经典外文赏析

Of course I shall have to let a few people into the secret. The first thing is to get that brute

shot."

"You're just like the Witch," said Polly. "All you think of is killing things."

"And then as regards oneself," Uncle Andrew continued, in a happy dream. "There's no

knowing how long I might live if I settled here. And that's a big consideration when a

fellow has turned sixty. I shouldn't be surprised if I never grew a day older in this

country! Stupendous! The land of youth!"

"Oh!" cried Digory. "The land of youth! Do you think it really is?" For of course he

remembered what Aunt Letty had said to the lady who brought the grapes, and that sweet

hope rushed back upon him. "Uncle Andrew", he said, "do you think there's anything

here that would cure Mother?"

"What are you talking about?" said Uncle Andrew. "This isn't a chemist's shop. But as I

was saying -"

"You don't care twopence about her," said Digory savagely. "I thought you might; after

all, she's your sister as well as my Mother. Well, no matter. I'm jolly well going to ask

the Lion himself if he can help me." And he turned and walked briskly away. Polly

waited for a moment and then went after him.

"Here! Stop! Come back! The boy's gone mad," said Uncle Andrew. He followed the

children at a cautious distance behind; for he didn't want to get too far away from the

green rings or too near the Lion.

In a few minutes Digory came to the edge of the wood and there he stopped. The Lion

was singing still. But now the song had once more changed. It was more like what we

should call a tune, but it was also far wilder. It made you want to run and jump and climb.

It made you want to shout. It made you want to rush at other people and either hug them

or fight them. It made Digory hot and red in the face. It had some effect on Uncle

Andrew, for Digory could hear him saying, "A spirited gel, sir. It's a pity about her

temper, but a dem fine woman all the same, a dem fine woman." But what the song did to

the two humans was nothing compared with what it was doing to the country.

Can you imagine a stretch of grassy land bubbling like water in a pot? For that is really

the best description of what was happening. In all directions it was swelling into humps.

They were of very different sizes, some no bigger than mole-hills, some as big as wheel-

barrows, two the size of cottages. And the humps moved and swelled till they burst, and

the crumbled earth poured out of them, and from each hump there came out an animal.

The moles came out just as you might see a mole come out in England. The dogs came

out, barking the moment their heads were free, and struggling as you've seen them do

when they are getting through a narrow hole in a hedge. The stags were the queerest to

watch, for of course the antlers came up a long time before the rest of them, so at first

Digory thought they were trees. The frogs, who all came up near the river, went straight