You must leave it alone and teach the other children to swim."

就让他在这呆着吧，你尽管叫别的孩子去游泳好了。”

"I will sit on it a little longer; I have sat so long already that I may as well go on till the Midsummer Fair comes round."

“我还是在它上面多坐一会儿吧，”鸭妈妈说，“我已经坐了这么久，就是再坐它一个星期也没有关系。”

"Please yourself," said the old duck, and she went away.

“请便吧，”老鸭子说。随后她就告辞了。

At last the big egg cracked. "Cheep, cheep!" said the young one and tumbled out;

最后这只最大的蛋终于裂开了。“噼！噼！”新生的小家伙一边叫一边朝蛋壳外面拱。

how big and ugly he was! The duck looked at him.

他真是又大又丑。鸭妈妈看着他心想。

"That is a monstrous big duckling," she said;

“这个小鸭子大得怕人，”她说，

"none of the others looked like that; can he be a turkey chick?

“别的没有一个像他；但是他一点也不像小吐绶鸡！

well, we shall soon find that out; into the water he shall go, if I have to kick him in myself."

好吧，我们马上就来试试看吧。他得到水里去，我踢也要把他踢下水去。”

Next day was gloriously fine, and the sun shone on all the green dock leaves.

第二天的天气是又晴和，又美丽。太阳照在绿牛蒡上。

The mother duck with her whole family went down to the moat.

鸭妈妈带着她所有的孩子走到溪边来。

Splash, into the water she sprang. "Quack, quack!" she said, and one duckling plumped in after the other.

扑通！她跳进水里去了。“呱！呱！”她叫着，于是小鸭子就一个接着一个跳下去。

The water dashed over their heads, but they came up again and floated beautifully;

水淹到他们头上，但是他们马上又冒出来了，游得非常漂亮。

their legs went of themselves, and they were all there, even the big ugly gray one swam about with them.

他们的小腿很灵活地划着。他们全都在水里，连那个丑陋的灰色小家伙也跟他们在一起游。

"No, that is no turkey," she said; "see how beautifully he uses his legs and how erect he holds himself;

“唔，他不是一个吐绶鸡，”她说，“你看他的腿划得多灵活，他浮得多么稳！

he is my own chick! after all, he is not so bad when you come to look at him properly.

他是我亲生的孩子！如果你把他仔细看一看，他还算长得蛮漂亮呢。

Quack, quack! Now come with me and I will take you into the world, and introduce you to the duckyard;

嘎！嘎！跟我一块儿来吧，我把你们带到广大的世界上去，把那个养鸡场介绍给你们看看。

but keep close to me all the time, so that no one may tread upon you, and beware of the cat!"

不过，你们得紧贴着我，免得别人踩着你们。你们还得当心猫儿呢！”