到了午饭时间（每个人都忘了吃早饭），他们才摆上了利特尔太太早就炖好的小羊羔肉。

　　but it was a sad meal, each one trying not to stare at the small empty chair which Stuart always occupied, right next to Mrs. Little's glass of water.

　　那真是一顿悲伤的午饭，每个人都试图不去注意那张放在利特尔太太的水杯附近的，斯图亚特常坐的空空的小椅子。

　　No one could eat, so great was the sorrow. George ate a bit of dessert but nothing else.

　　没有一个人想吃饭，因为他们都沉浸在强烈的悲痛之中。乔治除了一点儿餐后甜点外什么都没吃。

　　When lunch was over Mrs. Little broke out crying again, and said she thought Stuart must be dead.

　　午餐结束后，利特尔太太放声痛哭起来，并说她认为斯图亚特一定是死了。

　　"Nonsense, nonsense!" growled Mr. Little.

　　"你胡说，胡说！"利特尔先生吼叫。

　　"If he is dead," said George, "we ought to pull down the shades all through the house."

　　"如果他死了，"乔治说，"我们该把房子里的窗帘都拉下来。"

　　And he raced to the windowsand began pulling down the shades.

　　他往窗子那里跑去，准备去拉窗帘。

　　"George!" shouted Mr. Little in an exasperated tone, if you don't stop acting in an idiotic fashion, I will have to punish you.

　　"乔治！"利特尔先生用一种愤怒的语调说，如果你不停止你这种白痴式的行动的话，我一定会惩罚你的。

　　We are having enough trouble today without having to cope with your foolishness.

　　我们今天的麻烦已经够多的了，不能再去容忍你的愚蠢了。

　　But George had already run into the living room and had begun to darken it, to show his respect for the dead.

　　可是乔治已经跑进了起居室，开始去拉窗帘，表示他对死去的兄弟的沉痛哀悼了。

　　He pulled a cord and out dropped Stuart onto the windowsill.

　　他拉了一下绳子，斯图亚特便从窗帘里掉到了窗台上。

　　"Well, for the love of Pete," said George. "Look who's here, Mom!"

　　"噢，感谢老天，"乔治说。"看谁在那里，妈妈！"

　　"It's about time somebody pulled down that shade,"remarked Stuart.

　　"终于有人拉那窗帘了，"斯图亚特说。

　　"That's all I can say." He was quite weak and hungry.

　　"我只能说这些了。"他很虚弱，也很饿。

　　Mrs. Little was so overjoyed to see him that she kept right on crying.

　　看到他后，利特尔太太欣喜若狂，忍不住又哭起来。

　　Of course, everybody wanted to know how it had happened.

　　当然，每个人都想知道事情是怎么发生的。

　　"It was simply an accident that might happen to anybody,"said Stuart.

　　"这只是一个小事故，可你们任何人都会这么想的，"斯图亚特说。

　　As for my hat and cane being found at the entrance to the mousehole, you can draw your own conclusions.

　　因为我的帽子和手杖在老鼠洞口被发现，所以你们才得出了你们自己的结论。