Pinocchio, Chapter 29: A Snail’s Pace匹诺曹，第29章：蜗牛的速度
Mindful of what the Fisherman had said, Pinocchio knew that all hope of being saved had gone. He closed his eyes and waited for the final moment.Suddenly, a large Dog, attracted by the odor of the boiling oil, came running into the cave.
渔夫一举手就要把匹诺曹扔进油锅，可正在这节骨眼上，一条大狗跑进山洞来。它是给炸鱼的浓烈香味招引来的。
“Get out!” cried the Fisherman threateningly and still holding onto the Marionette, who was all covered with flour.
“出去！”渔夫吓唬着对狗吆喝，手里仍旧拎着满身是面粉的木偶。
But the poor Dog was very hungry, and whining and wagging his tail, he tried to say:
可怜的狗实在太饿了，它摇晃着尾巴汪汪地叫，像是说：
“Give me a bite of the fish and I’ll go in peace.”
“给我点油炸鱼，我就不打扰你了。”
“Get out, I say!” repeated the Fisherman.And he drew back his foot to give the Dog a kick.
“我对你说，出去！”渔夫再说一遍，伸出腿来就给它一脚。
Then the Dog, who, being really hungry, would take no refusal, turned in a rage toward the Fisherman and bared his terrible fangs. And at that moment, a pitiful little voice was heard saying: “Save me, Alidoro; if you don’t, I fry!”
狗到当真饿了的时候，是不习惯于让人这样对待它的。它向渔夫转过脸来，呲起两排可怕的牙齿。正在这时候，它听见山洞里发出一个很微弱很微弱的声音，说：“救救我，阿利多罗！你不救我，我就要给油炸了！……”
The Dog immediately recognized Pinocchio’s voice. Great was his surprise to find that the voice came from the little flour-covered bundle that the Fisherman held in his hand.
狗马上听出了匹诺曹的声音。它觉得最奇怪的是，这微弱声音是渔夫手里那团沾满面粉的东西发出来的。
Then what did he do? With one great leap, he grasped that bundle in his mouth and, holding it lightly between his teeth, ran through the door and disappeared like a flash!
这时候它做了件什么事呢？这狗从地上猛地跳得半尺高，咬住那团沾满面粉的东西，用牙轻轻地叼着，就冲出山洞，像闪电似地溜掉了。
The Fisherman, angry at seeing his meal snatched from under his nose, ran after the Dog, but a bad fit of coughing made him stop and turn back.
渔夫一心想吃这条鱼，眼看它打手里给抢走了，气得发疯，就想去追那条狗。可走了几步，忽然咳嗽得没办法，只好回来，
Meanwhile, Alidoro, as soon as he had found the road which led to the village, stopped and dropped Pinocchio softly to the ground.
这时候阿利多罗又来到通村子的小道，停下脚步，把它的朋友匹诺曹小心翼翼地放在地上。
“How much I do thank you!” said the Marionette.
“我该怎么谢你呀！”木偶说。
“It is not necessary,” answered the Dog. “You saved me once, and what is given is always returned. We are in this world to help one another.”
“不用谢，”狗回答说，“你救过我的命，善有善报。要知道，在这个世界上大家应该互相帮助。”
“But how did you get in that cave?”
“可你怎么会到这山洞来的？”
“I was lying here on the sand more dead than alive, when an appetizing odor of fried fish came to me. That odor tickled my hunger and I followed it. Oh, if I had come a moment later!”
“我一直在海边直挺挺地躺着，半死不活的，忽然一阵风打远处吹来了炸鱼的香味。这股香味引起了我的食欲，我就跟着它走。要是来晚一分钟就糟了！……”
“Don’t speak about it,” wailed Pinocchio, still trembling with fright. “Don’t say a word. If you had come a moment later, I would be fried, eaten, and digested by this time. Brrrrrr! I shiver at the mere thought of it.”
“别说了，别说了！”匹诺曹又吓得浑身发抖，叫着说，“你别说了！你要是晚来一分钟，这会儿我已经给炸熟，被吃掉，消化了。Brrr！……一想到这个我就发抖啦！……”
Alidoro laughingly held out his paw to the Marionette, who shook it heartily, feeling that now he and the Dog were good friends. Then they bid each other good-by and the Dog went home.Pinocchio, left alone, walked toward a little hut near by, where an old man sat at the door sunning himself, and asked:
阿利多罗笑着向木偶伸出右爪子，木偶使劲紧紧地握住它，表示极其友好的感情。接着他们就分手了。狗重新取道回家。匹诺曹一个人留下来，向不远的一间小茅屋走去。小茅屋门口坐着一位老人，正在晒太阳。木偶问他说：
“Tell me, good man, have you heard anything of a poor boy with a wounded head, whose name was Eugene?”
