A miracle has happened on this farm. There is a large spider's web in the doorway of the barn cellar, right over the pigpen, and when Lurvy went to feed the pig this morning, he noticed the web because it was foggy, and you know how a spider's web looks very distinct in a fog. And right spang (precisely (Slang) in the middle of the web there were the words 'Some Pig." The words were woven right into the web. They were actual part of the web, Edith. I know because I have been down there and seen them. It says, 'Some Pig,' just as clear as clear can be. There can be no mistake about it. A miracle has happened and a sign has occurred here on earth, right on our farm, and we have no ordinary pig."
"嗯，我还不完全清楚，"朱克曼先生说。"但我们收到了一个征兆，艾迪丝——一个神秘的征兆。农场发生了奇迹。谷仓地下室门口有一张大蜘蛛网，正好在猪圈上方。今天早上卢里去喂猪时，因为雾气他注意到了这张网，你知道蜘蛛网在雾中看起来非常清晰。而且正好（精确地（俚语）在网的正中央，写着'Some Pig'。这些字织进了网里。它们是网的一部分，艾迪丝。我知道，因为我下去看过。它清楚地写着'Some Pig'，毫无疑问。这里发生了奇迹，一个征兆出现在地球上，就在我们的农场，我们有一头不普通的猪。"

"Well," said Mrs. Zuckerman, "it seems to me you're a little off. It seems to me we have no ordinary spider."
“嗯，”朱克曼太太说，“我觉得你有点不对劲。我觉得我们这里不是普通的蜘蛛。”

"Oh, no," said Zuckerman. "It's the pig that's unusual. It says so, right there in the middle of the web."
“哦，不，”朱克曼说。“是那只猪不寻常。它就在网中间写着呢。”

"Maybe so," said Mrs. Zuckerman. "Just the same, I intend to have a look at that spider."
“也许吧，”朱克曼太太说。“但不管怎样，我打算去看看那只蜘蛛。”

"It's just a common grey spider," said Zuckerman.
“它只是只普通的灰蜘蛛，”朱克曼说。

They got up, and together they walked down to Wilbur's yard.
他们站起来，一起走到威尔伯的院子。

"You see, Edith? It's just a common grey spider."
“你看，伊迪丝？它只是只普通的灰蜘蛛。”

Wilbur was pleased to receive so much attention. Lurvy was still standing there, and Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman all three, stood for about an hour, reading the words on the web over and over, and watching Wilbur.
威尔伯很高兴能受到这么多关注。鲁维还在那里站着，朱克曼夫妇三人一起站了大约一个小时，反复阅读网上的字，看着威尔伯。

Charlotte was delighted with the way her trick was working.
夏洛对蜘蛛网结得怎么样感到非常满意。

She sat without moving a muscle, and listened to the conversation of the people. When a small fly blundered into the web, just beyond the word pig," Charlotte dropped quickly down, rolled the fly up, and carried it out of the way.
她一动不动地坐着，听着人们的谈话。当一只小苍蝇不小心撞到"猪"字旁边的蜘蛛网上时，夏洛迅速地垂下身体，把苍蝇卷起来，然后把它弄到一边。

After a while the fog lifted. The web dried off and the words didn't show up so plainly. The Zuckermans and Lurvy walked back to the house. Just before they left the pigpen, Mr. Zuckerman took one last look at Wilbur.
过了一会儿，雾散了。蜘蛛网上的字迹变得模糊不清。朱克曼一家和鲁里回到了房子。就在他们离开猪圈的时候，朱克曼先生最后看了一眼威尔伯。

"You know," he said, in an important voice, "I've thought all along that that pig of ours was an extra good one. He's a solid pig. That pig is as solid as they come. You notice how solid he is around the shoulders, Lurvy?"
"你知道，"他用一种重要的语气说，"我一直认为我们家的这头猪特别棒。它是一头结实的猪。这头猪结实得不能再结实了。你注意到它肩膀周围的结实了吗，鲁里？"

"Sure. Sure I do," said Lurvy. "I've always noticed that pig. He's quite a pig."
"当然。我当然注意到了，"露维说。"我一直注意到那头猪。他真是一头猪。"

"He's long, and he's smooth," said Zuckerman.
"他个子高，而且很光滑，"朱克曼说。

"That's right," agreed Lurvy. "He's as smooth as they come. He's some pig."
"没错，"露维同意道，"他滑溜溜的，是个十足的猪猡。"

When Mr. Zuckerman got back to the house, he took off his work clothes and put on his best suit. Then he got into his car and drove to the minister's house. He stayed for an hour and explained to the minister that a miracle had happened on the farm.
当祖克曼先生回到家时，他脱下工装，穿上最好的西装。然后他坐进汽车，开车去了牧师家。他在那里待了一个小时，向牧师解释农场发生了奇迹。

"So far," said Zuckerman, "only four people on earth know about this miracle - myself, my wife Edith, my hired man Lurvy, and you."
"到目前为止，"祖克曼说，"只有四个人知道这个奇迹——我本人、我的妻子艾迪丝、我的雇工露维，还有你。"

"Don't tell anybody else," said the minister. "We don't know what it means yet, but perhaps if I give thought to it, I can explain it in my sermon next Sunday. There can be no doubt that you have a most unusual pig. I intend to speak about it in my sermon and point out the fact that this community has been visited with a wondrous animal. By the way, does the pig have a name?"
"别告诉任何人其他的人，"牧师说，"我们还不知道这意味着什么，但也许如果我认真思考一下，我可以在下周日的布道中解释它。毫无疑问，你有一头非常不寻常的猪。我打算在布道中谈论它，并指出这个社区被一种奇妙的动物所眷顾。顺便问一下，这头猪有名字吗？"

"Why, yes," said Mr. Zuckerman. "My little niece calls him Wilbur. She's a rather queer child - full of notions. She raised the pig on a bottle and I bought him from her when he was a month old."
“是啊，”佐克曼先生说，“我那小侄女叫他威尔伯。她是个挺古怪的孩子——满脑子怪主意。她用奶瓶喂大这只猪，我一个月大的时候从她那儿买下了他。”

He shook hands with the minister, and left.
他跟部长握了握手，然后离开了。

Secrets are hard to keep. Long before Sunday came, the news spread all over the county. Everybody knew that a sign had appeared in a spider's web on the Zuckerman place. Everybody knew that the Zuckermans had a wondrous pig. People came from miles around to look at Wilbur and to read the words on Charlotte's web. The Zuckermans' driveway was full of cars and trucks from morning till night - Fords and Chevvies and Buick roadmasters and GMC pickups and Plymouths and Studebakers and Packards and De Sotos with gyromatic transmissions and Oldsmobiles with rocket engines and Jeep station wagons and Pontiacs. The news of the wonderful pig spread clear up into the hills, and farmers came rattling down in buggies and buckboards, to stand hour after hour at Wilbur's pen admiring the miraculous animal. All said they had never seen such a pig before in their lives.
秘密很难保守。还没到星期天，消息就已经传遍了整个县。人人都知道佐克曼家蜘蛛网上出现了一个标记。人人都知道佐克曼家有一头奇特的猪。人们从很远的地方赶来，看看威尔伯，读读夏洛网上的字。佐克曼家的车道从早到晚都停满了车和卡车——福特、雪佛兰、别克路霸、GMC 皮卡、普利茅斯、斯图贝克、帕克和带陀螺传动系统的德索托，还有带火箭发动机的奥兹莫比尔、吉普旅行车和庞蒂亚克。这头神奇猪的消息传到了山里，农夫们摇摇晃晃地坐着四轮马车和鞍马，一个接一个地站在威尔伯的猪圈前，欣赏这头奇迹般的动物。所有人都说他们这辈子都没见过这样的猪。

When Fern told her mother that Avery had tried to hit the Zuckermans' spider with a stick, Mrs. Arable was so shocked that she sent Avery to bed without any supper as punishment.
当费恩告诉母亲艾弗里试图用棍子打朱克曼家的蜘蛛时，阿雷布尔夫人非常震惊，她惩罚艾弗里没有晚饭就上床睡觉。

In the days that followed, Mr. Zuckerman was so busy entertaining visitors that he neglected his farm work. He wore his good clothes all the time now -got right into them when he got up in the morning. Mrs. Zuckerman prepared special meals for Wilbur. Lurvy shaved and got a haircut; and his principal farm duty was to feed the pig while people looked on.
接下来的日子里，朱克曼先生忙于招待客人，忽略了农活。他现在总是穿好衣服——早上起床就立刻穿上。朱克曼夫人给威尔伯准备了特别的饭菜。拉维刮了胡子，理了发；他的主要农活是在众人观看时喂猪。

Mr. Zuckerman ordered Lurvy to increase Wilbur's feedings from three meals a day to four meals a day. The Zuckermans were so busy with visitors they forgot about other things on the farm.
朱克曼先生命令拉维将威尔伯的喂食从每天三顿增加到每天四顿。朱克曼夫妇忙于招待客人，忘了农场上的其他事情。

The blackberries got ripe, and Mrs. Zuckerman failed to put up any blackberry jam. The corn needed hoeing, and Lurvy didn't find time to hoe it.
黑莓熟了，朱克曼夫人没有做任何黑莓果酱。玉米需要除草，拉维没时间除草。

On Sunday the church was full. The minister explained the miracle. He said that the words on the spider's web proved that human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders.
在星期天，教堂里挤满了人。牧师解释了那个奇迹。他说，蜘蛛网上的字迹证明了人类必须时刻警惕奇迹的降临。

All in all, the Zuckermans' pigpen was the center of attraction. Fern was happy, for she felt that Charlotte's trick was working and that Wilbur's life would be saved. But she found that the barn was not nearly as pleasant - too many people. She liked it better when she could be all alone with her friends the animals.
总而言之，祖克曼家的猪圈成了焦点。费恩很高兴，因为她觉得夏洛的计谋奏效了，威尔伯的生命将被拯救。但她发现谷仓并不那么愉快——人太多了。她更喜欢独自和动物朋友们在一起的时候。

CHAPTER 12
第 12 章

A Meeting
一次相遇

One evening, a few days after the writing had appeared in Charlotte's web, the spider called a meeting of all the animals in the barn cellar.
一天晚上，在夏洛的网中写下的文字出现几天后，蜘蛛在谷仓地下室召集了所有动物开会。

"I shall begin by calling the roll. Wilbur?"
我将开始点名。威尔伯？

"Here!" said the pig.
“到！”猪说。

"Gander?"
“鹅？”

"Here, here, here!" said the gander.
“这里！这里！这里！”鹅说。

"You sound like three ganders," muttered Charlotte. "Why can't you just say 'here'? Why do you have to repeat everything?"
"你听起来像三个鹅,"夏洛特嘟囔道。"为什么你不能直接说'这里'？为什么非要重复所有事情？"

"It's my idio-idio-idiosyncrasy (individual quality, unique characteristic)," replied the gander.
"这是我的怪癖(个人特质,独特特征),"鹅回答道。

"Goose?" said Charlotte.
"鹅？"夏洛特说。

"Here, here, here!" said the goose. Charlotte glared at her.
"这里,这里,这里!"鹅说。夏洛特瞪着她。

"Goslings, one through seven?"
"鹅宝宝，一至七？"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!"
"嗡嗡嗡！"

"Bee-bee-bee!" said the goslings.
"嗡嗡嗡！"说那些小鹅。

"This is getting to be quite a meeting," said Charlotte.
"这会议越来越有意思了，"夏洛特说。

"Anybody would think we had three ganders, three geese, and twenty-one goslings. Sheep?"
"谁都会以为我们有三只公鹅、三只母鹅和二十一只小鹅。羊？"

"He-aa-aa!" answered the sheep all together.
"咩-啊-啊！"绵羊们齐声回答。

"Lambs?"
"小羊？"

"He-aa-aa!" answered the lambs all together.
"咩-啊-啊！"小羊们齐声回答。

"Templeton?"
"泰勒顿？"

No answer.
没有回答。

"Templeton?"
“泰勒顿？”

No answer.
没有回答。

"Well, we are all here except the rat," said Charlotte. "I guess we can proceed without him. Now, all of you must have noticed what's been going on around here the last few days. The message I wrote in my web, praising Wilbur, has been received. The Zuckermans have fallen for it, and so has everybody else. Zuckerman thinks Wilbur is an unusual pig, and therefore he won't want to kill him and eat him. I dare say my trick will work and Wilbur's life can be saved.
“好吧，我们都在这里，只有老鼠没来，”夏洛说。“我想我们可以没有他继续进行。现在，你们所有人一定都注意到这几天这里发生的事情。我在网里写的表扬威尔伯的信息已经被收到了。朱克曼一家和其他人都上当了。朱克曼认为威尔伯是一头不寻常的小猪，所以他不会想杀掉它吃掉它。我敢说我的计策会成功，威尔伯的生命就能得救。”

"Hurray!" cried everybody.
"万岁！"大家欢呼起来。

"Thank you very much," said Charlotte. "Now I called this meeting in order to get suggestions. I need new ideas for the web. People are already getting sick of reading the words 'Some Pig!". If anybody can think of another message, or remark, I'll be glad to weave it into the web. Any suggestions for a new slogan?"
"非常感谢，"夏洛说，"我现在召开这次会议是为了征求建议。我需要为网页想些新点子。人们已经厌倦了读'一些小猪'这几个字了！如果有人能想出另一条信息，或者别的评论，我将很高兴地把它编织进网页里。有什么新口号的建议吗？"

"How about 'Pig Supreme'?" asked one of the lambs.
"怎么样是'至高无上的猪'？"一只小羊问道。

"No good," said Charlotte. "It sounds like a rich dessert."
"不好，"夏洛说，"听起来像是一种甜点。"

"How about 'Terrific, terrific, terrific'?" asked the goose.
"那‘太棒了，太棒了，太棒了’怎么样？"鹅问道。

"Cut that down to one 'terrific' and it will do very nicely," said Charlotte. "I think 'terrific' might impress Zuckerman."
"把‘太棒了’缩减成一个，就会非常不错了，"夏洛说。"我想‘太棒了’可能会给朱克曼留下深刻印象。"

"But Charlotte," said Wilbur, "I'm not terrific."
"但是夏洛，"威尔伯说，"我并不太棒。"

"That doesn't make a particle of difference," replied Charlotte. "Not a particle. People believe almost anything they see in print. Does anybody here know how to spell 'terrific'?"
"那一点差别都没有，"夏洛回答道。"一点差别都没有。人们几乎相信他们读到的一切。这里有人知道怎么拼写‘太棒了’吗？"

"I think," said the gander, "it's tee double ee double rr double rr double eye double ff double eye double see see see see see."
"我认为，" 鹅说，"它是 T double E double R double R double E double F double F double E double C double C double C double C。"

"What kind of an acrobat do you think I am?" said Charlotte in disgust. "I would have to have St. Vitus's Dance to weave a word like that into my web."
"你认为我是个什么样的杂技演员？" 夏洛特厌恶地说，"我必须得有圣维特之舞才能把那样的词织进我的网里。"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," said the gander.
"抱歉，抱歉，抱歉，" 鹅说道。

Then the oldest sheep spoke up. "I agree that there should be something new written in the web if Wilbur's life is to be saved. And if Charlotte needs help in finding words, I think she can get it from our friend Templeton. The rat visits the dump regularly and has access to old magazines. He can tear out bits of advertisements and bring them up here to the barn cellar, so that Charlotte can have something to copy."
然后最老的绵羊开口了。"我同意如果威尔伯要得救，网上应该写些新东西。而且如果夏洛需要帮忙找词，我想她可以从我们的朋友泰勒顿那里得到帮助。老鼠定期去垃圾堆，可以接触到旧杂志。他可以撕下一些广告，拿到谷仓地下室来，这样夏洛就有东西可以复制了。"

"Good idea," said Charlotte. "But I'm not sure Templeton will be willing to help. You know how he is - always looking out for himself, never thinking of the other fellow."
"好主意，" 夏洛说道。"但我不确定泰勒顿会愿意帮忙。你知道他的性格——总是只顾自己，从不考虑别人。"

"I bet I can get him to help," said the old sheep. "I'll appeal to his baser instincts, of which he has plenty. Here he comes now. Everybody keep quiet while I put the matter up to him!"
"我敢说他会帮忙的，" 老绵羊说道。"我会利用他的低级本能，他有很多这种本能。他来了。大家保持安静，等我向他提这件事！"

The rat entered the barn the way he always did - creeping along close to the wall.
老鼠像往常一样溜进了谷仓——沿着墙根爬行。

"What's up?" he asked, seeing the animals assembled.
"怎么了？"他看见动物们聚在一起问道。

"We're holding a directors' meeting," replied the old sheep.
"我们在开董事会会议。"老绵羊回答。

"Well, break it up! " said Templeton. "Meetings bore me."
“好了，别磨蹭！” Templeton 说。“开会让我烦。”

And the rat began to climb a rope that hung against the wall.
然后老鼠开始爬墙上挂着的绳子。

"Look," said the old sheep, "next time you go to the dump, Templeton, bring back a clipping from a magazine. Charlotte needs new ideas so she can write messages in her web and save Wilbur's life."
“看，”老绵羊说，“下次你去垃圾堆时，Templeton，带回杂志上的一篇文章。Charlotte 需要新点子，这样她才能在网上写信息救 Wilbur。”

"Let him die," said the rat. "I should worry."
“让他死吧，”老鼠说。“我无所谓。”

"You'll worry all right when next winter comes," said the sheep. "You'll worry all right on a zero morning next January when Wilbur is dead and nobody comes down here with a nice pail of warm slops to pour into the trough. Wilbur's leftover food is your chief source of supply, Templeton. You know that. Wilbur's food is your food; therefore Wilbur's destiny and your destiny are closely linked. If Wilbur is killed and his trough stands empty day after day, you'll grow so thin we can look right through your stomach and see objects on the other side."
"等到明年冬天来的时候，你准会发愁的，"绵羊说。"明年一月的零下早晨，当威尔伯死了，也没人下来用一桶热乎乎的泔水浇在食槽里的时候，你准会发愁的。威尔伯剩下的食物是你主要的供给来源，泰勒蒙。你知道这个。威尔伯的食物就是你的食物；因此威尔伯的命运和你的命运紧密相连。如果威尔伯被杀了，他的食槽天天空着，你会变得那么瘦，我们都能从你的肚子里看过去，看到另一边的东西。"

Templeton's whiskers quivered.
泰勒蒙的胡须颤抖着。

"Maybe you're right," he said gruffly. "I'm making a trip to the dump tomorrow afternoon. I'll bring back a magazine clipping if I can find one."
"也许你是对的，"他粗声说。"我明天下午要去垃圾堆。如果我找到的话，我会带回来一张杂志剪报。"

"Thanks," said Charlotte. "The meeting is now adjourned. I have a busy evening ahead of me. I've got to tear my web apart and write 'Terrific.""
"谢谢，"夏洛说。"会议现在结束了。我今晚很忙。我得把我的网拆开，写上'了不起'。"

Wilbur blushed. "But I'm not terrific, Charlotte. I'm just about average for a pig."
威尔伯脸红了。“但是我不太出色，夏洛特。我只是一头普通的猪。”

"You're terrific as far as I'm concerned," replied Charlotte, sweetly, "and that's what counts. You're my best friend, and I think you're sensational. Now stop arguing and go get some sleep!"
“在我眼里你很出色，”夏洛特甜蜜地回答，“这最重要。你是我的好朋友，我觉得你很棒。现在别争了，去睡觉吧！”

CHAPTER 13
第 13 章

Good Progress
进展良好

Far into the night, while the other creatures slept, Charlotte worked on her web. First she ripped out a few of the orb lines near the center. She left the radial lines alone, as they were needed for support. As she worked, her eight legs were a great help to her. So were her teeth. She loved to weave and she was an expert at it. When she was finished ripping things out, her web looked something like this:
深夜时分，其他生物都已入睡，夏洛正忙于她的网。她首先扯断了网中央几根球形丝线。她保留了径向丝线，因为它们需要支撑。在编织过程中，她八条腿帮了大忙，牙齿也派上了用场。她喜欢编织，而且非常擅长。当扯断部分丝线后，她的网看起来就像这样：

Note: Similar to a wagon wheel with spokes
注意：类似于带辐条的车轮

A spider can produce several kinds of thread. She uses a dry, tough thread for foundation lines, and she uses a sticky thread for snare lines - the ones that catch and hold insects.
蜘蛛可以吐出几种不同类型的丝线。她用干燥坚韧的丝线作为基础线，而用粘性丝线作为捕捉线——那些用来捕捉并固定昆虫的线。

Charlotte decided to use her dry thread for writing the new message.
夏洛特决定用她的干燥丝线来书写新的信息。

"If I write the word 'Terrific' with sticky thread," she thought, "every bug that comes along will get stuck in it and spoil the effect."
“如果我用粘性丝线书写‘太棒了’这个词，”她心想，“每一个经过的虫子都会被粘住，从而破坏效果。”

"Now let's see, the first letter is T."
现在我们来看看，第一个字母是 T。

Charlotte climbed to a point at the top of the left hand side of the web. Swinging her spinnerets into position, she attached her thread and then dropped down. As she dropped, her spinning tubes went into action and she let out thread. At the bottom, she attached the thread. This formed the upright part of the letter T. Charlotte was not satisfied, however. She climbed up and made another attachment, right next to the first. Then she carried the line down, so that she had a double line instead of a single line. "It will show up better if I make the whole thing with double lines."
夏洛特爬到蛛网上左侧顶端的一个点上。她调整好纺器位置，系上丝线，然后掉落下来。在坠落过程中，她的纺管开始工作，她放出丝线。到达底部后，她系上丝线。这样就形成了字母 T 的直立部分。然而夏洛特并不满意。她爬上去，在第一个系点旁边又系了一个点。然后她将丝线向下拉，使它变成双线而不是单线。"如果整个都用双线制作，会看起来更清楚。"

She climbed back up, moved over about an inch to the left, touched her spinnerets to the web, and then carried a line across to the right, forming the top of the T. She repeated this, making it double. Her eight legs were very busy helping.
她爬回顶部，向左移动了大约一英寸，将纺器触碰到蛛网，然后向右拉出一条线，形成 T 的顶部。她重复了这个动作，使其变成双线。她的八条腿非常忙碌地帮忙。

"Now for the E!" Charlotte got so interested in her work, she began to talk to herself, as though to cheer herself on. If you had been sitting quietly in the barn cellar that evening, you would have heard something like this:
"现在来写 E！"夏洛特对她的工作如此感兴趣，以至于开始自言自语，仿佛在给自己打气。如果你那天晚上安静地坐在谷仓地下室里，你会听到类似这样的话：

"Now for the R! Up we go! Attach! Descend! Pay out line! Whoa! Attach! Good! Up you go! Repeat! Attach! Descend! Pay out line. Whoa, girl! Steady now! Attach! Climb! Attach! Over to the right! Pay out line! Attach! Now right and down and swing that loop and around and around! Now in to the left! Attach! Climb! Repeat! O.K.! Easy, keep those lines together! Now, then, out and down for the leg of the R! Pay out line! Whoa! Attach! Ascend! Repeat! Good girl!"
现在轮到 R 了！我们向上！固定！下降！放出线！哇！固定！好！你向上！重复！固定！下降！放出线。哇，女孩！稳住！固定！爬升！固定！向右！放出线！固定！现在向右向下，摆动那个环，绕来绕去！现在向左！固定！爬升！重复！好了！轻松点，保持那些线在一起！现在，然后，向上向下，为 R 的腿！放出线！哇！固定！上升！重复！好女孩！

And so, talking to herself, the spider worked at her difficult task. When it was completed, she felt hungry. She ate a small bug that she had been saving. Then she slept.
蜘蛛自言自语，努力完成她的艰难任务。完成后，她感到饿了。她吃掉了一只她一直保存的小虫子。然后她睡着了。

Next morning, Wilbur arose and stood beneath the web. He breathed the morning air into his lungs. Drops of dew, catching the sun, made the web stand out clearly. When Lurvy arrived with breakfast, there was the handsome pig, and over him, woven neatly in block letters, was the word TERRIFIC. Another miracle.
第二天早上，威尔伯醒来，站在网上。他吸入清晨的空气。露珠在阳光下闪闪发光，使网清晰可见。当卢维带着早餐到来时，那里是那只漂亮的猪，在他上方，整齐地编织着大写字母 TERRIFIC。又一个奇迹。

Lurvy rushed and called Mr. Zuckerman. Mr. Zuckerman rushed and called Mrs. Zuckerman. Mrs. Zuckerman ran to the phone and called the Arables. The Arables climbed into their truck and hurried over. Everybody stood at the pigpen and stared at the web and read the word, over and over, while Wilbur, who really felt terrific, stood quietly swelling out his chest and swinging his snout from side to side.
露维急匆匆地给佐克曼先生打电话。佐克曼先生又急匆匆地给佐克曼太太打电话。佐克曼太太跑到电话旁，给阿拉布尔一家打电话。阿拉布尔一家钻进他们的卡车，匆匆赶过来。大家都站在猪圈旁，盯着蛛网，一遍又一遍地读着字，而威尔伯，真的感觉非常棒，静静地鼓着胸脯，左右摇摆着鼻子。

"Terrific!" breathed Zuckerman, in joyful admiration. "Edith, you better phone the reporter on the Weekly Chronicle and tell him what has happened. He will want to know about this. He may want to bring a photographer. There isn't a pig in the whole state that is as terrific as our pig."
“太棒了！”佐克曼带着喜悦赞叹道。“伊迪丝，你最好给《每周纪事报》的记者打个电话，告诉他发生了什么事。他会想知道这件事的。他可能想带个摄影师来。我们州里没有哪头猪能像我们的猪这么棒。”

The news spread. People who had journeyed to see Wilbur when he was "some pig" came back again to see him now that he was "terrific."
消息传开了。那些曾经来看望还是"一头普通小猪"威尔伯的人们，现在又回来了，来看望已成为"了不起的小猪"的威尔伯。

That afternoon, when Mr. Zuckerman went to milk the cows and clean out the tie-ups, he was still thinking about what a wondrous pig he owned.
那天下午，当朱克曼先生去挤牛奶并清理系马桩时，他还在想着自己拥有一头多么奇妙的小猪。

"Lurvy!" he called. "There is to be no more cow manure thrown down into that pigpen. I have a terrific pig. I want that pig to have clean, bright straw every day for his bedding. Understand?"
"露维！"他喊道。"不准再往猪圈里扔牛粪了。我有一头了不起的小猪。我想让这头小猪每天都能睡上干净、明亮的干草。明白吗？"

"Yes, sir," said Lurvy.
"是的，先生。"露维说。

"Furthermore," said Mr. Zuckerman, "I want you to start building a crate for Wilbur. I have decided to take the pig to the County Fair on September sixth. Make the crate large and paint it green with gold letters!"
"此外，"佐克曼先生说，"我要你开始为威尔伯做一个木箱。我决定在九月六日把小猪带到县博览会去。木箱要做得大一些，用绿色油漆涂上金色字母！"

"What will the letters say?" asked Lurvy.
"字母上写什么呢？"鲁弗问。

"They should say Zuckerman's Famous Pig."
"应该写佐克曼的名猪。"

Lurvy picked up a pitchfork and walked away to get some clean straw. Having such an important pig was going to mean plenty of extra work, he could see that.
鲁弗拿起叉子，走开去弄一些干净的干草。他看得出来，养这样一头重要的小猪将意味着大量的额外工作。

Below the apple orchard, at the end of a path, was the dump where Mr. Zuckerman threw all sorts of trash and stuff that nobody wanted any more. Here, in a small clearing hidden by young alders (type of tree) and wild raspberry bushes, was an astonishing pile of old bottles and empty tin cans and dirty rags and bits of metal and broken bottles and broken hinges and broken springs and dead batteries and last month's magazines and old discarded dishmops and tattered overalls and rusty spikes and leaky pails and forgotten stoppers and useless junk of all kinds, including a wrong-size crank for a broken ice-cream freezer.
在苹果园下方，一条小路的尽头，是扎克曼先生扔各种垃圾和不再需要的东西的垃圾堆。这里，在一个被年轻的榛树和野莓灌木丛遮掩的小空地上，堆放着令人惊讶的大量旧瓶子、空罐头、脏布条、金属碎片、碎瓶子、断掉的铰链、断掉的弹簧、死电池、上个月的杂志、丢弃的旧拖把、破旧的工装裤、生锈的钉子、漏水的桶、被遗忘的塞子和各种无用的垃圾，包括一个不合适尺寸的曲柄，用于一个坏掉的冰淇淋冷冻器。

Templeton knew the dump and liked it. There were good hiding places there - excellent cover for a rat. And there was usually a tin can with food still clinging to the inside.
泰勒顿熟悉这个垃圾堆，并且喜欢它。那里有很多藏身之处——对老鼠来说是个极好的藏身地。而且通常会有一个罐头，里面还粘着食物。

Templeton was down there now, rummaging around. When he returned to the barn, he carried in his mouth an advertisement he had torn from a crumpled magazine.
泰勒顿现在就在那里翻找。当他回到谷仓时，嘴里叼着一张从皱巴巴的杂志上撕下来的广告。

"How's this?" he asked, showing the ad to Charlotte. "It says 'Crunchy." 'Crunchy' would be a good word to write in your web."
“怎么样？”他问夏洛特，把广告给她看。“上面写着‘嘎吱脆’。” “‘嘎吱脆’是个适合写在你网上的好词。”

