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CHAPTER IV AN UNEXPECTED CALL
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"WELL, as Peter Perry has said he didn't mean to insult you, I wouldn't think any more about it if I were you," said Nellie, after her brother had told her of his meeting in the lane with Peter: "about the shilling of course I mean. I dare say he's sorry enough he offered it to you now."
 
"Oh, yes, I'm sure he is that!" Tom answered. "He was sorry, I expect, as soon as I flung it back at him. But, Nellie, he must be a dreadful fraud, mustn't he?"
 
"A dreadful fraud?"
 
"Yes—to pretend he hadn't recognised me that day in the town, and—"
 
"Perhaps he cannot remember faces," the little girl put in eagerly; "you may depend that's it! Didn't you say he told you he had been hoping to meet you?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Well, he wouldn't have said that if he'd known he'd meet you, would he?"
 
"I don't know. Perhaps not. He certainly looked as though he was speaking the truth."
 
Tom, on his return home, had found Nellie in the yard at the back of the house, where it was cool and shady on this hot August day. She was reclining in a hammock chair, and had been listlessly looking over a picture-book which had not interested her much; her thin little face had brightened when her brother joined her, and it was now expressive1 of eager attention.
 
"I think there is something very odd about him," Tom continued, his mind still dwelling2 on Peter Perry; "I can't understand him at all. One thing I am sure of, and that is that he is a coward; he was in a regular panic of fear at the idea of the dogs going for each other again."
 
"Well, it's dreadful to see a dog-fight," Nellie remarked, with a shudder3; "I know it makes me shake all over, and—"
 
"But then you're a girl!" Tom broke in. "If you were a boy you wouldn't feel like that!"
 
"I believe I should! And dogs make such a frightful4 noise when they fight!"
 
Tom laughed. "The noise does no harm, Nellie. Yes, in my opinion Peter Perry's a coward. And fancy a boy as big as I am promising5 not to go out alone! Ah, I haven't told you about that!"
 
"No. Tell me, Tom, do."
 
He repeated the snatch of conversation he had overheard when passing Halcyon6 Villa7 on his way home, whilst she listened with amazement8.
 
"That does seem very strange," she remarked, "for he looks quite able to take care of himself, doesn't he? Perhaps he gave his aunt the promise to please her, because she wished it; if that was it of course it was very nice and kind of him."
 
"Oh, very!" Tom replied sarcastically9. Then he quickly changed the conversation by telling his sister of his visit to Hatwell Green, and made her laugh about Zingra and Tim, concluding with: "I do wish you had been with me, Nellie!"
 
Nellie wished so, too, but she did not say so, only heaved a deep, deep sigh. At that minute Mrs. Burford appeared at the back door of the house, and called to her little daughter to come in and see Dr. Brewer10.
 
"May I come as well, Mother?" requested Tom, for he was eager to hear the doctor's opinion of Nellie.
 
"No, Tom," she answered; adding, "I do not expect Dr. Brewer will keep Nellie long."
 
So Tom remained in the yard, feeling very anxious, and tormenting11 himself by the fear that the doctor might discover there was something really seriously amiss with his sister. A quarter of an hour dragged by, then Nellie, looking, to his intense joy and relief, smiling and hopeful, returned.
 
"Dr. Brewer says he believes he has thought of something which will make me quite strong again," she informed him gleefully; "but I shan't have it just yet because he has to write about it—send away for it, I suppose."
 
"Oh!" exclaimed Tom, very puzzled. Then suddenly he comprehended the situation. Dr. Brewer meant that Nellie should be sent to Broadstairs.
 
"I hope," added the little girl, "that it won't be a very expensive medicine, because already I've cost Father so much."
 
Mr. Burford came home to dinner at mid-day, and, later, Tom again walked to the bank with him. Mr. Burford had had a few words in private with his wife, and he told Tom that it had been decided12 that Nellie was to go to Broadstairs, if possible, in September.
 
"I shall return and spend the afternoon with her, now," Tom said to himself, as soon as he had parted from his father at the bank door. "Oh, how dreadfully we shall miss her when she's gone!"
 
A quarter of an hour later Nellie, who had settled herself in an easy chair close to the window in the sitting-room13, so that she could see the passers-by in the street, perceived her brother hurrying along towards home. The first glimpse of his countenance14, which she could read like an open book, told her that something had happened to rouse his naturally quick temper, and she looked at him with an expression of inquiry15 in her eyes when, a very few minutes later, he burst noisily into her presence. "He's done it again!" he cried; "yes, he's actually dared—dared to do it again! This time I met him face to face—I was so close to him that I could have touched him!"
 
