Chapter 115

　　Not an orchestra chair could be had, not a balcony seat,nor agallery seat; not even for their weight in gold.

　　The place swarmed12 with boys and girls of allages andsizes, wriggling13 and dancing about in a feverof impatienceto see the famous Donkey dance.

　　When the first part of the performance was over, theOwner andManager of the circus, in a black coat, whiteknee breeches, and patent leatherboots, presented himselfto the public and in a loud, pompous14 voice made thefollowingannouncement:

　　"Most honored friends, Gentlemen and Ladies!

　　"Your humble15 servant, the Manager of thistheater,presents himself before you tonight in order to introduceto you thegreatest, the most famous Donkey in the world,a Donkey that has had the greathonor in his short life ofperforming before the kings and queens and emperorsofall the great courts of Europe.

　　"We thank you for your attention!"This speech was greetedby much laughter andapplause. And the applause grew to a roar whenPinocchio,the famous Donkey, appeared in the circus ring. He was handsomelyarrayed. A new bridle5 of shining leather withbucklesof polished brass16 was on his back; twowhitecamellias were tied to his ears; ribbons and tassels17 of redsilk adorned18 his mane, which was dividedinto manycurls. A great sash of gold and silver was fastened aroundhis waistand his tail was decorated with ribbons of manybrilliant colors. He was ahandsome Donkey indeed!

就算你出一个金币，前座也好，后座也好，包厢也好，都别想找到一个位子。
　　马戏场的台磴上，像蚂蚁似地挤满了小娃娃，小姐儿，以及各种不同年龄的孩子。他渴望着要看大名鼎鼎的驴子演员皮诺乔跳舞。
　　第一部分节目结束后，马戏班班主穿着黑上衣，白马裤，高到膝盖的皮靴，出场向挤满一戏院的观众作介绍。他深深一鞠躬，然后用极其庄严的声音说出下面一大堆胡话：
　　“尊敬的观众，骑士们和女士们！”
　　“在下路过贵市，能向聪明尊贵的诸位观众介绍一位鼎鼎大名的驴子，感到万分荣幸。他曾有幸向欧州各主要宫廷的皇帝陛下表演过舞蹈。”
　　“衷心感谢诸位光临赏脸，并请包涵。”
　　这番话引起许多笑声和鼓掌声。这鼓掌声越来越厉害，等驴子皮诺乔来到场子中央，就变成了雷鸣。驴子打扮得似过节那样。他套着闪闪发亮的新的皮缰绳，皮缰绳上镶着铜扣；两只耳朵上各插一朵白茶花；鬃毛编成许多辫子，用红绸带扎着；很大一束金丝银丝缠着他的身子；整条尾巴编了起来，装饰着紫红色和天蓝色的天鹅绒带子。—句话，这头驴子真叫人喜欢！

12 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )；云集；成群地移动；蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

·When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。

·When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

13 wriggling

v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕

参考例句：

·The baby was wriggling around on my lap. 婴儿在我大腿上扭来扭去。

·Something that looks like a gray snake is wriggling out. 有一种看来象是灰蛇的东西蠕动着出来了。 来自辞典例句

14 pompous

adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的

参考例句：

·He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。

·He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。

15 humble

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

·In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。

·Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

16 brass

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

·Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。

·Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

17 tassels

n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗，（玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗，（为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰

参考例句：

·Tassels and Trimmings, Pillows, Wall Hangings, Table Runners, Bell. 采购产品垂饰，枕头，壁挂，表亚军，钟。 来自互联网

·Cotton Fabrics, Embroidery and Embroiders, Silk, Silk Fabric, Pillows, Tassels and Trimmings. 采购产品棉花织物，刺绣品而且刺绣，丝，丝织物，枕头，流行和装饰品。 来自互联网

18 adorned

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

·The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。

·And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。