“请您告诉我，好心的老人家，您知道一个可怜孩子，叫埃乌杰尼奥的，脑袋给打伤了吗？……”
“The boy was brought to this hut and now–”
“一些打鱼人把他送到这茅屋里来了。现在他……”
“Now he is dead?” Pinocchio interrupted sorrowfully.
“现在他死了！……”匹诺曹极其伤心地打断他的话。
“No, he is now alive and he has already returned home.”
“没有，他现在活着，已经回家去了。”
“Really? Really?” cried the Marionette, jumping around with joy. “Then the wound was not serious?”
“真的吗，真的吗？”木偶高兴得跳起来，叫道，“这么说，伤不重，……”
“But it might have been–and even mortal,” answered the old man, “for a heavy book was thrown at his head.”
“它有可能造成严重后果，甚至死人，”老年人回答，“因为他是给一本厚板纸封面的大书打中了脑袋。”
“And who threw it?”
“谁打伤他了，”
“A schoolmate of his, a certain Pinocchio.”
“一个同学，叫匹诺曹的……”
“And who is this Pinocchio?” asked the Marionette, feigning ignorance.
“这匹诺曹是谁，”木偶假装不知道，问道。
“They say he is a mischief-maker, a tramp, a street urchin–”
“他们说是个小坏蛋，是个小流氓，是个真正的小无赖……”
“Calumnies! All calumnies!”
“造谣！完全是造谣！”
“Do you know this Pinocchio?”
“你认识这匹诺曹？”
“By sight!” answered the Marionette.
“见过！”木偶回答说。
“And what do you think of him?” asked the old man.
“你看他怎么样，”老年人问他。
“I think he’s a very good boy, fond of study, obedient, kind to his Father, and to his whole family–”
“依我说，他是个好极了的孩子，一心想读书，又听话，又爱他的爸爸，又爱他的一家人……”
As he was telling all these enormous lies about himself, Pinocchio touched his nose and found it twice as long as it should be. Scared out of his wits, he cried out:
木偶正这样一口气地撒着谎，摸摸鼻子，发觉鼻子已经长了一个多手掌。他害怕得叫起来：
“Don’t listen to me, good man! All the wonderful things I have said are not true at all. I know Pinocchio well and he is indeed a very wicked fellow, lazy and disobedient, who instead of going to school, runs away with his playmates to have a good time.”
“好心的老人家，我扯了一通关于他的好话，您可全都别信。因为我熟悉匹诺曹，可以保证他真正是个小坏蛋，不听话，不学好，不去上学，却跟着一帮子同学去东游西荡！”
At this speech, his nose returned to its natural size.
这番话一说完，他的鼻子就缩小，恢复了原来的样子。
“Why are you so pale?” the old man asked suddenly.
“为什么你整个人白成这样？”老年人忽然问他。
“Let me tell you. Without knowing it, I rubbed myself against a newly painted wall,” he lied, ashamed to say that he had been made ready for the frying pan.
“我告诉你……我没留神，在一堵新刷白的墙上擦了一下，”木偶回答说。他不好意思承认他被当作鱼拌上面粉，预备扔进油锅里去炸。
“What have you done with your coat and your hat and your breeches?”
“噢，你的上衣，你的短裤，还有你的帽子，你都怎么啦？”
“I met thieves and they robbed me. Tell me, my good man, have you not, perhaps, a little suit to give me, so that I may go home?”
“我遇到了强盗，把我给剥了。您说吧，好心的老人家，您没有一点什么可以给我穿穿，让我好回家去吗？”
“My boy, as for clothes, I have only a bag in which I keep hops. If you want it, take it. There it is.”
“我的孩子，说到可以穿的东西，我只有那么个小口袋，装扁豆的。你要就本去吧。就在那儿。”
Pinocchio did not wait for him to repeat his words. He took the bag, which happened to be empty, and after cutting a big hole at the top and two at the sides, he slipped into it as if it were a shirt. Lightly clad as he was, he started out toward the village.
匹诺曹不等他说第二遍，马上拿起这个装扁豆的空口袋，用剪刀在袋底开了一个洞，在两边开了两个小洞，就当衬衫穿。他一下子把脑袋和双手钻过那些洞，穿好了，就动身上村里去。
Along the way he felt very uneasy. In fact he was so unhappy that he went along taking two steps forward and one back, and as he went he said to himself:
可他一路上感到心里不踏实。老实说，他是进一步又退一步。他一边走一边自言自语说：
“How shall I ever face my good little Fairy? What will she say when she sees me? Will she forgive this last trick of mine? I am sure she won’t. Oh, no, she won’t. And I deserve it, as usual! For I am a rascal, fine on promises which I never keep!”
