英语翻译我说的原文是In a sunny spot in the country stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat.然后呢，封面写的是：DOVER CHILDREN'S THRIFT CLASSICS THE UGLY DUCKLING AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (一大张

英语翻译我说的原文是In a sunny spot in the country stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat.然后呢，封面写的是：DOVER CHILDREN'S THRIFT CLASSICS THE UGLY DUCKLING AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (一大张
英语翻译
我说的原文是In a sunny spot in the country stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat.然后呢，封面写的是：DOVER
      CHILDREN'S THRIFT CLASSICS
         THE UGLY DUCKLING
       AND OTHER FAIRY TALES
     (一大张丑小鸭孵化出来的图片)
       Hans Christian Andersen

英语翻译我说的原文是In a sunny spot in the country stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat.然后呢，封面写的是：DOVER CHILDREN'S THRIFT CLASSICS THE UGLY DUCKLING AND OTHER FAIRY TALES (一大张
The Ugly Duckling
One evening, the sun was just setting in with true splendor when 1)a flock of beautiful large birds appeared out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen anything so beautiful. They were dazzlingly white with long waving necks. They were swans and uttering a peculiar cry. They spread out their magnificent broad wings and flew away from the cold regions toward warmer lands and open seas.
They 2)mounted so high, so very high, and the ugly little duckling became strangely uneasy. He circled around and around in the water like a wheel, 3)craning his neck out into the air after them. Then he uttered the shriek so 4)piercing and so strange that he was quite frightened by himself. Oh, he could not forget those beautiful birds, those happy birds and as soon as they were out of sight. He 5)ducked right down to the bottom and when he came up again, he was quite beside himself. He did not know what the birds were or where’d they flew. But all the same, he was more drawn towards them than he had ever been by any creatures before. He did not envy them in the least. How could it occur to him even to wish to be such a marvelous beauty? He wouldn’t be thankful if only the ducks would have tolerated him among them, the poor ugly creature.
Early in the morning, a peasant came along and saw him, he went out onto the ice and hammered a hole in it with his heavy wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. There, it soon 6)revived. The children wanted to play with it. But the duckling thought they were going to ill use him and rushed in and he frightened to the milk-pan, and the milk 7)spurted out all over the room. The woman shrieked and threw up her hands. Then it flew to the butter-cask and down into the meal-tub and out again. Oh, just imagine what it looked like by this time. The woman screamed and tried to hit it with the 8)tongs, and the children 9)tumbled over one another in trying to catch it, and they screamed with laughter.
By good luck, the door stood open and the duckling flew out among the bushes and the new fallen snow. And it lay there, thoroughly exhausted, but it would be too sad to mention all the privation and misery had to go through during that hard winter. When the sun began to shine warmly again, the duckling was in a marsh, lying among the rushes. The larks were singing, and the beautiful spring had come. Then all at once, it raised its wings and they flapped with much greater strength than before and bore him off vigorously. Before he knew where he was, he found himself in a large garden with the apple trees were in full blossom. And the air was scentedly with lilacs, the long branches of which overhung the indented shores of the lake. Oh, the spring freshness was so delicious. Just in front of him, he saw three beautiful white swans advancing towards him from a 10)thicket. With 11)rustling feathers, they swam lightly over the water. The duckling recognized the majestic birds, and he was overcome by a strange melancholy.
“I will fly to them, the royal birds, and they will hack me to pieces because I who am so ugly venture to approach them. But it won’t matter. Better to be killed by them than be snacked up by the ducks, 12)pecked by the hens, or 13)spurned by the hen wife, or suffer so much misery in the winter.” So he flew into the water and swam towards the stately swans. They saw him and darted toward him with ruffled feathers. “Kill me, oh, kill me.” said the poor creature. And bowing his head towards the water, he awaited his death. But what did he see? Reflected in the transparent water, he saw below him his own image, but he was no longer a clumsy dark gray bird, ugly and ungainly. He was himself, a swan.
