“这话你已经说过一次了，”他的妻子说，“你正在重复自己说过的话。

　　Louis must be tired after his trip, no matter where he's been or what he's been up to."

　　经过了这么久的旅行，路易斯一定累了，不管他都去了哪里又都做了些什么。”

　　"Very true," said the cob.

　　“太对了，”雄天鹅说，

　　"But I must prolong my welcoming remarks a bit longer,

　　“可我还是要把欢迎辞再拖长一点儿，

　　for my curiosity is aroused by that odd little object Louis is wearing around his neck

　　因为我的好奇心被那个挂在路易斯脖子上的古怪小东西

　　and by the strange symbols he has placed upon it by rubbing that white thing up and down and leaving those strange white tracings."

　　和他用那个白东西上上下下地涂在那上面的由那些奇怪的白道道组成的奇异符号勾起来了。”

　　"Well," said Louis's mother, "we're all interested in it, naturally.

　　“哦，”路易斯的妈妈说，“我们都对此感兴趣，真的。

　　But Louis can't explain it because he is defective and can't talk.

　　可是路易斯却不能对这一切作解释，因为他有缺陷，不能说话。

　　So we'll just have to forget our curiosity for the moment and let Louis take a bath and have dinner."

　　因此我们只好暂时放下我们的好奇心，让路易斯去洗澡吃午饭吧。”

　　Everyone agreed this was a good idea.

　　每个人都认为这是个好主意。

　　Louis swam to the shore, placed his slate and his chalk pencil under a bush, and took a bath.

　　路易斯游向岸边，把他的石板和粉笔放到一丛灌木下，洗了个澡。

　　When he was through, he dipped the end of one wing in the water and sorrowfully rubbed out the words "Hi, there!"

　　洗完澡，他把一只翅膀尖蘸上水，难过的用它擦去“嗨，你们好”这几个词，

　　Then he hung the slate around his neck again.

　　然后才把那块石板挂回到脖子上。

　　It felt good to be home with his family.

　　回来和全家在一起的感觉真好。

　　And his family had increased during the months he had spent with Sam Beaver at school. There were now six new cygnets.

　　在他和萨姆比弗一起上学的这几个月里，他的家庭成员增加了。现在这里多了六只新生的小天鹅。

　　Louis's father and mother had spent the summer on a trip to Canada,

　　路易斯的父母已经完成了在加拿大的夏天旅行，

　　and while there, they had nested and hatched six little cygnets,

　　在那里造了窝并孵出了六只小天鹅，

　　and in the fall they had all joined up again at the Red Rock Lakes in Montana.

　　到秋天他们又回到了蒙大拿的红石湖。

　　One day, soon after Louis's return, the grain man stopped by with a sack of grain.

　　路易斯回家后不久，有一天，那个喂食者带着一袋谷粒站到了湖岸边。

　　Louis saw him and swam over.

　　路易斯一看见他就游了过去。

　　When the man spread the grain on the ground to feed the birds, Louis took off his slate and wrote, "Thank you very much!"

　　这个男人把谷粒撒到地上喂鸟的时候，路易斯摘下他的石板写道：“非常感谢！”

　　He held the slate up to the man, who appeared surprised.

　　然后他举起石板给那个男人看，他显得很吃惊。

　　"Say!" said the man. "You're quite a bird! Where did you learn to write?"

　　“哇！”这个男人说，“你真是只不一般的鸟儿！你在那儿学的写字？”

　　Louis erased the slate and wrote, "At school."

　　路易斯在石板上擦了又写：“在学校。”

　　"School?" said the grain man. "What school?"

　　“学校？”这个喂食人说，“什么学校？”

　　"Public school," wrote Louis. "Mrs. Hammerbotham taught me."

　　“公立学校，”路易斯写，“哈默博瑟姆太太教的我。”

　　"Never heard of her," said the grain man. "But she must be a darned good teacher."

　　“从没听说过，”喂食人说，“不过她肯定是个好得要死的老师。”

　　"She is," wrote Louis. He was overjoyed to be carrying on a conversation with a stranger.

　　“是的。”路易斯写。能和陌生人交谈使他欣喜万分。

　　He realized that even though the slate was no help with other birds, it was going to be a help with people, because people could read.

　　他意识到虽然石板对别的鸟类来说没有用处，但对人来说却大有用处，因为人懂得阅读。

　　This made him feel a whole lot better.

　　这让他感觉好了很多。

　　Sam Beaver had given Louis the slate as a good-bye present when he left the ranch.

　　当他离开牧场时，萨姆比弗把这块石板做为赠别礼物送给了他。

　　Sam had bought the slate and the chalk pencil with money he had saved.

　　萨姆是用自己攒的钱买的这块石板和石笔。

　　Louis decided he would always carry them with him, no matter where he went in the world.

　　路易斯决定要永远带着这块石板和石笔，无论自己在世上的任何地方。

　　The grain man wondered whether he had been dreaming or whether he had really seen a swan write words on a slate.

　　喂食人不知道他刚才是做了一个梦还是真的看到了一只天鹅在石板上写字。

　　He decided to say nothing about it to anyone, for fear people might think he was crazy in the head.

　　他决定不对任何人说起这件事，因为他怕别人以为他发疯了。