这时，醋栗丛中冲出一大群醋栗小男孩儿，他们开始追逐那个球。很快他们就打成了一团，争吵着抢那个球。而醋栗女孩儿们则一直待在醋栗丛旁边。

“你好，九月，”其中一个女孩儿说。“我们还有一些醋栗给你吃。”

“克里斯托弗也能吃一些吗？”九月说。

“噢，他一直都在这儿啊，”醋栗女孩儿们说。“他吃了那么多，肚子会痛的。”

就在这时，醋栗男孩儿们走了过来。克里斯托弗看见个子最大的男孩儿拿着他的球。

“我不知道你们所有这些男孩儿都住在我的花园里，”他说。“请把球还给我吧。”

“不行，现在还不行。这个夏天，你从我的醋栗丛中摘了太多的醋栗，现在我要逗你玩玩。喂，看那边！那是你的球！”

说着，醋栗男孩儿把球扔进了红浆果丛中。

A whole lot of little gooseberry boys came rushing out of the bushes and started chasing after the ball. They were soon all in a heap, fighting over it. But the gooseberry girls had stayed by their bushes.

“Hello, September,” said one of them. “We’ve still got some gooseberries for you.”

“Can Christopher have some, too?” said September.

“Oh, he’s always here,” said the gooseberry girls. “He eats so many, he gets stomach-ache.”

At that moment the gooseberry boys came over and Christopher saw that the biggest of them had his ball.

“I didn’t know all you boys lived in my garden,” he said. “Please can I have my ball back.”

“No, not yet. You took far too many gooseberries from my bush this summer. Now I’m going to have some fun with you. Hello, over there! Here’s a ball for you!”

So saying, the gooseberry boy threw the ball over into the redcurrant bushes.

当球落到红浆果丛里时，一个红浆果女孩儿探出头来。

“不要这样乱扔你的球，”她说。“你会把我成熟的浆果全都砸坏的。”

“请把球还给我，好吗？”克里斯托弗恳求道。

“我想它在那边吧，”红浆果女孩儿说。“但是克里斯托弗，请你告诉你母亲，红浆果很快就要熟透了。她必须马上过来采摘，因为如果它们熟得太过的话，就做不出好果冻了。”

“妈妈说了我们明天就会过来摘的，”克里斯托弗说道。

“那就好，”女孩儿说道。“现在，快去找你的球吧。我想它应该是滚到那边的黑醋栗附近去了。

九月跑到黑醋栗丛前。

As the ball landed in the redcurrant bushes, a redcurrant girl peeped out.

“Don’t throw your ball around like that,” she said. “You’ll spoil all my ripe berries.”

“Please can I have my ball back,” pleaded Christopher.

“It’s over there, I think,” said the redcurrant girl. “But Christopher, will you tell your mother the redcurrants will soon be too ripe. She must come and pick them soon, because they won’t make good jelly if they’re over-ripe.”

“Mother said we’re going to pick them tomorrow,” said Christopher.

“That’s good,” said the girl. “Hurry now, and go and look for your ball. I think it’s gone over there by the blackcurrants.”

September ran over to the blackcurrant bushes. 6T4jHQe5Yk3eAvAydk88JZtU/mK4eim8lAsAPmmcqcZgaNDw8miCG3twZVooq1qp