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第24部分

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第24部分

小说: prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页4000字

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〃now; lucy;〃 said aslan。

lucy had her diamond bottle out in a moment。 though only a drop was needed  on each of reepicheeps wounds; the wounds were so many that there was a long and  anxious silence before she had finished and the master mouse sprang from the  litter。 his hand went at once to his sword hilt; with the other he twirled his whiskers。 he  bowed。

〃hail; aslan!〃 came his shrill voice。 〃i have the honour …〃 but then he  suddenly stopped。

the fact was that he still had no tail … whether that lucy had forgotten it  or that her cordial; though it could heal wounds; could not make things grow again。  reepicheep became aware of his loss as he made his bow; perhaps it altered something  in his balance。

he looked over his right shoulder。 failing to see his tail; he strained his  neck further till he had to turn his shoulders and his whole body followed。 but by that time  his hind…quarters had turned too and were out of sight。 then he strained his neck  looking over his shoulder again; with the same result。 only after he had turned pletely  round three times did he realize the dreadful truth。

〃i am confounded;〃 said reepicheep to aslan。 〃i am pletely out of  countenance。 i must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion。鈥

〃it bees you very well; small one;〃 said aslan。

〃all the same;〃 replied reepicheep; 〃if anything could be done。。。 perhaps  her majesty?鈥

and here he bowed to lucy。

〃but what do you want with a tail?〃 asked aslan。

〃sir;〃 said the mouse; 〃i can eat and sleep and die for my king without  one。 but a tail is the honour and glory of a mouse。鈥

〃i have sometimes wondered; friend;〃 said aslan; 〃whether you do not think  too much about your honour。鈥

〃highest of all high kings;〃 said reepicheep; 〃permit me to remind you that  a very small size has been bestowed on us mice; and if we did not guard our dignity;  some (who weigh worth by inches) would allow themselves very unsuitable pleasantries  at our expense。 that is why i have been at some pains to make it known that no one  who does not wish to feel this sword as near his heart as i can reach shall talk in  my presence about traps or toasted cheese or candles: no; sir … not the tallest fool in  narnia!〃 here he glared very fiercely up at wimbleweather; but the giant; who was always a  stage behind everyone else; had not yet discovered what was being talked about down at  his feet; and so missed the point。

〃why have your followers all drawn their swords; may i ask?〃 said aslan。

〃may it please your high majesty;〃 said the second mouse; whose name was  peepiceek; 〃we are all waiting to cut off our own tails if our chief must go without  his。 we will not bear the shame of wearing an honour which is denied to the high mouse。鈥

〃ah!〃 roared aslan。 〃you have conquered me。 you have great hearts。 not for  the sake of your dignity; reepicheep; but for the love that is between you and your  people; and still more for the kindness your people showed me long ago when you ate away the  cords that bound me on the stone table (and it was then; though you have long  forgotten it; that you began to be talking mice); you shall have your tail again。鈥

before aslan had finished speaking the new tail was in its place。 then; at  aslans mand; peter bestowed the knighthood of the order of the lion on caspian;  and caspian; as soon as he was knighted; himself bestowed it on trufflehunter  and trumpkin and reepicheep; and made doctor cornelius his lord chancellor; and  confirmed the bulgy bear in his hereditary office of marshal of the lists。 and there was  great applause。

after this the telmarine soldiers; firmly but without taunts or blows; were  taken across the ford and all put under lock and key in the town of beruna and given  beef and beer。

they made a great fuss about wading in the river; for they all hated and  feared running water just as much as they hated and feared woods and animals。 but in the  end the nuisance was over: and then the nicest parts of that long day began。