“我有什么脸去见我那好心的仙女呢？我见了她说什么好呢？……我又做出这桩坏事，她会原谅我一次吗？……可以打赌，她不会原谅了！……唉！她准不会原谅我……这是我活该，因为我是个小坏蛋，答应好了改过，结果又违背了诺言！……”
He came to the village late at night. It was so dark he could see nothing and it was raining pitchforks.Pinocchio went straight to the Fairy’s house, firmly resolved to knock at the door.
他来到村里，天已经黑了。天气很坏，下着瓢泼大雨。他径直上仙女家，决定敲敲门，自己就开门进去。
When he found himself there, he lost courage and ran back a few steps. A second time he came to the door and again he ran back. A third time he repeated his performance. The fourth time, before he had time to lose his courage, he grasped the knocker and made a faint sound with it.
可是一到那里，他觉得勇气没有了，不是去敲门，却是往回跑了二十来步。他第二次走到门口，还是不敢敲门。他第三次走到门口，依然不敢敲门。第四次他才算发着抖，拿起铁门锤，轻轻地把门敲了敲。
He waited and waited and waited. Finally, after a full half hour, a top-floor window (the house had four stories) opened and Pinocchio saw a large Snail look out. A tiny light glowed on top of her head. “Who knocks at this late hour?” she called.
他等啊，等啊，最后过了半个钟头，最高一层（这是座四层楼房）才打开窗子，匹诺曹看见一只大蜗牛探出头出来，头上有盏点亮的小灯。这蜗牛说：“这么晚了，是谁呀？”
“Is the Fairy home?” asked the Marionette.
“仙女在家吗？”木偶问它。
“The Fairy is asleep and does not wish to be disturbed. Who are you?”
“仙女睡了，不要人叫醒她。你倒是谁？”
“It is I.”
“是我！”
“Who’s I?”
“这个我是谁？”
“Pinocchio.”
“匹诺曹。”
“Who is Pinocchio?”
“匹诺曹是谁？”
“The Marionette; the one who lives in the Fairy’s house.”
“是木偶，原先跟仙女住在一起的。”
“Oh, I understand,” said the Snail. “Wait for me there. I’ll come down to open the door for you.”
“啊，我明白了，”蜗牛说，“你等等我，我这就下来给你开门。”
“Hurry, I beg of you, for I am dying of cold.”
“谢谢你快一点，我都要冷死了。”
“My boy, I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry.”
“我的孩子，我是一只蜗牛，蜗牛永远快不了的。”
An hour passed, two hours; and the door was still closed. Pinocchio, who was trembling with fear and shivering from the cold rain on his back, knocked a second time, this time louder than before.
过了一个钟头，过了两个钟头，可门还没有开。匹诺曹又是冷，又是害怕，又是浑身水淋淋，因此直打哆嗦。于是他拿定主意再敲一次门，这回敲得比上一回响。
At that second knock, a window on the third floor opened and the same Snail looked out.
听见这第二次敲门声，第四层下面一层的窗子打开了，还是那只蜗牛探出头来。
“Dear little Snail,” cried Pinocchio from the street. “I have been waiting two hours for you! And two hours on a dreadful night like this are as long as two years. Hurry, please!”
“我的好蜗牛，”匹诺曹打下面街上叫，“我已经等了两个钟头了！这么可怕的夜，两个钟头比这两年还长。帮帮忙，请您快一点。”
“My boy,” answered the Snail in a calm, peaceful voice, “my dear boy, I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry.” And the window closed.
“我的孩子，”这小生物不急不忙，十分平静，在窗口回答说：“我的孩子，我是一只蜗牛，蜗牛都是快不起来的。”窗子又关上了。
A few minutes later midnight struck; then one o’clock–two o’clock. And the door still remained closed!
不多一会儿就敲半夜十二点，接着半夜一点，接着是半夜两点，门还是关着。
Then Pinocchio, losing all patience, grabbed the knocker with both hands, fully determined to awaken the whole house and street with it. As soon as he touched the knocker, however, it became an eel and wiggled away into the darkness.
匹诺曹可忍不住了。他气得抓住门锤，就要用力撞门，让整座房子给撞得摇晃起来。可铁门锤一下子变了活鳗鱼，打他手里滑出来，钻到路当中的水坑里不见了。
“Really?” cried Pinocchio, blind with rage. “If the knocker is gone, I can still use my feet.”
“啊！是这样？”匹诺曹越发气昏了，叫道，“门锤没有了，我就用脚狠狠地踢。”
He stepped back and gave the door a most solemn kick. He kicked so hard that his foot went straight through the door and his leg followed almost to the knee. No matter how he pulled and tugged, he could not pull it out. There he stayed as if nailed to the door.
