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All these rumors had probably originated with Snowball and his agents.
所有的謠言都極可能來自斯諾鮑及其同伙。
It now appeared that Snowball was not, after all, hiding on Pinchfield Farm, and in fact had never been there in his life.
總之，現(xiàn)在看來斯諾鮑并沒有藏在平徹菲爾德莊園。事實上他生平從來沒有到過那兒。
He was living--in considerable luxury, so it was said--at Foxwood, and had in reality been a pensioner of Pilkington for years past.
他正住在福克斯伍德莊園，據(jù)說生活得相當奢侈，而且多年來，他一直就是皮爾金頓門下的一個地地道道的食客。
The pigs were in ecstasies over Napoleon's cunning.
豬無不為拿破侖的老練欣喜若狂。
By seeming to be friendly with Pilkington he had forced Frederick to raise his price by twelve pounds.
他表面上與皮爾金頓友好，這就迫使弗雷德里克把價錢提高了十二英鎊。
But the superior quality of Napoleon's mind, said Squealer, was shown in the fact that he trusted nobody, not even Frederick.
斯奎拉說，拿破侖思想上的卓越之處，實際上就體現(xiàn)在他對任何人都不信任上，即使對弗雷德里克也是如此。
Frederick had wanted to pay for the timber with something called a check, which, it seemed, was a piece of paper with a promise to pay written upon it.
弗雷德里克曾打算用一種叫做支票的東西支付木料錢，那玩意兒差不多只是一張紙，只不過寫著保證支付之類的諾言而已。
But Napoleon was too clever for him.
但拿破侖根本不是他能糊弄得了的。
He had demanded payment in real five-pound notes, which were to be handed over before the timber was removed.
他要求用真正的五英鎊票子付款，而且要在運木料之前交付。
Already Frederick had paid up; and the sum he had paid was just enough to buy the machinery for the windmill.
弗雷德里克已經(jīng)如數(shù)付清，所付的數(shù)目剛好夠為大風車買機器用。
Meanwhile the timber was being carted away at high speed.
這期間，木料很快就被拉走了。
When it was all gone, another special meeting was held in the barn for the animals to inspect Frederick's bank-notes.
等全部拉完之后，在大谷倉里又召開了一次特別會議，讓動物們觀賞弗雷德里克付給的鈔票。
Smiling beatifically, and wearing both his decorations, Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform,
拿破侖笑逐顏開，心花怒放，他戴著他的兩枚勛章，端坐在那個凸出的草墊子上，
with the money at his side, neatly piled on a china dish from the farmhouse kitchen.
錢就在他身邊，整齊地堆放在從莊主院廚房里拿來的瓷盤子上。
The animals filed slowly past, and each gazed his fill.
動物們排成一行慢慢走過，無不大飽眼福。
And Boxer put out his nose to sniff at the bank-notes, and the flimsy white things stirred and rustled in his breath.
鮑克瑟還伸出鼻子嗅了嗅那鈔票，隨著他的呼吸，還激起了一股稀稀的白末屑和嘶嘶作響聲。
Three days later there was a terrible hullabaloo.
三天以后，出現(xiàn)一陣震耳的嘈雜聲。
Whymper, his face deadly pale, came racing up the path on his bicycle, flung it down in the yard and rushed straight into the farmhouse.
只見溫普爾騎著自行車飛快趕來，面色如死人一般蒼白，他把自行車在院子里就地一扔，就徑直沖進莊主院。
The next moment a choking roar of rage sounded from Napoleon's apartments.
過來一會，就在拿破侖的房間里響起一陣哽噎著嗓子的怒吼聲。
The news of what had happened sped round the farm like wildfire.
出事了，這消息象野火一般傳遍整個莊園。
The banknotes were forgeries!
鈔票是假的！
Frederick had got the timber for nothing!
弗雷德里克白白地拉走了木料！
