her-hen pecked at her hand fiercely, and Connie drew back startled and frightened.

“我想摸摸它们。”她说着，小心翼翼地把手指从笼栏间伸进去。但鸡妈妈猛地向她啄来，康妮惊惧交加，赶忙将手抽回。

"How she pecks at me! She hates me!" she said in a wondering voice. "But I wouldn't hurt them!” The man standing above her laughed, and crouched down beside her, knees apart, and put his hand with quiet confidence slowly into the coop. The old hen pecked at him, but not so savagely. And slowly, softly, with sure gentle fingers, he felt among the old bird's feathers and drew out a faintly-peeping chick in his closed hand.

“她啄我！她不喜欢我！”她惊魂未定地说，“可我不会伤害它们的！”站在一旁的守林人笑出声来，然后在她身边蹲下，两膝分开，自信地悄悄将手伸进慢慢伸进笼里。老母鸡虽然啄了他一下，但不若刚才那般凶狠。缓缓地，轻轻地，他用温柔稳重的手指，在鸡妈妈的羽毛中摸索着，将一只唧唧叫着的小鸡抓了出来。

"There!" he said, holding out his hand to her. She took the little drab thing between her hands, and there it stood, on its impossible little stalks of legs, its atom of balancing life trembling through its almost weightless feet into Connie's hands. But it lifted its handsome, clean-shaped little head boldly, and looked sharply round, and gave a little 'peep'. "So adorable! So cheeky!" she said softly.

“好了！”她说，把小鸡递给他。她把小家伙捧在手里，它的双腿如麦秆般纤细，将自己颤巍巍地支持着平衡的生命力从它几乎感觉不到分量的双脚传递到康妮的手中。它大胆抬起那美丽匀称的小脑袋，机灵地环顾四周，发出唧唧的叫声。“简直太可爱了！实在太勇敢了！”她轻声说。

The keeper, squatting beside her, was also watching with an amused face the bold little bird in her hands. Suddenly he saw a tear fall on to her wrist.

守林人蹲在她旁边，注视着她手中那只勇敢无畏的小鸡，饶有兴致。却蓦地看见一滴眼泪落在她的手腕。

And he stood up, and stood away, moving to the other coop. For suddenly he was aware of the old flame shooting and leaping up in his loins, that he had hoped was quiescent for ever. He fought against it, turning his back to her. But it leapt, and leapt downwards, circling in his knees.

他直起身，远离康妮，向另一个鸡笼走去。因为他突然感觉到小腹处潜伏多日的火焰猛然燃起升腾，他曾经希望这股欲火永远熄灭。他背过身，极力压制着心中的欲望。但它却不断蔓延，向下蔓延，在他的双膝之间打转。

He turned again to look at her. She was kneeling and holding her two hands slowly forward, blindly, so that the chicken should run in to the mother-hen again