As he spoke, he opened the door. I started back in a
terrible fright, for there was nothing but blue air to be seen under
me, like a great water without a bottom at all. But what must be must,
and to live up here was so much nicer than down in the mud with holes in
my shoes, that I never thought of not doing as I was told. The little
man showed me how and where to lay hold while I put my foot round the
edge of the door on to the first round of a ladder. 'Once you're up,' he
said, 'you'll see how you have to go well enough.' I did as he told me,
and crept out very carefully. Then the little man handed me the bundle
of dusters, saying, 'I always carry them on my reaping hook, but I don't
think you could manage it properly.
You shall have it if you like.' I wouldn't take it, however, for it
looked dangerous.I did the best I could with the dusters, and crawled up
to the top of the moon. But what a grand sight it was! The stars were
all over my head, so bright and so near that I could almost have laid
hold of them. The round ball to which I clung went bobbing and floating
away through the dark blue above and below and on every side. It was so
beautiful that all fear left me, and I set to work diligently. I cleaned
window after window. At length I came to a very little one, in at which I peeped. There was
the room with the box of bees in it! I laid my ear to the window, and
heard the musical hum quite distinctly. A great longing to see them came
upon me, and I opened the window and crept in. The little box had a
door like a closet. I opened it-- the tiniest crack--when out came the
light with such a sting that I closed it again in terror--not, however,
before three bees had shot out into the room, where they darted about
like flashes of lightning. Terribly frightened, I tried to get out of
the window again, but I could not: there was no way to the outside of
the moon but through the door; and that was in the room where the lady
sat. No sooner had I reached the room, than the three bees, which had
followed me, flew at once to the lady, and settled upon her hair.
Then first I saw her move. She started, put up her hand, and caught
them; then rose and, having held them into the flame of the lamp one
after the other, turned to me. Her face was not so sad now as stern. It
frightened me much. 'Nanny, you have got me into trouble,' she said.
'You have been letting out my bees, which it is all I can do to manage.
You have forced me to burn them.
阅读(235) | 评论(0) | 转发(0) |
