4 Off to Little Brockleton

　　4
　　Off to Little Brockleton
　　Next day was bright and sunny, with big piled up clouds racing¹ over the April sky.
　　‘Like puffs² of cotton wool,’ said Dinah. ‘I hope it’s going to be like this all the hols.’
　　‘I’m going to get the car,’ said Bill. ‘When I hoot³ I shall expect you all to be ready. Allie, youcan sit in front with me, and Lucy-Ann must squeeze there too, somehow. The other four can go atthe back. Luggage in the boot. And if anyone wants to be dumped on the road and left to walk, heor she has only got to behave badly, and I’ll dump them with pleasure.’
　　‘I really believe you would too, Bill,’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　‘Oh, not a doubt of it,’ said Bill, putting on such a grim face that poor Gussy was reallyalarmed. He made up his mind that he would behave superlatively well, and he immediately put onhis finest manners. He opened doors for everyone. He bowed. He tried to take whatever MrsCunningham was carrying, and carry it for her. When he got into anyone’s way, which he didalmost every minute, he sprang aside, bowed, and said:
　　‘Excuse, plizz. I pollygize.’
　　‘Polly put the kettle on,’ said Kiki, at once. ‘Polly, Polly-Polly-gize.’ Then she went off into analarming cackle of laughter.
　　‘How’s your finger, Gus?’ asked Jack⁴, politely.
　　‘It has stopped blidding,’ said Gus.
　　‘Well, I warn you – don’t try and play tricks with old Kiki,’ said Jack, ‘or she’ll go for you –make you blid again – much, much blid!’
　　‘Ah, wicket,’ said Gus. ‘I think that bird is not nice.’
　　‘I bet Kiki thinks the same of you!’ said Jack. ‘You’re standing⁵ in my way. You’d better moveunless you want this suitcase biffing you in the middle.’
　　‘Excuse, plizz. I pollygize,’ said Gussy, hurriedly, and skipped out of the way.
　　At last everything was ready. Mrs Cunningham’s cleaner came to see them off, promising⁶ tolock up after them, and come in every day to clean and dust. Bill was hooting⁷ loudly. Gussy wasso terribly afraid of being left behind that he shot down the front path at top speed.
　　Bill, Mrs Cunningham and Lucy-Ann squeezed themselves into the long front seat. The otherfour got into the back. Gussy shrank back when he saw that Kiki was going with them, apparentlyon Jack’s shoulder, next to him.
　　Kiki made a noise like a cork⁹ being pulled out of a bottle – POP ! Gussy jumped.
　　Kiki cackled, and then popped another cork. ‘ POP ! Pop goes the weasel. Gussy. Fussy-GussyGussy-Fussy POP !
　　‘What do you think you’re doing, Gussy?’ said Jack, seeing the boy slipping from the seat downto the floor.
　　‘Excuse, plizz. I pollygize. The Kiki-bird, he spits in my ear – he goes POP !’ explained Gussy,from his seat on the floor.
　　Everyone roared. ‘Don’t be an ass⁸, Gussy,’ said Jack. ‘Come on up to the seat. Squeeze in at theother end if you like, next to Dinah. But I warn you – Kiki will wander all over the car when she’stired of sitting on my shoulder.’
　　‘Blow your nose,’ said Kiki sternly, looking down at the surprised Gussy.
　　‘All ready, behind?’ called Bill, putting in the clutch. He pressed down the accelerator, theengine roared a little and the car moved off down the road.
　　‘Heavy load we’ve got,’ said Bill. ‘What a family! This car is going to grunt¹⁰ and groan¹¹ up everyhill!’
　　It did, though it was a powerful car, and one that Bill used in his work. It swallowed up themiles easily, and Mrs Cunningham was pleased to think they would arrive at their destinationbefore dark.
　　‘What is the name of the place we are going to, Aunt Allie?’ asked Lucy-Ann. ‘Oh yes, Iremember – Little Brockleton. Are we having a cottage, or what?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Aunt Allie. ‘It’s called Quarry¹² Cottage, because an old quarry is nearby. It’s about amile from the village, and I believe only a farmhouse¹³ is near. We can get eggs and butter and milkand bread from there, which is lucky.’
　　‘I shall ask about badgers¹⁵ as soon as I get there,’ said Philip, from the back. ‘I wish I could get ayoung badger¹⁴. I’ve heard they make wonderful pets.’
　　‘There! I knew you’d start hunting out pets of some kind,’ said Dinah. ‘We never can have aholiday without your bringing in mice or birds or insects or even worse creatures.’
　　‘I’ve been thinking of studying spiders these hols,’ said Philip, seriously. ‘Amazing creatures,spiders. Those great big ones, with hairy legs, are …’
　　Dinah shivered at once. ‘Let’s change the subject,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why, but wheneveranyone even mentions spiders I seem to feel one crawling down my back.’
　　‘Oh, gosh – don’t say my spider’s escaped!’ said Philip at once, and pretended to look throughhis pockets. Gussy watched him in alarm. He didn’t like spiders either.
