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CHAPTER VIII. The Oak Chest.
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The mysterious visitor was forgotten, my hand had healed, and Jack1's ankle was in a fair way to recovery, when a letter arrived from Mr. Barton to say that, owing to his wife's death, he felt he could not return to Bath. He had taken a house at Brighton, but the necessary business of moving would make it impossible for him to receive his pupils at the time fixed2. He hoped, therefore, that my father would not object to keeping the boys a fortnight longer.
 
With what a shout the letter was welcomed! I glanced anxiously at father; he did not look half as displeased4 as I thought he would. "Can you make yourselves happy till the beginning of September?" he asked.
 
"Just give us the chance, uncle. We will let you see what we can do. But what about Kathleen? We can't let her go before us?" Rupert looked at me with a mysterious sign.
 
"No, please father, don't send her away yet. I want her particularly."
 
"Mischief5 again?" said father, just catching6 my knowing look across at Kathleen. "I should have thought you had enough of getting into trouble by this time."
 
"It isn't mischief, father," I cried. "It's good, it's a beautiful secret, it's——" then I broke down and burst into tears.
 
It was only then, I think, that my parents realized that I had not done such a thing lately.
 
"Why, laddie," said father, soothing7 me gently, "I haven't seen any tears since the invasion of the Goths and Vandals. Here, young Alaric, carry him off, and bring back the smiles. Of course, Kathleen shall stay as long as you do, but I warn you"—and here father's face became very grave—"you have risked my son's life once, you had better not do it twice."
 
Harold was going to make some reply; but Rupert put his hand hastily over his mouth, and swung him out of the room before he and Kathleen came to lift me.
 
Whether it was that his foot was much better, or that Jack was delighted at the thought of spending a fortnight more than he expected at the Island Farm, I do not know; but he seemed that day to be possessed8 of twice his usual spirits. Of course, he was not allowed to put his foot to the ground; but it was cased in plaster of Paris, and he managed to hop3 with the help of a stick if he really wished to move.
 
"Now, commodore," said I, at last—for we had pretended he had been wounded in battle—"I wish you would keep still, you give me the fidgets; I know you'll damage that foot again; and you do look so queer hopping9 about like a wounded stork10. I might as well try to get about—I believe I should do it as well."
 
"So you will, old fellow, only not just yet. Rub, rub, rub, scrub, scrub, scrub, Kathleen, and then he will go like a bird."
 
"Do keep still," said Rupert, presently. "I've tried three times to make a straight line on this piece of wood, and each time you've shaken the table. What do you want? Tell me, and I'll get it; but don't keep bobbing about like a lame11 duck."
 
"That oak chest is bothering me," said Jack, coming to an anchor at last, with his bad foot on the chest itself. "What's inside of it."
 
"How should I know? You heard Edric say it was here when he first came up. I expect it has old clothes in it. Curiosity killed a cat; and when you know that a cat has nine lives, you can see what a deadly poison curiosity must be. It's a glorious bench to carpenter on; and it makes a good place to lie on, if you are fearfully tired and don't mind pretending you are on a stone bench."
 
"And it would be a splendid place to——"
 
"To what?" we all asked, looking up at Jack.
 
"Never you mind; I know what I know, and I'm not going to tell anybody."
 
But, unfortunately, he did tell somebody, and that was Harold, who was the very last person who should have been told.
 
A few days afterwards Jack was not well—it was merely a passing indisposition, headache and cold; but as there was so much difficulty in keeping him quiet when he was up, mother thought it best to make him stay in bed. My parents were both going to spend the afternoon and evening at a friend's house, and so my cousins were told that they need not keep only to their den12; they might have the run of the house, if they would promise to do nothing which they knew was wrong, and not to go outside at all, in case they might be tempted13 to mischief.
 
"We promise," said Rupert, gravely, and father knew he could trust him.
 
They carried me into Jack's room directly we were left alone, and there a certain mysterious operation went on, which had occupied us for half an hour twice a day during the last few weeks. A little reading, a good deal of talking, and then Jack said his head was worse; so we all retreated into the dining-room, and wondered what we should play at.
 
"I know," said Kathleen. "We have permission to go anywhere; let's have a game of hide-and-seek. I believe you'd take half an hour to find me, there are so many ins and outs, and ups and downs."
 
Of course, I could not join in that game, so I begged them to carry me back into Jack's room, where I lay reading, sometimes aloud, sometimes to myself, till, to my great delight, I saw him fall asleep.
 
From time to time I could hear a merry peal14 of laughter in the distance, or the quiet footsteps of someone running past the door in search of a hiding-place. The sounds pleased me, and then I began to wonder whether I should ever be able to join in such a game. Four weeks ago I should have laughed at the bare idea of such a thing; but now, things had changed. My cousins had brought fresh vigour15 to my mind; and if all were true that they told me, there seemed a hope that they might be the means of bringing new strength to my body.
 
I lay building castles in the air after a fashion quite new to me. I had got as far as walking to church with mother on my arm when I was a young man, when suddenly the door was pushed gently open, and Rupert whispered, "Have you seen Harold?"
 
"No; he has not been here."
 
"I told you he must have gone outside," said Kathleen, peeping over his shoulder.
 
"Not he," replied Rupert. "Don't you remember we all three promised we would not go out of the house? He must be somewhere inside? let's hunt again."
 
Half an hour passed, and then my cousins came back. I signalled to them that Jack was still asleep, and they could take me out of the room.
 
"We can't find him anywhere," said Rupert, as they carried me downstairs.
 
"Don't be anxious," I replied. "He must have gone outside; he will come back when he finds you do not go after him. Or shall you go into the garden to look for him?"
 
Rupert looked at me in amazement16.
 
"Didn't I tell you we all promised not to go out?" he said. "I don't believe Harold is outside; if he is, I'll never speak to him again."
 
Of course, we laughed at the hasty speech which had ended in a promise that the speaker would certainly never keep. But by-and-by, as the light began to fade, and Harold made no appearance, we grew anxious about him.
 
"Supper will bring him; he will be tired and hungry by that time," we said; but we had finished our supper when the door was pushed open, and Jack entered in dressing-gown and slippers17.
 
"Jane says you have been playing hide-and-seek, and have lost Harold. Have you looked in the oak chest for him?"
 
"The oak chest?" we all repeated, with a terrified gasp18. "If he has been shut in there for a couple of hours he will be dead!"

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
3 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
4 displeased 1uFz5L     
a.不快的
参考例句:
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。
  • He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。
5 mischief jDgxH     
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹
参考例句:
  • Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
  • He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
6 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
7 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
8 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
9 hopping hopping     
n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
  • I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。
10 stork hGWzF     
n.鹳
参考例句:
  • A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。
  • He is very glad that his wife's going to get a visit from the stork.他为她的妻子将获得参观鹳鸟的机会感到非常高兴。
11 lame r9gzj     
adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的
参考例句:
  • The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
  • I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。
12 den 5w9xk     
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室
参考例句:
  • There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
  • The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。
13 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
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。
14 peal Hm0zVO     
n.钟声;v.鸣响
参考例句:
  • The bells of the cathedral rang out their loud peal.大教堂响起了响亮的钟声。
  • A sudden peal of thunder leaves no time to cover the ears.迅雷不及掩耳。
15 vigour lhtwr     
(=vigor)n.智力,体力,精力
参考例句:
  • She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情,有朝气。
  • At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。
16 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
17 slippers oiPzHV     
n. 拖鞋
参考例句:
  • a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
  • He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋,倒在床上。
18 gasp UfxzL     
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说
参考例句:
  • She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
  • The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。


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