"Our hero," he read, "was awakened5 about midnight by the sound of the rattling6 of chains. Raising himself on his arm he gazed into the darkness. About a foot from his bed he could discern a tall, white, faintly-gleaming figure and a ghostly arm which beckoned7 him."
William's hair stood on end.
"Nothing perturbed," he continued to read, "our hero rose and followed the spectre through the long winding9 passages of the old castle. Whenever he hesitated, a white, luminous10 arm, hung around with ghostly chains, beckoned him on."
"At the panel in the wall the ghost stopped, and silently the panel slid aside, revealing a flight of stone steps. Down this went the apparition13 followed by our intrepid14 hero. There was a small stone chamber15 at the bottom, and into this the rays of moonlight poured, revealing a skeleton in a sitting attitude beside a chest of golden sovereigns. The gold gleamed in the moonlight."
"William!"
The cry came from somewhere in the sunny garden outside. William frowned sternly, took another bite of apple, and continued to read.
"Our hero gave a cry of astonishment17."
"Yea, I'd have done that all right," agreed William.
"William!"
"Mother wants you," she announced.
"Well, I can't come. I'm busy," said William, coldly, taking a draught21 of lemonade and returning to his book.
"Cousin Mildred's come," continued his sister.
"Well, I can't help that, can I?" he said, with the air of one arguing patiently with a lunatic.
"He's reading some old book in the barn," he heard her announce, "and he says——"
Here he foresaw complications and hastily followed her.
"Well, I'm comin', aren't I?" he said, "as fast as I can."
Cousin Mildred was sitting on the lawn. She was elderly and very thin and very tall, and she wore a curious, long, shapeless garment of green silk with a golden girdle.
"Dear child!" she murmured, taking the grimy hand that William held out to her in dignified24 silence.
He was cheered by the sight of tea and hot cakes.
Cousin Mildred ate little but talked much.
"I'm living in hopes of a psychic25 revelation, dear," she said to William's mother. "In hopes! I've heard of wonderful experiences, but so far none—alas!—have befallen me. Automatic writing I have tried, but any communication the spirits may have sent me that way remained illegible26—quite illegible."
She sighed.
William eyed her with scorn while he consumed reckless quantities of hot cakes.
"I would love to have a psychic revelation," she sighed again.
"Yes, dear," murmured Mrs. Brown, mystified. "William, you've had enough."
"Enough?" said William, in surprise. "Why I've only had——" He decided27 hastily against exact statistics and in favour of vague generalities.
"I've only had hardly any," he said, aggrievedly.
"You've had enough, anyway," said Mrs. Brown firmly.
"Well, can I go then, if I can't have any more tea?"
"There's plenty of bread and butter."
"I don't want bread and butter," he said, scornfully.
He returned to the story and lemonade and apple, and stretched himself happily at full length in the shady barn.
"But the ghostly visitant seemed to be fading away, and with a soft sigh was gone. Our hero, with a start of surprise, realised that he was alone with the gold and the skeleton. For the first time he experienced a thrill of cold fear and slowly retreated up the stairs before the hollow and, as it seemed, vindictive30 stare of the grinning skeleton."
"I wonder wot he was grinnin' at?" said William.
"But to his horror the door was shut, the panel had slid back. He had no means of opening it. He was imprisoned31 on a remote part of the castle, where even the servants came but rarely, and at intervals32 of weeks. Would his fate be that of the man whose bones gleamed white in the moonlight?"
"Crumbs!" said William, earnestly.
Then a shadow fell upon the floor of the barn, and Cousin Mildred's voice greeted him.
"So you're here, dear? I'm just exploring your garden and thinking. I like to be alone. I see that you are the same, dear child!"
"I'm readin'," said William, with icy dignity.
"Dear boy! Won't you come and show me the garden and your favourite nooks and corners?"
"All right," he said, laconically34.
He conducted her in patient silence round the kitchen garden and the shrubbery. She looked sadly at the house, with its red brick, uncompromisingly-modern appearance.
"William, I wish your house was old," she said, sadly.
William resented any aspersions on his house from outsiders. Personally he considered newness in a house an attraction, but, if anyone wished for age, then old his house should be.
"Old!" he ejaculated. "Huh! I guess it's old enough."
"Oh, is it?" she said, delighted. "Restored recently, I suppose?"
"Umph," agreed William, nodding.
"Oh, I'm so glad. I may have some psychic revelation here, then?"
"Oh yes," said William, judicially35. "I shouldn't wonder."
"William, have you ever had one?"
"Well," said William, guardedly, "I dunno."
