4. Bad News

Chapter 4 Bad News As soon as Bradley woke up Saturday morning, he peered into the cage. Douglas was sitting in a corner. He wasn't moving. "Douglas," Bradley whispered, "are you all right?" Bradley reached into the cage and put his hand on Douglas's back. The rabbit felt warm, and Bradley could tell that he was breathing. But that was all he was doing. Bradley started to get dressed. "What's going on?" Brian asked from his bed. "Doc Henry told Mom to bring Douglas in if he didn't get better," Bradley reminded him. "And he didn't."

星期六早上，布拉德利一醒来，就往笼子里看。 道格拉斯坐在角落里。 他没有动。“道格拉斯，”布拉德利低声说，“你还好吗？”布拉德利把手伸进笼子，把手放在道格拉斯的背上。 兔子感到温暖，布拉德利能感觉到它在呼吸。 但这就是他所做的一切。 布拉德利开始穿衣服。 “发生什么事了？”布莱恩躺在床上问。 “亨利医生告诉妈妈，如果道格拉斯没有好转，就把他带进来。”布拉德利提醒他。 “但他没有。”

Brian sat up and blinked. "I'm coming, too," he said. The boys got dressed, woke their mother, and made themselves cereal for breakfast. Between spoonfuls, Brian called Nate. "We're taking Douglas to the vet," he said. "You want to come? Get Lucy, too." When Nate and Lucy arrived, Mrs. Pinto drove them all to the vet's office on East Green Street. The four kids crowded into the office with the cage. Dr. Henry was waiting. "So here's the mystery bunny," he said. "Let's take a look." Dr. Henry gently lifted Douglas out of the cage. He placed the rabbit on his examination table. Bradley noticed that Douglas was trembling. "Why is he shaking?" he asked. "He's scared," Dr. Henry said. The vet ran his hands all over Douglas's body. He looked inside his ears, eyes, and mouth. He

布莱恩坐起来，眨了眨眼睛。“我也要去，”他说。 孩子们穿好衣服，叫醒妈妈，给自己做麦片当早餐。 一边吃一边叫内特。 “我们要带道格拉斯去看兽医，”他说。 “你想去吗？”把露茜也找来。” 内特和露西到达后，平托太太开车把他们送到东格林街的兽医诊所。 四个孩子抱着笼子挤进了办公室。 亨利医生在等着。“这就是那只神秘的兔子，”他说。 “让我们看看。”亨利医生轻轻地把道格拉斯从笼子里抱了出来。 他把兔子放在检查台上。 布拉德利注意到道格拉斯在颤抖。 “他为什么发抖？”他问。 “他很害怕，”亨利医生说。 兽医用手摸遍了道格拉斯的全身。 他看了看自己的耳朵、眼睛和嘴巴。 他

weighed Douglas on a small scale and took his temperature. He parted Douglas's fur and studied his skin. "Well, I'd say this is a very healthy rabbit," Dr. Henry stated. "His eyes are clear, and his teeth are perfect." Bradley showed Dr. Henry the pellets he had in his pocket. "These are a fine brand of rabbit food," the vet said. "Someone took very good care of this fellow."

用小秤称了道格拉斯的体重并量了他的体温。 他把道格拉斯的毛分开，研究他的皮肤。 “嗯，我得说这是一只非常健康的兔子。” 亨利说。“他的眼睛很清澈，他的牙齿很完美。” 布拉德利给亨利医生看了他口袋里的子弹。 “这些都是很好的兔食品牌，”兽医说。 “有人把这家伙照顾得很好。”

"So what could be wrong with him?" Bradley asked. "He won't move or anything." "I've seen this before," the vet said. "Dogs, cats, even monkeys, sometimes stop eating when they feel lonely. I think your rabbit misses his owner. He feels abandoned, confused. He may be in shock, and that's why he won't eat or drink." The kids looked at Douglas on the table. Dr. Henry put the rabbit back into his cage. "I'm afraid Douglas will become very sick if he doesn't start eating and taking water," he said. "He could die." "But what can we do?" Bradley asked. Dr. Henry stroked the rabbit's soft ears. "If this were my rabbit, I'd return him to his real owner," he said. "And soon."

“那他有什么问题吗？”布拉德利问。 “他不会动的。” “我以前见过这种情况，”兽医说。 “狗、猫、甚至猴子有时会在感到孤独时停止进食。 我觉得你的兔子想念它的主人了。 他感到被抛弃、困惑。 他可能受了惊吓，所以不吃不喝。” 孩子们看着桌子上的道格拉斯。 亨利医生把兔子放回笼子里。 “如果道格拉斯不开始吃东西和喝水，我担心他会病得很重，”他说。 “他可能会死。”“但是我们能做什么呢？”布拉德利问。 亨利医生抚摸着兔子柔软的耳朵。 “如果这是我的兔子，我会把它还给它真正的主人，”他说。 “很快。”