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CHAPTER XI The Worst Day of All
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 The summer was drawing to an end.
 
The beeches1 were quite yellow with the heat; and the pond was overgrown with plants almost right up to the middle. All the tadpoles2 had turned into frogs; all the young animals were growing and wanted more food. The water-lily and the spear-wort had stopped quarrelling, for they had nothing more to quarrel about. Both of them had lost their white blossoms and their heads were full of seeds.
 
The reed-warblers' children were now so big that they had begun to leave the nest and flutter about in the weeds. But they were not quite sure of themselves and still dangled3 after their parents. They never went so far away but that they could easily return to the nest; and they lay in it every evening and fought for room and bit and kicked one another, while their half-starved parents sat beside them and hushed them.
 
"Oh, mummy ... do get me that fly!" said one.
 
"I can't catch these horrid4 midges," said the second.
 
"Boo-hoo!... Boo-hoo!... The dragon-fly flew away from me!" said the third.
 
"I daren't take hold of the daddy-long-legs," said the fourth.
 
But the fifth said nothing, for he was a poor little beggar, who always hung his beak5.
 
"We'll never make a proper reed-warbler of him," said the father.
 
And, when they were being drilled in flying and hopping7 and scrambling8 in the reeds, or examined in singing, the fifth was always behind the rest.
 
"We shall never be able to drag him with us to Italy," said the reed-warbler.
 
And little Mrs. Reed-Warbler sighed.
 
In the water below, the duck splashed about with her grown-up ducklings.
 
"The end is near," she said. "I am sure of it. I have a horrid presentiment9 all over my body."
 
"What harm can happen to you?" asked Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "You don't travel, so you're not exposed to as many dangers as the rest of us."
 
"One can never tell," said the duck. "I feel it in my back."
 
Then she paddled on and quacked12 to her children with her anxious old voice and wore a distressful13 look in her eyes.
 
One day something happened that set the whole pond in commotion14.
 
The pike was suddenly hauled up out of the water.
 
The reed-warbler saw it himself. The pike hung and sprawled15 terribly at the end of a thin line, flew through the air in a great curve and fell down on the grass. At the other end of the line was a rod, and at the other end of the rod a boy, who was crimson16 in the face with delight at the big fish he had caught.
 
"It serves him right, the highwayman!" said the perch17.
 
"Thank goodness, he's gone!" croaked18 the frogs.
 
And all the little roach and carp danced round the water with delight.
 
"He had not many friends," said the reed-warbler.
 
"He had not one," said the perch. "He was the worst robber in the pond."
 
"He never did anything to me," said the water-lily. "He was a brave and distinguished19 gentleman, who hadn't his equal among the lot of you. It was always a real pleasure to me when he came sweeping20 past my stalks."
 
"Well, I have seen many go sweeping down his throat," said the eel10. "And they did not think that so amusing. But he did just what I should have done in his place! Now that he's gone, I suppose I'm the biggest in the pond."
 
He stretched himself to his full length.
 
"You have grown big and stout," said the reed-warbler.
 
"I have had a good year," said the eel. "But I shall soon be going to sea now and working off my fat."
 
On the evening of the same day a man stood at the edge of the pond, just where the reed-warblers lived. He wore high boots with wooden soles and whetted21 a scythe22 till the sound of it whizzed through the air.
 
"What's going to happen now?" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler.
 
"Quack11! Quack!" cried the duck in terror.
 
But the man spat23 on his hands and took hold of the scythe. Then he walked out into the water and began to cut down the reeds, close in, at the edge, and right out, as far as they grew. They fell into the water, with a soft sigh; and then, when he had finished, he stood on the bank and contemplated24 his work.
 
"That was a fine clearing," he said. "Duck-hunting begins to-morrow."
 
Then he went a bit farther with his scythe and made another clearing.
 
But he had caused terrible misfortunes. He had torn the water-spider's nest and crushed the spider herself. He had broken the bladder-wort at the root with his heavy wooden boots. And the reed-warblers' nest lay overturned among the cut reeds.
 
