这是晾在草地上的一块待漂的亚麻布。他费了一番气力爬过去，然后钻进这潮湿亚麻布的褶纹里。当然，比起那马厩里的温暖土堆来，躺在这地方是并不太舒服的。可是更好的地方也不容易找到，因此他也只好在那儿躺了一整天和一整夜。雨在不停地下着。到天亮的时分，甲虫才从寓居的地方爬了出来。他对这天气颇有一点脾气。被单上坐着两只青蛙，他们明亮的眼睛射出极端愉快的光芒。
“Wonderful weather this，”cried one of them，“and so refreshing.This linen holds the water together so beautifully，that my hind legs quiver as if I were going to swim.”
“天气真是好极了！”他们之中一位说，“多么使人精神爽快啊！被单把水兜住，真是再好也没有！我的后腿有些颤抖，像是要去尝一下游泳的味儿。”
“I should like to know.”said another，“If the swallow who flies so far in her many journeys to foreign lands，ever met with a better climate than this.What delicious moisture！It is as pleasant as lying in a wet ditch.I am sure any one who does not enjoy this has no love for his fatherland.”
“我倒很想知道，”第二位说，“那些飞向遥远的外国去的燕子，在他们无数次的航程中，是不是会碰到比这更好的天气？这样的暴风！这样的雨水！这叫人觉得像是待在一条潮湿的沟里一样。凡是不能欣赏这点的人，也真算得是不爱国的人了。”
“Have you ever been in the Emperors stable？”asked the beetle，“There the moisture (moisture n.潮湿，湿气)is warm and refreshing.Thats the climate for me，but I could not take it with me on my travels.Is there not even a dunghill here in this garden，where a person of rank，like myself，could take up his abode and feel at home？”But the frogs either did not or would not understand him.
“你们大概从来没有到皇帝的马厩里去过吧？”甲虫问。“那儿的潮湿是既温暖而又新鲜。那正是我所住惯了的环境；那正是合我胃口的气候。不过我在旅途中没有办法把它带来。难道在这个花园里找不到一个垃圾堆，使我这样有身份的人能够暂住进去，舒服一下子吗？”不过这两只青蛙不懂得他的意思，或者还是不愿意懂得他的意思。
“I never ask a question twice.”said the beetle，after he had asked this one three times，and received no answer.Then he went on a little farther and stumbled against a piece of broken crockeryware，which certainly ought not to have been lying there.But as it was there，it formed a good shelter against wind and weather to several families of earwigs (earwig n.蠷螋(一种昆虫)，偷听者vt.暗中骚扰)who dwelt in it.Their requirements were not many，they were very sociable，and full of affection for their children，so much so that each mother considered her own child the most beautiful and clever of them all.
“我从来不问第二次的！”甲虫说，但是他已经把这问题问了三次了，而且都没有得到回答。于是他又向前走了一段路。他碰到了一块花盆的碎片。这东西的确不应该躺在这地方；但是他既然躺在这儿，他也就成了一个可以躲避风雨的窝棚了。在他下面，住着好几家蠼螋。他们不需要广大的空间，但却需要许多朋友。他们的女性是特别富于母爱的，因此每个母亲就认为自己的孩子是世上最美丽、最聪明的人。
“Our dear son has engaged himself，”said one mother，“dear innocent boy，his greatest ambition is that he may one day creep into a clergymans (clergyman n.牧师，教士)ear.That is a very artless and loveable wish，and being engaged will keep him steady.What happiness for a mother！”
“我的儿子已经订婚了，”一位母亲说。“我天真可爱的宝贝！他最伟大的希望是想有一天能够爬到牧师的耳朵里去。他真是可爱和天真。现在他既订了婚，大概可以稳定下来了。对一个母亲说来，这真算是一件喜事！”
“Our son，”said another，“had scarcely crept out of the egg，when he was off on his travels.He is all life and spirits，I expect he will wear out his horns with running.How charming this is for a mother，is it not Mr.Beetle？”for she knew the stranger by his horny coat.
