Lesson 19　The Birds Set Free　第19课　小鸟自由了

wires trade bargain sadness prisoners

war French apiece number resolved

A man was walking one day through a large city. On a street corner he saw a boy with a number of small birds for sale, in a cage.

He looked with sadness upon the little prisoners flying about the cage, peeping through the wires, beating them with their wings, and trying to get out.

He stood for some time looking at the birds. At last he said to the boy，"How much do you ask for your birds?"

"Fifty cents apiece, sir，"said the boy."I do not mean how much apiece，"said the man，"but how much for all of them?I want to buy them all."

The boy began to count, and found they came to fve dollars."There is your money，"said the man. The boy took it, well pleased with his morning's trade.

No sooner was the bargain settled than the man opened the cage door, and let all the birds fy away.

The boy, in great surprise, cried，"What did you do that for, sir?You have lost all your birds."

"I will tell you why I did it，"said the man."I was shut up three years in a French prison, as a prisoner of war, and I am resolved never to see anything in prison which I can make free."

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一天，一位先生穿行在一座大城市的时候，在一个街角看到一个小男孩正在卖几只关在笼子里的小鸟。

他悲伤地看着这些在笼内扑腾的小囚犯，透过笼子传出叽叽喳喳的叫声，它们拍打着翅膀试图飞离笼子。

他站了一会儿，一直看着这些小鸟。最后，他问小男孩：“这些鸟多少钱？”

“先生，每只50美分。”男孩回答道。“我不是问每只，而是总共多少钱，我想全部买下来。”这个人说道。

然后男孩开始计算，算出这些鸟总共可以卖5美元。男子说：“这些钱给你。”男孩接过钱，为上午的这笔交易感到很满意。

交易一结束，男子就立刻打开鸟笼，让所有的鸟飞了出去。

男孩非常惊讶，大喊道：“先生，你在做什么？你刚刚放走了你所有的鸟。”

“我告诉你我为什么这么做，”这个人说道，“我曾作为一个战犯被关在法国监狱三年，而现在我不忍心再看到任何事物被囚禁，我要尽我所能去解救它们。”