Once upon a time there was a village shop. The name over the window was “Ginger and Pickles.” It was a little small shop just the right size for Dolls—Lucinda and Jane Doll-cook always bought their groceries at Ginger and Pickles. The counter inside was a convenient height for rabbits. Ginger and Pickles sold red spotty pocket-handkerchiefs at a penny three farthings. They also sold sugar, and snuff and goloshes. In fact, although it was such a small shop it sold nearly everything—except a few things that you want in a hurry—like bootlaces, hair-pins and mutton chops.
Ginger and Pickles were the people who kept the shop. Ginger was a yellow tom-cat, and Pickles was a terrier. The rabbits were always a little bit afraid of Pickles. The shop was also patronized by mice—only the mice were rather afraid of Ginger. Ginger usually requested Pickles to serve them, because he said it made his mouth water.
“I cannot bear,” said he, “to see them going out at the door carrying their little parcels.”
“I have the same feeling about rats,” replied Pickles, “but it would never do to eat our customers; they would leave us and go to Tabitha Twitchit's.”
“On the contrary, they would go nowhere,” replied Ginger gloomily.
(Tabitha Twitchit kept the only other shop in the village. She did not give credit.)
Ginger and Pickles gave unlimited credit.
Now the meaning of “credit” is this—when a customer buys a bar of soap, instead of the customer pulling out a purse and paying for it—she says she will pay another time. And Pickles makes a low bow and says, “With pleasure, madam,” and it is written down in a book.
The customers come again and again, and buy quantities, in spite of being afraid of Ginger and Pickles. But there is no money in what is called the “till”.
The customers came in crowds every day and bought quantities, especially the toffee customers. But there was always no money; they never paid for as much as a pennyworth of peppermints. But the sales were enormous, ten times as large as Tabitha Twitchit's.
As there was always no money, Ginger and Pickles were obliged to eat their own goods. Pickles ate biscuits and Ginger ate a dried haddock. They ate them by candle-light after the shop was closed. `When it came to Jan. 1st there was still no money, and Pickles was unable to buy a dog licence.
“It is very unpleasant, I am afraid of the police,” said Pickles.
“It is your own fault for being a terrier; I do not require a licence, and neither does Kep, the Collie dog.”
“It is very uncomfortable, I am afraid I shall be summoned. I have tried in vain to get a licence upon credit at the Post Office,” said Pickles.“The place is full of policemen. I met one as I was coming home. Let us send in the bill again to Samuel Whiskers, Ginger, he owes 22/9 for bacon.”
“I do not believe that he intends to pay at all,” replied Ginger.
“And I feel sure that Anna Maria pockets things—Where are all the cream crackers?”
“You have eaten them yourself,” replied Ginger.
Ginger and Pickles retired into the back parlour. They did accounts. They added up sums and sums, and sums.
“Samuel Whiskers has run up a bill as long as his tail; he has had an ounce and three-quarters of snuff since October. What is seven pounds of butter at 1/3, and a stick of sealing wax and four matches?”
“Send in all the bills again to everybody ‘with compts’” replied Ginger.
After a time they heard a noise in the shop, as if something had been pushed in at the door. They came out of the back parlour. There was an envelope lying on the counter, and a policeman writing in a notebook!
Pickles nearly had a fit, he barked and he barked and made little rushes.
“Bite him, Pickles! bite him!” spluttered Ginger behind a sugar-barrel, “he's only a German doll!”
The policeman went on writing in his notebook; twice he put his pencil in his mouth, and once he dipped it in the treacle.
Pickles barked till he was hoarse. But still the policeman took no notice. He had bead eyes, and his helmet was sewed on with stitches. At length on his last little rush—Pickles found that the shop was empty. The policeman had disappeared. But the envelope remained.
“Do you think that he has gone to fetch a real live policeman? I am afraid it is a summons,” said Pickles.
“No,” replied Ginger, who had opened the envelope, “it is the rates and taxes, £ 3 19 11 3/4.”
“This is the last straw,” said Pickles, “l(fā)et us close the shop.”
They put up the shutters, and left. But they have not removed from the neighbourhood. In fact some people wish they had gone further.
Ginger is living in the warren. I do not know what occupation he pursues; he looks stout and comfortable.
Pickles is at present a gamekeeper.
The closing of the shop caused great inconvenience. Tabitha Twitchit immediately raised the price of everything a half-penny; and she continued to refuse to give credit.
Of course there are the tradesmen's carts—the butcher, the fishman and Timothy Baker. But a person cannot live on “seed wigs” and sponge-cake and butter-buns—not even when the sponge-cake is as good as Timothy's!