The reed-warblers flew round the nest with loud screams:
 
"The children! The children!" they cried.
 
The children had saved themselves. Four had fluttered on land and sat there and looked thoroughly25 bewildered. The fifth was half-buried under the reeds and could not get out.
 
The two old ones with difficulty brought it in to the others:
 
"Oh dear! oh dear!" said little Mrs. Reed-Warbler, in despair. "What are we to do now?"
 
"It might have been worse," replied her husband. "Suppose it had happened a month ago! Now the youngsters are able to look after themselves, all except that one there."
 
"Oh, it was a terrible place to come to!" said she. "It was a great shame of you to drag me here. I would much rather have remained in Italy, even if I had never got married."
 
"Don't talk nonsense, wife," said he. "You wanted to come here just as much as I did. This is where we were born and where our home is and where we had to build our nest. We can't help it; it's in our blood. Besides, we have had a very good time, and have shared each other's joys and sorrows. Don't let us squabble now in our old age, but rather see that we get the children's travelling-suits ready and then be off."
 
Then she became sensible and they sat late into the night and talked about it. The youngsters ran round in the grass and ate ants and thought the whole thing great fun, for children know no better. Only the fifth one hung about disconsolately26.
 
"What are we to do with the poor little wretch27?" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler, pushing a mouthful to him.
 
"We shall never get him to Italy alive," said her husband.
 
Quite early next morning there was a tremendous uproar28 round the pond.
 
Men shouted and dogs barked. They put out the boat and rowed her with difficulty through the thick weeds. The woman of the pond stood outside her cottage, curtseying and pouring out tea.
 
"Whatever is this?" asked the reed-warbler.
 
"It's the world coming to an end," said the duck. "Quack! Quack! Quack!"
 
"To the bottom! To the bottom!" said the eel. "Wriggle29 and twist!"
 
The terrified reed-warbler family pressed close together in the grass. But then the two old ones grew inquisitive30 and could not keep still. They warned the youngsters to stay quiet, whatever happened, and sat down, a little way from each other, on the tops of the reeds beside the clearing.
 
"Bang! Bang!" went the guns over the pond. "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
 
And there were lots of ducks quacking31 and lots of small birds who flew out of their hiding-places in terror. Great ugly dogs, with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, swam round and barked. The leaves of the water-lily dived right under the water and the spear-wort disappeared entirely32 and never came back again.
 
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
 
"There lies our duck," said the reed-warbler.
 
And there she lay on her back, dead, only waiting for the dogs to come and fetch her.
 
"Bang! Bang!"
 
"I must get away, I can stand it no longer," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "Let us fly back to the children."
 
She received no answer and, when she looked round, her husband was gone.
 
She stared at the reed on which he had been sitting and up in the air and down at the water. Then she gave a frightful33 scream:
 
"Oh, poor forlorn widow that I am! What shall I do? What shall I do?"
 
He lay in the water, hit by a stray shot, dead, stiff.
 
"Children! Children! Your father is dead!"
 
The four looked at her in dismay, when she brought the news; the fifth stared vacantly and stupidly, as usual. The uproar continued, out in the pond. The six reed-warblers sat in a row on the edge and were at their wits' end what to do.
 
Then, gradually, it became quiet again.
 
The smoke of the powder lifted and the water calmed down. The men with the guns sat up above in the wood and ate their lunch; and the woman of the pond counted the money she had made.
 
"That was a terrible business," said the water-lily.
 
"My husband is dead," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler and sang a dirge34 that would have moved a stone.
 
"My respectful condolences, madam," said the eel and came up out of the mud. "But will you admit that I was right? Think how much care and sorrow one escapes by keeping out of all this domesticity. I don't know my wife, as I once had the honour of telling you; I have never seen her. It wouldn't occur to me to shed a tear if anyone told me that she was dead."
 
"You horrid, heartless person!" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "To talk like that to a widow with five children, all unprovided for, and one of them a cripple too!"
 
