CHAPTER 8 Three Little Stones

“LUNCH is served,” announced Grandmother Gordon quickly.

As she shooed the Brownies to their places at the long table, she was hopeful that they would forget her unfinished remark about the Stone children.

However, everyone wondered what she had intended to say.

Before anyone could ask, Grandfather Gordon came in and began questioning the Brownies about the fun they had had on Hammer Hill.

“The skating is good on the lake too,” he told them. “Better try out those skates soon, because if a heavy snow should come along, the skating might be ruined.”

“Will it snow again, do you think?” Sunny asked anxiously, peering out at the deep drifts.

“Can’t tell. It might,” replied Grandfather Gordon. “Haven’t seen the weather prediction, but my bones tell me there’s more snow in the air.”

108 The coasting expedition had made the Brownies as hungry as polar bears. After the soup had warmed them, they devoted¹ themselves to the huge platter of hamburgers. But no matter how many they ate, Grandmother Gordon always brought in more from the kitchen.

“Let’s tell Grandfather Gordon about our plan to help the Stones!” suggested Eileen.

Connie shot her a warning glance, but she did not understand its meaning. Instead, she went on and told again of the plan to buy a Christmas sled for the three children.

“Well, well, that is a kindly² thought,” commented Mr. Gordon.

However, as he spoke³, he glanced at his wife. Grandmother Gordon’s thin lips were drawn⁴ into a tight line. She couldn’t hide the fact that she didn’t approve of the plan at all.

“Don’t you like the idea of the Brownies using their spending money to help others?” Miss Gordon asked her.

“Why, yes, of course. I heartily⁵ approve of charity if the object is worthy⁶.”

“And you believe that the Stone children are deserving?” Miss Gordon asked, deliberately⁷ pinning her down.

Grandmother Gordon hastily began to gather up109 the dishes. She would have liked to avoid answering by escaping to the kitchen.

Miss Gordon smiled and took the dishes from her hands.

“Must I answer?” Grandmother Gordon asked uncomfortably.

“Indeed, you must, for you’ve raised a question in our minds.”

“Well,” said Grandmother Gordon facing the Brownies and choosing her words carefully, “I honestly must say, I hardly know the Stone children. Never once have they been in my home. For all I know, they are deserving enough.”

“And yet for some undisclosed reason, you don’t entirely⁸ approve of the Brownie plan. Come, out with it! Don’t try to hoodwink us!”

From the far end of the table, Grandfather Gordon chuckled¹⁰ at his wife’s discomfiture¹¹.

“You may as well fess up,” he teased her. “Tell ’em the truth about why you don’t like the Stone family.”

“Oh, dear!” Grandmother Gordon sank back in her chair. She did not enjoy being cornered. “I suppose I must, or I’ll never hear the last of it!”

“Tell the girls about the necklace,” urged Grandfather Gordon.

“Necklace?” Sunny repeated in astonishment¹². She110 could not imagine what a necklace might have to do with the Stone children.

“It wasn’t a necklace, but a gold locket,” corrected Grandmother Gordon. She sighed and added: “My dislike of the Stones simmers down to this—I’m not convinced they’re honest.”

“The children steal?” gasped¹³ Connie.

“Oh, no!” hastily corrected Grandmother Gordon. “I’ll start at the beginning—then you’ll understand. Three years ago, Mrs. Stone worked for me at threshing time. She helped out in the kitchen and with the housework for nearly a month.”

“Mrs. Stone works by the day,” explained Miss Gordon. “Her husband has a job in the village, but is ill much of the time.”

“I always liked Mrs. Stone, and I’ll give her credit for being a good worker,” Grandmother Gordon continued. “The poor woman probably was tempted¹⁴. Otherwise, I’m sure she wouldn’t have taken anything.”

“You say she stole a gold locket?” asked Connie.

“It was my wedding locket which I set great store by. I foolishly showed it to Mrs. Stone and she greatly admired it. After that, I never could find it, though I scoured¹⁵ the house high and low.”

“You’re certain Mrs. Stone took the locket?” inquired Miss Gordon, deeply troubled.

111 “I can’t be certain except in my own mind.”

“You didn’t accuse her?”

“No, but I never asked her to work for me again.”

Grandfather Gordon, who had listened to his wife’s story, now said with a chuckle⁹:

“Suppose I tell you my version of what happened?”

“Yes, do!” urged the Brownies.

“In my opinion, the locket never was stolen. My wife just misplaced it.”

“No such thing!” insisted Grandmother Gordon. “After I missed the locket, I searched the house high and low.”

“You’ll find it someday,” declared Grandfather Gordon. “When you do, you’ll be sorry you accused poor Mrs. Stone.”

“I never did accuse her,” corrected Mrs. Gordon. “It was just a feeling I had. I couldn’t have her working in my home, because I was convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that she took the locket.”

“Ah, a shadow of doubt!” teased Grandfather Gordon. “If my memory does not fail me, you have made slight errors before. Now the time your glasses were lost—”

“That was entirely different. To be sure, I have misplaced articles. But not the locket!”

112 “You say you recall showing it to Mrs. Stone?” questioned Miss Gordon thoughtfully.

