CHAPTER XI

 The three days before Major Vaughan's return promised to pass on leaden wings, but in reality they flew merrily enough. Not only was there a general furbishing-up of the camp to be seen to, for "Dad," as the boys said, "was sure to be as jolly keen on it as they were," but a new and unexpected occupation suddenly presented itself to the company.

 

Hitherto Dick had been considered in the light of an un-get-at-able invalid¹, who could be written to, and to whom messages might be sent through Mrs. Vaughan, but who was, otherwise, as inaccessible² as though he had been still at his home in the far north. Now, however, with the removal of the convalescent to the "river-room" in the east wing, things changed. From breakfast till bedtime the now recovering invalid stood glued to his bedroom window watching with interested eyes practically everything that the campers were doing. The Cottage was in full view of his window, so was the camp fire. "It seems strange, doesn't it?" said Peter, "that there's Dick looking on, and here are we, feeling awfully³ chummy with him, and all that, but we've never spoken to him in our lives!"

 

"Good idea!" shouted Donald; into the hut he raced, appearing presently with a flag with which he began signalling to his brother. The latter seemed to twig⁴ the idea instantly; he disappeared from the window, and appeared again, bearing what was certainly nothing more or less than a bath-towel; vigorous flag-wagging ensued between the brothers for a few minutes, while the Vaughans looked interestedly on.

 

"I say," said Robin⁵, "you can do Morse like lightning. I could hardly follow half of it. No wonder you've got your Signalling Badges! What were you saying?"

 

"I asked him how he found himself this morning, and he says that he feels topping, and never better, and wishes the peeling were over, and would give a jolly lot to be camping with the rest of us," explained Donald.

 

"Let me have a try," begged Peter; but his skill in signalling was slight; and Robin, who tried next, had had little experience. Donald tried again. "I say, he says," he interpreted after a vigorous few minutes, "that you two need practice, and he says why don't you let him practice with you while he's shut up there with nothing to do. You'd probably soon pass your tests if you did. Minimum is 24 letters per minute for Morse, you know, and 36 for Semaphore. He knows both, and he'd coach you from his side, and I'd coach you here."

 

"Rather!" the three Vaughans were unanimous. "There's a Signaller's Badge for Guides, too!" said Jan. "I say, what fun!"

 

By the time that dusk fell on the evening of the first day, hiding the east wing signaller from his pupils, the latter had certainly gained ground after a hard day's work. Next morning, before breakfast, Peter, after flying out with his flag to bid Dick good-morning, returned to the rest of his camping companions with rather a queer look on his face. "Come on, Donald," he said, "you're wanted. I can't exactly twig what Dick's saying, he's so jolly quick about it. But it's something about 'noises,' I'm pretty sure; and I think he says that he's heard queer noises in the night!"

 

"He does," announced Donald, after conversing⁶ with his brother. "It's strange isn't it? but he says he's been kept awake by them. He says that he wants to know if the east wing supposed to be haunted!"

 

"Ask what kind of a noise?" suggested Jan.

 

"He says 'thumps⁷ and bangs,'" reported Donald.

 

"WELL!!!!" chorused the others in amazement⁸.

 

"My light on the first night," added Jan suddenly; "it shone from there. Now, who says that it wasn't mysterious?"

 

There was little chance of signalling practice for the rest of that day, for rain came down in buckets as soon as breakfast was over and the mist quite blotted⁹ out the Chase from the Islanders. Night must be spent at Island Cottage, there was no doubt about that. "And I do hope it'll be fine to-morrow," said Peter, as the three boys undressed that night in the big attic¹⁰ upstairs. "Dad's to get here early in the morning, and it would be such a——"

 

Tap! tap! came at their door, and Jan's face appeared; her eyes were bright and her teeth were chattering¹¹. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're sleeping here to-night," she said, "because—"

 

"What's up?" inquired the boys.

 

"It's—my room; the noise again; only it's louder: thumps this time, and loud bangs, and—near. On the wall, I think, or behind the wall, and from near to the floor. Some one's knocking, I'm certain, and I think I heard a voice!"

 

It didn't take an instant for the boys to slip on their coats. In another they were on the stairs on their way to Jan's room. There was silence for a minute or two after they entered; then the rapping began again. From the wall near the fireplace it seemed to come. Then there was the sound of a voice, "Let me out;" the words were faint, but perfectly¹² plain.

 

"Yes, we will. Don't lose heart," Robin's tones sounded clear in the little room. He dropped on his knees beside the wall: "Tell us what to do, and we can help you."

 

There was a pause, and then the voice very faintly came again: "Make haste, or—pull out the mantel-shelf; that's the way. Keep it straight as you pull, and—pull hard; I will push from here, but I have not much strength left!" Then followed a moment of tense suspense¹³, while the boys followed the directions; then came a grinding noise, and a long creaking movement of the front of the fireplace; then came a cry from Jan.

 

1 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

2 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

3 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

4 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

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 conversing   

v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I find that conversing with her is quite difficult. 和她交谈实在很困难。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were conversing in the parlor. 他们正在客厅谈话。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 thumps   

n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Normally the heart movements can be felt as distinct systolic and diastolic thumps. 正常时，能够感觉到心脏的运动是性质截然不同的收缩和舒张的撞击。 来自辞典例句
• These thumps are replaced by thrills when valvular insufficiencies or stenoses or congenital defects are present. 这些撞击在瓣膜闭锁不全或狭窄，或者有先天性缺损时被震颤所代替。 来自辞典例句

8 amazement   

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。

9 blotted   

涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干

参考例句：

• She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。
• The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

10 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？

11 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

12 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。

13 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。