阅读理解"Please take my penny," said Maggie to old Dan, the fisherman, who sat on a bench repairing his nets. Her brother Andrew drew her back, whispering, "Maggie, he is not a beggar (乞丐) !"
But Maggie paid no attention. "Please take it," she said again. Old Dan smiled, and took it. "Thank you, little miss," he said, "It is kindly meant."
After that, Maggie went to the beach to gather shells. She never thought how fast the hours were passing until being tired, she sat down on a rock beside a little pool. Soon she was scared by a noise near her, and Dan's large dog Rover jumped down from a rock!
He licked her hands and made a loud noise, and then began gently to pull her coat. "Rover wishes me to come away, I see," she said, and she rose from the rock and began to go home. However, that was not so easy as she had expected. She found the places she had gone down easily very difficult to climb up, and as the tide (潮水) had been coming in for some time. She found some of the stones wet and smooth.
What could poor Maggie do? She felt sad and cried, but the waves made a much louder noise than she could make, and perhaps she would have been drowned (淹死) without good wise Rover.
Rover jumped upon a big stone and raised his loud bark until even the waves could not drown it.
The fisherman had taken his nets to the top of the cliffs (悬崖), and was laying them out in the sun when he heard the loud barking of a dog. He felt sure that it was Rover, and Rover in trouble, so, going to the edge of the cliffs, he looked over. There he saw it all — Rover barking for help, and the little child standing beside him.
"Bless her! It is the little one that was so kind-spoken to me this morning!" he cried, and he hurried to his sons ' home.
"Quick, boys, quick!" he said. "Get to the boat, and row fast to the bay (海湾). There is a poor child there just waiting to be drowned." The fishermen lost no time, and soon little Maggie and Rover were rowed safely to land! Old Dan was waiting there to lift her out, and give her into her mother's arms.
"It was the penny that did it, madam," he said to Mrs. Weston later. "I saw Rover looking at her when she put the penny so kind-like into my hand — just as if he would have said, ‘Rover will be your friend now, little girl. ' And I am thinking he had been looking after her all the day, for he never came near me after that."
Some years later, Rover came to Maggie's home with a little note, in which was written — "Will Maggie help Rover? — his master is dead."
