The Maybright children, however, were not thinking of the landscape, or the fast approach of winter, they were busily engaged chattering4 and consulting together. It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and they knew that the time left for them to prepare was short, consequently their busy fingers worked as well as their tongues. Helen was helping5 the twins and the little boys to make up a wreath of enormous dimensions, and Polly, as usual, was flitting about the room, followed by her satellite Firefly. As usual, too, Polly was first to remark and quickest to censure6. She looked very much like the old Polly; no outward change was in the least visible, although now she yielded a kind of obedience7 to the most gentle and unexacting of sisters, and although she still vowed9 daily to herself, that she, Polly, would certainly climb the highest mountain, and for father’s sake would be the best of all his children.
“How slow you are, Nell,” she now exclaimed, impatiently; “and look what a crooked10 ‘E’ you have made to the end of ‘WELCOME.’ Oh, don’t be so slow, boys! Paul and Virginia will be here before we are half ready.”
“They can’t come before six o’clock,” said Helen. “We have two hours yet left to work in. Do, dear, pretty Polly, find something else to take up your time, and let the twins and the boys help me to finish this wreath.”
“Oh, if you don’t want me,” said Polly, in a slightly offended voice. “Come along, Fly, we’ll go up and see if Virginia’s room is ready, and then we’ll pay a visit to our baby. You and I won’t stay where we are not wanted. Come along.”
Fly trotted11 off by her elder sister’s side, a great light of contentment filling her big eyes. The two scampered12 upstairs,[Pg 83] saw that a cozy13 nest was all ready for the Australian girl, while a smaller room at the other side of the passage was in equal readiness for the boy.
“Oh, what darling flowers!” said Firefly, running up to the dressing14 table in the principal bedroom, and sniffing15 at the contents of a dainty blue jar. “Why, Polly, these buds must be from your own pet tea-rose.”
“Yes,” said Polly, in a careless voice, “they are; I picked them for Virginia this morning. I’d do anything for Virginia. I’m greatly excited about her coming.”
“You never saw her,” said Firefly, in an aggrieved16 voice. “You wouldn’t give me your tea-roses. I don’t think it’s nice of you to be fonder of her than you are of me. And Nursie says her name isn’t Virginia.”
“Never mind, she’s Virginia to me, and the boy is Paul. Why, Fly, what a jealous little piece you are. Come here, and sit on my lap. Of course I’m fond of you, Fly, but I’m not excited about you. I know just the kind of nose you have, and the kind of mouth, and the kind of big, scarecrow eyes, but you see I don’t know anything at all about Virginia, so I’m making up stories about her, and pictures, all day long. I expect she’s something of a barbarian17, both she and her brother, and isn’t it delicious to think of having two real live barbarians18 in the house?”
“Yes,” said Firefly, in a dubious19 voice. “I suppose if they are real barbarians, they won’t know a bit how to behave, and we’ll have to teach them. I’ll rather like that.”
“Oh, you’ll have to be awfully20 good, Fly, for they’ll copy you in every way; no sulking or sitting crooked, or having untidy hair, or you’ll have a couple of barbarians just doing the very same thing. Now, jump off my lap, I want to go to Nurse, and you may come with me as a great treat. I’m going to undress baby. I do it every night; and you may see how I manage. Nurse says I’m very clever about the way I manage babies.”
“Oh, you’re clever about everything,” said Fly, with a prolonged, deep-drawn breath. “Well, Polly, I do hope one thing.”
“Yes?”
“I do hope that the barbarians will be very, very ugly, for after you’ve seen them you won’t be curious any more, and after you know them there won’t be any stories to make up, and then you won’t love them better than me.”
“What a silly you are, Fly,” responded Polly.
But she gave her little sister’s hand an affectionate squeeze, which satisfied the hungry and exacting8 heart of its small owner for the present.
Meanwhile the enormous wreath progressed well, and presently took upon important position over the house doorway21. As the daylight was getting dim, and as it would, in the estimation of the children, be the cruellest thing possible if the full glories of the wreath were not visible to the eyes of[Pg 84] the strangers when they approached Sleepy Hollow, lamps were cunningly placed in positions where their full light could fall on the large “Welcome,” which was almost the unaided work of the twins and their small brothers.
But now six o’clock was drawing near, and Polly and Firefly joined the rest of the children in the hall. The whole house was in perfect order; an excellent supper would be ready at any moment, and there was little doubt that when the strangers did appear they would receive a most hearty22 welcome.
“Wheels at last!” said Bunny, turning a somersault in the air.
“Hurrah! Three cheers for the barbarians!” sang out Firefly.
“I do hope Virginia will be beautiful,” whispered Polly, under her breath.
