中译经典文库·世界文学名著:绿野仙踪(英语原著版 第六辑)

　　There were several roads near by， but it did not take her long to find the one paved with yellow brick. Within a short time she was walking briskly towards the Emerald City， her silver shoes tinkling merrily on the hard yellow road-bed. The sun shone bright and the birds sang sweetly and Dorothy did not feel nearly so bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the midst ofa strange land.　　She was surprised， as she walked along， to see how pretty the country was about her. There were neat fences at the sides of the road，painted a dainty blue colour， and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. Evidently the Munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops. Once in a while she would pass a house， and the people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by； for everyone knew she had been the means of destroying the Wicked Witch and setting them free from bondage. The houses of the Munchkins were odd looking dwellings， for each was round， with a big dome for a roof. All were painted blue， for in this country of the East blue was the favourite colour.　　Towards evening， when Dorothy was tired with her long wait and began to wonder where she should pass the night， she came to a house rather larger than the rest. On the green lawn before it many men and women were dancing. Five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible and the people were laughing and singing， while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits and nuts， pies and cakes， and many other good things to eat.　　The people greeted Dorothy kindly， and invited her to supper and to pass the night with them； for this was the home of one of the richest Munchkins in the land， and his friends were gathered with him to celebrate their freedom from the bondage ofthe Wicked Witch.　　Dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich Munchkin himself， whose name was Boq. Then she sat down upon a settee and watched the people dance.　　When Boq saw her silver shoes， he said， 'You must be a great sorceress.'　　'Why?' asked the girl.　　'Because you wear silver shoes and have killed the Wicked Witch. Besides， you have white in your frock， and only witches and sorceresses wear white.'　　'My dress is blue and white checked，' said Dorothy， smoothing out the wrinkles in it.　　'It is kind of you to wear that，' said Boq. 'Blue is the colour of the Munchkins， and white is the witch colour； so we know you are a friendly witch.'　　Dorothy did not know what to say to this， for all the people seemed to think her a witch， and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land.　　When she had tired watching the dancing， Boq led her into the house， where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were made of blue cloth， and Dorothy slept soundly in them till morning， with Toto curled up on the blue rug beside her.　　She ate a hearty breakfast， and watched a wee Munchkin baby，who played with Toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way that greatly amused Dorothy. Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people， for they had never seen a dog before.　　'How far is it to the Emerald City?' the girl asked.　　……