"Just the wrong idea," replied Charlotte. "Couldn't be worse. We don't want Zuckerman to think Wilbur is crunchy. He might start thinking about crisp, crunchy bacon and tasty ham. That would put ideas into his head. We must advertise Wilbur's noble qualities, not his tastiness. Go get another word, please, Templeton!"
“就是这个想法不对，”夏洛回答。“糟透了。我们不想让朱克曼觉得威尔伯是脆的。他可能会开始想脆脆的培根和美味的火腿。那会让他产生别的念头。我们必须宣传威尔伯的高贵品质，而不是他的美味。请再去拿个词来，泰勒顿！”

The rat looked disgusted. But he sneaked away to the dump and was back in a while with a strip of cotton cloth. "How's this?" he asked. "It's a label off an old shirt."
老鼠看起来很厌恶。但他偷偷溜到垃圾堆，不久就带着一条棉布条回来。“这个怎么样？”他问道。“这是从一件旧衬衫上撕下来的标签。”

Charlotte examined the label. It said PRESHRUNK.
夏洛特检查了标签。上面写着“已预缩水”。

"I'm sorry, Templeton," she said, "but 'Pre-shrunk' is out of the question. We want Zuckerman to think Wilbur is nicely filled out, not all shrunk up. I'll have to ask you to try again."
“对不起，坦普尔顿，”她说，“但‘已预缩水’绝不可行。我们希望祖克曼觉得威尔伯体态丰满，而不是缩水了。我得请你再试一次。”

"What do you think I am, a messenger boy?" grumbled the rat. "I'm not going to spend all my time chasing down to the dump after advertising material."
“你以为我是信使小子吗？”老鼠咕哝道，“我不会把所有时间都花在追着广告材料去垃圾堆。”

"Just once more - please!" said Charlotte.
“就再试一次——求你了！”夏洛特说。

"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Templeton. "I know where there's a package of soap flakes in the woodshed. It has writing on it. I'll bring you a piece of the package."
“我告诉你我要做什么，”泰勒顿说，“我知道木棚里有一包肥皂片，上面有字。我会给你带一小块包装。”

He climbed the rope that hung on the wall and disappeared through a hole in the ceiling. When he came back he had a strip of blue-and-white cardboard in his teeth.
他爬上挂在墙上的绳索，消失在天花板的一个洞里。回来时，他的嘴里叼着一条蓝白相间的硬纸板。

"There!" he said, triumphantly. "How's that?"
"就是了！"他说，得意洋洋地。"怎么样？"

Charlotte read the words: "With New Radiant Action."
夏洛特读着这几个字："焕发新光彩。"

"What does it mean?" asked Charlotte, who had never used any soap flakes in her life.
"这是什么意思？"夏洛特问，她一辈子都没用过肥皂片。

"How should I know?" said Templeton. "You asked for words and I brought them. I suppose the next thing you'll want me to fetch is a dictionary."
"我怎么会知道？"坦普尔顿说。"你要求的是字，我就给你找来了。我猜接下来你想要我找的东西就是一本字典了。"

Together they studied the soap ad. "'With new radiant action,'" repeated Charlotte, slowly. "Wilbur!" she called.
他们一起研究肥皂广告。"有全新的闪耀效果，'"夏洛慢慢重复道，"威尔伯！"她喊道。

Wilbur, who was asleep in the straw, jumped up. "Run around!" commanded Charlotte. "I want to see you in action, to see if you are radiant." Wilbur raced to the end of his yard.
威尔伯在草堆里睡着，一跃而起。"跑起来！"夏洛命令道，"我想看看你的效果，看看你有没有闪耀。"威尔伯飞奔到院子尽头。

"Now back again, faster!" said Charlotte.
"再回来，跑得更快！"夏洛说。

Wilbur galloped back. His skin shone. His tail had a fine, tight curl in it.
威尔伯飞奔回来。他的皮肤闪闪发光。他的尾巴卷得又细又紧。

"Jump into the air!" cried Charlotte.
"跳起来!" 夏洛喊道。

Wilbur jumped as high as he could.
威尔伯跳得尽可能高。

"Keep your knees straight and touch the ground with your ears!" called Charlotte.
"保持膝盖伸直，用耳朵触地!" 夏洛喊道。

Wilbur obeyed.
威尔伯听从了。

"Do a back flip with a half twist in it!" cried Charlotte.
"做一个带有半扭转的后空翻！"夏洛喊道。

Wilbur went over backwards, writhing and twisting as he went.
威尔伯向后倒去，在倒下的过程中扭动着身体。

"O.K., Wilbur," said Charlotte. "You can go back to sleep. O.K., Templeton, the soap ad will do, I guess. I'm not sure Wilbur's action is exactly radiant, but it's interesting."
"好了，威尔伯，"夏洛说，"你可以回去睡觉了。好吧，塔普尔顿，肥皂广告应该可以了，我想。我不确定威尔伯的动作是否真的光彩照人，但它很有趣。"

"Actually," said Wilbur, "I feel radiant."
"其实,"威尔伯说,"我感觉容光焕发。"

"Do you?" said Charlotte, looking at him with affection. "Well, you're a good little pig, and radiant you shall be. I'm in this thing pretty deep now - I might as well go the limit."
"是吗?"夏洛说,带着爱意看着他。"好,你是个好小猪,一定会容光焕发的。我现在已经深陷其中——不妨走到底。"

Tired from his romp, Wilbur lay down in the clean straw. He closed his eyes. The straw seemed scratchy - not as comfortable as the cow manure, which was always delightfully soft to lie in. So he pushed the straw to one side and stretched out in the manure. Wilbur sighed. It had been a busy day - his first day of being terrific. Dozens of people had visited his yard during the afternoon, and he had had to stand and pose, looking as terrific as he could. Now he was tired. Fern had arrived and seated herself quietly on her stool in the corner.
玩累了,威尔伯躺在干净的干草上。他闭上了眼睛。干草有些扎人——不如牛粪舒服,牛粪总是那么柔软宜人。于是他把干草推到一边,在牛粪上伸展身体。威尔伯叹了口气。这一天很忙——这是他成为"了不起"的第一天。下午有很多人来参观他的院子,他不得不站着摆姿势,尽可能展现自己的"了不起"。现在他累了。费恩来了,安静地坐在角落里的凳子上。

"Tell me a story, Charlotte!" said Wilbur, as he lay waiting for sleep to come. "Tell me a story!"
"讲个故事给我听,夏洛!"威尔伯躺着等待睡意降临时说。"讲个故事吧!"

So Charlotte, although she, too, was tired, did what Wilbur wanted.
所以夏洛，尽管她也累了，还是做了威尔伯想要的。

"Once upon a time," she began, "I had a beautiful cousin who managed to build her web across a small stream. One day a tiny fish leaped in to the air and got tangled in the web. My cousin was very much surprised, of course. The fish was thrashing wildly. My cousin hardly dared tackle it. But she did. She swooped down and threw great masses of wrapping material around the fish and fought bravely to capture it."
“从前啊，”她开始说，“我有一个漂亮的表妹，她设法在一条小溪上织了一张网。有一天，一条小鱼跳了起来，缠在了网上。我的表妹当然非常惊讶。鱼在疯狂地挣扎。表妹几乎不敢去处理它。但她还是去了。她俯冲下去，用大量的包裹材料缠住鱼，勇敢地与之搏斗，最终抓住了它。”

"Did she succeed?" asked Wilbur.
“她成功了吗？”威尔伯问道。

"It was a never-to-be-forgotten battle," said Charlotte. "There was the fish, caught only by one fin, and its tail wildly thrashing and shining in the sun. There was the web, sagging dangerously under the weight of the fish."
“那是一场永生难忘的战斗，”夏洛说。“有那条鱼，只用一条鳍抓住，尾巴在阳光下疯狂地挣扎，闪闪发光。有那张网，在鱼的重压下危险地下垂。”

"How much did the fish weigh?" asked Wilbur eagerly.
“鱼有多重？”威尔伯急切地问。

"I don't know," said Charlotte. "There was my cousin, slipping in, dodging out, beaten mercilessly over the head by the wildly thrashing fish, dancing in, dancing out, throwing her threads and fighting hard. First she threw a left around the tail. The fish lashed back. Then a left to the tail and a right to the mid section. The fish lashed back. Then she dodged to one side and threw a right, and another right to the fin. Then a hard left to the head, while the web swayed and stretched."
“我不知道，”夏洛说。“我表妹偷偷摸摸地溜进去，又偷偷摸摸地溜出来，被疯狂挣扎的鱼无情地打在头上，进进出出，抛出她的丝线，奋力搏斗。她先是绕着尾巴抛出一条左丝线。鱼反击了。然后她绕着尾巴抛出一条左丝线，再绕着身体中间抛出一条右丝线。鱼反击了。然后她向一侧躲闪，抛出一条右丝线，又抛出另一条右丝线到鱼鳍上。接着她猛地抛出一条左丝线到鱼头上，而网状组织随着摆动和拉伸。”

"Then what happened?" asked Wilbur.
"那后来怎么样了？"威尔伯问道。

"Nothing," said Charlotte. "The fish lost the fight. My cousin wrapped it up so tight it couldn't budge."
"没什么，"夏洛说。"鱼输了这场战斗。我的表哥把它包得那么紧，它动弹不得。"

"Then what happened?" asked Wilbur.
"那后来怎么样了？"威尔伯问道。

"Nothing," said Charlotte. "My cousin kept the fish for a while, and then, when she got good and ready, she ate it."
“没什么，”夏洛特说。“我表妹把鱼留着，过了一段时间，等她准备好了，就吃了。”

"Tell me another story!" begged Wilbur.
"再给我讲一个故事吧！"威尔伯恳求道。

So Charlotte told him about another cousin of hers who was an aeronaut.
于是夏洛告诉了他关于她另一个当飞行员的表妹的故事。

"What is an aeronaut?" asked Wilbur.
"什么是飞行员？"威尔伯问道。

"A balloonist," said Charlotte. "My cousin used to stand on her head and let out enough thread to form a balloon. Then she'd let go and be lifted into the air and carried upward on the warm wind."
"气球驾驶员。"夏洛说。"我的表妹以前会倒立着，放出一根足够长的线来制作气球。然后她会松开线，被升入空中，乘着暖风向上飘去。"

"Is that true?" asked Wilbur. "Or are you just making it up?"
“是真的吗？”威尔伯问道。“还是你只是在胡编乱造？”

"It's true," replied Charlotte. "I have some very remarkable cousins. And now, Wilbur, it's time you went to sleep."
“是真的，”夏洛回答。“我有几个非常非凡的表亲。现在，威尔伯，该去睡觉了。”

"Sing something!" begged Wilbur, closing his eyes.
"唱首歌吧！"威尔伯闭上眼睛恳求道。

So Charlotte sang a lullaby, while crickets chirped in the grass and the barn grew dark. This was the song she sang.
于是夏洛唱起摇篮曲，蟋蟀在草丛中鸣叫，谷仓渐渐变暗。这就是她唱的歌。

"Sleep, sleep, my love, my only,
"睡吧，睡吧，我亲爱的，我唯一的，

Deep, deep, in the dung and the dark;
深深，深深，在粪堆和黑暗中。"

Be not afraid and be not lonely!
不要害怕，不要孤独！

This is the hour when frogs and thrushes
这是青蛙和知更鸟

Praise the world from the woods and the rushes.
从树林和芦苇中赞美世界的时候。

Rest from care, my one and only,
放下忧愁，我唯一的爱人。

Deep in the dung and the dark!"
在粪堆和黑暗的深处！"

But Wilbur was already asleep. When the song ended, Fern got up and went home.
但威尔伯已经睡着了。当歌曲结束时，弗恩站起来回家了。

CHAPTER 14
第 14 章

Dr. Dorian
多里安医生

The next day was Saturday. Fern stood at the kitchen sink drying the breakfast dishes as her mother washed them. Mrs. Arable worked silently. She hoped Fern would go out and play with other children, instead of heading for the Zuckermans' barn to sit and watch animals.
第二天是星期六。费恩站在厨房水槽边，用抹布擦洗早餐的碗碟，而她的母亲正在洗。阿雷布尔夫人默默地工作着。她希望费恩能和其他孩子们出去玩，而不是去祖克曼家的谷仓坐着看动物。

"Charlotte is the best storyteller I ever heard," said Fern, poking her dish towel into a cereal bowl.
"夏洛特是我听过最棒的故事讲述者，"费恩说着，把抹布戳进一个麦片碗里。

"Fern," said her mother sternly, "you must not invent things. You know spiders don't tell stories. Spiders can't talk."
"费恩，"她母亲严厉地说，"你不能编造事情。你知道蜘蛛不会讲故事。蜘蛛不会说话。"

"Charlotte can," replied Fern. "She doesn't talk very loud, but she talks."
"夏洛特可以，"费恩回答说。"她说话声音不大，但她会说话。"

"What kind of story did she tell?" asked Mrs. Arable.
“她讲了个什么样的故事？”阿雷布尔夫人问道。

"Well," began Fern, "she told us about a cousin of hers who caught a fish in her web. Don't you think that's fascinating?"
“嗯，”弗恩开始说，“她给我们讲了一个她表妹的故事，她的表妹在网上抓到了一条鱼。你不觉得那很有趣吗？”

"Fern, dear, how would a fish get in a spider's web?" said Mrs. Arable. "You know it couldn't happen. You're making this up."
“弗恩，亲爱的，鱼怎么会进蜘蛛网里呢？”阿雷布尔夫人说。“你知道那不可能发生。你在编故事。”

"Oh, it happened all right," replied Fern. "Charlotte never fibs. This cousin of hers built a web across a stream. One day she was hanging around on the web and a tiny fish leaped into the air and got tangled in the web. The fish was caught by one fin, Mother; its tail was wildly thrashing and shining in the sun. Can't you just see the web, sagging dangerously under the weight of the fish? Charlotte's cousin kept slipping in, dodging out, and she was beaten mercilessly over the head by the wildly thrashing fish, dancing in, dancing out, throwing ..."
“哦，那确实发生了，”弗恩回答说。“夏洛特从不撒谎。她的表妹在网上建了一张网。有一天她挂在网上，一条小鱼跳了起来，被网缠住了。鱼的一条鳍被抓住了，妈妈；它的尾巴在阳光下疯狂地摆动。难道你看不见那张网，在鱼的重量的作用下危险地下垂吗？夏洛特的表妹不停地滑进去，又滑出来，她被疯狂摆动的鱼无情地打着头，进进出出，抛……”

"Fern!" snapped her mother. "Stop it! Stop inventing these wild tales!"
“弗恩！”她妈妈喊道。“别这样！别编这些荒唐的故事！”

"I'm not inventing," said Fern. "I'm just telling you the facts."
“我没编，”弗恩说。“我只是在告诉你事实。”

"What finally happened?" asked her mother, whose curiosity began to get the better of her.
“最后发生了什么？”她妈妈问道，好奇心开始占了上风。

"Charlotte's cousin won. She wrapped the fish up, then she ate him when she got good and ready. Spiders have to eat, the same as the rest of us."
“夏洛特的表妹赢了。她把鱼包起来，然后等准备好了才吃。蜘蛛也得吃饭，和我们其他人一样。”

"Yes, I suppose they do," said Mrs. Arable, vaguely.
"是的，我想它们是有的，"阿雷布尔太太含糊地说。

"Charlotte has another cousin who is a balloonist. She stands on her head, lets out a lot of line, and is carried aloft on the wind. Mother, wouldn't you simply love to do that?"
"夏洛特还有一个表哥是气球驾驶员。他头朝下站着，放出一大卷线，然后随风飘升。妈妈，你难道不希望也试试吗？"

"Yes, I would, come to think of it," replied Mrs. Arable. "But Fern, darling, I wish you would play outdoors today instead of going to Uncle Homer's barn. Find some of your playmates and do something nice outdoors. You're spending too much time in that barn - it isn't good for you to be alone so much."
"是的，我想也是，"阿雷布尔太太回答道。"但是费恩，亲爱的，我希望你今天能在户外玩耍，而不是去霍默叔叔的谷仓。找些小伙伴一起在户外做些有趣的事。你花在谷仓里的时间太多了——一个人待在那里对你不好。"

"Alone?" said Fern. "Alone? My best friends are in the barn cellar. It is a very sociable place. Not at all lonely."
"一个人？"费恩说。"一个人？我最好的朋友都在谷仓的地窖里。那里非常热闹。一点也不孤单。"

Fern disappeared after a while, walking down the road toward Zuckermans'. Her mother dusted the sitting room. As she worked she kept thinking about Fern. It didn't seem natural for a little girl to be so interested in animals. Finally Mrs. Arable made up her mind she would pay a call on old Doctor Dorian and ask his advice. She got in the car and drove to his office in the village.
费恩过了一会儿就消失了，沿着路走向佐克曼家。她妈妈在客厅里打扫。她干活的时候，心里一直想着费恩。一个小女孩对动物这么感兴趣，这似乎不太正常。最后，阿雷布尔夫人决定去拜访老多里恩医生，并请教他的意见。她坐进车里，开车去了村里的他的办公室。

Dr. Dorian had a thick beard. He was glad to see Mrs. Arable and gave her a comfortable chair.
多里恩医生留着浓密的胡子。他很高兴见到阿雷布尔夫人，给她拿了一把舒适的椅子。

"It's about Fern," she explained. "Fern spends entirely too much time in the Zuckermans' barn. It doesn't seem normal. She sits on a milk stool in a corner of the barn cellar, near the pigpen, and watches animals, hour after hour. She just sits and listens."
“是关于费恩的事，”她解释道。“费恩在佐克曼家的谷仓里待的时间太长了。这看起来不正常。她在谷仓地下室的一个角落里，靠近猪圈，坐在一个牛奶凳上，一坐就是几个小时，看着动物。她只是坐着，听着。”

Dr. Dorian leaned back and closed his eyes.
多里恩医生靠回椅背，闭上了眼睛。

"How enchanting!" he said. "It must be real nice and quiet down there. Homer has some sheep, hasn't he?"
“多迷人啊！”他说。“那里一定很安静舒适。荷默养了一些羊，是吗？”

"Yes," said Mrs. Arable. "But it all started with that pig we let Fern raise on a bottle. She calls him Wilbur. Homer bought the pig, and ever since it left our place Fern has been going to her uncle's to be near it."
“是的，”阿雷布尔夫人说。“但这一切都源于我们让费恩用奶瓶养的那头猪。她叫它威尔伯。荷默买下了那头猪，从那以后，费恩就经常去她叔叔家，以便靠近它。”

"I've been hearing things about that pig," said Dr. Dorian, opening his eyes. "They say he's quite a pig."
“我听说了一些关于那头猪的事，”多里安医生睁开眼睛说。“据说它是一头相当不错的猪。”

"Have you heard about the words that appeared in the spider's web?" asked Mrs. Arable nervously.
“你听说过蜘蛛网上出现的那些字吗？”阿雷布尔夫人紧张地问。

"Yes," replied the doctor.
"是的，"医生回答道。

"Well, do you understand it?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"那么，你明白吗？"阿雷布尔夫人问道。

"Understand what?"
"不明白什么？"

"Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider's web?"
"你明白蜘蛛网上怎么会有字吗？"

"Oh, no," said Dr. Dorian. "I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."
"哦，不," 多里安博士说，"我不明白。但话说回来，我也不明白蜘蛛是怎么学会织网的。当字出现时，大家都说是奇迹。但没人指出网本身就是一个奇迹。"

"What's miraculous about a spider's web?" said Mrs. Arable. "I don't see why you say a web is a miracle - it's just a web."
"蜘蛛网有什么奇迹的？" 阿拉布尔夫人说，"我不明白你为什么说网是奇迹——它就是一张网。"

"Ever try to spin one?" asked Dr. Dorian.
"试过旋转一个吗？"多里安博士问道。

Mrs. Arable shifted uneasily in her chair. "No," she replied. "But I can crochet 钩针编织 a doily and I can knit a sock."
阿雷布尔夫人不安地在椅子上挪动了一下。"没有，"她回答道。"但我可以钩针编织一块桌垫，我还会织袜子。"

"Sure," said the doctor. "But somebody taught you, didn't they?"
"当然，"医生说。"但一定有人教过你，对吧？"

"My mother taught me."
"是我妈妈教我的。"

"Well, who taught a spider? A young spider knows how to spin a web without any instructions from anybody. Don't you regard that as a miracle?"
“那蜘蛛是谁教会的？小蜘蛛不需要任何人的指导就会织网。难道你不认为这是奇迹吗？”

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Arable. "I never looked at it that way before. Still, I don't understand how those words got into the web. I don't understand it, and I don't like what I can't understand."
“我想是的，”阿雷布尔夫人说。“我以前从没这样想过。不过，我还是不明白那些字是怎么跑到网上的。我不明白，也不喜欢我不明白的事情。”

"None of us do," said Dr. Dorian, sighing. "I'm a doctor. Doctors are supposed to understand everything. But I don't understand everything, and I don't intend to let it worry me."
“我们都没明白，”多里安医生叹息道。“我是医生。医生应该明白一切。但我并不明白一切，也不打算让这件事困扰我。”

Mrs. Arable fidgeted. "Fern says the animals talk to each other. Dr. Dorian, do you believe animals talk?"
阿雷布尔夫人焦躁不安。“费恩说动物会互相说话。多里安医生，你相信动物会说话吗？”

"I never heard one say anything," he replied. "But that proves nothing. It is quite possible that an animal has spoken civilly to me and that I didn't catch the remark because I wasn't paying attention. Children pay better attention than grownups. If Fern says that the animals in Zuckerman's barn talk, I'm quite ready to believe her. Perhaps if people talked less, animals would talk more. People are incessant talkers - I can give you my word on that."
"我从未听人说过什么,"他回答道。"但这并不能证明什么。完全有可能动物曾对我讲过礼貌的话，而我因为没注意而没有听清。孩子比成年人更专心。如果费恩说扎克曼谷仓里的动物会说话，我非常愿意相信她。也许如果人们说话少一些，动物就会多说一些。人们是无休止地说话——我对此可以向你保证。"

"Well, I feel better about Fern," said Mrs. Arable. "You don't think I need worry about her?"
"嗯，我对费恩感觉好多了，"阿雷布尔夫人说。"你不认为我需要担心她吗？"

"Does she look well?" asked the doctor.
"她看起来还好吗？"医生问道。

"Oh, yes."
"哦，是的。"

"Appetite good?"
"胃口好吗？"

"Oh, yes, she's always hungry."
"哦，是的，她总是饿。"

"Sleep well at night?"
"晚上睡得好吗？"

"Oh, yes."
"哦，是的。"

"Then don't worry," said the doctor.
"那别担心，"医生说。

"Do you think she'll ever start thinking about something besides pigs and sheep and geese and spiders?"
"你觉得她会不会开始想些除了猪、羊、鹅和蜘蛛之外的东西？"

"How old is Fern?"
"费恩多大了？"

"She's eight."
"她八岁。"

"Well," said Dr. Dorian, "I think she will always love animals. But I doubt that she spends her entire life in Homer Zuckerman's barn cellar. How about boys - does she know any boys?"
"嗯，"多里安医生说，"我想她会永远爱动物。但我怀疑她会在荷默·朱克曼的谷仓地下室度过一生。那男孩呢——她认识男孩吗？"

"She knows Henry Fussy," said Mrs. Arable brightly.
阿雷布尔太太兴高采烈地说：“她认识亨利·费西。”

Dr. Dorian closed his eyes again and went into deep thought.
多里安医生再次闭上眼睛，陷入沉思。

"Henry Fussy," he mumbled. "Hmm. Remarkable. Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Let Fern associate with her friends in the barn if she wants to. I would say, offhand, that spiders and pigs were fully as interesting as Henry Fussy. Yet I predict that the day will come when even Henry will drop some chance remark that catches Fern's attention. It's amazing how children change from year to year. How's Avery?" he asked, opening his eyes wide.
"亨利·费西,"他喃喃自语。"嗯。真不一般。好吧，我想你没什么好担心的。如果费尔想去谷仓和她的朋友们一起玩，那就让她去吧。我随口说说，蜘蛛和猪和亨利·费西一样有趣。但我预测，总有一天亨利也会说一些偶然的、能引起费尔注意的话。孩子们每年变化真神奇。艾弗里怎么样了？"他睁大眼睛问道。

"Oh, Avery," chuckled Mrs. Arable. "Avery is always fine. Of course, he gets into poison ivy and gets stung by wasps and bees and brings frogs and snakes home and breaks everything he lays his hands on. He's fine."
"哦，艾弗里，"阿拉布尔太太咯咯笑着说。"艾弗里总是好好的。当然，他会弄到毒藤上，被黄蜂和蜜蜂蜇，把青蛙和蛇带回家，还会弄坏他碰到的所有东西。他挺好的。"

"Good!" said the doctor.
"很好！"医生说。

Mrs. Arable said goodbye and thanked Dr. Dorian very much for his advice. She felt greatly relieved.
阿雷布尔夫人告别并非常感谢多里安博士的建议。她感到非常轻松。

CHAPTER 15
第十五章

The Crickets
蟋蟀

The crickets sang in the grasses. They sang the song of summer's ending, a sad, monotonous song. "Summer is over and gone," they sang. "Over and gone, over and gone. Summer is dying, dying."
蟋蟀在草丛中歌唱。它们唱着夏末的歌，一首悲伤、单调的歌。"夏天结束了，过去了，过去了。夏天在消逝，在消逝。"

The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year - the days when summer is changing into fall the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change.
蟋蟀觉得这是它们的职责，要提醒每一个人夏天不会永远持续下去。即使在一年中最美丽的日子——夏天即将变成秋天的那些日子——蟋蟀也在传播悲伤和变化的谣言。

Everybody heard the song of the crickets. Avery and Fern Arable heard it as they walked the dusty road. They knew that school would soon begin again. The young geese heard it and knew that they would never be little goslings again. Charlotte heard it and knew that she hadn't much time left. Mrs. Zuckerman, at work in the kitchen, heard the crickets, and a sadness came over her, too. "Another summer gone," she sighed.
每个人都听到了蟋蟀的歌声。艾弗里和费恩·阿布尔在尘土飞扬的路上走着时听到了。他们知道学校很快就要重新开始了。年轻的天鹅听到了，知道它们再也不会是小鹅了。夏洛特听到了，知道它没多少时间了。在厨房工作的朱克曼太太也听到了蟋蟀的叫声，她也很悲伤。“又一个夏天过去了，”她叹了口气。

Lurvy, at work building a crate for Wilbur, heard the song and knew it was time to dig potatoes.
正在为威尔伯做木箱的鲁维听到了歌声，知道是时候挖土豆了。

"Summer is over and gone," repeated the crickets. "How many nights till frost?" sang the crickets. "Good-bye, summer, good-bye, good-bye!"
“夏天结束了，”蟋蟀重复道。“多少个夜晚才会结霜？”蟋蟀唱道。“再见，夏天，再见，再见！”

The sheep heard the crickets, and they felt so uneasy they broke a hole in the pasture fence and wandered up into the field across the road. The gander discovered the hole and led his family through, and they walked to the orchard and ate the apples that were lying on the ground. A little maple tree in the swamp heard the cricket song and turned bright red with anxiety.
绵羊听到了蟋蟀的叫声，它们感到非常不安，于是破了个洞从牧场围栏里跑出来，跑到马路对面的田野里。公鹅发现了那个洞，带领它的家人钻了进去，它们走到果园里，吃了地上的苹果。沼泽里的一棵小枫树听到了蟋蟀的歌声，因焦虑而变得鲜红。

Wilbur was now the center of attraction on the farm. Good food and regular hours were showing results: Wilbur was a pig any man would be proud of. One day more than a hundred people came to stand at his yard and admire him. Charlotte had written the word RADIANT, and Wilbur really looked radiant as he stood in the golden sunlight. Ever since the spider had befriended him, he had done his best to live up to his reputation. When Charlotte's web said SOME PIG, Wilbur had tried hard to look like some pig. When Charlotte's web said TERRIFIC, Wilbur had tried to look terrific. And now that the web said RADIANT, he did everything possible to make himself glow.
威尔伯现在成了农场里的焦点。良好的食物和规律的作息带来了成效：威尔伯是一只任何男人都会为之骄傲的小猪。有一天，超过一百个人来到他的院子里欣赏他。夏洛写下了“RADIANT”这个词，威尔伯在金色的阳光下确实看起来光彩照人。自从蜘蛛和他成为朋友以来，他一直尽力保持自己的名声。当夏洛的网写上“SOME PIG”时，威尔伯努力让自己看起来像一只“SOME PIG”。当夏洛的网写上“TERRIFIC”时，威尔伯努力让自己看起来很“TERRIFIC”。现在，当网写上“RADIANT”时，他竭尽全力让自己发光发亮。

It is not easy to look radiant, but Wilbur threw himself into it with a will. He would turn his head slightly and blink his long eye-lashes. Then he would breathe deeply. And when his audience grew bored, he would spring into the air and do a back flip with a half twist. At this the crowd would yell and cheer. "How's that for a pig?" Mr. Zuckerman would ask, well pleased with himself. "That pig is radiant."
看起来容光焕发并不容易，但威尔伯却兴致勃勃地投入其中。他会微微转动头部，眨动长长的睫毛。接着他会深深吸气。当观众开始感到无聊时，他就会腾空而起，做一个带半扭转的后空翻。这时人群中会爆发出欢呼和呐喊。"这头猪怎么样？"朱克曼先生满意地问道，"这头猪看起来容光焕发。"

