但這隻小蝸牛就是長不大，因為它出身普通家庭；不過那兩隻老蝸牛，尤其是蝸牛媽媽，覺得自己能看出它在長大，她還求蝸牛爸爸，如果他看不出來的話，至少去摸摸小蝸牛的殼；於是他就摸了摸，發現蝸牛媽媽說得沒錯。

Now they lived a very lonely and happy life; and as they had no children themselves, they had adopted a little mon snail, which they brought up as their own; but the little one would not grow, for he was of a yonmon family; but the old ones, especially dame mother Snail, thought they could observe how he increased in size, and she begged father, if he could not see it, that he would at least feel the little snail’s shell; and then he felt it, and found the good dame was right.

有一天，下了一場傾盆大雨。

one day there was a heavy storm of rain.

“聽聽這雨打在牛蒡葉上，像敲鼓一樣！” 蝸牛爸爸說。

“hear how it beats like a drum on the dock leaves!” said Father Snail.

“還有雨滴呢！” 蝸牛媽媽說，“現在雨水正順著莖杆往下淌呢！你會看到這兒要溼透了！想到我們有自己的好房子，小傢伙也有他的房子，我就很高興！確實，為我們做的比為其他所有動物做的都多；可你難道沒看出來我們是世上有身份的人嗎？

“there are also rain-drops!” said mother Snail; “and now the rain pours right down the stalk! You will see that it will be wet here! I am very happy to think that we have our good house, and the little one has his also! there is more done for us than for all other creatures, sure enough; but can you not see that we are folks of quality in the world?

我們從出生起就有房子住，牛蒡林也是為我們種的！我倒想知道它延伸到多遠，外面又有什麼！”

we are provided with a house from our birth, and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes! I should like to know how far it extends, and what there is outside!”

“什麼都沒有。” 蝸牛爸爸說，“沒有哪個地方能比