CHAPTER VIII THE OLD LADY WHO DIDN’T LIKE DOGS

 Are you scared of thunder storms? I am, too. Well, not exactly scared, maybe, but I—I don’t like them very well. I don’t mind the lightning so much, but the thunder is very noisy and it affects my nerves. I am quite a nervous dog. All highly-bred dogs are nervous, you know. And when you can trace your family back for dozens of years, the way I can, you have every right to dislike thunder. Perhaps you didn’t know I had such a long pedigree? Mother told us all about it once. We are descended¹ from Hansel von Konigsberg, who was the Champion of all Germany for many years and quite the finest dachshund that ever lived. He won all sorts of prizes wherever he was shown and was a very fine, proud dog. Every one in Germany knows about Hansel von Konigsberg. Mother says it is a fine thing to be descended from such a dog and that I should always try to live up to it. Well, that isn’t telling about the time I got under the bed in the guest-room when there was a thunder storm, is it?

 

There were visitors at the house, and one was an elderly lady who wore a black silk dress and had her eye-glasses on a little stick. When she saw us puppies she held the glasses up to her eyes and looked at us just as though we were something quite strange. “Dear me,” she said, “what ugly little things. What are they?” The Master laughed and told her we were dachshund puppies. “You mean they’re dogs?” she asked. “Why, they look like alligators²! Don’t let them come near me, please. I never could stand dogs, anyway, and these are quite—quite disgusting!”

 

Neither Freya or I knew then what an alligator³ was, but we didn’t like the sound of it. Besides, she had said we were ugly and disgusting. So I looked at Freya and Freya looked at me and we made a rush for the Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs and jumped all over her. Of course we made believe we were awfully⁴ pleased to see her, but we weren’t. She gave a screech⁶ and dropped her eye-glasses. They were on a black ribbon, though, and so they didn’t break. But I got the ribbon in my teeth and laid back and pulled and growled⁸, and Freya took hold of the old lady’s skirt and shook it. And all the time the old lady said “Shoo! Shoo, you nasty little brutes⁹! Oh, somebody take them away!”

 

So the Master caught me and made believe spank¹⁰ me and the Mistress caught Freya and told her she was a naughty dog, and we both ran off, making believe we were very sorry and scared, and the old lady hurried into the house.

 

 

Afterward¹¹ Freya and I laid down under the lilac hedge and talked it over. We decided¹² that we didn’t like the old lady and that we’d wait there until she came out again to see the garden and then we’d make another dash for her and scare her again. But she didn’t come back and it was pretty hot and so we both fell fast asleep there.

 

When we woke up it was quite late in the afternoon and the sky was cloudy and there was a rumbly noise that sounded like thunder. Freya whined¹³ and said she was afraid. I told her not to be a silly; that thunder never hurt any one. She said the lightning might, though, and she was going to the stable and crawl under the hay. She wanted me to go with her, but of course it would not have done to let Freya think I was frightened too, and so I said, No, I was going to stay where I was. Freya ran to the stable and just when she got to it there was a most awful crash of thunder and I forgot how brave I was and looked for a place to hide.

 

Well, William had taken the screen-door off that morning, to mend a place Freya and I had torn in the wire, and the other door happened to be open. So I looked around very carefully and then ran into the big room. Just then there was more thunder and a flash of lightning and I hid under the couch. But I knew that wouldn’t do because some one would surely find me there and put me out. So I listened and didn’t hear any one and went upstairs very quietly. And when I got to the top of the stairs there was a door open and I went in and crept under the bed. It was nice and dark there and I couldn’t see the lightning. But every time it thundered I trembled and whined and had a pretty bad time of it. I could hear the rain drumming on the tin roof outside, and it seemed to me that the storm lasted for hours. But after a while it stopped and the thunder got farther and farther away and at last it died out in little growls¹⁴ and grumbles¹⁵ and I rolled over on my side and went to sleep, quite worn out.

 

When I awoke I heard some one moving around in the room and just to be friendly I thumped¹⁶ my tail on the floor. Then some one came near the bed and looked under. It was too dark to see who the person was, but I thumped harder than before, and, will you believe it, it was that Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs! She gave a most horrible scream and just flew through the door into the hall. Why, she almost scared me out of a year’s growth! She cried “Help! Help! There’s some one under my bed!” and I heard the Master shout from his room and come running. And the first thing I knew the room was full of folks and the old lady was telling how she had heard a noise and had looked down and seen two “fierce yellow eyes glaring at her.” Delia shouted “’Tis a burglar, mum! We’ll all be murdered, sir!” But the Master told her to be quiet.

 

“I dare say it is only the cat,” he said, and then he knelt down and looked under the bed and I thumped my tail harder than ever and the Master sat right down on the floor and laughed and laughed! Then the Mistress said:

 

“What is it, George? Do stop that silly laughing! Is it Ju-ju?”

 

So the Master reached in and pulled me out by the scruff of my neck and held me up. “Here’s your burglar,” he said. And then they all laughed; all except the Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs. She was very angry about it.

 

“I am glad you all think it so funny,” she said with a sniff¹⁷. “For my part I fail to see the humour. And what is more I refuse to remain in a house where I am to be pestered¹⁸ by dogs and scared out of my wits every minute. I’m thankful my trunk is not fully⁵ unpacked¹⁹.”

 

But she didn’t go, after all, for which Freya and I were sorry. And even though we stayed around the house a lot in the hope that she would come out so we could run at her and jump on her, she didn’t once set her foot off the piazza²⁰, and all we could do was get close to the screen and growl⁷ at her. The Mistress said: “It’s too bad you don’t like dogs, Miss Mumford, they’re such company for one, and living alone as you do a dog would be a great comfort to you. Just see the little dears begging to be let in. Wasn’t it funny how they took to you at once the day you came? They seem quite fond of you.”

 

And the Mistress glanced at me and then smiled at the thing she was sewing on. And Freya and I looked at each other and laughed. And the Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs said “Humph!” Just like that.

 

1 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

2 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

3 alligator   

n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)

参考例句：

• She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

4 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。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

7 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

8 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 brutes   

兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性

参考例句：

• They're not like dogs; they're hideous brutes. 它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。
• Suddenly the foul musty odour of the brutes struck his nostrils. 突然，他的鼻尖闻到了老鼠的霉臭味。 来自英汉文学

10 spank   

v.打，拍打(在屁股上)

参考例句：

• Be careful.If you don't work hard,I'll spank your bottom.你再不好好学习，小心被打屁股。
• He does it very often.I really get mad.I can't help spank him sometimes.他经常这样做。我很气愤。有时候我忍不住打他的屁股。

11 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

14 growls   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• The dog growls at me. 狗向我狂吠。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The loudest growls have echoed around emerging markets and commodities. 熊嚎之声响彻新兴的市场与商品。 来自互联网

15 grumbles   

抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。
• I'm sick of your unending grumbles. 我对你的不断埋怨感到厌烦。

16 thumped   

v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
• He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。

17 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

18 pestered   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Journalists pestered neighbours for information. 记者缠着邻居打听消息。
• The little girl pestered the travellers for money. 那个小女孩缠着游客要钱。

19 unpacked   

v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李，整理衣物。
• Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒，并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句

20 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。