介绍:
CHAPTER18
The Cool of the Evening
In the cool of the evening, when shadows darkened the Fair Grounds, Templetoncrept from the
crate and looked around. Wilbur lay asleep in the straw. Charlotte was buildinga web. Templeton’s
keen nose detected many fine smells in the air. The rat was hungry and thirsty.He decided to go
exploring. Without saying anything to anybody, he started off.
"Bringme back a word!" Charlotte called after him. "I shall be writingtonight for the last time."
The rat mumbled something to himself and disappeared into the shadows. He didnot like being
treated like a messenger boy.
Afterthe heat of the day, the evening came as a welcome relief to all. The Ferriswheel was
lighted now. It went round and round in the sky and seemed twice as high as byday. There were
lights on the midway, and you could hear the crackle of the gambling machinesand the music of the
merry-go-round and the voice of the man in the beano booth calling numbers. Thechildren felt
refreshed after their nap. Fern met her friend Henry Fussy, and he invited herto ride with him in the
Ferris wheel. He even bought a ticket for her, so it didn’t cost her anything.When Mrs. Arable
happened to look up into the starry sky and saw her little daughter sittingwith Henry Fussy and going
higher and higher into the air, and saw how happy Fern looked, she just shookher head. "My, my!"
she said. "Henry Fussy. Think of that!"
Templetonkept out of sight. In the tall grass behind the cattle barn he found a foldednewspaper.
Inside it were leftovers from somebody’s lunch: a deviled ham sandwich, a pieceof Swiss cheese,
part of a hard-boiled egg, and the core of a wormy apple.
Therat crawled in and ate everything. Then he tore a word out of the paper, rolledit up, and
started back to Wilbur’s pen.
Charlottehad her web almost finished when Templeton returned, carrying the newspaper
clipping. She had left a space in the middle of the web. At this hour, nopeople were around the
pigpen, so the rat and the spider and the pig were by themselves.
"Ihope you brought a good one," Charlotte said. "It is the last word Ishall ever write."
"Here,"said Templeton, unrolling the paper.
"What does it say?" asked Charlotte. "You’ll have to read it forme."
"It says ’Humble,’" replied the rat.
"Humble?" said Charlotte. "’Humble’ has two meanings. It means’not proud’ and it means ’near
the ground." That’s Wilbur all over. He’s not proud and he’s near theground."
"Well,I hope you’re satisfied," sneered the rat. "I’m not going to spendall my time fetching and
carrying. I came to this Fair to enjoy myself, not to deliver papers."
"You’vebeen very helpful," Charlotte said. "Run along, if you want to seemore of the Fair."
The rat grinned. "I’m going to make a night of it," he said."The old sheep was right - this Fair is a
rat’s paradise. What eating! And what drinking! And everywhere good hiding andgood hunting. Bye,
bye, my humble Wilbur! Fare thee well, Charlotte, you old schemer! This will bea night to remember
in a rat’s life."
Hevanished into the shadows.
Charlotte went back to her work. It was quite dark now. In the distance,fireworks began going
off - rockets, scattering fiery balls in the sky. By the time the Arables andthe Zuckermans and Lurvy
returned from the grandstand, Charlotte had finished her web. The word HUMBLEwas woven neatly
in the center. Nobody noticed it in the darkness. Everyone was tired and happy.
Fernand Avery climbed into the truck and lay down. They pulled the Indian blanketover them.
Lurvy gave Wilbur a forkful of fresh straw. Mr. Arable patted him. "Timefor us to go home," he said
to the pig. "See you tomorrow."
Thegrownups climbed slowly into the truck and Wilbur heard the engine start andthen heard the
truck moving away in low speed. He would have felt lonely and homesick, hadCharlotte not been
with him. He never felt lonely when she was near. In the distance he couldstill hear the music of the
merry-go-round.
As hewas dropping off to sleep he spoke to Charlotte.
"Sing me that song again, about the dung and the dark," he begged.
"Not tonight," she said in a low voice. "I’m too tired."
Her voice didn’t seem to come from her web.
"Where are you?" asked Wilbur. "I can’t see you. Are you on yourweb?"
"I’m back here," she answered. "Up in this back corner."
"Why aren’t you on your web?" asked Wilbur. "You almost neverleave your web."
"I’ve left it tonight," she said.
Wilbur closed his eyes. "Charlotte," he said, after a while, "doyou really think Zuckerman will
let me live and not kill me when the cold weather comes? Do you really thinkso?"
"Ofcourse," said Charlotte. "You are a famous pig and you are a goodpig. Tomorrow you will
probably win a prize. The whole world will hear about you. Zuckerman will beproud and happy to
own such a pig. You have nothing to fear, Wilbur nothing to worry about. Maybeyou’ll live forever -
who knows?
Andnow, go to sleep."
For a while there was no sound. Then Wilbur’s voice:
"What are you doing up there, Charlotte?"
"Oh, making something," she said. "Making something, asusual."
"Is it something for me?" asked Wilbur.
"No," said Charlotte. "It’s something for me, for achange."
"Please tell me what it is," begged Wilbur.
"I’ll tell you in the morning," she said. "When the first lightcomes into the sky and the sparrows
stir and the cows rattle their chains, when the rooster crows and the starsfade, when early cars
whisper along the highway, you look up here and I’ll show you something. I willshow you my
masterpiece."
Beforeshe finished the sentence, Wilbur was asleep. She could tell by the sound ofhis breathing
that he was sleeping peacefully, deep in the straw.
Milesaway, at the Arables’ house, the men sat around the kitchen table eating a dishof canned
peaches and talking over the events of the day. Upstairs, Avery was already inbed and asleep. Mrs.
Arable was tucking Fern into bed.
"Didyou have a good time at the Fair?" she asked as she kissed her daughter.
Fern nodded. "I had the best time I have ever had anywhere or any time inall of my whole life."
"Well!" said Mrs. Arable. "Isn’t that nice!"
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