CHAPTER XXII TRAPPED

 “Full!”

“Be careful!”

“Hold the candle.”

“Don’t go down!”

“I wanna see how deep it is.”

“Marty!”

“I’m all right.” He was testing the depth with his stick. “Gee whiz! Look!” He held up the lath but it was too dark for Gloria to see the water mark.

She was crouched¹ upon the top step of the stairs, peering over the candle flame, confronted now with the enemy of so many ambitions: Water!

“Please, Marty!” she begged. “Don’t wade² in. It might have a suck hole!”

But Marty was fascinated. He loved water, even in the cellar of a model bungalow³. His shoes and stockings dangled⁴ from the step—not the last step of the stairs, and his accommodating trousers, without knee button or other security, had been rolled high as a fisherman’s.

“’Tain’t a bit cold,” he gurgled. “I wanna see if it’s pourin’ in anywheres.”

 

Gloria and Marty started to inspect the cellar.

 

Gloria shivered. It was dark, drafty and fearful there. She too was anxious to know why a cellar full of water could work such sinister⁵ disaster, but she didn’t like to stay there, with that reckless little boy, when night was threatening.

“I see it!” he called. “Here’s the spring—or somethin’!” Again the stick was thrust down.

He tried to withdraw it, then—

A scream from Gloria!

“Marty!”

He was down! In that black pool! In that muddy water!

Only pausing to see the candle in a safe place she stepped down and into the water.

“Put your head up, Marty,” she shrieked⁶.

“Ye’ah,” came the welcome answer. “It’s me leg. It’s broke, I guess.”

She reached him, somehow. “Get hold of me, quick! I’m afraid I’ll fall. Oh! See! That water spout⁷!”

Marty was clinging to her but he couldn’t look. The pain in his ankle blinded him more than the muddy water had. He gasped⁸ and breathed hard, but he did not give in.

“Oh, you poor boy! Can’t you put your foot under you at all?” Gloria was now thoroughly⁹ frightened.

“It hurts!” admitted the boy, taking the injured leg in one hand while he clung to Gloria with the other.

She was shivering. Not cold! That water! It was icy!

“Put your arms around my neck,” she commanded. “I can get you out.”

“I’m heavy—”

“No matter. Hurry! I’m freezing!”

Never was a stream forded more perilously¹⁰. If she slipped they would both be down, and there was that gurgling, swirling¹³ little pool, over where a furnace ought to have been.

“Hold tight,” she cautioned. “Just a few more steps!”

Out of the water, and on to the narrow landing at the foot of the stairs at last. She turned to let Marty slide down from her shoulders.

“Oh!” she gasped. “Wasn’t it awful! But your foot. Where does it hurt?”

“Here.” He touched the injured ankle. “I went in a hole! Gosh! the whole bottom must be out of the cellar. It’s like a river!”

“Maybe it is—a lost river. But wait till I get the candle and see your ankle.”

A slam! A door slam! They both started. “Gee whiz! The door’s slammed shut!” exclaimed Marty, dismay echoing in that water filled basin.

“Can’t we open it?”

“It’s a spring! From the other side.”

“Marty! We’re not locked in this hole!”

“Yep, I’m afraid so!”

“Oh, Marty!” She was up at the door, candle in hand. She pushed! She pounded! It was locked, tight, with the catch on the other side!

“Oh-h-h!” Terror and panic seized her. What an awful thing had happened!

And no one even knew where they were!

Poor Marty, with a sprained¹⁴ ankle! She must not frighten him into a panic. She turned back and crept down the skeleton stairs.

“Can’t I get to a window?” she asked breathlessly.

“That one, over the big hole, is the only one with glass in,” Marty managed to answer. “The others is all barred up.”

“It’s right over the whirlpool!” she faltered¹⁵.

“And it’s deep—”

“You bet it is! I didn’t want to tell you, but I thought sure I was in China.”

Holding the candle high above her head Gloria glared at the forbidding hole they were trapped in.

It was terrible, awful! They were trapped, locked in a cellar with that awful ill smelling water all about them.

“Marty!” she gasped, sinking down beside him on the little landing. “Marty, what shall we do?”

“Pray,” answered Marty. “Maybe some ’un ’ill come!”

That was the boy’s way. To ask and to hope! She had only seen despair. But now she remembered. Trixy and Ben were to ride out to Aunt Hattie’s for her, and she, Trixy, knew they were coming to Echoes!

“If only I could get to that window,” she panted. “Maybe Trixy will come!”

“Sure! Listen! There’s a car!”