"Oh, those women!" said the eel and disappeared.
 
That evening, little Mrs. Reed-Warbler sat and thought things over.
 
"We must go," she said, "this very night. There's nothing else for us to do. If we fly and hop6 as well as we can and work hard and behave sensibly, we shall be all right."
 
"I can't keep up with you," said the crippled child.
 
"I was forgetting you," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler.
 
She looked at the poor child for a while. Then she shook her wings and took a quick resolve:
 
"No, you can't keep up with us," she said. "And we can't stay here and be ruined for your sake. If I leave you behind, you'll be eaten by a fox or a cat or those greedy ants. It would be a pity for you to be tortured, you poor little fellow. It's better that I should kill you myself and have done with it."
 
Then and there, she rushed at the youngster and pecked away at his head until he was dead:
 
"Now let's be off!" she said.
 
"Madam," said the eel, "you must not go without allowing me to say good-bye to you. You are a charming woman and you know how to adapt yourself to circumstances. You were incensed35 at the horrid robbers in the pond; and you yourself ate innocent flies from morning till night. You loved poetry; but you ate the poor May-fly, though you promised her that she should be allowed to live her poetic36 life for an hour. You were furious with the spider who ate her mother, and with the cray-fish, who ate her children; and now, of your own accord you have pecked your sick child to death, so that you may go to Italy."
 
"Thank goodness, I sha'n't see you any more, you detestable, spiteful fellow!" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "But I may as well tell you that I killed my child for pity."
 
"And the spider ate her mother from hunger and the cray-fish her children from love," said the eel. "And I let mine shift for themselves from common sense!"
 
"My dears," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler, "that eel was positively37 created to live in this horrible pond!"
 
Then they flew away.
 
"I don't think I shall stay here, for all that," said the eel. "I am longing38 for the sea."
 
He looked round warily39, then crept up into the grass and wriggled40 and twisted quickly to the nearest ditch.

