有声英语儿童童话故事 海的女儿 第27章

 “But if you take away my voice,” said the little mermaid, “what isleft for me?”

“Your beautiful form, yourgraceful walk, and your expressive eyes. Surely with these you can enchain aman’s heart. Well, have you lost your courage? Put out your little tongue, thatI may cut it off as my payment; then you shall have the powerful draft.”

“It shall be,” said the littlemermaid.

Then the witch placed her caldronon the fire, to prepare the magic draft.

“Cleanliness is a good thing,”said she, scouring the vessel with snakes which she had tied together in alarge knot. Then she pricked herself in the breast and let the black blood dropinto the caldron. The steam that rose twisted itself into such horrible shapesthat no one could look at them without fear. Every moment the witch threw a newingredient into the vessel, and when it began to boil, the sound was like theweeping of a crocodile. When at last the magic draft was ready, it looked likethe clearest water.