乡下真是非常美丽.这正是夏天!小麦是金黄的,燕麦是绿油油的.干草在绿色的牧场上堆成垛,鹳鸟用它又长又红的腿子在散着步,噜嗦地讲着埃及话.（注：因为据丹麦的民 间传说,鹳鸟是从埃及飞来的.）这是它从妈妈那儿学到的一种语言.田野和牧场的周围有些大森林,森林里有些很深的池塘.的确,乡间是非常美丽的,太阳光正照着一幢老式的房子,它周围流着几条很深的小溪.从墙角那儿一直到水里,全盖满了牛蒡的大叶子.最大的叶子长得非常高,小孩子简直可以直着腰站在下面.像在最浓密的森林里一样,这儿也是很荒凉的.这儿有一只母鸭坐在窠里,她得把她的几个小鸭都孵出来.不过这时她已经累坏了.很少有客人来看她.别的鸭子都愿意在溪流里游来游去,而不愿意跑到牛蒡下面来和她聊天. 最后,那些鸭蛋一个接着一个地崩开了.“噼!噼!”蛋壳响起来.所有的蛋黄现在都 变成了小动物.他们把小头都伸出来. “嘎!嘎!”母鸭说.他们也就跟着嘎嘎地大声叫起来.他们在绿叶子下面向四周看. 妈妈让他们尽量地东张西望,因为绿色对他们的眼睛是有好处的.“这个世界真够大!”这些年轻的小家伙说.的确,比起他们在蛋壳里的时候,他们现在的天地真是大不相同了.“你们以为这就是整个世界!”妈妈说.“这地方伸展到花园的另一边,一直伸展到牧师的田里去,才远呢!连我自己都没有去过!我想你们都在这儿吧?”她站起来.“没有,我还没有把你们都生出来呢!这只顶大的蛋还躺着没有动静.它还得躺多久呢?我真是有些烦了.”于是她又坐下来.“唔,情形怎样?”一只来拜访她的老鸭子问.“这个蛋费的时间真久!”坐着的母鸭说.“它老是不裂开.请你看看别的吧.他们真是一些最逗人爱的小鸭儿!都像他们的爸爸——这个坏东西从来没有来看过我一次!”“让我瞧瞧这个老是不裂开的蛋吧,”这位年老的客人说,“请相信我,这是一只吐绶鸡的蛋.有一次我也同样受过骗,你知道,那些小家伙不知道给了我多少麻烦和苦恼,因为他们都不敢下水.我简直没有办法叫他们在水里试一试.我说好说歹,一点用也没有!——让我来瞧瞧这只蛋吧.哎呀!这是一只吐绶鸡的蛋!让他躺着吧,你尽管叫别的孩子去游泳好了.”“我还是在它上面多坐一会儿吧,”鸭妈妈说,“我已经坐了这么久,就是再坐它一个星期也没有关系.”“那么就请便吧,”老鸭子说.于是她就告辞了. 最后这只大蛋裂开了.“噼!噼!”新生的这个小家伙叫着向外面爬.他是又大又丑.鸭妈妈把他瞧了一眼.“这个小鸭子大得怕人,”她说,“别的没有一个像他；但是他一点也不像小吐绶鸡!好吧,我们马上就来试试看吧.他得到水里去,我踢也要把他踢下水去.”第二天的天气是又晴和,又美丽.太阳照在绿牛蒡上.鸭妈妈带着她所有的孩子走到溪边来.扑通!她跳进水里去了.“呱!呱!”她叫着,于是小鸭子就一个接着一个跳下去.水淹到他们头上,但是他们马上又冒出来了,游得非常漂亮.他们的小腿很灵活地划着.他们全都在水里,连那个丑陋的灰色小家伙也跟他们在一起游. “唔,他不是一个吐绶鸡,”她说,“你看他的腿划得多灵活,他浮得多么稳!他是我亲生的孩子!如果你把他仔细看一看,他还算长得蛮漂亮呢.嘎!嘎!跟我一块儿来吧,我把你们带到广大的世界上去,把那个养鸡场介绍给你们看看.不过,你们得紧贴着我,免得别人踩着你们.你们还得当心猫儿呢!” 这样,他们就到养鸡场里来了.场里响起了一阵可怕的喧闹声,因为有两个家族正在争夺一个鳝鱼头,而结果猫儿却把它抢走了.“你们瞧,世界就是这个样子!”鸭妈妈说.她的嘴流了一点涎水,因为她也想吃那个鳝鱼头.“现在使用你们的腿吧!”她说.“你们拿出精神来.你们如果看到那儿的一个老母鸭,你们就得把头低下来,因为她是这儿最有声望的人物.她有西班牙的血统——因为她长得非常胖.你们看,她的腿上有一块红布条.这是一件非常出色的东西,也是一个鸭子可能得到的最大光荣：它的意义很大,说明人们不愿意失去她,动物和人统统都得认识她.打起精神来吧——不要把腿子缩进去.一个有很好教养的鸭子总是把腿摆开的,像爸爸和妈妈一样.好吧,低下头来,说：‘嘎’呀!”他们这样做了.别的鸭子站在旁边看着,同时用相当大的声音说：“瞧!现在又来了一批找东西吃的客人,好像我们的人数还不够多似的!呸!瞧那只小鸭的一副丑相!我们真看不惯!”于是马上有一只鸭子飞过去,在他的脖颈上啄了一下.“请你们不要管他吧,”妈妈说,“他并不伤害谁呀!”“对,不过他长得太大、太特别了,”啄过他的那只鸭子说,“因此他必须挨打!”“那个母鸭的孩子都很漂亮,”腿上有一条红布的那个母鸭说,“他们都很漂亮,只有一只是例外.这真是可惜.我希望能把他再孵一次.” “那可不能,太太,”鸭妈妈回答说,“他不好看,但是他的脾气非常好.