His mysterious manner threw her into a transport.
"Of course not to anyone. But to me—I'm one of the sympathetic! To me you may speak freely, William."
William, feeling that his ignorance could no longer be hidden by words, maintained a discreet36 silence.
"To me it shall be sacred, William. I will tell no one—not even your parents. I believe that children see—clouds of glory and all that," vaguely. "With your unstained childish vision——"
"I'm eleven," put in William indignantly.
"You see things that to the wise are sealed. Some manifestation37, some spirit, some ghostly visitant——"
"Oh," said William, suddenly enlightened, "you talkin' about ghosts?"
"Yes, ghosts, William."
Her air of deference38 flattered him. She evidently expected great things of him. Great things she should have. At the best of times with William imagination was stronger than cold facts.
He gave a short laugh.
"Oh, ghosts! Yes, I've seen some of 'em. I guess I have!"
Her face lit up.
"Well," said William, loftily, "you won't go talkin' about it, will you?"
"Oh, no."
"Well, I've seen 'em, you know. Chains an' all. And skeletons. And ghostly arms beckonin' an' all that."
William was enjoying himself. He walked with a swagger. He almost believed what he said. She gasped.
"Oh, go on!" she said. "Tell me all."
He went on. He soared aloft on the wings of imagination, his hands in his pockets, his freckled face puckered40 up in frowning mental effort. He certainly enjoyed himself.
"If only some of it could happen to me," breathed his confidante. "Does it come to you at nights, William?"
"Yes," nodded William. "Nights mostly."
"I shall—watch to-night," said Cousin Mildred. "And you say the house is old?"
"Awful old," said William, reassuringly41.
Her attitude to William was a relief to the rest of the family. Visitors sometimes objected to William.
"She seems to have almost taken to William," said his mother, with a note of unflattering incredulity in her voice.
William was pleased yet embarrassed by her attentions. It was a strange experience to him to be accepted by a grown-up as a fellow-being. She talked to him with interest and a certain humility42, she bought him sweets and seemed pleased that he accepted them, she went for walks with him, and evidently took his constrained43 silence for the silence of depth and wisdom.
Beneath his embarrassment44 he was certainly pleased and flattered. She seemed to prefer his company to that of Ethel. That was one in the eye for Ethel. But he felt that something was expected from him in return for all this kindness and attention. William was a sportsman. He decided to supply it. He took a book of ghost stories from the juvenile45 library at school, and read them in the privacy of his room at night. Many were the thrilling adventures which he had to tell to Cousin Mildred in the morning. Cousin Mildred's bump of credulity was a large one. She supplied him with sweets on a generous scale. She listened to him with awe46 and wonder.
"William ... you are one of the elect, the chosen," she said, "one of those whose spirits can break down the barrier between the unseen world and ours with ease." And always she sighed and stroked back her thin locks, sadly. "Oh, how I wish that some experience would happen to me!"
One morning, after the gift of an exceptionally large tin of toffee, William's noblest feelings were aroused. Manfully he decided that something should happen to her.
Cousin Mildred slept in the bedroom above William's. Descent from one window to the other was easy, but ascent47 was difficult. That night Cousin Mildred awoke suddenly as the clock struck twelve. There was no moon, and only dimly did she discern the white figure that stood in the light of the window. She sat up, quivering with eagerness. Her short, thin little pigtail, stuck out horizontally from her head. Her mouth was wide open.
"Oh!" she gasped.
Cousin Mildred clasped her hands.
"Speak!" she said, in a tense whisper. "Oh, speak! Some message! Some revelation."
William was nonplussed49. None of the ghosts he had read of had spoken. They had rattled51 and groaned52 and beckoned, but they had not spoken. He tried groaning53 and emitted a sound faintly reminiscent of a sea-sick voyager.
"Oh, speak!" pleaded Cousin Mildred.
Evidently speech was a necessary part of this performance. William wondered whether ghosts spoke50 English or a language of their own. He inclined to the latter view and nobly took the plunge54.
Cousin Mildred gasped in wonder.
William took fright. It was all turning out to be much more complicated than he had expected. He hastily passed through the room and out of the door, closing it noisily behind him. As he ran along the passage came a sound like a crash of thunder. Outside in the passage were Cousin Mildred's boots, William's father's boots, and William's brother's boots, and into these charged William in his headlong retreat. They slid noisily along the polished wooden surface of the floor, ricochetting into each other as they went. Doors opened suddenly and William's father collided with William's brother in the dark passage, where they wrestled57 fiercely before they discovered each other's identity.
"I heard that confounded noise and I came out——"
"So did I."