Helen went and stood on the doorsteps. Polly suddenly raised a colored lamp, and waved it above her head.
“Welcome” smiled down from the enormous wreath, and shone on the features of each Maybright as the Doctor opened the door of the carriage, and helped a tall, slender girl, and a little boy in a black velvet23 suit, to get out.
“Our travelers are very hungry, Polly,” he said, “and—and—very tired. Yes, I see you have prepared things nicely for them. But first of all they must have supper, and after that I shall prescribe bed. Welcome, my dear children, to Sleepy Hollow! May it be a happy home to you both.”
“Thank you,” said the girl.
She had a pale face, a quantity of long light hair, and dreamy, sleepy eyes; the boy, on the contrary, had an alert and watchful24 expression; he clung to his sister, and looked in her face when she spoke25.
“Do tell us what you are called,” said Polly. “We are all just dying to know. Oh! I trust, I do trust that you are really Paul and Virginia. How perfectly26 lovely it would be if those were your real names.”
The tall girl looked full into Polly’s eyes, a strange, sweet, wistful light filled her own, her words came out musically.
“I am Flower,” she said, “and this is David. I am thirteen years old, and David is eight. Father sent us away because after mother died there was no one to take care of us.”
A sigh of intense interest and sympathy fell from the lips of all the young Maybrights.
“Come upstairs, Flower; we know quite well how to be sorry for you,” said Helen.
She took the strange girl’s hand, and led her up the broad staircase.
“I’ll stay below,” said David. “I’m not the least tired, and my hands don’t want washing. Who’s the jolliest here? Couldn’t we have a game of ball? I haven’t played ball since I left Ballarat. Flower wouldn’t let me. She said I might when I came here. She spoke about coming here all the[Pg 85] time, and she always wanted to see your mother. She cried the whole of last night because your mother was dead. Now has nobody got a ball, and won’t the jolliest begin?”
“I’ll play with you, David,” said Polly. “Now catch; there! once, twice, thrice. Aren’t you starving? I want my tea, if you don’t.”
“Flower said I wasn’t to ask for anything to eat now that your mother is dead,” responded David. “She said it wasn’t likely we’d stay, but that while we did I was to be on my good behavior. I hate being on my good behavior; but Flower’s an awful mistress. Yes, of course, I’m starving.”
“Well, come in to tea, then,” said Polly, laughing. “Perhaps you will stay, and anyhow we are glad to have you for a little. Children, please don’t stare so hard.”
“I don’t mind,” said David. “They may stare if it pleases them; I rather like it.”
“Like being stared at!” repeated Firefly, whose own sensitive little nature resented the most transient glance.
“Yes,” responded David, calmly; “it shows that I’m admired; and I know that I’m a very handsome boy.”
So he was, with dark eyes like a gipsy, and a splendid upright figure and bearing. Far from being the barbarian of Polly’s imagination, he had some of the airs and graces of a born aristocrat27. His calm remarks and utter coolness astonished the little Maybrights, who rather shrank away from him, and left him altogether to Polly’s patronage28.
At this moment Helen and the young Australian girl came down together. David instantly trotted up to his sister.
“She thinks that perhaps we’ll stay, Flower,” pointing with his finger at Polly, “and in that case I needn’t keep up my company manners, need I?”
“But you must behave well, David,” responded Flower, “or the English nation will fancy we are not civilized29.”
She smiled in a lovely languid way at her brother, and looked round with calm indifference30 at the boys and girls who pressed close to her.
“Come and have tea,” said Helen.
She placed Flower at her right hand. The Doctor took the head of the table, and the meal progressed more or less in silence. Flower was too lazy or too delicate to eat much. David spent all his time in trying to make Firefly laugh, and in avoiding the Doctor’s penetrating31 glance. The Maybrights were too astonished at the appearance of their guests to feel thoroughly32 at ease. Polly had a sensation of things being somehow rather flat, and the Doctor wondered much in his inward soul how this new experiment would work.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
moor
|
|
| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
tracts
|
|
| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
moors
|
|
| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
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： |
|
|
|
|
5
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
censure
|
|
| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
obedience
|
|
| n.服从，顺从 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
exacting
|
|
| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
vowed
|
|
| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
trotted
|
|
| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scampered
|
|
| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
cozy
|
|
| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
sniffing
|
|
| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
aggrieved
|
|
| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
barbarian
|
|
| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
barbarians
|
|
| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
dubious
|
|
| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
hearty
|
|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
velvet
|
|
| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
watchful
|
|
| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
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： |
|
|
|
|
26
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
aristocrat
|
|
| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
patronage
|
|
| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
civilized
|
|
| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
indifference
|
|
| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
penetrating
|
|
| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |