Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN WAS IT ALL A DREAM They all sat down on the floor. The magician took a silver stick and tapped three times on the floor. A spire of green smoke came up and made a crackling noise. It shot up into the air, turned over and over and wound its way among the guests, dropping tiny bunches of sweet- smelling flowers as it passed- buttonholes for every one!

第七章一切都是梦吗？他们都在地板上坐下来。 魔术师拿起一根银棒，在地板上敲了三下。 一股绿色的尖塔冒了上来，发出噼里啪啦的响声。 它飞向空中，翻来倒去，在客人中间蜿蜒而行，经过时落下一束束芬芳的小花——每个人都有纽扣眼！

The smoke went. The magician tapped the floor again and up rose five black cats, each with a violin except the last one, and he had a drum.

烟散了。魔术师又敲了敲地板，五只黑猫站了起来，除了最后一只，每只都拿着一把小提琴，他有一只鼓。

After the cats came six plump rabbits, who danced to the tunes that the cats played. One rabbit turned upside down and danced on his ears, and that made Peter laugh so much that he had to get out his handkerchief to wipe his tears of laughter away.

猫之后是六只胖乎乎的兔子，它们随着猫弹的曲调跳舞。 一只兔子在彼得耳朵上倒立着跳舞，逗得彼得哈哈大笑，只好掏出手帕擦去笑出的眼泪。

Then an even stranger thing happened next. The magician tapped the floor once more, and up came a great flower of yellow. It opened, and in the middle of it the guests could see five red eggs.

接着发生了一件更奇怪的事。 魔术师再次敲了敲地板，一朵巨大的黄花冒了出来。 门打开了，在门中间客人们可以看到五个红色的鸡蛋。

The eggs broke and out came tiny chicks. They grew- and grew- and grew -and became great brilliant birds with long drooping tails. Then they opened their beaks and sang so sweetly that not a sound could be heard in the great hall but their voices.

蛋破了，孵出了小鸡。 它们长啊长啊长，变成了长着下垂的长尾巴的大鸟。 然后它们张开嘴，唱得那么动听，大厅里除了它们的声音外，什么声音也听不见。