6 Travelling far

　　6
　　Travelling far
　　Bill had told the children exactly where to wait for him at Euston Station, so, each carrying a bagand a mackintosh, they went to the spot.
　　They stood there waiting. ‘Suppose,’ said Philip, in a mysterious voice, ‘just suppose that one ofthe gang that Bill is after, knew Bill was going to meet us here – and came up and told us he wasBill – and took us all off with him, so that we were never heard of again!’
　　Poor Lucy-Ann stared at him in the greatest alarm. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
　　‘Oh, Philip – do you think that might happen? Gracious, I hope to goodness we recognise Billwhen we see him. I shall be scared stiff of going with him if we don’t.’
　　A very fat man approached them, smiling. He was big all over, big head, big body, big feet –and big teeth that showed when he smiled. Lucy-Ann felt her heart sink. This couldn’t be Bill!
　　Nobody could make himself as big as that, if he wasn’t fat to begin with. She clutched Philip’shand. Was it one of the gang?
　　‘Little girl,’ said the big man to Lucy-Ann, ‘you’ve dropped your mackintosh behind you.
　　You’ll lose it if you don’t pick it up.’
　　Lucy-Ann had gone pale when he first began to speak. Then she looked round and saw her macon the ground. She picked it up. Then, scarlet¹ in the face, she stammered² out a few words ofthanks.
　　The big man smiled again, showing all his fine teeth. ‘Don’t look so scared,’ he said. ‘I shan’teat you!’
　　‘He looks just as if he might,’ thought Lucy-Ann, retreating behind Jack³.
　　‘Pop goes the weasel,’ said Kiki, in a polite conversational⁴ tone. ‘Pop, pop, pop!’
　　‘What a remarkably⁵ clever bird!’ said the big man, and put out his hand to pat Kiki. She gavehim a vicious nip with her beak⁶, and then whistled like an engine.
　　The big man’s smile vanished and he scowled⁷. ‘Dangerous bird, that,’ he said, and disappearedinto the crowd. The children were relieved. They didn’t think, of course, that he was one of thegang – that had only been Philip’s make-up – but they were worried in case he kept them talking,and prevented Bill from coming up and fetching them.
　　They stood there, under the clock, looking all round for Bill. They couldn’t see anyone evenremotely resembling him. Then a rather shambling, round-shouldered man came up, wearing thickglasses through which his eyes peered sharply.
　　He wore a thick long coat, had field-glasses slung⁸ across his back, and a curious black-checkedcap. He also had a black beard. But he spoke⁹ in Bill’s voice.
　　‘Good evening, children. I am glad to see you are punctual. Now at last we start on our littleexpedition.’
　　Lucy-Ann beamed. That was Bill’s nice warm voice all right, in spite of the beard and thestrange get-up. She was just about to fling herself on him, crying, ‘Oh, Bill, it’s good to see you,’
　　when Jack, feeling sure that Lucy-Ann was going to do something impulsive¹⁰ like that, pushed heraway and held out his hand politely.
　　‘Good evening, Dr Walker. How are you?’
　　The others took their cue from Jack, and anyone looking on would have thought that here werefour children greeting a tutor or a guardian¹¹ who was going to take them on a journey somewhere.
　　‘Come this way,’ said Dr Walker. ‘I have a porter for your things. Hey, porter, put these bags onyour barrow, will you, and find our reservations in the ten o’clock train. Thank you.’
　　It wasn’t long before they were all safely on the night train. The children were thrilled with theirlittle ‘bedrooms’. Lucy- Ann liked the way everything could fold down or fold back, or besomehow pushed out of the way.
　　‘Now, you must sleep all night,’ said Bill, his eyes smiling at them from behind his thickglasses. ‘Dr Walker will see that you are awake in time for breakfast.’
　　‘How do we get to the place we’re going to, and where exactly is it?’ asked Jack.
　　‘Well, we get there by this train and another, and then by motor-boat,’ said Bill. The childrenlooked thrilled. They loved travelling.
　　‘I’ve got a map here,’ said Bill, making sure that the door was shut. ‘It’s a map of all the manylittle islands dotted off the north-west coast of Scotland – hundreds of them. Some are too small tomap. I don’t expect anyone has ever visited all of them – only the birds live there. I thought we’dmake one of them our headquarters, and then cruise around a bit, taking photographs, andwatching the birds in their daily life.’
　　The eyes of the two boys gleamed. What a glorious thing to do! They visualised days ofsunshine on the water, chugging to and from tiny islands inhabited by half-tame birds, picnickinghungrily in the breeze, sitting on rocks with their feet dangling¹² in the clear water. Their heartslifted in happiness at the thought.
　　‘What I should really like,’ said Philip, ‘would be a tame puffin or two. I’ve never seen a livepuffin – only a stuffed one – but they look real characters.’
　　‘I suppose you would teach them to sit up and beg,’ said Bill, amused.
　　‘Huffin and puffin,’ announced Kiki. ‘God save the Queen.’
　　Nobody took any notice. They were all too much absorbed in thinking of the unusual holiday.
　　‘I shall remain behind there, once you have gone back,’ said Bill. ‘It’ll be a bit lonely withoutyou all, but no doubt you will leave me your tame puffins for company.’
　　‘I shall hate leaving you,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Will you have to be there all alone for long, Bill?’
　　‘A goodish time, I expect,’ said Bill. ‘Long enough for my enemies to forget about me, or tothink I’m dead and gone.’
　　‘Oh dear!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I wish you didn’t have to lead such a dangerous life, Bill. Can’t youdo something else instead?’
　　‘What? Be a gardener, or a tram conductor or something safe like that, do you mean?’ askedBill, grinning at Lucy-Ann’s serious face. ‘No, Lucy-Ann – this kind of life suits me. I’m on theside of law and order and right – and to my mind they’re worth while running any risk for. Evil isstrong and powerful, but I’m strong and powerful too, and it’s good to try one’s strength againstbad men and their ways.’