lucy; sitting close to aslan and divinely fortable; wondered what the  trees were doing。 at first she thought they were merely dancing; they were certainly  going round slowly in two circles; one from left to right and the other from right to  left。 then she noticed that they kept throwing something down in the centre of both  circles。 sometimes she thought they were cutting off long strands of their hair; at other  times it looked as if they were breaking off bits of their fingers … but; if so; they had plenty  of fingers to spare and it did not hurt them。 but whatever they were throwing down; when it  reached the ground; it became brushwood or dry sticks。 then three or four of the red  dwarfs came forward with their tinder boxes and set light to the pile; which first  crackled; and then blazed; and finally roared as a woodland bonfire on midsummer night ought  to do。 and everyone sat down in a wide circle round it。

then bacchus and silenus and the maenads began a dance; far wilder than the  dance of the trees; not merely a dance for fun and beauty (though it was that too)  but a magic dance of plenty; and where their hands touched; and where their feet fell;  the feast came into existence sides of roasted meat that filled the grove with delicious  smell; and wheaten cakes and oaten cakes; honey and many…coloured sugars and cream as  thick as porridge and as smooth as still water; peaches; nectarines; pomegranates;  pears; grapes; strawberries; raspberries pyramids and cataracts of fruit。 then; in great  wooden cups and bowls and mazers; wreathed with ivy; came the wines; dark; thick ones like  syrups of mulberry juice; and clear red ones like red jellies liquefied; and yellow  wines and green wines and yellow…green and greenish…yellow。

but for the tree people different fare was provided。 when lucy saw clodsley  shovel and his moles scuffling up the turf in various places (which bacchus had  pointed out to them)

and realized that the trees were going to eat earth it gave her rather a  shudder。 but when she saw the earths that were actually brought to them she felt quite  different。 they began with a rich brown loam that looked almost exactly like chocolate; so like  chocolate; in fact; that edmund tried a piece of it; but he did not find it at all nice。  when the rich loam had taken the edge off their hunger; the trees turned to an earth of the  kind you see in somerset; which is almost pink。 they said it was lighter and sweeter。 at  the cheese stage they had a chalky soil; and then went on to delicate confections of the  finest gravels powdered with choice silver sand。 they drank very little wine; and it made  the hollies very talkative: for the most part they quenched their thirst with deep  draughts of mingled dew and rain; flavoured with forest flowers and the airy taste of the  thinnest clouds。

thus aslan feasted the narnians till long after the sunset had died away;  and the stars had e out; and the great fire; now hotter but less noisy; shone like a  beacon in the dark woods; and the frightened telmarines saw it from far away and wondered what  it might mean。 the best thing of all about this feast was that there was no breaking  up or going  

away; but as the talk grew quieter and slower; one after another would  begin to nod and finally drop off to sleep with feet towards the fire and good friends on  either side; till at last there was silence all round the circle; and the chattering of water  over stone at the ford of beruna could be heard once more。 but all night aslan and the moon  gazed upon each other with joyful and unblinking eyes。

next day messengers (who were chiefly squirrels and birds) were sent all  over the country with a proclamation to the scattered telmarines … including; of  course; the prisoners in beruna。 they were told that caspian was now king and that  narnia would henceforth belong to the talking beasts and the dwarfs and dryads and fauns  and other creatures quite as much as to the men。 any who chose to stay under the new  conditions might do so; but for those who did not like the idea; aslan would provide  another home。

anyone who wished to go there must e to aslan and the kings at the ford  of beruna by noon on the fifth day。 you may imagine that this caused plenty of head… scratching among the telmarines。 some of them; chiefly the young ones; had; like  caspian; heard stories of the old days and were delighted that they had e back。 they  were already making friends with the creatures。 these all decided to stay in narnia。 but  most of the older men; especially those who had been important under miraz; were sulky  and had no wish to live in a country where they could not rule the roost。 〃live here  with a lot of blooming performing animals! no fear;〃 they said。 〃and ghosts too;〃 some  added with a shudder。 〃thats what those there dryads really are。 its not canny。〃 they  were also suspicious。 〃i dont trust em;〃 they said。 〃not with that awful lion and  all。 he wont keep his claws off us long; youll see。〃 but then they were equally suspicious  of his offer to give them a new home。 〃take us off to his den and eat us one by one most  likely;〃 they muttered。 and the more they talked to on

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