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第3章03 公主和——谁呢？

公主满以为能看见一大群公鸡母鸡，但出乎意料的是，她只看见了蓝色的天空，然后是屋顶，屋顶上有一大群最最可爱的鸽子，大部分是白色，也有很多其他各种颜色的鸽子，在屋顶上到处走，互相弯腰亲昵，用一种她听不懂的语言交流着。她开心地大声拍手，惊飞的鸽子扑腾翅膀的响声也把她吓了一跳。

“你吓着我的鸟儿了，”老妇人微笑着说。

“它们也吓着我了，”公主也微笑着说，“不过这些鸟儿多漂亮呀。它们下的蛋也很漂亮吗？”

“是的，非常漂亮。”

“那您要用多小的蛋勺呀！养些母鸡，下更大的蛋不是更好吗？”

“那我要怎么喂它们呢？”

“我懂了。”公主说。“这些鸽子们自己觅食。它们会飞。”

“没错。如果它们不会飞，我也不会吃它们的蛋。”

“那您怎么拾它们的蛋呢？它们的巢在哪儿呢？”

妇人伸手拉了一下门边墙上的一个小线圈，把遮板拉上去，就看见好多好多鸽子洞和巢穴，有些里面是小鸽子，有些里面是鸽子蛋。鸟儿们从另一边进去，她从这边把蛋捡出来。为了不让小鸽子们受到惊吓，她很快地关上了遮板。

“哦，这法子好极了！”公主大声说。“您能给我一个鸽子蛋吃吗？我饿坏了。”

“改天再给你，不过现在你得回去了，不然嬷嬷会为你担心的。我敢说她现在肯定在到处找你呢。”

“除了这儿以外，”公主回答道。“哦，如果我跟她说起我的祖祖祖奶奶她肯定要大吃一惊！”

“是啊，她肯定会吃惊！”老妇人脸上带着神秘地微笑。“你仔仔细细地跟她说吧。”

“我会的。请您把我送回她身边好吗？”

“我不能一直把你送到，不过我可以带你去楼梯口，然后你就飞快地跑下去大步跑回你自己的房间吧。”

小公主拉着老妇人的手，老妇人呢看看这条路，瞅瞅那条路，先把她带上第一架楼梯的顶上，再从第二架楼梯下到底部，然后在第三架楼梯一直看着小公主下到一半。当她听见小公主的奶妈因为发现公主而惊喜地大叫的时候，才快速地转身往回走，对于这么大年纪的老奶奶来说，走这么快可真不容易。她重新回到纺锤边，美丽苍老的脸上浮现出又一个奇怪的微笑。

关于她的纺车呢，以后我再跟你讲。

猜猜看她在纺什么呢？

CHAPTER 3 The Princess and—We Shall See Who Part III

The princess expected tosee a lot of hens and chickens, but instead of that, she saw the blue skyfirst, and then the roofs of the house, with a multitude of the loveliestpigeons, mostly white, but of all colours, walking about, making bows to eachother, and talking a language she could not understand. She clapped her handswith delight, and up rose such a flapping of wings that she in her turn wasstartled.

'You've frightened my poultry,' said the old lady, smiling.

'And they've frightened me,' said the princess, smiling too. 'Butwhat very nice poultry! Are the eggs nice?'

'Yes, very nice.'

'What a small egg-spoon you must have! Wouldn't it bebetter to keep hens, and get bigger eggs?'

'How should I feed them, though?'

'Isee,' said the princess. 'Thepigeons feed themselves. They've got wings.'

'Just so. If they couldn't fly, I couldn't eat their eggs.'

'But how do you get at the eggs? Where are their nests?'

The lady took hold of alittle loop of string in the wall at the side of the door and, lifting ashutter, showed a great many pigeon-holes with nests, some with young ones andsome with eggs in them. The birds came in at the other side, and she took outthe eggs on this side. She closed it again quickly, lest the young ones shouldbe frightened.

'Oh, what a nice way!' cried the princess. 'Willyou give me an egg to eat? I'm rather hungry.'

'I will some day, but now you must go back, or nursie will be miserable about you. I dare say she's looking foryou everywhere.'

'Except here,' answered the princess. 'Oh, how surprised shewill be when I tell her about my great big grand-grand-mother!'

'Yes,that she will!'said the old lady with a curious smile. 'Mind you tell her allabout it exactly.'

'That I will. Please will you take me back to her?'

'I can't go all the way, but I will take you to the top ofthe stair, and then you must run down quite fast into your own room.'

The little princess puther hand in the old lady's, who, looking this way and that, brought her to thetop of the first stair, and thence to the bottom of the second, and did notleave her till she saw her half-way down the third. When she heard the cry ofher nurse's pleasure at finding her, she turned and walked up the stairs again,very fast indeed for such a very great grandmother, and sat down to herspinning with another strange smile on her sweet old face.

About this spinning ofhers I will tell you more another time.

Guess what she wasspinning.