After a time Mr. John Dormouse and his daughter began to sell peppermints and candles. But they did not keep “self-fitting sixes”; and it takes five mice to carry one seven-inch candle. Besides—the candles which they sell behave very strangely in warm weather. And Miss Dormouse refused to take back the ends when they were brought back to her with complaints.
And when Mr. John Dormouse was complained to, he stayed in bed, and would say nothing but “very snug”; which is not the way to carry on a retail business.
So everybody was pleased when Sally Henny Penny sent out a printed poster to say that she was going to re-open the shop—“Henny's Opening Sale! Grand co-operative Jumble! Penny's penny prices! Come buy, come try, come buy!” The poster really was most 'ticing.
There was a rush upon the opening day. The shop was crammed with customers, and there were crowds of mice upon the biscuit canisters. Sally Henny Penny gets rather flustered when she tries to count out change, and she insists on being paid cash; but she is quite harmless. And she has laid in a remarkable assortment of bargains.
There is something to please everybody.
THE END
從前,在一個(gè)村子里有一家店鋪,窗戶上的店名是“姜和腌菜”。那是一家很小的店,大小只適合玩偶們——露辛達(dá)和廚娘簡(jiǎn)總是來(lái)這家店買食物和雜貨。店里面柜臺(tái)的高度對(duì)兔子們來(lái)說(shuō)倒是很適合。姜和腌菜出售帶紅點(diǎn)的手帕,一便士三法尋[1]一條。他們還出售糖、鼻煙和雨靴。實(shí)際上,盡管這是一家很小的店鋪,但它幾乎什么都賣——除非是一些特別急需的東西——比方說(shuō)鞋帶、發(fā)卡和羊排。
姜和腌菜是開(kāi)店的人的名字。姜是一只黃色的公貓,腌菜是一只獵犬。兔子們始終有點(diǎn)兒害怕腌菜。店里面也有老鼠來(lái)光顧——只是老鼠們都有點(diǎn)兒害怕姜。姜總是讓腌菜招待老鼠,因?yàn)樗f(shuō)老鼠會(huì)讓他流口水。
“我受不了,”他說(shuō),“我沒(méi)辦法看著他們帶著小包袱出門去。”
“我對(duì)老鼠也有相同的感覺(jué)。”腌菜回答說(shuō),“但是我們絕對(duì)不能吃我們的顧客,不然他們會(huì)不再光顧這里,改去塔比莎·特遲特的店了。”
“不,他們誰(shuí)的店都去不了了?!苯獝瀽灢粯?lè)地回答。
塔比莎·特遲特開(kāi)著村子里的另外一家店,村子里面只有這兩家店。塔比莎從來(lái)都不賒賬。
姜和腌菜是允許無(wú)限制地賒賬的。
賒賬的意思就是:當(dāng)客人買了一塊肥皂,她沒(méi)有拿出錢包付款,而是說(shuō)下次再給錢。腌菜會(huì)深深鞠一躬,說(shuō):“當(dāng)然可以,夫人?!比缓蟊銓①~目記錄在一個(gè)本子上。
顧客會(huì)一次又一次光顧店里,買很多東西,盡管他們還是害怕姜和腌菜。但是所謂的“錢柜”里面卻一直都沒(méi)有錢。
每天,顧客們都一批批地來(lái),買很多東西,特別是太妃糖。但是總是見(jiàn)不到錢,哪怕只買一便士的薄荷糖,那些顧客也從來(lái)沒(méi)有付過(guò)錢。但是店里的銷售量巨大,是塔比莎·特遲特店的十倍。
由于總是收不到錢,姜和腌菜不得不吃自己的貨物。腌菜吃餅干,姜吃鱈魚干。他們?cè)谛〉觋P(guān)門后,點(diǎn)著蠟燭吃這些東西。到了元旦的時(shí)候,他們依然沒(méi)有錢,腌菜沒(méi)辦法去買狗證。
“真是讓人難過(guò),我很擔(dān)心警察?!彪绮苏f(shuō)。
“身為一只獵犬是你的錯(cuò),我就不需要證件,牧羊犬凱普也不需要?!?/p>
“這真讓人不安,我覺(jué)得自己會(huì)被法院傳召。我試了去郵局賒賬辦理證件,可是沒(méi)成功,”腌菜說(shuō),“這里四處都是警察,回家的路上我就碰上了一個(gè)?!?/p>
“咱們?cè)俳o絡(luò)腮胡塞繆爾寄一次賬單吧,姜,他買腌肉欠了我們二十二先令九便士?!?/p>
“我相信他根本就沒(méi)打算還。”姜說(shuō)。
“而且我覺(jué)得安娜·瑪麗亞在偷東西——那些奶油餅干都到哪兒去了?”
