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有一名厨师，受的教育比他的朋友们多些。一天，他离开厨房去附近的一家酒馆。厨师是个凡事都认真的人。那天，他正在悼念亡友逝世一周年。家里只留有一只猫，看守着食品以防老鼠来偷。当他回来时，看见了什么？地上撒满了馅饼碎屑，那只叫华司卡的猫蜷曲在醋坛子后面的角落里，满足地喵喵直叫。它正忙着吃一只鸡。 “哎呀，馋嘴猫！哎呀,坏家伙!”厨师高声责骂，“被墙看到了你偷吃都不觉得难为情吗，更不要说活人了？什么！亏你还是一只体面的猫，你这样可以提出来做谨慎的楷模呢？如今，天呀！丢脸！现在所有人都要说‘华司卡这只猫是个无赖！华司卡是只贼猫！再也不许华司卡进厨房，甚至不准进院子。就像不准饿狼进羊圈一样。它是完全堕落了；它是个害人精，是我们这一地区的祸害。’” 我们的大演讲家就这样滔滔不绝，口若悬河地讲个没完。结果怎样呢？在他发表言论的时候，华司卡这只猫把鸡吃得一干二净。 建议那些厨师，把这些字刻在墙上:"切勿空谈浪费时间，采取必要行动。” The Cook and the Cat A certain cook, rather more educated than his fellows, went from his kitchen one ay to a neighboring tavern一he was of a serious turn of mind, and on that day he cele- "ated the anniversary of a friend's death—leaving a cat at home, to guard his viands )m the mice. On his return, what did he see? The floor was strewed with fragments of a e, and Vaska the cat crouching in a corner behind a vinegar-barrel, purring with satis¬faction ,as busily engaged in disposing of a chicken. “Ah, glutton! Ah, evildoer!” exclaimed the re- proachful cook. “Are you not ashamed of being seen by these walls, let alone living witness? What! Be an honor¬able cat up to this time—one who might be pointed our as a model of discretion! And now, ah me! How great a disgrace! Now all the neighbors will say, ‘the cat Vaska is a rogue, the cat Vaska is a thief. Vaska must not be admitted into a kitchen, not even into the courtyard, any more than a ravenous wolf into a sheep fold. He is utter- corrupt； he is a pest, the plague of the neighborhood. Thus did our orator, letting loose the current of his words, lecture away without stop- ig. But what was the result? While he was delivering his discourse, Vaska the cat ate the whole of the chicken. I would advise some cooks to inscribe these words on their wells, “Don’t waste time in useless speeches, when it is action that is needed.” |
