Virginia was gathering1 blueberries and she had strayed farther and farther away from the farm house until she suddenly found that she could no longer see the top of the red chimney, nor the peak of the barn. Never had her little feet carried her so far into the pastures as this. To make it worse, she could not seem to find her way back. The low birch trees and the sweet fern seemed taller, and the light beneath them was not so warm and bright.
Virginia started to run, but she had taken only a few steps when she tripped and fell. It almost seemed that the briary vine in the grass had reached out and entangled2 her. But she was a brave little girl and would sooner do anything than cry out. It was discouraging to have all the berries in her pail spilled over the ground, but she set to work picking them out of the moss3 and leaves, while she kept wishing that somebody would come to help her.
Then she pricked4 her finger on a thorn. It was then, she knows, that she began to hear lovely voices; for no sooner had she felt the sharp scratch than she heard a sweet sighing song all around her.
Of all the wishes in her life the greatest was to know what the trees and the birds were saying. Now she knew.
For on all sides the voices were as sweet as music. "What pretty blue eyes she has!" and "How lovely her cheeks are!" and "Just see her golden hair!" were remarks she caught between the sounds of silvery laughter.
She jumped up, leaving her berries on the ground, and started again to run. For she was suddenly afraid of these voices, even though they were so sweet.
A familiar Me-ew greeted her. It was her pet cat, Tiger, who then began talking to her as plainly as though he had been to school and could read and write.
"How fine this is!" he exclaimed. "To think you can hear at last!" and he went on explaining that no one had ever understood what he was saying before.
"How often," he purred, "have I followed you into the pasture, hoping that you would prick5 your finger on the right sort of thorn, so that at last we could talk things over! My, but won't all the world be glad to know of this!" he added. "Why, it doesn't happen once in a thousand years!"
With that the beautiful gray cat ran off into the woods, only to return accompanied by troops and troops of beautiful little creatures: the field mice, who didn't seem to object to the cat at all, and the squirrels, even the shiny moles6, and some very excited birds, who flew round and round the little girl, calling her name, and telling her how they loved her.
Why she should have followed the cat into the woods, Virginia did not know, but he ran ahead and bade her follow, and she seemed only too willing to do so. The trees spoke7 so pleasantly as she passed them that it was impossible not to go on.
"How she does resemble her great-grandmother!" said one of the trees. It was an aged8 oak who had known Virginia's family ever since it had settled in those parts. She felt that she must stop and return the greetings, for she was always carefully polite to old people.
"Why, it was my little brother," the tree continued, "who was ordained9 to the ministry10 in your grandfather's church. Your grandfather did the preaching, and my brother held the floor up. He also was cut by the builders to carry the major load of the roof. You see I have known your family a long while. I am the oldest white oak in this woodland."
But before he could say another word, a beautiful red fox jumped out of the bushes and told the tree to stop talking.
"Don't weary that little girl with all your memories," Red Fox said. "If you get started, you'll never stop. And she has an invitation to Mother Fox's Hospital. She must come immediately."
All this was very strange. Virginia wished to talk to the good old oak some more, but Red Fox gave her a knowing look and held out his hand in such a cordial way, and so urgently, that she bade the venerable tree good-afternoon and ran to catch up with her new friend, who was already beckoning11 to her from some distance ahead. Bounding along the path beside her came Tiger Kitty, whom Virginia was indeed glad to have with her.
She was no longer on familiar ground. The woods were dense12, and she felt that she was running a long way from home.
But suddenly Red Fox stopped. They had come to what appeared a jagged and moss-grown rock. It was the side of an old pit that had been dug into the shoulder of the hill, and at any other time Virginia would have remembered it as the old quarry13 where once she had been taken by her brothers and sisters on a picnic. But now she saw that it concealed14 in reality a doorway15. Moss-grown and dark, the door was hardly discoverable, but it opened easily enough when Red Fox applied16 his key. And standing17 there to greet Virginia and Tiger Kitty was a wonderful old fox, with spectacles and a frilled bonnet18 and the kindliest face in the world.
"This is my mother," said Red Fox; "she's the matron."
"Yes," the good old soul admitted, "I am Mother Fox, and this charitable home for the destitute19 of the field and forest is named after me."
Virginia was embarrassed, but only for a minute, for sweet old Mother Fox invited her into the parlor20 and then, after she had been offered the most delicious of cakes, and the creamiest of milk, and had eaten a refreshing21 supper, she was shown through the home.
Living there was every poor animal that Virginia had ever known. And they were all in such supreme22 comfort and having such a good time that she was sure she had never seen so many people so happy all at once, never in her whole life.
