32 AND A VOICE

 “Can you hear me, little Miss Harris?” The voice came from the dusky shed, high up against the wall.

 

But the child did not turn her head. “Yes—Mr. Achilles—I can hear you very well,” she said softly.

 

“Don’t look this way,” said the voice. “Get down and look at the chickens—and listen to what I tell you.”

 

The child dropped obediently to her knees, her head a little bent¹, her face toward the open light outside.

 

The woman, going about her work in the kitchen, looked out and saw her and nodded to her kindly—

 

The child’s lips made a little smile in return. They were very pale.

 

“I come to take you home,” said the voice. It was full of tenderness and Betty Harris bent her head, a great wave of homesickness sweeping² across her.

 

“I can’t go, Mr. Achilles.” It was like a sob³. “I can’t go. They will kill you. I heard them. They will kill anybody—that comes—!” She spoke⁴ in swift little whispers—and waited. “Can you hear me say it?” she asked. “Can you hear me say it, Mr. Achilles?”

 

“I hear it—yes.” The voice of Achilles laughed a little. “They will not kill—little lady, and you go home—with me—to-night.” The voice dropped down from its high place and comforted her.

 

She reached out little hands to the chickens and laughed tremulously. “I am afraid,” she said softly, “I am afraid!”

 

But the low voice, up in the dusk, steadied her and gave her swift commands—and repeated them—till she crept from the dim shed into the light and stood up—blinking a little—and looked about her—and laughed happily.

 

And the woman came to the door and smiled at her. “You must come in,” she called.

 

“Yes—Mrs. Seabury—” The child darted⁵ back into the shed and gathered up the spoon and basin from the board and looked about her swiftly. In the slatted box, the mother hen clucked drowsily⁶, and wise cheeps from beneath her wings answered bravely. The child glanced at the box, and up at the dusky boards of the shed, peering far in the dimness. But there was no one—not even a voice—just the high, tumbled pile of boards—and the few nests along the wall and the mother hen clucking cosily⁷ behind her slats—and the wise little cheeps.

 

 

1 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

4 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：

• 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。

5 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 drowsily   

adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地

参考例句：

• She turned drowsily on her side, a slow creeping blackness enveloping her mind. 她半睡半醒地翻了个身，一片缓缓蠕动的黑暗渐渐将她的心包围起来。 来自飘（部分）
• I felt asleep drowsily before I knew it. 不知过了多久，我曚扙地睡着了。 来自互联网

7 cosily   

adv.舒适地，惬意地

参考例句：

• Its snow-white houses nestle cosily in a sea of fresh green vegetation. 雪白的房屋舒适地筑在一片翠绿的草木中。 来自辞典例句