The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

Once upon a time there was a wood-mouse, and her name was Mrs. Tittlemouse.

从前有一只林鼠，她的名字叫蒂特尔小姐。

She lived in a bank under a hedge.

她住在树篱下的一处河岸里。

Such a funny house! There were yards and yards of sandy passages, leading to storerooms and nut-cellars and seed-cellars, all amongst the roots of the hedge.

那房子可真有意思！里头有好长好长的沙土通道，通向一间间储藏室、坚果窖和种子窖，全都藏在树篱的树根中间。

There was a kitchen, a parlour, a pantry, and a larder.

屋里有厨房、客厅、食品间，还有一个储藏室。

Also, there was Mrs. Tittlemouse's bedroom, where she slept in a little box bed!

此外，还有蒂特尔小姐的卧室，她就睡在一张小小的箱式床上呢！

Mrs. Tittlemouse was a most terribly tidy particular little mouse, always sweeping and dusting the soft sandy floors.

蒂特尔小姐是只极其爱干净、极其讲究的小老鼠，总是不停地打扫、掸尘那松软的沙地地板。

Sometimes a beetle lost its way in the passages.

有时候会有甲虫在通道里迷了路。

"Shuh! shuh! little dirty feet!" said Mrs. Tittlemouse, clattering her dust-pan.

“嘘！嘘！你这脏脚丫子！”蒂特尔小姐一边说，一边哐当哐当地摆弄着簸箕。

And one day a little old woman ran up and down in a red spotty cloak.

有一天，一位穿着红点子斗篷的小老太太在里头跑来跑去。

"Your house is on fire, Mother Ladybird! Fly away home to your children!"

“你家着火啦，瓢虫妈妈！快飞回家去看看你的孩子们吧！”

Another day, a big fat spider came in to shelter from the rain.

又有一天，一只肥硕的大蜘蛛跑进来躲雨。

"Beg pardon, is this not Miss Muffet's?"

“请问一声，这不是马菲特小姐家吗？”

"Go away, you bold bad spider! Leaving ends of cobweb all over my nice clean house!"

“走开，你这大胆的坏蜘蛛！把蛛丝的头儿弄得我这干净漂亮的屋子里到处都是！”

She bundled the spider out at a window.

她把那蜘蛛从窗口撵了出去。

He let himself down the hedge with a long thin bit of string.

他便用一根又长又细的丝线，顺着树篱溜了下去。

Mrs. Tittlemouse went on her way to a distant storeroom, to fetch cherry-stones and thistle-down seed for dinner.

蒂特尔小姐继续赶路，前往一间远处的储藏室，去取些樱桃核和蓟绒种子做晚饭。

All along the passage she sniffed, and looked at the floor.

一路走在通道里，她一边嗅着，一边留意着地面。

"I smell a smell of honey; is it the cowslips outside, in the hedge? I am sure I can see the marks of little dirty feet."

“我闻到一股蜂蜜味儿；是外头树篱上的报春花吗？我敢肯定我看见了一些脏脚印子。”

Suddenly round a corner, she met Babbitty Bumble—"Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz!" said the bumble bee.

忽然，拐过一个角落，她碰上了巴比蒂·邦布尔——“嗞嗞，嗡嗡，嗡嗡嗡！”那只大黄蜂说道。

Mrs. Tittlemouse looked at her severely. She wished that she had a broom.

蒂特尔小姐板着脸瞧着她。她真希望自己手边有把扫帚。

"Good-day, Babbitty Bumble; I should be glad to buy some beeswax. But what are you doing down here? Why do you always come in at a window, and say Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz?" Mrs. Tittlemouse began to get cross.

“你好啊，巴比蒂·邦布尔；我倒是很乐意买些蜂蜡呢。可你到这儿下面来做什么？你怎么老是从窗口钻进来，还嗞嗞嗡嗡叫个不停呢？”蒂特尔小姐开始有些恼火了。

"Zizz, Wizz, Wizzz!" replied Babbitty Bumble in a peevish squeak. She sidled down a passage, and disappeared into a storeroom which had been used for acorns.

“嗞嗞，唔嗡，唔嗡嗡！”巴比蒂·邦布尔没好气地哼了一声作答。她侧身溜进一条通道，钻进了一间原本用来存放橡子的储藏室。

Mrs. Tittlemouse had eaten the acorns before Christmas; the storeroom ought to have been empty.

蒂特尔小姐早在圣诞节前就把那些橡子吃光了，那间储藏室理应是空的才对。

But it was full of untidy dry moss.

可里头却堆满了乱糟糟的干苔藓。

Mrs. Tittlemouse began to pull out the moss. Three or four other bees put their heads out, and buzzed fiercely.