他退后两步，然后冲过去在门上狠狠一脚。这一脚踢得可厉害，半条脚都插到门里去了。木偶想拔出腿，可用尽了力气也拔不出来。这半条腿像敲弯的钉子似的，牢牢钉在那里了。
Poor Pinocchio! The rest of the night he had to spend with one foot through the door and the other one in the air.
请诸位想象一下这可怜的匹诺曹吧！整个下半夜他就这么一条腿站在地上，一条腿翘着。
As dawn was breaking, the door finally opened. That brave little animal, the Snail, had taken exactly nine hours to go from the fourth floor to the street. How she must have raced!
等到天亮，门终于开了。蜗牛这要命的小生物整整花了九个钟头，才下完四层楼，来到临街的大门口。得说句老实话，它已经走得满身大汗了！
“What are you doing with your foot through the door?” she asked the Marionette, laughing.
“你干吗把一条腿插在门里？”它笑着问木偶。
“It was a misfortune. Won’t you try, pretty little Snail, to free me from this terrible torture?”
“真倒霉。您倒瞧瞧，好蜗牛，看有什么办法让我不受这份罪。”
“My boy, we need a carpenter here and I have never been one.”
“我的孩子，这件事得找木匠，我可从来没当过木匠。”
“Ask the Fairy to help me!”
“替我求求仙女吧！……”
“The Fairy is asleep and does not want to be disturbed.”
“仙女睡了，不要人叫醒她，”
“But what do you want me to do, nailed to the door like this?”
“我整天钉在这门上，您叫我干什么呢？”
“Enjoy yourself counting the ants which are passing by.”
“您就自得其乐，数数路上走过的蚂蚁吗。”
“Bring me something to eat, at least, for I am faint with hunger.”
“您至少给我点什么吃吃，我都要饿死了。”
“Immediately!”
“马上拿来！”蜗牛说。
In fact, after three hours and a half, Pinocchio saw her return with a silver tray on her head. On the tray there was bread, roast chicken, fruit.
实际上又整整过了三个半钟头，匹诺曹才看见它顶着个银托盘回来。托盘上有一个面包、一只炸鸡和四个长熟了的杏子。
“Here is the breakfast the Fairy sends to you,” said the Snail.
“这是仙女给您送来的早饭，”蜗牛说。
At the sight of all these good things, the Marionette felt much better.What was his disgust, however, when on tasting the food, he found the bread to be made of chalk, the chicken of cardboard, and the brilliant fruit of colored alabaster!
木偶看到这顿大菜，感到浑身来劲了。可等到他一吃，马上就倒胃口，原来面包是白垩做的，炸鸡是厚板纸做的，四个杏子是石膏做好，涂上颜色的！
He wanted to cry, he wanted to give himself up to despair, he wanted to throw away the tray and all that was on it. Instead, either from pain or weakness, he fell to the floor in a dead faint.
他失望得想哭，想把托盘边同上面的东西一起甩掉，可不知是由于太伤心呢还是太饿，一下子昏倒了。
When he regained his senses, he found himself stretched out on a sofa and the Fairy was seated near him.
等到他醒来，他已经直挺挺躺在一张沙发床上，仙女就在他身边。
“This time also I forgive you,” said the Fairy to him. “But be careful not to get into mischief again.”
“这一回我也原谅了你，”仙女对他说，“可你再给我来这么一次，就没你好的！……”
Pinocchio promised to study and to behave himself. And he kept his word for the remainder of the year. At the end of it, he passed first in all his examinations, and his report was so good that the Fairy said to him happily:
匹诺曹赌咒发誓，说他要用功读书，做个很好很好的孩子。这一年下来，他都守住他的诺言。的确，他大考光荣地得了全校第一名，品行总的说来也得到好评，令人满意。因此仙女十分高兴，对他说：
“Tomorrow your wish will come true.”
“你的愿望明天终于要实现了！”
“And what is it?”
“你说什么？”
“Tomorrow you will cease to be a Marionette and will become a real boy.”
“到明天你就不再是一个木偶，而要变成一个真的孩子了。”
Pinocchio was beside himself with joy. All his friends and schoolmates must be invited to celebrate the great event! The Fairy promised to prepare two hundred cups of coffee-and-milk and four hundred slices of toast buttered on both sides.The day promised to be a very gay and happy one, but–
诸位没看到匹诺曹那份乐劲！他一直盼望着这个消息，如今听了，他那份高兴简直是无法想象的。为了庆祝这件大喜事，明天仙女家要举行盛大的早宴，把他所有的朋友和同学都请来参加。仙女答应准备两百杯牛奶咖啡和四百片面包，每片面包都两面涂上黄油。没问题，这准是个极其快活，极其美好的日子，可是……
Unluckily, in a Marionette’s life there’s always a BUT which is apt to spoil everything.
真不幸，木偶一生中老这么可是，可是的，这一来，就把什么事情都给毁了。