VI AN UNEXPECTED PARTY

 Nimble's mother's plans went all awry¹. She had expected to give her son a treat by taking him quietly to Farmer Green's carrot patch, so that he might have his first taste of carrots. So it wasn't strange that it upset her a bit when she found that there were dozens of other forest folk all ready and waiting to go along with them. One extra member of the party wouldn't have displeased² her, especially when that one was Jimmy Rabbit. But she had never gone near the farm buildings with more than two others. And she didn't intend to break her rule now.

 

Besides, it annoyed her above all to know that her son had spread the news of the excursion far and wide.

 

"Did you invite these people?" she asked Nimble in a low voice.

 

"No! Oh, no!"

 

"Then what brings them here?" she demanded.

 

"Their legs, I suppose," he replied.

 

"Be careful!" she said. "Be very careful!"

 

Then Nimble began to whine⁴. And that was something he almost never did.

 

"They said they'd like to come," he told his mother. "And I said maybe you wouldn't mind."

 

"Well, I do mind," she declared firmly. "When I take a child to the carrot patch for the first time I don't want company. One of this crowd is more than likely to rouse old dog Spot. And we can't have him ranging around while we're dining."

 

"Then tell everybody to go home!" Nimble suggested. "Tell them to go 'way!"

 

"No!" said his mother. "That wouldn't be polite."

 

She was silent for a few moments. And then she explained to Jimmy Rabbit and to the owners of the pairs of eyes that still stared at her out of the darkness. She explained that on account of an unexpected party she wasn't going to the carrot patch that night.

 

"When are you going?" asked the owner of one pair of specially³ bright eyes.

 

"Ha!" Nimble's mother exclaimed. "Is that Cuffy Bear speaking?"

 

"Yessum!" said the same voice.

 

"I fear," she told him, "I may not be able to go for a long time."

 

"Never mind!" Cuffy cried. "I can go any night—that is, until I den⁵ up for the winter."

 

And every one in the company declared that he hadn't a single engagement that would prevent him from visiting the garden whenever Nimble's mother should say the word.

 

"Well," said she, "it won't be to-night, anyhow." And with that she turned around and began to walk along the runway again, away from the pasture fence.

 

As Nimble followed her Jimmy Rabbit skipped alongside him and whispered in his ear.

 

"Don't fail to let me know when the time comes!"

 

But Nimble said never a word. Somehow he suspected that he had made a great mistake.

 

He knew he had, a little later.

1 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

2 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

5 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。