Some of Wilbur's friends in the barn worried for fear all this attention would go to his head and make him stuck up. But it never did. Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him. He still worried some about the future, as he could hardly believe that a mere spider would be able to save his life. Sometimes at night he would have a bad dream. He would dream that men were coming to get him with knives and guns. But that was only a dream. In the daytime, Wilbur usually felt happy and confident. No pig ever had truer friends, and he realized that friendship is one of the most satisfying things in the world. Even the song of the crickets did not make Wilbur too sad. He knew it was almost time for the County Fair, and he was looking forward to the trip.
谷仓里的一些威尔伯的朋友担心，所有的关注会让他变得自大。但事实并非如此。威尔伯很谦虚；名声并没有毁了他。他仍然对未来有些担忧，因为他几乎无法相信一只蜘蛛能够救他的命。有时在夜里他会做噩梦。他梦见人们拿着刀枪来抓他。但这只是一个梦。在白天，威尔伯通常感到快乐和自信。再也没有哪头猪有这么真挚的朋友，他意识到友谊是世界上最令人满足的事情之一。就连蟋蟀的歌声也没有让威尔伯感到太难过。他知道县博览会快要到了，他期待着这次旅行。

If he could distinguish himself at the Fair, and maybe win some prize money, he was sure Zuckerman would let him live.
如果他在集市上能脱颖而出，或许还能赢得一些奖金，他确信朱克曼会让他活下来。

Charlotte had worries of her own, but she kept quiet about them. One morning Wilbur asked her about the Fair.
夏洛也有自己的忧虑，但她对此保持沉默。一天早上，威尔伯问她关于集市的事情。

"You're going with me, aren't you,, Charlotte?" he said
你跟我走，是吧，夏洛特？他说

"Well, I don't know," replied Charlotte. "The Fair comes at a bad time for me. I shall find it inconvenient to leave home, even for a few days."
“嗯，我不知道，”夏洛特回答道。“集市对我来说是个不合适的时间。即使只离开几天，我也觉得离开家不方便。”

"Why?" asked Wilbur.
“为什么？”威尔伯问道。

"Oh, I just don't feel like leaving my web. Too much going on around here."
“哦，我就是不想离开我的网。这里周围事情太多了。”

"Please come with me!" begged Wilbur. "I need you, Charlotte. I can't stand going to the Fair without you. You've just got to come."
"请和我一起来吧！"威尔伯恳求道。"我需要你，夏洛特。没有你，我无法忍受去集市。你一定要来。"

"No," said Charlotte, "I believe I'd better stay home and see if I can't get some work done."
"不,"夏洛特说，"我认为我最好待在家里，看看能不能完成一些工作。"

"What kind of work?" asked Wilbur.
"什么工作？"威尔伯问道。

"Egg laying. It's time I made an egg sac and filled it with eggs."
"产卵。是时候我制作一个卵囊，并装满卵了。"

"I didn't know you could lay eggs," said Wilbur in amazement.
"我不知道你会下蛋，"威尔伯惊讶地说。

"Oh, sure," said the spider. "I'm versatile."
"哦，当然，"蜘蛛说。"我很能干。"

"What does 'versatile' mean - full of eggs?" asked Wilbur.
"‘能干’是什么意思——充满蛋吗？"威尔伯问。

"Certainly not," said Charlotte. "'Versatile' means I can turn with ease from one thing to another. It means I don't have to limit my activities to spinning and trapping and stunts like that."
"当然不是，"夏洛说。"‘能干’意味着我能轻松地从一件事转到另一件事。这意味着我不必局限于结网、捕食和类似那样的活动。"

"Why don't you come with me to the Fair Grounds and lay your eggs there?" pleaded Wilbur. "It would be wonderful fun."
"你为什么不跟我去集市场地在那里产卵呢？"威尔伯恳求道。"那会非常有趣。"

Charlotte gave her web a twitch and moodily watched it sway.
夏洛动了动她的网，忧郁地看着它摇摆。

"I'm afraid not," she said. "You don't know the first thing about egg laying, Wilbur. I can't arrange my family duties to suit the management of the County Fair. When I get ready to lay eggs, I have to lay eggs, Fair or no Fair. However, I don't want you to worry about it – you might lose weight. We'll leave it this way: I'll come to the Fair if I possibly can."
"恐怕不行，"她说。"你根本不懂下蛋的事，威尔伯。我无法为了县博览会的管理而安排我的家庭事务。当我要下蛋时，不管有没有博览会，我都得下蛋。不过，我不想让你担心——你可能会瘦的。我们就这样决定：如果可能的话，我会去博览会的。"

"Oh, good! " said Wilbur. "I knew you wouldn't forsake me just when I need you most."
"哦，太好了！"威尔伯说。"我就知道在最需要你的时候你不会抛弃我。"

All that day Wilbur stayed inside, taking life easy in the straw. Charlotte rested and ate a grasshopper. She knew that she couldn't help Wilbur much longer. In a few days she would have to drop everything and build the beautiful little sac that would hold her eggs.
那天整个下午，威尔伯都待在笼子里，在稻草上悠闲地生活。夏洛休息并吃了一只蝗虫。她知道她不能再帮威尔伯很多了。几天后，她必须放下一切，编织那个能容纳她蛋的美丽小囊。

CHAPTER 16
第十六章

Off to the Fair
去赶集

The night before the County Fair, everybody went to bed early. Fern and Avery were in bed by eight. Avery lay dreaming that the Ferris wheel费里斯转轮had stopped and that he was in the top car.
县博览会前夜，大家都早早睡了。费恩和艾弗里八点前就上床了。艾弗里躺着做梦，梦见费里斯转轮停了，他坐在最顶层的车厢里。

Fern lay dreaming that she was getting sick in the swings.
费恩躺着做梦，梦见自己在秋千上生病了。

Lurvy was in bed by eight-thirty. He lay dreaming that he was throwing baseballs at a cloth cat and winning a genuine Navajo blanket. Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman were in bed by nine. Mrs. Zuckerman lay dreaming about a deep freeze unit. Mr. Zuckerman lay dreaming about Wilbur. He dreamt that Wilbur had grown until he was one hundred and sixteen feet long and ninety-two feet high and that he had won all the prizes at the Fair and was covered with blue ribbons and even had a blue ribbon tied to the end of his tail.
拉夫八点半前就上床了。他躺着做梦，梦见自己在向布娃娃扔棒球，并赢得了一条真正的纳瓦霍毛毯。佐克曼夫妇九点前就上床了。佐克曼夫人躺着做梦，梦见自己在用冷冻机。佐克曼先生躺着做梦，梦见威尔伯。他梦见威尔伯长到了一百一十六英尺长，九十二英尺高，并在博览会上赢得了所有奖项，身上缠满了蓝色丝带，甚至尾巴的末端也系着一条蓝色丝带。

Down in the barn cellar, the animals, too, went to sleep early, all except Charlotte. Tomorrow would be Fair Day. Every creature planned to get up early to see Wilbur off on his great adventure.
在谷仓地下室里，动物们也早早睡了，除了夏洛特。明天就是博览会日了。每个生物都计划早起送威尔伯踏上他的伟大冒险之旅。

When morning came, everybody got up at daylight. The day was hot. Up the road at the Arables' house, Fern lugged a pail of hot water to her room and took a sponge bath. Then she put on her prettiest dress because she knew she would see boys at the Fair. Mrs. Arable scrubbed the back of Avery's neck, and wet his hair, and parted it, and brushed it down hard till it stuck to the top of his head - all but about six hairs that stood straight up. Avery put on clean underwear, clean blue jeans, and a clean shirt. Mr. Arable dressed, ate breakfast, and then went out and polished his truck. He had offered to drive everybody to the Fair, including Wilbur.
清晨到来时，每个人都天不亮就起床了。天气炎热。在阿雷布家路上的那栋房子里，费恩费力地提着一桶热水去自己的房间，用海绵擦洗身体。然后她穿上自己最漂亮的衣服，因为她知道要去集市上见男孩们。阿雷布太太给艾弗里擦后颈，弄湿他的头发，分开头发，用力刷平直到头发贴在头顶——除了大约六根竖直竖着的头发外。艾弗里穿上干净的内衣、蓝色的牛仔裤和干净的衬衫。阿雷布先生穿好衣服，吃早餐，然后出去擦亮他的卡车。他主动提出开车送所有人去集市，包括威尔伯。

Bright and early, Lurvy put clean straw in Wilbur's crate and lifted it into the pigpen. The crate was green. In gold letters it said:
天刚亮，拉维把干净的干草放进威尔伯的笼子里，然后把笼子抬进猪圈。笼子是绿色的。上面用金字写着：

ZUCKERMAN'S FAMOUS PIG

Charlotte had her web looking fine for the occasion. Wilbur ate his breakfast slowly. He tried to look radiant without getting food in his ears.
夏洛特为这个场合把她的网打理得很好。威尔伯慢慢地吃早餐。他试图看起来光彩照人，又不想把食物弄进耳朵里。

In the kitchen, Mrs. Zuckerman suddenly made an announcement.
在厨房里，佐克曼夫人突然宣布了一件事。

"Homer," she said to her husband, "I am going to give that pig a buttermilk (liquid remaining after butter has been separated from milk) bath."
“赫默，”她对她丈夫说，“我要给那头猪洗个白脱牛奶（黄油从牛奶中分离后剩下的液体）澡。”

"A what?" said Mr. Zuckerman.
“什么澡？”佐克曼先生问。

"A buttermilk bath. My grandmother used to bathe her pig with buttermilk when it got dirty I just remembered."
“白脱牛奶澡。我祖母以前常用白脱牛奶给猪洗澡，当它弄脏的时候。我刚才突然想起了。”

"Wilbur's not dirty," said Mr. Zuckerman proudly.
"威尔伯不脏，" 齐克曼先生自豪地说。

"He's filthy behind the ears," said Mrs. Zuckerman. "Every time Lurvy slops him, the food runs down around the ears. Then it dries and forms a crust. He also has a smudge on one side where he lays in the manure."
"他耳朵后面脏得厉害，" 齐克曼太太说。"每回鲁维给他喂食时，食物就顺着流到耳朵周围。然后干了就结成硬壳。他还有一边沾着污渍，那是他在粪堆上躺着留下的。"

"He lays in clean straw," corrected Mr. Zuckerman.
"他在干净的干草上躺着，" 齐克曼先生纠正道。

"Well, he's dirty, and he's going to have a bath."
"那好吧，他确实脏了，要给他洗澡了。"

Mr. Zuckerman sat down weakly and ate a doughnut. His wife went to the woodshed. When she returned, she wore rubber boots and an old raincoat, and she carried a bucket of buttermilk and a small wooden paddle 桨; 搅棒 .
佐克曼先生无力地坐下，吃了一个甜甜圈。他的妻子去了木棚。当她回来时，她穿着橡胶靴和一件旧雨衣，手里提着一桶黄油牛奶和一把小木桨；搅棒。

"Edith, you're crazy," mumbled Zuckerman.
"艾迪丝，你真疯,"祖克曼嘟囔道。

But she paid no attention to him. Together they walked to the pigpen. Mrs. Zuckerman wasted no time. She climbed in with Wilbur and went to work. Dipping her paddle in the buttermilk, she rubbed him all over. The geese gathered around to see the fun, and so did the sheep and lambs. Even Templeton poked his head out cautiously, to watch Wilbur get a buttermilk bath. Charlotte got so interested, she lowered herself on a dragline so she could see better. Wilbur stood still and closed his eyes. He could feel the buttermilk trickling down his sides. He opened his mouth and some buttermilk ran in. It was delicious. He felt radiant and happy. When Mrs. Zuckerman got through and rubbed him dry, he was the cleanest, prettiest pig you ever saw. He was pure white, pink around the ears and snout, and smooth as silk.
但她没理会他。他们一起走向猪圈。祖克曼太太毫不耽搁，和威尔伯一起爬进去，开始忙碌起来。她把勺子浸在黄油牛奶里，把威尔伯全身都擦了一遍。鹅们围过来看热闹，羊和羊羔也围了过来。就连坦普尔顿也小心翼翼地探出头来，看威尔伯接受黄油牛奶浴。夏洛特太感兴趣了，她用拖线把自己放低，以便看得更清楚。威尔伯站着不动，闭上了眼睛。他能感觉到黄油牛奶顺着身体流下。他张嘴，一些黄油牛奶流了进去。真美味。他感到容光焕发，非常开心。当祖克曼太太擦洗干净他时，他成了你见过的最干净、最漂亮的猪。他全身雪白，耳朵和鼻子周围是粉红色，光滑得像丝绸。

The Zuckermans went up to change into their best clothes. Lurvy went to shave and put on his plaid shirt and his purple necktie. The animals were left to themselves in the barn.
祖克曼夫妇上楼去换上最好的衣服。拉维去刮胡子，穿上他的格纹衬衫和紫色领带。动物们被留在了谷仓里自己玩耍。

The seven goslings paraded round and round their mother.
七只小鹅绕着它们的妈妈转来转去。

"Please, please, please take us to the Fair!" begged a gosling. Then all seven began teasing to go.
"求求了，求求了，求求了，带我们去看博览会吧！"一只小鹅恳求道。然后，所有的七只都开始起哄要去。

"Please, please, please, please, please, please ..." They made quite a racket.
"求求了，求求了，求求了，求求了，求求了，求求了..." 他们吵得相当热闹。

"Children!" snapped the goose. "We're staying quietly-ietly-ietly at home. Only Wilbur-ilbur-ilbur is going to the Fair."
"孩子们！"鹅妈妈厉声说道，"我们安静地待在家里——安安静静地待在家里。只有威尔伯——威尔伯——威尔伯要去博览会。"

Just then Charlotte interrupted.
就在这时，夏洛打断了他们。

"I shall go, too," she said, softly. "I have decided to go with Wilbur. He may need me. We can't tell what may happen at the Fair Grounds. Somebody's got to go along who knows how to write. And I think Templeton better come, too - I might need somebody to run errands and do general work."
“我也要去，”她轻声说，“我决定和威尔伯一起去。他可能需要我。我们无法预料在集市上会发生什么。必须有人一起去，这个人得会写字。而且我觉得泰勒顿也最好一起来——我可能需要有人跑跑腿，做些杂活。”

"I'm staying right here," grumbled the rat. "I haven't the slightest interest in fairs."
“我就在这里待着，”老鼠咕哝道，“我对集市一点兴趣都没有。”

"That's because you've never been to one," remarked the old sheep. "A fair is a rat's paradise. Everybody spills food at a fair. A rat can creep out late at night and have a feast. In the horse barn you will find oats that the trotters and pacers have spilled. In the trampled grass of the infield you will find old discarded lunch boxes containing the foul remains of peanut butter sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, cracker crumbs, bits of doughnuts, and particles of cheese. In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone home to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluff crystals, salted almonds, popsicles, partially gnawed ice cream cones, and the wooden sticks of lollypops. Everywhere is loot for a rat - in tents, in booths, in hay lofts - why, a fair has enough disgusting leftover food to satisfy a whole army of rats."
"那是因为你从未去过集市，"老羊说道。"集市是老鼠的天堂。在集市上，每个人都把食物洒得到处都是。老鼠可以趁着深夜悄悄溜出来大快朵颐。在马厩里你会找到快步马和慢步马洒落的燕麦。在踩踏过的场内草地上，你会找到旧午餐盒里残留的花生酱三明治、煮鸡蛋、饼干碎、甜甜圈碎块和奶酪碎。在午夜时分灯火熄灭、人们回家睡觉的中途地带，你会找到真正的宝藏——爆米花碎屑、冰冻奶油淋淋、被疲倦的孩子们丢弃的糖渍苹果、糖粉晶体、咸杏仁、冰棍、被啃了一半的冰淇淋锥和棒棒糖的木棍。到处都是老鼠的战利品——帐篷里、摊位上、干草堆里——说真的，集市有足够多的令人作呕的剩食来满足整个老鼠大军。"

Templeton's eyes were blazing. "Is this true?" he asked. "Is this appetizing yarn of yours true? I like high living, and what you say tempts me."
泰勒蒙的眼睛在冒火。"这是真的吗？"他问道。"你说的这个诱人的故事是真的吗？我喜欢奢华的生活，你所说的让我心动。"

"It is true," said the old sheep. "Go to the Fair, Templeton. You will find that the conditions at a fair will surpass your wildest dreams. Buckets with sour mash sticking to them, tin cans containing particles of tuna fish, greasy paper bags stuffed with rotten ..."
“是真的，”老羊说。“去集市吧，泰勒顿。你会发现集市上的条件会超过你最大胆的想象。装着酸麦芽的桶，装着金枪鱼碎片的罐头，塞满腐烂物的油腻纸袋……”

"That's enough!" cried Templeton. "Don't tell me any more. I'm going."
“够了！”泰勒顿喊道。“别再告诉我了。我要走了。”

"Good," said Charlotte, winking at the old sheep. "Now then - there is no time to be lost. Wilbur will soon be put into the crate. Templeton and I must get in the crate right now and hide ourselves."
“好，”夏洛特说着，朝老羊眨了眨眼。“现在——我们没有时间可以浪费。威尔伯很快就会被放进箱子里。泰勒顿和我必须立刻钻进箱子里躲藏起来。”

The rat didn't waste a minute. He scampered over to the crate, crawled between the slats, and pulled straw up over him so he was hidden from sight.
老鼠没有浪费一秒钟。他跑到箱边，钻进木条之间，把稻草拉上来盖住自己，这样就藏了起来。

"All right," said Charlotte, "I'm next." She sailed into the air, let out a dragline, and dropped gently to the ground. Then she climbed the side of the crate and hid herself inside a knothole ( 节孔 hole in a piece of lumber where a knot once was) in the top board.
“好了，”夏洛特说，“轮到我了。”她飞入空中，放下一根牵引线，轻轻落回地面。接着她爬上木箱，藏在顶板的一个节孔（木材中因树结而留下的孔洞）里。

The old sheep nodded. "What a cargo!" she said. "That sign ought to say 'Zuckerman's Famous Pig and Two Stowaways'."
老羊点了点头。“这货物可真够特别的！”她说。“那牌子应该写‘阿雷布勒姆家的著名猪和两个偷渡者’。”

"Look out, the people are coming-oming-oming!" shouted the gander. "Cheese (stop (Slang) it, cheese it, cheese it!"
“小心！人们来了——来——来！”公鹅喊道。“起开（别动，俚语）！起开！起开！”

The big truck with Mr. Arable at the wheel backed slowly down toward the barnyard. Lurvy and Mr. Zuckerman walked alongside. Fern and Avery were standing in the body of the truck hanging on to the sideboards.
那辆大卡车，由阿雷布勒姆先生驾驶，缓缓地向谷仓院子倒退。鲁维和阿雷布勒姆先生并排走着。弗恩和艾弗里站在卡车车厢里，抓住侧板。

"Listen to me," whispered the old sheep to Wilbur. "When they open the crate and try to put you in, struggle! Don't go without a tussle. Pigs always resist when they are being loaded."
"听我说，"老羊对威尔伯低声说，"当他们打开箱子并试图把你放进去时，要挣扎！不要不经过一番搏斗就放弃。猪在被装载时总会反抗。"

"If I struggle I'll get dirty," said Wilbur.
"如果我挣扎我会弄脏的，"威尔伯说。

"Never mind that - do as I say! Struggle! If you were to walk into the crate without resisting, Zuckerman might think you were bewitched. He'd be scared to go to the Fair."
"别管那个——照我说的做！挣扎！如果你不抵抗就走进箱子，朱克曼可能会认为你被施了魔法。他会害怕去集市。"

Templeton poked his head up through the straw. "Struggle if you must," said he, "but kindly remember that I'm hiding down here in this crate and I don't want to be stepped on, or kicked in the face, or pummeled, or crushed in any way, or squashed, or buffeted about, or bruised, or lacerated, or scarred, or biffed (hit, strike). Just watch what you're doing, Mr. Radiant, when they get shoving you in!"
泰勒顿从草堆里探出头来。"如果你非要挣扎，"他说，"但请记住我藏在这个箱子里，我不想被踩到，或被踢脸，或被打倒，或被压碎，或被压扁，或被猛击，或被弄伤，或被留下疤痕，或被击中（打，击）。当他们把你推进箱子时，请小心你们在做什么，先生！" %%

"Be quiet, Templeton!" said the sheep. "Pull in your head they're coming. Look radiant, Wilbur! Lay low, Charlotte! Talk it up, geese!"
"安静点，泰勒顿！"绵羊说。"他们来了，把头缩回去。威尔伯，看起来光彩照人！夏洛，保持低调！鹅，多说话！"

The truck backed slowly to the pigpen and stopped. Mr. Arable cut the motor, got out, walked around to the rear, and lowered the tailgate. The geese cheered. Mrs. Arable got out of the truck. Fern and Avery jumped to the ground. Mrs. Zuckerman came walking down from the house. Everybody lined up at the fence and stood for a moment admiring Wilbur and the beautiful green crate. Nobody realized that the crate already contained a rat and a spider.
卡车慢慢倒退到猪圈旁停了下来。阿雷布尔先生关掉引擎，下车，绕到车尾，放下了后挡板。鹅们欢呼起来。阿雷布尔太太下车。费恩和艾弗里跳到地面上。朱克曼太太从房子里走下来。大家排成一队在栅栏边站了一会儿，欣赏威尔伯和那个漂亮的绿色木箱。没有人意识到木箱里已经有一只老鼠和一只蜘蛛了。

"That's some pig!" said Mrs. Arable.
"这真是一只了不起的猪！"阿雷布尔太太说。

"He's terrific," said Lurvy.
"他太棒了。"拉夫里说。

"He's very radiant," said Fern, remembering the day he was born.
"他非常耀眼。"费恩说，想起了他出生的那一天。

"Well," said Mrs. Zuckerman, "he's clean, anyway. The buttermilk certainly helped."
“嗯，”朱克曼太太说，“他倒是干净。黄油牛奶确实帮了大忙。”

Mr. Arable studied Wilbur carefully. "Yes, he's a wonderful pig," he said. "It's hard to believe that he was the runt of the litter. You'll get some extra good ham and bacon, Homer, when it comes time to kill that pig."
亚雷先生仔细观察着威尔伯。“是的，他是一头好猪，”他说，“真难以相信他是窝里最小的一只。到时候宰了这头猪，你会有额外的优质火腿和培根，霍默。”

Wilbur heard these words and his heart almost stopped. "I think I'm going to faint," he whispered to the old sheep, who was watching.
威尔伯听到这些话，心几乎停止了跳动。"我想我要晕倒了，"他对那只正在观看的老羊轻声说。

"Kneel down!" whispered the old sheep. "Let the blood rush to your head!"
"跪下！"老羊轻声说。"让血液涌到你的头上！"

Wilbur sank to his knees, all radiance gone. His eyes closed.
威尔伯跪倒在地，所有的光彩都消失了。他的眼睛闭上了。

"Look!" screamed Fern. "He's fading away!"
"看啊！"费恩尖叫道。"他正在消失！"

"Hey, watch me!" yelled Avery, crawling on all fours into the crate. "I'm a pig! I'm a pig!"
"嘿，看我的！"艾弗里喊道，手脚并用地爬进木箱里。"我是猪！我是猪！"

Avery's foot touched Templeton under the straw. "What a mess!" thought the rat. "What fantastic creatures boys are! Why did I let myself in for this?"
艾弗里的脚踩到了草堆下的泰勒顿身上。"真糟糕！"老鼠心想。"男孩们真是些了不起的生物！我怎么会让自己陷入这种境地？"

The geese saw Avery in the crate and cheered.
鹅们看到艾弗里在木箱里，欢呼起来。

"Avery, you get out of that crate this instant!" commanded his mother. "What do you think you are?"
"艾弗里，立刻从那个木箱里出来！"他妈妈命令道。"你以为你是谁？"

"I'm a pig!" cried Avery, tossing handfuls of straw into the air. "Oink, oink, oink!"
"我是猪！"艾弗里喊道，把一把把稻草抛向空中。"呼哧，呼哧，呼哧！"

"The truck is rolling away, Papa," said Fern.
卡车正在开走，爸爸，"费恩说。

The truck, with no one at the wheel, had started to roll downhill. Mr. Arable dashed to the driver's seat and pulled on the emergency brake. The truck stopped. The geese cheered. Charlotte crouched and made herself as small as possible in the knothole, so Avery wouldn't see her.
这辆无人驾驶的卡车开始往山下滚。阿雷布尔先生冲到驾驶座，拉紧了紧急刹车。卡车停了下来。野鹅们欢呼起来。夏洛特蹲在树洞里，把自己缩得尽可能小，这样艾弗里就看不见她了。

"Come out at once!" cried Mrs. Arable. Avery crawled out of the crate on hands and knees, making faces at Wilbur. Wilbur fainted away.
"立刻出来！"阿雷布尔太太喊道。艾弗里手脚并用地从箱子里爬出来，对着威尔伯做鬼脸。威尔伯晕了过去。

"The pig has passed out," said Mrs. Zuckerman. "Throw water on him!"
"这头猪晕过去了，"朱克曼太太说。"给他泼点水！"

"Throw buttermilk!" suggested Avery.
"扔黄油牛奶！"艾弗里建议。

The geese cheered.
鹅们欢呼起来。

Lurvy ran for a pail of water. Fern climbed into the pen and knelt by Wilbur's side.
拉夫跑去拿一桶水。弗恩爬进围栏，跪在威尔伯身边。

"It's sunstroke," said Zuckerman. "The heat is too much for him."
"中暑了，"朱克曼说，"对他来说太热了。"

"Maybe he's dead," said Avery.
"他可能死了，"艾弗里说。

"Come out of that pigpen immediately!" cried Mrs. Arable. Avery obeyed his mother and climbed into the back of the truck so he could see better. Lurvy returned with cold water and dashed it on Wilbur.
"立刻从那猪圈里出来！"阿雷布尔太太喊道。艾弗里听从了母亲的话，爬进卡车的后部以便看得更清楚。拉维提着冷水回来，向威尔伯泼去。

"Throw some on me!" cried Avery. "I'm hot, too."
"往我身上扔些东西！"艾弗里喊道。"我也热了。"

"Oh, keep quiet!" hollered Fern. "Keep qui-et!" Her eyes were brimming with tears.
"哦，安静点！"费恩喊道。"保持安静！"她的眼睛里充满了泪水。

Wilbur, feeling the cold water, came to. He rose slowly to his feet, while the geese cheered.
威尔伯感到冷水，苏醒过来。他慢慢站起来，而鹅群欢呼着。

"He's up!" said Mr. Arable. "I guess there's nothing wrong with him."
"他起来了！"阿雷布尔先生说。"我想他没什么事。"

"I'm hungry," said Avery. "I want a candied apple."
“我饿了，”艾弗里说。“我想吃糖苹果。”

"Wilbur's all right now," said Fern. "We can start. I want to take a ride in the Ferris wheel."
“威尔伯现在没事了，”弗恩说。“我们可以开始了。我想坐摩天轮。”

Mr. Zuckerman and Mr. Arable and Lurvy grabbed the pig and pushed him headfirst toward the crate. Wilbur began to struggle.
佐克曼先生、阿雷布尔先生和拉夫抓住小猪，头朝前推向他。威尔伯开始挣扎。

The harder the men pushed, the harder he held back. Avery jumped down and joined the men. Wilbur kicked and thrashed and grunted.
男人推得越用力，威尔伯反抗得越激烈。艾弗里跳下来和男人一起推。威尔伯踢打、翻滚，发出咕哝声。

"Nothing wrong with this pig," said Mr. Zuckerman cheerfully, pressing his knee against Wilbur's behind. "All together, now, boys! Shove!"
"这头猪没什么问题，"佐克曼先生高兴地说，用膝盖顶了顶威尔伯的屁股。"一起上，孩子们！推！"

With a final heave they jammed him into the crate. The geese cheered. Lurvy nailed some boards across the end, so Wilbur couldn't back out. Then, using all their strength, the men picked up the crate and heaved it aboard the truck. They did not know that under the straw was a rat, and inside a knothole was a big grey spider. They saw only a pig.
他们最后用力把他塞进了笼子里。鹅们欢呼起来。拉维用木板钉住了笼子的一端，这样威尔伯就出不去了。然后，他们用尽全力，把笼子抬上了卡车。他们不知道在干草下面有一只老鼠，在树洞里有一只大灰蜘蛛。他们看到的只是一头猪。

"Everybody in!" called Mr. Arable. He started the motor. The ladies climbed in beside him. Mr. Zuckerman and Lurvy and Fern and Avery rode in back, hanging onto the sideboards. The truck began to move ahead. The geese cheered. The children answered their cheer, and away went everybody to the Fair.
"大家上车！"阿雷先生喊道。他发动了引擎。女士们挨着他爬了上去。佐克曼先生、拉维、费恩和艾弗里坐在后面，抓着车边的栏杆。卡车开始向前行驶。鹅们欢呼起来。孩子们回应他们的欢呼，大家一起去集市了。

CHAPTER 17
第十七章

Uncle
叔叔

When they pulled into the Fair Grounds, they could hear music and see the Ferris wheel turning in the sky. They could smell the dust of the race track where the sprinkling cart had moistened it; and they could smell hamburgers frying and see balloons aloft. They could hear sheep blatting in their pens. An enormous voice over the loudspeaker said: "Attention, please! Will the owner of a Pontiac car, license number H-2439, please move your car away from the fireworks shed!"
当他们驶入游乐场时，能听到音乐声，看到摩天轮在空中转动。能闻到赛马跑道上的尘土味，那是洒水车刚刚湿润过的；还能闻到煎汉堡的香味，看到飘浮的气球。能听到羊在围栏里咩咩叫。扩音器里传来一个巨大的声音说：“请注意！请拥有庞蒂克汽车、牌照号 H-2439 的车主将您的车移开，远离烟花棚！”

