Cat and the Dropped Peg in the Print Shop - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

The small cat slipped between tables while Hartley stood beside the hand press. Hartley began to arrange the reversed letters inside a metal frame. Keane stacked clean paper in a shallow tray and smoothed the top sheet. Ink scented the room, and the cool floor pressed softly against the cat’s pads.

Hartley rolled ink on the slab until the roller shone, and a scent rose. He pulled the lever, and the plates met the page with steady force. A low wooden groan came from the press, then the shop settled again. The cat stepped closer and brushed the tray’s wooden lip with spread whiskers. It nosed a netted cotton bag of soft cloths that hung from a hook. A low stool stood near scrap paper, and a sheet rustled under one paw. The cat rose on hind legs and touched a damp sheet with its nose. Coolness pressed the nose, and the sheet swung once on the line.

The cat’s tail flicked, and the low line shook against a spare wooden peg. The peg slipped and touched the floor with a soft tiny click. Keane bent, picked it up, and set it back on the line. Hartley lifted a fresh page and held only a dry corner for Keane. Keane carried the page to the rack, and a clip held it fast. A round dark dot now marked the cat’s nose, small as a seed. The cat gave a tiny sneeze, and the dot still sat there. The new sheet above fluttered on the line.

小貓在桌子間穿過，Hartley 站在手動印刷機旁。Hartley 開始把反向的字母排列進金屬框裡。Keane 把乾淨的紙疊進淺盤，並把最上面的那張抹平。油墨的味道在室內飄著，冰涼的地面輕貼著小貓的腳墊。

Hartley 在平板上來回滾油墨，直到滾筒發亮，味道便更明顯。他拉下拉桿，兩片板以穩定的力量貼向紙面。印刷機發出一聲低低的木頭呻吟，接著屋裡又安靜下來。小貓走近，張開鬍鬚輕觸紙盤的木邊緣。牠用鼻子頂了頂掛在鉤子上的網狀棉袋，裡面放著柔軟的布。低矮的木凳旁放著廢紙，一張紙在牠一隻腳下沙沙作響。小貓用後腳立起，用鼻子碰了一下濕潤的紙張。冰涼貼住牠的鼻頭，那張紙在晾紙線上擺了一下。

小貓的尾巴一甩，低低的晾紙線碰到一個備用的木夾。木夾滑下來，輕輕一聲落在地上。Keane 彎腰把它撿起來，又放回到那條線上。Hartley 提起一張新印好的紙，只捏住乾的角落給 Keane。Keane 把那張紙拿到晾架上，一個夾子穩穩夾住它。此時小貓的鼻頭有一個圓圓的深色小點，小到像一粒種子。小貓輕輕打了個噴嚏，那個小點還在。上方的新紙在晾紙線上輕輕顫動。