"Oh, how large he is!"
"Isn't he? And such wonderfully strong legs!"
"See his trunk(象鼻), too! Isn't it cute! And he is well stuffed(填充的)! This is really one of the best toys in the UK that ever came into our shop, Geraldine, don't you think so?"
"Yes, Angelina.I must call father to come and look at him. He will make a lovely present for some boy or girl - I mean this Stuffed Elephant will make a lovely present, not our father!"and Miss Angelina Mugg smiled at her sister across the big packing box of Christmas toys they were opening in their father's store.
"Oh, no! Of course we wouldn't want father to be given away as a toy!" laughed Geraldine. "But this Stuffed Elephant-oh, I just love him!"
Miss Geraldine Mugg caught up the rather large toy animal and hugged it tightly in her arms.
"Be careful" called her sister. "You may break him!"
"Oh, he's just a Stuffed Elephant!" laughed Geraldine. "I mean he hasn't any works inside him to wind up(结束). There's nothing but cotton inside him. But I am beginning to like him more than I cane for some of the toys that do wind up. I almost wish I were small again, so I could have this Elephant for myself!"
"He is nice," admitted(承认)Angelina.
"Well, I'm glad they like me," thought the Stuffed Elephant to himself, for just now he was not allowed to speak out loud or move around, as the Make Believe toys could do at certain times.
An excerpt(节选)from《The Story of a Stuffed Elephant》
