CHAPTER VI

 The hut was not finished for a week, and for seven whole days and nights there was not a drop of rain. Then, when at last the pioneer hut stood complete, taut¹ and steady, thickly thatched and masterly in workmanship from framework to roof, the rain began.

 

Just a drop at first, but the Scouts³ had been expecting it; the wind had shifted, and there was likelihood of a steady downpour for some time, as their weather-eyes told them. "It's really rather a chouse, though, just when the hut's ready, isn't it?" grumbled⁴ Peter, who hated to tear himself away from his newly completed handiwork.

 

"The weather'll test it, anyway," remarked Robin⁵, gazing at the little erection with critical eyes. "Now we shall know if the trench⁶ is really deep enough to carry away the water without soaking the place through, and whether that way of thatching really answers well, starting to thatch² from the bottom and working up, so that the rain may drain off the side of the hut instead of drenching⁷ through."

 

"Well, that's one way of looking at it, I suppose," said Peter more resignedly.

 

"And I'll tell you what I think," said Jan, "I think it's a very good thing that the rain's begun early, if it had got to come. Brownie's got that lumber⁸-room crammed⁹ with stuff, and a lot of hard work's got to be done by somebody or other before you boys can sleep there. And you'll have to, to-night, just look at the sky. Suppose we heap up the dixies and everything into the new hut, and go straight to the Cottage and turn to."

 

In a very few minutes they had started acting¹⁰ on her suggestions. The rain was coming down now in large steady drops, and there was certainly every likelihood of a drenching night. The boys were not afraid of rain; they would have preferred to test the new hut's weather-proof properties by sleeping there through any weather, but they had given their word, and that was the end of the matter. The dixies were put away safely into the little hut, and the three set off in fairly good spirits for Island Cottage. After all, they had had a week's camping out already, and probably there were many more days and nights of it ahead for them; they would take one night's rest under a roof with as good a grace as they knew how.

 

But an afternoon's good hard work lay between them and any possibility of a good night. The upstairs attic¹¹ was a perfect chaos¹² of muddled¹³ lumber; "and has been, my dears, since we came here," said Brownie, "fifteen years ago, as I remember well."

 

"Who lived here before you, Brownie?" asked Robin. "It was a year before I was born, you see, so I don't remember."

 

"Sure, my dear, don't I remember that. 'Twas—well, 'twas young Hooker, gamekeeper he was, in your grandfather's days, but youngish for the job. I can see him now, a fine upstanding chap he was." The old dame¹⁵ heaved a sigh.

 

"Young, was he? Why did he leave then? Where is he now?" inquired Peter standing¹⁴ still for a minute with an armful of boxes.

 

"Sure, I can't tell you. 'Twas dismissed that he was. Into disgrace he fell, at the time of all the trouble," said Brownie. "Same age as Master——" she bustled¹⁶ away, muttering to herself.

 

"Same age as who, Brownie?" inquired quick-eared Jan, who, armed with a duster and a mop, looked quite as busy as she really was.

 

But the old woman did not appear to hear the question; she made for the door. "You'll be wanting your teas after all the help that you're giving, my dears, and the kettle's not on," she announced, and disappeared down the creaking stair.

 

"There's certainly a mystery. A—choo!" Peter's voice began on an impressive note and finished up with a sneeze. "Begorra, what dust, Robin! What d'you think it means?"

 

"I—don't—know." Robin's voice sounded abstracted; he was gazing at a photograph that he held in his hand—an old, old faded snapshot of a young man fishing. "I—picked this up when a lot of rubbish fell down," he said; "but—who is it? It's taken on the Island by the river, and—it's like Dad. But—it's not the same smile. Much younger too, of course, but—whoever can it be?"

 

"A relation, anyway," said Jan, peering over his shoulder.

 

"I'll ask Brownie," said Peter, and, suiting the action, to the word, he seized the little portrait and made his way downstairs. "I say, who's this?" he inquired; "this man—is it an old picture of Dad, Brownie, d'you know? Because, well, it can't be, and yet——" He stopped and stared. "It's only a snapshot, Brownie; it's not a ghost," he continued, "nor a bomb, you know. Who is it?—that's all I was asking."

 

"Aye, my dear, I hear right well what you're asking," said the old woman; "I see right well too that it's but a photograph, as you say. He and Hooker was always together; 'twas one of Hooker's taking, I make no doubt, seeing as it's upstairs still. Like David and Jonathan, so I've heard folks say, and——"

 

"But—who is it?" inquired Peter, with wonder in his eyes.

 

"Ah, my dear, sure and don't be asking me!" sobbed¹⁷ the old woman.

 

1 taut   

adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的

参考例句：

• The bowstring is stretched taut.弓弦绷得很紧。
• Scarlett's taut nerves almost cracked as a sudden noise sounded in the underbrush near them. 思嘉紧张的神经几乎一下绷裂了，因为她听见附近灌木丛中突然冒出的一个声音。

2 thatch   

vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋)

参考例句：

• They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把，放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。
• They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。

3 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

4 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

5 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

6 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

7 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

8 lumber   

n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动

参考例句：

• The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
• They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。

9 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

12 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

13 muddled   

adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
• I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

16 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

17 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。