Скотный двор
Chapter 3
ThebirdsdidnotunderstandSnowball’slongwords,buttheyacceptedhisexplanation,andallthehumbleranimalssettoworktolearnthenewmaximbyheart. FOURLEGSGOOD,TWOLEGSBAD,wasinscribedontheendwallofthebarn,abovetheSevenCommandmentsandinbiggerletters. Whentheyhadoncegotitbyheart,thesheepdevelopedagreatlikingforthismaxim,andoftenastheylayinthefieldtheywouldallstartbleating "Fourlegsgood,twolegsbad!Fourlegsgood,twolegsbad!"andkeepitupforhoursonend,nevergrowingtiredofit.
NapoleontooknointerestinSnowball’scommittees. Hesaidthattheeducationoftheyoungwasmoreimportantthananythingthatcouldbedoneforthosewhowerealreadygrownup. IthappenedthatJessieandBluebellhadbothwhelpedsoonafterthehayharvest,givingbirthbetweenthemtoninesturdypuppies. Assoonastheywereweaned,Napoleontookthemawayfromtheirmothers,sayingthathewouldmakehimselfresponsiblefortheireducation. Hetookthemupintoaloftwhichcouldonlybereachedbyaladderfromtheharness-room,andtherekepttheminsuchseclusionthattherestofthefarmsoonforgottheirexistence.
Themysteryofwherethemilkwenttowassoonclearedup. Itwasmixedeverydayintothepigs’mash. Theearlyappleswerenowripening,andthegrassoftheorchardwaslitteredwithwindfalls. Theanimalshadassumedasamatterofcoursethatthesewouldbesharedoutequally;oneday,however,theorderwentforththatallthewindfallsweretobecollectedandbroughttotheharness-roomfortheuseofthepigs. Atthissomeoftheotheranimalsmurmured,butitwasnouse. Allthepigswereinfullagreementonthispoint,evenSnowballandNapoleon. Squealerwassenttomakethenecessaryexplanationstotheothers.