"Him? Who?" questioned Nellie. "Oh, do you mean that boy, Peter Perry?" There was sudden understanding in her tone.
 
"Of course I do! No one but Peter Perry would have treated me so—so abominably16 as that! After speaking to me as he did, this morning, too! It's no good trying to make excuses for him now, Nellie! I met him on the pavement, walking arm in arm with his aunt, and he neither looked at me nor spoke17 to me. I might have been— I might have been—"
 
The boy broke off, fairly choking with anger. There was a brief silence, during which Nellie, looking deeply concerned, watched him with kind eyes, then he went on:
 
"You can't think how I hate him—the cad! Oh, it is awful—awful to be treated with such contempt! Oh, look!—there he is again!"
 
"Where?" cried Nellie, leaning forward in her chair to gaze out of the window.
 
Tom pulled forward one of the lace curtains, and through it the sister and brother looked out at Peter Perry and his aunt, who were walking on the other side of the street. When they came directly opposite the house Miss Perry said something to her nephew, with whom she was still arm in arm; whereupon they immediately stepped off the pavement and crossed the road. A few moments later there was a knock at the front door of the house.
 
"Why, they've come here!" cried Tom, flushing scarlet18; "they've made a mistake!—come to the wrong place!"
 
"Mother is out," Nellie said, "and Jane's dressing—I heard her go upstairs not many minutes ago, so she can't be ready to answer the door yet. One of us will have to do it."
 
"I shan't!" Tom declared. "Let them wait till Jane comes down."
 
Jane was the maid-of-all-work, a good-natured girl who had been living with the Burfords for nearly two years.
 
"Perhaps I had better go," said Nellie, rising; "Jane will think me unkind if I don't. Besides, I should like to know what Miss Perry wants; she may not have made a mistake."
 
The little girl left the room, full of curiosity. Tom followed her into the passage, where he subsequently stood, watching and listening, his lips firmly compressed, a frown on his face.
 
Nellie opened the door, and, as she had expected, found herself confronted by Peter Perry and his aunt. The latter smiled at her in a friendly fashion, and inquired: "Mrs. Burford lives here, does she not?"
 
"Yes," Nellie answered; "but she's out—she's gone shopping. Did you want particularly to see her?"
 
"I wanted her to give me the character of a servant, Jane Fry, who has offered herself to me as a plain cook. Please tell your Mother I will write."
 
"Oh, yes, I will! I knew Jane was looking out for a situation as a cook. She thinks she should be earning higher wages than we pay her, and Mother thinks so, too. I'm so sorry Mother isn't here, but she won't be away long, I know. Wouldn't you like to come in and wait for her?"
 
Miss Perry thanked Nellie for her suggestion, and said that she would. Accordingly, she and her nephew, both looking very smiling, entered the house. As Nellie ushered19 them along the passage and into the little used drawing-room, Tom slipped by them and out of the front door, which he closed after him with a bang.
 
"Nellie doesn't care how badly I'm served," he told himself, wrathfully; "it's nothing to her how I'm slighted and insulted! Just because Miss Perry smiled at her and spoke pleasantly, she was won over at once. She won't like it when she finds I'm gone! Serve her right! Did she expect me to stay and be civil to Peter Perry, I wonder? I longed—yes, longed—to kick him out of the house!"
 
He took his cap from one of his coat-pockets, where he often kept it, put it on his head, and walked away in the direction of the country, never pausing till he found himself in the wood through which he had passed with Tim but a few hours before. There he flung himself full length on the mossy ground under the welcome shade of a huge beech20 tree, and gave himself up to nursing his grievances21. He felt exceedingly annoyed with Nellie.
 
"And I had intended to spend the whole afternoon with her, and to be as nice and kind to her as I could possibly be," he reflected; "but of course she didn't know that. I wonder what she'll talk about to those Perrys! Oh, dear, I do wish I had Tim with me for company; he's with Mother, I expect."
 
It was a very hot afternoon, and by and by Tom began to feel very drowsy22. His eyes had closed, and he was nearly asleep when the excited "Yap, yap, yap!" of a dog sounded not far distant, and he sat up quickly, suddenly very wide awake indeed. Could it be Tim he heard? No, that was not Tim's voice, but one much deeper. Nearer it came, then a rabbit scudded23 close by him, pursued by an Irish terrier—no other than Peter Perry's dog, Bounce.
 
