BARBARA’S BIRTHDAY

 THEY are being photographed. Names, reading from left to right:

 

Susan, Henry Dog, Barbara, Mrs. Perkins, Helen.

 

Of course, they are not really being photographed, but Helen said, “Let’s pretend¹ that we are, and that it’s going to be in the papers² to-morrow.” So she put one hand on Mrs. Perkins, to show how fond she was of the cat, and took the other one off the table, to show how well-brought-up she was, and said “Go!”

 

Well, you see what happened. Susan and Barbara weren’t ready for it. They were both eating, and both had their elbows on the table. It would be a terrible thing if the photograph came out in the paper like that. Couldn’t the man take another one?

 

Helen said, No, it was the last one he had. He had been taking photographs all{68} the day of “Scenes in the Village on the Occasion³ of Miss Barbara’s Sixth Birthday” and he only had two left when he came to the house. One was “A Corner of the Stables⁴ Taken from the North Side of the Lake,” and the other was “Miss Barbara Entertains⁵ a Few Friends to Tea, reading from left to right.”

 

Barbara said, “Oh!”

 

Susan said, “Well, I don’t mind, because it’s not my birthday.”

 

Helen said, “It was the man’s fault for taking all those ones in the village.”

 

Susan said, “My birthday’s on April the Fifteenth and I’m five and Henry’s three and his birthday’s the same day as mine, isn’t that funny?”

 

And Barbara said, “Well, I know I’m six.”

 

Then they all began to eat again.

 

But if Barbara was six, where was the{69} big birthday-cake with six candles on it? Ah!

 

You see, Barbara lived in a big town, and the Doctor looked at her one day and said “H’m!” Then he asked her to put out her tongue, and when he saw it, he said, “Tut-tut-tut!” Then he put his fingers on her wrist⁶ and looked at his watch, and the watch was even worse than the tongue, for he said, “Come, come, this won’t do.” And just when Barbara was going to say, “Would you like to try my watch?” the Doctor turned to Barbara’s Father and Mother and said, “She wants a change.” So it was decided⁷ that on Monday Barbara should take her Nurse into the country for a Change.

 

“But what about my birthday?” said Barbara. “Will I be at home for my birthday?”

 

Barbara’s Father brought out his Pocket{70} Diary, and it was found that she couldn’t get home again until two days after her birthday.

 

“Never mind,” said her Mother; “you can have your birthday three days later this year.”

 

“And a very extra special one to make up,” said her Father.

 

So that was that, and Barbara didn’t really mind a bit, because she loved being in the country, and she had her birthday to look forward to when she got home again.

 

Now there was a family living in the village called—I forget the name, and the family was Mr. and Mrs. Somebody, Helen Somebody, Susan Somebody, Henry Dog and Mrs. Perkins. Barbara got very friendly with them, and one day Helen and Susan were coming to tea with her, because it was her last day but one.

 

“I wish you could stay to April the Fif{71}teenth,” said Susan, “because it’s my birthday and I’m five, and Henry’s three, isn’t it funny?”

 

“I’m six as soon as I get back,” said Barbara. “I would have been six to-day, if I had been well.”

 

“Do you mean it’s your birthday?” said Helen excitedly.

 

Barbara explained how, because of having a Change, she wasn’t being six till three days later this year.

 

“But you are six, you are six,” said Helen, jumping up and down. “Isn’t she, Susan?”

 

Susan said: “I’m five on April the—”

 

“Of course you’re six, so we must make it a birthday party. And please will you invite Mr. Henry Dog and Mrs. Perkins as well as us, so as to make it a big party?”

 

Barbara promised; and when her guests arrived, Helen had brought some flowers to make the party look more exciting. She{72} had also made up a rhyme⁸ to say; at least, she and her Father had made it up between them, and Helen said it.

 

Barbara is six to-day,

Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray!

Then they all had tea.

 

And Helen and Susan and Henry Dog and Mrs. Perkins thought it was a lovely tea. But all the time Barbara was saying to herself, “Only three more days, and then I shall have my real birthday.

1 pretend   

vt.假装，假托，装扮；vi.假装，装作

参考例句：

• So you don't need to pretend,do you?所以你不必装假了，对吧？
• Many people pretend that they understand modern art.许多人装着自己懂得现代艺术。

2 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。

3 occasion   

n.场合，时机，机会，诱因，理由；vt.惹起，引起

参考例句：

• Her dress was too showy for such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，她的服装过分华丽了。
• Her tears were fought back on such an occasion.在这种场合下她忍住了眼泪。

4 stables   

n.（养马作特定用途的）养马场( stable的名词复数 )；畜舍；统称某人拥有（或训练的）赛马；在同一地方工作或训练的)一批人

参考例句：

• The estate consists of a main house, servants' quarters, a garage, stables and 100 acres of woods. 这地产包括一栋住宅，仆人住室，一个汽车房，几间马厩及100英亩的树林。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As we came out of the stables, a rider came towards us. 当我们走出马厩的时候，一个人骑着马向我们走了过来。 来自辞典例句

5 entertains   

v.款待，招待( entertain的第三人称单数 )；使欢乐；使娱乐；抱有

参考例句：

• A circus show entertains children. 马戏表演使孩子们兴高采烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He entertains his guest very poorly. 他对客人很怠慢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 wrist   

n.手腕，腕关节

参考例句：

• They took her by the wrist.他们握住她的手腕。
• He received a bullet in the wrist.他手腕上中了一弹。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 rhyme   

n.韵，押韵，韵文；vi.押韵，作诗；vt.使押韵，用韵诗表达

参考例句：

• I cannot find a rhyme to " hiccups ".我不能找到和 “hiccups”同韵的词。
• The last two lines of this poem don't rhyme properly.这首诗后两句不怎么压韵。