"Can I have some money?" asked Fern.
“我能要些钱吗？”费恩问道。

"Can I, too?" asked Avery.
“我也可以吗？”艾弗里问道。

"I'm going to win a doll by spinning a wheel and it will stop at the right number," said Fern.
“我要通过转轮赢一个娃娃，它将停在正确的数字上，”费恩说。

"I'm going to steer a jet plane and make it bump into another one."
"我要驾驶一架喷气式飞机，让它撞上另一架。"

"Can I have a balloon?" asked Fern.
"我可以要一个气球吗？"弗恩问道。

"Can I have a frozen custard软冻 sweet dish made of eggs and milk) and a cheeseburger and some raspberry soda pop?" asked Avery.
"我可以要一份蛋奶冻（由鸡蛋和牛奶制成的甜点）、一个芝士汉堡和一些覆盆子汽水吗？"艾弗里问道。

"You children be quiet till we get the pig unloaded," said Mrs. Arable.
"你们孩子们安静点，直到我们把猪卸下来，"阿雷布尔夫人说道。

"Let's let the children go off by themselves," suggested Mr. Arable. "The Fair only comes once a year." Mr. Arable gave Fern two quarters and two dimes. He gave Avery five dimes and four nickels. "Now run along!" he said. "And remember, the money has to last all day. Don't spend it all the first few minutes. And be back here at the truck at noontime so we can all have lunch together. And don't eat a lot of stuff that's going to make you sick to your stomachs."
"让孩子们自己出去玩吧，"阿雷布尔先生建议道。"集市一年才来一次。"阿雷布尔先生给了费恩两枚四分之一美元硬币和两枚十分硬币。他给了艾弗里五枚十分硬币和四枚五分硬币。"快走吧！"他说道。"记住，钱得撑过一整天。别开头几分钟就花光了。中午十二点前要回到卡车这儿，这样我们就能一起吃午饭了。还有别吃太多会让你肚子疼的东西。"

"And if you go in those swings," said Mrs. Arable, "you hang on tight! You hang on very tight. Hear me?"
"要是你们去那些秋千上，"阿雷布尔太太说道，"一定要抓牢！牢牢抓住！听见没有？"

"And don't get lost!" said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"还有别走丢！"

"And don't get dirty!"
"还有别弄脏！"

"Don't get overheated!" said their mother.
"不要过热！"他们的母亲说。

"Watch out for pickpockets!" cautioned their father.
"小心扒手！"他们的父亲告诫道。

"And don't cross the race track when the horses are coming!" cried Mrs. Zuckerman.
“当马匹跑来时，不要穿越跑道！”佐克曼太太喊道。

The children grabbed each other by the hand and danced off in the direction of the merry-go-round, toward the wonderful music and the wonderful adventure and the wonderful excitement, into the wonderful midway where there would be no parents to guard them and guide them, and where they could be happy and free and do as they pleased. Mrs. Arable stood quietly and watched them go. Then she sighed. Then she blew her nose.
孩子们互相拉着手，朝着旋转木马的方向跳着跑开，朝着那美妙的音乐、那美妙的冒险、那美妙的刺激，跑进那奇妙的中庭，那里没有父母守护和引导，他们可以快乐自由，随心所欲。阿雷布尔太太静静地站着，看着他们离开。然后她叹了口气。然后她擤了擤鼻子。

"Do you really think it's all right?" she asked.
“你真的觉得这样好吗？”她问道。

"Well, they've got to grow up some time," said Mr. Arable. "And a fair is a good place to start, I guess."
“嗯，他们总得长大一些，”阿雷布尔先生说。“而且，集市是个不错的开始地点，我想。”

While Wilbur was being unloaded and taken out of his crate and into his new pigpen, crowds gathered to watch. They stared at the sign ZUCKERMAN'S FAMOUS PIG. Wilbur stared back and tried to look extra good. He was pleased with his new home. The pen was grassy, and it was shaded from the sun by a shed roof.
当威尔伯被卸下并从木箱中取出，放进他的新猪圈时，人群聚集起来观看。他们盯着“朱克曼家的著名猪”的招牌。威尔伯回望着，努力让自己看起来格外漂亮。他对新家很满意。猪圈里长满了青草，屋檐下的棚顶为它遮挡了阳光。

Charlotte, watching her chance, scrambled out of the crate and climbed a post to the under side of the roof. Nobody noticed her.
夏洛抓住机会，从木箱里爬了出来，爬到一根柱子底下，攀上了屋檐的下面。没有人注意到她。

Templeton, not wishing to come out in broad daylight, stayed quietly under the straw at the bottom of the crate. Mr. Zuckerman poured some skim milk into Wilbur's trough, pitched clean straw into his pen, and then he and Mrs. Zuckerman and the Arables walked away toward the cattle barn to look at purebred cows and to see the sights. Mr. Zuckerman particularly wanted to look at tractors. Mrs. Zuckerman wanted to see a deep freeze. Lurvy wandered off by himself, hoping to meet friends and have some fun on the midway.
坦普尔顿不想在光天化日之下出来，就静静地待在板条箱底部的稻草上。佐克曼先生往威尔伯的食槽里倒了一些脱脂牛奶，把干净的稻草撒进他的围栏里，然后他和佐克曼夫人和阿拉布尔们走向牛棚，去看纯种牛并看看周围的景象。佐克曼先生特别想看看拖拉机。佐克曼夫人想看看冷冻库。鲁里独自走开了，希望能遇到朋友并在游乐场里玩玩。

As soon as the people were gone, Charlotte spoke to Wilbur.
人们一走，夏洛就对威尔伯说话了。

"It's a good thing you can't see what I see," she said.
“你能看见我所看见的东西真是太好了，”她说。

"What do you see?" asked Wilbur.
“你看见什么了？”威尔伯问道。

"There's a pig in the next pen and he's enormous. I'm afraid he's much bigger than you are."
猪在隔壁的围栏里，而且他体型巨大。我担心他比你大得多。

"Maybe he's older than I am, and has had more time to grow," suggested Wilbur. Tears began to come to his eyes.
"也许他比我年纪大，有更多时间生长吧，"威尔伯建议道。他的眼睛开始流泪。

"I'll drop down and have a closer look," Charlotte said. Then she crawled along a beam till she was directly over the next pen. She let herself down on a dragline until she hung in the air just in front of the big pig's snout.
"我会降下去仔细看看，"夏洛说。然后她沿着一根横梁爬行，直到直接位于下一个围栏的正上方。她顺着拖线让自己下降，悬在巨大的猪鼻子前面。

"May I have your name?" she asked, politely.
"请问您叫什么名字？"她礼貌地问道。

The pig stared at her. "No name," he said in a big, hearty voice. "Just call me Uncle."
猪盯着她。"我没有名字，"他用洪亮而热情的声音说。"叫我叔叔就行。"

"Very well, Uncle," replied Charlotte. "What is the date of your birth? Are you a spring pig?"
"好的，叔叔，"夏洛特回答说。"你的出生日期是什么时候？你是春天出生的小猪吗？"

"Sure I'm a spring pig," replied Uncle. "What did you think I was, a spring chicken? Haw, haw - that's a good one, eh, Sister."
"当然我是春天出生的小猪，"叔叔回答说。"你以为我是春天的小鸡吗？哈哈——这笑话不错吧，妹妹。"

"Mildly funny," said Charlotte. "I've heard funnier ones, though. Glad to have met you, and now I must be going."
"有点好笑，"夏洛特说。"我听过更搞笑的。很高兴认识你，现在我得走了。"

She ascended slowly and returned to Wilbur's pen. "He claims he's a spring pig," reported Charlotte, "and perhaps he is. One thing is certain, he has a most unattractive personality. He is too familiar, too noisy, and he cracks weak jokes. Also, he's not anywhere near as clean as you are, nor as pleasant. I took quite a dislike to him in our brief interview. He's going to be a hard pig to beat, though, Wilbur, on account of his size and weight. But with me helping you, it can be done."
她慢慢地爬了上来，回到了威尔伯的猪圈里。"他声称自己是一只春天的猪，"夏洛报告道，"也许他确实如此。有一件事是肯定的，他的人品非常不受欢迎。他太熟悉人了，太吵闹了，而且讲着蹩脚的笑话。此外，他和你相比，干净程度和讨人喜欢程度都远远不及。在我们短暂的会面中，我对他非常反感。不过，威尔伯，他体型和体重都很大，将会是一个很难打败的对手。但有了我的帮助，这还是可以做到的。"

"When are you going to spin a web?" asked Wilbur.
"你什么时候开始织网呢？"威尔伯问道。

"This afternoon, late, if I'm not too tired," said Charlotte. "The least thing tires me these days. I don't seem to have the energy I once had. My age, I guess."
"今天下午，很晚，如果我不是很累的话，"夏洛说。"最近我连最微小的事情都会感到疲倦。我似乎没有曾经那么多的精力了。我想是我的年纪大了。"

Wilbur looked at his friend. She looked rather swollen and she seemed listless.
威尔伯看着他的朋友。她看起来相当浮肿，而且似乎无精打采。

"I'm awfully sorry to hear that you're feeling poorly, Charlotte," he said. "Perhaps if you spin a web and catch a couple of flies you'll feel better."
"听到你感觉不舒服，我非常抱歉，夏洛特，"他说。"也许如果你织一张网，抓几只苍蝇，你会感觉好一些。"

"Perhaps," she said, wearily. "But I feel like the end of a long day." Clinging upside down to the ceiling, she settled down for a nap, leaving Wilbur very much worried.
"也许吧，"她疲惫地说。"但我感觉像是漫长一天的结束。"头朝下倒挂在天花板上，她准备小睡一会儿，这让威尔伯非常担心。

All morning people wandered past Wilbur's pen. Dozens and dozens of strangers stopped to stare at him and to admire his silky white coat, his curly tail, his kind and radiant expression. Then they would move on to the next pen where the bigger pig lay. Wilbur heard several people make favorable remarks about Uncle's great size. He couldn't help overhearing these remarks, and he couldn't help worrying. "And now, with Charlotte not feeling well ..." he thought. "Oh, dear!"
一整个上午，人们都在威尔伯的猪圈边走来走去。成百上千的陌生人停下来盯着他，欣赏他丝滑的白色外套、卷曲的尾巴和友善而容光焕发的表情。然后他们会移到下一个猪圈，那里躺着一头更大的猪。威尔伯听到好几个人称赞叔叔巨大的体型。他忍不住听到这些话，也忍不住担心。"现在，夏洛特感觉不舒服..."他心想。"哦，天哪！"

All morning Templeton slept quietly under the straw. The day grew fiercely hot. At noon the Zuckermans and the Arables returned to the pigpen. Then, a few minutes later, Fern and Avery showed up. Fern had a monkey doll in her arms and was eating Crackerjack. Avery had a balloon tied to his ear and was chewing a candied apple. The children were hot and dirty.
整个上午，Templeton 都在稻草上安静地睡着。白天变得越来越炎热。中午，Zuckerman 一家和 Arable 一家回到了猪圈。接着，几分钟之后，Fern 和 Avery 出现了。Fern 怀里抱着一个猴子玩偶，正在吃 Crackerjack。Avery 耳朵上系着气球，正嚼着糖苹果。孩子们又热又脏。

"Isn't it hot?" said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"不是热吗？"Zuckerman 夫人说。

"It's terribly hot," said Mrs. Arable, fanning herself with an advertisement of a deep freeze.
"热得可怕，"Arable 夫人说，她用一张深冷冻广告扇着自己。

One by one they climbed into the truck and opened lunch boxes. The sun beat down on everything. Nobody seemed hungry.
他们一个接一个地爬上卡车，打开了午餐盒。阳光照耀着一切。似乎没人感到饥饿。

"When are the judges going to decide about Wilbur?" asked Mrs. Zuckerman.
“法官们什么时候会决定关于威尔伯的事？”朱克曼太太问道。

"Not till tomorrow," said Mr. Zuckerman.
“明天才能决定，”朱克曼先生回答道。

Lurvy appeared, carrying an Indian blanket that he had won.
露里出现了，他手里拿着一块他赢得的印度毯子。

"That's just what we need," said Avery. "A blanket."
“这正是我们需要的，”艾弗里说。“一条毯子。”

"Of course it is," replied Lurvy. And he spread the blanket across the sideboards of the truck so that it was like a little tent. The children sat in the shade, under the blanket, and felt better.
“当然，”卢维回答。他把毯子铺在卡车的侧板上，让它像个小帐篷。孩子们坐在毯子下的阴凉处，感觉好多了。

After lunch, they stretched out and fell asleep.
午饭后，他们舒展开来，睡着了。

CHAPTER 18
第十八章

The Cool of the Evening
傍晚的凉意

In the cool of the evening, when shadows darkened the Fair Grounds, Templeton crept from the crate and looked around. Wilbur lay asleep in the straw. Charlotte was building a web. Templeton's keen nose detected many fine smells in the air. The rat was hungry and thirsty. He decided to go exploring. Without saying anything to anybody, he started off.
在傍晚的凉意中，当阴影笼罩着集市时，Templeton 从木箱里爬出来，四处张望。Wilbur 躺在草堆里睡着了。Charlotte 正在织网。Templeton 敏锐的鼻子闻到了空气中许多好闻的味道。老鼠又饿又渴。他决定去探索一下。没有对任何人说一句话，他出发了。

"Bring me back a word!" Charlotte called after him. "I shall be writing tonight for the last time."
"给我带句话回来！"Charlotte 在他身后喊道。"今晚我将最后一次织网。"

The rat mumbled something to himself and disappeared into the shadows. He did not like being treated like a messenger boy.
老鼠自言自语地嘟囔着，消失在阴影中。他不喜欢被当作信使一样对待。

After the heat of the day, the evening came as a welcome relief to all. The Ferris wheel was lighted now. It went round and round in the sky and seemed twice as high as by day. There were lights on the midway, and you could hear the crackle of the gambling machines and the music of the merry-go-round and the voice of the man in the beano (bingo (game of chance) booth calling numbers. The children felt refreshed after their nap. Fern met her friend Henry Fussy, and he invited her to ride with him in the Ferris wheel. He even bought a ticket for her, so it didn't cost her anything. When Mrs. Arable happened to look up into the starry sky and saw her little daughter sitting with Henry Fussy and going higher and higher into the air, and saw how happy Fern looked, she just shook her head. "My, my!" she said. "Henry Fussy. Think of that!"
炎热的一天过后，傍晚对所有人来说都是一种受欢迎的解脱。摩天轮现在亮了。它在天空中转来转去，似乎是白天的两倍高。中途有灯光，你可以听到赌博机的噼啪声、旋转木马的音乐，以及 beano（宾果（机会游戏）摊位号码中男人的声音。午睡后，孩子们感到神清气爽。Fern 遇到了她的朋友 Henry Fussy，他邀请她和他一起乘坐摩天轮。他甚至为她买了一张票，所以没有花她一分钱。当阿拉布尔太太碰巧抬头望向星空，看到她的小女儿和亨利·弗西坐在一起，越来越高地飞向空中，看到弗恩高兴的样子时，她只是摇了摇头。“我的，我的！”“亨利·弗西。想想看！

Templeton kept out of sight. In the tall grass behind the cattle barn he found a folded newspaper. Inside it were leftovers from somebody's lunch: a deviled ham sandwich, a piece of Swiss cheese, part of a hard-boiled egg, and the core of a wormy apple.
邓普顿躲在视线之外。在牛棚后面的高草丛中，他发现了一张折叠的报纸。里面是某人午餐的剩菜：一个魔鬼火腿三明治、一块瑞士奶酪、一个煮熟的鸡蛋的一部分和一个蠕虫苹果的核。

The rat crawled in and ate everything. Then he tore a word out of the paper, rolled it up, and started back to Wilbur's pen.
老鼠爬了进去，吃掉了所有东西。然后他从纸上撕下一张字，卷起来，开始往威尔伯的猪圈走去。

Charlotte had her web almost finished when Templeton returned, carrying the newspaper clipping. She had left a space in the middle of the web. At this hour, no people were around the pigpen, so the rat and the spider and the pig were by themselves.
当 Templeton 拿着报纸剪辑回来时，夏洛的网几乎织完了。她在网的中间留了一块空地。在这个时候，猪圈周围没有其他人，所以老鼠、蜘蛛和猪都独自一人。

"I hope you brought a good one," Charlotte said. "It is the last word I shall ever write."
“我希望你带了一个好的，”夏洛说。“这是我最后一次写的字。”

"Here," said Templeton, unrolling the paper.
“在这里，”Templeton 说，展开报纸。

"What does it say?" asked Charlotte. "You'll have to read it for me."
“它写的是什么？”夏洛特问道。“你得读给我听。”

"It says 'Humble,'" replied the rat.
"它说'谦卑',"老鼠回答道。

"Humble?" said Charlotte. "'Humble' has two meanings. It means 'not proud' and it means 'near the ground." That's Wilbur all over. He's not proud and he's near the ground."
"谦卑？"夏洛说。"‘谦卑’有两个意思。一个意思是'不骄傲'，另一个意思是'靠近地面'。这就是威尔伯的全部了。他既不骄傲，又靠近地面。"

"Well, I hope you're satisfied," sneered the rat. "I'm not going to spend all my time fetching and carrying. I came to this Fair to enjoy myself, not to deliver papers."
"好吧，我希望你满意了，"老鼠讥讽道。"我不会把所有时间都花在跑来跑去送东西上。我来这个集市是为了享受自己，不是来送文件的。"

"You've been very helpful," Charlotte said. "Run along, if you want to see more of the Fair."
"你帮了大忙了，"夏洛说。"如果你想再看更多集市，就快走吧。"

The rat grinned. "I'm going to make a night of it," he said. "The old sheep was right - this Fair is a rat's paradise. What eating! And what drinking! And everywhere good hiding and good hunting. Bye, bye, my humble Wilbur! Fare thee well, Charlotte, you old schemer! This will be a night to remember in a rat's life."
老鼠咧嘴一笑。"今晚我要好好玩一玩，"他说。"老绵羊说得对——这个集市对老鼠来说就是天堂。吃的东西真多！喝的东西也好！到处都是藏身的好地方和捕猎的好地方。再见，我卑微的威尔伯！再会，老计谋家夏洛！这对老鼠来说将是一个难忘的夜晚。"

He vanished into the shadows.
他消失在阴影中。

Charlotte went back to her work. It was quite dark now. In the distance, fireworks began going off - rockets, scattering fiery balls in the sky. By the time the Arables and the Zuckermans and Lurvy returned from the grandstand, Charlotte had finished her web. The word HUMBLE was woven neatly in the center. Nobody noticed it in the darkness. Everyone was tired and happy.
夏洛回到她的工作。天色已经很暗了。远处，烟花开始燃放——火箭在空中散落着火球。当阿雷伯一家和祖克曼一家及拉弗里回来时，夏洛已经织好了她的网。中心处整齐地织着"HUMBLE"字样。在黑暗中没人注意到。大家都又累又开心。

Fern and Avery climbed into the truck and lay down. They pulled the Indian blanket over them. Lurvy gave Wilbur a forkful of fresh straw. Mr. Arable patted him. "Time for us to go home," he said to the pig. "See you tomorrow."
弗恩和艾弗里爬进卡车躺下。他们盖上了印第安毯子。拉弗里给威尔伯叉了一口新鲜干草。阿雷伯先生摸了摸它。"我们该回家了，"他对猪说。"明天见。"

The grownups climbed slowly into the truck and Wilbur heard the engine start and then heard the truck moving away in low speed. He would have felt lonely and homesick, had Charlotte not been with him. He never felt lonely when she was near. In the distance he could still hear the music of the merry-go-round.
大人们慢慢地爬进了卡车，威尔伯听到了引擎启动的声音，然后又听到了卡车以低速驶离。如果查理不在他身边，他可能会感到孤独和思乡，但只要她在附近，他就从不感到孤独。在远处，他仍然能听到旋转木马的音乐声。

As he was dropping off to sleep he spoke to Charlotte.
在他昏昏欲睡的时候，他向查理说话。

"Sing me that song again, about the dung and the dark," he begged.
“再唱那首歌给我听，关于粪便和黑暗的歌，”他恳求道。

"Not tonight," she said in a low voice. "I'm too tired."
“今晚不唱，”她低声说。“我太累了。”

Her voice didn't seem to come from her web.
她的声音似乎不是从网上传来的。

"Where are you?" asked Wilbur. "I can't see you. Are you on your web?"
“你在哪里？”威尔伯问道。“我看不到你。你在网上吗？”

"I'm back here," she answered. "Up in this back corner."
“我回到这里了，”她回答道。“在这后面的角落里。”

"Why aren't you on your web?" asked Wilbur. "You almost never leave your web."
“为什么你不在网上？”威尔伯问道。“你几乎从不离开你的网。”

"I've left it tonight," she said.
"我今晚把它留下了，"她说。

Wilbur closed his eyes. "Charlotte," he said, after a while, "do you really think Zuckerman will let me live and not kill me when the cold weather comes? Do you really think so?"
威尔伯闭上了眼睛。"夏洛特，"过了一会儿，他说，"你真的认为朱克曼会让我活下来，而不是在天气变冷时杀了我？你真的这么认为吗？"

"Of course," said Charlotte. "You are a famous pig and you are a good pig. Tomorrow you will probably win a prize. The whole world will hear about you. Zuckerman will be proud and happy to own such a pig. You have nothing to fear, Wilbur nothing to worry about. Maybe you'll live forever - who knows? And now, go to sleep."
"当然，"夏洛特说。"你是一只著名的猪，也是一只好猪。明天你可能会获奖。全世界都会听到你的消息。朱克曼会为拥有这样一只猪而感到骄傲和高兴。你没有什么可害怕的，威尔伯没有什么可担心的。也许你会永远活下去——谁知道呢？现在，去睡觉吧。"

For a while there was no sound. Then Wilbur's voice:
有一段时间里没有声音。然后是威尔伯的声音：

"What are you doing up there, Charlotte?"
“你在上面做什么，夏洛特？”

"Oh, making something," she said. "Making something, as usual."
“哦，在制作东西，”她说。“像往常一样在制作东西。”

"Is it something for me?" asked Wilbur.
“是给我做的吗？”威尔伯问道。

"No," said Charlotte. "It's something for me, for a change."
“不，”夏洛说。“这是给我自己的东西，换换口味。”

"Please tell me what it is," begged Wilbur.
“求求你告诉我是什么，”威尔伯恳求道。

"I'll tell you in the morning," she said. "When the first light comes into the sky and the sparrows stir and the cows rattle their chains, when the rooster crows and the stars fade, when early cars whisper along the highway, you look up here and I'll show you something. I will show you my masterpiece."
“明天早上告诉你，”她说。“当第一缕阳光照进天空，麻雀开始活动，奶牛摇动它们的链子，公鸡打鸣，星星渐渐隐去，当早车沿着公路低声驶过，你抬头看这里，我会给你展示一些东西。我会给你展示我的杰作。”

Before she finished the sentence, Wilbur was asleep. She could tell by the sound of his breathing that he was sleeping peacefully, deep in the straw.
她话还没说完，威尔伯就睡着了。从他的呼吸声，她能感觉到他正安稳地睡在干草堆里。

Miles away, at the Arables' house, the men sat around the kitchen table eating a dish of canned peaches and talking over the events of the day. Upstairs, Avery was already in bed and asleep. Mrs. Arable was tucking Fern into bed.
在遥远的阿雷布尔家，男人们围坐在厨房餐桌旁吃着罐头桃子，谈论着当天发生的事情。楼上，艾弗里已经躺在床上睡着了。阿雷布尔夫人正帮弗恩盖好被子。

"Did you have a good time at the Fair?" she asked as she kissed her daughter.
“在集市上玩得开心吗？”她吻了女儿一下问道。

Fern nodded. "I had the best time I have ever had anywhere or any time in all of my whole life."
弗恩点了点头。“这是我一生中在任何时间、任何地方度过的最开心的时光。”

"Well!" said Mrs. Arable. "Isn't that nice!"
“哎呀！”阿雷布尔夫人说，“这多好啊！”

CHAPTER 19
第十九章

The Egg Sac
卵囊

Next morning when the first light came into the sky and the sparrows stirred in the trees, when the cows rattled their chains and the rooster crowed and the early automobiles went whispering along the road, Wilbur awoke and looked for Charlotte. He saw her up overhead in a corner near the back of his pen. She was very quiet. Her eight legs were spread wide. She seemed to have shrunk during the night. Next to her, attached to the ceiling, Wilbur saw a curious object. It was a sort of sac, or cocoon. It was peach-colored and looked as though it were made of cotton candy 棉花糖.
第二天早晨，当第一缕光线照进天空，麻雀在树上骚动，奶牛哗啦作响地摇晃着链子，公鸡打鸣，早期的汽车沿着道路低声行驶时，威尔伯醒来，寻找夏洛。他看到她在他笼子后方的角落里，在上方。她非常安静。她的八条腿张得很开。她似乎在夜里缩小了。在她旁边，悬挂在天花板上，威尔伯看到一件奇怪的东西。那是一种囊，或茧。它是桃色的，看起来像是用棉花糖制成的。

"Are you awake, Charlotte?" he said softly.
"你醒了吗，夏洛？"他轻声问道。

"Yes," came the answer.
"是的，"回答道。

"What is that nifty little thing? Did you make it?"
"那是什么方便的小东西？是你做的吗？"

"I did indeed," replied Charlotte in a weak voice.
"确实是我做的，"夏洛特用虚弱的声音回答道。

"Is it a plaything?"
"这是玩具吗？"

"Plaything? I should say not. It is my egg sac, my magnum opus."
"玩具？我才不这么认为。这是我的卵囊，我的杰作。"

"I don't know what a magnum opus (masterpiece) is," said Wilbur.
"我不知道什么是杰作（大师之作）," 薇尔伯说。

"That's Latin," explained Charlotte. "It means 'great work." This egg sac is my great work - the finest thing I have ever made."
"那是拉丁语，" 夏洛解释道。"意思是'伟大之作'。这个卵囊就是我的伟大之作——我至今做过的最棒的东西。"

"What's inside it?" asked Wilbur. "Eggs?"
“里面有什么？”威尔伯问道。“是鸡蛋吗？”

"Five hundred and fourteen of them," she replied.
“五百一十四个，”她回答道。

"Five hundred and fourteen?" said Wilbur. "You're kidding."
“五百一十四个？”威尔伯说。“你在开玩笑。”

"No, I'm not. I counted them. I got started counting so I kept on - just to keep my mind occupied."
“我没有开玩笑。我数过了。我一开始开始数，就继续数下去了——只是为了让我的头脑保持忙碌。”

"It's a perfectly beautiful egg sac," said Wilbur, feeling as happy as though he had constructed it himself.
“这是一个完美无瑕的卵囊，”威尔伯说着，感觉就像是自己亲手制作的一样高兴。

"Yes, it is pretty," replied Charlotte, patting the sac with her two front legs. "Anyway, I can guarantee that it is strong. It's made out of the toughest material I have. It is also waterproof. The eggs are inside and will be warm and dry."
“是的，它很漂亮，”夏洛回答道，用她两只前腿轻轻拍了拍卵囊。“无论如何，我可以保证它很坚固。它是用我最坚韧的材料制成的。而且它还不透水。蛋在里面，会保持温暖和干燥。”

"Charlotte," said Wilbur dreamily, "are you really going to have five hundred and fourteen children?"
“夏洛，”威尔伯梦幻般地说，“你真的要生五百一十四个孩子吗？”

"If nothing happens, yes," she said. "Of course, they won't show up till next spring."
“如果没什么事发生的话，是的，”她说。“当然，它们要到明年春天才会出现。”

Wilbur noticed that Charlotte's voice sounded sad. "What makes you sound so down-hearted? I should think you'd be terribly happy about this."
威尔伯注意到夏洛特的声音听起来很悲伤。“是什么让你听起来这么沮丧？我本以为你会非常高兴的。”

"Oh, don't pay any attention to me," said Charlotte. "I just don't have much pep any more. I guess I feel sad because I won't ever see my children."
“哦，别在意我，”夏洛特说。“我最近没什么精神了。我想是因为我再也见不到我的孩子们了。”

"What do you mean you won't see your children! Of course you will. We'll all see them. It's going to be simply wonderful next spring in the barn cellar with five hundred and fourteen baby spiders running around all over the place. And the geese will have a new set of goslings, and the sheep will have their new lambs ..."
“你怎么说再也见不到你的孩子们了！当然会见的。我们都会见到它们的。明年春天在谷仓地下室里，将会有五百一十四只小蜘蛛到处乱跑。还有鹅会有新的一批小鹅，羊也会有小羊羔……”

"Maybe," said Charlotte quietly. "However, I have a feeling I'm not going to see the results of last night's efforts. I don't feel good at all. I think I'm languishing, to tell you the truth."
“也许吧，”夏洛特轻声说。“不过我有一种感觉，我可能看不到昨晚努力的成果了。我完全感觉不好。说实话，我觉得我快要垮了。”

Wilbur didn't understand the word "languish" and he hated to bother Charlotte by asking her to explain. But he was so worried he felt he had to ask.
威尔伯不明白“languish”这个词，他也不愿意去麻烦夏洛解释。但他实在太担心了，觉得不得不问。

"What does 'languishing' mean?"
“‘languishing’是什么意思？”

"It means I'm slowing up, feeling my age. I'm not young any more, Wilbur. But I don't want you to worry about me. This is your big day today. Look at my web - doesn't it show up well with the dew on it?"
“意思是我在变慢，感觉到了自己的年纪。我不再年轻了，威尔伯。但我不想让你为我担心。今天是你的大日子。看看我的网——上面挂着露水，不是很漂亮吗？”

