CHAPTER XX THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ROYAL TWINS

 In the meantime, it hardly need be said, the Wicked Fairy had fled far away with the King's shadow, so that there was not the slightest use in looking for it about the palace. In the meantime, also, the advice of the Wicked Fairy to the Twins had been productive of further trouble. Hardly had the two well arisen from their beds before they began to whisper together about certain plans.

 

First, they got possession of the Enchanted¹ Banjo; for it hardly need be said that they now proposed a journey to the Valley of the Fairies, and without the 110Banjo they could not put the Dragon Jankow to sleep. The Private Secretary, excited over the condition of the King, did not miss the Banjo, so Lulu and Zuzu had no difficulty in taking it away.

 

"Pray, where are you going with me?" asked the Enchanted Banjo of the Twins.

 

"Where should we be going," replied Zuzu, "if not to the Valley of the Fairies? Will you not go with us?"

 

"With all my heart," said the Enchanted Banjo, "for it was in that Valley that I was born. You may depend upon me; but we shall need to be very careful indeed."

 

By this time, as the Twins walked on their way through the forest, they began to hear the voice of the Dragon—"Arrnghgh! Arrnghgh!"—but they went on as bravely as they could, and presently were directly before the Dragon, which again reared and rattled² its long body covered with heavy scales. This was a fearful sight, but Zuzu and Lulu tightly grasped the Enchanted Banjo, and it began to play:

 

THE LULLABY OF ENCHANTMENT³

 

Ho, Little Wind, come out of the west

And whisper the song that is laden⁴ with rest.

The world is a-weary,

The day has been long

So sing for my dearie

A lullaby-song.

111

Lullaby, lullaby, soft and low,

For that is the way that the Fairy-horns blow;

And thither⁵ and hither and thither and here

The Fairies bring dreams for the sleep of my dear.

Lullaby, lullaby, low.

Ho, Little Wind, you may creep, if you will

Where the willows⁶ bend low at the foot of the hill;

The flowers are closing,

They drowse in the dew—

And dozing⁷, and dozing,

They wait now for you.

Lullaby, lullaby, soft and deep;

The stars far away now are climbing the steep,

And out of the silence is wafted⁸ a croon

That murmurs⁹ in mellowness¹⁰ under the moon.

Sleep-i-ly, sleep-i-ly, sleep.

At the first verse of this song, the Dragon began to beat time with his good foreleg; then it began to nod a little, and then it yawned very wide and deep, until one could see very far down into its hollow throat. "Dear me!" said the Dragon, "I feel very drowsy¹¹ this morning. I think I must have a bit of spring fever."

 

"Play again," whispered Zuzu to the Enchanted Banjo. So the Banjo played again:

 

Ho, Little Wind, sing it gently and sweet;

Come, hum through the vines till the echoes repeat

The words you are singing,112

And on through the night

Go swinging and swinging

Away to the light.

Lullaby, lullaby, low and low—

That is the way that the Fairy-songs go,

And that is the way that the sleepy-song sighs

Till the magical spell sets its seal on our eyes.

Lullaby, lullaby, low.

By this time, the Dragon was openly nodding at its post of duty. Its head would fall down, and then it would waken and jerk its head upright again and frown at them as though they had accused it of being asleep when nothing of the sort was true. At last, it laid its head down upon a rock for a pillow and went fast asleep, snoring so loudly that it might have been heard at least the distance of a mile.

 

"Quick! Quick!" cried Zuzu, when they saw the great Dragon was indeed asleep. "Give me the screw-driver from the lunch basket, quick!"

 

Lulu felt in the basket which she carried and found the screw-driver, and at once Zuzu sprang to the side of the Dragon and with a few strokes unscrewed the wooden leg of the Dragon close up to the shoulder.

 

"Now," cried Zuzu, "hurry, and soon we shall be at the Valley."

 

113So now they stepped close to the side of the sleeping Dragon and edged past through the long, narrow passageway where the great tail lay curled up. They jumped close against the wall whenever the Dragon stirred in his sleep, and for the last few paces of the passage they almost ran. But the Dragon did not waken and they got through in safety. Then, to their great surprise, they found themselves directly at the top of a long, narrow, golden ladder, which fell straight down, down from the edge of a break in the rocky floor. It extended down farther than they could see, until finally its two sides seemed to unite in a shining thread of gold far below.

 

"This," said Zuzu, "must be the Fairy Ladder. Quick, before the Dragon wakens!"

1 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

2 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

3 enchantment   

n.迷惑，妖术，魅力

参考例句：

• The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment.风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
• The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment.乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。

4 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

5 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

6 willows   

n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木

参考例句：

• The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 dozing   

v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。

8 wafted   

v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
• A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 murmurs   

n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕

参考例句：

• They spoke in low murmurs. 他们低声说着话。 来自辞典例句
• They are more superficial, more distinctly heard than murmurs. 它们听起来比心脏杂音更为浅表而清楚。 来自辞典例句

10 mellowness   

成熟； 芳醇； 肥沃； 怡然

参考例句：

• I love these colours because they symbolize mellowness, abundance, strength and happiness. 我喜欢这秋色，因为它表示着成熟、昌盛和繁荣，也意味着愉快、欢乐和富强。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• The mellowness of the cuckoo report the come of spring. 杜鹃甜美的叫声报告了春天的来临。

11 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。