TOBY'S FRIEND

 Toby was a little French bulldog. He was a very happy little animal, as his small mistress was extremely fond of him. He had a big armchair with a fat cushion to sleep on. He also had a collar with his name and address engraved¹ on it, and a little license² tag fastened to it. In winter he wore a sweater, which he found very comfortable, although not so becoming. Toby's only regret in life was that he had no playmate. Of course his small mistress played with him, but he could not answer her when she spoke³ to him, except by wagging his tail or by barking.

 

One day, while looking out of the window in the nursery he saw a little dog, with a tin can tied to his tail, running down the street. After him ran a crowd of boys. Toby barked, as he always did when he saw a dog. In a minute his little mistress ran up to the window. "Oh, Toby!" she cried. "Look at the poor little dog. I'll ask mother if I can't bring him in." In a minute she was in the bright sitting-room⁴, where mother was sewing.

 

"What is it, little girl?"

 

"Oh, mother!" she cried. "There is a poor dog with a tin can tied to his tail, just outside the house, and a lot of boys are tormenting⁵ the poor animal. They are all around him so that he can't get away."

 

"Poor dog!" said mother. "Call James and tell him to send the boys away and bring the dog inside."

 

Toby's mistress sped away on her errand of mercy and in a short while James had ordered the boys off and was carrying the little dog upstairs. He was very cunning, and Toby made a friend of him at once, but he was very dirty and had to have a bath as soon as mother looked him over. The decoration to his tail was removed, much to the frightened animal's relief, and after his bath he was duly christened Rover. From that time Toby was never lonely and he and Rover became great friends. Rover was given a collar and a cushion, of which he was very proud, and he lived happily ever afterwards in his new home with the little girl and Toby, the French bulldog.

1 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

5 tormenting   

使痛苦的，使苦恼的

参考例句：

• He took too much pleasure in tormenting an ugly monster called Caliban. 他喜欢一味捉弄一个名叫凯列班的丑妖怪。
• The children were scolded for tormenting animals. 孩子们因折磨动物而受到责骂。