完整版THE REMARKABLE ROCKET.docx

1、完整版THE REMARKABLE ROCKETTHE REMARKABLE ROCKETThe Kings son was going to be married, so there were generalrejoicings. He had waited a whole year for his bride, and at lastshe had arrived. She was a Russian Princess, and had driven allthe way from Finland in a sledge drawn by six reindeer. The sledgew

2、as shaped like a great golden swan, and between the swans wingslay the little Princess herself. Her long ermine-cloak reachedright down to her feet, on her head was a tiny cap of silvertissue, and she was as pale as the Snow Palace in which she hadalways lived. So pale was she that as she drove thro

3、ugh thestreets all the people wondered. She is like a white rose! theycried, and they threw down flowers on her from the balconies.At the gate of the Castle the Prince was waiting to receive her.He had dreamy violet eyes, and his hair was like fine gold. Whenhe saw her he sank upon one knee, and kis

4、sed her hand.Your picture was beautiful, he murmured, but you are morebeautiful than your picture; and the little Princess blushed.She was like a white rose before, said a young Page to hisneighbour, but she is like a red rose now; and the whole Courtwas delighted.For the next three days everybody w

5、ent about saying, White rose,Red rose, Red rose, White rose; and the King gave orders that thePages salary was to be doubled. As he received no salary at allthis was not of much use to him, but it was considered a greathonour, and was duly published in the Court Gazette.When the three days were over

6、 the marriage was celebrated. It wasa magnificent ceremony, and the bride and bridegroom walked hand inhand under a canopy of purple velvet embroidered with littlepearls. Then there was a State Banquet, which lasted for fivehours. The Prince and Princess sat at the top of the Great Halland drank out

7、 of a cup of clear crystal. Only true lovers coulddrink out of this cup, for if false lips touched it, it grew greyand dull and cloudy.Its quite clear that they love each other, said the little Page,as clear as crystal! and the King doubled his salary a secondtime. What an honour! cried all the cour

8、tiers.After the banquet there was to be a Ball. The bride and bridegroomwere to dance the Rose-dance together, and the King had promised toplay the flute. He played very badly, but no one had ever dared totell him so, because he was the King. Indeed, he knew only twoairs, and was never quite certain

9、 which one he was playing; but itmade no matter, for, whatever he did, everybody cried out,Charming! charming!The last item on the programme was a grand display of fireworks, tobe let off exactly at midnight. The little Princess had never seena firework in her life, so the King had given orders that

10、 the RoyalPyrotechnist should be in attendance on the day of her marriage.What are fireworks like? she had asked the Prince, one morning,as she was walking on the terrace.They are like the Aurora Borealis, said the King, who alwaysanswered questions that were addressed to other people, only muchmore

11、 natural. I prefer them to stars myself, as you always knowwhen they are going to appear, and they are as delightful as my ownflute-playing. You must certainly see them.So at the end of the Kings garden a great stand had been set up,and as soon as the Royal Pyrotechnist had put everything in itsprop

12、er place, the fireworks began to talk to each other.The world is certainly very beautiful, cried a little Squib.Just look at those yellow tulips. Why! if they were real crackersthey could not be lovelier. I am very glad I have travelled.Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all on

13、esprejudices.The Kings garden is not the world, you foolish squib, said a bigRoman Candle; the world is an enormous place, and it would takeyou three days to see it thoroughly.Any place you love is the world to you, exclaimed a pensiveCatherine Wheel, who had been attached to an old deal box in earl

14、ylife, and prided herself on her broken heart; but love is notfashionable any more, the poets have killed it. They wrote so muchabout it that nobody believed them, and I am not surprised. Truelove suffers, and is silent. I remember myself once - But it isno matter now. Romance is a thing of the past

15、.Nonsense! said the Roman Candle, Romance never dies. It is likethe moon, and lives for ever. The bride and bridegroom, forinstance, love each other very dearly. I heard all about them thismorning from a brown-paper cartridge, who happened to be staying inthe same drawer as myself, and knew the latest Court news.But the Catherine Wheel shook her head. Romance is dead, Romanceis dead, Romance is dead, she murmured. She was one of thosepeople who think that, if you say the same thing over and over agreat many times, it becomes tr