THIRTEEN The Lamb that Went to Fairyland

 THERE was once a fairy who took a great fancy to a tiny white lamb. He really was a dear little creature, and I don’t wonder she fell in love with him. She used often to come and visit him in the meadow where he lived with his mother, and she was very anxious to take him to a fairy party some evening.

The little lamb was shy. “What do you do at the parties?” he asked.

“Oh, dance mostly,” said the fairy.

But the little lamb explained that he didn’t know how to dance.

“I will soon teach you,” said the fairy.

So she came every evening when her day’s work was done and showed the little lamb how to dance, and he soon learned to skip about quite nicely.

At last a day came when the fairy took him off to the party, but his mother made him promise to come back the next morning. She knew the ways of the fairies.

He enjoyed himself tremendously.

[100]All the fairies admired him very much. They thought his coat so beautifully white and soft, they loved his little black nose and quaint¹ woodeny legs. He gave them all rides on his back in turn (even the Fairy Queen had one), and when the time for dancing came he did very well indeed and astonished them all with his pretty steps. When he left, the Fairy Queen presented him with a garland of daisies. “They are fairy flowers,” she said. “They will never fade, and so long as you wear them you will remain young.”

When the lamb got home he had great tales to tell about his happy adventures, so that he became quite a celebrity², and every one made such a fuss of him that he got rather proud and silly, and after a very short time would hardly speak to his friends.

Of course this vexed³ them very much, and the wicked old rat who lived in the mill-pond and was always ready to do any one an ill turn, suggested a way to pay him out for his pride. “While he is asleep I will gnaw⁴ through his gay garland that he is so proud of,” she said, “and when he goes out walking he will lose it.” All of which happened just as she had planned. And so the foolish lamb lost his fairy garland and grew older like any other lamb.

His friend the fairy did not come to see him for some time. She was very busy helping⁵ on all[101] the spring things, and had no time for visiting. When she did come again she was very disappointed to find that the lamb had grown into quite a good-sized sheep, fat and comfortable. His wool was no longer downy and white, and he had entirely⁶ forgotten how to dance.

 

“Where is your magic garland?” said the fairy. And he had to confess that he had lost it.

The fairy went back to her friends. She really did not feel that a big solemn sheep would be very welcome at their revels⁷. But every year in early spring when the new lambs are born, their mothers tell them the story of the lamb that was invited to Fairyland, and they all go skipping about in the meadows practising their dancing steps.

[102]Each of them hopes that he may one day find the magic garland, and never grow old and staid, and be able to go a-visiting to Fairyland. After all, it must be lying about somewhere, so if you find it, you’ll know what to do with it, won’t you? But be sure to give it to a lamb with a black nose. They’re so much the prettiest.

 

1 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 vexed   

adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
• He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 gnaw   

v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨

参考例句：

• Dogs like to gnaw on a bone.狗爱啃骨头。
• A rat can gnaw a hole through wood.老鼠能啃穿木头。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 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。

7 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句