The Tables Turned

 WE knew it was a dog, directly the basket was set down in the hall. We heard it moving about inside. We sniffed¹ all round. We asked it why it didn't come out (the basket was tightly tied up with string). "Are you having a good time in there?" said Roy. "Can't you show your face?" said I. "He's ashamed of it," said Roy, waving his long bushy tail. Then he growled² a little, and the dog inside growled too; and then, as Roy had an appointment with the butcher at his own back door, I went out to see him home.

"I am so sorry I am going away for Christmas with my master," he said when we parted; "but you must introduce that new dog to me when I come home. We mustn't stand any of his impudence³, eh?"

 

I was sorry Roy was going away, for Roy is my great friend. He always fights the battles for both of us. I daresay I might have got into the way of fighting my own battles, but I never like to interfere⁴ with anybody's pleasure, and Roy's chief pleasure is fighting. As for me, I think the delights of that recreation are over-estimated.

 

When my master came home, he opened the basket, and a dog of Irish family tumbled out, growling⁵ and snarling⁶, and hid himself under the sofa. They wasted more biscuits on him than I have ever seen wasted on any deserving dog; and at last they got him out, and he consented to eat some supper. They gave him a much better basket than mine, and we went to bed.

 

Next morning, the Irish terrier got out of his basket, stretched himself, yawned, and insisted on thrashing me before breakfast.

 

"But I am a dog of peace," I said; "I don't fight."

 

"But I do, you see," he answered, "that's just the difference."

 

I tried to defend myself, but he got hold of one of my feet, and held it up. I sat up, and howled with pain and indignation.

 

"Have you had enough?" he said, and, without waiting for my answer, proceeded to give me more.

 

"But I don't fight," I said; "I don't approve of fighting."

 

"Then I'll teach you to have better manners than to say so," said he, and he taught me for nearly five minutes.

 

"Now then," he said, "are you licked?"

 

"Yes," I answered; for indeed I was.

 

"Are you sorry you ever tried to fight with me?"

 

"Yes," still seemed to be the only thing to say.

 

"And do you approve of fighting?"

 

He seemed to wish me to say "yes," and so I said it.

 

"Very well, then," he said; "now we'll be friends, if you like. Come along; you have given me an appetite for breakfast."

 

"Any society worth cultivating about here?" he asked, after the meal, in his overbearing way.

 

"I have a very great friend who lives next door," I said; "but I don't know whether I should care to introduce you to him."

 

He showed his teeth, and asked what I meant.

 

"You see, you might not like him; and, if you didn't like him——but he's a most agreeable dog."

 

"A good fighter?" asked Rustler⁷.

 

I scratched my ear with my hind⁸ foot, and pretended to think.

 

"Oh, I see he's not," said Rustler contemptuously; "well, you shall introduce him to me directly he comes back."

 

Rustler's overbearing and disagreeable manners so upset me that I was quite thin when, at the end of the week, Roy came home. I told him my troubles at once.

 

"Bring your Rustler along," he said grandly, "and introduce him to me."

 

So I did. Rustler came along with his ears up, and his miserable⁹ tail in the air. Roy lay by his kennel¹⁰ looking the image of serenity¹¹ and peacefulness. To judge by his expression, he might not have had a tooth in his head.

 

Rustler stood with his feet as far apart as he could get them, and put his head on one side.

 

"I have heard so much about you, Mr. What's-your-name," he said, "that I have come to make a closer acquaintance."

 

"Delighted, I'm sure," said Roy, who has splendid manners.

 

"If you will get on your legs," said Rustler rudely, "I will tell you what I think of you."

 

Roy got on his legs, still looking very humble¹², and the next minute he had Rustler by the front foot, and was making him sit down and scream just as Rustler had made me. It was a magnificent fight.

 

"Have you had enough?" said Roy, and then gave him more without waiting for an answer.

 

 

"I don't want to fight any more," said Rustler at last; "I am sorry I spoke¹³."

 

 

"Then I'll teach you to have more pluck than to own it," said Roy.

 

When he had taught him for some time, he said, "Are you licked?"

 

"Yes," said Rustler, glaring at me out his uninjured eye.

 

"Are you sorry you tried to fight with me?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Will you promise to leave my little friend here alone?"

 

"Yes."

 

Then Roy let him go. We shook tails all round, and Rustler and I went home.

 

"Poor Rustler," I said, "I know exactly how you feel."

 

"You little humbug," he said, with half a laugh—for he is not an ill—natured fellow when you come to know him—"you managed it very cleverly! and I'm not one to bear malice¹⁴; but, I say, your friend is A1."

 

We are now the most united trio, and Roy and Rustler have licked all the other dogs in the neighbourhood.

1 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

6 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

7 rustler   

n.[美口]偷牛贼

参考例句：

• The ants have cornered the rustler and are attacking it. 蚂蚁把大虫围困起来并展开进攻。
• Roffman is a cattle-rustler, and he'sgot some stuff for sale. 罗夫曼是个盗肉贼，他又有赃可销了。

8 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。

9 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

10 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

11 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 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。

14 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。