04-02-04-格列佛游记 [12]
．I was becoming thinner and thinner．When my master noticed this，he thought I would not live much longer．But it was clear that he wanted to make as much money out of me as he could．While he was thinking how to do this，he was asked to bring me to the palace．The Queen and her ladies had heard about me and wanted to see me．When we arrived in front of the Queen，I fell on my knees and begged to be allowed to kiss her foot．But she kindly held out her hand to me．I took her little finger in both my arms，and put it very politely to my lips．
She seemed very pleased with me，and finally she said，‘Would you enjoy living here in the palace，do you think？’
‘Great queen，I answered，‘I must do what my master wants，but if I were free，I would want to spend my whole life obeying your orders．’
She immediately arranged to buy me from my master．He was delighted to receive a good price for me，especially as he felt sure I would not live longer than a month．I also begged the Queen to let Glumdalclitch stay with me，because she had always taken such good care of me．The Queen agreed，and Glumdalclitch could not hide her happiness．
When my master had left the palace alone，the Queen said to me，‘Why didn't you say goodbye to him？And why did you look at him so coldly？’
‘Madam，I must tell you，’I replied，‘that since he found me，my master has used me as an easy way of making money for himself．He's made me work so hard that I feel tired and ill．He's sold me to you only because he thinks I'm going to die soon．But I feel better already，now that I belong to such a great and good queen．’
The Queen was clearly surprised to hear such intelligent words from such a small creature，and decided to show me to her husband．When the King saw me，he thought at first that I must be a mechanical toy．However，when he heard my an－swers to his questions，he realized I must be alive，and he could not hide his astonishment．
To discover what kind of animal I was，he sent for three of his cleverest professors．After looking at me carefully，they decided that I was a creature outside the laws of nature．I was much too small to climb their trees，or dig their fields，or kill and eat their animals．They could not understand where I had come from，or how I could possibly survive．And when I told them that in my country there were millions just like me，they did not believe me，but just smiled．However，the King was more intelligent than they were．After speaking to Glumdal－ clitch and questioning me again，he realized that my story must be true．
They took very good care of me．The Queen's workmen made a special bedroom for me．It was a wooden box，with windows，a door，and two cupboards．The ceiling could be b lifted off，so that Glumdalclitch could change my sheets and tidy my room．The workmen even made me two little chairs and a table，and a lock for the door，so that no rats could get in．
The Queen became so fond of me that she could not eat without me．My small table and chair were always placed on the dinner table near her left elbow，and Glumdalclitch stood near me，in case I needed her help．I ate off tiny silver plates，with silver knives and forks But I never got used to seeing the Queen eat．In one mouthful she ate as much as twelve English farmers could eat in a whole meal．She drank from a cup as big as one of our barrels，and her knives were like huge swords．I was quite frightened of them．
On Wednesday，which is a day of rest in Brobdingnag，like our Sunday，the King and Queen always had dinner together，with their children，in the King's rooms．I was usually invited too．My little chair and table were at the King's left elbow．he enjoyed very much hearing me talk about England—our laws，our universities，our great buildings．He listened so po－litely that I perhaps talked a little too much about my dear country．In the end he looked at me kindly，but could not stop himself laughing．He turned to one of his lords．
‘How amusing it is，’he said to him，‘that an insect like this should．talk of such important matters！He thinks his country is so highly developed！But I suppose even tiny crea－tures like him have a hole in the ground that they call a home
She seemed very pleased with me，and finally she said，‘Would you enjoy living here in the palace，do you think？’
‘Great queen，I answered，‘I must do what my master wants，but if I were free，I would want to spend my whole life obeying your orders．’
She immediately arranged to buy me from my master．He was delighted to receive a good price for me，especially as he felt sure I would not live longer than a month．I also begged the Queen to let Glumdalclitch stay with me，because she had always taken such good care of me．The Queen agreed，and Glumdalclitch could not hide her happiness．
When my master had left the palace alone，the Queen said to me，‘Why didn't you say goodbye to him？And why did you look at him so coldly？’
‘Madam，I must tell you，’I replied，‘that since he found me，my master has used me as an easy way of making money for himself．He's made me work so hard that I feel tired and ill．He's sold me to you only because he thinks I'm going to die soon．But I feel better already，now that I belong to such a great and good queen．’
The Queen was clearly surprised to hear such intelligent words from such a small creature，and decided to show me to her husband．When the King saw me，he thought at first that I must be a mechanical toy．However，when he heard my an－swers to his questions，he realized I must be alive，and he could not hide his astonishment．
To discover what kind of animal I was，he sent for three of his cleverest professors．After looking at me carefully，they decided that I was a creature outside the laws of nature．I was much too small to climb their trees，or dig their fields，or kill and eat their animals．They could not understand where I had come from，or how I could possibly survive．And when I told them that in my country there were millions just like me，they did not believe me，but just smiled．However，the King was more intelligent than they were．After speaking to Glumdal－ clitch and questioning me again，he realized that my story must be true．
They took very good care of me．The Queen's workmen made a special bedroom for me．It was a wooden box，with windows，a door，and two cupboards．The ceiling could be b lifted off，so that Glumdalclitch could change my sheets and tidy my room．The workmen even made me two little chairs and a table，and a lock for the door，so that no rats could get in．
The Queen became so fond of me that she could not eat without me．My small table and chair were always placed on the dinner table near her left elbow，and Glumdalclitch stood near me，in case I needed her help．I ate off tiny silver plates，with silver knives and forks But I never got used to seeing the Queen eat．In one mouthful she ate as much as twelve English farmers could eat in a whole meal．She drank from a cup as big as one of our barrels，and her knives were like huge swords．I was quite frightened of them．
On Wednesday，which is a day of rest in Brobdingnag，like our Sunday，the King and Queen always had dinner together，with their children，in the King's rooms．I was usually invited too．My little chair and table were at the King's left elbow．he enjoyed very much hearing me talk about England—our laws，our universities，our great buildings．He listened so po－litely that I perhaps talked a little too much about my dear country．In the end he looked at me kindly，but could not stop himself laughing．He turned to one of his lords．
‘How amusing it is，’he said to him，‘that an insect like this should．talk of such important matters！He thinks his country is so highly developed！But I suppose even tiny crea－tures like him have a hole in the ground that they call a home