Charlotte's web never looked more beautiful than it looked this morning. Each strand held dozens of bright drops of early morning dew. The light from the east struck it and made it all plain and clear. It was a perfect piece of designing and building. In another hour or two, a steady stream of people would pass by, admiring it, and reading it, and looking at Wilbur, and marveling at the miracle.
夏洛的网今天看起来比任何时候都要美。每一根丝线上都挂着几十颗清晨的亮晶晶的露珠。东边的光线照射在它上面，使它变得清晰而明亮。这是一件完美的设计和建造作品。再过一两个小时，就会有一群人经过，欣赏它，阅读它，看着威尔伯，并对这个奇迹感到惊叹。

As Wilbur was studying the web, a pair of whiskers and a sharp face appeared. Slowly Templeton dragged himself across the pen and threw himself down in a corner.
当威尔伯正在研究网页时，一对胡须和一张尖脸出现了。泰勒顿慢慢地把自己拖过围栏，在角落里倒下了。

"I'm back," he said in a husky voice. "What a night!"
"我回来了，"他用沙哑的声音说。"真是个糟糕的夜晚！"

The rat was swollen to twice his normal size. His stomach was as big around as a jelly jar.
那只老鼠膨胀到了正常大小的两倍。它的肚子有果酱罐那么大。

"What a night!" he repeated, hoarsely. "What feasting and carousing (drink heavily, consume large quantities of alcohol)! A real gorge! I must have eaten the remains of thirty lunches. Never have I seen such leavings, and everything well-ripened and seasoned with the passage of time and the heat of the day. Oh, it was rich, my friends, rich!"
"真是个糟糕的夜晚！"他重复道，声音嘶哑。"真是个大吃大喝的夜晚！真是个大餐！我肯定吃掉了三十顿午饭的残羹剩饭。我从未见过这样的残羹剩饭，而且一切都因为时间的流逝和白天的炎热而变得熟透和调味。哦，它真丰富，我的朋友们，真丰富！"

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Charlotte in disgust. "It would serve you right if you had an acute attack of indigestion."
"你真该为自己感到羞耻，"夏洛特厌恶地说。"如果你突然得了严重的消化不良，那才正该你呢。"

"Don't worry about my stomach," snarled Templeton. "It can handle anything. And by the way, I've got some bad news. As I came past that pig next door - the one that calls himself Uncle I noticed a blue tag on the front of his pen. That means he has won first prize. I guess you're licked, Wilbur. You might as well relax - nobody is going to hang any medal on you. Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised if Zuckerman changes his mind about you. Wait till he gets hankering (strong desire) for some fresh pork and smoked ham and crisp bacon! He'll take the knife to you, my boy."
"别担心我的肚子,"Templeton 咆哮道,"它能应付任何事。顺便说一句，我有些坏消息。当我路过隔壁那头猪——那个自称舅舅的——我注意到它猪圈前面有个蓝色标签。这意味着它赢得了头奖。我猜你输了，威尔伯。你最好放松——没人会给你挂任何奖章。而且，如果朱克曼改变主意的话我不会感到惊讶。等他渴望新鲜猪肉和熏火腿还有脆培根的时候！他会用刀宰了你，我的小家伙。"

"Be still, Templeton!" said Charlotte. "You're too stuffed and bloated to know what you're saying. Don't pay any attention to him, Wilbur!"
"安静点，Templeton！"夏洛说,"你吃得太撑了，不知道自己在说什么。别理他，威尔伯！"

Wilbur tried not to think about what the rat had just said. He decided to change the subject.
威尔伯尽量不去想老鼠刚才说的话。他决定换个话题。

"Templeton," said Wilbur, "if you weren't so dopey (drugged, stupefied; stupid), you would have noticed that Charlotte has made an egg sac. She is going to become a mother. For your information, there are five hundred and fourteen eggs in that peachy little sac."
"Templeton,"威尔伯说,"如果你不那么笨，你会注意到夏洛已经做了个卵囊。她要当妈妈了。据我所知，那个粉红色的囊里有五百一十四个蛋。"

"Is this true?" asked the rat, eyeing the sac suspiciously.
"这是真的吗？"老鼠怀疑地盯着那个囊。

"Yes, it's true," sighed Charlotte.
"是的，是真的，"夏洛叹了口气。

"Congratulations!" murmured Templeton. "This has been a night!" He closed his eyes, pulled some straw over himself, and dropped off into a deep sleep. Wilbur and Charlotte were glad to be rid of him for a while.
"恭喜你！"坦普尔顿低声说。"今晚真热闹！他闭上眼睛，把自己盖上一堆稻草，沉沉睡去。威尔伯和夏洛很高兴能摆脱他一会儿。

At nine o'clock, Mr. Arable's truck rolled into the Fair Grounds and came to a stop at Wilbur's pen. Everybody climbed out.
九点钟，阿雷先生的车开进了展览场，停在了威尔伯的猪圈前。大家都下车了。

"Look!" cried Fern. "Look at Charlotte's web! Look what it says!"
"看啊！"弗恩喊道。"看夏洛的网！看它写了什么！"

The grownups and the children joined hands and stood there, studying the new sign.
大人和孩子们手拉手站在一起，研究着这个新标志。

"'Humble,'" said Mr. Zuckerman. "Now isn't that just the word for Wilbur!"
"谦卑，"朱克曼先生说道。"这不就是威尔伯的名字吗！"

Everyone rejoiced to find that the miracle of the web had been repeated. Wilbur gazed up lovingly into their faces. He looked very humble and very grateful. Fern winked at Charlotte. Lurvy soon got busy. He poured a bucket of warm slops into the trough, and while Wilbur ate his breakfast Lurvy scratched him gently with a smooth stick.
大家很高兴发现网上的奇迹再次发生。威尔伯深情地仰望着他们的脸。他看起来非常谦卑，也非常感激。弗恩向夏洛眨了眨眼。卢里很快忙碌起来。他倒了一桶温热的剩菜汤进食槽，威尔伯吃早餐时，卢里用光滑的树枝轻轻地挠着他的背。

"Wait a minute!" cried Avery. "Look at this!" He pointed to the blue tag on Uncle's pen. "This pig has won first prize already."
"等一下！"艾弗里喊道。"看这个！"他指着叔叔钢笔上的蓝色标签。"这只猪已经赢得头奖了。"

The Zuckermans and the Arables stared at the tag. Mrs. Zuckerman began to cry. Nobody said a word. They just stared at the tag. Then they stared at Uncle. Then they stared at the tag again. Lurvy took out an enormous handkerchief and blew his nose very loud - so loud, in fact, that the noise was heard by stableboys over at the horse barn.
祖克曼一家和阿布尔一家盯着标签。祖克曼夫人开始哭泣。没有人说话。他们只是盯着标签。然后他们盯着叔叔。然后他们又盯着标签。拉维拿出一条巨大的手帕，大声擤鼻涕——实际上，声音太大了，连马厩那边的小伙子都听到了。

"Can I have some money?" asked Fern. "I want to go out on the midway."
"我能要点钱吗？"费恩问。"我想去游园会。"

"You stay right where you are!" said her mother. Tears came to Fern's eyes.
"你待在原地！"她妈妈说。费恩的眼里涌出了泪水。

"What's everybody crying about?" asked Mr. Zuckerman. "Let's get busy! Edith, bring the buttermilk!"
"大家都在为什么哭泣啊？"佐克曼先生问道。"快开始吧！艾迪丝，拿黄油牛奶来！"

Mrs. Zuckerman wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. She went to the truck and came back with a gallon jar of buttermilk.
佐克曼太太用手帕擦了擦眼睛。她走到卡车旁，拿回一个加仑装的黄油牛奶罐。

"Bath time!" said Zuckerman, cheerfully. He and Mrs. Zuckerman and Avery climbed into Wilbur's pen. Avery slowly poured buttermilk on Wilbur's head and back, and as it trickled down his sides and cheeks, Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman rubbed it into his hair and skin. Passersby stopped to watch. Pretty soon quite a crowd had gathered. Wilbur grew beautifully white and smooth. The morning sun shone through his pink ears.
"洗澡时间！"佐克曼先生高兴地说。他和佐克曼太太以及艾弗里一起爬进了威尔伯的围栏。艾弗里慢慢地将黄油牛奶倒在威尔伯的头顶和背部，当牛奶顺着它的两侧和脸颊流下时，佐克曼先生和佐克曼太太将其揉进它的毛发和皮肤里。过往行人停下来观看。很快就聚集了一群人。威尔伯变得非常洁白光滑。早晨的阳光透过它的粉色耳朵。

"He isn't as big as that pig next door," remarked one bystander, "but he's cleaner. That's what I like."
"他不如隔壁那头猪大，"一个旁观者说，"但他更干净。我就喜欢这个。"

"So do I," said another man.
"我也是这么想的，"另一个男人说。

"He's humble, too," said a woman, reading the sign on the web.
"他还很谦虚，"一个正在看网页上标牌的女人说。

Everybody who visited the pigpen had a good word to say about Wilbur. Everyone admired the web. And of course nobody noticed Charlotte.
所有参观猪圈的都夸赞威尔伯。每个人都羡慕那张网。当然，没有人注意到夏洛。

Suddenly a voice was heard on the loud speaker.
突然，扩音器里传来了一个声音。

"Attention, please!" it said. "Will Mr. Homer Zuckerman bring his famous pig to the judges' booth in front of the grandstand. A special award will be made there in twenty minutes. Everyone is invited to attend. Crate your pig, please, Mr. Zuckerman, and report to the judges' booth promptly!"
"请注意！"它说。"请霍默·朱克曼先生把他那头著名的猪带到看台前的评委席。在那里将会有一个特别奖项，二十分钟后进行。欢迎大家参加。朱克曼先生，请把你的猪装进笼子里，并迅速到评委席报到！"

For a moment after this announcement, the Arables and the Zuckermans were unable to speak or move. Then Avery picked up a handful of straw and threw it high in the air and gave a loud yell. The straw fluttered down like confetti into Fern's hair. Mr. Zuckerman hugged Mrs. Zuckerman. Mr. Arable kissed Mrs. Arable. Avery kissed Wilbur. Lurvy shook hands with everybody.
这个通知后，阿布尔家和朱克曼家的人一时都说不出话来，也无法动弹。然后艾弗里抓了一把干草，高高抛向空中，并发出响亮的喊声。干草像五彩纸屑一样飘落下来，落进了弗恩的头发里。朱克曼先生拥抱了朱克曼太太。阿布尔先生吻了阿布尔太太。艾弗里吻了威尔伯。拉维和每个人都握了手。

Fern hugged her mother. Avery hugged Fern. Mrs. Arable hugged Mrs. Zuckerman.
弗恩拥抱了她的母亲。艾弗里拥抱了弗恩。阿布尔太太拥抱了朱克曼太太。

Up overhead, in the shadows of the ceiling, Charlotte crouched unseen, her front legs encircling her egg sac. Her heart was not beating as strongly as usual and she felt weary and old, but she was sure at last that she had saved Wilbur's life, and she felt peaceful and contented.
在头顶上方，天花板阴影中，夏洛特蹲伏着，未被察觉，她的前腿环绕着卵囊。她的心跳不如往常强劲，感到疲惫和苍老，但她终于确信自己救了威尔伯的命，心中感到平静和满足。

"We have no time to lose!" shouted Mr. Zuckerman. "Lurvy, help with the crate!"
"我们没有时间可以浪费！"朱克曼先生喊道。"鲁维，帮忙搬这个箱子！"

"Can I have some money?" asked Fern.
"我可以要一些钱吗？"弗恩问道。

"You wait!" said Mrs. Arable. "Can't you see everybody is busy?"
"你等着！"阿雷布尔太太说。"难道你看不见大家都很忙吗？"

"Put that empty buttermilk jar into the truck!" commanded Mr. Arable. Avery grabbed the jar and rushed to the truck.
"把那个空但 termilk 罐子放进卡车里！"阿雷布尔先生命令道。艾弗里抓起罐子，匆匆跑到卡车旁。

"Does my hair look all right?" asked Mrs. Zuckerman.
"我的头发看起来还好吗？"朱克曼太太问道。

"Looks fine," snapped Mr. Zuckerman, as he and Lurvy set the crate down in front of Wilbur.
"看起来很好，"朱克曼先生没好气地说，他和鲁维把箱子放在威尔伯面前。

"You didn't even look at my hair!" said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"你甚至没看我的头发！"朱克曼太太说。

"You're all right, Edith," said Mrs. Arable. "Just keep calm.
"你们都很好，艾迪丝，" 阿拉布尔夫人说。 "保持冷静就好。"

Templeton, asleep in the straw, heard the commotion and awoke. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but when he saw the men shoving Wilbur into the crate he made up his mind to go along. He watched his chance and when no one was looking he crept into the crate and buried himself in the straw at the bottom.
Templeton，睡在稻草上，听到了骚动并醒来。他不知道具体发生了什么，但当看到人们把威尔伯推进箱子时，他决定跟上去。他等待机会，趁没人注意时悄悄爬进箱子，把自己埋在底部的稻草里。

"All ready, boys!" cried Mr. Zuckerman. "Let's go!" He and Mr. Arable and Lurvy and Avery grabbed the crate and boosted it over the side of the pen and up into the truck. Fern jumped aboard and sat on top of the crate. She still had straw in her hair and looked very pretty and excited. Mr. Arable started the motor. Everyone climbed in, and off they drove to the judge's booth in front of the grandstand.
“准备好了，孩子们！”朱克曼先生喊道。“出发！”他和亚雷先生、Lurvy 和艾弗里抓住箱子，把它推过围栏边，送上卡车。费恩跳上车，坐在箱子顶上。她头发里还沾着稻草，看起来非常漂亮和兴奋。亚雷先生发动了引擎。大家爬上车，驶向看台前的法官亭。

As they passed the Ferris wheel, Fern gazed up at it and wished she were in the topmost car with Henry Fussy at her side.
当他们经过摩天轮时，费恩抬头望着它，希望她能和亨利·费西一起坐在最高的车厢里。

CHAPTER 20
第二十章

The Hour of Triumph
胜利时刻

"Special announcement!" said the loud speaker in a pompous voice. "The management of the fair takes great pleasure in presenting Mr. Homer L. Zuckerman and his famous pig. The truck bearing this extraordinary animal is now approaching the infield. Kindly stand back and give the truck room to proceed! In a few moments the pig will be unloaded in the special judging ring in front of the grandstand, where a special award will be made. Will the crowd please make way and let the truck pass. Thank you."
"特别公告！"扩音器用庄严的声音说道。"展览会管理层非常荣幸地向大家介绍 Homer L. 祖克曼先生和他的著名猪。载着这只非凡动物的卡车现在正驶向赛场内场。请退后并给卡车让出空间！几分钟后，猪将在看台前的特别评判圈内卸下，那里将颁发特别奖项。请人群让出一条路，让卡车通过。谢谢。"

Wilbur trembled when he heard this speech. He felt happy but dizzy. The truck crept along slowly in low speed. Crowds of people surrounded it, and Mr. Arable had to drive very carefully in order not to run over anybody. At last he managed to reach the judges' stand. Avery jumped out and lowered the tailgate.
威尔伯听到这番讲话时颤抖不已。他感到既高兴又头晕。卡车缓慢地行驶着。人群将它包围，阿雷布尔先生不得不非常小心地驾驶，以免撞到人。最后他终于到达了裁判台。艾弗里跳下车并放下了后挡板。

"I'm scared to death," whispered Mrs. Zuckerman. "Hundreds of people are looking at us."
"我吓坏了，"祖克曼夫人低声说。"有成百上千的人在看着我们。"

"Cheer up," replied Mrs. Arable, "this is fun."
"振作起来，"阿雷布尔太太回答说，"这很有趣。"

"Unload your pig, please!" said the loud speaker.
"请卸下你的猪！"扩音器大声说道。

"All together, now, boys!" said Mr. Zuckerman. Several men stepped forward from the crowd to help lift the crate. Avery was the busiest helper of all.
"现在，大家一起，男孩们！"朱克曼先生喊道。几名男子从人群中走出来，帮忙抬起木箱。阿弗里是所有帮手中最忙碌的一个。

"Tuck your shirt in, Avery!" cried Mrs. Zuckerman. "And tighten your belt. Your pants are coming, down."
"阿弗里，把衬衫塞进裤子里！"朱克曼太太喊道。 "再把腰带系紧。你的裤子要掉下来了。"

"Can't you see I'm busy?" replied Avery in disgust.
"难道你看不见我很忙吗？"艾弗里厌恶地回答。

"Look!" cried Fern, pointing. "There's Henry!"
"看！"费恩喊道，指着。 "那是亨利！"

"Don't shout, Fern!" said her mother. "And don't point!"
"费恩，别喊！"她妈妈说。 "也别指！"

"Can't I please have some money?" asked Fern. "Henry invited me to go on the Ferris wheel again, only I don't think he has any money left. He ran out of money."
"我能不能请点钱呢？"费恩问道。 "亨利邀请我再去坐摩天轮了，但我觉得他可能没钱了。他花光了钱。"

Mrs. Arable opened her handbag. "Here," she said. "Here is forty cents. Now don't get lost! And be back at our regular meeting place by the pigpen very soon!"
阿雷布尔夫人打开她的手提包。“喏，”她说。“这里有四十美分。现在别走丢了！而且要尽快回到我们常聚的猪圈附近！”

Fern raced off, ducking and dodging through the crowd, in search of Henry.
费恩飞快地跑开，在人群中左躲右闪，寻找亨利。

"The Zuckerman pig is now being taken from his crate," boomed the voice of the loud speaker. "Stand by for an announcement!"
“朱克曼家的猪现在正从笼子里被移走，”扩音器里传来洪亮的声音。“请稍候，即将宣布！”

Templeton crouched under the straw at the bottom of the crate. "What a lot of nonsense!" muttered the rat. "What a lot of fuss about nothing!"
坦普尔顿蹲在笼子底部的稻草下。“真是一大堆废话！”老鼠嘟囔道。“为了这点小事大惊小怪！”

Over in the pigpen, silent and alone, Charlotte rested. Her two front legs embraced the egg sac. Charlotte could hear everything that was said on the loud speaker. The words gave her courage. This was her hour of triumph.
在猪圈里，安静而孤独，夏洛歇息着。她的两条前腿抱着卵囊。夏洛能听到扩音器里说的每一句话。这些话语给了她勇气。这是她胜利的时刻。

As Wilbur came out of the crate, the crowd clapped and cheered. Mr. Zuckerman took off his cap and bowed. Lurvy pulled his big handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck. Avery knelt in the dirt by Wilbur's side, busily stroking him and showing off. Mrs. Zuckerman and Mrs. Arable stood on the running board of the truck.
当威尔伯从笼子里出来时，人群鼓掌欢呼。朱克曼先生摘下帽子鞠躬。拉维从口袋里拿出他的大手帕，擦了擦脖子后面的汗。艾弗里跪在威尔伯旁边，忙着抚摸它并炫耀。朱克曼夫人和阿雷布尔夫人站在卡车的踏板上。

"Ladeez and gentlemen," said the loud speaker, "we now present Mr. Homer L. Zuckerman's distinguished pig. The fame of this unique animal has spread to the far corners of the earth, attracting many valuable tourists to our great State. Many of you will recall that never-to-be-forgotten day last summer when the writing appeared mysteriously on the spider's web in Mr. Zuckerman's barn, calling the attention of all and sundry to the fact that this pig was completely out of the ordinary. This miracle has never been fully explained, although learned men have visited the Zuckerman pigpen to study and observe the phenomenon. In the last analysis, we simply know that we are dealing with supernatural forces here, and we should all feel proud and grateful. In the words of the spider's web, ladies and gentlemen, this is some pig."
"女士们，先生们，"扩音器说道，"我们现在向各位展示霍默·L·朱克曼先生的杰出猪。这种独特动物的声名远播世界各地，吸引了许多珍贵的游客来到我们伟大的州。许多人都记得去年夏天那个永志难忘的日子，当朱克曼先生的谷仓里蜘蛛网上突然出现字迹，引起所有人的注意，表明这头猪完全与众不同。尽管博学之士曾到朱克曼的猪圈研究观察这一现象，但这奇迹至今仍未得到完全解释。归根结底，我们只知道我们这里涉及超自然力量，我们都应该感到自豪和感激。用蜘蛛网的话说，女士们，先生们，这是一头了不起的猪。"

Wilbur blushed. He stood perfectly still and tried to look his best.
威尔伯脸红了。他站得纹丝不动，努力让自己看起来最好。

"This magnificent animal," continued the loud speaker, "is truly terrific. Look at him, ladies and gentlemen! Note the smoothness and whiteness of the coat, observe the spotless skin, the healthy pink glow of ears and snout."
"这头壮丽的动物，"扩音器继续说道，"确实令人惊叹。看啊，女士们，先生们！注意它皮毛的光滑和洁白，观察它无瑕的皮肤，健康粉嫩的耳朵和鼻子。"

"It's the buttermilk," whispered Mrs. Arable to Mrs. Zuckerman.
"是黄油牛奶，"阿雷布尔太太对朱克曼太太低声说。

"Note the general radiance of this animal! Then remember the day when the word 'radiant' appeared clearly on the web. Whence came this mysterious writing? Not from the spider, we can rest assured of that. Spiders are very clever at weaving their webs, but needless to say spiders cannot write."
注意这只动物的普遍光辉！然后回想一下那个词“光辉”在网络上清晰出现的那一天。这神秘的文字从何而来？我们可以肯定它不是来自蜘蛛。蜘蛛在编织网方面非常聪明，但不用说蜘蛛不会写字。

"Oh, they can't, can't they?" murmured Charlotte to herself.
“哦，它们不能，对吧？”夏洛特自言自语道。

"Ladeez and gentlemen," continued the loud speaker, "I must not take any more of your valuable time. On behalf of the governors of the Fair, I have the honor of awarding a special prize of twenty-five dollars to Mr. Zuckerman, together with a handsome bronze medal suitably engraved, in token of our appreciation of the part played by this pig - this radiant, this terrific, this humble pig - in attracting so many visitors to our great County Fair."
“女士们和先生们，”扩音器响亮地继续说道，“我不能再占用你们宝贵的时间了。代表博览会的主管，我有幸将二十五美元的特别奖授予朱克曼先生，并附赠一套精致的青铜奖牌，上面刻有我们对他表示赞赏的标记——这只猪——这只光辉的、了不起的、谦卑的猪——在吸引如此多游客参加我们伟大的县博览会中发挥的作用。”

Wilbur had been feeling dizzier and dizzier through this long, complimentary speech. When he heard the crowd begin to cheer and clap again, he suddenly fainted away. His legs collapsed, his mind went blank, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
威尔伯在这篇冗长而充满赞美的演讲中感觉越来越头晕目眩。当听到人群再次开始欢呼鼓掌时，他突然晕倒了。他的双腿瘫软，意识模糊，倒在地上失去了知觉。

"What's wrong?" asked the loud speaker. "What's going on, Zuckerman? What's the trouble with your pig?"
"怎么了？"扩音器问道。"出什么事了，朱克曼？你的猪怎么了？"

Avery was kneeling by Wilbur's head, stroking him. Mr. Zuckerman was dancing about, fanning him with his cap.
艾弗里跪在威尔伯的头部，轻轻抚摸着他。朱克曼先生在周围跳来跳去，用帽子给他扇风。

"He's all right," cried Mr. Zuckerman. "He gets these spells. He's modest and can't stand praise."
"他没事的，"朱克曼先生喊道。"他会犯这种毛病。他谦虚，受不了表扬。"

"Well, we can't give a prize to a dead pig," said the loud speaker. "It's never been done."
“好吧，我们不可能给死猪颁奖，”扩音器说道。“这从未有过。”

"He isn't dead," hollered Zuckerman. "He's fainted. He gets embarrassed easily. Run for some water, Lurvy!"
“他还活着，”祖克曼喊道。“他晕过去了。他很容易害羞。快去拿点水来，拉维！”

Lurvy sprang from the judges' ring and disappeared.
拉维从评委席上跳起来，消失不见了。

Templeton poked his head from the straw. He noticed that the end of Wilbur's tail was within reach.
坦普尔顿从干草堆里探出头来。他注意到威尔伯尾巴的末端就在手边。

Templeton grinned. "I'll tend to this," he chuckled. He took Wilbur's tail in his mouth and bit it, just as hard as he could bite. The pain revived Wilbur. In a flash he was back on his feet.
Templeton 咧嘴笑了。“我来处理这个，”他轻声笑道。他叼住威尔伯的尾巴，咬得尽可能用力。疼痛让威尔伯清醒过来。他瞬间就站了起来。

"Ouch!" he screamed.
“哎哟！”他尖叫道。

"Hoorray!" yelled the crowd. "He's up! The pig's up! Good work, Zuckerman! That's some pig!" Everyone was delighted. Mr. Zuckerman was the most pleased of all. He sighed with relief. Nobody had seen Templeton. The rat had done his work well.
“万岁！”人群欢呼道。“他起来了！猪起来了！干得好，朱克曼！这真是个好猪！”每个人都高兴极了。朱克曼先生最为高兴。他长舒了一口气。没人看到 Templeton。老鼠出色地完成了任务。

And now one of the judges climbed into the ring with the prizes. He handed Mr. Zuckerman two ten dollar bills and a five dollar bill. Then he tied the medal around Wilbur's neck. Then he shook hands with Mr. Zuckerman while Wilbur blushed. Avery put out his hand and the judge shook hands with him, too. The crowd cheered. A photographer took Wilbur's picture.
现在，一位评委带着奖品爬进了擂台。他递给佐克曼先生两张十美元钞票和一张五美元钞票。然后他将奖牌系在威尔伯的脖子上。接着他和佐克曼先生握手，而威尔伯则脸红了。艾弗里伸出手，评委也和他握了手。人群欢呼起来。一位摄影师给威尔伯拍照。

A great feeling of happiness swept over the Zuckermans and the Arables. This was the greatest moment in Mr. Zuckerman's life. It is deeply satisfying to win a prize in front of a lot of people.
佐克曼先生和阿雷布尔一家感到无比幸福。这是佐克曼先生一生中最伟大的时刻。在很多人面前获奖，真是令人深感满足。

As Wilbur was being shoved back into the crate, Lurvy came charging through the crowd carrying a pail of water. His eyes had a wild look. Without hesitating a second, he dashed the water at Wilbur. In his excitement he missed his aim, and the water splashed all over Mr. Zuckerman and Avery. They got soaking wet.
当威尔伯被推进箱子里时，鲁维提着水桶冲过人群。他的眼神显得狂野。他毫不犹豫地朝威尔伯泼水。由于激动，他没击中目标，水溅了佐克曼先生和艾弗里一身。他们浑身湿透。

"For goodness' sake!" bellowed Mr. Zuckerman, who was really drenched. "What ails you, Lurvy? Can't you see the pig is all right?"
"看在上帝的份上！"浑身湿透的佐克曼先生喊道，“你怎么了，鲁维？难道你看不出猪没事吗？”

"You asked for water," said Lurvy meekly.
“你想要水，”露薇温和地说。

"I didn't ask for a shower bath," said Mr. Zuckerman. The crowd roared with laughter. Finally Mr. Zuckerman had to laugh, too. And of course Avery was tickled to find himself so wet, and he immediately started to act like a clown. He pretended he was taking a shower bath; he made faces and danced around and rubbed imaginary soap under his armpits. Then he dried himself with an imaginary towel.
“我没说要淋浴，”朱克曼先生说道。人群爆发出笑声。最终朱克曼先生也忍不住笑了。当然，艾弗里发现自己浑身湿透，觉得非常有趣，他立刻开始像小丑一样表演。他假装在淋浴；他做鬼脸，跳来跳去，并在腋下搓着想象中的肥皂。然后他用想象中的毛巾擦干自己。

"Avery, stop it!" cried his mother. "Stop showing off!"
“艾弗里，别这样！”他妈妈喊道。“别卖弄了！”

But the crowd loved it. Avery heard nothing but the applause. He liked being a clown in a ring, with everybody watching, in front of a grandstand. When he discovered there was still a little water left in the bottom of the pail, he raised the pail high in the air and dumped the water on himself and made faces. The children in the grandstand screamed with appreciation.
但人群非常喜欢。艾弗里什么也听不见，只听到掌声。他喜欢在一个围圈里当小丑，所有人都在观看，在观众席前。当他发现桶底还有一点水时，他高高举起水桶，把水倒在自己身上，并做鬼脸。观众席上的孩子们兴奋地尖叫。

At last things calmed down. Wilbur was loaded into the truck. Avery was led from the ring by his mother and placed on the seat of the truck to dry off. The truck, driven by Mr. Arable, crawled slowly back to the pigpen. Avery's wet trousers made a big wet spot on the seat.
最后，事情终于平静下来。威尔伯被装上了卡车。艾弗里由他母亲领着离开了围栏，被放在卡车上晾干。由亚雷先生驾驶的卡车缓慢地爬回猪圈。艾弗里的湿裤子在座位上留下了一个大湿痕。

CHAPTER 21
第二十一章

Last Day
最后一天

Charlotte and Wilbur were alone. The families had gone to look for Fern. Templeton was asleep. Wilbur lay resting after the excitement and strain of the ceremony. His medal still hung from his neck; by looking out of the corner of his eye he could see it.
夏洛和威尔伯独自一人。家人都去寻找弗恩了。泰勒顿睡着了。威尔伯在仪式的激动和紧张之后躺下休息。他的奖章仍然挂在脖子上；他斜眼一看就能看到它。

"Charlotte," said Wilbur after a while, "why are you so quiet?"
"夏洛特，" 一段时间后，威尔伯说，"你为什么这么安静？"

"I like to sit still," she said. "I've always been rather quiet."
"我喜欢静静地坐着，" 她说。 "我一直都比较安静。"

"Yes, but you seem specially so today. Do you feel all right?"
"是的，但你今天似乎特别安静。你感觉还好吗？"

"A little tired, perhaps. But I feel peaceful. Your success in the ring this morning was, to a small degree, any success. Your future is assured. You will live, secure and safe, Wilbur. Nothing can harm you now. These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come, then the snows of winter. You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world, for you mean a great deal to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur - this lovely world, these precious days ..."
"可能有点累。但我感觉很平静。今天你在赛场上的成功，虽小，却是成功。你的未来已确定。你会活下去，安全无忧，威尔伯。现在没有什么能伤害你。这些秋日会变短、变冷。树叶会从树上摇落下来。圣诞节会来，然后是冬天的雪。你会活到享受冰封世界的美景，因为你对朱克曼意义重大，他不会伤害你，永远不会。冬天会过去，日子会变长，牧场池塘的冰会融化。歌鸲会回来歌唱，青蛙会醒来，温暖的春风会再次吹拂。所有这些景象、声音和气味都将属于你，威尔伯——这个美丽的世界，这些珍贵的日子..."