“你自己把它們都吃了?!苯卮稹?/p>
姜和腌菜回到了后廳。他們算了算賬目,加了一筆又一筆。
“絡(luò)腮胡塞繆爾欠的賬單有他的尾巴那么長(zhǎng)了。自從十月份到現(xiàn)在,他已經(jīng)買了一又四分之三盎司的鼻煙了。還用一先令三便士的價(jià)格買了七磅黃油,還有一條封蠟和四盒火柴,這該是多少?”
“給每個(gè)人都再寄一遍賬單明細(xì)吧。”姜說(shuō)。
過(guò)了一會(huì)兒,他們聽(tīng)到店鋪那邊傳來(lái)一些響動(dòng),好像是有人從門口那里塞進(jìn)來(lái)了什么。他們從后廳出來(lái),發(fā)現(xiàn)柜臺(tái)上有一個(gè)信封,一個(gè)警察正在筆記本上寫著什么。
腌菜火冒三丈,他不停地叫啊叫啊,還跑來(lái)跑去。
“去咬他,腌菜!去咬他!”姜躲在一個(gè)糖桶后面,氣急敗壞地說(shuō),“他不過(guò)是個(gè)德國(guó)娃娃?!?/p>
那個(gè)警察繼續(xù)在自己的本子上寫著,他有兩次把鉛筆放進(jìn)了嘴里,有一次把筆蘸進(jìn)了糖漿里。
腌菜一直叫著,直到他的嗓子都啞了。但是那個(gè)警察依然沒(méi)有理會(huì)。那警察有一雙豆子眼,頭盔是縫在頭上的。終于,在最后一次跑過(guò)去看的時(shí)候,腌菜終于發(fā)現(xiàn)店里面沒(méi)人了,那個(gè)警察不見(jiàn)了。不過(guò)那個(gè)信封還在那里。
“你覺(jué)得他是去叫一個(gè)真正的警察了嗎?我擔(dān)心那是張傳票?!彪绮苏f(shuō)。
“不是,”姜回答,他打開(kāi)了信封,“是稅單,需要交三英鎊十九先令十一便士三法尋?!?/p>
“這是壓死我們的最后一根稻草了?!彪绮苏f(shuō),“咱們把店關(guān)了吧?!?/p>
他們關(guān)上了門板,然后離開(kāi)了。但是他們沒(méi)有搬離這一片社區(qū)。實(shí)際上,有些人希望他們能夠搬得遠(yuǎn)一些。
姜住在兔子洞中,我不知道他找到了什么工作,不過(guò)他看上去很強(qiáng)壯,日子過(guò)得很舒心。
腌菜現(xiàn)在是個(gè)獵場(chǎng)看守。
他們的店鋪關(guān)門造成了很大的不便。塔比莎·特遲特立刻就把所有東西的價(jià)格提高了半個(gè)便士,她依然拒絕賒賬。
當(dāng)然,也有一些商人趕著馬車過(guò)來(lái)——有屠夫、漁夫,還有面包商蒂莫西。但是,沒(méi)有人能只依靠“芝麻發(fā)糕”、松糕和黃油小圓面包生活呀——哪怕那松糕做得像蒂莫西家做的那么美味!
過(guò)了一段日子,睡鼠約翰先生和他的女兒開(kāi)始賣薄荷糖和蠟燭。但是他們沒(méi)有調(diào)整蠟燭的長(zhǎng)短,一根七英寸長(zhǎng)的蠟燭,需要五只老鼠才能搬動(dòng)。另外——他們賣的蠟燭在溫暖的天氣就會(huì)奇怪地起反應(yīng)。睡鼠小姐拒絕回收那些投訴的顧客所帶來(lái)的蠟燭頭兒。
而當(dāng)睡鼠約翰先生接待那些投訴的顧客時(shí),他就躺在床上,除了說(shuō)“很舒服啊”,其他的什么也不說(shuō)。這可不是運(yùn)營(yíng)零售業(yè)的正確方法。
所以,當(dāng)大家看到小母雞薩利貼出一張印刷的海報(bào)說(shuō)自己要重開(kāi)那家店鋪的時(shí)候,都十分開(kāi)心?!澳鸽u家開(kāi)業(yè)大促銷!大酬賓大讓利!超低價(jià)!快來(lái)買,快來(lái)試,快來(lái)買呀!”海報(bào)真的非常吸引人。
在開(kāi)業(yè)那天,店里的人太多了。店鋪里面擠滿了顧客,餅干罐上站著一群一群的老鼠。小母雞薩利手忙腳亂地給顧客找零錢,但是她堅(jiān)持顧客必須付現(xiàn)金,不過(guò)她沒(méi)什么惡意。而且,她店里有很多很多的特價(jià)商品。
在這里,每個(gè)人都能找到滿意的東西。
* * *
[1]法尋(farthing):英國(guó)舊硬幣,值四分之一舊便士。
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