Puss-in-Boots-1

作品:The Bloody chamber And Other Stories 作者:安吉拉·卡特 字数: 下载本书  举报本章节错误/更新太慢

    Figaro ell you! Figaro upstairs, Figaro doairs and -- otle Figaro can slip into my ladys c as you like at any time  akes t you knoan, sopicated; ell ;noquot; to te yet toujours discret advances of a fine marmalade cat? (Unless it be inently overflo test whiff of furr, which happened once, as you shall hear.)

    A tom, sirs, a ginger tom and proud of it. Proud of e sfront t dazzles  angerine tessellations (o a fiery suit of ligrancing eye and more tary , some say, of o impromptu song at tacle of t of ragged tras s t up t stage and start tizens deluge me  er, vegetables s.

    Do you see ts of mine? A young cavalry officer made me tribute of, first one; ter I celebrate y o, t -- s s inge altly lubricates ive Bergamasque  is the only language in which you can purr.

    quot;Merrrrrrrrrrci!quot;

    Instanter I dras on over tty ockings t terminate my  young man, observing y by moonligo : quot;;

    quot;At your service, sir!quot;

    quot;Up to my balcony, young Puss!quot;

    , in s, offering encouragement as I sly up te, ucco o meet your forepaone nympit; left pa, tyrs bum srick. Noto it, once you knoo t w  a glass of vino in  paw and never spill a drop.

    But, to my sriple somersault en plein air, t is, in middle air, t is, unsupported and  a safety net, I, Puss,  attempted ten I  off tour, to the applause of all.

    quot;You strike me as a cat of parts,quot; says t ion, rump out, tail up, o facilitate ary free gift, my natural, my ual smile.

    For all cats icularity, eac alley sneaker to t,  s ever graced a pontiffs pilloed on. t Mona Lisa smiles t smile , no matter s been not. So all cats icians air; , I note, thing of a smiler hisself.

    quot;A sand;

    cap and all, t, smart, dandified air about s  of it. And excellent beef sandaste for spirits, since I started life as a s for my keep, before ts enougo let me live by them.

    And t of t intervie, as Sirs valet: valet de cime to time, , for,  officer   to keep  nig like me to knead  of t affection and to test tractability of my clas of absence of mind, t ot could slip into a young girls sacred privacy and deliver -doux at t ask I once or titude.

    And, as you  to t of fortunes for us all.

    So Puss got  at time as s and I dare say ter and I oucin-tacks, lec as loves ted a rascal as ever put on clean linen.

    imes  -- a  oo, for a cat may move from lap to lap y and cast  can jump on t resist to see it roll! poor took it for a bird; and, after Ive been, limp-spined, stiff-legged, playing to be cised, w place?

    And enance o us, as, cimes did. Id perform my little Spanis around : ole! But  my loyalty and affection to test of tion , o pawn his drawers.

    So all  riger; until t needs go fall in love.

    quot;;

    I  about my ablutions, tonguing my arseegrity of cats, one leg stuck in to remain silent. Love?  er, for  and god knoiso do ender passion?

    quot;And soe and so a dolt and dragon-guarded.quot;

    I es and fixed  satiric smile; I dared  strain.

    quot;All cats are cynics,quot; h my yellow glare.

    It is t draws him, see.

    ts in a enderest time of dusk. You can scarcely see ures, tains almost  on t up, talls go do comes on. And t, on Sundays, t o Mass, bundled up in black, he company of an aged hag, her keeper, who grumps along grim as a prison dinner.

    secret face?  Puss revealed it?

    Back ables so late, so very late at nigo our emergent surprise t all at once it s ly a-gurgle   fine spirits er and cold rot to ctle lanterns the chill fog as we go ungodly rolling home.

    See, a black barque, like a state funeral; and Puss takes it into o board acking obliquely to e against ern, take offence at suctentions to tle cat? (As it turns out, ttise  as Arabia descends from t just tatic spot. Puss lets rip a roaring purr, rears briefly on s; jig te o see and draer lamp lit be flush: her face.

    And she smiling.

    For a moment, just t moment, you  was May morning.

    quot;Come along! Come! Dont day beast!quot; snaps toots; she sneezes.

    t is, and dark, again.

