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“I’ve found out a thing or two lately,” continued the Badger. “I got Otter to disguise himself as a sweep and call at the back-door with brushes over his shoulder, asking for a job. There’s going to be a big banquet to-morrow night.”
“最近我查访到一两个情况。”獾接着说。“我叫水獭冒充扫烟囱的，扛着笤帚，到后门口去讨活干。他了解到。明天晚上。蟾宫里要举行一个盛大 的宴会。”
“It’s somebody’s birthday--the Chief Weasel’s, I believe--and all the weasels will be gathered together in the dining-hall, eating and drinking and laughing and carrying on, suspecting nothing.
“给什么人——大概是给那个黄鼠狼头头——做寿，所有的黄鼠狼都要聚集在宴会厅里，吃喝玩乐穷开心。要闹很长时间。
No guns, no swords, no sticks, no arms of any sort whatever!”
刀剑、棍棒，任何一件武器都不会带！”
“But the sentinels will be posted as usual,” remarked the Rat.
“可岗哨还会照样布置呀？”河鼠提醒说。
“Exactly,” said the Badger;
“对，”獾说
“That is my point. The weasels will trust entirely to their excellent sentinels. And that is where the passage comes in. That very useful tunnel leads right up under the butler’s pantry, next to the dining-hall!”
“这正是我想到的。黄鼠狼们完全信赖他们的那些精良的哨兵。所以，那条通道就派上用场了。那条极有用的地道，正好直通宴会厅隔壁的配膳室的地板底下！”
“Aha! that squeaky board in the butler’s pantry!” said Toad. “Now I understand it!”
“啊哈！配膳室地上有块嘎吱吱响的地板！”蟾蜍说。“现在我全明白了！”
“We shall creep out quietly into the butler’s pantry--” cried the Mole.
“咱们可以偷偷爬进配膳室——”鼹鼠喊道。
“--with our pistols and swords and sticks--” shouted the Rat.
“带上手槍、刀剑和棍棒——”河鼠嚷道。
“--and rush in upon them,” said the Badger.
“——冲进去，直扑他们，”獾说。
“--and whack ’em, and whack ’em, and whack ’em!” cried the Toad in ecstasy, running round and round the room, and jumping over the chairs.
“——把他们痛打一通，痛打一通，痛打一通！”蟾蜍喜不自胜地大喊，在房间里兜着圈儿跑。从一张椅子跳到另一张椅子。
“Very well, then,” said the Badger, resuming his usual dry manner, “our plan is settled, and there’s nothing more for you to argue and squabble about.
“那好，”獾说，又回到他一贯的干巴巴的态度，“咱们的方案就这么定了，你们再也无需争吵了。
So, as it’s getting very late, all of you go right off to bed at once. We will make all the necessary arrangements in the course of the morning to-morrow.”
现在夜已深，你们都睡觉去。明天上午咱们再作必要的安排。”
Toad, of course, went off to bed dutifully with the rest--he knew better than to refuse--though he was feeling much too excited to sleep.
蟾蜍自然也乖乖地跟着那两个上床去了——他知道拒绝是没用的——尽管他太兴奋了，毫无睡意。
But he had had a long day, with many events crowded into it; and sheets and blankets were very friendly and comforting things, after plain straw, and not too much of it, spread on the stone floor of a draughty cell;
不过，他度过了一个漫长的白天，经历了成堆的事 儿，床单被褥毕竟是非常亲切舒适的东西。何况不久前，他还在阴冷潮湿的地牢石板地上的稻草堆里睡过。
And his head had not been many seconds on his pillow before he was snoring happily.
所以，脑袋一沾枕头。他就幸福地打起鼾来。
Naturally, he dreamt a good deal; about roads that ran away from him just when he wanted them, and canals that chased him and caught him, and a barge that sailed into the banqueting-hall with his week’s washing, just as he was giving a dinner-party;
自然，他做了许多许多梦；梦见他正需要道路时，道路都从身边溜走了；梦见水渠在后面追他，并且抓住了他；梦见他正在大摆宴席，一只拖船驶进了宴会厅，船上满载着他一周要洗的脏衣服；
And he was alone in the secret passage, pushing onwards, but it twisted and turned round and shook itself, and sat up on its end;
梦见他孤零零一人在秘密通道里跋涉，那通道忽然扭曲了，转过身来，摇晃着坐直了。
Yet somehow, at the last, he found himself back in Toad Hall, safe and triumphant, with all his friends gathered round about him, earnestly assuring him that he really was a clever Toad.
不过，末末了，他到底还是平安胜利地回到了蟾宫，所有的 朋友都围在身边。热情洋溢地赞扬说，他的确是一只聪明的蟾蜍。
He slept till a late hour next morning, and by the time he got down he found that the other animals had finished their breakfast some time before.
第二天早上，他起床很迟，下楼时，发现别人都吃过早饭了。
The Mole had slipped off somewhere by himself, without telling any one where he was going to. The Badger sat in the arm-chair, reading the paper, and not concerning himself in the slightest about what was going to happen that very evening.
鼹鼠自个儿溜了出去，没说要上哪儿。獾坐在圈椅上看报，对晚上要发生的事，半点也 不关心。
The Rat, on the other hand, was running round the room busily, with his arms full of weapons of every kind, distributing them in four little heaps on the floor, and saying excitedly under his breath, as he ran
河鼠呢，却在屋里来回奔忙，怀里抱着各种各样的武器、在地上把它们分成四小堆，一边跑，一边上气不接下气兴奋地说：
“Here’s-a-sword-for-the-Rat, here’s-a-sword-for-the Mole, here’s-a-sword-for-the-Toad, here’s-a-sword-for-the-Badger!”
“这把剑给河鼠，这把给鼹鼠， 这把给蟾蜍，这把给獾！”
“Here’s-a-pistol-for-the-Rat, here’s-a-pistol-for-the-Mole, here’s-a-pistol-for-the-Toad, here’s-a-pistol-for-the-Badger!” And so on, in a regular, rhythmical way, while the four little heaps gradually grew and grew.
“这支手槍给河鼠，这支给鼹鼠，这支给蟾蜍，这支给獾！”等等，等等，说得有板有眼，那四小堆就越长越高了。
