CHAPTER XXIV. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE WARNS PETER RABBIT

  Good advice Is always needed

 But, alas¹! is seldom heeded²,

                                  Peter Rabbit.

Danny Meadow³ Mouse waited until all the rest of Peter Rabbit's friends had left the Old Briar-patch after paying their respects to Peter and Mrs. Peter, He waited for two reasons, did Danny Meadow Mouse. In the first place, he had seen old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox hanging about a little way off, and though they had disappeared after a while, Danny had an idea that they were not far away, but were hiding so that they might catch him on his way home. Of course, he hadn't the slightest intention of giving them the chance. He had made up his mind to ask Peter if he might spend the night in a corner of the Old Briar-patch, and he was very sure that Peter would say he might, for he and Peter are very good friends, very good friends indeed.

 

The second good reason Danny had for waiting was this very friendship. You see, Peter had been away from the Green Meadows⁴ so long that Danny felt sure he couldn't know all about how things were there now, and so he wanted to warn Peter that the Green Meadows were not nearly as safe as before Old Man Coyote had come there to live. So Danny waited, and when all the rest of the callers had left he called Peter to one side where little Mrs. Peter couldn't hear. Danny stood up on his hind⁵ legs so as to whisper in one of Peter's ears.

 

“Do you know that Old Man Coyote is the most dangerous enemy we have, Peter Rabbit? Do you know that?” he asked.

 

Peter Rabbit shook his head. “I don't believe that, Danny,” said he. “His terrible voice has frightened you so that you just think him as bad as he sounds. Why, Old Man Coyote is a friend of mine.”

 

Then he told Danny how Old Man Coyote had done him a good turn In the Old Pasture⁶ in return for a good turn Peter had once done him, and how he said that he always paid his debts.

 

Danny Meadow Mouse looked doubtful. “What else did he say?” he demanded. “Nothing, excepting that we were even now,” replied Peter.

 

“Ha!” said Danny Meadow Mouse.

 

The way he said it made Peter turn to look at him sharply⁷.

 

“Ha!” said Danny again. “If you are even, why you don't owe him anything, and he doesn't owe you anything. Watch out, Peter Rabbit! Watch out! I would stick pretty close to the Old Briar-patch with Mrs. Peter if I were you. I would indeed. You used to think old Granny Fox pretty smart, but Old Man Coyote is smarter. Yes, Sir, he is smarter! And every one of the rest of us has got to be smarter than ever before to keep out of his clutches⁸. Watch out, Peter Rabbit, if you and Old Man Coyote are even. Now, if you don't mind, I'll curl up in my old hiding-place for the night. I really don't dare go back home to-night.”

 

Of course Peter told Danny Meadow Mouse that he was welcome to spend the night in the Old Briar-patch, and thanked Danny for his warning as he bade him good-night. But Peter never carries his troubles with him for long, and by the time he had rejoined little Mrs. Peter he was very much inclined⁹ to laugh at Danny's fear.

 

“What did that funny little Meadow Mouse have to say?” asked Mrs. Peter.

 

Peter told her and then added, “But I don't believe we have anything to fear from Old Man Coyote. You know he is my friend.”

 

“But I don't know that he is mine!” replied little Mrs. Peter, and the way she said it made Peter look at her anxiously. “I believe Danny Meadow Mouse is right,” she continued, “Oh, Peter, you will watch out, won't you?”

 

And Peter promised her that he would.

 

1 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

2 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 meadow   

n.草地，牧草地

参考例句：

• The children ran free across the meadow.孩子们在草地里自由地奔跑。
• The meadow is peopled with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。

4 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

5 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

6 pasture   

n.牧场，牲畜饲养

参考例句：

• This is the place where they used to pasture.这就是他们过去经常放牧的地方。
• The boy got up very early every morning to pasture cattle.这男孩每天起得很早去放牛。

7 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

8 clutches   

抓住，紧紧抓住( clutch的第三人称单数 )； （因害怕或痛苦）突然抓住

参考例句：

• He fell into the clutches of the criminal gang. 他落到了犯罪集团的魔爪中。
• He clutches at every opportunity to practise English conversation. 他抓住一切机会练习英语会话。

9 inclined   

a.有…倾向的

参考例句：

• She was inclined to trust him. 她愿意相信他。
• He inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly. 他把身体倾向发言人，以便听得更清楚些。