冬天快要到了，莫丽变得越来越讨厌。

　　She was late for work every morning and excused herself by saying that she had overslept.

　　她每天早上干活总要迟到，而且总为自己开脱说她睡过头了。

　　And she complained of mysterious pains, although her appetite was excellent.

　　她还诉说一些不可思议的病痛，不过，她的食欲却很旺盛。

　　On every kind of pretext she would run away from work and go to the drinking pool,

　　她会找出种种借口逃避干活而跑到饮水池边，

　　where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water.

　　呆呆地站在那儿，凝视着她在水中的倒影。

　　But there were also rumors of something more serious.

　　但还有一些传闻，说起来比这更严重一些。

　　One day, as Mollie strolled blithely into the yard, flirting her long tail and chewing at a stalk of hay, Clover took her aside.

　　有一天，当莫丽边晃悠着她的长尾巴边嚼着一根草根，乐悠悠的闲逛到院子里时，克拉弗把她拉到一旁。

　　"Mollie," she said, "I have something very serious to say to you.

　　“莫丽”，她说，“我有件非常要紧的事要对你说。

　　This morning I saw you looking over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood.

　　今天早晨，我看见你在查看那段隔开动物庄园和福克斯伍德庄园的树篱。

　　One of Mr. Pilkington's men was standing on the other side of the hedge.

　　有一个皮尔金顿先生的伙计正站在树篱的另一边。

　　And--I was a long way away, but I am almost certain I saw this--he was talking to you and you were allowing him to stroke your nose.

　　嗯……尽管我离得很远，但我敢肯定我看见他在对你说话，你还让他摸你的鼻子。

　　What does that mean, Mollie?"

　　这是怎么回事，莫丽？”

　　"He didn't! I wasn't! It isn't true!" cried Mollie, beginning to prance about and paw the ground.

　　“他没摸！我没让！这不是真的！”莫丽大声嚷着，抬起前蹄子搔着地。

　　"Mollie! Look me in the face.

　　“莫丽！看着我。

　　Do you give me your word of honor that that man was not stroking your nose?"

　　你能向我发誓，那人不是在摸你的鼻子。”

　　"It isn't true!" repeated Mollie, but she could not look Clover in the face, and the next moment she took to her heels and galloped away into the field.

　　“这不是真的！”莫丽重复道，但却不敢正视克拉弗。然后，她朝着田野飞奔而去，逃之夭夭。

　　A thought struck Clover.

　　克拉弗心中闪过一个念头。

　　Without saying anything to the others, she went to Mollie's stall and turned over the straw with her hoof.

　　谁也没有打招呼，她就跑到莫丽的厩棚里，用蹄子翻开一堆草。

　　Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon of different colors.

　　草下竟藏着一堆方糖和几条不同颜色的饰带。

　　Three days later Mollie disappeared.

　　三天后，莫丽不见了。

　　For some weeks nothing was known of her whereabouts, then the pigeons reported that they had seen her on the other side of Willingdon.

　　好几个星期下落不明，后来鸽子报告说他们曾在威灵顿那边见到过她。