    It  I alone w smile ole .

    Love.

    Ive sat inscrutably by and  in ty, besides a number of good iful daugry girls come to sell celery and endive on trips ts more. tary unsticoats and if I could, I  sixteen years old. But never t;lovequot;,  of any of transports, until my master saeleone as s  to Mass, and sed up  for him.

    And noo tables no more for lack of  and never even pats tling rump of t our slops left festering for days and ts filt bad-temperedly o fetcer off the walls.

    Ill so see, o . So muco tossing on  sleep for fear  into ter t black, vague ser . o be so inconspicuous? And yet, ; times, t about.

    e o times contrive to touc, o y o , in a dream, till bed-time; , eit c, parfumé avec tarragon, but  touc so I crunc up, bones and all, performing, as ever after meals, my meditative toilette, I pondered, to ruining us boting ained by unfulfilment. If I lead o akes e,  as rain in tricks as usual.

    ter and  once again.  t, very muc, sir.

    teleone employs,  but tc, a sleek, spry tabby eetomary tribute of a fes of my striped loins and, -ed creature cty kitty out of to o play er trailed oget an all-girls ball.

    Poor, lonely lady, married so young to an old dodderer e and icks, and ime at  indeed; and jealous as ent, tabby declares --  a stop to all tting in t to certify  get from anot s get from him.

    quot;tc to antler ;

    Notells me t time for t sing-o ride off into try to extort more grasping rents from starveling tenant farmers. And s all alone, ts and bars you  believe; all alone -- but for the hag!

    Aurns out to be t snag; an iron-plated, copper-bottomed, sy bitter ers ers, clatters, erupts into paroxysms of t ts  ones affections, nor for my tabby neit, oy rises to test part of our conversation in ty convenience of t so see to-inaccessible one gets a letter safe if I slip it to  to  discommoded by my boots.

    tter, did my master, as long as it takes me to lick t off my dicky. ears up ion: quot;Look not for any peace, my ; o tys tyranny, dazzled am I by torments cannot be assuaged.quot; ts not to t one ninny bethem already!

    quot;Speak from t,quot; I finally ex. quot;And all good women reak, sir; convince ion and s;

    quot; your advice, Puss, Ill ask for it,quot;  once y-toity. But at last o pen ten pages; a rake, a profligate, a card-so rack and ruin w  were a glimpse of grace, ion.

    O a masterpiece he penned!

    quot;Sucears s at ; says my tabby friend.

    quot;Oabs, sabs -- I never meant to ed cat! And put  to  and s  sent oo mucue to and  is.quot;

    An admirable little note t urn, per Figaro s a responsive yet uncompromising tone. For, says s a glimpse of his person?

    ter once, times; s and will see me! I shis very evening!

    So,  to tar o buy and most, if I may say so, outlandis in some kind of vagabond mountebanks outfit ered coat  braying in truck zany, lovelorn loon ered o make it ate.

    tar  sucs in tter and crasle talls, sucion of ballad-singers and oration of nostrum-peddlers and pertubation of errand boys t t  to ;O; ance uck on tty as a painted stage, and so is s a grace-note. Does she see him? Never a glance.

    quot;Up you go, Puss; tell o look my ;

    If rococos a piece of cake, t ce, tasteful, early Palladian stumped many a better cat ts time. Agilitys not in it, o Palladian, daring alone  storeys graced y caryatid s facilitate t ascent, t colour, I can tell you.  seen my precious tabby croucter above me keening encouragement, I, even I, mig flying, up brougo her windowsill.

    quot;Dear god!quot; too, aimental tcter. quot;Puss-in-boots!quot;

    I boo o t a moment to lose. quot;Cast your eye belo; I ;e , ready to sing you an evening ditty.quot;

    tion is tter part. And, for bot sakes I did it, t of bot eyes inspired me to ttempted, by me or any ot, in boots or out of triple somersault!

    And a torey drop to ground, .

    Only t trifle o say, I neatly land on all my fours and tabs goes nessed my triumpuning up t old mandolin and breaks, as doo his song.

    I rees, like mine; and yet tle died for urning costers paused in tracks to reet girls forgot turned to , they did.

    tabs, up on ts power I know my  is in his voice.