Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 BARON VON GRUMP WAITED. HE listened. He waited and listened. No one was hollering. No one was shouting. No one was singing or saying, "Good morning." No one was shouting, "RATS!" And there was certainly no bullhorn. "Could it be?" asked Baron Von Grump. "Could those irksome villagers finally be gone?" "Caw, caw!" said Edgar. "Yes! Yes, my fine feathered friend," said Baron Von Grump, "let us see for ourselves." He stomped over to his shutters. He pushed them wide open. He raised his big, black, bushy eyebrows. And then Baron Von

第八章冯·格朗普男爵等待着。 他听着。他等着，听着。 没有人大喊大叫。没有人大喊大叫。 没有人唱歌，也没有人说“早上好”。 没有人喊：“老鼠！”当然也没有扩音器。 “可能是吗？”冯·格朗普男爵问道。 “那些讨厌的村民最终会消失吗？”“哇哇，哇哇！”艾加说。 “是啊!“是的，我漂亮的羽毛朋友，”冯·格伦普男爵说，“让我们自己看看。” 他跺着脚走到百叶窗前。 他把他们推开了。他扬起又大又黑又浓密的眉毛。 然后是冯男爵

Grump did something that Baron Von Grump rarely ever did. Baron Von Grump smiled. Not a small, crooked smile like before. This was a full, wide, genuine smile. He looked to the left. He looked to the right. He looked across the village.

格朗普做了一件冯·格朗普男爵很少做的事。 冯·格伦普男爵笑了。不像以前那样笑得又小又歪了。 这是一个饱满、宽阔、真诚的微笑。 他看了看左边。他向右看了看。 他看了看村庄的另一边。

"They're gone!" he said. He clapped his hands together and danced in a little circle. "The villagers have all gone. My rat plan was a success!" There were no villagers. No horses. No wagons. No children. No chickens. No smiling or singing or gum-chewing or "good mornings." The village was entirely empty... except for the rats. Big, fat, lazy rats with wedges of cheese, as far as the eye could see. Baron Von Grump leaned out his window and shouted down to the rats, "Hey! Would you mind nibbling your cheese just a bit more quietly?" "Sure thing, boss," said the big rat. "HEY! RATS! QUIET DOWN!" Baron Von Grump's smile disappeared. Rats had been part of his plan. Loud, nibbling, cheese-chomping rats had not.

“他们走了！”他说。他拍着手，围成一个小圆圈跳舞。 “村民们都走了。 我的老鼠计划成功了！”没有村民。 没有马。没有车。没有孩子。 没有鸡。不许笑，不许唱歌，不许嚼口香糖，不许说“早上好” 村子里空无一人。 除了老鼠。又大又肥又懒的老鼠，满眼都是一块块奶酪。 冯·格朗普男爵探出窗户，对下面的老鼠喊道：“嘿！你能不能稍微安静一点啃你的奶酪？”“当然可以，老板。”大老鼠说。 “嘿!老鼠!安静下来!”冯·格朗普男爵的笑容消失了。 老鼠是他计划的一部分。 声音大、啃咬奶酪的老鼠却没有。