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One morning the old Water-rat put his head out of his hole.
一天早晨，老河鼠从自己的洞中探出头来。
He had bright beady eyes and stiff grey whiskers and his tail was like a long bit of black india-rubber.
他长着明亮的小眼睛和硬挺的灰色胡须，尾巴长得像一条长长的黑色橡胶。
The little ducks were swimming about in the pond, looking just like a lot of yellow canaries,
小鸭子们在池塘里游着水，看上去就像是一大群金丝鸟。
and their mother, who was pure white with real red legs, was trying to teach them how to stand on their heads in the water.
他们的母亲浑身纯白如雪，再配上一对赤红的腿，正尽力教他们如何头朝下地在水中倒立。
“You will never be in the best society unless you can stand on your heads,”
“除非你们学会倒立，否则你们永远不会进入上流社会，”
she kept saying to them; and every now and then she showed them how it was done.
她老爱这么对他们说，并不停地做给他们看。
But the little ducks paid no attention to her. They were so young that they did not know what an advantage it is to be in society at all.
但是小鸭子们并未对她的话引起重视。他们太年轻了，一点也不知道在上流社会的好处是什么。
“What disobedient children!” cried the old Water-rat; “they really deserve to be drowned.”
“多么顽皮的孩子呀！”老河鼠高声喊道，“他们真该被淹死。”
“Nothing of the kind,” answered the Duck, “every one must make a beginning, and parents cannot be too patient.”
“不是那么回事，”鸭妈妈回答说，“万事开头难嘛，做父母的要多一点耐心。”
“Ah! I know nothing about the feelings of parents,” said the Water-rat;
“啊！我完全不了解做父母的情感，”河鼠说，
“I am not a family man. In fact, I have never been married, and I never intend to be.
“我不是个养家带口的人。事实上，我从未结过婚，也决不打算结婚。
Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher.
爱情本身倒是挺好的，但友情比它的价值更高。
Indeed, I know of nothing in the world that is either nobler or rarer than a devoted friendship.”
说实在的，我不知道在这世上还有什么比忠实的友谊更崇高和更珍贵了。”
“And what, pray, is your idea of the duties of a devoted friend?”
“那么，请问，你认为一个忠实的朋友的责任是什么呢？”
asked a Green Linnet, who was sitting in a willow-tree hard by, and had overheard the conversation.
一只绿色的红雀开口问道，此时他正坐在旁边一视柳树上，偷听到他们的谈话。
“Yes, that is just what I want to know,” said the Duck;
“是啊，这正是我想知道的。”鸭妈妈说。
and she swam away to the end of the pond, and stood upon her head, in order to give her children a good example.
接着她就游到了池塘的另一头，头朝下倒立起来，为的是给孩子们做一个好榜样。
