THE SAUCER PIE

 Once upon a time there was a saucer¹ pie. A saucer pie is one that is baked in a saucer instead of a pan²; and if you have never seen one, I hope you will before you are a hundred years old.

 

This pie was baked in a saucer that belonged to a little girl named Polly. Her grandmother had given her the saucer, and it was as blue as the sky.

 

When her mamma took the pie out of the oven³, and put it on the table to cool, she said:—

 

"Here is a nice little, brown little pie,

Baked in a saucer as blue as the sky."

The pie belonged to Polly, as well as the saucer. Her mamma had baked it for her because it was her birthday; and she was very proud of it.

 

"Tell me about it again," she said, as she stood on tiptoe by the table to see it. Then her mamma said:—

 

"Here is a pie that is dainty and sweet,

Baked in a saucer, for Polly to eat."

But Polly did not want to eat her saucer pie by herself.

 

"I will have a party," she said; and away she went with dancing feet to call her neighbors in.

 

There was Martha, and Margaret, and little boy John; and all of them came to Polly's party.

 

When they got there the table was set with Polly's doll dishes, and in the middle of the table was the pie.

 

"A nice little pie, in a saucer blue,

Baked in the oven for Polly and you,"

said Mamma, as she cut the pie, once across this way, and once across that. Each child had a slice; and then, nibble⁴, nibble,—

 

All that was left of the saucer-pie,

Was a crumb⁵ in the saucer as blue as the sky.

1 saucer   

n.茶碟，茶托，小圆盘

参考例句：

• A teacup should stand in a saucer.茶杯应放在茶托上。
• I slopped tea in the saucer.我把茶溅到了茶托里。

2 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

3 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

4 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

5 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。