"Bounce! Bounce!" cried Tom, springing to his feet. "He has got off by himself," he thought; "I suppose I'd better try to catch him and take him home. It won't do to leave him here, perhaps to get trapped."
 
By this time the dog had disappeared. A few minutes later, Tom discovered him digging at a rabbit hole, and knew he had lost his quarry24; he was without a collar, and in a great state of heat.
 
"I don't know why I should bother to take him home," Tom muttered, as he stood watching him; "and I don't suppose he would follow me. Here, Bounce, Bounce!"
 
But Bounce took no notice. He continued digging, now and again uttering a whine25 of excitement, and pausing occasionally to sniff26 into the hole to assure himself the rabbit was still there. Tom searched his pockets and found a piece of string; he looked at it with a frown.
 
"I could lead him by this," he thought, "but I won't—no, I won't! I won't interfere27 with him, and I hope—yes, I hope he will stay here for hours, so that his master will think he is lost! I will mind my own business! I will let the dog go! Dig away, Bounce, to your heart's content!"
 
He turned on his heel and walked off. Half an hour later he arrived at home. As he shut the front door behind him, Nellie came downstairs. "Oh, why did you go away?" she cried. "I'm so sorry you did! Listen! You mustn't be angry with Peter Perry any longer! He didn't see you—he couldn't see you, because—oh, isn't it sad?— because he is blind—quite, quite blind!"

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
2 dwelling auzzQk     
n.住宅,住所,寓所
参考例句:
  • Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
  • He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。
3 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
4 frightful Ghmxw     
adj.可怕的;讨厌的
参考例句:
  • How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊!
  • We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。
5 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
6 halcyon 8efx7     
n.平静的,愉快的
参考例句:
  • He yearned for the halcyon day sof his childhood.他怀念儿时宁静幸福的日子。
  • He saw visions of a halcyon future.他看到了将来的太平日子的幻境。
7 villa xHayI     
n.别墅,城郊小屋
参考例句:
  • We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
  • We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。
8 amazement 7zlzBK     
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 sarcastically sarcastically     
adv.挖苦地,讽刺地
参考例句:
  • 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
  • Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她,讽刺地鞠了一躬。
10 brewer brewer     
n. 啤酒制造者
参考例句:
  • Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
  • I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职,做一名酿酒人。
11 tormenting 6e14ac649577fc286f6d088293b57895     
使痛苦的,使苦恼的
参考例句:
  • He took too much pleasure in tormenting an ugly monster called Caliban. 他喜欢一味捉弄一个名叫凯列班的丑妖怪。
  • The children were scolded for tormenting animals. 孩子们因折磨动物而受到责骂。
12 decided lvqzZd     
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 sitting-room sitting-room     
n.(BrE)客厅,起居室
参考例句:
  • The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
  • Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。
14 countenance iztxc     
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同
参考例句:
  • At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
  • I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地,仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
15 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
参考例句:
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
16 abominably 71996a6a63478f424db0cdd3fd078878     
adv. 可恶地,可恨地,恶劣地
参考例句:
  • From her own point of view Barbara had behaved abominably. 在她看来,芭芭拉的表现是恶劣的。
  • He wanted to know how abominably they could behave towards him. 他希望能知道他们能用什么样的卑鄙手段来对付他。
17 spoke XryyC     
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:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
18 scarlet zD8zv     
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的
参考例句:
  • The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
  • The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了,深红的颜色变成了绯红,绯红又变为浅红。
19 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 beech uynzJF     
n.山毛榉;adj.山毛榉的
参考例句:
  • Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory.秋天是观赏山毛榉林的最佳时期。
  • Exasperated,he leaped the stream,and strode towards beech clump.他满腔恼怒,跳过小河,大踏步向毛榉林子走去。
21 grievances 3c61e53d74bee3976a6674a59acef792     
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚
参考例句:
  • The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 drowsy DkYz3     
adj.昏昏欲睡的,令人发困的
参考例句:
  • Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉,还引起了头疼。
  • I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。
23 scudded c462f8ea5bb84e37045ac6f3ce9c5bfc     
v.(尤指船、舰或云彩)笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • White clouds scudded across the sky. 白云在天空疾驰而过。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Clouds scudded across the sky driven by high winds. 劲风吹着飞云掠过天空。 来自辞典例句
24 quarry ASbzF     
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找
参考例句:
  • Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
  • This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。
25 whine VMNzc     
v.哀号,号哭;n.哀鸣
参考例句:
  • You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
  • The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上,一声尖厉的呼啸,跳飞开去。
26 sniff PF7zs     
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。
27 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。


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