CHAPTER NINE

He was filled with the most extreme terror¹ he had ever known. and he felt as guilty as a child who has been caught smoking a cigarette. He rolled the wheelchair out of the room as quickly as he could, pausing on the way only to look and make sure that nothing was out of place. He aimed himself straight at his bedroom door and tried to go through it at speed, but the right wheel crashed into the door-frame². Did you scratch the paint? his mind shouted at him. He looked down, but there was only a small mark - surely too small for her to notice. He heard the noise of her car on the road and then turning in towards the house to park. He tried to move the wheelchair gently through the door without hurrying, but again he had to hold on to the frame and pull himself through it. At last he was in the room. She has things to carry, he told himself. It will take her time to get them out of the car and bring them to the house. You have a few minutes still. He turned himself round, grabbed³ the handle of the door and pulled it nearly shut. Outside, she switched off the car's engine. Now he had only to push in the tongue of the lock with his finger. He heard a car door close. The tongue began to move - and then slopped. It was stuck. Another car door shut: she must have got the groceries and paper out of the passenger seat. 24 He pushed again and again at the lock, and heard a noise inside the door. He knew what it was: the broken bit of the hairpin⁴ was making the lock stick. 'Come on,' he whispered in desperation and terror. 'Come on.' He heard her walking towards the house. He moved the tongue in and out, in and out. but the broken pin stayed in the lock. He heard her walking up the outside steps. He was crying now, sweat and tears pouring together down his face. 'Come on . . . come on . . . come on . . . please.' This time the tongue moved further in. but still not far enough for the door to close. He heard the sound of the keys in her hand outside the front door. She opened the door and shut it. At exactly the same time the lock on Paul's door suddenly cleared and he closed his door. Did she hear that? She must have. But the noise of the front door covered the noise of his door. 'Paul, I'm home,' she called cheerfully⁵. 'I've got your paper.' He rolled over to the table and turned to face the door, just as she fitted her key into the lock. He prayed that the broken pin would not cause any problems. It didn't. She opened the door. 'Paul, dear, you're covered in sweat. What have you been doing?' she asked suspiciously⁶. 'I think you know, Annie. I've been in pain. Can I have my tablets⁷ now?' 'You see,' she said. 'You really shouldn't make me angry. I'm sure you'll learn, and then we'll be very happy together. I'll go and get your pills now.' While she was out of the room Paul pushed the packets of Novril which he had taken as far as he could under the mattress⁸ of his bed. They would be safe there as long as she didn't turn the mattress. She came back and gave him three tablets, and within a few minutes he was unconscious. He'd had six tablets now and he was exhausted⁹. When he woke up, fourteen hours had passed and it was snowing again outside.

1 terror   

n.恐怖；可怖的人(事)

参考例句：

• We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
• That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。

2 frame   

n.框架，结构，体格；vt.构成，设计，制定，使适合，陷害； 框架，（是指在数据链路层中，将网络层数据包加上开始与结尾信息包组成一个框架）

参考例句：

• The house has a wooden frame which is faced with brick.这个房子是木质结构的砖瓦房。
• We must frame up that picture.我们必须给那幅画装上框。

3 grabbed   

v.抢先，抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指匆忙地）取；攫取；（尤指自私、贪婪地）捞取

参考例句：

• He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
• She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。

4 hairpin   

n.簪,束发夹，夹发针

参考例句：

• She stuck a small flower onto the front of her hairpin.她在发簪的前端粘了一朵小花。
• She has no hairpin because her hair is short.因为她头发短，所以没有束发夹。

5 cheerfully   

adv.高兴地，愉快地

参考例句：

• The train rolled cheerfully into the station.火车欢呼着驶进车站。
• He takes our advice quite cheerfully.他欣然接受我们的劝告。

6 suspiciously   

ad.猜疑地，可疑地

参考例句：

• The aforementioned person was seen acting suspiciously. 有人看见前面提到的那个人行动可疑。
• The man looked at her suspiciously. 那个男人以狐疑的目光看着她。

7 tablets   

n.药片( tablet的名词复数 )；（木、竹）简；碑；一块肥皂

参考例句：

• The tablets may make you feel drowsy. 这药片可能会使你昏昏欲睡。
• Take two tablets with water before meals. 每次两片，饭前用水冲服。

8 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

9 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。