Chapter 7 Bad News

Wilbur liked Charlotte better and better each day. Her campaign against insects seemed sensible and useful. Hardly anybody around the farm had a good word to say for a fly. Flies spent their time pestering¹ others. The cows hated them. The horses detested² them. The sheep loathed³ them. Mr. and Mrs. Zukerman were always complaining about them, and putting up screens.

　　Wilbur admired the way Charlotte managed. He was particularly glad that she always put her victim to sleep before eating it.

　　"It's real thoughtful of you to do that, Charlotte," he said.

　　"Yes," she replied in her sweet, musical voice, "I always give them an anaesthetic so they won't feel pain. It's a little service I throw in."As the days went by, Wilbur grew and grew. He ate three big meals a day. He spent long hours lying on his side, half asleep, dreaming pleasant dreams. He enjoyed good health and he gained a lot of weight. One afternoon, when Fern was sitting on her stool, the oldest sheep walked into the barn, and stopped to pay a call on Wilbur.

　　"Hello!" she said. "Seems to me you're putting on weight.""Yes, I guess I am," replied Wilbur. "At my age it's a good idea to keep gaining.""Just the same, I don't envy you," said the old sheep." You know why they're fattening⁴ you up, don't you?""No," said Wilbur.

　　"Well, I don't like to spread bad news," said the sheep, "but they're fattening you up because they're going to kill you, that's why.""They're going to what?" screamed Wilbur. Fern grew rigid⁵ on her stool.

　　"Kill you. Turn you into smoked bacon and ham," continued the old sheep. "Almost all young pigs get murdered by the farmer as soon as the real cold weather sets in. There's regular conspiracy⁶ around here to kill you at Christmastime. Everybody is in the plog--Lurvy, Zuckerman, even John Arable⁷.""Mr. Arable?" sobbed⁸ Wilbur. "Fern's father?""Certainly. When a pig is to be butchered, everybody helps. I'm an old sheep and I see the same thing, same old business, year after year. Arable arrives with hi .22, shoots the...""Stop!" screamed Wilbur. "I don't want to die! Save me, somebody! Save me!" Fern was just about to jump up when a voice was heard.

　　"Be quiet, Wilbur!" said Charlotte, who had been listening to this awful conversation.

　　"I can't be quiet," screamed Wilbur, racing⁹ up and down. "I don't want to be killed. I don't want to die. Is it true what the old sheep says, Charlotte? Is it true they are going to kill me when the cold weather comes?""Well," said the spider, plucking thoughtfully at her web, "the old sheep has been around this barn a long time. She has seen many a spring pig come and go. If she says they plan to kill you, I'm sure it's true. It's also the dirtiest trick I ever heard of. What people don't think of!"Wilbur burst into tears. "I don't want to die," he moaned. "I want to stay alive, right here in my comfortable manure¹⁰ pile with all my friends. I want to breathe the beautiful air and lie in the beautiful sun.""You're certainly making a beautiful noise," snapped the old sheep.

　　"I don't want to die!" screamed Wilbur, throwing himself to the ground.

　　"You shall not die," said Charlotte, briskly.

　　"What? Really?" cried Wilbur. "Who's going to save me?""I am," said Charlotte.

　　"How?" asked Wilbur.

　　"That remains¹¹ to be seen. But I am going to save you, and I want you to quiet down immediately. You're carrying on in a childish way. Stop your crying! I can't stand hysterics."

 

　　威伯一天比一天更喜欢夏洛了。她对昆虫发动的战争似乎是英明的，有益处的。农场周围几乎没人为苍蝇说一句好话，因为苍蝇把他们的所有时间都用来骚扰别人了。母牛恨他们。马憎恶他们。绵羊讨厌他们。祖克曼先生和太太也总是抱怨他们，所以特意装上了纱窗。

　　威伯也欣赏夏洛的行事方法。他很高兴她能在吃她的受害者之前先把他们弄睡。

　　“你那么做可真体贴，夏洛，”他说。

　　“是的，”她用甜甜的嗓音回答，“我总是先麻醉他们，这样他们就不会感到疼了。这是我的一项小小的免费服务。”