Charlotte stopped. A moment later a tear came to Wilbur's eye. "Oh, Charlotte," he said. "To think that when I first met you I thought you were cruel and bloodthirsty!"
夏洛停了下来。过了一会儿，威尔伯的眼中流下一滴泪。"哦，夏洛特，"他说道，"真没想到，当初我遇见你的时候，竟然认为你既残忍又嗜血！"

When he recovered from his emotion, he spoke again. "Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."
等他平复了情绪，又开口说道："你为什么要为我做所有这些事？"他问道，"我不配得到这些。我从未为你做过任何事。"

"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
"你一直是我的朋友，"夏洛回答道，"这本身就是一件了不起的事。我为你编织网是因为我喜欢你。毕竟，生命又算得了什么呢？我们出生，活一小段时间，然后死去。蜘蛛的生活难免有些混乱，整天设陷阱、吃苍蝇。通过帮助你，或许我是在试图让我的生命稍微提升一点。天知道，任何人的生活都需要一点这样的提升。"

"Well," said Wilbur. "I'm no good at making speeches. I haven't got your gift for words. But you have saved me, Charlotte, and I would gladly give my life for you - I really would."
“嗯，”威尔伯说，“我不擅长发表演讲。我没有你那般口才。但你救了我，夏洛特，我愿意为你献出生命——我真的愿意。”

"I'm sure you would. And I thank you for your generous sentiments."
“我相信你会的。感谢你如此慷慨的言语。”

"Charlotte," said Wilbur. "We're all going home today. The Fair is almost over. Won't it be wonderful to be back home in the barn cellar again with the sheep and the geese? Aren't you anxious to get home?"
“夏洛特，”威尔伯说，“我们今天都要回家了。集市快结束了。能再次回到羊圈和鹅群中的谷仓地下室，该有多美好？你难道不渴望回家吗？”

For a moment Charlotte said nothing. Then she spoke in a voice so low Wilbur could hardly hear the words.
片刻间，夏洛特一言不发。然后她用极低的声音说话，威尔伯几乎听不清她在说什么。

"I will not be going back to the barn," she said.
"我不会再回到谷仓了，"她说。

Wilbur leapt to his feet. "Not going back?" he cried. "Charlotte, what are you talking about?"
威尔伯跳了起来。"不回去？"他喊道。"夏洛，你在说什么？"

"I'm done for," she replied. "In a day or two I'll be dead. I haven't even strength enough to climb down into the crate. I doubt if I have enough silk in my spinnerets to lower me to the ground."
"我完蛋了，"她回答道。"一两天后我就死了。我连爬进箱子里的力气都没有了。我怀疑我的纺器里有没有足够的丝线把我降到地面上。"

Hearing this, Wilbur threw himself down in an agony of pain and sorrow. Great sobs racked his body. He heaved and grunted with desolation. "Charlotte," he moaned. "Charlotte! My true friend!"
听到这话，威尔伯痛苦又悲伤地倒在地上。他剧烈地抽泣着。他绝望地喘息和呻吟。"夏洛特，"他呻吟道。"夏洛特！我真正的朋友！"

"Come now, let's not make a scene," said the spider. "Be quiet, Wilbur. Stop thrashing about!"
"好了，别大惊小怪了，"蜘蛛说。"威尔伯，安静点。别乱动！"

"But I can't stand it," shouted Wilbur. "I won't leave you here alone to die. If you're going to stay here I shall stay, too."
"但我受不了了，"威尔伯喊道。"我不会让你一个人留在这里死去。如果你要留在这里，我也会留在这里。"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Charlotte. "You can't stay here. Zuckerman and Lurvy and John Arable and the others will be back any minute now, and they'll shove you into that crate and away you'll go. Besides, it wouldn't make any sense for you to stay. There would be no one to feed you. The Fair Grounds will soon be empty and deserted."
"别胡说八道了，"夏洛说。"你不能留在这里。朱克曼、露薇、约翰·阿雷布尔和其他人随时都会回来，他们会把你推进那个板条箱，然后你就走了。再说，你留在这里也没意义。没人会喂你。马戏场很快就会空荡荡的。"

Wilbur was in a panic. He raced round and round the pen. Suddenly he had an idea - he thought of the egg sac and the five hundred and fourteen little spiders that would hatch in the spring. If Charlotte herself was unable to go home to the barn, at least he must take her children along.
威尔伯惊慌失措。他在围栏里团团转。突然他有了主意——他想到了那个卵囊和春天将要孵化的五百一十四只小蜘蛛。如果夏洛自己不能回家到谷仓，至少他必须带上她的孩子们。

Wilbur rushed to the front of his pen. He put his front feet up on the top board and gazed around. In the distance he saw the Arables and the Zuckermans approaching. He knew he would have to act quickly.
威尔伯冲到猪圈的正面。他把前爪放在顶板上，四处张望。远处他看见阿布尔家和朱克曼家的人正朝这边走来。他知道必须迅速行动。

"Where's Templeton?" he demanded.
“塔普尔顿在哪里？”他问道。

"He's in that corner, under the straw, asleep," said Charlotte.
“他在那个角落里，草堆下面睡着呢，”夏洛说。

Wilbur rushed over, pushed his strong snout under the rat, and tossed him into the air.
威尔伯冲过去，把强壮的鼻子伸到老鼠下面，把他抛向空中。

"Templeton!" screamed Wilbur. "Pay attention!"
"Templeton！"威尔伯喊道。"注意！"

The rat, surprised out of a sound sleep, looked first dazed then disgusted.
老鼠从沉睡中惊醒，先是茫然，然后是厌恶。

"What kind of monkeyshine is this?" he growled. "Can't a rat catch a wink of sleep without being rudely popped into the air?"
"这是什么鬼把戏？"他咕哝道。"难道老鼠就不能安安稳稳睡一会儿，不被粗暴地弹到空中吗？"

"Listen to me!" cried Wilbur. "Charlotte is very ill. She has only a short time to live. She cannot accompany us home, because of her condition. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that I take her egg sac with me. I can't reach it, and I can't climb. You are the only one that can get it. There's not a second to be lost. The people are coming - they'll be here in no time. Please, please, please, Templeton, climb up and get the egg sac."
"听我说！"威尔伯喊道。"夏洛特病得很重。她只有很短的时间了。因为她的状况，她不能陪我们回家。所以，我必须带走她的卵囊。我够不到，也爬不上去。只有你能拿到它。一秒钟都不能耽搁。人们要来了——他们马上就到。求求你，求求你，求求你，Templeton，爬上去拿卵囊。"

The rat yawned. He straightened his whiskers. Then he looked up at the egg sac.
老鼠打了个哈欠。他竖起了胡须。然后他抬头看向那个卵囊。

"So!" he said, in disgust. "So it's old Templeton to the rescue again, is it? Templeton do this, Templeton do that, Templeton please run down to the dump and get me a magazine clipping, Templeton please lend me a piece of string so I can spin a web."
"哼！"他说，带着厌恶。"原来又是老泰勒顿来救场了？泰勒顿做这个，泰勒顿做那个，泰勒顿请跑一趟垃圾堆给我弄张杂志剪报，泰勒顿请借我一段线好让我织网。"

"Oh, hurry!" said Wilbur. "Hurry up, Templeton!"
"快点啊！"威尔伯说。"快点儿，泰勒顿！"

But the rat was in no hurry. He began imitating Wilbur's voice.
但老鼠一点也不着急。他开始模仿威尔伯的声音。

"So it's 'Hurry up, Templeton,' is it?" He said. "Ho, ho. And what thanks do I ever get for these services, I would like to know? Never a kind word for old Templeton, only abuse and wisecracks (joke; sarcastic remark) and side remarks. Never a kind word for a rat."
“所以是‘快点，泰勒顿，’对吧？”他说。“哈哈。我这些服务到底能得到什么感谢，我想知道？老泰勒顿从没得到过一句好话，只有辱骂和俏皮话（玩笑；讽刺的话）和旁敲侧击。老泰勒顿从没得到过一句好话。”

"Templeton," said Wilbur in desperation, "if you don't stop talking and get busy, all will be lost, and I will die of a broken heart. Please climb up!"
“泰勒顿，”威尔伯绝望地说，“如果你不停止说话、开始行动，一切都会失去，我会心碎而死。请爬上来吧！”

Templeton lay back in the straw. Lazily he placed his forepaws behind his head and crossed his knees, in an attitude of complete relaxation.
泰勒顿在干草上躺回。他懒洋洋地把前爪放在头后，盘起膝盖，摆出一副完全放松的姿态。

"Die of a broken heart," he mimicked. "How touching! My, my! I notice that it's always me you come to when in trouble. But I've never heard of anyone's heart breaking on my account. Oh, no. Who cares anything about old Templeton?"
“心碎而死，”他模仿道。“真感人！哎呀！我注意到你遇到麻烦时总是来找我。但我从没听说过有人因为我的关系心碎。哦，不。谁在乎老泰勒顿啊？”

"Get up!" screamed Wilbur. "Stop acting like a spoiled child!
"起来！"威尔伯喊道。"别像个被宠坏的孩子似的！

Templeton grinned and lay still. "Who made trip after trip to the dump?" he asked. "Why, it was old Templeton! Who saved Charlotte's life by scaring that Arable boy away with a rotten goose egg? Bless my soul, I believe it was old Templeton. Who bit your tail and got you back on your feet this morning after you had fainted in front of the crowd? Old Templeton. Has it ever occurred to you that I'm sick of running errands and doing favors? What do you think I am, anyway, a rat-of-all-work?"
泰勒顿咧嘴一笑，躺了下来。"谁一趟趟跑垃圾堆？""老泰勒顿呗！谁用臭鹅蛋吓跑了那个阿雷布尔男孩，救了夏洛特的命？""我敢打赌，是老泰勒顿。谁咬了你的尾巴，在你当众晕倒后让你重新站起来？""还是老泰勒顿。你有没有想过，我已经受够了跑腿和帮忙？你以为我是干什么的，一个万事通的老鼠吗？"

Wilbur was desperate. The people were coming. And the rat was failing him. Suddenly he remembered Templeton's fondness for food.
威尔伯急了。人们要来了。而老鼠正让他失望。突然他想起泰勒顿对食物的喜爱。

"Templeton," he said, "I will make you a solemn promise. Get Charlotte's egg sac for me, and from now on I will let you eat first, when Lurvy slops me. I will let you have your choice of everything in the trough and I won't touch a thing until you're through."
"泰勒顿，"他说道，"我向你郑重保证。给我弄来夏洛特的卵囊，从现在起，当拉弗伊给我泼水时，我会让你先吃。我会让你在食槽里挑你喜欢的，而我不会碰任何东西，直到你吃完。"

The rat sat up. "You mean that?" he said.
老鼠坐了起来。"你的意思是？"他说。

"I promise. I cross my heart."
"我保证。我指天发誓。"

"All right, it's a deal," said the rat. He walked to the wall and started to climb. His stomach was still swollen from last night's gorge. Groaning and complaining, he pulled himself slowly to the ceiling. He crept along till he reached the egg sac. Charlotte moved aside for him. She was dying, but she still had strength enough to move a little. Then Templeton bared his long ugly teeth and began snipping the threads that fastened the sac to the ceiling. Wilbur watched from below.
"好吧，一言为定，"老鼠说。他走到墙边开始爬。他的肚子还是昨晚吃得撑的。他咕哝着抱怨着，慢慢地把自己拉到天花板。他爬啊爬，直到到达卵囊。夏洛让开给他让路。她快要死了，但仍然有力气稍微动一下。然后坦普尔顿露出他长长的丑陋牙齿，开始剪断把卵囊系在天花板上的丝线。威尔伯在下面看着。

"Use extreme care!" he said. "I don't want a single one of those eggs harmed."
"小心一点！"他说。"我不想让一个蛋受到伤害。"

"Thith thtuff thticks in my mouth," complained the rat. "It'th worth than caramel candy."
"这东西卡在我的嘴里，"老鼠抱怨道，"比焦糖糖还差。"

But Templeton worked away at the job, and managed to cut the sac adrift and carry it to the ground, where he dropped it in front of Wilbur. Wilbur heaved a great sigh of relief.
但 Templeton 一直在努力工作，设法将囊漂走并带到地面，然后把它放在威尔伯面前。威尔伯长舒了一口气，松了一口气。

"Thank you, Templeton," he said. "I will never forget this as long as I live."
“谢谢你，Templeton，”他说，“我永远不会忘记这件事，直到我死。”

"Neither will I," said the rat, picking his teeth. "I feel as though I'd eaten a spool of thread. Well, home we go!"
“我也不会，”老鼠边说边剔牙，“我感觉好像吃了一卷线。好吧，我们回家吧！”

Templeton crept into the crate and buried himself in the straw. He got out of sight just in time. Lurvy and John Arable and Mr. Zuckerman came along at that moment, followed by Mrs. Arable and Mrs. Zuckerman and Avery and Fern. Wilbur had already decided how he would carry the egg sac - there was only one way possible. He carefully took the little bundle in his mouth and held it there on top of his tongue. He remembered what Charlotte had told him - that the sac was waterproof and strong. It felt funny on his tongue and made him drool a bit. And of course he couldn't say anything. But as he was being shoved into the crate, he looked up at Charlotte and gave her a wink. She knew he was saying good-bye in the only way he could. And she knew her children were safe.
Templeton 悄悄钻进箱子，把自己埋在稻草里。他刚好躲开了视线。就在这时，Lurvy、约翰·阿雷布尔和佐克曼先生走了过来，随后是阿雷布尔太太、佐克曼太太和艾弗里、弗恩。威尔伯已经决定了他将如何携带蛋囊——只有一种可能的方法。他小心翼翼地把小包叼在嘴里，放在舌头上面。他记得夏洛特告诉他的——囊是防水的，很结实。舌头上的感觉很奇怪，让他有点流口水。当然，他什么也说不出来。但在他被推进箱子时，他抬头看向夏洛特，对她眨了眨眼。她知道他是在用他能想到的唯一方式告别。她也知道她的孩子们是安全的。

"Good-bye!" she whispered. Then she summoned all her strength and waved one of her front legs at him.
"再见！"她轻声说道。然后她使出全部力气，朝他挥动了一只前腿。

She never moved again. Next day, as the Ferris wheel was being taken apart and the race horses were being loaded into vans and the entertainers were packing up their belongings and driving away in their trailers, Charlotte died. The Fair Grounds were soon deserted. The sheds and buildings were empty and forlorn.
她再也没动过。第二天，当摩天轮被拆解，赛马被装进货车，表演者收拾行李开着拖车离开，而夏洛特去世时，马戏场很快变得空无一人。棚屋和建筑空荡荡且凄凉。

The infield was littered with bottles and trash. Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was with her when she died.
内场散落着瓶子和垃圾。在参观过马戏场的数百人中，没有人知道一只灰蜘蛛扮演了最重要的角色。她去世时，身边没有一个人。

CHAPTER 22
第二十二章

A Warm Wind
暖风

And so Wilbur came home to his beloved manure pile in the barn cellar. His was a strange homecoming. Around his neck he wore a medal of honor; in his mouth he held a sac of spider's eggs. There is no place like home, Wilbur thought, as he placed Charlotte's five hundred and fourteen unborn children carefully in a safe corner. The barn smelled good. His friends the sheep and the geese were glad to see him back.
于是威尔伯回到了谷仓地下室里他心爱的肥料堆。他的归来有些奇特。脖子上挂着一枚荣誉勋章，嘴里叼着一袋蜘蛛卵。威尔伯心想，没有地方比家更好，他将夏洛的五百一十四个未出生的孩子小心地放在一个安全的角落。谷仓里气味很好闻。他的朋友绵羊和鹅很高兴他回来。

The geese gave him a noisy welcome.
鹅们向他发出嘈杂的欢迎声。

"Congratu-congratu-congratulations!" they cried. "Nice work."
"恭喜恭喜恭喜！"它们喊道。"干得好。"

Mr. Zuckerman took the medal from Wilbur's neck and hung it on a nail over the pigpen, where visitors could examine it. Wilbur himself could look at it whenever he wanted to.
佐克曼先生把奖牌从威尔伯的脖子上取下来，挂在了猪圈上方的一根钉子上，这样游客们就可以去欣赏它了。威尔伯自己想看的时候随时都能看。

In the days that followed, he was very happy. He grew to a great size. He no longer worried about being killed, for he knew that Mr. Zuckerman would keep him as long as he lived. Wilbur often thought of Charlotte. A few strands of her old web still hung in the doorway. Every day Wilbur would stand and look at the torn, empty web, and a lump would come to his throat. No one had ever had such a friend – so affectionate, so loyal, and so skillful.
接下来的日子里，他非常快乐。他长到了很大的体型。他不再担心被杀，因为他知道佐克曼先生会一直养活他直到他死去。威尔伯常常想起夏洛。她旧时的网还挂着几缕在门框上。每天威尔伯都会站起身来，看着那破损的空网，喉咙就会哽咽。从来没有人有过这样的朋友——如此深情，如此忠诚，如此技艺高超。

The autumn days grew shorter, Lurvy brought the squashes and pumpkins in from the garden and piled them on the barn floor, where they wouldn't get nipped on frosty nights. The maples and birches turned bright colors and the wind shook them and they dropped their leaves one by one to the ground. Under the wild apple trees in the pasture, the red little apples lay thick on the ground, and the sheep gnawed them and the geese gnawed them and foxes came in the night and sniffed them. One evening, just before Christmas, snow began falling. It covered house and barn and fields and woods. Wilbur had never seen snow before. When morning came he went out and plowed the drifts in his yard, for the fun of it. Fern and Avery arrived, dragging a sled. They coasted down the lane and out onto the frozen pond in the pasture.
秋日渐短，露维把南瓜和南瓜从花园里搬进来，堆放在谷仓地板上，以免在霜冻的夜晚被冻伤。枫树和桦树变成了鲜艳的颜色，风摇动着它们，它们一片片地落下叶子。在牧场上的野苹果树下，红色的苹果厚厚地铺在地上，羊在啃食它们，鹅也在啃食它们，狐狸在夜间来嗅它们。一个圣诞节前夕的傍晚，开始下雪了。雪覆盖了房子、谷仓、田野和树林。威尔伯以前从未见过雪。当早晨来临时，他出去犁了院子里的积雪，只是出于好玩。费恩和艾弗里到了，拖着一辆雪橇。他们沿着小路滑行，驶向牧场里结冰的池塘。

"Coasting is the most fun there is," said Avery.
“滑行是最有趣的事情，”艾弗里说。

"The most fun there is," retorted Fern, "is when the Ferris wheel stops and Henry and I are in the top car and Henry makes the car swing and we can see everything for miles and miles and miles."
“最有趣的事情，”费恩反驳道，“是当摩天轮停下时，我和亨利在最高的车厢里，亨利让车厢摇摆，我们可以看到方圆数英里的一切。”

"Goodness, are you still thinking about that ol' Ferris wheel?" said Avery in disgust. "The Fair was weeks and weeks ago."
“天哪，你还在想那古老的摩天轮？”艾弗里厌恶地说。“集市已经过去好几个星期了。”

"I think about it all the time," said Fern, picking snow from her ear.
“我一直在想，”费恩边说边从耳朵里挑雪。

After Christmas the thermometer dropped to ten below zero. Cold settled on the world. The pasture was bleak and frozen. The cows stayed in the barn all the time now, except on sunny mornings when they went out and stood in the barnyard in the lee of the straw pile. The sheep stayed near the barn, too, for protection. When they were thirsty they ate snow. The geese hung around the barnyard the way boys hang around a drug store, and Mr. Zuckerman fed them corn and turnips to keep them cheerful.
圣诞节过后，气温骤降至零下十度。寒冷笼罩了整个世界。牧场变得荒凉而结冰。奶牛们现在一直待在谷仓里，只有在阳光明媚的早晨才会出去，在干草堆的背风处站立。羊群也待在谷仓附近，以求保护。当它们口渴时，就会吃雪。野鹅们像男孩们围着药店一样围着谷仓打转，佐克曼先生喂它们玉米和芜菁来保持它们的快乐。

"Many, many, many thanks!" they always said, when they saw food coming.
"非常非常非常感谢！"每当看到食物送来时，他们总是这么说。

Templeton moved indoors when winter came. His ratty home under the pig trough was too chilly, so he fixed himself a cozy nest in the barn behind the grain bins. He lined it with bits of dirty newspapers and rags and whenever he found a trinket or a keepsake he carried it home and stored it there. He continued to visit Wilbur three times a day, exactly at mealtime, and Wilbur kept the promise he had made. Wilbur let the rat eat first.
当冬天来临时，Templeton 搬到室内。他的猪槽下的破旧家太冷了，所以他自己在谷仓后面为自己搭了一个舒适的巢。他用一些脏报纸和破布铺在巢里，每当他找到一个纪念品或小玩意儿，他都会带回家存放在那里。他继续每天三次准时去探望威尔伯，正好是用餐时间，威尔伯也遵守了他许下的承诺。威尔伯让老鼠先吃。

Then, when Templeton couldn't hold another mouthful, Wilbur would eat. As a result of overeating, Templeton grew bigger and fatter than any rat you ever saw. He was gigantic. He was as big as a young woodchuck.
然后，当 Templeton 再也吃不下任何东西时，威尔伯才会吃。由于吃得过多，Templeton 变得比任何老鼠都要大而胖。他变得巨大无比。他像一只年轻的土拨鼠那么大。

The old sheep spoke to him about his size one day. "You would live longer," said the old sheep, "if you ate less."
有一天，老绵羊对它的大小发表了评论。"如果你少吃一点，"老绵羊说，"你会活得更久。"

"Who wants to live forever?" sneered the rat. "I am naturally a heavy eater and I get untold satisfaction from the pleasures of the feast." He patted his stomach, grinned at the sheep, and crept upstairs to lie down.
"谁想永远活着？"老鼠讥讽道。"我天生就是个大吃货，盛宴的乐趣让我无比满足。"他拍了拍肚子，对着绵羊咧嘴一笑，然后悄悄爬上楼躺下。

All winter Wilbur watched over Charlotte's egg sac as though he were guarding his own children. He had scooped out a special place in the manure for the sac, next to the board fence. On very cold nights he lay so that his breath would warm it. For Wilbur, nothing in life was so important as this small round object - nothing else mattered. Patiently he awaited the end of winter and the coming of the little spiders. Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch. The winter ended at last.
整个冬天，威尔伯像守护自己的孩子一样守护着夏洛的卵囊。他在肥料里挖了一个特别的地方放卵囊，紧挨着木板围栏。在特别冷的夜晚，他会躺下让呼吸温暖它。对威尔伯来说，生活中没有比这个小圆球更重要的事——其他什么都不重要。他耐心地等待着冬天的结束和小蜘蛛的到来。当你等待某事发生或孵化时，生活总是充满丰富和稳定。最后，冬天结束了。

"I heard the frogs today," said the old sheep one evening. "Listen! You can hear them now."
"我今天听到青蛙叫了，"老绵羊一个晚上说。"听！你现在能听到！"

Wilbur stood still and cocked his cars. From the pond, in shrill chorus, came the voices of hundreds of little frogs.
威尔伯静止不动，竖起了耳朵。从池塘里，成百上千的小青蛙以尖锐的合唱声传来。

"Springtime," said the old sheep, thoughtfully. "Another spring." As she walked away, Wilbur saw a new lamb following her.
"春天了，"老绵羊若有所思地说。"又是一个春天。"当她走开时，威尔伯看见一只新的小羊跟随着她。

It was only a few hours old.
才几小时大。

The snows melted and ran away. The streams and ditches bubbled and chattered with rushing water. A sparrow with a streaky breast arrived and sang. The light strengthened, the mornings came sooner. Almost every morning there was another new lamb in the sheepfold. The goose was sitting on nine eggs. The sky seemed wider and a warm wind blew. The last remaining strands of Charlotte's old web floated away and vanished.
雪化了，流走了。小溪和沟渠里涌动着水，发出潺潺声。一只胸带条纹的麻雀飞来歌唱。光线变强了，早晨来得更早了。几乎每天早晨羊圈里都有新的小羊羔。鹅正坐在九颗蛋上。天空似乎更宽广了，一股暖风吹过。夏洛旧时的网最后几根丝线飘走，消失不见了。

One fine sunny morning, after breakfast, Wilbur stood watching his precious sac. He wasn't thinking of anything much. As he stood there, he noticed something move. He stepped closer and stared. A tiny spider crawled from the sac. It was no bigger than a grain of sand, no bigger than the head of a pin.
一个晴朗的早晨，吃过早餐后，威尔伯站在那里看着他的宝贝囊。他没想太多。当他站在那里时，他注意到有东西在动。他走近些，凝视着。一只小蜘蛛从囊里爬了出来。它只有沙粒那么大，针尖那么大。

Its body was grey with a black stripe underneath. Its legs were grey and tan. It looked just like Charlotte.
它的身体是灰色的，下面有一条黑条纹。它的腿是灰色的，带点棕黄色。它看起来就像夏洛。

Wilbur trembled all over when he saw it. The little spider waved at him. Then Wilbur looked more closely. Two more little spiders crawled out and waved. They climbed round and round on the sac, exploring their new world. Then three more little spiders. Then eight. Then ten. Charlotte's children were here at last.
威尔伯看到它时浑身颤抖。那只小蜘蛛向他挥手。然后威尔伯仔细看了看。又有两只小蜘蛛爬出来挥手。它们在茧上绕来绕去，探索着它们的新世界。接着又来了三只小蜘蛛。然后是八只。接着是十只。夏洛的孩子们终于来了。

Wilbur's heart pounded. He began to squeal. Then he raced in circles, kicking manure into the air. Then he turned a back flip. Then he planted his front feet and came to a stop in front of Charlotte's children.
威尔伯的心怦怦直跳。他开始吱吱叫。然后他转着圈跑，把粪便踢到空中。接着他来了个后空翻。然后他前脚着地停了下来，站在夏洛的孩子们面前。

"Hello, there!" he said.
“你好啊！”他说。

The first spider said hello, but its voice was so small Wilbur couldn't hear it.
第一只蜘蛛打招呼了，但它的声音太小了，威尔伯听不见。

"I am an old friend of your mother's," said Wilbur. "I'm glad to see you. Are you all right? Is everything all right?"
“我是你妈妈的老朋友，”威尔伯说。“很高兴见到你。你还好吗？一切都好吗？”

The little spiders waved their forelegs at him. Wilbur could see by the way they acted that they were glad to see him.
小蜘蛛们向他挥动着前腿。威尔伯从它们的行为中看出，它们很高兴见到他。

"Is there anything I can get you? Is there anything you need?"
“有什么我能帮你的吗？你需要什么吗？”

The young spiders just waved. For several days and several nights they crawled here and there, up and down, around and about, waving at Wilbur, trailing tiny draglines behind them, and exploring their home. There were dozens and dozens of them. Wilbur couldn't count them, but he knew that he had a great many new friends. They grew quite rapidly. Soon each was as big as a BB shot. They made tiny webs near the sac.
小蜘蛛们只是挥了挥。几天几夜，它们在这里那里爬来爬去，上上下下，绕来绕去，向威尔伯挥手，在身后留下细小的拖丝，探索着它们的家园。它们有几十个，甚至更多。威尔伯数不清，但他知道他有很多新朋友。它们长得很快。很快，每只都和 BB 弹一样大。它们在茧附近织了小小的网。

Then came a quiet morning when Mr. Zuckerman opened a door on the north side. A warm draft of rising air blew softly through the barn cellar. The air smelled of the damp earth, of the spruce woods, of the sweet springtime. The baby spiders felt the warm updraft. One spider climbed to the top of the fence. Then it did something that came as a great surprise to Wilbur. The spider stood on its head, pointed its spinnerets in the air, and let loose a cloud of fine silk. The silk formed a balloon. As Wilbur watched, the spider let go of the fence and rose into the air.
接着是一个宁静的早晨，朱克曼先生打开了北边的一扇门。一股温暖的上升气流轻柔地吹过谷仓地下室。空气中弥漫着潮湿的泥土、松树林和甜蜜的春天气息。小蜘蛛们感受到了这股暖风。一只蜘蛛爬到了栅栏顶端。然后它做了让威尔伯大吃一惊的事。蜘蛛头朝下站立，将纺器指向空中，释放出一团细丝。细丝形成了一个气球。威尔伯看着，蜘蛛松开了栅栏，飞入了空中。

