A wet Sunday in a country inn！ Whoever has had the luck to experience one can alone judge of my situation. The rain pattered against the casements； the bells tolled for church with a melancholy sound. I went to the windows in quest of something to amuse the eye； but is seemed as if I had been placed completely out of the reach of all amusement. The windows of my bed-room looked out among tiled roofs and stacks of chimneys， while those of my sitting-room commanded a full view of the stable yard. I know of nothing more calculated to make a man sick of this world than a stable yard on a rainy day. The place was littered with wet straw had been kicked about by travelers and stable-boys. In one corner was a stagnant pool of water， surrounding an island of muck； there were several half-drowned fowls crowded together under cart， among which a miserable，crest-fallencock，drenchedoutofalllifeaandspirit；hisdroopingtailwasmatted， as it were， into a single feather， along which the water trickled from his back； near the cart was a half dozing cow， chewing her cud， and standing patiently to be rained on， with wreaths of vapour rising from her reeking hide； a wall-eyed horse， tired of the loneliness of a stable， was poking his spectral head out of a window， with the rain dripping on it from the eaves； an unhappy cur， chained to a dog-house hard by， uttered something every now and then between a bark and yelp； a drab of a kitchen wench tramped backwards and forwards through the yard in patterns， looking as sulky as the weather itself； everything， in short， was comfortless and forlorn， excepting a crew of hardened ducks， assembled like boon companions round a puddle and making a riotous noise over their liquor.
（by Washington Irving） Desert Plants
patter 发出嗒嗒声
casement 窗扉
toll 鸣钟，敲钟
muck 粪堆
crest-fallen 垂头丧气的
drench 淋透，湿透
cud 反刍的食物
wreath 螺旋形，涡状物
reek 冒水蒸气
wall-eyed 眼白特别大的，两眼珠向外斜视的
poke 探， 伸
cur 杂种狗
yelp 犬吠
wench 女佣
pattern 木底鞋
sulky 郁郁不乐的，阴沉的
riotous 喧闹的，吵嚷的
liquor 烈酒