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III FREDDIE AGREES TO HELP
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Never in all his life had Freddie Firefly heard of a torchlight procession—nor of any other sort of procession, either. So when Chirpy Cricket1 first mentioned his plan it was no wonder that Freddie looked somewhat blank.
 
But when Chirpy explained that a procession was a parade, which meant that you followed a leader—and a good many others—in a long line, Freddie Firefly began to understand.
 
"I need you and a few hundred of your nearest relations to furnish the lights," Chirpy Cricket continued. "And I wish you'd ask your whole family to take part in the procession, for we really can't have too many of you."
 
"When will the procession take place?" Freddie Firefly wanted to know.
 
"To-night, as soon as it's dark enough!" Chirpy told him.
 
"And where are we going to march?"
 
"Oh, all around the meadow2!" said Chirpy Cricket. "The line will form along the stone wall by the roadside. … Do you think you'll be there?" he inquired somewhat anxiously.
 
"You certainly can count on me," Freddie Firefly promised. "Of course, I can't very well accept your invitation for more than about fifty-five of my brothers—and maybe six dozen of my cousins. But I HOPE there'll be more of us than that."
 
"Well, I hope so, too," Chirpy Cricket said. "But even if there were no more than you can promise, we ought to have enough. Fifty-five and six dozen make one hundred and twenty-seven; and you make one hundred and twenty-eight."
 
"Yes," replied Freddie Firefly, though he thought it would have been more polite had Chirpy Cricket counted him first instead of last, since he was the first of his family to be invited. But he really couldn't be angry with anyone so cheerful as Chirpy Cricket.
 
"I'll have to leave you now," Chirpy announced, "for I must be on my way. I shall have to make a great many calls before sunset, because I want to invite all my friends to join the procession. … I'll see you later," he said, as he turned away.
 
He had not gone far before he stopped and called to Freddie Firefly.
 
"Don't forget to bring your light with you to-night!" he cautioned3 him.
 
"I'll try not to!" Freddie shouted. But if the truth was known, he couldn't have forgotten his light, even if he had wanted to! It was just as much a part of him as his eyes or his six legs. But Chirpy Cricket didn't seem to know that. And Freddie Firefly didn't choose to enlighten4 him.
 
Then Chirpy Cricket hurried away. He went straight to the clover field, because he wanted to ask Buster Bumblebee to take part in the torchlight procession. And Chirpy knew that the clover field was the best place to look for him, on account of Buster's being so fond of clover juice.
 
Reaching the field where the red clover grew, Chirpy began to hunt for the biggest blossom5 of them all. And when he found it, there was Buster Bumblebee, sitting on top of it and enjoying a hearty6 meal.
 
He listened, between sucks at the sweet juice, to Chirpy Cricket's invitation. He seemed interested, too.
 
"What music are you going to have at your parade?" he inquired, for
Buster was very fond of music.
Chirpy Cricket replied that he hadn't thought much about that, but he said he expected to sing.
 
Buster Bumblebee grunted7 when he heard that. To tell the truth, he didn't care much for Chirpy's voice, which he considered altogether too shrill8.
 
"Are you going to take part in the procession?" Chirpy asked him.
 
"I'll let you know to-morrow," said Buster Bumblebee. "Ah, but that will be too late!" Chirpy cried. "We're going to have the procession to-night."
 
"To-night!" Buster exclaimed. "Then I can't come. For I shall be sound asleep right after sunset."

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1 cricket zoKzP     
n.蟋蟀,板球运动;adj.公平的
参考例句:
  • The England cricket team scored quite a useful total.英格兰板球队得分总数令人满意。
  • We could hear the shrill of the midsummer cricket.我们可以听到仲夏时节蟋蟀的尖叫声。
  • Your behaviour isn't cricket.你的行为不光彩。
2 meadow 3Riz3     
n.草地,牧草地
参考例句:
  • The children ran free across the meadow.孩子们在草地里自由地奔跑。
  • The meadow is peopled with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。
3 cautioned 7f22a74438d91b038e4a784c88ad5d98     
v.警告,提醒,劝…小心( caution的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He cautioned us for playing in that busy street. 他告诫我们不要在那条交通繁忙的路上玩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He cautioned that the Russia-American discussions were still in an exploratory stage. 他警告说俄美会谈尚处于探索阶段。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 enlighten fj6zI     
v.授予...知识,启发,教导,开导
参考例句:
  • Can you enlighten her on this subject?对这个问题你能启发启发她吗?
  • Please enlighten me with your instructions.请不吝赐教。
5 blossom HotyX     
n.花,开花;vi.开花,发展
参考例句:
  • The blossom on the trees looks lovely in springtime.春天树上的花很漂亮。
  • Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放,百家争鸣。
6 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
7 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
8 shrill EEize     
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫
参考例句:
  • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
  • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。


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