"Good-bye!" it said, as it sailed through the doorway.
"再见！"它一边飞过门廊，一边说道。

"Wait a minute!" screamed Wilbur. "Where do you think you're going?"
"等一下！"威尔伯尖叫道。"你以为你要去哪里？"

But the spider was already out of sight. Then another baby spider crawled to the top of the fence, stood on its head, made a balloon, and sailed away. Then another spider. Then another. The air was soon filled with tiny balloons, each balloon carrying a spider.
但蜘蛛已经看不见了。接着，另一只小蜘蛛爬到栅栏顶端，头朝下站立，做了一个气球，然后飞走了。接着是另一只蜘蛛，然后又是另一只。很快，空气中就充满了小小的气球，每个气球上都载着一只蜘蛛。

Wilbur was frantic. Charlotte's babies were disappearing at a great rate.
威尔伯非常焦急。夏洛的孩子们正在以惊人的速度消失。

"Come back, children!" he cried.
"回来吧，孩子们！"他喊道。

"Good-bye!" they called. "Good-bye, good-bye!" At last one little spider took time enough to stop and talk to Wilbur before making its balloon.
"再见！"他们叫道。"再见，再见！"最后一只小蜘蛛停了下来，在放飞气球前和威尔伯交谈够了。

"We're leaving here on the warm updraft. This is our moment for setting forth. We are aeronauts and we are going out into the world to make webs for ourselves."
"我们要乘着温暖的上升气流离开这里。这是我们出发的时刻。我们是飞行家，我们要去世界闯荡，为自己编织网。"

"But where?" asked Wilbur.
"但是去哪里呢？"威尔伯问道。

"Wherever the wind takes us. High, low. Near, far. East, west. North, south. We take to the breeze, we go as we please."
无论风把我们带到哪里。高，低。近，远。东，西。北，南。我们乘着风，随心所欲地前行。

"Are all of you going?" asked Wilbur. "You can't all go. I would be left alone, with no friends. Your mother wouldn't want that to happen, I'm sure."
"你们都去吗？"威尔伯问道。"不能都去。我会一个人留下，没有朋友。我确信你们的妈妈不希望这样。"

The air was now so full of balloonists that the barn cellar looked almost as though a mist had gathered. Balloons by the dozen were rising, circling, and drifting away through the door, sailing off on the gentle wind. Cries of "Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye!" came weakly to Wilbur's ears. He couldn't bear to watch any more. In sorrow he sank to the ground and closed his eyes. This seemed like the end of the world, to be deserted by Charlotte's children. Wilbur cried himself to sleep.
现在空气中充满了气球人，谷仓地下室看起来几乎像是有雾气聚集。一打一打的气球正在升起、盘旋，并通过门口飘走，乘着轻柔的风远航。威尔伯耳边传来微弱的"再见，再见，再见！"的呼喊声。他再也无法忍受观看这一切。在悲伤中他沉到地面，闭上眼睛。被夏洛的孩子们抛弃，这仿佛是世界末日。威尔伯哭着自己入睡。

When he woke it was late afternoon. He looked at the egg sac. It was empty. He looked into the air. The balloonists were gone. Then he walked drearily to the doorway, where Charlotte's web used to be. He was standing there, thinking of her, when he heard a small voice.
当他醒来时已是傍晚。他看着卵囊。它是空的。他望向空中。气球人都走了。然后他忧郁地走到门口，那里曾经是夏洛的网。他站在那里，想着她，这时他听到一个微小的声音。

"Salutations!" it said. "I'm up here."
"你好！"它说。"我在这里呢。"

"So am I," said another tiny voice.
"我也是，"另一个细小的声音说。

"So am I," said a third voice. "Three of us are staying. We like this place, and we like you."
"我也是，"第三个声音说。"我们三个留在这里。我们喜欢这个地方，也喜欢你。"

Wilbur looked up. At the top of the doorway three small webs were being constructed. On each web, working busily was one of Charlotte's daughters.
威尔伯抬头看。在门框顶部，三张小网正在被编织。每张网上，夏洛的女儿们正忙碌地工作着。

"Can I take this to mean," asked Wilbur, "that you have definitely decided to live here in the barn cellar, and that I am going to have three friends?"
"我是不是可以这样理解，"威尔伯问道，"你已下定决心要住在这里谷仓的地下室，而且我将会有三位朋友？"

"You can indeed," said the spiders.
"确实如此，"蜘蛛们说。

"What are your names, please?" asked Wilbur, trembling with joy.
"请告诉我你们的名字好吗？"威尔伯激动地问道。

"I'll tell you my name," replied the first little spider, "if you'll tell me why you are trembling."
"如果告诉我你为什么激动，"第一只小蜘蛛回答说，"我就告诉你们我的名字。"

"I'm trembling with joy," said Wilbur.
"我激动得发抖，"威尔伯说。

"Then my name is Joy," said the first spider.
"那我的名字就是快乐，"第一条蜘蛛说。

"What was my mother's middle initial?" asked the second spider.
"我母亲的中初始化是什么？"第二条蜘蛛问。

"A," said Wilbur.
"A，"威尔伯说。

"Then my name is Aranea," said the spider.
"那我的名字是阿拉尼亚，"蜘蛛说。

"How about me?" asked the third spider. "Will you just pick out a nice sensible name for me - something not too long, not too fancy, and not too dumb?"
"那轮到我了，"第三只蜘蛛问道。"你会给我选一个好听又实用的名字吗——不要太长，不要太花哨，也不要太蠢？"

Wilbur thought hard.
威尔伯认真思考。

"Nellie?" he suggested.
"内莉？"他建议。

"Fine, I like that very much," said the third spider. "You may call me Nellie." She daintily fastened her orb line to the next spoke of the web.
"好的，我非常喜欢这样，"第三只蜘蛛说。"你可以叫我内莉。"她精致地把她的大网线系在蜘蛛网的下一根辐条上。

Wilbur's' heart brimmed with happiness. He felt that he should make a short speech on this very important occasion.
威尔伯的心里充满了喜悦。他觉得在这个重要的时刻，他应该发表一段简短的讲话。

"Joy! Aranea! Nellie!" he began. "Welcome to the barn cellar. You have chosen a hallowed doorway from which to string your webs. I think it is only fair to tell you that I was devoted to your mother. I owe my very life to her. She was brilliant, beautiful, and loyal to the end. I shall always treasure her memory. To you, her daughters, I pledge my friendship, forever and ever."
"太好了！蜘蛛！内莉！"他开始说。"欢迎来到谷仓地下室。你选择了一个神圣的门廊来织你的网。我想公平地告诉你，我对你妈妈非常忠诚。我生命中的每一刻都亏欠于她。她聪明、美丽，并且忠诚到最后一刻。我将永远珍藏她的记忆。对你的女儿们，我发誓永远友谊长存。"

"I pledge mine," said Joy.
"我也发誓，"乔伊说。

"I do, too," said Aranea.
“我也是，”阿拉尼亚说。

"And so do I," said Nellie, who had just managed to catch a small gnat.
“我也是，”内莉说，她刚刚捉住了一只小苍蝇。

It was a happy day for Wilbur. And many more happy, tranquil days followed.
威尔伯过了一个快乐的日子。随后，又有许多快乐而宁静的日子接踵而至。

As time went on, and the months and years came, and went, he was never without friends. Fern did not come regularly to the barn any more. She was growing up, and was careful to avoid childish things, like sitting on a milk stool near a pigpen. But Charlotte's children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, year after year, lived in the doorway. Each spring there were new little spiders hatching out to take the place of the old. Most of them sailed away, on their balloons. But always two or three stayed and set up housekeeping in the doorway.
随着时间的流逝，月份和年份来了又去，他从未缺少朋友。费恩不再定期来到谷仓。她长大了，小心地避开幼稚的事物，比如坐在猪圈旁的牛奶凳上。但夏洛的子孙后代，一年又一年，住在门廊里。每一年春天，都有新的小蜘蛛孵化出来，取代老蜘蛛的位置。它们中的大多数乘着气球飞走了。但总有两三个留下来，在门廊里安家落户。

Mr. Zuckerman took fine care of Wilbur all the rest of his days, and the pig was often visited by friends and admirers, for nobody ever forgot the year of his triumph and the miracle of the web. Life in the barn was very good - night and day, winter and summer, spring and fall, dull days and bright days. It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with the garrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of manure, and the glory of everything.
佐克曼先生悉心照料威尔伯直到他生命的最后日子，小猪常常受到朋友和仰慕者的拜访，因为没有人会忘记他胜利的那一年和那张网带来的奇迹。谷仓里的生活非常美好——日日夜夜，冬去春来，春夏秋冬，无论阴晴。威尔伯心想，这里是最理想的地方，这个温暖诱人的地窖，有喋喋不休的鹅，变幻的季节，阳光的炙热，燕子飞过的身影，老鼠的邻近，羊群的相似，蜘蛛的关爱，粪便的气味，以及万物的光辉。

Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.
威尔伯永远不会忘记夏洛。尽管他深爱着她的孩子们和孙子们，但新的蜘蛛们从未真正取代她在他心中的位置。她是独一无二的。并非常有这样的人出现，既是真正的朋友又是优秀的作家。夏洛正是如此。

THE END

1. 早餐之前

"爸爸拿着斧子去哪儿了？"在他们收拾桌子准备吃早饭时，芬问她的母亲。

"去猪圈了，"阿拉贝尔太太回答。"昨晚生了几只小猪。"

"我不明白他为什么需要一把斧子，"只有八岁的芬继续说。

"哦"，她的母亲说，"其中的一头是个小个子。它长得又小又弱，没有任何可留下

来的价值了。所以你爸爸决定去消灭它。"

"消灭它？"芬尖叫。"你是说杀死它？就因为他比别人的个子小？"

阿拉贝尔太太把一罐乳酪放到桌上。"别嚷，芬！"她说。"你爸做的对。那头猪不论如何都会死的。"

芬推开挡在面前的椅子就往门外跑。草地湿漉漉的，泥土里散发着春天的气息。等芬赶上她的爸爸时，她的运动胶鞋全都湿透了。

"请别杀它！"她呜咽道。"这不公平！"

阿拉贝尔先生止住了脚。

"芬"，他温柔的说，"你该学会自我控制。"

"自我控制？"芬哭叫道，"这可是一件生死大事！你却对我说什么自我控制！"泪水流到芬的面颊上。她抓住了斧头柄，想把它从父亲手中抢下来。

"芬"，阿拉贝尔先生说，"养小猪的事我比你知道的多。一个体质差的小猪很难养活的。现在你该放我走了！"

"可是这不公平，"芬哭叫着。"这头猪愿意让自己生下来就小吗，它愿意吗？如果我生下来时也很瘦小，你就会杀死我吗？"

阿拉贝尔先生微笑了。"当然不会了，"他说着，低下头慈爱地望着女儿。"但这是不一样的。一个小女孩是一码事儿，一个小瘦猪是另一码事儿。"

"我看没什么不一样，"芬回答着，仍死抓着斧柄不放。"这是我曾经听到过的最恐怖的案件！"

约翰·阿拉贝尔先生的脸上出现了某种奇特的表情。他好像也要哭了。

"好吧，"他说。"你先回家吧。等我回家，我会把那头小猪带回来。我将让你用奶瓶喂他，象喂婴儿一样。那时你就会明白一头小猪会多么麻烦了。"

半小时后，阿拉贝尔先生胳膊下夹着一个纸板盒回了家。芬正在楼上换她的运动鞋。厨房的桌子上摆好了早餐，房间里都是咖啡，薰肉的香味，湿湿的灰泥味儿，还有从炉子里荡出来的柴火烟味儿。

"把它放到她的椅子上！"阿拉贝尔太太说。阿拉贝尔先生把纸板盒放到芬的位子上。然后他到洗手池洗了手，用池边滚筒上的毛巾把手擦干。

芬慢慢地下了楼。因为刚刚哭过，她的眼还是红红的。当她走近她的椅子，纸板盒开始晃动起来，里面传出了抓搔声。芬看了看她的父亲。然后她掀起了盒盖。从那里面打量着她的，正是那新生的小猪。它是白色的。早晨的阳光把它的耳朵映得粉红。

"他是你的了，" 阿拉贝尔先生说。"是你使他免于一死。愿上帝能原谅我这愚蠢的行为。"

芬不错眼珠地看着这头小小猪。"哦，"她轻声赞美。"哦，看他呀！他漂亮极了。"

她小心的关上了盖子。她先吻了爸爸，又吻了妈妈。然后她又揭开盖子，把小猪举起来，让他贴到自己的脸上。这时，她的哥哥埃弗里走了进来。埃弗里十岁了。他的身上可是全副武装呢--一只手里拿着气枪，一只手里攥着一把木制匕首。

"那是什么？"他问。"芬得了什么了？"

"她有了一位来吃早餐的客人，" 阿拉贝尔太太说。"埃弗里，去洗手洗脸！"

"让我看看它嘛！"埃弗里说着，放下他的枪。"你说这可怜的小东西是一头猪？这不过是一头猪的小型复制品而已--他还没有一只白老鼠大呢。"

"去洗脸吃饭，埃弗里！"他的妈妈说。"半小时内校车就要来了。"

"我也能有一头小猪吗，爸？"埃弗里问。

"不，我只把小猪送给早起的人，" 阿拉贝尔先生说。"为了制止这世界上的不公正行为，芬天刚亮就起床了。结果，她现在有了一头小猪。当然了，他的确是特别小，可不管怎么说这都是一头小猪。这只是表明，如果一个人能迅速地从床上爬起来，会有什么样的事情发生。让我们开饭吧！"

但是芬要等到她的小猪喝完牛奶后才肯吃饭。阿拉贝尔太太找出了一个婴儿用的奶瓶和奶嘴儿。她把温乎乎的牛奶倒进奶瓶里，又把奶嘴儿安上，才把奶瓶递给了芬。"给他吃早餐吧！"她说。

一分钟后，芬坐在厨房角落里的地板上，把她的小宝贝抱在膝头，开始教他如何从瓶中喝奶。这小猪虽然那么小，却有一个好胃口，而且也学得很快。

路上响起了校车的喇叭声。

"快跑！" 阿拉贝尔太太命令着，把小猪从芬那里抱下来，将一张油煎圈饼放到她的手上。埃弗里赶忙抓起他的枪和另一张油煎圈饼。

孩子们跑到路边，上了校车。在车里，芬没有注意其他的人。她只是坐在那里朝车窗外看，想着这是个多美好的世界，自己又是多么幸运，居然可以拥有一头小猪。在车开到学校的那一刻，芬已经给她的宝贝起好了名字，选的是她能想到的最漂亮的名字。

"它的名字是威伯"，她喃喃的自语。
"它的名字是威伯"，她喃喃自语。

当老师在课堂里问她："芬，宾夕法尼亚洲的首府叫什么？"时，她还在想着那头小猪。

"威伯"，芬出神的回答。同学们格格地笑起来。芬脸红了。

2.威伯

芬爱威伯胜过了一切。她喜欢抚摩着他，喂他，抱他上床睡觉。每天早晨，只要她一起床，

就亲自给他热牛奶，再为他系上围嘴儿，为他拿着瓶子。每天下午，当校车停到她家门前，她就会跳下车，跑到厨房为他准备另一瓶牛奶。晚饭时她还要一遍遍地喂他，直到上床就寝前为止。每天下午，芬刚离开学校的时候，阿拉贝尔太太就替芬喂威伯。威伯虽然喜欢喝奶，但只有芬为他热奶时，他才感到莫大的幸福，这时他会站起来，用充满深情的眼睛注视着她。

在威伯出生后的最初数天里，他被允许住在厨房火炉旁的盒子里。可后来，阿拉贝尔太太开始抱怨说，他该搬到柴棚那儿的大一点的房子里去住。因此在两周大的时候，他被挪到了户外。已经快到苹果树开花的时候了，天气正在变暖。阿拉贝尔先生在苹果树下为威伯特别圈了一座小院子，在里面给他搭了一个铺满稻草的大房子，房子底下还留出一个小门，如果他高兴，他可以随时从中进出。

"他在夜里不会冷吗？"

"不会的，"她的父亲说，"你只要看他都在做什么就知道了。"

芬拿了一瓶牛奶，坐到小院子里的苹果树下。威伯立刻朝她跑过来，她握住奶瓶喂他喝。吸吮完最后一滴后，威伯打着满意的呼噜，睡意朦胧地踱进小房子里去了。芬趴在房门口往里窥视。见威伯正用他的鼻子拱那些稻草。只一小会儿，他就在稻草间掘出了一个坑。他爬进坑里，完全被稻草盖住了，就此从芬的视线里消失。芬简直看入迷了。她这才放了心，因为她知道她的宝宝睡得既舒服又暖和。

每天早饭后，威伯都和芬一起走到路上，直到校车开来。等她挥手和他说完再见，他便站在那里望着汽车，直到车拐个弯儿开远。当芬上学时，威伯就被关到他的院子里。但只要下午芬一回来，她就会把他领出来，他便跟着她到处溜达。如果她进屋，威伯便也跟着往里走；如果她上了楼，威伯便在台阶上等着，直到她再次走下来；如果她用婴儿车带着自己的玩具娃娃去散步，威伯也会在后面跟着。有时，威伯有点儿走累了，芬就把他抱起来，放到车里的娃娃边上。他很喜欢这样。如果他非常的累，他就闭上眼睛，在娃娃身上蒙着的毯子下进入梦乡。他闭着眼的时候看起来格外的酷，因为他的眼毛是那么的长。娃娃也会闭眼睛呢。这时芬就会慢慢的、稳稳的推着小车，以免把她的宝宝们从梦中摇醒。

一个温暖的下午，芬和埃弗里穿上他们的游泳衣去小河边游泳。威伯也紧紧在芬的脚后跟着，和她一齐涉进水里。可他感觉水很凉--凉得让他非常不喜欢。所以当孩子们开始游泳并互相撩水玩儿时，威伯就在河边的泥地上玩，那里又暖又湿，让他很开心。

每日都是快乐的，每夜都是宁静的。

因为生在春天，所以威伯是头农夫们所谓的"春猪"。当他有五星期大时，阿拉贝尔先生说，他现在大得可以出卖了，因此应该被卖掉。芬听后，放声大哭起来。但她的父亲却还是坚持要卖威伯。威伯的食量变大了，除了牛奶他也开始吃散碎的食物了，阿拉贝尔先生不愿意再养他。他已经卖掉了威伯的十个哥哥姐姐了。

"他必须得走，芬，"他说。"你已经体验到了养小猪的乐趣了，可威伯不再是小猪了，得被卖掉才行。"

"给祖克曼舅舅打个电话，"阿拉贝尔太太对芬建议。"你霍默舅舅也养过猪。如果威伯卖到他那里，你就能顺着小路去看威伯了--只要你愿意的话。"

"我该向他要多少钱呢？"芬很想知道这一点。

"该要多少呢，"她的父亲说，"他长得这么瘦。告诉你霍默舅舅，你有一头小猪，只卖他六美元，看他有什么意见。"

这事一会儿就办妥了。伊迪丝舅妈听到芬打来的电话，便大声的叫在谷仓干活的霍默舅舅来听。当他听说小猪只卖六美元时，便说他决定买下了。第二天，威伯被从他在苹果树下的小房子里带走，住进了祖克曼先生的谷仓下面，地窖里的牛粪堆旁。

3．逃跑

谷仓很大，也很旧。里面全是干草和粪肥的气味。还有种跑累了的马身上的汗味儿与好脾气的母牛喷出的奇妙的香甜味道。空气中常驻的，是一种和平的气息--好像这个世界上再不会有坏事情发生了。这里偶尔还会有谷粒的香味，马具上的草料味，车子上的润滑油味，橡胶靴子味，或是新扎的草绳味儿。如果猫儿叼着人们扔给他的鱼头到这里来享受时，谷仓里就会多了股鱼腥味儿。不过，这里面最浓的味道却是干草味儿，因为谷仓上面的大阁楼里总是堆满了干草。这些干草被不断的扔给下面的母牛、马、绵羊们吃。

冬天，当动物们在外面呆久了，回来后会觉得这个谷仓格外的温暖；而夏天呢，当谷仓的门大大敞开着，微风吹进来，这里又变得说不出的凉爽。谷仓上层面有马厩、牛棚，下层的地窖里是羊圈、威伯住的猪圈；里面还堆着你能从谷仓里找到的各类的器具：梯子，磨石，长柄草叉，活手搬子，大号的镰刀，割草机，清雪铲，斧子柄儿，牛奶桶，水桶，空粮食袋子，生锈的捕鼠夹等等。这是燕子们喜欢来筑巢的谷仓。这里的一切都是属于芬的舅舅，霍默·L·祖克曼先生的。

威伯的新家在谷仓的下层，正好在牛棚底下。祖克曼先生知道牛粪堆是养小猪的好地方。猪喜欢温暖，而谷仓下朝南的地窖正是温暖而又舒适的地方。

芬差不多每天都来看威伯。她找到一张没人要的挤奶凳，于是便把凳子搬到紧挨着威伯的猪圈的羊圈旁。整个漫长的下午，她就这么静静地坐在那里，望着威伯，想着，听着。绵羊不久便认识她，并信任她了。和羊住在一起的母鹅也是。所有的动物都信任她，因为她是那么的文静、和善。祖克曼先生不让她把威伯带出去，也不让她进猪圈。不过，他告诉芬，如果她愿意，她坐在凳子上看威伯多久都行。能靠近威伯她就感到很幸福了；知道芬就坐在他家的外面，威伯也感到无比的快活。只是他却再不能做从前的乐事了--不能再散步，不能再坐婴儿车，也不能再去游泳了。

六月的一个下午，差不多两个月大的威伯游荡到他在谷仓外的院子里。那天芬没像往常一样来看他。站在阳光下的威伯，觉得孤单而又无聊。

"在这里从没任何事儿可做，"他想。他慢慢地走到食槽前，用鼻子搜寻着，想找找是否有忘了吃的午餐。他发现了一小截土豆皮，就把它吃了下去。他感到背有点儿痒，就斜靠到栅栏上，在木板上使劲的蹭着。当他蹭腻了，便走回他的家门口，爬到牛粪堆顶上，坐了下来。他不想睡，也不想再乱拱了，他厌倦了再这么静静的傻站着，也厌倦了睡觉。"我才活了不到两个月，就对生活厌烦了，"他说。他又往院子里去了。

"当我来到这儿，"他说，"除了回家没别的地方可去。当我进了家，除了院子也没别的地方可逛。"

"你错了，我的朋友，我的朋友。"一个声音说。

威伯往栅栏那边看去，发现一只母鹅就站在那里。

"你不用老呆在那个肮脏的-小 肮脏的-小 肮脏的-小院子里，"母鹅说得相当的快。"这儿有一块木板松了。推开它，推-推-推开它，就能够出去！"

"什么？"威伯说。"说慢一点儿！"

"让-让-让，让我冒险重复一遍，"母鹅说，"我的意思是，建议你跑出去。这外面的世界精彩极了。"

"你是说有块木板松了？"

"那就是我要说的，那就是。"母鹅说。

威伯走到栅栏旁，发现母鹅说得对--真的有一块木板松了。他低下头，闭起眼，用力撞过去。木板松开了。没用一分钟，他就挤过了栅栏，来到院子外的长草丛中了。母鹅嘎嘎大笑起来。

"自由的滋味如何？"她问。

"我喜欢，"威伯说。"我的意思是说，我想我喜欢这感觉。"

实际上，当威伯站在栅栏外，望着这个与自己毫无阻隔的大大的世界的时候，他只有种梦幻般的，说不清的感觉。

"你说我去哪儿比较好？"

"你喜欢的任何地方，你喜欢的任何地方，"母鹅说。"到果园那里去，把路上的草皮翻出来！到花园去，把萝卜拱出来！拱开一切！吃草！找玉米粒儿！寻找燕麦！把一切都压倒！蹦高和跳舞，后脚立地跳起来！走过果园，去树林里漫步！在你年轻时世界是多么美妙。"

"我明白你的意思，"威伯回答。他在空气中跳跃着，转了几个圈儿，又跑了几步，才停了下来，四处搜寻着，嗅着午后的气息，不久，他向果园走去。他停到一棵苹果树荫下，把他强壮的鼻子插进土里，开始尽情地拱、挖、掘。他感到非常的快活。在有人注意到他之前，他已经掘起很多土了。祖克曼太太是第一个看见他的。她从厨房的窗子里望见了他，便开始喊人。

"霍--默！"她喊。"猪跑出来了！鲁维！猪跑了！霍默！鲁维！猪跑了。他在那棵苹果树下面呢。"

"现在麻烦来了，"威伯想。"现在我要被抓住了。"

母鹅也听见了她的吵嚷，便对威伯大喊。"跑-跑-跑到下坡去，往树林里跑，树林！"她拼命地嚷。"他们在树林里永远-永远-永远抓不住你。"

听到这场骚动的长毛狗从谷仓里跑出去追。祖克曼先生听到喊声，忙从工作间里跑出来，放下了手中正在修理的农具。在龙须菜地里拔草的雇工鲁维，听到喊声，也赶紧跑了出来。每个人都在朝威伯逼近！威伯不知所措了。到树林的路似乎是那么远，而且，他还从没进过树林，也不知道是否会喜欢呆在树林里呢。

"绕到他身后去，鲁维，"祖克曼先生说，"把他朝谷仓这边赶！小心点儿--别吓坏他！我去拿一桶猪食来。"

威伯逃跑的消息在这里的动物中间迅速传开了。以前从没有任何一只动物能逃离祖克曼先生的农场呢，因此这事情引起了大家极大的兴趣。母鹅对离她最近的母牛嚷道，威伯自由了，不久所有的母牛都知道了这个新闻。然后一头母牛把这消息告诉了一只绵羊，不久所有的绵羊也知道了。羊羔们又从他们的母亲那里了解了一切。谷仓的马厩里的马们，竖起的耳朵也听到了母鹅的喊叫，因此不久所有的马也明白发生了什么事儿。"威伯逃了，"他们说。每一个动物都兴奋地抬起头，变得分外的激动，因为他们知道他们的一个朋友已经获得了自由，再不用被紧紧的关在圈里了。

威伯不知该怎么做，往哪里跑。看起来好像每个人都在追他。"如果这就是美好的自由，"他想，"我还不如被关在我自己的院子里呢。"

长毛狗从一边悄悄地靠过来，雇工鲁维也正从另一边渐渐逼近。祖克曼太太摆出了一副准备拦截的架势--如果威伯要往花园里跑的话。现在，祖克曼先生拎着桶正朝威伯走过来。"这真太可怕了，"威伯想。"为什么芬还不来？"他开始哭了。

母鹅给威伯发出一个又一个指令。

"别傻站着，威伯！快逃，快逃！"母鹅大叫。"转圈跳，往我这边儿跳，溜过来冲出去，过来出去，过来出去！往树林跑！迂回前进！"

长毛狗猛地蹿起来咬向威伯的后腿。威伯蹦着高儿跑开。鲁维冲上前去抓威伯。祖克曼太太对鲁维尖叫起来。母鹅还在为威伯加油。威伯从鲁维的双腿间逃了出去，鲁维没有抓到威伯，反一把搂住了长毛狗。"干得好，干得好！"母鹅叫道。"再来一个，再来一个！"

"往下坡跑！"母牛们出主意。

"向我这里跑！"公鹅尖叫。

"往上坡跑！"绵羊大喊。

"迂回前进！"母鹅嘎嘎地叫着。

"跳，蹦高儿！"公鸡叫。

"小心鲁维！"母牛提醒。

"小心祖克曼！"公鹅扯着嗓子喊。

"小心那条狗！"绵羊大叫。

"听我的，听我的！"母鹅尖叫。

可怜的威伯被他们的乱叫弄得又晕又怕。他可不喜欢成为这些乱子的焦点。他本想试着听从朋友们给他的建议，可他不能同时既往上坡跑，又往下坡跑，而且，他也不能一边蹦起来一边迂回前进，更何况他哭喊得这么厉害，几乎弄不清周围都发生了什么事。真的，威伯毕竟只不过是一头比婴儿大不多少的小猪罢了。他只希望芬此刻在场，能把自己抱起来安慰一番。当他抬头看到祖克曼先生就静静地站在身旁，手里拎着盛满热乎乎的稀饭的食桶时，才稍稍宽了心。他耸起鼻子使劲儿闻着。那些味道多鲜美呀--有热牛奶，土豆皮，粗麦粉，凯洛格牌玉米片，还有祖克曼先生早餐吃剩的酥饼呢。

"来呀，小猪！"祖克曼先生说着，敲了敲食桶。"来呀，小猪！"

威伯朝那只桶走了一步。

"不-不-不！"母鹅说。"这桶是个并不新鲜的骗局，威伯。别上套儿！别上套儿！他是想以此诱捕你。他正在用好吃的诱惑你的肚子。"

威伯不在乎。这食物闻起来太开胃了。他又朝食桶走了一步。

"小猪，小猪！"祖克曼先生甜蜜地叫着，开始慢慢地往谷仓方向走，同时弄出一副纯真的表情回头看着，好像他不知道这头小白猪正跟在他后面走一样。

"你会后悔-后悔-后悔的。"母鹅叫道。

威伯不在乎。他还在朝食桶走。

"你会失去你的自由的，"母鹅大喊。"一小时的自由要比一大桶猪食更可贵！"