他游起水来也不比别人差——我还可以说,游得比别人好呢.我想他会慢慢长得漂亮的,或者到适当的时候,他也可能缩小一点.他在蛋里躺得太久了,因此他的模样有点不太自然.”她说着,同时在他的脖颈上啄了一下,把他的羽毛理了一理.“此外,他还是一只公鸭呢,”她说,“所以关系也不太大.我想他的身体很结实,将来总会自己找到出路的.”“别的小鸭倒很可爱,”老母鸭说,“你在这儿不要客气.如果你找到鳝鱼头,请把它送给我好了.”他们现在在这儿,就像在自己家里一样. 不过从蛋壳里爬出的那只小鸭太丑了,到处挨打,被排挤,被讥笑,不仅在鸭群中是这样,连在鸡群中也是这样. “他真是又大又丑!”大家都说.有一只雄吐绶鸡生下来脚上就有距,因此他自以为是一个皇帝.他把自己吹得像一条鼓满了风的帆船,来势汹汹地向他走来,瞪着一双大眼睛,脸上涨得通红.这只可怜的小鸭不知道站在什么地方,或者走到什么地方去好.他觉得非常悲哀,因为自己长得那么丑陋,而且成了全体鸡鸭的一个嘲笑对象. 这是头一天的情形.后来一天比一天糟.大家都要赶走这只可怜的小鸭；连他自己的兄弟姊妹也对他生气起来.他们老是说：“你这个丑妖怪,希望猫儿把你抓去才好!”于是妈妈也说起来：“我希望你走远些!”鸭儿们啄他.小鸡打他,喂鸡鸭的那个女佣人用脚来踢他. 于是他飞过篱笆逃走了；灌木林里的小鸟一见到他,就惊慌地向空中飞去.“这是因为我太丑了!”小鸭想.于是他闭起眼睛,继续往前跑.他一口气跑到一块住着野鸭的沼泽地里.他在这儿躺了一整夜,因为他太累了,太丧气了. 天亮的时候,野鸭都飞起来了.他们瞧了瞧这位新来的朋友. “你是谁呀?”他们问.小鸭一下转向这边,一下转向那边,尽量对大家恭恭敬敬地行礼. “你真是丑得厉害,”野鸭们说,“不过只要你不跟我们族里任何鸭子结婚,对我们倒也没有什么大的关系.”可怜的小东西!他根本没有想到什么结婚；他只希望人家准许他躺在芦苇里,喝点沼泽的水就够了. 他在那儿躺了两个整天.后来有两只雁——严格地讲,应该说是两只公雁,因为他们是两个男的——飞来了.他们从娘的蛋壳里爬出来还没有多久,因此非常顽皮.“听着,朋友,”他们说,“你丑得可爱,连我（注：这儿的“我”（jeg）是单数,跟前面的“他们说”不一致,但原文如此.）都禁不住要喜欢你了.你做一个候鸟,跟我们一块儿飞走好吗?另外有一块沼泽地离这儿很近,那里有好几只活泼可爱的雁儿.她们都是小姐,都会说：‘嘎!’你是那么丑,可以在她们那儿碰碰你的运气!”“噼!啪!”天空中发出一阵响声.这两只公雁落到芦苇里,死了,把水染得鲜红.“噼!啪!”又是一阵响声.整群的雁儿都从芦苇里飞起来,于是又是一阵枪声响起来了.原来有人在大规模地打猎.猎人都埋伏在这沼泽地的周围,有几个人甚至坐在伸到芦苇上空的树枝上.蓝色的烟雾像云块似地笼罩着这些黑树,慢慢地在水面上向远方漂去.这时,猎狗都扑通扑通地在泥泞里跑过来,灯芯草和芦苇向两边倒去.这对于可怜的小鸭说来真是可怕的事情!他把头掉过来,藏在翅膀里.不过,正在这时候,一只骇人的大猎狗紧紧地站在小鸭的身边.它的舌头从嘴里伸出很长,眼睛发出丑恶和可怕的光.它把鼻子顶到这小鸭的身上,露出了尖牙齿,可是——扑通!扑通!——它跑开了,没有把他抓走. “啊,谢谢老天爷!”小鸭叹了一口气,“我丑得连猎狗也不要咬我了!”他安静地躺下来.枪声还在芦苇里响着,枪弹一发接着一发地射出来. 天快要暗的时候,四周才静下来.可是这只可怜的小鸭还不敢站起来.他等了好几个钟头,才敢向四周望一眼,于是他急忙跑出这块沼泽地,拼命地跑,向田野上跑,向牧场上跑.这时吹起一阵狂风,他跑起来非常困难.到天黑的时候,他来到一个简陋的农家小屋.它是那么残破,甚至不知道应该向哪一边倒才好——因此它也就没有倒.狂风在小鸭身边号叫得非常厉害,他只好面对着它坐下来.它越吹越凶.于是他看到那门上的铰链有一个已经松了,门也歪了,他可以从空隙钻进屋子里去,他便钻进去了. 屋子里有一个老太婆和她的猫儿,还有一只母鸡住在一起.她把这只猫儿叫“小儿子”.他能把背拱得很高,发出咪咪的叫声来；他的身上还能迸出火花,不过要他这样做,你就得倒摸他的毛.母鸡的腿又短又小,因此她叫“短腿鸡儿”.她生下的蛋很好,所以老太婆把她爱得像自己的亲生孩子一样. 第二天早晨,人们马上注意到了这只来历不明的小鸭.那只猫儿开始咪咪地叫,那只母鸡也咯咯地喊起来.“这是怎么一回事儿?”老太婆说,同时朝四周看.不过她的眼睛有点花,所以她以为小鸭是一只肥鸭,走错了路,才跑到这儿来了.“这真是少有的运气!”她说,“现在我可以有鸭蛋了.