No end of young had come out of the eggs and they filled the whole pond. Out in the middle it was quite green with millions of little water-weeds, which died and rotted and reeked1 till seven big perch2 died of it and floated on their backs.
"I think, considering all things, that it's delightful5 here," said the carp.
The carp swam a little way in among the reeds. He had made a friend there, in the shape of the fresh-water mussel, who waded6 ever so slowly through the mud, or else settled on the bottom and yawned.
They suited each other, these two, for they were quiet and sedate7 people, who led the same sort of life.
"I don't care to go hunting wildly for food," said the carp. "I open my mouth where the water is moderately thick and let whatever there is run in. Something always sticks. Then one needn't kill people and one doesn't see all that misery8."
"It's just so with us," said the fresh-water mussel. "I employ exactly the same methods. It's more gentlemanly and I have grown stout9 on it."
Then the two sat and talked and yawned all the time and amused themselves capitally notwithstanding.
"Mind you don't go too near them," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler to the May-fly grub.
"Yes, I will; thanks very much," said the grub.
"The carp and the mussel are nicer than the others, I think," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler to her husband.
"Really? And why, pray, madam?" asked the eel10, who was always where he was least expected. "Surely they do just the same as all of us ... only the animals which they eat are smaller."
"There is a difference, my good fellow," said the reed-warbler. "It's only your lack of refinement11 that prevents your seeing it."
The reed-warbler did not condescend13 to answer him, but turned to the carp and the mussel, struck up a little trill and said politely:
"My wife and I have the honour to bid you good-morning, gentlemen. We are delighted to observe that you lead your lives in a more mannerly way than most of the other inhabitants of the pond. We have suffered greatly at the sight of the extraordinary cruelty ..." he paused, caught a blue-bottle, and tossed it to his children in the nest ... "of the extraordinary cruelty that prevails in society here. It cannot but be extremely unpleasant for well-bred people to witness the cynical14 and unveiled brutality15 with which every one satisfies his app— ..." Here he seized a caddis-fly, ate it, wiped his mouth, and continued, "satisfies his appetite. You, gentlemen, are different. If you had wings, I should be inclined to believe that originally you did not belong to this company at all."
"You are quite right," said the mussel, yawning politely.
"I was born in another pond," said the carp, "but I must confess that I have no distinct recollection of it. I only know that they did not lead such a wild, brigand's life there as here. For instance, I don't think there were any fish but carp in the pond, which, of course, improved the tone, you know. No doubt it was a nobleman's carp-pond. We were fed five times a day and everything was removed that could inconvenience us in any way. Until I came here, I had never set eyes on such things as pikes, water-spiders or that horrible bladder-wort."
"It must have been idyllic19 there," said the reed-warbler. "May I ask, were there no reed-warblers?"
"Oh, yes!" said the carp, "I think they had permission to build in the reeds. And then there were a good many frogs, probably to cheer us up with their croaking20."
"Then how did you come here?"
"A-ah," said the carp, "that's not an easy question for me to answer. You see, we came in a basket, I and a large number of my friends. And then we were tilted21 out into the pond. I can't think of any other reason than that they wished to improve the tone here. We had nothing to complain of where we were before. Did you hear anything about well-bred people in this place expressing such a wish?"
"No," said the reed-warbler. "It didn't happen in my time. But I have only been here since the spring."
"Oh, I see," said the carp. "Yes, I've been here four years. I wish I were anywhere else. One lives in everlasting22 terror of the pike. A number of my friends have disappeared in an utterly23 incomprehensible manner and, I believe, saving your presence, that the pike has eaten them. And then, as you very properly observed, the prevailing24 tone here is rather ill-bred. But it doesn't matter much to you. I presume you go away in the autumn?"
"A little trip to Italy," said the reed-warbler, "with my family."
The carp waited and thought for a while. He yawned once or twice, then said:
"You might be able to do me a service ... it occurred to me when I saw that nice, pointed25 beak26 of yours."
"Delighted, I'm sure," said the reed-warbler.
"You see, every one has his cross to bear and mine is in my gills. Would you care to see?..."
He opened one of his gill-lids and the reed-warbler ran down the reed and peeped in:
"Yes, upon my word," he said, "there's a cross there."
"That's the double-animal," said the carp with a deep sigh.
"The what?..."
"The double-animal. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I brought him with me from the otherwise first-rate, high-class carp-pond which I was telling you about. The pain he caused me even then was great, but lately it has become almost unendurable. You must know, the animal consists originally of two worms ... of the kind, you know, that don't care to work for themselves, but take up their quarters with respectable people and suck at them. I have a couple of dozen of those in my stomach, but they don't inconvenience me anything like so much as the double-animal. You see, to increase the meanness of the proceeding27, these scoundrels have a trick of fastening together in pairs, cross-wise. They suck themselves firmly on to each other, until they grow into one, and then they suck at me with united strength."
"I never heard anything like it!" said the reed-warbler.
"I have one like it on the other side of my head, in my other gill," said the carp. "We can talk about him later. Meanwhile, may I ask you if you would kindly28 try to remove the brute29 with your beak? I should be exceedingly grateful to you. I am in such pain that I would rather die than go on living like this."
At that moment, it was as though the world were coming to an end.
The reed-bank heaved and swayed, the reeds snapped. The reed-warblers screamed, all the seven of them; the water spurted30 up; the mussel rolled over; the spider's parlour was smashed.
"At last!... At last!..."
It was the pike's voice.
"Spare my life! Spare my life!" yelled the carp.
What happened next no one was ever able properly to describe.
The carp cracked and crunched31 between the pike's teeth, and all who were near thought their last day had come. But, a little after, it grew still and, when the reed-warblers had recovered themselves, the pike was gone, and the carp's tail-fin lay and floated on the water.
The reed-warblers' nest had dropped down on one side and they had to work for some time before they got it right. However, all the children were safe and sound and gradually they recovered from their alarm. The water grew clear again and the mussel sat down below and yawned.
"That was a noble character, that friend of yours who has been taken from us," said the reed-warbler.
"Yes," said the mussel. "For that matter, I have had experiences of my own...."
"We shall look forward to hearing your story to-morrow," said the reed-warbler. "We are too much upset to talk any more to-day."
Just then, the carp's tail sank to the bottom.
Goody Cray-Fish caught it and dragged it to her hole.
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收听单词发音
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1
reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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3
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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5
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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10
eel
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| n.鳗鲡 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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wriggle
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| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
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condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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14
cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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16
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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17
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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18
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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idyllic
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| adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的 | |
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20
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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21
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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30
spurted
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
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31
crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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32
crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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