"Well, then, who made it?"
"Who did?"
"If it's that wretched boy up to any tricks again——"
William's father left the sentence unfinished, but went with determined58 tread towards his younger son's room. William was discovered, carefully spreading a sheet over his bed and smoothing it down.
Mr. Brown, roused from his placid59 slumbers60, was a sight to make a brave man quail61, but the glance that William turned upon him was guileless and sweet.
"No, Father," said William, gently. "I've not bin kickin' no boots about."
"Were you down on the lower landing just now?" said Mr. Brown, with compressed fury.
William considered this question silently for a few seconds, then spoke up brightly and innocently.
"I dunno, Father. You see, some folks walk in their sleep and when they wake up they dunno where they've bin. Why, I've heard of a man walkin' down a fire escape in his sleep, and then he woke up and couldn't think how he'd got to be there where he was. You see, he didn't know he'd walked down all them steps sound asleep, and——"
"Be quiet," thundered his father. "What in the name of——what on earth are you doing making your bed in the middle of the night? Are you insane?"
"No Father, I'm not insane. My sheet just fell off me in the night and I got out to pick it up. I must of bin a bit restless, I suppose. Sheets come off easy when folks is restless in bed, and they don't know anythin' about it till they wake up jus' same as sleep walkin'. Why, I've heard of folks——"
"Be quiet——!"
"Look at him," said Mr. Brown, pointing at the meek-looking William.
"He plays Rugger up and down the passage with the boots all night and then he begins to make his bed. He's mad. He's——"
William turned his calm gaze upon him.
"I wasn't playin' Rugger with the boots, Father," he said, patiently.
Mrs. Brown laid her hand soothingly65 upon her husband's arm.
"You know, dear," she said, gently, "a house is always full of noises at night. Basket chairs creaking——"
Mr. Brown's face grew purple.
"Basket chairs——!" he exploded, violently, but allowed himself to be led unresisting from the room.
William finished his bed-making with his usual frown of concentration, then, lying down, fell at once into the deep sleep of childish innocence66.
But Cousin Mildred was lying awake, a blissful smile upon her lips. She, too, was now one of the elect, the chosen. Her rather deaf ears had caught the sound of supernatural thunder as her ghostly visitant departed, and she had beamed with ecstatic joy.
"Honk," she murmured, dreamily. "Honk, Yonk, Ponk."
William felt rather tired the next evening. Cousin Mildred had departed leaving him a handsome present of a large box of chocolates. William had consumed these with undue67 haste in view of possible maternal68 interference. His broken night was telling upon his spirits. He felt distinctly depressed69 and saw the world through jaundiced eyes. He sat in the shrubbery, his chin in his hand, staring moodily70 at the adoring mongrel, Jumble71.
"It's a rotten world," he said, gloomily. "I've took a lot of trouble over her and she goes and makes me feel sick with chocolates."
Jumble wagged his tail, sympathetically.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
engrossed
|
|
| adj.全神贯注的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
reposed
|
|
| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
munching
|
|
| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
awakened
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
rattling
|
|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
beckoned
|
|
| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
crumbs
|
|
| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
winding
|
|
| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
enthralled
|
|
| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
bin
|
|
| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
apparition
|
|
| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
intrepid
|
|
| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
irritably
|
|
| ad.易生气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
draught
|
|
| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
freckled
|
|
| adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
dignified
|
|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
psychic
|
|
| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
illegible
|
|
| adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
vindictive
|
|
| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
imprisoned
|
|
| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
intervals
|
|
| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
amiable
|
|
| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
laconically
|
|
| adv.简短地，简洁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
judicially
|
|
| 依法判决地，公平地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
discreet
|
|
| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
manifestation
|
|
| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
deference
|
|
| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
humbly
|
|
| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
puckered
|
|
| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
reassuringly
|
|
| ad.安心，可靠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
humility
|
|
| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
constrained
|
|
| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
embarrassment
|
|
| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
juvenile
|
|
| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
awe
|
|
| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
ascent
|
|
| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
nonplussed
|
|
| adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
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： |
|
|
|
|
51
rattled
|
|
| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
groaning
|
|
| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
plunge
|
|
| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
honk
|
|
| n.雁叫声，汽车喇叭声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
ardently
|
|
| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
wrestled
|
|
| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
placid
|
|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
slumbers
|
|
| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
quail
|
|
| n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
wrath
|
|
| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
soothingly
|
|
| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
innocence
|
|
| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
undue
|
|
| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
maternal
|
|
| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
depressed
|
|
| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
moodily
|
|
| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
jumble
|
|
| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |