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XVII BAD BENJAMIN BAT
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For a long time Benjamin Bat had had his eye on Freddie Firefly. And every time the two met, Benjamin stopped to tell Freddie how plump he was growing.
 
"You're just about ready to—AHEM!" Benjamin remarked when he came upon
Freddie in Farmer Green's dooryard one fine evening.
"What did you say?" Freddie inquired.
 
"Never mind!" Benjamin Bat answered. "I was only talking to myself. It's a habit I have."
 
"You're a queer one!" Freddie Firefly exclaimed. "But it's no wonder. People say that you've hung upside down so much that the inside of your head is all topsy-turvy."
 
"When he heard that remark Benjamin Bat promptly1 flew into a rage.
 
"You'd better be careful!" he warned Freddie. "I don't allow anybody to talk to me like that."
 
"Oh! You mustn't mind what I just said," Freddie Firefly replied. "I was only talking to myself—AHEM AHEM!"
 
But strange to say, Freddie's answer failed to please Benjamin.
 
"Your remark was very disagreeable, anyhow," he declared.
 
"Well—so was yours," Freddie retorted stoutly2.
 
"How can you say that?" Benjamin Bat inquired with a sly look. "I didn't finish it, did I?"
 
"No!" replied Freddie. "But you can't fool me. I know what you meant, as well as you do."
 
And straightway Benjamin Bat looked most uncomfortable, because he had been thinking that Freddie Firefly HAD BECOME PLUMP ENOUGH TO EAT.
 
Indeed, there was only one thing that kept Benjamin from devouring3 Freddie Firefly right then and there. And that was Freddie's flashing light. Yes! Benjamin Bat was afraid that if he touched Freddie Firefly he would get burned.
 
Once a forest fire broke out while Benjamin was asleep in the woods. And he didn't wake up until the tree in which he was hanging by his heels had begun to blaze. Luckily he escaped with his life. But the flames singed4 the tips of his wings and gave him such a fright that ever afterward5 he feared a fire or a light of any kind. And now he did wish that Freddie Firefly would put out his light, just for a short time. So he said, after a few moments:
 
"Don't you think you ought to stop flashing your light?"
 
"Do you mean—" asked Freddie—"do you mean that I ought to keep it glaring steadily6 all the time?"
 
"Oh, no!" Benjamin Bat replied hurriedly. "I mean that you ought to put it out for a while."
 
"Why should I do that?" Freddie Firefly wanted to know.
 
"To please Farmer Green, of course," Benjamin replied glibly7. "Don't you know that a light always draws mosquitoes? And it can't be very pleasant for Farmer Green to have half the mosquitoes in the neighborhood crowding into his dooryard."
 
"What would be the use of my putting out my light, when all my relations are flashing theirs?" Freddie asked.
 
"Well, maybe they'd follow your example," Benjamin Bat suggested. "And just think what a good turn you'd be doing Farmer Green!"

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1 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
2 stoutly Xhpz3l     
adv.牢固地,粗壮的
参考例句:
  • He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
  • Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难,但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。
3 devouring c4424626bb8fc36704aee0e04e904dcf     
吞没( devour的现在分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句:
  • The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
  • He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。
4 singed dad6a30cdea7e50732a0ebeba3c4caff     
v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 );(毛发)燎,烧焦尖端[边儿]
参考例句:
  • He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette. 他点烟时把头发给燎了。
  • The cook singed the chicken to remove the fine hairs. 厨师把鸡燎一下,以便去掉细毛。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
6 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
7 glibly glibly     
adv.流利地,流畅地;满口
参考例句:
  • He glibly professed his ignorance of the affair. 他口口声声表白不知道这件事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He put ashes on his head, apologized profusely, but then went glibly about his business. 他表示忏悔,满口道歉,但接着又故态复萌了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》


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