24 Veruca in the Nut Room

24 Veruca in the Nut Room Mr Wonka rushed on down the corridor. THE NUT ROOM, it said on the next door they came to. 'All right,' said Mr Wonka, 'stop here for a moment and catch your breath, and take a peek through the glass panel of this door. But don't go in! Whatever you do, don't go into THE NUT ROOM! If you go in, you'll disturb the squirrels!' Everyone crowded around the door. 'Oh look, Grandpa, look!' cried Charlie. 'Squirrels!' shouted Veruca Salt. 'Crikey!' said Mike Teavee. It was an amazing sight. One hundred squirrels were seated upon high stools around a large table. On the table, there were mounds and mounds of walnuts, and the squirrels were all working away like mad, shelling the walnuts at a tremendous speed. 'These squirrels are specially trained for getting the nuts out of walnuts,' Mr Wonka explained.

旺卡先生冲进走廊。 “坚果屋，”他们来到的隔壁门上写着。 “好吧，”旺卡先生说，“在这儿停一会儿，喘口气，从这扇门的玻璃板里往外看一眼。 但是不要进去!不管你做什么，千万别进坚果室!如果你进去，会惊动松鼠的!”大家都挤在门口。 “哦，看，爷爷，看!”查理叫道。 “松鼠!维露卡·索特喊道。 “哎呀! !迈克·蒂维说。 这是一个令人惊叹的景象。一百只松鼠坐在一张大桌子周围的高凳子上。 桌子上堆着一堆又一堆的核桃，松鼠们都在疯狂地工作，以惊人的速度剥核桃壳。 旺卡先生解释说:“这些松鼠经过专门训练，能从核桃中取出坚果。”

'Why use squirrels?' Mike Teavee asked. 'Why not use Oompa-Loompas?' 'Because,' said Mr Wonka, 'Oompa-Loompas can't get walnuts out of walnut shells in one piece. They always break them in two. Nobody except squirrels can get walnuts whole out of walnut shells every time. It is extremely difficult. But in my factory, I insist upon only whole walnuts. Therefore I have to have squirrels to do the job. Aren't they wonderful, the way they get those nuts out! And see how they first tap each walnut with their knuckles to be sure it's not a bad one! If it's bad, it makes a hollow sound, and they don't bother to open it. They just throw it down the rubbish chute. There! Look! Watch that squirrel nearest to us! I think he's got a bad one now!' They watched the little squirrel as he tapped the walnut shell with his knuckles. He cocked his head to one side, listening intently, then suddenly he threw the nut over his shoulder into a large hole in the floor. 'Hey, Mummy!' shouted Veruca Salt suddenly, 'I've decided I want a squirrel! Get me one of those squirrels!'

“为什么用松鼠?”迈克·蒂维问。 “为什么不用奥柏伦柏人呢?”“因为，”旺卡先生说，“奥柏伦柏人不能把核桃整块地从核桃壳里取出来。” 他们总是把它们劈成两半。 除了松鼠，没有人能每次都把核桃从核桃壳里取出来。 这是非常困难的。 但在我的工厂里，我坚持只吃整个核桃。 因此，我必须有松鼠来做这项工作。 他们把坚果取出来的方式真是太棒了!看看他们是如何用指关节轻敲每一个核桃的，以确保它不是坏的!如果是坏的，它会发出空洞的声音，他们不会费心打开它。 他们直接把垃圾扔进了垃圾槽。 在那里!看！注意离我们最近的那只松鼠!我想他现在有个坏孩子了!”他们看着小松鼠用指关节轻敲核桃壳。 他歪着头，聚精会神地听着，然后突然把坚果从肩膀上扔进了地板上的一个大洞里。 “嗨,妈妈!维露卡·索特突然喊道，“我决定要一只松鼠!给我抓一只松鼠来!”

