At birth Stuart could have been sent by first class mail for three cents, but his parents preferred to keep him rather than send him away; and when, at the age of a month, he had gained only a third of an ounce, his mother was so worried she sent for the doctor.

在他生下来的那天，只可以被当作邮费为三美分的第一类邮件来投递，但是他的父母却宁愿把他留下来，而不是投递出去;到了一月大的时候，他却只长了三分之一盎司的体重。他的母亲着急了，因此便和他到医生那里去了。

The doctor was delighted with Stuart and said that it was very unusual for an American family to have a mouse.

医生见到斯图亚特很高兴，说对一个美国家庭来讲，家里有一个老鼠孩子是不寻常的。

He took Stuart's temperature and found that it was 98.6, which is normal for a mouse.

他量了量斯图亚特的体温，发现有98.6度，这对一只老鼠来说是正常的。

He also examined Stuart's chest and heart and looked into his ears solemnly with a flashlight.

他也检查了斯图亚特的胸，心脏，还严肃地用手电筒把他的耳朵察看了一番。

Not every doctor can look into a mouse's ear without laughing.

(不是每一个医生在观察老鼠耳朵时都能够不发笑的。)

Everything seemed to be all right, and Mrs. Little was pleased to get such a good report.

所有这一切似乎都很正常，利特尔太太很高兴能得到一个这么好的检查结果。

"Feed him up!" said the doctor cheerfully, as he left.

"多给他吃有营养的食物!"医生起身前，愉快地说。

The home of the Little family was a pleasant place near a park in New York City.

利特尔家住在纽约一个公园附近的一个令人愉快的地方。

In the mornings the sun streamed in through the east windows, and all the Littles were up early as a general rule.

在早晨的阳光透过东边的窗子时，利特尔一家早已像往常一样起了床。

Stuart was a great help to his parents, and to his older brother George,because of his small size and because he could do things that a mouse can do and was agreeable about doing them.

斯图亚特对他的父母，还有他的哥哥乔治帮助很大，因为他的个头小，可以做很多只有老鼠才能做的事，他也乐于为他们做这些事情。