蒂特尔小姐开始往外拽那些苔藓。这时又有三四只蜜蜂探出头来，气势汹汹地嗡嗡叫着。

"I am not in the habit of letting lodgings; this is an intrusion!" said Mrs. Tittlemouse. "I will have them turned out—" "Buzz! Buzz! Buzzz!"—"I wonder who would help me?" "Bizz, Wizz, Wizzz!"

“我可没有出租房间的习惯，这简直是硬闯民宅！”蒂特尔小姐说道。“我非得把他们赶出去不可——”“嗡！嗡！嗡嗡！”——“不知道有谁能来帮帮我呢？”“嘶嗡，唔嗡，唔嗡嗡！”

—"I will not have Mr. Jackson; he never wipes his feet."

——“我可不要杰克逊先生来帮忙，他从来都不擦脚。”

Mrs. Tittlemouse decided to leave the bees till after dinner.

蒂特尔小姐决定先把这些蜜蜂的事放一放，等吃过晚饭再说。

When she got back to the parlour, she heard some one coughing in a fat voice; and there sat Mr. Jackson himself!

等她回到客厅，忽然听见有人用低沉的嗓音咳嗽起来；一看，杰克逊先生本人竟坐在那儿呢！

He was sitting all over a small rocking-chair, twiddling his thumbs and smiling, with his feet on the fender.

他整个身子摊在一把小摇椅上，两只脚搭在炉栏上，捻着大拇指，脸上还挂着笑。

He lived in a drain below the hedge, in a very dirty wet ditch.

他住在树篱下面一条又脏又湿的水沟里的排水管里。

"How do you do, Mr. Jackson? Deary me, you have got very wet!"

“你好啊，杰克逊先生？哎呀，你可全身湿透了呀！”

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! I'll sit awhile and dry myself," said Mr. Jackson.

“谢谢你，谢谢你，谢谢你，蒂特尔小姐！我就坐一会儿，把身子晾干，”杰克逊先生说道。

He sat and smiled, and the water dripped off his coat tails. Mrs. Tittlemouse went round with a mop.

他就那么坐着，笑着，水珠子顺着他的燕尾服往下滴。蒂特尔小姐只得拿着拖把在一旁团团转。

He sat such a while that he had to be asked if he would take some dinner?

他坐了好一会儿，蒂特尔小姐只好开口问他要不要吃点晚饭。

First she offered him cherry-stones. "Thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! No teeth, no teeth, no teeth!" said Mr. Jackson.

她先端上樱桃核给他。“谢谢你，谢谢你，蒂特尔小姐！没牙，没牙，没牙齿呀！”杰克逊先生说道。

He opened his mouth most unnecessarily wide; he certainly had not a tooth in his head.

他把嘴张得老大，其实完全没这个必要，因为他嘴里压根就一颗牙都没有。

Then she offered him thistle-down seed—"Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Pouff, pouff, puff!" said Mr. Jackson. He blew the thistle-down all over the room.

于是她又端上蓟绒种子——“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀！噗，噗，噗！”杰克逊先生说道。他一口气把蓟绒吹得满屋子都是。

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! Now what I really—_really_ should like—would be a little dish of honey!"

“谢谢你，谢谢你，谢谢你，蒂特尔小姐！不过我现在真正——真正想要的，是一小碟蜂蜜呀！”

"I am afraid I have not got any, Mr. Jackson," said Mrs. Tittlemouse.

“恐怕我这儿一点蜂蜜都没有呢，杰克逊先生，”蒂特尔小姐说道。

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!" said the smiling Mr. Jackson, "I can _smell_ it; that is why I came to call."

“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀，蒂特尔小姐！”笑眯眯的杰克逊先生说道，“我可闻得出来呀，我就是为这个才特地来拜访的。”

Mr. Jackson rose ponderously from the table, and began to look into the cupboards.

杰克逊先生沉甸甸地从桌旁站起身来，开始四下里翻找起碗柜来。

Mrs. Tittlemouse followed him with a dish-cloth, to wipe his large wet footmarks off the parlour floor.

蒂特尔小姐拿着抹布跟在他身后，把他那湿漉漉的大脚印从客厅地板上一一擦去。

When he had convinced himself that there was no honey in the cupboards, he began to walk down the passage.

等他确信碗柜里确实没有蜂蜜之后，便开始往通道里走去。

"Indeed, indeed, you will stick fast, Mr. Jackson!"

“真的，真的，你会卡住的，杰克逊先生！”

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!"

“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀，蒂特尔小姐！”

First he squeezed into the pantry.

他先是硬挤进了食品间。

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly? no honey? no honey, Mrs. Tittlemouse?"