我只希望他不是一只公鸭才好!我们得弄个清楚!” 这样,小鸭就在这里受了三个星期的考验,可是他什么蛋也没有生下来.那只猫儿是这家的绅士,那只母鸡是这家的太太,所以他们一开口就说：“我们和这世界!”因为他们以为他们就是半个世界,而且还是最好的那一半呢.小鸭觉得自己可以有不同的看法,但是他的这种态度,母鸡却忍受不了. “你能够生蛋吗?”她问. “不能!” “那么就请你不要发表意见.” 于是雄猫说：“你能拱起背,发出咪咪的叫声和迸出火花吗?” “不能!” “那么,当有理智的人在讲话的时候,你就没有发表意见的必要!” 小鸭坐在一个墙角里,心情非常不好.这时他想起了新鲜空气和太阳光.他觉得有一种奇怪的渴望：他想到水里去游泳.最后他实在忍不住了,就不得不把心事对母鸡说出来.“你在起什么念头?”母鸡问.“你没有事情可干,所以你才有这些怪想头.你只要生几个蛋,或者咪咪地叫几声,那么你这些怪想头也就会没有了.” “不过,在水里游泳是多么痛快呀!”小鸭说.“让水淹在你的头上,往水底一钻,那是多么痛快呀!” “是的,那一定很痛快!”母鸡说,“你简直在发疯.你去问问猫儿吧——在我所认识的一切朋友当中,他是最聪明的——你去问问他喜欢不喜欢在水里游泳,或者钻进水里去.我先不讲我自己.你去问问你的主人——那个老太婆——吧,世界上再也没有比她更聪明的人了!你以为她想去游泳,让水淹在她的头顶上吗?” “你们不了解我,”小鸭说. “我们不了解你?那么请问谁了解你呢?你决不会比猫儿和女主人更聪明吧——我先不提我自己.孩子,你不要自以为了不起吧!你现在得到这些照顾,你应该感谢上帝.你现在到一个温暖的屋子里来,有了一些朋友,而且还可以向他们学习很多的东西,不是吗?不过你是一个废物,跟你在一起真不痛快.你可以相信我,我对你说这些不好听的话,完全是为了帮助你呀.只有这样,你才知道谁是你的真正朋友!请你注意学习生蛋,或者咪咪地叫,或者迸出火花吧!” “我想我还是走到广大的世界上去好,”小鸭说. “好吧,你去吧!”母鸡说. 于是小鸭就走了.他一会儿在水上游,一会儿钻进水里去；不过,因为他的样子丑,所有的动物都瞧不其他.秋天到来了.树林里的叶子变成了黄色和棕色.风卷起它们,把它们带到空中飞舞,而空中是很冷的.云块沉重地载着冰雹和雪花,低低地悬着.乌鸦站在篱笆上,冻得只管叫：“呱!呱!”是的,你只要想想这情景,就会觉得冷了.这只可怜的小鸭的确没有一个舒服的时候. 一天晚上,当太阳正在美丽地落下去的时候,有一群漂亮的大鸟从灌木林里飞出来,小鸭从来没有看到过这样美丽的东西.他们白得发亮,颈项又长又柔软.这就是天鹅.他们发出一种奇异的叫声,展开美丽的长翅膀,从寒冷的地带飞向温暖的国度,飞向不结冰的湖上去. 他们飞得很高——那么高,丑小鸭不禁感到一种说不出的兴奋.他在水上像一个车轮似地不停地旋转着,同时,把自己的颈项高高地向他们伸着,发出一种响亮的怪叫声,连他自己也害怕起来.啊!他再也忘记不了这些美丽的鸟儿,这些幸福的鸟儿.当他看不见他们的时候,就沉入水底；但是当他再冒到水面上来的时候,却感到非常空虚.他不知道这些鸟儿的名字,也不知道他们要向什么地方飞去.不过他爱他们,好像他从来还没有爱过什么东西似的.他并不嫉妒他们.他怎能梦想有他们那样美丽呢?只要别的鸭儿准许他跟他们生活在一起,他就已经很满意了——可怜的丑东西. 冬天变得很冷,非常的冷!小鸭不得不在水上游来游去,免的水面完全冻结成冰.不过他游动的这个小范围,一晚比一晚缩小.水冻的厉害,人们可以听到冰块的碎裂声.小鸭只好用他的一双腿不停地游动,免得水完全被冰封闭.最后,他终于昏倒了,躺着动也不动,跟冰块结在一起. 大清早,有一个农民在这儿经过.他看到了这只小鸭,就走过去用木屐把冰块踏破,然后把他抱回来,送给他的女人.他这时才渐渐地恢复了知觉.小孩子们都想要跟他玩,不过小鸭以为他们想要伤害他.他一害怕就跳到牛奶盘里去了,把牛奶溅得满屋子都是.女人惊叫起来,拍着双手.这么一来,小鸭就飞到黄油盆里去了,然后就飞进面粉桶里去了,最后才爬出来.这时他的样子才好看呢!女人尖声地叫起来,拿着火钳要打他.小孩们挤做一团,想抓住这小鸭.他们又是笑,又是叫!——幸好大门是开着的.他钻进灌木林中新下的雪里面去.他躺在那里,几乎像昏倒了一样.要是只讲他在这严冬所受到困苦和灾难,那么这个故事也就太悲惨了.当太阳又开始温暖地照着的时候,他正躺在沼泽地的芦苇里.百灵鸟唱起歌来了——这是一个美丽的春天.忽然间他举起翅膀：翅膀拍起来比以前有力得多,马上就把他托起来飞走了.他不知不觉地已经飞进了一座大花园.