Dylan Thomas, Fern HillWhen Lucy woke, the room was already light. The curtains were not drawn2 andthe pane3 of the open casement4 reflected a gleam of sun which she could lose andfind by moving her head on the pillow. A wood pigeon was calling in the elms. Butit was some other sound, she knew, that had woken her -- a sharp sound, a part ofthe dream which had drained away, as she woke, like water out of a washbasin.
Perhaps the dog had barked. But now everything was quiet and there was only theflash of sun from the windowpane and the sound of the wood pigeon, like the firststrokes of a paint brush on a big sheet of paper when you were still not sure howthe picture was going to go. The morning was fine. Would there be anymushrooms yet? Was it worth getting up now and going down the field to see? Itwas still too dry and hot -- not good mushroom weather. The mushrooms werelike the blackberries -- both wanted a drop of rain before they'd be any good.
Soon there'd be damp mornings and the big spiders would come in the hedges --the ones with a white cross on their backs. Jane Pocock running off to the back ofthe schoolbus when she brought one in a matchbox to show Miss Tallant.
Spider, spider on the bus,Soppy Jane that made a fuss,Spider got th' eleven-plus.
Now she couldn't catch the reflection in her eyes any more. The sun hadmoved. What was going to happen today? Thursday -- market day in Newbury.
Dad would be going in. Doctor was coming to see Mum. Doctor had funny glassesthat pinched on his nose. They'd made a mark each side. If he wasn't in a hurryhe'd talk to her. Doctor was a bit funny-like when you didn't know him, but whenyou did he was nice.
Suddenly there was another sharp sound. It ripped through the still, earlymorning like something spilled across a clean floor -- a squealing5 -- somethingfrightened, something desperate. Lucy jumped out of bed and ran across to thewindow. Whatever it was, it was only just outside. She leaned well out, with herfeet off the floor and the sill pressing breathlessly across her stomach. Tab wasdown below, right by the kennel6. He'd got something: rat it must be, squealinglike that.
"Tab!" called Lucy sharply. "Tab! Wha' you got?"At the sound of her voice the cat looked up for a moment and immediatelylooked back again at its prey7. 'T'weren't no rat, though; 't'was a rabbit, layin' onits side by the kennel. It looked proper bad. Kicking out an' all. Then it squealedagain.
Lucy ran down the stairs in her nightdress and opened the door. The gravelmade her hobble and she left it and went on up the flower bed. As she reached thekennel the cat looked up and spat8 at her, keeping one paw pressed down on therabbit's neck.
"Git out, Tab!" said Lucy. "Crool thing! Let'n alone!"She cuffed9 the cat, which tried to scratch her, ears laid flat. She raised her handagain and it growled10, ran a few feet and stopped, looking back in sulky rage. Lucypicked up the rabbit. It struggled a moment and then held itself tense in her firmgrip.
"'Old still!" said Lucy. "I ain't goin' 'urtcher!"She went back to the house, carrying the rabbit.
"What you bin11 up to, eh?" said her father, boots scratch-scratch over the tiles.
"Look at yore feet! En I told you -- Wha' got there, then?""Rabbit," said Lucy defensively.
"In yer nightdress an' all, catch yore bloomin' death. Wha' want with 'im,then?""Goner keep 'im.""You ain't!""Ah, Dad. 'E's nice.""'E won't be no bloomin' good t'yer. You put 'im in 'utch 'e'll only die. You can'tkeep woild rabbit. 'N if 'e gets out 'e'll do all manner o' bloomin' 'arm.""But 'e's bad, Dad. Cat's bin at 'im.""Cat was doin' 'is job, then. Did oughter've let 'im finish be roights.""I wanner12 show 'im to Doctor.""Doctor's got summin' better to do than bide13 about wi' old rabbit. You jus' give'im 'ere, now."Lucy began to cry. She had not lived all her life on a farm for nothing and sheknew very well that everything her father had said was right. But she was upset bythe idea of killing14 the rabbit in cold blood. True, she did not really know what shecould do with it in the long run. What she wanted was to show it to Doctor. Sheknew that Doctor thought of her as a proper farm girl -- a country girl. When sheshowed him things she had found -- a goldfinch's egg, a Painted Lady fluttering ina jam jar or a fungus15 that looked exactly like orange peel -- he took her seriouslyand talked to her as he would to a grown-up person. To ask his advice about adamaged rabbit and discuss it with him would be very grown-up. Meanwhile, herfather might give way or he might not.