“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀？没蜂蜜吗？真没蜂蜜吗，蒂特尔小姐？”

There were three creepy-crawly people hiding in the plate-rack. Two of them got away; but the littlest one he caught.

碗架上正躲着三个爬来爬去的小家伙。有两个逃走了，可最小的那个被他逮了个正着。

Then he squeezed into the larder. Miss Butterfly was tasting the sugar; but she flew away out of the window.

接着他又挤进了储藏室。蝴蝶小姐正在那儿尝糖呢，赶紧从窗口飞走了。

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse; you seem to have plenty of visitors!"

“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀，蒂特尔小姐，看来你这儿访客可真不少呀！”

"And without any invitation!" said Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse.

“而且一个都没请呢！”托马西娜·蒂特尔小姐说道。

They went along the sandy passage—"Tiddly widdly—" "Buzz! Wizz! Wizz!"

他们沿着沙土通道往前走去——“提蒂，唔嘀——”“嗡！唔嗡！唔嗡！”

He met Babbitty round a corner, and snapped her up, and put her down again.

他在拐角处碰见了巴比蒂，一口把她吞了下去，又把她吐了出来。

"I do not like bumble bees. They are all over bristles," said Mr. Jackson, wiping his mouth with his coat-sleeve.

“我不太喜欢大黄蜂，浑身都是刚毛，”杰克逊先生说道，一边用袖子擦着嘴。

"Get out, you nasty old toad!" shrieked Babbitty Bumble.

“滚开，你这可恶的老蟾蜍！”巴比蒂·邦布尔尖叫道。

"I shall go distracted!" scolded Mrs. Tittlemouse.

“我都要被逼疯了！”蒂特尔小姐生气地嚷道。

She shut herself up in the nut-cellar while Mr. Jackson pulled out the bees-nest. He seemed to have no objection to stings.

她把自己关进了坚果窖里，任由杰克逊先生把蜂巢整个拽了出来。他对被蜇似乎一点都不在乎。

When Mrs. Tittlemouse ventured to come out—everybody had gone away.

等蒂特尔小姐终于壮着胆子出来时——大伙儿都已经走光了。

But the untidiness was something dreadful—"Never did I see such a mess—smears of honey; and moss, and thistledown—and marks of big and little dirty feet—all over my nice clean house!"

可屋里凌乱得实在骇人——“我从没见过这么乱的场面——到处是蜂蜜的污渍、苔藓和蓟绒——还有大大小小的脏脚印——弄得我这干净漂亮的房子简直没法看了！”

She gathered up the moss and the remains of the beeswax.

她把苔藓和剩下的蜂蜡都收拾了起来。

Then she went out and fetched some twigs, to partly close up the front door.

接着她出门取来一些小树枝，把前门堵住了一大半。

"I will make it too small for Mr. Jackson!"

“我要把这门弄得小小的，让杰克逊先生再也钻不进来！”

She fetched soft soap, and flannel, and a new scrubbing brush from the storeroom. But she was too tired to do any more. First she fell asleep in her chair, and then she went to bed.

她从储藏室里取来软肥皂、法兰绒布，还有一把新的擦洗刷子。可她实在累坏了，没法再收拾下去了。她先是在椅子上打了个盹，随后便去睡了。

"Will it ever be tidy again?" said poor Mrs. Tittlemouse.

“这屋子还能恢复干净整洁的样子吗？”可怜的蒂特尔小姐说道。

Next morning she got up very early and began a spring cleaning which lasted a fortnight.

第二天一早，她早早起了床，开始了一场足足持续两个礼拜的大扫除。

She swept, and scrubbed, and dusted; and she rubbed up the furniture with beeswax, and polished her little tin spoons.

她扫地、擦洗、掸尘；用蜂蜡把家具擦得锃亮，又把她那些小锡勺子擦得闪闪发光。

When it was all beautifully neat and clean, she gave a party to five other little mice, without Mr. Jackson.

等一切都变得漂漂亮亮、干干净净之后，她便办了一场宴会，请来五只别的小老鼠，唯独没请杰克逊先生。

He smelt the party and came up the bank, but he could not squeeze in at the door.

他闻到了宴会的味道，便爬上河岸赶来，可他怎么也没法从门口挤进去。

So they handed him out acorn-cupfuls of honey-dew through the window, and he was not at all offended.

于是大伙儿便隔着窗户，递给他一杯又一杯装在橡子壳里的甘露蜜，他倒也一点都不介意。

He sat outside in the sun, and said—"Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Your very good health, Mrs. Tittlemouse!"

他就坐在外头的阳光下，说道——“提蒂，唔嘀，唔嘀！祝你身体健康，蒂特尔小姐！”