这儿苹果树正开着花；紫丁香在散发着香气,它又长又绿的枝条垂到弯弯曲曲的溪流上.啊,这儿美丽极了,充满了春天的气息!三只美丽的白天鹅从树荫里一直游到他面前来.他们轻飘飘地浮在水上,羽毛发出飕飕的响声.小鸭认出这些美丽的动物,于是心里感到一种说不出的难过. “我要飞向他们,飞向这些高贵的鸟儿!可是他们会把我弄死的,因为我是这样丑,居然敢接近他们.不过这没有什么关系!被他们杀死,要比被鸭子咬、被鸡群啄,被看管养鸡场的那个女佣人踢和在冬天受苦好得多!”于是他飞到水里,向这些美丽的天鹅游去：这些动物看到他,马上就竖起羽毛向他游来.“请你们弄死我吧!”这只可怜的动物说.他把头低低地垂到水上,只等待着死.但是他在这清澈的水上看到了什么呢?他看到了自己的倒影.但那不再是一只粗笨的、深灰色的、又丑又令人讨厌的鸭子,而却是——一只天鹅! 只要你是一只天鹅蛋,就算是出生在养鸭场里也没有什么关系. 对于他过去所受的不幸和苦恼,他现在感到非常高兴.他现在清楚地认识到幸福和美正在向他招手.——许多大天鹅在他周围游泳,用嘴来亲他. 花园里来了几个小孩子.他们向水上抛来许多面包片和麦粒.最小的那个孩子喊道：“你们看那只新天鹅!”别的孩子也兴高采烈地叫起来：“是的,又来了一只新的天鹅!”于是他们拍着手,跳起舞来,向他们的爸爸和妈妈跑去.他们抛了更多的面包和糕饼到水里,同时大家都说：“这新来的一只最美!那么年轻,那么好看!”那些老天鹅不禁在他面前低下头来. 他感到非常难为情.他把头藏到翅膀里面去,不知道怎么办才好.他感到太幸福了,但他一点也不骄傲,因为一颗好的心是永远不会骄傲的.他想他曾经怎样被人迫害和讥笑过,而他现在却听到大家说他是美丽的鸟中最美丽的一只鸟儿.紫丁香在他面前把枝条垂到水里去.太阳照得很温暖,很愉快.他扇动翅膀,伸直细长的颈项,从内心里发出一个快乐的声音： “当我还是一只丑小鸭的时候,我做梦也没有想到会有这么的幸福!”

That summer the country was particularly beautiful, and it was glorious to be out in the green fields and meadows. It was so amusing to see the white stork parading around on his long red legs and to ...

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That summer the country was particularly beautiful, and it was glorious to be out in the green fields and meadows. It was so amusing to see the white stork parading around on his long red legs and to hear him talking Egyptian, a language he had learned from his mother.
In the midst of the sunny meadow stood an old farmhouse. It was surrounded by a deep canal, and from the walls down to the water grew burdock shrubs so tall that children could stand under them. It was so nice and shady there that a mother duck decided it would be a good place to sit on her nest and hatch out her young ones.
At last one of the eggs cracked open, and then another and another until eight new little yellow ducklings poked out their heads and cried "Peep! Peep!"