'Don't be silly, sweetheart,' said Mrs Salt. 'These all belong to Mr Wonka.' 'I don't care about that!' shouted Veruca. 'I want one. All I've got at home is two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbits and two parakeets and three canaries and a green parrot and a turtle and a bowl of goldfish and a cage of white mice and a silly old hamster! I want a squirrel!' 'All right, my pet,' Mrs Salt said soothingly. 'Mummy'll get you a squirrel just as soon as she possibly can.' 'But I don't want any old squirrel!' Veruca shouted. 'I want a trained squirrel!' At this point, Mr Salt, Veruca's father, stepped forward. 'Very well, Wonka,' he said importantly, taking out a wallet full of money, 'how much d'you want for one of these squirrels? Name your price.' 'They're not for sale,' Mr Wonka answered. 'She can't have one.' 'Who says I can't!' shouted Veruca. 'I'm going in to get myself one this very minute!' 'Don't!' said Mr Wonka quickly, but he was too late. The girl had already thrown open the door and rushed in. The moment she entered the room, one hundred squirrels stopped what they were doing and turned their heads and stared at her with small black beady eyes. Veruca Salt stopped also, and stared back at them. Then her gaze fell upon a pretty little squirrel sitting nearest to her

“别傻了，亲爱的，”索特夫人说。 “这些都是旺卡先生的。“我才不管呢!”维露卡喊道。 “我想要一个。我家里只有两条狗、四只猫、六只小兔子、两只长尾小鹦鹉、三只金丝雀、一只绿鹦鹉、一只乌龟、一碗金鱼、一笼小白鼠和一只愚蠢的老仓鼠!我想要一只松鼠!“好吧，我的宝贝，”索特夫人安慰地说。 “妈妈会尽快给你找一只松鼠的。“可我不想要什么老松鼠!”有如喊道。 “我想要一只训练有素的松鼠!”这时，维露卡的父亲绍特先生挺身而出。 “好吧，旺卡，”他拿出一个装满钱的钱包，神气地说，“这只松鼠你想卖多少钱? 说出你的价格。“它们是非卖品，”旺卡先生回答。 “她不能有。“谁说我不能!”维露卡喊道。 “我现在就进去给自己买一个!”“不!旺卡先生赶忙说，但已经太晚了。 女孩已经推开门冲了进去。 她走进房间的那一刻，一百只松鼠停下手中的活，转过头来，用黑色的小眼睛盯着她。 维露卡·索特也停了下来，回头盯着他们。 这时，她的目光落在了离她最近的一只漂亮的小松鼠身上

at the end of the table. The squirrel was holding a walnut in its paws. 'All right,' Veruca said, 'I'll have you!' She reached out her hands to grab the squirrel… but as she did so… in that first split second when her hands started to go forward, there was a sudden flash of movement in the room, like a flash of brown lightning, and every single squirrel around the table took a flying leap towards her and landed on her body. Twenty-five of them caught hold of her right arm, and pinned it down. Twenty-five more caught hold of her left arm, and pinned that down. Twenty-five caught hold of her right leg and anchored it to the ground. Twenty-four caught hold of her left leg. And the one remaining squirrel (obviously the leader of them all) climbed up on to her shoulder and started tap-taptapping the wretched girl's head with its knuckles. 'Save her!' screamed Mrs Salt. 'Veruca! Come back! What are they doing to her?' 'They're testing her to see if she's a bad nut,' said Mr Wonka. 'You watch.' Veruca struggled furiously, but the squirrels held her tight and she couldn't move. The squirrel on her shoulder went tap-tap-tapping the side of her head with his knuckles.

在桌子的尽头。松鼠的爪子里夹着一颗核桃。 “好吧，”维露卡说，“我要你!”她伸手去抓那只松鼠，但就在她伸手去抓的那一刹那，房间里突然有了动静，就像一道棕色的闪电，桌子周围的每一只松鼠都飞向她，落在她身上。 其中25个人抓住了她的右臂，把它压住了。 二十五个人抓住了她的左臂，把它压住了。 二十五抓住她的右腿，把它固定在地上。 二十四抓住了她的左腿。 剩下的那只松鼠(显然是领头的)爬上了她的肩膀，开始用指关节敲这个可怜女孩的头。 “救她!索特夫人尖叫道。 “有如!回来!他们对她做了什么?旺卡先生说:“他们在测试她，看她是不是个坏坚果。” “你看。”维露卡拼命挣扎，但松鼠们把她抓得紧紧的，她动弹不得。 她肩上的松鼠用指关节轻敲她的头。