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1 beeches 7e2b71bc19a0de701aebe6f40b036385     
n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 );山毛榉木材
参考例句:
  • The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网
  • There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网
2 tadpoles 1abae2c527b80ebae05cd93670639707     
n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Both fish and tadpoles have gills. 鱼和蝌蚪都有鳃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 dangled 52e4f94459442522b9888158698b7623     
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
  • It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。
4 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
5 beak 8y1zGA     
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻
参考例句:
  • The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
  • This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
6 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
7 hopping hopping     
n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
  • I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。
8 scrambling cfea7454c3a8813b07de2178a1025138     
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发,冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 presentiment Z18zB     
n.预感,预觉
参考例句:
  • He had a presentiment of disaster.他预感会有灾难降临。
  • I have a presentiment that something bad will happen.我有某种不祥事要发生的预感。
10 eel bjAzz     
n.鳗鲡
参考例句:
  • He used an eel spear to catch an eel.他用一只捕鳗叉捕鳗鱼。
  • In Suzhou,there was a restaurant that specialized in eel noodles.苏州有一家饭馆,他们那里的招牌菜是鳗鱼面。
11 quack f0JzI     
n.庸医;江湖医生;冒充内行的人;骗子
参考例句:
  • He describes himself as a doctor,but I feel he is a quack.他自称是医生,可是我感觉他是个江湖骗子。
  • The quack was stormed with questions.江湖骗子受到了猛烈的质问。
12 quacked 58c5d8f16b25062c8081d3d2ae05aa7f     
v.(鸭子)发出嘎嘎声( quack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
13 distressful 70998be82854667c839efd09a75b1438     
adj.苦难重重的,不幸的,使苦恼的
参考例句:
  • The whole hall is filled with joy and laughter -- there is only one who feels distressful. 满堂欢笑,一人向隅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Under these distressful circumstances it was resolved to slow down the process of reconstruction. 在这种令人痛苦的情况下,他们决定减慢重建的进程。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
14 commotion 3X3yo     
n.骚动,动乱
参考例句:
  • They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵,引起了一阵骚乱。
  • Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间,整条街道变得一片混乱。
15 sprawled 6cc8223777584147c0ae6b08b9304472     
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着)
参考例句:
  • He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
  • He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。
16 crimson AYwzH     
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句:
  • She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
  • Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。
17 perch 5u1yp     
n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于
参考例句:
  • The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
  • Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。
18 croaked 9a150c9af3075625e0cba4de8da8f6a9     
v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 );用粗的声音说
参考例句:
  • The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢,”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
19 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
20 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
21 whetted 7528ec529719d8e82ee8e807e936aaec     
v.(在石头上)磨(刀、斧等)( whet的过去式和过去分词 );引起,刺激(食欲、欲望、兴趣等)
参考例句:
  • The little chicks had no more than whetted his appetite. 那几只小鸡只引起了他的胃口。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命
  • The poor morsel of food only whetted desire. 那块小的可怜的喜糕反而激起了他们的食欲。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
22 scythe GDez1     
n. 长柄的大镰刀,战车镰; v. 以大镰刀割
参考例句:
  • He's cutting grass with a scythe.他正在用一把大镰刀割草。
  • Two men were attempting to scythe the long grass.两个人正试图割掉疯长的草。
23 spat pFdzJ     
n.口角,掌击;v.发出呼噜呼噜声
参考例句:
  • Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
  • There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。
24 contemplated d22c67116b8d5696b30f6705862b0688     
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。
  • The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。
25 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
26 disconsolately f041141d86c7fb7a4a4b4c23954d68d8     
adv.悲伤地,愁闷地;哭丧着脸
参考例句:
  • A dilapidated house stands disconsolately amid the rubbles. 一栋破旧的房子凄凉地耸立在断垣残壁中。 来自辞典例句
  • \"I suppose you have to have some friends before you can get in,'she added, disconsolately. “我看得先有些朋友才能进这一行,\"她闷闷不乐地加了一句。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
27 wretch EIPyl     
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人
参考例句:
  • You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
  • The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。
28 uproar LHfyc     
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸
参考例句:
  • She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
  • His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。
29 wriggle wf4yr     
v./n.蠕动,扭动;蜿蜒
参考例句:
  • I've got an appointment I can't wriggle out of.我有个推脱不掉的约会。
  • Children wriggle themselves when they are bored.小孩子感到厌烦时就会扭动他们的身体。
30 inquisitive s64xi     
adj.求知欲强的,好奇的,好寻根究底的
参考例句:
  • Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
  • A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。
31 quacking dee15a2fc3dfec34f556cfd89f93b434     
v.(鸭子)发出嘎嘎声( quack的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • For the rest it was just a noise, a quack-quack-quacking. 除此之外,便是一片噪声,一片嘎嘎嘎的叫嚣。 来自英汉文学
  • The eyeless creature with the quacking voice would never be vaporized. 那没眼睛的鸭子嗓也不会给蒸发。 来自英汉文学
32 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
33 frightful Ghmxw     
adj.可怕的;讨厌的
参考例句:
  • How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊!
  • We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。
34 dirge Zudxf     
n.哀乐,挽歌,庄重悲哀的乐曲
参考例句:
  • She threw down her basket and intoned a peasant dirge.她撂下菜篮,唱起庄稼人的哀歌。
  • The stranger,after listening for a moment,joined in the mournful dirge.听了一会儿后这个陌生人也跟著唱起了悲哀的挽歌。
35 incensed 0qizaV     
盛怒的
参考例句:
  • The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
  • They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。
36 poetic b2PzT     
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的
参考例句:
  • His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
  • His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
37 positively vPTxw     
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
参考例句:
  • She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
  • The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
38 longing 98bzd     
n.(for)渴望
参考例句:
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
39 warily 5gvwz     
adv.留心地
参考例句:
  • He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周,假装是在照顾嘉莉。
  • They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。
40 wriggled cd018a1c3280e9fe7b0169cdb5687c29     
v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等)
参考例句:
  • He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》


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