威伯还是不在乎。

祖克曼先生走到猪圈附近，便爬过栅栏，把猪食倒进了猪食槽。然后他把那块松动的木板从栅栏上全拽下来，好让威伯能很容易的进去。

"再想想，再想想！"母鹅提醒道。

威伯什么别的也没想。他一步步走进栅栏，到了他的院子里。他走向食槽，吸食了半天，大口大口地喝着牛奶，嚼着酥饼。能再回家真是太好了。

就在威伯饱餐之际，鲁维取了把锤子和一些八分长的钉子来，把那块板子钉了回去。然后，他和祖克曼先生懒洋洋地倚在栅栏旁。祖克曼先生用一根柴枝搔着威伯的后背。

"他真是一头猪，"鲁维说。

"是的，他会成为一头好猪的，"祖克曼先生说。

威伯听到了对他的赞扬。他感到肚子里的牛奶暖暖的。他也很愿意在那根柴枝上蹭痒。他既幸福又满足，想去睡一觉了。这真是一个令人疲倦的下午。虽然此刻只不过才四点钟，威伯却准备上床就寝了。

"我真的太年轻，还不适合一个人在这世上闯，" 躺下时他这么想。

4．孤独

第二天是个阴沉的雨天。雨珠儿落到谷仓上面，又一滴滴地从屋檐上滑了下来。雨珠儿落到谷仓旁边的地上，一路溅跳到长满刺儿菜和灰菜的小路里面。雨珠儿轻轻拍打着祖克曼太太厨房的窗子，顺着玻璃汩汩地往下淌。雨珠儿也落到正在草地吃草的绵羊们的背上。当绵羊们在雨中吃腻了，便慢吞吞地沿着小路回到了羊圈里。

雨打乱了威伯的所有计划。今天威伯本打算出去散个步，在他的院子里掘一个新坑呢。而且他还有其他的计划。他今天的所有计划大致如下：

六点半吃早饭。早饭包括脱脂奶，面包渣儿，粗麦粉，一小块油煎圈饼，上面沾着枫蜜的麦糕，土豆皮，缀着葡萄干的小块布丁，零碎的麦片。

早餐将在七点结束。

从七点到八点，威伯打算和住在他的食槽下面的耗子坦普尔曼谈天儿。虽然和坦普尔曼谈天不是这世上最有趣的事情，但至少比什么都不做要好。

八点到九点，威伯想在外面的太阳下打一个盹儿。

九点到十一点，他打算挖一个洞，或者一条小沟也行，没准儿还能从脏土里翻出什么好吃的呢。

十一点到十二点，他只想默默地站着，瞧瞧落在木板上的苍蝇，瞅瞅在苜蓿花间的蜜蜂，望望天空里的燕子。

十二点钟--该吃午餐了。午饭有粗麦粉，温水，苹果皮，肉汁，尖尖的胡萝卜，肉末儿，陈玉米粒儿，去皮的干酪。用餐将在下午一点结束。

从一点到两点，威伯打算睡觉。

两点到三点，他准备在栅栏上蹭痒。

三点到四点，他打算静默而又完美地站在地上，想想生活的乐趣到底是什么，并且等芬来看他。

四点钟吃晚饭。晚饭有脱脂奶，剩饭，鲁维的午餐盒里剩下的三明治，干梅皮，一小片这个，一小块那个，还有炸薯片，稀稀的果酱，一点儿苹果干，一块蛋糕等等这些那些东西。

昨晚睡觉时，威伯还一直想着这些计划。可是今早六点睁开眼，却看到外面正在下雨，这可真让他无法忍受。

"我把计划订得多么完美呀，可天却下起了雨，"他说。

他忧郁地在屋里站了一会儿。然后他走到门口往外看。雨滴撞到了他的脸。他的院子里又冷又湿。他的食槽里足有一英寸厚的雨水。不知道坦普尔曼躲到哪儿去了。

"你在吗，坦普尔曼？"威伯喊道。没有谁回答他。陡然间，威伯觉得自己是那么的孤独，无助。

"今天就像昨天一样没劲，"他叹息。"我很年轻，我在谷仓里没有真正的朋友，雨会下一早晨，甚至整个下午，这样的坏天气，芬可能也不会出来。唉，她准不会来！"威伯又难过得哭起来，这两天里，他已经哭了两次了。

六点半，威伯听到了食桶晃动的声音。鲁维正在外面的雨里给自己准备早饭呢。

"来吃吧，小猪！"鲁维说。

威伯动都懒得动。鲁维把饲料倒进食槽，又刮了刮桶壁，才走开了。他注意到小猪好像有毛病了。

威伯想要的不是食物，而是关爱。他想有一个朋友--某个能和他一起玩儿的人。他把这心思对在羊圈角落里静静坐着的母鹅讲了出来。

"你愿意来和我一起玩儿吗？"他问。

"抱歉，宝贝儿，抱歉，"母鹅说。"我正在孵我的蛋呢。他们共有八个，得时刻让他们又干-干-干又暖。因此我只好呆在这儿，不能走-走-走开。我孵蛋时不能玩儿。我盼着能早点孵出小鹅来。"

"当然，我想你一定不愿孵出一群啄木鸟来，"威伯酸溜溜地说。

威伯又试着去问羊羔。

"你能来和我一起玩儿吗？"他请求。

"当然不能了，"一只羊羔说。"首先，我无法进到你的院子里，因为我还太小，跳不过这篱笆。其次，我对猪一点儿也不感兴趣。照我看，猪比啥都不是还不是。"

"什么叫比啥都不是还不是？"威伯回答。"我不认为有什么东西会比啥都不是还不是。'啥都不是'已经不是到了顶了，那绝对是天地的顶端，世界的尽头了。怎么可能还会有比啥都不是还不是的东西呢？要是你说得对，那'啥都不是'就该是点啥，哪怕只是那么一丁点儿。但是如果'啥都不是'就是'啥都不是'，那么你就找不到会比啥都不是还不是的东西。"①

"哎呀，吵死了！"羊羔说。"自己上一边儿玩去！我就是不和猪一起玩儿。"

威伯悲伤地躺下来，去听雨的声音。不久，他看见耗子正在顺着一块他自称为楼梯的，斜放在那里的木板往下爬。

"你愿意和我玩儿吗，坦普尔曼？"威伯恳求。

"玩儿？"坦普尔曼说着，捻了捻他的胡子。"玩儿？我都不懂这词儿是什么意思。"

"哦，"威伯说，"玩就是做游戏，嬉耍，跑跳，找乐子。"

"我从不愿意在这些事儿上浪费时间。"耗子冷冷的回答。"我宁愿把我的时间用在吃，咬，偷，藏上面。我是一个贪吃的老鼠，不是游戏主义者。我要去吃你食槽里的早餐了，反正现在你也不想去吃。"老鼠坦普尔曼说完，便沿着墙缝爬进他开凿的那条贯穿门和食槽的秘密通道里去了。坦普尔曼是只非常狡猾的耗子，也很有些高明的手段。这条通道不过是他的狡猾与挖洞技巧的一个证明而已。这条通道能令他不用在谷仓的明处露面，就能在谷仓和自己在猪食槽下的藏身处来回。他在祖克曼先生的农场里挖了很多条地道，这样就可以不被发现的任意来去了。通常他都在白天睡觉，夜深才出来活动。

威伯看着他爬进了通道。瞬间来历，他就看见耗子的尖鼻头从木头食槽下面探出来。坦普尔曼小心地顺着食槽边爬了进去。威伯几乎再也不能忍受了：谁愿意在一个忧伤的下雨天，看到自己的早餐被别人吃掉呢？他知道外面的雨水正浇着在那里大嚼的坦普尔曼，可这也不会使他感到有所安慰。无助，失意，饥饿……他趴在牛粪堆里啜泣起来。

傍晚，鲁维去见祖克曼先生。"我想你的猪有毛病了。他没吃食。"

"给他喝两勺硫磺，里面和点儿糖水。"祖克曼先生说。

当鲁维抓住威伯，强行把药水灌到他喉咙里时，威伯还不能相信这些发生在自己身上的事。这是他一生中最糟糕的一天。他不知道自己是否还能再忍受这可怕的孤独了。

黑暗朦胧了一切。不久，除了影子和绵羊咀嚼的声音，还有头顶的牛牵动链子发出的哗啦声外，什么也感觉不到了。所以你一定能想象得出，当一个从未听见过的纤细的声音从黑夜中传出来时，威伯是多么的惊奇。这声音相当的微弱，但听来却那么使人愉快。"你想要一个朋友吗，威伯？"那个声音说。"我将成为你的朋友。我已经观察你好多天了，我喜欢你。"

"可我看不见你呀，"威伯说着，踮起脚来寻找。"你在哪儿，你是谁？"

"我就在这儿，"那个声音说。"你先睡吧。明早你就会看到我了。"

注释①：威伯对小羊的这通解释，翻译时把我累得直冒烟--这绝不是因为我当时抽的纸烟太冲的关系。而是原因以我的水平，怎么看都迷糊的缘故。它们的原文如下：

"what do you mean，less than nothiong？"replied wilbur。"I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing。nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness。It's the lowest you can go。 It's the end of the line.。How can somgthing be less than nothing？ If there were something that was less than nothing，then nothing would not be nothing，it would be songthing--even though it's just a very little bit of something。but if nothing is nothing，then nothing has nothing that is less than it is。"
"你是什么意思，比什么都没有还少？"威尔伯回答说。"我不认为有什么比什么都没有还要少的东西。什么都没有是虚无的绝对极限。那是你可以到达的最低点。那是终点。什么东西能比什么都没有还要少呢？如果有什么东西比什么都没有还要少，那么什么都没有就不再是虚无，它就变成了什么东西——即使它只是一点点的东西。但如果什么都没有就是虚无，那么虚无就没有什么东西比它更少了。"

也许别人觉得这很容易，但我不。于是就求助新语丝的高手，因此得到了乐平，Brant，暮紫，虎子等的精彩的译文，还有亦歌等朋友的指点，非常感谢！下面就是其中的三种译文。（当然，最后一种是爆笑版的，但也很有趣，不是吗？）

"我认为猪还不如一文不值你什么意思？比一文不值还不如？我不认为有什么东西还不如一文不值的。一文不值已经到头啦，那是最无价值的东西。怎么还会有东西比一文不值还要不值的呢。如果有东西比一文不值还要无价值，那原来的一文不值就不是一文不值，而是值得一文了。即使

只是值得一文。但是一文不值就要真真正正的一文不值，你找不到比他还不值的东西了"--Brant

"什么叫比啥都不是还不是。"威伯答道："既然啥都不是了，怎么会有比它还不是的？'啥都不是'绝对绝对就是'不是'到了顶了，那是天地的底端、世界的尽头。怎么还会有比'啥都不是'还不是的呢？要是你说得对，那'啥都不是'就该是点啥，哪怕只是那么一丁点。要是'啥都不是'就是'啥都不是'，那么你说的就不对。"--乐平

"你以为你是谁啊？百兽之王啊？动物园管理员啊？在我看来，你什么都不是，比什么都不是还要不是！还是好好地做你猪这份有前途的职业去吧。"

"小羊，你又在吓我！什么叫比什么都不是还不是啊？既然什么都不是了，怎么还有比什么都不是还不是？本来什么都不是就是一点点东西都没有，但是现在有了个比什么都不是还不是的，什么都不是就比比什么都不是还不是多了一点点了。怎么可以有了什么都不是，又有比什么都不是还不是？如果有了比什么都不是还不是，什么都不是怎么会是什么都不是？大家讲讲道理嘛。现在你想清楚，我数一二三，你告诉我什么是比什么都不是还要不是。"

"我KAO！大家看见了，这个家伙整天哼哼唧唧，像是一只猪……不不不，一大群猪在那里哼哼，救命啊……现在大家知道，我为什么不喜欢和他玩了吧。"

5．夏洛

夜好像变长了。威伯的肚子是空的，脑子里却装得满满的。当你的肚子是空的，可脑子里却满是心事的时候，总是很难入睡的。

这一夜，威伯醒了很多次。醒时他就拼命朝黑暗中望着，听着，想弄明白是几点钟了。谷仓从没有完全安静的时候，甚至在半夜里也还是老有响动。

第一次醒来时，他听到坦普尔曼在谷仓里打洞的声音。坦普尔曼的牙使劲儿地嗑着木头，弄出很大的动静。"那只疯耗子！"威伯想。"为什么他整夜的在那里磨牙，破坏人们的财产？为什么他不去睡觉，像任何一只正常的动物那样？"

第二次醒来时，威伯听到母鹅在她的窝里来回挪着，自顾自的傻笑。

"几点了？"威伯低声问母鹅。

"可能-能-能十一点半了吧，"母鹅说。"你为什么不睡，威伯？"

"我脑子里的东西太多了，"威伯说。

"唔，"母鹅说。"我没这样的麻烦。我脑子里什么东西都没有，不过我的屁股下面倒有很多东西。你试过坐在八个蛋上睡觉吗？"

"没有，"威伯回答。"我猜那一定很不舒服，一个鹅蛋得孵多久？"

"他们说大约-约要三十天，"母鹅回答。"可我有时会偷懒。在温暖的午后，我常衔来一些稻草把蛋盖上，一个人去散步。"

威伯打了个哈欠，进入了梦乡。梦里他又仿佛听到了那个声音，"我将成为你的朋友。去睡吧--明早你会看见我。"

大约在天亮前的半小时，威伯醒了，开始倾听。谷仓里还是很黑。绵羊睡得很沉。甚至那只母鹅也很安静。头上的主楼那里也没什么动静：牛正在休息，马在打盹儿。坦普尔曼也不见了，可能到别处工作去了吧。只有谷仓顶上才有些轻微的响动，那是风信鸡在风里晃来晃去。威伯很喜欢这时的谷仓--一切都那么静谧，安详，只等曙光的来临。

"白天就要来了，"他想。

一缕微光从小窗子里透了进来。星星们一个接一个的熄灭了。威伯现在能看清几步远的母鹅了。她的头藏到了翅膀的下面。接着，他也能看清绵羊和羊羔了。天亮了。

"哦，美丽的白天，它终于来了！今天我会找到朋友了。"

威伯四处搜寻着。他把家里查了个遍。他检查了窗台，又望了望天花板。但却什么新变化都没发现。最后他只好决定喊话了。尽管他不愿用自己的声音来打破这可爱的黎明时分的寂静，但他想不出还有什么别的办法可以找出那位无处可见的，神秘的新朋友。因此威伯清了清嗓子。

"请注意！"他用特别洪亮的嗓门说。"请在昨晚就寝时友好的和我谈话的那位先生或女士给我打一个手势，或者发个信号！"

威伯停下来，听了听。别的动物都抬起头瞪向他。威伯脸红了。但他还是决心找出这个陌生的朋友。

"请注意！"他说。"我再重复一遍。请昨夜睡前和我亲切谈话的朋友出来说话。请告诉我你在哪里，如果你是我的朋友的话！"

绵羊们互相交流着厌恶的表情。

"别说胡话了，威伯！"最老的绵羊说。"如果你在这里有一个新朋友，你就是在妨害他的休息；而且在他早晨准备起床前把他吵醒，也是打破友谊的最快方法。你能确定你的朋友喜欢早起吗？"

"各位，请原谅，"威伯的声音低了下来。"我并不想打扰别人。"

他脸朝门委屈地躺了下来。他没想到会打扰别人，但如果他的朋友就在不远，早就该听到了。可能老羊说得对--这个朋友还没睡醒呢。

不久鲁维来送早饭了。威伯冲出去急忙把食物吃光，还把食槽舔了个遍。绵羊们向小路走去，后面跟着摇摇摆摆的公鹅。就在威伯准备躺下来睡个早觉时，他又听到了昨夜的那种声音。

"致敬！"那个声音说。

威伯跳了起来。"致什么？"他问。

"致敬！"那声音重复道。

"这个词儿是什么意思，你又在哪儿？"威伯尖叫起来。"求求你，求求你，告诉我你在哪儿吧。还有，致敬是什么意思？"

"致敬是句问候用语，"那个声音道。"当我说'致敬'，就等于对你说'你好'或是'早上好'。实际上，这是种愚蠢的表达方式，真奇怪我刚才怎么会用这么一个词儿。你想知道我在哪儿吗？那很容易。往门框上角看！我在这儿。看，我在挥手哩！"

威伯终于找到了如此友善的和自己交谈的动物。门框的上方拉着一张大蜘蛛网，一只大灰蜘蛛正倒挂在网的高处。她只有一粒树胶糖丸那么大。她长着八条腿，正用其中的一条腿友好地对威伯致意呢。"现在看到我了？"她问。

"噢，确实看见了，"威伯说。"确实看见了！你好！早上好！致敬！很高兴认识你。请问芳名？我可以问你的名字吗？"

"我的名字，"蜘蛛说，"叫夏洛。"

"夏洛什么？"威伯渴切地问。

"夏洛·A·卡瓦蒂娜。你就叫我夏洛好了。"

"我觉得你真很漂亮，"威伯说。

"谢谢，我是很漂亮，"夏洛回答。"那是毫无疑问的。几乎所有的蜘蛛都长得相当好看。我不像别的蜘蛛那么艳丽，不过我也算可以了。我希望能看清你，威伯，就像你能看清我一样。"

"你为什么看不清我？"小猪问。"我就在这儿呀。"

"是的，不过我近视，"夏洛回答。"我的近视十分严重。这对我既有好处，也有坏处。你看我来抓住这只苍蝇。"

一只刚才在威伯的食槽边上爬的苍蝇飞了起来，却愚蠢地碰上了夏洛的网，被那些粘粘的丝线缠住了。苍蝇愤怒的拍打着翅膀，想要挣脱。

"首先，"夏洛说，"我要悄悄靠近他。"她慢慢地头朝下往苍蝇那里爬去。在她往下荡的时候，一根细丝线从她的尾部抽了出来。

"接着，我要把他包起来。"她抓住苍蝇，往他身上缠了几道黑丝线，丝线越绕越密，直到裹得苍蝇一动也不能动。威伯惊恐地看着这一切。他几乎不敢相信他所看到的场面，尽管他也憎恨苍蝇，可还是为这只苍蝇感到难过。

"看，"夏洛说。"现在我要把他弄晕，他就会觉得舒服点儿了。"她咬了苍蝇一口。"他现在毫无知觉了，"她说。"他将是我的一顿美味的早餐。"

"你是说你吃苍蝇？"威伯喘了起来。

"当然。苍蝇，小虫子，蚱蜢，漂亮的甲虫，飞蛾，蝴蝶，可口的蟑螂，蚊子，小咬儿，长脚蚊子，麻蚊子，蟋蟀--任何粗心地撞到我网上的小昆虫我都吃。我总得吃饭吧，是不是？"

"为什么？哦，是的，当然。"威伯说。"他们的味道美吗？"

"美妙极了。当然，我不是真的吃掉他们。我喝他们--喝他们的血。我喜欢喝血，"夏洛说。她的声音听起来越来越清脆，越来越快活了。

"别再说下去了！"威伯呻吟。"请不要讲这件事儿了！"

"为什么不？真的，我说的是真的。虽然我也不愿意吃苍蝇和小虫子，但那是我的生存方式。一个蜘蛛必须要设法谋生，而我恰巧可以作一名捕猎者。我生来就会织网，用它来捕食苍蝇和别的昆虫。在我之前，我的妈妈是一个捕猎者；在她之前，她的妈妈也是。我们全家都是捕猎者。千百万年以前，我们蜘蛛就靠捕食苍蝇和虫子为生了。"

"那是多么可悲的遗传。"威伯幽幽地说。他真为新朋友的残忍难过。

"是的，"夏洛表示同意。"但我也没办法改变这特性。我不知道世上最早的第一只蜘蛛是怎么想出织网这个奇妙的主意的，可是她却想出来了，她可真聪明。从那时起，我们所有的蜘蛛都会这么做了。总的来说，这个发明不坏。"

"这是残酷的发明。"威伯简捷地回答。他并不打算为此而争论。

"噢，你不能这么说，"夏洛说。"你有别人给你送饭吃。可没人喂我呀。我不得不独力谋生。我只有靠我的智力活着。为了避免挨饿，我只好变得又敏捷又聪明。我不得不想方设法，去抓住我能抓到的东西，享用他们的血。就是这么回事儿，我的朋友，我吃的就是我抓到的苍蝇和别的小昆虫。此外，"夏洛说着，挥起一条腿儿，"你明白如果我不抓小虫子吃，小虫子们就会增多，繁殖，直到多得足以破坏地球，毁灭一切吗？"

"真的吗？"威伯说。"我可不想发生这种事。可能你的网真是个好东西吧。"

一直听着这场对话的母鹅嘎嘎自语。"对于生活，威伯不懂的还多着呢。"她想。"他真是一头天真的小猪。他甚至都不知道圣诞节会发生什么事儿呢；他根本就不知道祖克曼先生和鲁维正在密谋杀掉他呢。"母鹅稍稍抬抬身子，把她的蛋往身下推得更近些，以便他们能更好的接收到她温暖的身体和柔软的羽毛下面的热量。

夏洛在苍蝇的上方静停了一会儿，准备去吃它了。威伯忙闭上双眼，躺了下来。昨晚没睡好，再加上首次遇到新朋友的激动，使他感到分外的疲倦。微风把苜蓿的香味给他送了过来--他的栅栏外的世界里充满了甜香的气息。"很好，"他想，"我有了一个新朋友，真不错。但这是多危险的友谊呀！夏洛凶猛，残酷，狡诈，嗜血--这些我都不喜欢。虽然她是那么可爱，当然，也很聪明，可我怎么能让自己去试着喜欢她呢？"

威伯像那些初交新朋友的人一样，被猜疑和恐惧困绕着。以后，他将发现自己误解了夏洛。其实，在她那可怕冷漠的外表下，有着一颗善良的心，以后发生的事情将证明，她对朋友是忠实，真的，每一刻都是如此。

6．夏日

农场的初夏，是一年中最快乐最美好的时候。紫丁香开花了，把空气薰得又苦又香。等到丁香花开败了，苹果花就露出了笑脸。这时候，蜂儿们就会成群地到苹果树中间来观光了。天气渐渐变暖了。学校放假了，孩子们也更有空儿去玩耍，或者去小河里抓鳟鱼了。埃弗里经常兜里揣着一条鳟鱼回家，准备在晚饭时把它们煎着吃。

既然放了假，芬就有更时间去参观谷仓了。她几乎每天都去，静静地坐在她的小凳上观察着。动物们已经把她当自己人看待了。绵羊安静地躺在她的脚边，一点儿也不怕。

差不多在七月的第一天，祖克曼先生便开始把割草机套在马的脖子上，自己跳进座位里，赶着马往田野里去了。整个的早晨你都能听到割草机转来转去的嘎嘎声，看到高高的草渐渐的在长条割刀的后面排起了长长的绿行的情景。第二天，如果没有雷阵雨，所有的人就会来帮着用耙子把割下来的草收拢到一起，装上高高的干草车往谷仓拉，芬和埃弗里则坐到了车的最顶上。然后，暖暖的散发着清香的干草会被卸进大阁楼，直到堆得整个谷仓看起来像无数的筒状草与苜蓿铺起的奇妙的大床一样。如果你跳上去，一定感觉很舒服，躲到里面也没人看得见。偶尔，来这里玩的埃弗里能在干草堆里找到一条可爱的小草蛇，便把它和兜里的别的宝贝装到一起。

初夏简直是鸟儿们的狂欢节。在田野间，房子四周，谷仓里，树林中，湿地上--到处都有欢爱，歌声，鸟巢和鸟蛋。白喉雀（从波士顿飞来的）在树林边叫，"啊，皮儿剥，皮儿剥，皮儿剥！"在苹果树杈间，京燕颤巍巍地晃着尾巴走来走去，嘴里喊着："波碧，波儿-碧！"深知生命是多么可爱和短促百灵鸟说，"快乐的，快乐的偷闲！快乐的，快乐的，快乐的偷闲。"如果你来到谷仓，就会听见燕子们从他们的巢里一头扎过去叱责。"无耻，无耻！"他们说。

初夏里有很多孩子们喜欢吃，喝，吮，嚼的好东西。蒲公英的花梗里都是乳汁，苜蓿花的芯里盛满了琼浆，冰箱里放了那么多冰凉的饮料。到处都是勃勃的生机，甚至粘在草茎上的小雪球里，也会躺着一只小绿虫，如果你把它捅开的话。在土豆枝叶的下面，还有鲜橙色的薯虫蛋呢。

初夏的某天，小鹅们被孵出来了。在谷仓的地窖里，这可算一件大事情。当时，芬正在她的凳子上坐着呢。

除了母鹅之外，夏洛是第一个得知小鹅出世的消息的。母鹅头一天就知道小鹅们快要出来了--她听到了蛋壳里传出的微弱叫声。她知道他们已经在里面呆不安稳，急着打破蛋壳出来走走了。于是她就静静地坐着，话也比平时少多了。

当第一只小鹅从鹅妈妈的羽毛里探出灰绿的小脑袋，开始四处观望时，夏洛第一个瞥见了他，并发布了一个声明。

"我相信，"她说，"我们中的每一位都将高兴地获悉，经过四周的不懈努力与耐心的等待，我们的朋友母鹅终于取得了骄人的成绩。小鹅出世了。请让我在这里衷心地表示祝贺！"

"谢谢你，谢谢你，谢谢你！"母鹅点点头，不好意思地鞠了一躬。

"谢谢你，"公鹅说。

"祝贺！"威伯喊。"一共有几只小鹅？我只看见一只呀。"

"有七个，"母鹅说。

"太好了！"夏洛说，"七是个幸运数字。"

"这可与什么幸运无关，"母鹅说。"这需要很好的筹划和辛苦的劳动。"

这时，坦普尔曼从他在威伯食槽下的藏身处露出了鼻子。他偷看了芬一眼，然后贴着墙小心地朝母鹅这边溜过来。大家都警惕地看着他，因为他既不讨人喜欢，也不被人相信。

"看，"他尖细地叫起来，"你说你有了七只小鹅。可共有八只蛋呢。第八只蛋怎么了？你没有孵吗？"

"它是只坏蛋，我猜，"母鹅说。

"你将怎么处理它？"坦普尔曼那圆溜溜的小眼珠盯向母鹅，继续说道。

"你可以把它带走，"母鹅回答。"把它滚到你那些肮脏的收藏品里去吧。"（坦普尔曼有把农场里没人要的东西收藏到家里的习惯。他什么都收藏。）

"当然-然-然，"公鹅说。"你可以拿走这只蛋。但我有件事要告诉你，坦普尔曼，如果我发现你把你那丑陋的鼻子伸-伸-伸到我们的小鹅身边的话，我就会给你一记一只耗子从来没受过的重拳。"说着，公鹅张开他强壮的翅膀，用它们使劲扑打着空气，好让老鼠看看他是多么的孔武有力。他虽然既结实又勇猛，但事实上，母鹅和公鹅还是有对坦普尔曼担心的充分理由。这只耗子不讲道义，没同情心，无所顾忌，不顾他人，没有品德，没有啮齿类动物的仁慈心肠，从不会良心不安，毫无高尚情感，没有友情，什么好的地方都没有。如果可以逃脱惩罚，他就会杀死小鹅的--母鹅深知这一点。大家也知道。

母鹅用她扁扁的嘴巴把那只没有孵出来的蛋推到了她的巢外，全体的伙伴都带着憎恶的表情看着耗子把它搬走。甚至连几乎什么都吃的威伯见此情景也感到恶心。"想想吧，竟有人愿意要一只臭烘烘的破蛋！"他嘟囔着。

"老鼠不愧为老鼠。"夏洛的笑声好像风里的铃儿一样。"但是，我的朋友，如果这只蛋被打碎了，这个谷仓就会让人受不了的。"

"那是什么意思？"威伯问。

"这就是说那传出的气味会薰得我们无法在这里住下去的。一只坏了的蛋通常都是非常臭的。"

"我不会弄破它的，"坦普尔曼气恼地说。"我知道我在干什么。我可是常搬这类东西的。"

他推着面前的鹅蛋钻进了他的地道。他小心地把蛋滚着，直到安全到达他在猪食槽下的窝。

那天下午，当风渐弱，谷仓里变得又静又暖的时，灰色的母鹅把她的七只小鹅领到了巢外的世界。祖克曼先生在给威伯送晚饭时看到了他们。

"哈，那是什么！"他笑着说，"让我来看看……一、二、三、四、五、六、七。七只鹅宝宝。它们多可爱呀！"

7．坏消息

威伯一天比一天更喜欢夏洛了。她对昆虫发动的战争似乎是英明的，有益处的。农场周围几乎没人为苍蝇说一句好话，因为苍蝇把他们的所有时间都用来骚扰别人了。母牛恨他们。马憎恶他们。绵羊讨厌他们。祖克曼先生和太太也总是抱怨他们，所以特意装上了纱窗。

威伯也欣赏夏洛的行事方法。他很高兴她能在吃她的受害者之前先把他们弄睡。

"你那么做可真体贴，夏洛，"他说。

"是的，"她用甜甜的嗓音回答，"我总是先麻醉他们，这样他们就不会感到疼了。这是我的一项小小的免费服务。"

很多天过去了，威伯长了又长。他一天要吃三头猪的饭量了。他把时间都花在躺着，小睡，做美梦上了。他的身体非常健康，体重也增长了许多。一天下午，当芬正在她的凳子上坐着时，那只老羊走到谷仓来拜访威伯。

"你好！"她说。"我看你好像正在变胖。"

"是的，我想是，"威伯回答。"在我这个年纪胖起来是好事儿。"

"虽然如此，可我却不嫉妒你，"老羊说。"你知道他们为什么要把你养这么胖吗？"

"不知道，"威伯说。

"呃，我不喜欢传播坏消息，"老羊说，"但我还是要告诉你，他们喂胖你，其实是为了将来杀你，这就是原因。"

"他们将来要做什么？"威伯尖叫。坐在凳子上的芬也听呆了。