CHAPTER IV THE SLEEPY GIANT

 “Poor Giant,” said little Peggy, climbing up the hedge to look down at his round, good-tempered face, and wide-open mouth. “Sometimes he talks so grandly, but he’s not a bit grand really. I’ll let him stay asleep for a nice long time whilst I pick a huge, big bunch to send Mummie,” and she jumped down into the field again.

“I’ve only two wishes left now,” she thought to herself, as she ran in and out amongst the daisies. “Or really only one that’s any good, for I suppose I must use the last to get me home. I really think,” she went on, as she sat down to tie a bit of grass round a bunch of scarlet¹ daisies, “that the Giant ought to get me home himself without making me waste a wish on it! I’m sure that’s always done in books. I’ll speak to him about it when he wakes.”

The running about in the hot sun had made Peggy quite thirsty, and after some searching she found a dear little stream running right through the field, at which a lot of butterflies were drinking. It was a beautiful golden colour, and when she tasted it she found it was the most delicious[20] lemonade, and it had crystallised rose leaves floating here and there upon it. The butterflies flew round her in hundreds and allowed her to stroke their soft red and blue and yellow wings, and when she suggested a game of hide-and-seek they were all delighted, and fluttered round in such quantities that she could scarcely breathe.

 

This is the picture Peggy drew of the Second Adventure. It was a very difficult one to do. The Butterflies are just coming up in hundreds and hundreds to try and wake the Giant. Mother showed Peggy how to draw the butterflies, but she did nearly all the rest quite by herself. The Giant sometimes wore that red hat, and sometimes a green pointed² one. The Butterflies and Daisies were the most fun to paint. I hope you see the Ring.

 

It turned out a failure in the end, as not one butterfly could be induced to remain hidden long enough for the others to find him, but was always flitting in and out of his hiding-place, which, as everyone knows, completely spoils hide-and-seek.

However, they had a lovely romp³, and it was quite a pretty sight to see several hundreds of them chasing Peggy back to “Home” (which was the Giant’s boot) after she had hidden.

“Oh, do let’s wake the Giant!” said Peggy, as they stopped for breath, “and make him play too! I know he’d love it!”

They all gathered round the sleeping Giant, who was lying just as Peggy had left him, snoring loudly, with his head comfortably pillowed amongst the spreading roots of a fallen tree.

But do you think they could wake him? Not they!

Peggy climbed the hedge and tickled⁴ his face with a branch. Then she tried to shake his arm, but of course couldn’t move it at all. Then she begged the butterflies to help, and they all flew round him with a great swishing of wings, making as much noise as they possibly could; but still the Giant lay there snoring, for he was not used to being up a whole night long, and was very, very tired.

A large blue and gold butterfly suggested pouring lemonade on to his face, and they fetched a good deal[21] between them all, but that wasn’t the least good, and only slid on to his beard and made it very wet and sticky.

“Oh, what am I to do?” cried Peggy. “It’s not fair! I never heard of such a thing happening in any Fairy Book! Nannie always lifts me out of bed when I won’t wake up. I only wish she was here to do it to him!”

And then she could have bitten her tongue out, for the butterflies suddenly wheeled round and flew away in a great cloud, and “He is a heavy weight, Miss Peggy,” said Nurse, appearing on the other side of the hedge, her face very red and hot. “But I’ll manage it in a moment. Now then, up with you! There he is, great heavy thing! He ought to be ashamed of himself, the big baby!”

Peggy felt dreadfully disappointed, and also rather angry, for though she didn’t mind getting annoyed with the Giant herself, it was a different thing hearing Nurse call him names. And now she’d wasted another wish entirely⁵ by accident, and must use her last up as quick as lightning, for Nurse was already beginning to look very puzzled and suspicious.

“I wish we were back in the nursery,” she whispered to the Giant, who was sitting up on the hedge, rubbing his eyes and staring at Nurse.... “And I’m very, very angry with you!” she added, as she found herself on the nursery window-seat again. But she was only answered by a rattle⁶ of raindrops on the panes⁷.

“You’ve dropped your nice book on the floor,” said Nurse, coming in with a pile of aired linen⁸ in her arms and a deep frown on her face. “You’ll have to go back to rag-books again if you serve Mary’s Meadow like that!”

“Oh dear, I quite forgot the bunch of daisies!” said Peggy, aghast.

[22]“Now what daisies, Miss Peggy?” asked Nurse. “I can’t have you talking nonsense instead of attending to what I say. Pick that book up immediately. And you’ve got that Ring on your thumb again, I do declare! Mother wouldn’t like it at all, nasty common thing.”

“Oh, mayn’t I wear it sometimes, Nannie?” Peggy pleaded. “I know Mummie wouldn’t mind. She always lets me wear the bead⁹ necklaces I make.”

“No arguing!” said Nurse. “I’m going to put it in this cup on the bookshelf, and you can ask your mother when she comes back. Time enough to wear it then if she’ll let you.”

She did seem cross. No wonder, for, though she didn’t know it, she had just travelled very many million miles in about three seconds, and that’s very upsetting to the temper if you’re not used to it.

And Peggy looked sadly at the cup, for it was far out of her reach even if she stood on a chair.

“If I’d only had time to explain to the Giant!” she thought. “He couldn’t help sleeping so soundly, poor thing. Now perhaps I shall never see him again.” And she was very subdued¹⁰ indeed for the rest of the day.

But she needn’t have worried. You see she kept on forgetting it was a Fairy Ring.

1 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 romp   

n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑

参考例句：

• The child went for a romp in the forest.那个孩子去森林快活一把。
• Dogs and little children romped happily in the garden.狗和小孩子们在花园里嬉戏。

4 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

7 panes   

窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上，又反射到他身上。
• The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。

8 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

9 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

10 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。