36 THE TELEPHONE AGAIN

 In the middle of the square, Achilles stopped—a lighted sign had caught his eye. He hurried the child across the blur¹ of tracks to the sign, and opened a door softly. A sleepy exchange-girl looked up and waited while Achilles’s dark fingers searched the page and turned to her—“Main—four-four-seven—”

 

She drawled sleepily after him—“Go in there—number four.”

 

Achilles, with the child’s hand in his, entered the booth and closed the door. Little noises clicked about them—queer meanings whispered—and waited—and moved off—the whole night-life of the great city stirred in the little cage.... “Go ahead—four!” called the girl lazily.

 

Achilles lifted the black tube. The child beside him pressed close, her eyes fixed² on the tube. Achilles’s words ran swift on the wire, and her eager face held them—other words came back—sharp—swift. And the child heard them crackle, and leap, and break and crackle again in the misty³ depths—and she touched Achilles’s arm softly—“They must not hurt Mrs. Seabury—?” she said. “You tell them not to hurt Mrs. Seabury!”

 

Achilles’s hand pressed her shoulder gently. “Yes—I tell—they know.” It was a swift aside—and his voice had taken up the tale—“That woman—you not take that woman.... You hear? Yes—she good woman!”

 

“Tell them to look in the cellar!” said Betty. She had pressed closer, on tiptoe. “There is a hole there—under a barrel—and a barrel in the garden. You tell them—”

 

His eye dropped to her. “In cellar? You say that?”

 

“Yes—yes—” Her hands were clasped. “They took me there! You tell them!”

 

Achilles’s eye smiled. “Hallo—you look in cellar!... What you say?—no—I don’t see it. But you look in cellar—yes! They make tunnel—yes!” He hung up the receiver and took her hand. “Now we go home,” he said.

 

They passed swiftly out, dropping payment—into a sleepy, unseeing palm—and crossing the square to the car that should carry them home. There were no delays now—only swift-running wheels... a few jolts⁴ and stops—and they were out again, beneath the stars, hurrying along the great breakwater of the lake—hurrying home.... The big, red-brown house thrust itself up—its gables reaching to thin blackness—and, suddenly, as they looked, it was touched lightly, as with a great finger, and the dawn glowed mistily⁵ up the walls.

 

They crossed swiftly and mounted the steps, between the lions, the child’s feet stumbling a little as they went, but Achilles’s hand held fast and his touch on the bell summoned hurrying feet... there was a fumbling⁶ at the chains—a swift, cautious creak, and the door swung back. “Who is it?” said a voice that peered out. The dawn touched his face grotesquely⁷.

 

“It’s me!” said the child. “It’s Betty Harris, Conner.”

 

The man’s face fell back. Then he darted⁸ forward and glared at the child—through the mysterious, dawning light—on the dark, tender face and the little lip that trembled—looking up—“My God!” he said. He had darted from them.

 

The door was open wide and the two glided⁹ in silently, and stood in the emptiness. Achilles led the child to a great divan¹⁰ across the hall and placed her beside him—her little feet were crossed in the rough shoes and her hands hung listless.

 

Behind a velvet¹¹ curtain, the butler’s voice called frantic¹² words—a telephone bell rang sharply and whirred and rang a long fierce call and the butler’s voice took it up and flung it back—“Yes, sir. She’s here! Yes, sir—that’s what I said—she’s a-settin’ here, sir—on the sofa—with the furriner—yes, sir!” He put his head around the velvet curtain. “Will you speak to your father, Miss?”

 

His awe-struck hand held the receiver and he helped the strange, little figure to its seat in front of the ’phone. She put the tube to her lips. “Hallo, Daddy. Yes, it’s Betty.... Mr. Achilles brought me, father.... Yes—yes—your little Betty—yes—and I’m all ri-i-ght....” The receiver dropped from her fingers. She had buried her face in her arms and was sobbing¹³ softly.

1 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

4 jolts   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He found that out when he got a few terrific jolts, but he wouldn't give up. 被狠狠地撞回来几次后，他发觉了这一点，但他决不因此罢休。
• Some power bars are loaded with carbohydrates or caffeine for quick jolts. 有些能量条中包含大量的碳水化合物和咖啡因，以达到快速提神的效果。

5 mistily   

adv.有雾地，朦胧地，不清楚地

参考例句：

• My wife is patting Run'er inside the house, murmuring lullaby mistily. 妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。 来自互联网
• Bits of tulle and fuzzy yarn hang mistily from the rafters. 房间的椽条上缠着薄纱和毛茸茸的纱线。 来自互联网

6 fumbling   

n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理

参考例句：

• If he actually managed to the ball instead of fumbling it with an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。
• If he actually managed to secure the ball instead of fumbling it awkwardly an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-50提议有时。他从off-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。

7 grotesquely   

adv. 奇异地,荒诞地

参考例句：

• Her arched eyebrows and grotesquely powdered face were at once seductive and grimly overbearing. 眉棱棱着，在一脸的怪粉上显出妖媚而霸道。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Two faces grotesquely disfigured in nylon stocking masks looked through the window. 2张戴尼龙长袜面罩的怪脸望着窗外。

8 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》

9 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 divan   

n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集

参考例句：

• Lord Henry stretched himself out on the divan and laughed.亨利勋爵伸手摊脚地躺在沙发椅上，笑着。
• She noticed that Muffat was sitting resignedly on a narrow divan-bed.她看见莫法正垂头丧气地坐在一张不宽的坐床上。

11 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

12 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

13 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。