"I on'y just wanted to show 'im to Doctor, Dad. I won't let 'im do no 'arm,honest. On'y it's nice talking to Doctor."Although he never said so, her father was proud of the way Lucy got on withDoctor. She was proper bright kid -- very likely goin' to grammar school an' all, sothey told him. Doctor had said once or twice she was real sensible with thesethings she picked up what she showed him. Comin' to somethin', though, bloodyrabbits. All same, would'n' 'urt, long's she didn' let 'un go on the place.
"Why don' you do somethin' sensible," he said, "'stead o' bidin' there 'ollerin'
and carryin' on like you was skimmish? You wants go'n get some cloze on, thenyou c'n go'n put 'im in that old cage what's in shed. One what you 'ad for theybudgies."Lucy stopped crying and went upstairs, still carrying the rabbit. She shut it in adrawer, got dressed and went out to get the cage. On the way back she stopped forsome straw from behind the kennel. Her father came across from the long barn.
"Did y'see Bob?""Never," said Lucy. "Where's 'e gone, then?""Bust17 'is rope an' off. I know'd that old rope were gett'n on like, but I didn'treckon 'e could bust 'im. Anyways, I go' go in to Newbury s'mornin'. 'F'e turns upagen you'd best tie 'im up proper.""I'll look out fer 'im, Dad," said Lucy. "I'll ge' bi' o' breakfast up to Mum now.""Ah, that's good girl. I reckon she'll be right's a trivet tomorrer."Doctor Adams arrived soon after ten. Lucy, who was making her bed andtidying her room later than she should have been, heard him stop his car underthe elms at the top of the lane and went out to meet him, wondering why he hadnot driven up to the house as usual. He had got out of the car and was standingwith his hands behind his back, looking down the lane, but he caught sight of herand called in the rather shy, abrupt18 way she was used to.
"Er -- Lucy."She ran up. He took off his pince-nez and put them in his waistcoat pocket.
"Is that your dog?"The Labrador was coming up the lane, looking decidedly tired and trailing itsbroken rope. Lucy laid hold of it.
"'E's bin off, Doctor. 'Bin ever so worried 'bout1 'im."The Labrador began to sniff19 at Doctor Adams' shoes.
"Something's been fighting with him, I think," said Doctor Adams. "His nose isscratched quite badly, and that looks like some kind of a bite on his leg.""What d'you reckon t'was, then, Doctor?""Well, it might have been a big rat, I suppose, or perhaps a stoat. Something hewent for that put up a fight.""I got a rabbit s'mornin', Doctor. Woild one. 'E's aloive. I took 'un off o' the cat.
On'y I reckon e's 'urt. Joo like see 'im?""Well, I'd better go and see Mrs. Cane20 first, I think." (Not "your mother,"thought Lucy.) "And then if I've got time I'll have a look at the chap."Twenty minutes later Lucy was holding the rabbit as quiet as she could whileDoctor Adams pressed it gently here and there with the balls of two fingers.
"Well, there doesn't seem to be much the matter with him, as far as I can see,"he said at last. "Nothing's broken. There's something funny about his hind16 leg,but that's been done some time and it's more or less healed -- or as much as itever will. The cat's scratched him across here, you see, but that's nothing much. Ishould think he'll be all right for a bit.""No good to keep 'im, though, Doctor, would it? In 'utch, I mean.""Oh, no, he wouldn't live shut up in a box. If he couldn't get out he'd soon die.
No, I should let the poor chap go -- unless you want to eat him."Lucy laughed. "Dad'd be ever s'woild, though, if I was to let 'im go anywheresround 'ere. 'E always says one rabbit means 'undred an' one.""Well, I'll tell you what," said Doctor Adams, taking his thin fob watch on thefingers of one hand and looking down at it as he held it at arm's length -- for hewas longsighted -- "I've got to go a few miles up the road to see an old lady at ColeHenley. If you like to come along in the car, you can let him go on the down andI'll bring you back before dinner."Lucy skipped. "I'll just go'n ask Mum."On the ridge21 between Hare Warren Down and Watership Down, Doctor Adamsstopped the car.
"I should think this would be as good as anywhere," he said. "There's not a lotof harm he can do here, if you come to think about it."They walked a short distance eastward22 from the road and Lucy set the rabbitdown. It sat stupefied for nearly half a minute and then suddenly dashed awayover the grass.
"Yes, he has got something the matter with that leg, you see," said DoctorAdams. "But he could perfectly23 well live for years, as far as that goes. Born andbred in a briar patch, Brer Fox."
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1
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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squealing
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
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kennel
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| n.狗舍，狗窝 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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cuffed
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| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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growled
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| 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 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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wanner
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| adj.苍白的( wan的最高级 )；无血色的；病态的；暗淡的 | |
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bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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fungus
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| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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