XVI A NOISY CROWD

 When the night of the races and other sports finally came, a great crowd began to gather about Farmer Green's place soon after dark. Although Benjamin Bat had told people that the fun wasn't going to begin until almost morning, they were all so excited that they couldn't wait for the night to pass.

 

They lingered¹ around the dooryard and talked so loudly that they actually disturbed the household. Farmer Green was even tempted² to get up and shut his window, he found it so hard to go to sleep.

 

The noisiest of all the gathering³ was Mr. Frog, the tailor, who lived over by the creek⁴.

 

He had a great deal to say about everything; and it soon became plain to everyone that he was trying to manage the whole affair.

 

Mr. Frog objected to every arrangement that Benjamin Bat had made. When he learned that he was expected to enter a jumping contest with Kiddie Katydid he exclaimed that he and Kiddie were such good friends that he hated the thought of trying to beat Kiddie at jumping.

 

"Kiddie might feel bad," said Mr. Frog. "People might laugh at him because I won."

 

"Don't you worry about me!" Kiddie Katydid called out.

 

"Where are you?" asked Mr. Frog, looking all around. "I can hear you, but I can't see you."

 

But Kiddie Katydid refused to show himself.

 

He preferred, for the time being, to remain safely hidden among the leaves, where he could listen to what people said—and talk to them when he wanted to.

 

"Wouldn't you prefer some other sort of contest?" Mr. Frog then asked him. "Now, there's swimming! We could swim in the watering-trough, or the duck pond. And if I beat you, you could stick your head under water, so you wouldn't hear what people said. Don't you think that's a good idea?"

 

"Goodness, no!" cried Kiddie. "I'd drown myself in no time."

 

"Dear me!" said Mr. Frog. "I never thought of that."

 

And then everybody laughed so loudly at him that he hurried off to the watering-trough to dive under water, and stay there until he was sure that his remarks had been forgotten.

 

Meanwhile Benjamin Bat was worrying. He couldn't find anybody who was willing to try the sport of hanging head downward by his heels. He asked Kiddie Katydid; and Kiddie declined⁵ flatly to do any such thing.

 

Now, since Benjamin had not yet dined⁶, he was very short-tempered. And he grew angry at once.

 

"What's the matter?" he sneered⁷. "Don't you know how to do an easy trick like that? If I could see you—" he declared, peering⁸ among the maple⁹ leaves—"if I could see you I'd show you how it feels to hang beneath a limb¹⁰."

 

Kiddie Katydid said no word in reply. He knew well enough what Benjamin Bat meant. Benjamin wanted to eat him! And he wished that Benjamin would go away and get a good meal somewhere before he came back again.

 

1 lingered   

v.逗留( linger的过去式和过去分词 )；缓慢消失；苟延残喘；持续看（或思考）

参考例句：

• The faint smell of her perfume lingered in the room. 房间里仍飘溢着她那淡淡的香水味。
• The smell of the gas oil lingered in the house. 屋里仍然飘溢着汽油味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

5 declined   

v.辞谢，谢绝（邀请等）( decline的过去式和过去分词 )；（道路、物体等）下倾；（太阳）落下；（在品格、价值上）降低

参考例句：

• We asked her to come to our party, but she declined. 我们请她来参加我们的晚会，但是她谢绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He declined to charge his memory with so many details. 他不愿在脑中记这么多细枝末节。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dined   

v.吃饭，进餐( dine的过去式和过去分词 )；设宴款待，请客

参考例句：

• We dined with my parents at a restaurant in town. 我们同我父母在城里一家餐馆吃饭。
• We dined in sumptuous surroundings. 我们在富丽堂皇的环境中用餐。

7 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

8 peering   

v.凝视( peer的现在分词 )；盯着看；同等；比得上

参考例句：

• He was peering down the well. 他细看下面的井。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The sun was peering through the clouds. 太阳从云中隐约出现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

10 limb   

n.树枝，四肢，枝干，边缘；vt.切断手足，切断树干

参考例句：

• She sat on a limb of the tree and looked down.她坐在一根大树枝上往下看。
• His refusal to agree left him out on a limb.他拒不表示同意，致使自己处于孤立地位。