29-THE SADDEST STORY EVER TOLD

THE SADDEST STORY EVER TOLD I went back downstairs to the dining room. Leftover pizzas littered the table. Red tomato juice dripped down the chairs. An enormous vase of black roses had crashed into a million pieces onto the floor. What a rats' nest! We all pitched in and cleaned up. By the time we had finished, it was almost dawn. The guests had all left. Except for one. We found him hanging upside down in a closet, fast asleep. "This is going to be a first-rat story," Thea squeaked, taking a quick picture of the snoring guest. "The pictures of the ball are going to be PHENOMENAL!" I checked my watch. "There is a train

最悲伤的故事我回到楼下的餐厅。 吃剩的披萨散落在桌子上。 红色的番茄汁顺着椅子滴了下来。 一个巨大的黑玫瑰花瓶摔得粉碎，落在了地板上。 真是个老鼠窝!我们都帮忙打扫卫生。 等我们做完的时候，天已经快亮了。 客人们都走了。除了一个。 我们发现他倒挂在壁橱里，睡得很熟。 “这将是第一次有老鼠的故事。”西娅尖声说，迅速地拍下了打鼾的客人的照片。 “球的照片将是惊人的!”我看了看表。 “有一列火车

leaving at seven," I said. "Are we all ready to go?" Benjamin nodded his head. "I guess so, Uncle," he said with a sigh, "But I was beginning to like the castle. These cobwebs are kind of neat." I smiled. Only my sensitive little nephew could fall in love with cobwebs. We headed down the long hall. As we passed the count's red door, we heard a strange noise. It was someone laughing. The door flew open, and there was Count von Ratoff. He was sprawled on a chair in a fit of giggles. I turned to Trap. "Crumbling cheese bits! He's still laughing at your joke."

七点出发，”我说。 “我们都准备好出发了吗?”本杰明点了点头。 “我想是的，叔叔，”他叹了口气说，“但我开始喜欢上这座城堡了。 这些蜘蛛网还挺整齐的。” 我笑了笑。只有我那敏感的小侄子才会爱上蜘蛛网。 我们沿着长长的大厅走去。 当我们经过伯爵的红门时，听到一种奇怪的声音。 是有人在笑。门突然开了，冯·拉托夫伯爵站了出来。 他四肢伸开躺在椅子上，咯咯地笑个不停。 我转向特拉普。“碎奶酪!”他还在为你的笑话发笑呢。”

I croaked. "Can you make him stop? He's laughing so hard he's going to bust a wing!" Trap scratched his head with his paw. "Yes, I recognize the symptoms. The Joke That Works Every Time can have a big effect on certain rodents. Stand back. I will handle this." He walked over to the count and mumbled something in his ear. My cousin must have been telling the count his whole life story. Finally, he stopped. All at once, Count von Ratoff stopped laughing. Then he began crying. No, I'm not talking little tiny boo-hoo tears. He looked like a waterfall wearing a cape. If he cried any harder, we'd have to swim home! "What did you do to him?" Thea shrieked.

我用嘶哑的声音大喊着。“你能让他停下来吗?” 他笑得太厉害了，都快把翅膀折断了!”特拉普用爪子挠了挠头。 “是的，我知道这些症状。 每次都有效的笑话对某些啮齿动物有很大的影响。 往后站。我会处理的。” 他走到伯爵跟前，在他耳边咕哝了几句。 我的堂兄一定向伯爵讲述了他一生的故事。 最后，他停了下来。突然，冯·拉托夫伯爵停止了笑。 然后他哭了起来。不，我说的不是小哭小哭。 他看起来就像披着斗篷的瀑布。 如果他再哭，我们就得游回家了!“你对他做了什么?”西娅尖叫起来。

Trap just winked. "Don't worry. I just told him THE SADDEST STORY EVER TOLD. It never fails. He'll cry for half an hour, and then it'll all be over!" We waved good-bye to the count. Then we headed for the main entrance and out the front door. The hunchback stood on the steps, waving a big handkerchief. "GOODBYE COME BACK SOON! IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE HAVING YOU HERE!" My mouth dropped open. The hunchback's words were not blended together. He could speak perfectly clearly. He must have been pulling our paws the whole time! I quickly turned back to say farewell. But he had already disappeared in the thick Transratanian fog.

陷阱刚刚闪过。“别担心。 我刚刚给他讲了一个最悲伤的故事。 它从不失败。他会哭半个小时，然后一切就结束了!”我们向伯爵挥手告别。 然后我们朝正门走去，出了前门。 驼背站在台阶上，挥舞着一块大手帕。 “再见，快回来!”你能来真是太好了!”我张大了嘴。 驼背人的话听不清。 他说话非常清楚。 他一定一直在耍我们!我赶紧转身告别。 但是他已经消失在特拉坦尼亚的浓雾中了。