介绍:
元气满满回来把故事说完
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 pestering others. The cows hated them. The horses detested them. The sheep loathed them. Mr. and Mrs. Zukerman were always complaining about them, and putting up screens.
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。
Wilbur admired the way Charlotte managed. He was particularly glad that she always put her victim to sleep before eating it.
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。
"It's real thoughtful of you to do that, Charlotte," he said.
“你那么做可真体贴，夏洛，”他说。
"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."
“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。”
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.
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。
"Hello!" she said. "Seems to me you're putting on weight."
“你好！”她说。“我看你好像正在变胖。”
"Yes, I guess I am," replied Wilbur. "At my age it's a good idea to keep gaining."
“是的，我想是，”威伯回答。“在我这个年纪胖起来是好事儿。”
"Just the same, I don't envy you," said the old sheep. "You know why they're fattening you up, don't you?"
“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？”
"No," said Wilbur.
“不知道，”威伯说。
"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."
“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。”
"They're going to what?" screamed Wilbur. Fern grew rigid on her stool.
“他们将来要做什么？”威伯尖叫。坐在凳子上的芬也听呆了。
"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 conspiracy around here to kill you at Christmastime. Everybody is in the plog--Lurvy, Zuckerman, even John Arable."
“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。”
"Mr. Arable?" sobbed Wilbur. "Fern's father?"
“阿拉贝尔先生？”威伯啜泣起来。“芬的爸爸？”
"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..."
“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……”
"Stop!" screamed Wilbur. "I don't want to die! Save me, somebody! Save me!"
“别说了！”威伯尖叫。“我不想死！救我，来人哪！救我呀！”
Fern was just about to jump up when a voice was heard.
这尖叫几乎把芬吓得跳起来。
"Be quiet, Wilbur!" said Charlotte, who had been listening to this awful conversation.
“镇静，威伯！”一直听着这段恐怖对话的夏洛说。
"I can't be quiet," screamed Wilbur, racing 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?"
“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？”
"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!"
“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！”
Wilbur burst into tears. "I don't want to die," he moaned. "I want to stay alive, right here in my comfortable manure pile with all my friends. I want to breathe the beautiful air and lie in the beautiful sun."
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。”
"You're certainly making a beautiful noise," snapped the old sheep.
“你说的全是美丽的胡话。”老羊迅速地打断了他的话。
"I don't want to die!" screamed Wilbur, throwing himself to the ground.
“我不想死！”威伯尖叫着，瘫到地上。
"You shall not die," said Charlotte, briskly.
“你不会死的，”夏洛轻快地说。
"What? Really?" cried Wilbur. "Who's going to save me?"
“什么？真的吗？”威伯叫。“谁会来救我呢？”
"I am," said Charlotte.
“我，”夏洛说。
"How?" asked Wilbur.
“怎么救？”威伯问。
"That remains 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."
“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。”
第八章
On Sunday morning Mr. and Mrs. Arable and Fern were sitting at breakfast in the kitchen. Avery had finished and was upstairs looking for his slingshot.
星期六早上，阿拉贝尔先生和太太还有芬正坐在厨房吃早餐。埃弗里已经吃过了饭，便上楼找他的弹弓去了。
"Did you know that Uncle Homer's goslings had hatched?" asked Fern.
“你们知道霍默舅舅的小鹅孵出来了吗？”芬问。
"How many?" asked Mr. Arable.
“孵出了多少个？”阿拉贝尔先生问。
"Seven," replied Fern. "There were eight eggs but one egg didn't hatch and the goose told Templeton she didn't want it any more, so he took it away."
“七个。”芬回答。“本来有八个蛋，但有一个没孵出来。母鹅告诉坦普尔曼她不想要这个蛋了，所以他把蛋带走了。”
"The goose did what?" asked Mrs. Arable, gazing at her daughter with a queer, worried look.
“母鹅说什么了？”阿拉贝尔太太惊奇而又担心地盯着女儿问。
"Told Templeton she didn't want the egg any more," repeated Fern.