The unmistakable honk-honk of a friendly car sounded like Gabriel’s trumpet—if paradise had been promised to all.

“Yes,” exclaimed Gloria, holding to Marty’s wet coat to keep from falling over the narrow platform. “That’s Trixy and Ben!”

“Ben?”

“Yes. A friend from—my home town. Oh, if I can only make them hear!”

Gathering¹⁶ a long full breath she called:

“Trixy! Tri-x-y—Trix!!!”

She pealed¹⁷ out the syllables¹⁸ with every bit of power she could command. But the horn honked¹⁹ uninterruptedly.

Then Marty tried it. He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled! “Trix-ee! Hey, there! Trix-ee Trav-verse! Whoo-hool!” His voice echoed with an uncanny resonance²⁰, but the horn of the car outside never listened.

Gloria dropped her arm from his shoulder. “They can’t hear us,” she murmured.

“No. The drive is blocked with big planks²¹ across, and they have to stop way down by the cedars²².”

“Oh, Marty,” wailed²³ Gloria. “They’re going! Listen!”

The car was chugging. Surely they were turning back.

Terror seized Gloria Doane! Would they have to die there!

“Give me the candle,” she shrieked.

“What y’u gonna do?”

“Get to that window!”

“You can’t!”

“I must. I’ll climb the beams!”

“You might fall in!”

“I won’t. Oh, Marty! There, put the candle right in the middle of that board.”

Then she swung to the rough beams. The splinters cut into her hands but she swung from one post to another, clinging without seeming to breathe.

“Glory! Care-ful!” begged the boy in a pained whisper, fearful that even a word would shock her hands from their perilous¹¹ hold.

“There,” he said again. “Rest there! Get your breath.”

How spacious²⁴ the little cellar seemed! And how black the water beneath! She could hear it bubble and swirl¹², coming in and forcing out.

If only she could reach that next post! But how her hands hurt! She could feel the blood wet in her palms. And her body was like lead, dragging on the lacerations.

“Hold it!” cautioned Marty. “Now swing!”

Somehow she did it. She was on the other side of the cellar within a few feet of the rescuing windows.

“Easy! Don’t slip!”

“Oh, I won’t now,” she declared, her hands free once more as she crouched in a nest of posts with cross pieces forming uprights. “I hear the car! I must smash that window!”

As far about her as she could reach she tried for loose timber. But it was all securely nailed. Again the terror of failure. Then:

“Oh, I see it! A piece of pipe!”

She had crawled to the window but dared not break it with her bare hands. Now she had the bit of iron, and protecting her face from the impact—she thrust the bar through the glass.

Smash!

“Trixy!” she shrieked. Then she held frantically²⁵ to the window edge and braced²⁶ her feet against the beams.

She felt her head brush something!

Everything had gone black!

1 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 bungalow   

n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房

参考例句：

• A bungalow does not have an upstairs.平房没有上层。
• The old couple sold that large house and moved into a small bungalow.老两口卖掉了那幢大房子，搬进了小平房。

4 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

5 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

6 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

7 spout   

v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱

参考例句：

• Implication in folk wealth creativity and undertaking vigor spout.蕴藏于民间的财富创造力和创业活力喷涌而出。
• This acts as a spout to drain off water during a rainstorm.在暴风雨季，这东西被用作喷管来排水。

8 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》

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

11 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

12 swirl   

v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形

参考例句：

• The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
• You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿，看着雪花飘飘。

13 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

14 sprained   

v.&n. 扭伤

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• When Mary sprained her ankles, John carried her piggyback to the doctors. 玛丽扭伤了足踝，约翰驮她去看医生。

15 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

16 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

17 pealed   

v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bells pealed (out) over the countryside. 钟声响彻郊野。 来自辞典例句
• A gun shot suddenly pealed forth and shot its flames into the air. 突然一声炮响，一道火光升上天空。 来自辞典例句

18 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

19 honked   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I drove up in front of the house and honked. 我将车开到屋子前面然后按喇叭。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He honked his horn as he went past. 他经过时按响了汽车喇叭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

21 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

22 cedars   

雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old cedars were badly damaged in the storm. 风暴严重损害了古老的雪松。
• Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 1黎巴嫩哪，开开你的门，任火烧灭你的香柏树。

23 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

24 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

25 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

26 braced   

adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• They braced up the old house with balks of timber. 他们用梁木加固旧房子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The house has a wooden frame which is braced with brick. 这幢房子是木结构的砖瓦房。 来自《简明英汉词典》