"How big the world is!" exclaimed the ducklings. They were glad to be out of those tight little eggs, and their mother was glad to let them look around at the leaves, for she knew how good for the eyes the color green is.
"But this isn't the whole world by any means," she told the ducklings. "There is much more of it. It extends far beyond the other side of the garden. Maybe we can all go there sometime. Let me see now; are we all here?"
She looked around and saw that one of her eggs, the largest, had not yet hatched. "Oh, dear," she said to herself, "I am so tired of sitting on eggs! I wonder how much longer this is going to last."
But she sat down on the nest again and waited some more.
At last the big egg cracked and broke open. Out came two big feet and a head. But it wasn't a soft little downy yellow head like the other ducklings. This one was big and white, with a long scrawny neck and a fuzzy body.
"My, my!" exclaimed the mother duck when she saw him. "He certainly doesn't look like any of my other children. I wonder how he got to be so funny-looking?"
"He's ugly!" quacked the other ducklings. "He doesn't look a bit like us. We don't want to play with him." And they waddled down to the pond with their mother behind them. She shoved them in and jumped in after them. The all swam beautifully.
"I'll bet that big ugly white brother of ours can't swim!" exclaimed one of the little yellow ducklings.
But the ugly duckling had followed them down to the pond and , seeing them all swimming, he jumped in and swam too, at least as well as any of them.
"On my word!" exclaimed the mother duck. "He certainly can swim, big and ugly as he is! He must be my own child, and, after all, he's not so very ugly if you look at him right."
The next day the mother duck decided to let her ducklings see something of the world. "Come along," she said, "and I'll introduce you to the animals in the poultry yard across the meadow. Stay clo
se to me now, all of you, so you won't get stepped on. And look out for the cat."
