FOUR Why Pigs Have Curly Tails

 THERE was once a fairy who fell into a bramble-bush. It was a very closely grown bush, and she could not get out. She was sadly scratched, and the thorns caught her tiny delicate wings and tore her pretty frail¹ dress into shreds².

The bramble-bush formed part of a hedge which ran along the side of an orchard³, and presently a horse came sauntering up to the hedge.

“Oh, please help me, sir,” said the fairy. “I’m caught in a bramble-bush, and can’t get out.”

The horse came and looked at her. “That’s a nasty place to be in,” he said. “What will you give me if I get you out?”

“I’ll give you a golden halter and a silver bit,” said the fairy.

The horse shook his head. “It’s not worth it,” he said. “I should scratch my face. My master loves me for my beautiful satin skin, and I really can’t risk spoiling my appearance. Besides, I have some very nice harness of my own. He sees to that. Sorry I can’t be of any assistance.” And he ambled⁴ away.

[37]A little later a robin⁵ perched on the bramble-bush. “Oh, please, Mr. Robin, won’t you come and help me?” said the fairy. “I can’t get out.”

“What will you give me,” said the robin, “if I help you out?”

 

“I’ll give you a jacket of gold and slippers⁶ of silver,” said the fairy.

“Thank you very much,” said the robin, “but I don’t think that’s quite my style. I have a nice red waistcoat already and I should hate to look gaudy⁷. Besides, I’m tremendously busy. I’ve got a young family to look after, and my wife doesn’t like me to be away long.” And he flew off.

There were sheep grazing in the field on the[38] other side of the hedge, and one of them came munching⁸ close to the bramble-bush.

“Oh, please, Mrs. Sheep,” said the fairy, “can you help me out of here?”

“What will you give me if I do?” said the sheep.

“I will teach you to sing as the fairies sing,” said the fairy. “I will also give you wisdom.” For she was getting more and more anxious, and she thought such lovely gifts would tempt⁹ the sheep.

But the sheep stared stupidly with her glassy eyes. “That’s all very well,” she replied, “but I happen to have a very nice voice naturally and can already sing rather well. As for wisdom, I don’t quite know what that is, but I don’t think it sounds very interesting. I’d help you gladly, but the thorns would tear my fine woollen coat, and that would never do. Surely a fine woollen coat is worth much more than wisdom.” And she moved away.

The fairy was beginning to despair; she thought she would never, never be able to get back to Fairyland. But just as she had given up hope, a pig came wandering past, making ugly noises and staring about with his little blue eyes. He spied the fairy sitting in the midst of the bramble-bush with her head down on her knees.

[39]“What’s the matter?” said the pig.

The fairy raised her head and saw the pig’s ugly pink snout poking¹⁰ in between the bramble-twigs.

“I think I can get you out,” he said, when she had told him her trouble. “I’m not much to look at, but I’ve got a good tough hide, and at any rate I shan’t be afraid of a few scratches spoiling my beauty.” So with a good many snuffles and grunts¹¹ he pushed his head and shoulders well into the middle of the bush and made a clear way for the fairy to get out.

She gave a sigh of relief when she found herself once more free and in the clear sunshine, and the pig stood and looked at her admiringly, for she was a dear little thing. He was so conscious of his ugliness beside her pretty grace that he turned away and started off down the orchard.

“Don’t go—oh, don’t go,” said the fairy.

The pig turned round.

“You’ve not had your reward,” said the fairy.

“I don’t want any reward, thank you,” grunted¹² the pig, and moved on.

But the fairy persisted. She flew after him. “You must have a reward,” she said. “I shall be most unhappy if you don’t.”

“But I don’t want anything, thank you,” said the pig. “I have been very glad to help you.”

[40]The fairy stood in front of him, anxiously pondering as to what she could possibly give him that might be of any use. Nobody seemed to want her fairy gifts. She looked him up and down.

“Wouldn’t you like something—something to make you more beautiful?” she said.

She really meant less ugly, but she was so grateful to the pig that she was very anxious not to hurt his feelings, and so she put it that way.

“I’m afraid it’s rather hopeless,” said the pig, with half a smile. “You see, I’m such an ugly fellow. You’d have to alter me all over.”

“But surely—a little something ...” said the fairy, and she looked at him more thoughtfully than ever.

Now all this happened a very long time ago, when pigs had quite straight tails like most of the other animals, and suddenly, looking at his tail, the fairy had an idea. “I know, I know,” she said. “You shall have a curly tail. It will be an immense improvement, and so uncommon¹³.”

The pig looked rather pleased. “Well, have your own way,” he said. “I can’t see my own tail, in any case, but I dare say it wouldn’t look bad.”

So the fairy touched the pig’s tail with her[41] wand, and it instantly curled up into nice little rings.

Ever since that day pigs have had curly tails, and now you know how they came by this beautiful adornment¹⁴.

1 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

2 shreds   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮，切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

4 ambled   

v.（马）缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 )；从容地走，漫步

参考例句：

• We ambled down to the beach. 我们漫步向海滩走去。
• The old man ambled home through the garden every evening. 那位老人每天晚上经过花园漫步回家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

6 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

7 gaudy   

adj.华而不实的；俗丽的

参考例句：

• She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
• The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。

8 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

9 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

10 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

11 grunts   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈

参考例句：

• With grunts of anguish Ogilvie eased his bulk to a sitting position. 奥格尔维苦恼地哼着，伸个懒腰坐了起来。
• Linda fired twice A trio of Grunts assembling one mortar fell. 琳达击发两次。三个正在组装迫击炮的咕噜人倒下了。

12 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

13 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

14 adornment   

n.装饰；装饰品

参考例句：

• Lucie was busy with the adornment of her room.露西正忙着布置她的房间。
• Cosmetics are used for adornment.化妆品是用来打扮的。