CHAPTER VII

 In spite of all the mysteries, however, and there certainly seemed to be a good many, the boys slept like tops in their attic¹-room that night. Perhaps it was as well "for their brains' sake," as Peter remarked, for they woke next morning to yet another mysterious affair.

 

This time Jan had a story to tell, a story of noise. "A most peculiar² noise, from the wall I think it was, or from the floor, Brownie, but I couldn't make out," she announced at breakfast-time. "Were you walking about in the night?"

 

"No, indeed, my dear," said the old woman.

 

"And you needn't ask us, for we didn't move all night," Peter assured her. "After all, there's something to be said for a jolly comfortable feather-bed after a week's outside camping. Though, of course, I'd rather sleep out of doors any day (or night, of course, I mean) than in a house."

 

"Well, I don't know what my noise was then," said Jan; "I was hoping it was one of you. I am sure I was awake a whole hour listening to it and wondering. Like a banging and a tinging³ it sounded."

 

"Ting! ting! d'you mean? Why! perhaps it's like my noise," broke in Peter again, staring, "like the noise I heard when we were sleeping in camp."

 

"Brownie, do you know what it was?" persisted Jan. "Have you ever heard it before?"

 

"A noise, my dear, there once was, that some said——" the old woman checked herself. "Never, Miss Jan, have I heard such a sound as you name. Mice now, dearie, they make queer sounds," she added earnestly.

 

"But mice don't bang or ting," Jan remarked to Peter as they made their way again towards the camp. Somehow the three didn't feel satisfied about the matter. Robin⁴ certainly said little enough, but he "probably thought the more," as the others remarked. "We'd come down to your room and listen if it wasn't so rippingly fine," remarked Peter, "but the wind's veered⁵ right round and jolly weather's going to set in, though one doesn't know how long it will last with the suddenness of it. So it'd be downright silly to sleep indoors again, wouldn't it, unless you're really funkish, of course," he added considerately, "if you are——!"

 

"Of course I'm not," said Jan bravely. After all, the fright of the night before had quite vanished with the morning light. She began to think that perhaps she had imagined the whole thing. "You see, after Brownie being so mysterious," she said, "and—well, everything,—I think perhaps I was just a bit silly."

 

"Righto! I expect it was that," said Peter in brotherly tones as all three made their way down to the pioneer hut.

 

The sound of Mrs. Vaughan's horn called them, however, before they could set to any kind of work. Every morning during the ten days' camp she had come to speak to them, and every day the bulletin had been a satisfactory one. Dick's scarlatina case seemed certainly to have been a very slight one, and nursing had not been arduous⁶. To-day, as they rowed across, Mrs. Vaughan was looking extra cheerful and pleased.

 

"Yes, Dick's still progressing," she said; "he's really tired of being in bed, and he'll be up as soon as the rash has disappeared. Peeling will come next, I suppose. I've a piece of news for you to-day, however, which I had better give at once. Can you guess?"

 

"Anything about Dad?" asked Peter.

 

"No, it's Donald. He's out of quarantine now; it's ten days since he saw Dick, you see, and he's evidently not going to catch scarlet⁷ fever. So I thought of a plan which will, I hope, give pleasure to you all. I wrote to your aunt and told her what you three were doing, and suggested that Donald should join you on the Island. He's coming down to-morrow; I heard to-day. What do you think of that?"

 

"Mother, it's perfectly⁸ ripping. What a splendiferous idea! And—we never thought of it!" There was no doubt about the satisfaction of the three.

 

"Well, it's really a little hard on all of you, Donald as well, to have your holiday changed by the scarlet-fever business, so," Mrs. Vaughan smiled. "I'm glad you all approve. I spoke⁹ to Brown, and he was sure Brownie would welcome another. If seems that you're all more of helps than hindrances¹⁰, he says, to his wife, and I'm glad to hear it. So another Scout¹¹ will be no trouble to the old folk, I hope. The attic where you boys sleep is so big that another trundle-bed can be rigged up there, if there's a wet night again."

 

"If! But I hope there won't be," said Peter, as they made their way back to camp. "I say—ripping, isn't it? We don't know him, but——"

 

"Well, we know that he's a Scout," said Robin.

 

"So he's sure to be thoroughly¹² decent," said Jan, who adopted her brother's expressions when in need of extra words.

 

And certainly Donald proved in the opinion of the three to be indeed "thoroughly decent" when, next afternoon, he arrived; a "jolly all-round man and a good Scout" the boys voted him, and Jan was quite as satisfied. Within an hour of his arrival he had been introduced into all the plans of the campers, and the four were seated round the fire roasting potatoes for supper as though they had been boon¹³ companions for years. "And you've the Pioneer Badge already?" exclaimed Robin, "as well as the ones we've got. And,—what's this?—Oh! the Signaller's Badge"; the boys were examining the proficiency¹⁴ badges that Donald wore on his right arm.

 

"Well, Dick's a better signaller than I am," said Donald; "I wish he was here. He's jolly good and quick at flag-wagging; you should see him at it, and——"

 

"You're both frightfully clever, I expect," said Peter. "Oh, I say, being cousins, you know, and all that, d'you think, Robin, that we could ask him about the mysteries?"

1 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？

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

3 tinging   

v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的现在分词 )

参考例句：

4 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。

5 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

7 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 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。

10 hindrances   

阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 )； 障碍物； 受到妨碍的状态

参考例句：

• She also speaks out against the traditional hindrances to freedom. 她甚至大声疾呼，反对那些阻挡自由的、统礼教的绊脚石。
• When this stage is reached then the hindrances and karma are overcome. 唯此状态达到后，则超越阻碍和因果。

11 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

12 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。

13 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

14 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？