　　‘Well, I think you’re marvellous,’ said Lucy-Ann stoutly¹³. ‘And I’m sure you’ll always win.
　　Don’t you hate having to hide now?’
　　‘I’m furious about it,’ said Bill, looking anything but furious, but with a note in his voice thatmade the others realise how desperate he felt, having to ‘disappear’ when there was work to bedone, ‘but – order are orders. And anyway, my disappearance¹⁴ means a perfectly¹⁵ glorious holidayfor all of us. Well, boys, have you finished studying that map?’
　　The two boys had been poring over the map of islands. Jack put his finger on one. ‘Look – thatsounds a good one – the Isle¹⁶ of Wings – it must be full of birds!’
　　‘We’ll try and go there,’ said Bill. ‘We shall probably get well and truly lost, but never mind.
　　Who minds being lost on the blue-green sea in May-time, with all kinds of little enchanted¹⁷ islandsready to welcome you?’
　　‘It sounds glorious,’ said Dinah. ‘Oh, look at Kiki. She’s trying to pull the plug off its chain inthat basin.’
　　Kiki had thoroughly¹⁸ explored the whole of the ‘bedroom’, and had had a good drink out of oneof the water decanters. Now she settled down on the little towel-rail and, with a remarkably humanyawn, put her head under her wing. At the same moment there came a loud banging of doors alldown the train. She took her head out again.
　　‘Shut the door,’ she remarked. ‘Pop goes the door. Send for the doctor.’
　　The whistle blew, and to Kiki’s alarm the whole ‘bedroom’ suddenly shook as the train pulledout of the station. She almost fell off the towel-rail.
　　‘Poor Kiki, what a pity, what a pity!’ she said, and flew to Jack’s shoulder.
　　‘Now it’s time we all retired¹⁹ to bed and to sleep,’ said Bill, getting up. He looked very queer inhis black beard and thick glasses. Thank goodness he had taken off the awful black-checked cap.
　　‘Do two of us sleep here, or four of us?’ asked Lucy-Ann, looking doubtfully at the small beds,one on each side of the ‘bedroom’.
　　‘Two of us,’ said Bill. ‘I’ve got a single room on the right of you – and to the right again isanother compartment²⁰, or room, for the two boys. I’m in the middle of you, you see – and you’veonly to bang hard on the wooden wall between us, if you want anything, and I’ll come rushing in.’
　　‘Oh, good!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I’m glad you’re so near us. Bill, are you going to sleep in yourbeard?’
　　‘Well, as it’s rather painful to remove at the moment, being well and truly stuck on, I think Iwill,’ said Bill. ‘I’ll take it off when we’re safely among our little islands. No one will see us there.
　　Don’t you like me in my beautiful beard?’
　　‘Not much,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I feel as if you’re not you when I look at you, but when I hearyour voice, it’s all right.’
　　‘Well, my child, look at me with your eyes shut, and you’ll have no horrid²¹ feelings,’ said Bill,with a grin. ‘Now good night, and sleep well. Come on, boys, I’ll take you to your compartment.
　　I’ll wake you in the morning, and we’ll dress and go along to the restaurant car for breakfast.’
　　‘I feel a bit hungry now,’ said Philip, ‘although we had a jolly good supper. But that’s agesago.’
　　‘Well, I’ve got some sandwiches and some bananas,’ said Bill. ‘I’ll get them. But don’t be longturning in, because it’s getting late.’
　　‘Only just gone ten,’ said Dinah, but she yawned loudly as she spoke. Kiki promptly²² imitatedher, and that set everyone else yawning too.
　　Bill went into his own compartment and fetched sandwiches and ripe bananas. Then he saidgood night to the girls and took the boys to their own ‘bedroom.’ It really was very exciting to goto bed in a train. It was queer undressing with the train swaying about, rushing through the night atsixty miles an hour.
　　It was nice to be in bed, listening to the ‘tutta-tut-tah! tutta-tut-tah!’ of the train wheels turningrapidly over the rails.
　　‘Travelling far, travelling far, travelling far,’ said the wheels to Lucy-Ann, as her eyes closed,and her mind swung towards sleep. ‘Travelling far . . .’
　　In spite of all the excitement the four children were soon fast asleep and dreaming. What werethey dreaming of? That was easy to guess. Blue-green water, clear as crystal, enchanting²³ littleislands, big white clouds flying across an enormous blue sky, and birds, birds, birds . . . travellingfar, travelling far, travelling far.

1 scarlet   

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。

2 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 conversational   

adj.对话的，会话的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
• She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。

5 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

6 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

7 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

8 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

9 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。

10 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

11 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

12 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

13 stoutly   

adv.牢固地，粗壮的

参考例句：

• He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
• Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

14 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

15 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

16 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

17 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

18 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

19 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

20 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。

21 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

22 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

23 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。