英中英47_It is the right day_林_乐明无念

[ Chapter 26 ] - the little prince converseswith the snake; the little prince consoles the narrator; the little princereturns to his planet     Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall. When I came backfrom my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little pricesitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling. And I heard him say:"Then you don't remember. This is not the exact spot."Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it:"Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place."I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone.The little prince, however, replied once again:"--Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand. You havenothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight."I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.After a silence the little prince spoke again:"You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffertoo long?"I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did notunderstand."Now go away," said the little prince. "I want to get down fromthe wall."I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall-- and I leaped into theair. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakesthat take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I wasdigging into my pocked to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But,at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like thedying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a lightmetallic sound, among the stones.