Then all at once, the squirrels pulled Veruca to the ground and started carrying her across the floor. 'My goodness, she is a bad nut after all,' said Mr Wonka. 'Her head must have sounded quite hollow.' Veruca kicked and screamed, but it was no use. The tiny strong paws held her tightly and she couldn't escape. 'Where are they taking her?' shrieked Mrs Salt. 'She's going where all the other bad nuts go,' said Mr Willy Wonka. 'Down the rubbish chute.' 'By golly, she is going down the chute!' said Mr Salt, staring through the glass door at his daughter. 'Then save her!' cried Mrs Salt. 'Too late,' said Mr Wonka. 'She's gone!' And indeed she had. 'But where?' shrieked Mrs Salt, flapping her arms. 'What happens to the bad nuts? Where does the chute go to?' 'That particular chute,' Mr Wonka told her, 'runs directly into the great big main rubbish pipe which carries away all the rubbish from every part of the factory – all the floor sweepings and potato peelings and rotten cabbages and fish heads and stuff like that.' 'Who eats fish and cabbage and potatoes in this factory, I'd like to know?' said Mike Teavee. 'I do, of course,' answered Mr Wonka. 'You don't think I live on cacao beans, do you?'

突然，松鼠们把维露卡拉到地上，开始抱着她在地板上走。 “我的天哪，她毕竟是个坏疯子，”旺卡先生说。 “她的头听起来一定很空洞。”维露卡又踢又叫，但没有用。 小而有力的爪子紧紧地抓着她，她无法逃脱。 “他们要把她带到哪里去?”索特夫人尖叫道。 威利·旺卡先生说:“她要去其他坏坚果去的地方。” “顺着垃圾滑道下去。”“天哪，她要滑下滑道了!”索特先生隔着玻璃门盯着他的女儿说。 “那就救她!”索特夫人喊道。 “太晚了，”旺卡先生说。 “她走了!”她确实做到了。 但在哪里?索特夫人尖叫着，挥舞着双臂。 “坏坚果怎么办?” 降落伞通向哪里?“那个特殊的斜槽，”旺卡先生告诉她，“直接通到一个巨大的主垃圾管道，它把工厂各个地方的垃圾都带走了——所有的地板清扫物、土豆皮、烂卷心菜、鱼头之类的东西。”“我想知道，这个工厂里谁吃鱼、卷心菜和土豆?”迈克·蒂维说。 “我当然知道，”旺卡先生回答。 “你不会以为我靠可可豆过活吧?”

'But… but… but…' shrieked Mrs Salt, 'where does the great big pipe go to in the end?' 'Why, to the furnace, of course,' Mr Wonka said calmly. 'To the incinerator.' Mrs Salt opened her huge red mouth and started to scream. 'Don't worry,' said Mr Wonka, 'there's always a chance that they've decided not to light it today.' 'A chance!' yelled Mrs Salt. 'My darling Veruca! She'll… she'll… she'll be sizzled like a sausage!' 'Quite right, my dear,' said Mr Salt. 'Now see here, Wonka,' he added, 'I think you've gone just a shade too far this time, I do indeed. My daughter may be a bit of a frump – I don't mind admitting it – but that doesn't mean you can

“可是……可是……可是……”索特夫人尖声叫道，“那根大烟斗最后通向哪里?旺卡先生平静地说:“当然是去火炉了。” “去焚化炉。”索尔特夫人张开她那张红色的大嘴，开始尖叫起来。 “别担心，”旺卡先生说，“他们今天总有可能决定不点灯。“一个机会!”索特夫人喊道。 “我亲爱的维露卡!”她会…她会…她会像香肠一样滋滋作响!“很对，亲爱的，”绍特先生说。 “听着，旺卡，”他补充说，“我觉得你这次做得有点过分了，真的。 我的女儿可能有点邋遢——我不介意承认这一点——但这并不意味着你可以