《對此毋庸置疑》，1852 年

there Is No doubt About It., 1852

“那件事太可怕了！” 一隻母雞說道，而且這事還是發生在城鎮的另一個區域呢，根本就沒發生在它這兒。

“that was a terrible affair!” said a hen, and in a quarter of the town, too, where it had not taken place.

“雞窩裡發生了一件可怕的事。我今晚可不敢一個人睡了。好在我們很多雞都一起蹲在雞窩橫杆上呢。” 然後它講了一個故事，嚇得其他母雞的羽毛都豎了起來，公雞的雞冠也耷拉了下來。這是千真萬確的。

“that was a terrible affair in a hen-roost. I cannot sleep alone to-night. It is a good thing that many of us sit on the roost together.” And then she told a story that made the feathers on the other hens bristle up, and the cock’s b fall. there was no doubt about it.

但我們還是從頭說起吧，故事要從城鎮另一處的一個雞窩講起。太陽正在落山，家禽們都往它們的雞窩橫杆上飛；有一隻母雞，長著白色的羽毛，腿很短，它向來都是按規矩下蛋的，作為一隻母雞，各方面都很體面。當它飛到雞窩橫杆上時，它用嘴啄了啄自己，一根小羽毛就掉了下來。

but we will begin at the beginning, and that is to be found in a hen-roost in another part of the town. the sun was setting, and the fowls were flying on to their roost; one hen, with white feathers and short legs, used to lay her eggs according to the regulations, and was, as a hen, respectable in every way. As she was flying upon the roost, she plucked herself with her beak, and a little feather came out.

“它掉下來了，” 它說，“我啄得越多，就變得越漂亮。” 它說得很開心，因為它是這群母雞裡最好的一隻，而且，如前面所說，非常體面。說完它就睡覺去了。

“there it goes,” she said; “the more I pluck, the more beautiful do I get.” She said this merrily, for she was the best of the hens, and, moreover, as had been said, very respectable. with that she went to sleep.

四周一片漆黑，母雞們緊緊挨在一起，但緊挨著它這位快活鄰居的那隻母雞