“Distinctly. She had been working for me during threshing time. Then Grandfather Gordon and I planned a little wedding anniversary celebration—nothing elaborate—only a few guests.

“For the occasion, I put on my old lavender silk wedding gown.”

“And the gold locket?” asked Connie, who was deeply interested in the story.

“No, the chain was broken, so I could not wear it. But I recall showing the locket to Mrs. Stone.”

“You were in the kitchen at the time,” said Grandfather Gordon, who had heard the tale so many times he knew it from memory.

“That’s right. Mrs. Stone admired it and remarked that it was the most beautiful locket she had ever seen. She took it to the kitchen mirror and held it to her own neck a moment.”

“A very natural reaction,” commented Miss Gordon. “But it hardly proves—”

“The guests began to arrive then,” Grandmother Gordon interrupted. “I left the locket lying on the kitchen table and entered the living room. Not until much later did I give the matter another thought.”

113 “You surely asked Mrs. Stone about the locket?” inquired Miss Gordon.

“Only casually¹⁶, for at first I thought surely I would find it. And how could I accuse her without proof?”

“So you thought you would find it?” teased her husband. “That reveals to me that deep down in your mind, you knew you might have misplaced it yourself.”

“Nothing of the sort! I recall leaving it on the kitchen table. While I entertained my guests, it disappeared. I’ve never seen it since, and never will.”

“Couldn’t anyone except Mrs. Stone have taken it?” asked Jane. “One of the guests perhaps?”

“Only Mrs. Stone was in the kitchen.”

“Maybe the locket was thrown out with the garbage,” speculated Eileen. “Once my mother lost a silver spoon that way.”

“I don’t see how such a thing could have occurred,” declared Grandmother Gordon. “If the locket were lost, Mrs. Stone would be responsible, because she did all the kitchen work that day.”

“Your mind is dead set against the woman,” said her husband. “Poor Mrs. Stone and those children the Brownies want to help!”

“I feel very sorry for the three children. If they114 need toys, I see no harm in the Brownies helping¹⁷ out. I shouldn’t have said a word about the locket.”

“On the contrary, it’s well to know the truth about the family,” returned Miss Gordon. “However, since no one can be certain Mrs. Stone actually took the locket, I believe in giving her the benefit of the doubt. How about it, Brownies?”

“Let’s buy the sled just as we planned,” proposed Connie.

“I say so too!” cried Veve, forgetting that she was not a Brownie.

All the members of the troop agreed with Connie and Miss Gordon that their plan should not be abandoned.

“I truly am sorry I told you anything about it,” apologized Grandmother Gordon. “I should regret it deeply if this story ever were repeated outside the family.”

“Brownies know how to keep secrets,” Miss Gordon assured her.

“I wish we could find the locket and prove that Mrs. Stone didn’t take it,” said Connie soberly.

“My dear, I wish you could too,” smiled Grandmother Gordon. “Unfortunately, one can’t alter facts.”

115 No more was said about the matter just then. The Brownies cleared the table and did the dishes.

After that, some of the girls rode to the village with Grandfather Gordon. Connie, Veve, and Rosemary remained behind to write letters home. Later, they played with Fluff and pressed their Brownie uniforms which had become mussed on the trip.

“Now what shall we do?” Rosemary asked when the task had been finished. She liked to keep busy all the time.

“Have you any work you would like to have us do, Mrs. Gordon?” inquired Connie politely.

“Not a thing,” the woman replied. “Just amuse yourselves.”

“May we do anything we like?” Connie asked, a mischievous¹⁸ twinkle in her eyes.

“Well, almost anything, dear.”

“Then I have a very special request. You wont¹⁹ be annoyed?”

“Certainly not. What is your request, Connie?”

“While we’re here, may the Brownies search for the missing locket?”

“Here in the kitchen?”

“Yes, and everywhere in the house.”

Now the request had taken Grandmother Gordon quite by surprise. She could visualize²⁰ the Brownies116 scurrying²¹ through the house, opening bureau drawers and peeping into every nook and cranny of the old dwelling²².

“We’ll be very careful,” promised Connie eagerly. “We won’t disturb anything.”

“Then by all means search for the locket,” Grandmother Gordon encouraged the girls. She smiled confidently. “You won’t find the trinket, but you’ll have fun.”

1 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

2 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

6 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

7 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

10 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

11 discomfiture   

n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑

参考例句：

• I laughed my head off when I heard of his discomfiture. 听到别人说起他的狼狈相，我放声大笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Without experiencing discomfiture and setbacks,one can never find truth. 不经过失败和挫折，便找不到真理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

13 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

15 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

16 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

17 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

18 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

19 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

20 visualize   

vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想

参考例句：

• I remember meeting the man before but I can't visualize him.我记得以前见过那个人，但他的样子我想不起来了。
• She couldn't visualize flying through space.她无法想像在太空中飞行的景象。

21 scurrying   

v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We could hear the mice scurrying about in the walls. 我们能听见老鼠在墙里乱跑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We were scurrying about until the last minute before the party. 聚会开始前我们一直不停地忙忙碌碌。 来自辞典例句

22 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。