When they got to the poultry yard, a terrible fight was going on. "Dear, dear!" said the mother duck. "People are always fighting!"
But she gave her ducklings their first lesson in good manners too. "You see that big haughty-looking duck with the red ribbon around her leg?" she said. "That means she is a very important person - a Spanish grandee, in fact. Now, I want you all to curtsy to her politely."
They did it, nicely too, but the Spanish grandee took one look at the poor ugly duckling and bit him in the neck.
"You leave him alone!" commanded his mother. "He may not be as pretty as some, but he has a sweet disposition, and he is the best swimmer of the lot. Besides, he'll look better when he grows up. He won't seem so big and awkward then."
But all the creatures in the yard made fun of the ugly duckling just the same. The ducks pushed him and the chickens teased him and the turkeys bit him. Even the girl who fed the poultry kicked him. And his very own brothers and sisters were so mean to him that he felt just terrible.
One day, when he couldn't stand it any longer, her decided to fly away. He flew over the barnyard fence and on and on, weary and unhappy, until he came to the marsh where the wild ducks lived.
When they saw the poor duckling, they said, "My, how ugly you are! But we don't really mind as long as you don't marry any of us. You can stay here if you want to."
The poor duckling was very grateful and lay down to get some much-needed rest. But at that very moment two shots rang out, and two wild geese fell down dead in the marsh. A hunter had shot them, and the ugly duckling was frightened almost to death. He bent down and put his head under his wing until the gunshots stopped. When they did, it began to rain, and soon it was pouring. But the duckling didn't care. He had to get away. So he half run and half flew over many fields and meadows, though he was drenched by the storm.
At last he came to a miserable little shack that seemed to remain standing only because it didn't know which way to tumble down.
The door hung open crookedly, and the duckling slipped in out of the rain.
Inside he found a woman with a pet cat named Sonnie and a pet hen who, because of her little legs, was called Chickabiddy-Shortshanks. The ugly duckling fell asleep at once and no one noticed him. But in the morning the cat purred and the hen clucked and the woman said "what's the matter?" Her eyesight wasn't very good and she thought, "Maybe this is a rare prize duck who will lay eggs for me."
"Can you lay eggs?" the hen asked. "No," replied the duckling. "Can you purr and arch your back?" asked the cat.
"No."
"Then what can you do?" they wanted to know.
"I can swim," exclaimed the ugly duckling. "It's delightful to dive into the water and feel it all around you."
"You must be crazy," said the cat and the hen. And the duckling went. He swam and dived and ran and flew but everyone gave him the cold shoulder because he was so ugly.
At last summer was over and autumn came with leaves turning brown and whirling in the chilly wind. The duckling was miserable indeed all alone in the cold cruel world.
But one evening, just as the sun was setting, he saw coming out of the bushes a flock of handsome white swans with long graceful necks. They spread their wings and, with a strange cry, rose higher and higher as they flew to warmer regions.
The ugly duckling thought he had never seen such beautiful creatures before. How he admired them! He would have been happy indeed if they had so much as noticed him.
But they did not. They flew south, not even seeing the ugly duckling in the freezing lake. And soon it was winter and the lake froze over holding the duckling fast. What a terrible night that was for the poor creature! He almost froze to death.
But early the next morning a farmer passing by broke the ice, lifted the duckling out, and took him home.
The duckling soon came to himself again as the farmers children played with him. But he was so frightened at these strange surroundings that he fluttered into the milk-pan, spilling milk all over the place. The farmer's wife was annoyed by this and the duckling, frightened out of it's wits, flew first into the butter tub and then into the flour- barrel. What a sight he was! The woman struck out at him with the fire-tongs while the children laughed and screamed and tumbled all over each other trying to catch him.
Luckily for him the door was open and he was able to slip out. He lay behind a bush in the snow and stayed there until the winter was over. But at last it grew warm and sunny. Birds sang and buds swelled. It was spring!
All at once the duckling found he could flap his wings, and one day he found himself in a beautiful garden where sweet-scented blossoming trees bent down to the water Suddenly three glorious white swans appeared ruffling their feathers as they swam lightly across the water. The ugly duckling dazing at the beautiful birds, thought to himself, "If I dare go near them, they will kill me because I am so ugly. But I don't care. Better to be killed by these beautiful creat