36 THE GOSLING GROWS

CHAPTER 36 THE GOSLING GROWS Brightbill soon forgot about the incident with Rockmouth, and he spent his mornings cruising around the pond with the other goslings. He was becoming a great little swimmer. He was also becoming a great little speaker. "Hello, my name is Brightbill!" he said to anyone who would listen. The gosling was small for his age, and he always would be, but he was growing bigger and stronger by the day. His increasing size was matched by his increasing appetite. He gobbled down grass and berries and nuts and leaves. Sometimes he'd snack on little insects. If it was edible, Brightbill would eat it. And even if it wasn't edible, he might eat it anyway. Roz felt something like fright the time she saw Brightbill swallowing pebbles on the beach. She was holding him upside down, hoping the pebbles would fall out of his mouth, when Loudwing stepped in.

第三十六章小鹅长大了比尔很快就忘记了罗克茅斯的事，他每天早上都和其他小鹅一起在池塘里游来游去。 他正在成为一名优秀的小游泳运动员。 他也成为了一个伟大的小演说家。 “你好，我叫布莱特比尔！”他对任何愿意听他说话的人说。 小鹅比他的年龄还小，而且他一直都是这样，但他一天比一天大，一天比一天强壮。 他的身材越来越大，胃口也越来越大。 他狼吞虎咽地吃下青草、浆果、坚果和树叶。 有时他会吃小昆虫。 如果它是可食用的，布莱特比尔会吃掉它。 即使不能吃，他还是会吃的。 当罗兹看到布莱特比尔在海滩上吞下鹅卵石时，她感到有点害怕。 她正把他倒过来抱着，希望卵石能从他嘴里掉出来，这时响亮的翅膀走了进来。

"Put the gosling down," said the goose with a laugh. "It's perfectly natural for Brightbill to eat a few pebbles. They'll help him digest his food. But not too many, okay, little one?" Like most youngsters, Brightbill was incredibly curious. He explored the garden and the pond and the forest floor. And he would occasionally explore neighboring homes. He'd wander down some hole in the ground and say to whoever was there, "Hello, my name is Brightbill!" Then a long robot arm would reach in and pull the gosling back outside. "Sorry to bother you," Roz would say, in her friendliest voice. The mother and son slipped into a good nighttime routine. While the gosling slept, the robot might tend the fire if it was cool out, or gently fan him if it was warm. If he woke up hungry or thirsty, Roz brought him food or water. And whenever he had nightmares, she was always there to rock him back to sleep.

“把小鹅放下，”母鹅笑着说。 “布莱特比尔吃几颗鹅卵石是很自然的。 它们会帮助他消化食物。 但不要太多，好吗，小家伙？”像大多数年轻人一样，布莱特比尔非常好奇。 他探索了花园、池塘和森林的地面。 他偶尔也会去邻居家看看。 他会在地下的某个洞里溜达，对在场的人说：“你好，我叫布莱特比尔！”然后一条长长的机械手臂伸进去，把小鹅拉到外面。 “很抱歉打扰你，”罗兹会用她最友好的声音说。 母子俩开始了良好的夜间生活。 当小鹅睡觉时，如果天气凉爽，机器人可能会照看火，如果天气温暖，机器人会轻轻地给小鹅扇风。 如果他醒来时又饿又渴，罗兹就会给他送去食物或水。 每当他做噩梦时，她总是在那里摇着他入睡。