07-STILTON, OLD PAL

STILTON, OLD PAL ... I was miserable. Then I noticed the light blinking on my answering machine. I raced over to it. Maybe I had some happy messages. Maybe my favorite nephew had called. Or perhaps my sweet Granny Onewhisker. Or maybe I'd won that free vacation to the Hamster Islands. I'd bought a raffle ticket just last week at the Shop and Nibble, Maybe I was about to get lucky. Excited, I pressed the button on my machine, But I was wrong about the messages. They weren't happy at all. They were horrifying! The first message was from some rodent named Stuart Swingtail. He said he was a

斯蒂尔顿，老朋友……我很痛苦。 然后我注意到电话答录机上的灯在闪烁。 我跑过去。也许我收到了一些快乐的信息。 也许是我最喜欢的侄子打电话来了。 或者是我亲爱的一须奶奶。 或者我赢得了去仓鼠群岛的免费假期。 我上周刚在“小吃店”买了一张抽奖券，也许我就要走运了。 我兴奋地按下了机器上的按钮，但我看错了留言。 他们一点也不开心。 他们太可怕了!第一条信息来自一只叫斯图尔特·斯威格特的啮齿动物。 他说他是个

singer at the SLEAZY FUR DANCE FACTORY! I frowned. I'd never been there. Only sewer rats hung out at the Sleazy Fur. So what was this Swingtail mouse calling me for? "Hey, Stilton, old pal! You were really kicking up those paws Saturday night!" he squeaked. "By the way, you owe me fifty smackers. Don't forget, pal. See you next week at the factory!" The second message was from Dr. Edward S. Smugrat III. He was a very rich and STUCK-UP mouse. He had the best golf clubs, the best golf shoes, and the best golf shirts. Still, he was an awful golfer. I guess it's true what they say, clothes do not make the mouse.

肮脏皮草舞蹈工厂的歌手!我皱起了眉头。 我从未去过那里。只有下水道里的老鼠出没在肮脏的皮毛。 这只摇尾鼠叫我干什么? “嘿，斯蒂尔顿，老朋友!”你星期六晚上真是把爪子踢飞了!”他尖声说。 “顺便说一句，你欠我五十块钱。 别忘了，伙计，下周工厂见!”第二条信息来自于史密斯博士。 爱德华·s·斯穆格拉特三世。他是一只非常富有和傲慢的老鼠。 他有最好的高尔夫球杆，最好的高尔夫鞋和最好的高尔夫衫。 不过，他的高尔夫球打得很糟糕。 我想他们说的是对的，衣服不是老鼠。

"Stilton! What do you think you are twying to pull?" Smugrat shrieked. "I know you swiped my Wat King cwedit card! I just got the bill for your dinner with fifty-seven fwiends at the golf club. You will be heawing fwom my lawyer!" After that came a message from a Mr. Van Der Raten. He owned an antiques shop called Treasured Crumbs. The antiques in his place were more expensive than my cousin Brainypaw's college tuition! Still, Mr. Van Der Raten said that I had purchased a solid-gold cheese holder just yesterday. "I gave you the cheese holder on good faith," he said. "I know you are a respectable newspapemouse. But you will need to come in to settle your bill."

“斯蒂尔顿奶酪!你以为你想拉什么?”Smugrat尖叫起来。 “我知道你刷了我的王家信用卡!”我刚收到你和57个朋友在高尔夫俱乐部吃饭的账单。 你会听我律师的!”在那之后，范德雷顿先生发来了一条信息。 他拥有一家名为“珍爱面包屑”的古董店。 他家里的古董比我表哥脑洞宝的大学学费还贵!不过，范德雷顿先生说我昨天刚买了一个纯金的奶酪夹。 “我给你奶酪架是出于善意，”他说。 “我知道你是一位可敬的新闻记者。 不过你得过来结账。”

Finally, there was a message from my sister's friend Swissita Tendcrfur. "Geronimo, what was up with you yesterday?" she sniffed. "I know you saw me at the movies. I was sitting two seats away. Why didn't you say hello? you were so rude!" I slumped onto my couch. Could this day get any worse? I felt like a young mouse in Squeaking School who'd just been scolded by all of my teachers. I didn't know what to make of it. Ue-be-live-a-ble!

最后，我妹妹的朋友Swissita Tendcrfur给我发了一条信息。 “杰罗尼莫，你昨天怎么了?” “我知道你在电影里看到我了。 我坐在两个座位之外。 你为什么不打招呼?你太粗鲁了!”我瘫倒在沙发上。 今天还能更糟吗? 我觉得自己就像吱吱学校里的一只小老鼠，刚刚被所有的老师骂了一顿。 我不知道该怎么做。 Ue-be-live-a-ble !