Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR THE SLIPPERIES PLAY A TRICK! Peter and Mollie looked hard at the five Slipperies. Each Slippery had one blue eye and one green, and not one of them looked straight at the children! Their hair was slick and smooth, their mouths smiled without stopping, and they rubbed their bony hands together all the time.

第四章滑溜溜的人在耍花招！彼得和莫丽目不转睛地看着这五只滑溜。 每只滑溜溜的眼睛都有一只蓝眼睛和一只绿眼睛，没有一只眼睛直视孩子们！他们的头发光滑光滑，他们的嘴不停地笑着，他们骨瘦如柴的双手不停地搓着。

I'm sorry, said Peter, 'but we don't want to leave our chair. We're waiting here with it till our friend Binky comes back from seeing his Great-Aunt Quick-Fingers.' 'Oh, she's gone to market, said one of the Slipperies. 'She always goes on Thursdays.' 'Oh dear,' said Peter. 'How tiresome! Now we shan't be able to get a fourth wing for our wishing-chair.' 'Dear me- is this a wishing-chair?' said the Slipperies, in great interest. 'It's the first time we've seen one. Do let us sit in it.'

“对不起，”彼得说，“但我们不想离开我们的椅子。 我们拿着它在这儿等我们的朋友宾基看完他的快手指姨妈回来。“哦，她到市场去了，”一个滑头说。 “她总是在星期四去。“哦，天哪，”彼得说。 “多么无聊!现在我们不能给许愿椅弄到第四个翅膀了。“天哪——这是许愿椅吗？”滑溜兄妹饶有兴趣地说。 “这是我们第一次见到。 让我们坐在里面吧。”

'Certainly not,' said Peter, feeling certain that if he let them sit in the chair they would try to fly off in it. 'I hear that Great-Aunt Quick-Fingers has some flying dogs,' said Mollie, hoping that the Slipperies would look frightened at the mention of them. But they didn't. They rubbed their slippery hands together again and went on smiling. 'Ah, yes- wonderful dogs they are. If you stand up on your chair, and look over the field yonder, you may see some of them flying around, said one Slippery. The children stood on the seat of the chair. The Slipperies clustered round them. 'Now look right down over that field,' began one of them. 'Do you see a tall tree?'

“当然不会。”彼得说，他觉得如果他让他们坐在椅子上，他们肯定会想从椅子上飞起来。 “我听说快手姨婆养了几只会飞的狗。”莫丽说，她希望滑溜家一听到这些狗就会吓一跳。 但他们没有。他们又搓了搓滑溜溜的手，继续微笑着。 “啊，是的——它们是很棒的狗。 “如果你站在椅子上，向那边的田野望去，你可能会看到它们在飞来飞去。”一个滑头说。 孩子们站在椅子上。 滑溜溜的人把他们团团围住。 “现在往下看看那块田地，”其中一个开始说。 “你看到一棵很高的树了吗？”