　　很多天过去了，威伯长了又长。他一天要吃三头猪的饭量了。他把时间都花在躺着，小睡，做美梦上了。他的身体非常健康，体重也增长了许多。一天下午，当芬正在她的凳子上坐着时，那只老羊走到谷仓来拜访威伯。

　　“你好！”她说。“我看你好像正在变胖。”

　　“是的，我想是，”威伯回答。“在我这个年纪胖起来是好事儿。”

　　“虽然如此，可我却不嫉妒你，”老羊说。“你知道他们为什么要把你养这么胖吗？”

　　“不知道，”威伯说。

　　“呃，我不喜欢传播坏消息，”老羊说，“但我还是要告诉你，他们喂胖你，其实是为了将来杀你，这就是原因。”

　　“他们将来要做什么？”威伯尖叫。坐在凳子上的芬也听呆了。

　　“杀死你。把你做成腌肉和火腿。”老羊继续说。“几乎所有年青的小猪到了冬天来的时候都会被农场主谋杀。这里有个尽人皆知的阴谋，就是你将在圣诞节被杀掉。每个人都在参与这个计划——鲁维，祖克曼甚至约翰·阿拉贝尔。”

　　“阿拉贝尔先生？”威伯啜泣起来。“芬的爸爸？”

　　“当然了。宰一头猪时，每人都要来帮忙的。我是一只老羊，这样的事儿见得多了，每一年都是这老一套。阿拉贝尔会带着他的0.22口径的枪，来射向……”

　　“别说了！”威伯尖叫。“我不想死！救我，来人哪！救我呀！”这尖叫几乎把芬吓得跳起来。

　　“镇静，威伯！”一直听着这段恐怖对话的夏洛说。

　　“ 我不能镇静，”威伯大嚷着跑来跑去。“我不想被杀死。我不想死。老羊说的是真的吗，夏洛？冬天来时他们真会杀我吗？”

　　“唔，”夏洛说着，轻轻地拉了拉她的网，“老羊已经在这谷仓住很久了。她看过很多来去的春猪。如果她说人们打算杀你，我想那就是真的。这也是我听过的最可耻的诡计。人类有什么想不出来！”

　　威伯号啕大哭起来。“我不想死，”他呻吟。“我想在这里活着，就呆在我舒服的牛粪堆旁，和我所有的朋友在一起。我想呼吸甜美的空气，躺在美丽的太阳底下。”

　　“你说的全是美丽的胡话。”老羊迅速地打断了他的话。

　　“我不想死！”威伯尖叫着，瘫到地上。

　　“你不会死的，”夏洛轻快地说。

　　“什么？真的吗？”威伯叫。“谁会来救我呢？”

　　“我，”夏洛说。

　　“怎么救？”威伯问。

　　“办法以后会有的。但是在我正考虑怎么救你的时候，我希望你立刻安静下来。你哭叫的样子简直像个小孩子。不要哭！我不能忍受歇斯底里。”

1 pestering   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
• I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

2 detested   

v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They detested each other on sight. 他们互相看着就不顺眼。
• The freethinker hated the formalist; the lover of liberty detested the disciplinarian. 自由思想者总是不喜欢拘泥形式者，爱好自由者总是憎恶清规戒律者。 来自辞典例句

3 loathed   

v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• Baker loathed going to this red-haired young pup for supplies. 面包师傅不喜欢去这个红头发的自负的傻小子那里拿原料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! 因此，他厌恶不幸的自我尤胜其它！ 来自英汉文学 - 红字

4 fattening   

adj.（食物）要使人发胖的v.喂肥( fatten的现在分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值

参考例句：

• The doctor has advised him to keep off fattening food. 医生已建议他不要吃致肥食物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We substitute margarine for cream because cream is fattening. 我们用人造黄油代替奶油，因为奶油会使人发胖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

6 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

7 arable   

adj.可耕的，适合种植的

参考例句：

• The terrain changed quickly from arable land to desert.那个地带很快就从耕地变成了沙漠。
• Do you know how much arable land has been desolated?你知道什么每年有多少土地荒漠化吗？

8 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

9 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

10 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。