"Our only discontented inmate23 is Mr. Wolf," said the matronly Mrs. Fox. "Would you like to see him?"
She led the way down a long hall to where Mr. Wolf was seated in a little room of his own, gnawing24 and snapping at his nurses, who were none other than the hedgehog and the big snapping turtle.
"Two rather sharp people for nurses," Red Fox remarked, almost in apology; "but you see it takes some one with a good deal of character to handle him."
In a great room which was a dining-hall, with high tables for the big animals, and low ones for the little folk, she saw the animals that were privileged to be there eating the most tempting25 dishes. There was lettuce26 salad for the rabbits, and corn-bread for the field mice, and blackberry pudding for the whole partridge family, and persimmon jam for the 'possums, and even lily roots creamed and on toast for the poor old muskrats27.
"All charity," said Red Fox. "All charity! Out in the world every one of these poor animals was cruelly hurt, or starved. Of course, we're hunted and stoned, and chased, and shot at. That's all men want—a chance to kill us. Here's where we take care of our cripples and paupers28."
Virginia was wonderstruck and was about to ask a question, when a lame29 but beautiful lady tapped Mother Fox's shoulder and asked her to introduce the visitor.
Lady Orchid put the sweetest, tenderest hand into Virginia's, and the little girl looked into the loveliest flower face in the world.
"I'm Lady Arethusa," the wonderful creature breathed, as she curtsied very low to the little girl. "You see I'm crippled. I was pulled up by the roots in such a careless way. You did it yourself, if you remember, only the other day."
The little girl wanted to cry, but the lovely orchid repented31 having come too close to the truth, and quickly added:
"No; it was your brother, possibly. At any rate, I beg you never to pull any of us out in that violent way again. I am sure we all love you too much. We Arethusas have lived on your place a great many years. The small white violets, by the way, that live by the door-step at your home, tell me that they can't get close enough to you and your sweet mother, they love you so. And there is a lovely begonia living here whom your mother lost, despite her care. Some one neglected it, and it died of thirst. Your mother was visiting at the time, I believe."
"Yes," said Mother Fox; "that is so often the case. Fathers and brothers are very careless in such matters. They are not so tender as a rule with their plant cousins under their roof."
Then, as they left the dining-room, where the animals were just reaching the dessert, who should come flying up to Virginia but a beautiful oriole. He too, it seems, knew the little girl.
"Yes, indeed, dear child," he sang out to her; "I have known you a long time. I live in the elm-tree. And I want to thank you for those lovely threads that you put out on the lawn for me when I was refurnishing my house. I am here to call on some relatives, but I will sing to you by your window in the morning."
Then Virginia remembered that a ball of beautiful worsted had been missing from her mother's work-basket after it had been left on the porch. This explained it all. She was astonished, but the gray cat laughed out merrily:
"Yes, he stole it; but the dear bird thinks you left it there for him. If you look out of the attic32 window when we get home you can see his nest in the elm. It's mostly blue worsted."
"Why didn't you tell me before, if you knew it?" Virginia asked, really grieved at Tiger Kitty's lack of confidence.
"Why," repeated the cat, and then he only smiled very broadly, "because you were always deaf, my dear."
Presently, while they were walking down the corridor, the merriest music burst on Virginia's ear. In a room all to themselves, the rabbits were rehearsing for a minstrel show. They were dancing in the most giddy fashion, and she could not help laughing aloud as she watched them.
But as she laughed, something happened, and the cat, who had just opened his mouth to say something, closed it with a sudden look of disappointment.
"You see, she spilled the berries, and fell asleep while trying to pick them up."
It was a familiar voice. Virginia turned around. Her mother and big brother and little sister were kneeling beside her in the ferns. It was evening and she could hear the cows calling to be let through the farm gate.
"And I never said good-by to Mr. Red Fox!" she exclaimed. Then she rubbed her eyes and smiled, for they were all kissing her, and big brother was putting her on his shoulder.
Her strange experience she kept to herself for a long time. But she talked it all over with Tiger Kitty, and he seemed to understand it, every word. Most of all when she climbed the attic stairs and looked at the bird's nest, it was of blue worsted, as plain as plain could be.
And she was sure then and for the rest of her life that the birds and the flowers loved the old home with its trees and its gardens as much as she did.
And she always thought of sweet Lady Orchid when she gathered wild flowers.
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1
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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4
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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6
moles
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| 防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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10
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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11
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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12
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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lettuce
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| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
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27
muskrats
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| n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 ) | |
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28
paupers
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| n.穷人( pauper的名词复数 )；贫民；贫穷 | |
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29
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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orchid
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| n.兰花，淡紫色 | |
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31
repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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