“我们的儿子，”另外一位母亲说，“刚一爬出卵就顽皮起来了，他真是生气勃勃。他简直可以把他的脚都跑掉了！对于一个母亲说来，这是一件多大的愉快啊！你说对不对，甲虫先生？”她们根据这位陌生客人的形状，已经认出他是谁了。
“You are both quite right.”said he，so they begged him to walk in，that is to come as far as he could under the broken piece of earthenware.
“你们两个人都是对的。”甲虫说。这样他就被请进她们的屋子里去——也就是说，他在这花盆的碎片下面能钻进多少就钻进多少。
“Now you shall also see my little earwigs，”said a third and a fourth mother，“they are lovely little things，and highly amusing.They are never illbehaved，except when they are uncomfortable in their inside，which unfortunately often happens at their age.”
“现在也请你瞧瞧我的小蠼螋吧，”第三位和第四位母亲齐声说，“他们都是非常可爱的小东西，而且也非常有趣。他们从来不捣蛋，除非他们感到肚子不舒服。不过在他们这样的年纪，这是常有的事。”Thus each mother spoke of her baby，and their babies talked after their own fashion，and made use of the little nippers nipper n.镊子，钳子，小男孩they have in their tails to nip the beard of the beetle.
这样，每个母亲都谈到自己的孩子。孩子们也在谈论着，同时用他们尾巴上的小钳子来夹甲虫的胡须。
“They are always busy about something，the little rogues.”said the mother，beaming with maternal (maternal adj.母亲的，似母亲的，母性的)pride.But the beetle felt it a bore，and he therefore inquired the way to the nearest dungheap.
“他们老是闲不住的，这些小流氓！”母亲们说。她们的脸上射出母爱之光。可是甲虫对于这些事儿感到非常无聊；因此他就问起最近的垃圾堆离此有多远。
“That is quite out in the great world，on the other side of the ditch，”answered an earwig，“I hope none of my children will ever go so far，it would be the death of me.”
“在世界很辽远的地方——在沟的另一边。”一只蠼螋回答说。“我希望我的孩子们没有谁跑得那么远，因为那样就会把我急死了。”
“But I shall try to get so far.”said the beetle，and he walked off without taking any formal leave，which is considered a polite thing to do.
“但是我倒想走那么远哩。”甲虫说。于是他没有正式告别就走了；这是一种很漂亮的行为。
When he arrived at the ditch，he met several friends，all them beetles.“We live here，”they said，“and we are very comfortable.May we ask you to step down into this rich mud，you must be fatigued (fatigued adj.疲乏的)after your journey.”
他在沟旁碰见好几个族人——都是甲虫之流。“我们就住在这儿，”他们说。“我们在这儿住得很舒服。请准许我们邀您光临这块肥沃的土地好吗？你走了这么远的路，一定是很疲倦了。”
“Certainly，”said the beetle，“I shall be most happy，I have been exposed to the rain，and have had to lie upon linen，and cleanliness is a thing that greatly exhausts me；I have also pains in one of my wings from standing in the draught under a piece of broken crockery.It is really quite refreshing to be with ones own kindred again.”
“一点也不错。”甲虫回答说。“我在雨中的湿布里躺了一阵子。清洁这种东西特别使我吃不消。我翅膀的骨节里还得了风湿病，因为我在一块花盆碎片下的阴风中站过。回到自己的族人中来，真是轻松愉快。”
“Perhaps you came from a dungheap.”observed the oldest of them.
“可能你是从一个垃圾堆上来的吧？”他们之中最年长的一位说。
“No，indeed，I came from a much grander place，”replied the beetle，“I came from the emperors stable，where I was born，with golden shoes on my feet.I am travelling on a secret embassy embassy n.大使及其随员，大使的派遣，大使馆，but you must not ask me any questions，for I cannot betray my secret.”
“比那还高一点。”甲虫说。“我是从皇帝的马厩里来的。我在那儿一生下来，脚上就有金马掌。我是负有一个秘密使命来旅行的。请你们不要问什么问题，因为我不会泄秘的。”
Then the beetle stepped down into the rich mud，where sat three younglady beetles，who tittered，because they did not know what to say.