“她告诉坦普尔曼，她不想再要那个蛋了，”芬重复道。
"Who is Templeton?" asked Mrs. Arable.
“谁是坦普尔曼？”阿拉贝尔太太问。
"He's the rat," replied Fern. "None of us like him much."
“他就是那只老鼠，”芬回答。“我们都不太喜欢他。”
"Who is 'us'?" asked Mr. Arable.
“谁是‘我们’？”阿拉贝尔先生问。
"Oh, everybody in the barn cellar. Wilbur and the sheep and the lambs and the goose and the gander and the goslings and Charlotte and me."
“噢，就是住在谷仓地窖里的所有人。威伯，绵羊，羊羔，母鹅，公鹅，小鹅，夏洛和我。”
"Charlotte?" said Mrs. Arable. "Who's Charlotte?"
“夏洛？”阿拉贝尔太太说。“谁是夏洛？”
"She's Wilbur's best friend. She's terribly clever."
“她是威伯最好的朋友，她非常的聪明。”
"What does she look like?" asked Mrs. Arable.
“她长得什么样儿？”阿拉贝尔太太问。
"Well-l," said Fern, thoughtfully, "she has eight legs. All spiders do, I guess."
“嗯，”芬仔细想了想，说，“她有八条腿。所有的蜘蛛都如此，我猜。”
"Charlotte is a spider?" asked Fern's mother.
“夏洛是一只蜘蛛？”芬的母亲问。
Fern nodded. "A big grey one. She has a web across the top of Wilbur's doorway. She catches flies and sucks their blood. Wilbur adores her."
芬点点头：“一只很大的灰蜘蛛。她在威伯的门口上方织了一张网。她能抓苍蝇，还吸他们的血。威伯可崇拜她了。”
"Does he really?" said Mrs. Arable, rather vaguely. She was staring at Fern with a worried expression on her face.
“他真的崇拜她？”阿拉贝尔太太几乎听糊涂了。她用一种担忧的表情盯着芬的脸。
"Oh, yes, Wilbur adores Charlotte," said Fern. "Do you know what Charlotte said when the goslings hatched?"
“噢，是的，威伯崇拜夏洛。”芬说，“你知道当小鹅出世时夏洛说什么了？”
"I haven't the faintest idea," said Mr. Arable. "Tell us."
“我可什么都不知道，”阿拉贝尔先生说，“跟我们讲讲。”
"Well, when the first gosling stuck its little head out from under the goose, I was sitting on my stool in the corner and Charlotte was on her web. She made a speech. She said: 'I am sure that every one of us here in the barn cellar will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of the goose, she now has something to show for it.' Don't you think that was a pleasant thing for her to say?"
“好吧。当第一只小鹅从鹅妈妈的身下伸出他的小脑袋时，我正在旁边的凳子上坐着，夏洛就在她的网上挂着。她发表了一场演说。她说：‘我们在谷仓地窖里的每一位都将高兴地获悉，经过四周的不懈努力与耐心的等待，我们的朋友母鹅终于取得了骄人的成绩。’你不认为她说的是件大喜事吗？”
"Yes, I do," said Mrs. Arable. "And now, Fern, it's time to get ready for Sunday School and tell Avery to get ready. And this afternoon you can tell me more about what goes on in Uncle Homer's barn. Aren't you spending quite a lot of time there? You go there almost every afternoon, don't you?"
“是的，我承认，”阿拉贝尔太太说。“现在，芬，该到上主日学校的时间了。告诉埃弗里做好准备。今天下午你可以把你霍默舅舅谷仓里的事儿再告诉我们一些。你在那里花了不少时间吧？你几乎每天下午都去，是不是？”
"I like it there," replied Fern. She wiped her mouth and ran upstairs. After she had left the room, Mrs. Arable spoke in a low voice to her husband.
“我喜欢那儿，”芬回答。她擦擦嘴巴跑上了楼。她离开房间后，阿拉贝尔太太和她丈夫低声交谈后。
