CHAPTER XIII THE MAGIC CAP

 Grandpa Grumbles¹, in the woods

Has a grab-bag, you know.

You will find it there, some day

If to his house you go!

 

 

Next morning Little Bear got up to get breakfast, and he crept down­stairs very softly, for he wanted to sur­prise the rest.

 

When he got to the kitchen door he met Red Riding Hood³ and old Grandpa Grumbles, and the little rab­bit.

 

Each one had gotten up early to get the breakfast.

 

Grandpa Grumbles began to shake his head and grumble², and Red Riding Hood laughed, and Little Bear waved his red handkerchief.

 

Then they all shouted: "Hurrah⁴! we will get breakfast together."

 

The cry-baby rabbit said: "Boo-hoo! I have never gotten breakfast in my life!"

 

Grandpa Grumbles looked at her and said: "I will give you a better name if you will be still."

 

"Boo-hoo! boo-hoo!" said the little rabbit. "I don't know whether I want a better name or not!"

 

Little Bear danced up and down, and he cried: "Give me a name, give me a name!"

 

Grandpa Grumbles said: "No, no, look in the garret in my grab bag!"

 

They were all pleased at this, and they scampered⁵ up into the garret.

 

There, sure enough, on a nail, hung the grab-bag.

 

"Time to grab," said Grandpa Grumbles. "Every one of you must grab!"

 

Red Riding Hood put in her hand and drew out a gold watch.

 

"Keep it! keep it!" shouted Grandpa Grumbles. "It won't run, it won't keep time, but keep it, keep it!"

 

Little Bear put in his paw and drew out a silk purse.

 

"Keep it," shouted old Grandpa Grumbles. "It hasn't a cent in it!"

Then the cry-baby rabbit put in her paw and drew out a piece of paste­board, to which was fastened a tiny bell.

 

She was so disappointed she was ready to cry, when old Grandpa Grumbles said: "Keep it, keep it; it has your name on it!"

 

Sure enough, on the pasteboard was written in very large letters, "Bonnie Bell."

 

Little Bear tied the bell around the rabbit's neck, and she never was known to cry "boo-hoo" again in all her life!

 

"May we grab again?" asked Red Riding Hood.

 

Grandpa Grumbles said: "If I let you grab again, what shall I have left for all my grandchildren?"

 

Just then, patter, patter, patter was heard, and Bushy Tail came creeping up-stairs.

 

"Oh, ho! grab-bag!" he shouted. "Let me grab, let me grab!"

 

Before any one could say a word that sly old fox put his paw in the bag and drew out a little red cap.

 

"Put it on, put it on," shouted Grandpa Grumbles.

 

Bushy Tail put the cap on and it began to pinch his ears. He cried: "Oh, ow! take it off, take it off!"

 

Grandpa Grumbles chased him out of the house and down the road.

 

Little Bear said: "He will keep out of mischief⁶ for a while."

 

Grandpa Grumbles came back chuckling⁷ to himself.

 

"What kind of a cap did you give him?" asked Red Riding Hood.

 

Grandpa Grumbles said: "It is a magic cap. It will not come off for a year."

 

"Oh, oh!" cried Little Bear, "how funny Bushy Tail looked in the cap!"

 

Bonnie Bell said: "I am glad you didn't give me a cap!"

 

Red Riding Hood said: "I would rather wear a hood than a magic cap!"

 

"It is a fine grab-bag," said Grand­pa Grumbles.

 

Then Red Riding Hood kissed Grandpa Grumbles on his right cheek, and Little Bear kissed him on his left cheek, and Bonnie Bell kissed him on both cheeks.

 

Grandpa Grumbles was so pleased! He said softly: "Nice little visitors! Come again, please."

 

They all laughed, and kissed him again.

1 grumbles   

抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。
• I'm sick of your unending grumbles. 我对你的不断埋怨感到厌烦。

2 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

3 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

4 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

5 scampered   

v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cat scampered away. 猫刺棱一下跑了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The rabbIt'scampered off. 兔子迅速跑掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

7 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子