03-WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY

WHEN THE CAT Is AWAY... At six o'clock, I was at the station. I had been listening to the weather report. There would be clear skies all over Mouse Island. But... fog, as always, in Transratania! Why, why, oh, why did my cousin have to get lost in the coldest part of the island? The coldest and the most mysterious, too. There were lots of stories about the castles of Transratania. Some believed they were stirring with ghosts! At last, Thea showed up. She was dressed in a smart wool coat with a fake cat-fur scarf and matching hat.

当猫不在时……六点钟，我到了车站。 我一直在听天气预报。 老鼠岛到处都是晴朗的天空。 但是…特拉塔尼亚的浓雾，一如既往!为什么，为什么，哦，为什么我表弟要在岛上最冷的地方迷路? 最冷也是最神秘的地方。 有很多关于特拉塔尼亚城堡的故事。 有些人认为他们和鬼魂在一起!最后，西娅出现了。 她穿着一件漂亮的羊毛大衣，戴着一条假猫毛围巾，戴着配套的帽子。

"Hey, big brother! How are you?" she greeted me. She was grinning. "Awful, thank you," I grumbled. "How will the paper manage without me?" I worried out loud. "You know what they say: When the cat is away, the mice will play!" My sister laughed. "Oh, puh-lease, Gerrykins," she scoffed. "You're not all that important, Really!" "In case you have forgotten, I run a newspaper," I said in my most serious tone.

“嘿，大哥!”你好吗?”她向我打招呼。 她咧着嘴笑。“太糟糕了，谢谢。”我抱怨道。 “没有我，报纸怎么办?”我大声地担心起来。 “你知道俗话说得好:猫儿不在，老鼠成精!”我妹妹笑了。 “哦，拜托，格里金斯，”她嘲笑道。 “你没那么重要，真的!”“如果你忘了，我经营一家报纸，”我用最严肃的语气说。

"If I am not at my desk, who will publish The Rodent's Gazette?" "Oh, give me a break!" Thea snickered. "The office can run just fine without you. In fact, they will probaby be better off. No nervous, old CHEDDARFACE breathing down their fur!" "I am not a cheddarface!" I protested. But I have to admit, I did worry about the paper. After all, mice everywhere were reading it. "By the way, Gerrytails," Thea interrupted my thoughts. "Do you ever read The Daily Rat? I was reading it the other day and— Before my sister could continue, I jumped to my paws. "THE DAILY RAT???" I squeaked. "How can you read such garbage? You know that paper is written by the slimiest SEWER rats in the city! They would rob their own mothers for a good story!

“如果我不在办公桌前，谁来出版《啮齿动物公报》?”“哦，饶了我吧!”西娅窃笑起来。 “没有你，办公室照样运转。 事实上，他们可能会过得更好。 没有紧张的老切达斯脸在他们的皮毛上呼吸!”“我不是车脸!”我抗议道。 但我必须承认，我确实担心论文。 毕竟，到处都有老鼠在看它。 “顺便说一句，杰瑞尾巴。”西娅打断了我的思绪。 “你读过《鼠日报》吗?” 前几天我在读这本书，我姐姐还没来得及继续，我就跳了起来。 “每日老鼠——?”我发出“吱吱”的响声。 “你怎么能读这种垃圾?” 你知道那篇论文是全城下水道里最黏糊糊的老鼠写的!他们会为了一个好故事而抢劫自己的母亲!

They would feed a cat the entire graduating class of Mouseville Elementary if it sold papers! That junk is only good for wrapping up rotten herrings!" "Yes, well, that's all very interesting," Thea said. "But last night, I had a great idea for an article. I will write a story on the castles in Transratania. Horror is very in these days, you know." she explained. "Anyway, I've already sold the article. And they paid me a bundle!" "whattttt did you say?" Why was I so upset? Well, you see, Thea is a special correspondent for my paper, The Rodent's Gazette. Could she really be working for my rivals over at The Daily Rat? "whattttt? Are you telling me you want to quit the Gazette?" I squeaked. I felt faint.

他们会用一只猫喂老鼠镇小学的整个毕业班，只要它能卖报纸!那破玩意儿只能用来包腐烂的鲱鱼!”“是啊，这一切都很有趣。”西娅说。 “但是昨天晚上，我有了一个写文章的好主意。 我要写一篇关于特拉塔尼亚城堡的故事。 你知道，现在很恐怖。” 她解释道。“不管怎样，我已经把文章卖出去了。 他们付给我一大笔钱!”“你说什么?”我为什么那么难过? 你看，西娅是我的报纸《啮齿动物公报》的特约记者。 她真的会为我在《每日鼠报》的竞争对手工作吗? “whattttt ?你是在告诉我你想退出《公报》吗?”我发出“吱吱”的响声。 我感到头晕。