【英語朗読】みずかきジェマイマのはなし ビアトリクス・ポター The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck By Beatrix Potter 日本語訳付き【焚火音】

[00:00:00]Hi.

[00:00:02]Welcome to fireplace tales.

[00:00:09]The tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter.

[00:00:23]What a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen.

[00:00:30]Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-Duck who was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.

[00:00:41]Her sister-in-law Mrs. Rebecca Puddle-Duck was perfectly willing to leave the hatching to someone else.

[00:00:50]"I have not the patience to sit on a nest for 28 days and no more have you, Jemima.

[00:00:58]You would let them go cold. You know you would."

[00:01:03]"I wish to hatch my own eggs.

[00:01:06]I will hatch them all by myself."

[00:01:09]quacked Jemima Puddle-Duck.

[00:01:12]She tried to hide her eggs but they were always found and carried off.

[00:01:18]Jemima Puddle-Duck became quite desperate.

[00:01:22]She determined to make a nest right away from the farm.

[00:01:27]She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart road that leads over the hill.

[00:01:35]She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.

[00:01:39]When she reached the top of the hill she saw a wood in the distance.

[00:01:45]She thought that it looked a safe, quiet spot.

[00:01:50]Jemima Puddle-Duck was not much in the habit of flying.

[00:01:55]She ran downhill a few flapping her shawl.

[00:01:59]And then, she jumped off into the air.

[00:02:03]She flew beautifully when she had got a good start.

[00:02:07]She skimmed along over the treetops until she saw an open place in the middle of the wood where the trees and brushwood had been cleared.

[00:02:19]Jemima lighted rather heavily and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting place.

[00:02:28]She rather fancied a tree stump among some tall foxgloves.

[00:02:34]But seated upon the stump, she was startled to find an elegantly dressed gentleman reading a newspaper.

[00:02:42]He had black prick ears and sandy-colored whiskers.

[00:02:48]"Quack."

[00:02:49]said Jemima Puddle-Duck, with her head and her bonnet on one side.

[00:02:55]"Quack."

[00:02:57]The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously at Jemima.

[00:03:04]"Madam, have you lost your way?"

[00:03:08]said he.

[00:03:09]He had a long bushy tail which he was sitting upon as the stump was somewhat damp.

[00:03:16]Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome.

[00:03:20]She explained that she had not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry nesting place.

[00:03:29]"Ah, is that so? Indeed."

[00:03:33]said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking curiously at Jemima.

[00:03:39]He folded up the newspaper and put it in his coat-tail pocket.

[00:03:44]Jemima complained of the superfluous hen.

[00:03:49]"Indeed, how interesting.

[00:03:51]I wish I could meet with that fowl. I would teach it to mind its own business.

[00:03:58]But as to a nest, there is no difficulty.

[00:04:02]I have a sackful of feathers in my woodshed.

[00:04:05]No, my dear madam, you will be in nobody's way.

[00:04:09]You may sit there as long as you like, said the bushy long-tailed gentleman.

[00:04:15]He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looking house amongst the foxgloves.

[00:04:23]It was built of and turf, and there were two broken pails, one on top of another, by way of a chimney.

[00:04:33]This is my summer residence.

[00:04:35]You will not find my earth, my winter house, so convenient, said the hospitable gentleman.

[00:04:43]There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the house, made of old soap boxes.

[00:04:49]The gentleman opened the door and showed Jemima in.

[00:04:55]The shed was almost quite full of feathers.

[00:04:58]It was almost suffocating, but it was comfortable and very soft.

[00:05:05]Jemima Puddle-Duck was rather surprised to find such a vast quantity of feathers, but it was very comfortable, and she made a nest without any trouble at all.

[00:05:18]When she came out, the sandy-whisker gentleman was sitting on a log reading the newspaper.

[00:05:25]At least, he had it spread out, but he was looking over the top of it.

[00:05:31]He was so polite that he seemed almost sorry to let Jemima go home for the night.

[00:05:37]He promised to take great care of her nest until she came back again next day.

[00:05:44]He said he loved eggs and ducklings.

[00:05:47]He should be proud to see a fine nestful in his woodshed.

[00:05:53]Jemima Puddle-Duck came every afternoon.

[00:05:57]She laid nine eggs in the nest.

[00:06:00]They were greeny-white and very large.

[00:06:04]The foxy gentleman admired them immensely.

[00:06:08]He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not there.

[00:06:14]At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day.

[00:06:20]"And I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest until the eggs are hatched.

[00:06:28]They might catch cold."

[00:06:30]said the conscientious Jemima.

[00:06:34]"Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag.

[00:06:38]I will provide oats.

[00:06:41]But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you a treat.

[00:06:46]Let us have a dinner party all to ourselves.

[00:06:51]May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm garden to make a savory omelette?

[00:06:57]Sage and thyme, and mint, and two onions, and some parsley.

[00:07:02]I will provide lard for the stuff.

[00:07:05]Lard for the omelette."

[00:07:07]said the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers.

[00:07:12]Jemima Puddle-Duck was a simpleton.

[00:07:15]Not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious.

[00:07:19]She went round the farm garden nibbling off snippets of all the different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck.

[00:07:30]And she waddled into the kitchen and got two onions out of a basket.

[00:07:36]The collie dog, Kep, met her coming out.

[00:07:40]"What are you doing with those onions?

[00:07:43]Where do you go every afternoon by yourself, Jemima Puddle-Duck?"

[00:07:49]Jemima was rather in awe of the collie.

[00:07:52]She told him the whole story.

[00:07:55]The collie listened with his wise head on one side.

[00:07:59]He grinned when she described the polite gentleman with sandy whiskers.

[00:08:05]He asked several questions about the wood and about the exact position of the house and shed.

[00:08:12]Then, he went out and trotted down the village.

[00:08:17]He went to look for two foxhound puppies who were out at walk with the butcher.

[00:08:24]Jemima Puddle-Duck went up the cart road for the last time on a sunny afternoon.

[00:08:30]She was rather burdened with bunches of herbs and two onions in a bag.

[00:08:36]She flew over the wood and alighted opposite the house of the bushy, long-tailed gentleman.

[00:08:44]He was sitting on a log.

[00:08:46]He sniffed the air and kept glancing uneasily round the wood.

[00:08:52]When Jemima alighted, he quite jumped.

[00:08:57]"Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs.

[00:09:01]Give me the herbs for the omelet. Be sharp."

[00:09:05]He was rather abrupt.

[00:09:07]Jemima Puddle-Duck had never heard him speak like that.

[00:09:12]She felt surprised and uncomfortable.

[00:09:17]While she was inside, she heard pattering feet round the back of the shed.

[00:09:23]Someone with a black nose sniffed at the bottom of the door and then locked it.

[00:09:30]Jemima became much alarmed.

[00:09:34]A A afterwards, there were most awful noises.

[00:09:40]Barking, banging, growls and howls, squealing and groans.

[00:09:47]And nothing more was ever seen of that foxy whiskered gentleman.

[00:09:54]Presently, Kep opened the door of the shed and let out Jemima Puddle-Duck.

[00:10:00]Unfortunately, the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs before he could stop them.

[00:10:08]He had a bite on his ear and both the puppies were limping.

[00:10:14]Jemima Puddle-Duck was escorted home in tears on account of those eggs.

[00:10:21]She laid some more in June and she was permitted to keep them herself.

[00:10:27]But only four of them hatched.

[00:10:30]Jemima Puddle-Duck said that it was because of her nerves, but she had always been a bad sitter.

[00:10:40]The end.