8 The Reluctant Beast-Keepers

The Reluctant Beast-Keepers Okey dokey, let's get going," Mr. Nickle said to the guard, pointing at the cage's control panel with one of his sticks. "Time to shut down the laser walls." The beast clapped its tongues together in delight. Bethany and Ebenezer did no clapping whatsoever, because they both felt

“好吧，好吧，我们走吧，”尼克尔用他的一根棍子指着笼子的控制面板，对看守说。 “是时候关闭激光墙了” 那野兽高兴得咂舌。 宝芬妮和埃比尼泽没有鼓掌，因为她们都觉得

like they had been told the unfunniest joke in the world. "As we shut down the walls of the laser cage, we need you to remain completely still," Mr. Nickle said to the beast. "Don't make any sudden movements, and don't step outside the cage, until I say so." The old man nodded at the guard, who shut down the first of the laser cage's four walls. A few moments later, she shut down the second. "Look at my besties, Nickle-Wickle—they're speechless with excitement!" said the beast. It smiled a dribbly smile as the guard shut down the third wall. "Oh, I am gladsies. I was ever so worried." The beast's face was the picture of sincerity. It looked like butter wouldn't melt

就像他们听到了世界上最无趣的笑话。 “当我们关闭激光笼子的墙壁时，我们需要你保持完全不动，”尼克尔对这头野兽说。 “在我命令之前，不要做出任何突然的动作，也不要走出笼子。” 老人朝警卫点了点头，警卫关上了激光笼子四堵墙中的第一堵。 几分钟后，她关闭了第二个。 “看看我的好朋友们，尼克——威克——他们兴奋得说不出话来！” 警卫关闭第三堵墙时，它微微一笑。 “哦，我很高兴。我非常担心。” 野兽的脸是真诚的写照。 看起来黄油不会融化

on its tongues, even though Ebenezer knew for a fact that several things much worse than butter had been in its mouth. He looked over at Bethany, trying to decipher what she was thinking about all this. He'd half expected her to start kicking Mr. Nickle's shins, but she just stood there, motionless—her hands still bunched into fists, and her mouth closed tighter than a wrench.

尽管埃比尼泽知道它嘴里有好几样比黄油更难吃的东西。 他看着宝芬妮，想弄明白她在想什么。 他还以为她会开始踢尼克先生的小腿，但她只是站在那里，一动不动——双手仍然攥成拳头，嘴巴紧闭得比扳手还紧。

"I told you not to move!" barked Mr. Nickle. The beast was wobbling on its little legs. If Ebenezer hadn't known it so well, he would have said that the beast was wobbling out of nervousness. He also spotted a pair of small D.o.R.R.i.S. rain boots on its feet. Unfortunately, being shouted at did nothing to settle the beast's nerves. Its little legs wobbled even more, as the final wall of its cage was shut down. "Okay—step out slowly now," said Mr. Nickle, coaxing the beast with one of his sticks. It took a while before the beast felt strong enough to take its first step out into the wild. When it did so, it fell flat on its face, and a nail from the metallic floors got jammed in one of its eyes.

“我叫你别动！”尼克尔先生吼道。 那只野兽用它的小腿摇摇晃晃。 如果不是埃比尼泽这么了解，他会说这只野兽因为紧张而摇摇晃晃。 他还发现了一对小型d.o.r.r.i.。 脚上穿着雨靴。不幸的是，即使被人大声呵骂，也无法安抚这头野兽的神经。 当笼子的最后一堵墙关闭时，它的小腿儿摇晃得更厉害了。 “好吧——现在慢慢地出去，”尼克尔先生说，用他的一根棍子哄着这头野兽。 过了一段时间，这头野兽才觉得自己有足够的力量向野外迈出第一步。 当它这样做的时候，它脸朝下摔了下来，金属地板上的一颗钉子卡在了它的一只眼睛里。

"Owwwsies!" The beast pulled the nail out and licked its eye until the cut healed. It climbed back to its feet. It was still a little shaky, so it held out its tiny, sticky hands for help, which it received in the form of one of Mr. Nickle's sticks. The beast looked pitiful—so completely removed from the petrifying presence Ebenezer had experienced over the centuries that his brain could barely believe his eyes. "I'm so excited to become a do-goodinger!" said the beast. It pointed two eyes at Ebenezer and the third at Bethany. "So what do you thinkywink? Will you helpsies?" Ebenezer had often wondered what it would be like if he could persuade the beast to vomit out an occasional dribble of good into the world. He had long ago abandoned

“Owwwsies !”野兽把钉子拔了出来，舔了舔眼睛，直到伤口愈合。 它爬了起来。 它还是有点发抖，于是伸出它那又小又粘的手寻求帮助，得到的帮助是尼克先生的一根棍子。 这头野兽看起来很可怜——从埃比尼泽几个世纪以来所经历的那种僵化的存在中完全消失了，他的大脑几乎不敢相信自己的眼睛。 “我很兴奋能成为一个行善的人！”野兽说。 两只眼睛盯着埃比尼泽，第三只眼睛盯着伯大尼。 “你觉得怎么样？” 你能帮忙吗？”埃比尼泽常常在想，如果他能说服这头野兽偶尔向这个世界吐出一点好东西，那会是什么样子。 他早就放弃了

any hope of it actually happening. He looked at Bethany, but she was still quiet—as if silenced by the shock of it all. "I think… I have a question for Mr. Nickle," said Ebenezer. He turned to the old man. "I just wanted to know… when did you start being a nincompoop?" The joyful expression that had been on Mr. Nickle's face all day gave way to a far less friendly arrangement of wrinkles. "I am not a nincompoop," he said. "I'm the head agent of the world's most powerful secret agency." "Okey dokey. Then you're a nincompoop with a fancy title," said Ebenezer. "Because I can tell you now that there's not an ounce of good in the beast's whole body. I should know better than anyone. I lived with it for five centuries."

它真的发生的任何希望。 他看了看宝芬妮，但她仍然很安静——似乎被这一切的震惊惊呆了。 埃比尼泽说：“我想……我有一个问题要问尼克先生。” 他转向老人。“我只是想知道……你什么时候开始变成傻瓜的？”尼克尔先生脸上一整天的快乐表情，现在变成了一排不那么友好的皱纹。 “我不是傻瓜，”他说。 “我是世界上最强大的秘密机构的首席特工。” “感觉正好。“那你就是个头衔花哨的傻瓜，”埃比尼泽说。 “因为我现在可以告诉你，这畜生的整个身体里没有一盎司的善良。 我应该比任何人都清楚。 我和它一起生活了五个世纪。”