VIII. THE PIG-BABY.

Would you like to hear about Alice’s visit to the Duchess? It was a very interesting visit indeed, I can assure¹ you.

Of course she knocked at the door to begin with: but nobody came: so she had to open it for herself.

Now, if you look at the picture, you’ll see exactly what Alice saw when she got inside.

The door led right into the kitchen, you see. The Duchess sat in the middle of the room, nursing² the Baby. The Baby was howling³. The soup was boiling. The Cook was stirring⁴ the soup. The Cat——it was a Cheshire Cat——was grinning, as Cheshire Cats always do. All these things were happening just as Alice went in.

The Duchess has a beautiful cap and gown⁵, hasn’t she? But I’m afraid she hasn’t got a very beautiful face.

The Baby——well, I daresay you’ve seen several nicer babies than that: and more good-tempered ones, too. However, take a good look at it, and we’ll see if you know it again, next time you meet it!

The Cook——well, you may have seen nicer cooks, once or twice.

But I’m nearly sure you’ve never seen a nicer Cat! Now have you? And wouldn’t you like to have a Cat of your own, just like that one, with lovely green eyes, and smiling so sweetly?

The Duchess was very rude to Alice. And no wonder. Why, she even called her own Baby “Pig!” And it wasn’t a Pig, was it? And she ordered the Cook to chop⁶ off Alice’s head: though of course the Cook didn’t do it: and at last she threw the Baby at her! So Alice caught the Baby, and took it away with her: and I think that was about the best thing she could do.

So she wandered away, through the wood, carrying the ugly little thing with her. And a great job it was to keep hold of it, it wriggled⁷ about so. But at last she found out that the proper way was, to keep tight⁸ hold of its left foot and its right ear.

But don’t you try to hold on to a Baby like that, my Child! There are not many babies that like being nursed in that way!

Well, and so the Baby kept grunting⁹, and grunting so that Alice had to say to it, quite seriously, “If you’re going to turn into a Pig, my dear, I’ll have nothing more to do with you. Mind now!”

Alice holding the pig

And at last she looked down into its face, and what do you think had happened to it? Look at the picture, and see if you can guess.

“Why, that’s not the Baby that Alice was nursing, is it?”

Ah, I knew you wouldn’t know it again, though I told you to take a good look at it! Yes, it is the Baby. And it’s turned into a little Pig!

So Alice put it down, and let it trot¹⁰ away into the wood. And she said to herself “It was a very ugly Baby: but it makes rather a handsome Pig, I think.”

Don’t you think she was right?

1 assure   

vt.使确信；向…保证，使有保证

参考例句：

• The only ladder to assure success is to work hard.确保成功的惟一途径是刻苦努力。
• I assure you that she can be trusted to do the job.我担保她能做好这项工作。

2 nursing   

n.看护，养育，授乳

参考例句：

• She takes up nursing as a career.她以看护为职业。
• They trained her for nursing.他们培训她做护理工作。

3 howling   

adj.嚎叫v.嗥叫( howl的现在分词 )；咆哮；吼叫；哀号

参考例句：

• We got stuck in a howling blizzard. 我们被困在怒号的暴风雪中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The baby is howling. 这婴儿在大声地啼哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 stirring   

adj.激动人心的，令人兴奋的；活泼的，活跃的；忙碌的；动摇民心的v.激起(stir的ing形式)

参考例句：

• She felt a stirring of anger. 她感觉自己忍不住要生气了。
• I doubt if his deeds would match his stirring words. 我怀疑他的行动是否会与他那激动人心的话是一致的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gown   

n.长袍，特殊场合穿的长服

参考例句：

• She pinned the gown at the neck with a safety pin.她在领子那儿用一枚别针把睡衣别住。
• He threw on his gown.他穿上他的礼服。

6 chop   

n.厚肉片，排骨，砍，交换，戳记，商标；vt.剁碎，砍，切，割断；vi.砍，突然转向

参考例句：

• He struck off the branch with a single chop of the ax.他一斧子就砍掉了那根树枝。
• She cut down the seedling with one chop.她一刀就把小苗砍倒了。

7 wriggled   

v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）

参考例句：

• He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 tight   

adj.紧的；难解的；紧密的

参考例句：

• Time is going to be tight,so you'd better hurry.时间很紧，你最好抓紧一点。
• The box is so tight that I can't open it.这个盒子太紧，我打不开。

9 grunting   

咕哝的，呼噜的

参考例句：

• He pulled harder on the rope, grunting with the effort. 他边用力边哼声，使出更大的力气拉绳子。
• Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。

10 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。