　　Dinah gave a small shriek¹⁶. ‘Don’t be mean, Philip – please, please. You haven’t really got a bigspider, have you?’
　　‘Philip!’ called his mother warningly. ‘You’ll be dumped in the road. Remember what Billsaid.’
　　‘All right. I haven’t got a spider,’ said Philip, regretfully. ‘You can sit in safety, Di. I say, Gus,aren’t you uncomfortable down there, on the floor, among our feet? I keep forgetting you’re there.
　　I hope I haven’t wiped my feet on you yet.’
　　‘That is not a nice thing to spik,’ said Gussy, with dignity. ‘I will be angry to have your feetswiped on me.’
　　‘Let’s play a game,’ said Jack, seeing an argument developing. ‘We’ll look out for black dogs –white cats – piebald horses – red bicycles – and ice cream vans. The one who is last to reach ahundred must stop at the next ice cream van and buy ices for us all!’
　　This sounded exciting to Gussy. He scrambled¹⁷ up from the floor at once, and squeezed himselfbeside Dinah. Bill and Mrs Cunningham heaved a sigh of relief. Now there would be quite a bit ofpeace – everyone would be looking out and counting hard.
　　Gussy was not at all good at this game. He missed any amount of black dogs and white cats, andkept counting ordinary horses instead of piebald ones. He looked very miserable¹⁸ when he was toldthat he couldn’t put all the brown and white horses he had seen into his score.
　　‘He’s going to cry!’ said Philip. ‘Wait, Gus, wait. Take my hanky.’
　　And he pulled out one of the kitchen tablecloths²⁰, which he had neatly²¹ purloined²² just beforecoming away, in spite of his mother’s threats.
　　Gussy found the tablecloth¹⁹ pushed into his hands. He looked at in astonishment²³ – and then hebegan to laugh!
　　‘Ha ha! Ho ho! This is cloth, not hanky! I will not weep in this. I will laugh!’
　　‘Good for you, Gussy!’ said Jack, giving him a pat on the back. ‘Laugh away. We like that!’
　　It was quite a surprise to everyone to find that Gussy could actually laugh at a joke againsthimself. They began to think he might not be so bad after all. He stopped playing the countinggame after that, but displayed even more surprising behaviour at the end of the game.
　　Lucy-Ann was last to reach a hundred. She felt in her little purse for her money, knowing thatshe must buy ice creams for everyone, because she had lost the game.
　　‘Please, Bill, will you stop at the next ice cream van?’ she said. So Bill obligingly stopped.
　　But before Lucy-Ann could get out, Gussy had opened the door at the back, shot out and racedto the ice cream van. ‘Seven, plizz,’ he said.
　　‘Wait! I lost, not you!’ shouted Lucy-Ann, half indignant. Then she stared. Gussy had taken awallet out of his pocket – a wallet, not a purse! And from it he took a wad of notes – goodgracious, however many had he got? He peeled off the top one and gave it to the ice cream man,who was as surprised as anyone else.
　　‘You come into a fortune, mate?’ asked the ice cream man. ‘Or is your dad a millionaire?’
　　Gussy didn’t understand. He took his change and put it into his pocket. Then he carried the icecreams back to the car, and handed round one each, beaming all over his face.
　　‘Thanks, Gus,’ said Bill, accepting his. ‘But look here, old chap – you can’t carry all that moneyabout with you, you know.’
　　‘I can,’ said Gussy ‘All the term I had it here in my pocket. It is my pocket money, I think. Theysaid I could have pocket money.’
　　‘Hm, yes. But a hundred pounds or so in notes is hardly pocket money,’ began Bill. ‘Yes, yes –I know you kept it in your pocket, but real pocket money is – is – oh, you explain, boys.’
　　It proved to be very difficult to explain that all those pound notes were not pocket money merelybecause Gussy kept them in his pocket. ‘You ought to have handed them in at your school,’ saidPhilip.
　　‘They said I could have pocket money,’ said Gussy, obstinately²⁴. ‘My uncle gave it to me. It ismine.’
　　Your people must be jolly rich,’ said Jack. ‘I bet even Bill doesn’t wander round with as manynotes as that. Is Gus a millionaire or something, Bill?’
　　‘Well – his people are well off,’ said Bill. He slipped in the clutch again and the car slid off.
　　‘All the same, he’ll have to hand over those notes to me. He’ll be robbed sooner or later.’
　　‘He’s going to cry,’ reported Dinah. ‘Philip, quick – where’s that tablecloth?’
　　‘I am not going to weep,’ said Gussy, with dignity. ‘I am going to be sick. Always I am sick in acar. I was yesterday. Plizz, Mr Cunningham, may I be sick?’
　　‘Good gracious!’ said Bill, stopping very suddenly indeed. ‘Get out of the car, then, quick! Pushhim out, Dinah. Why, oh, why did I let him have that ice cream? He told me yesterday he wasalways carsick.’
　　Mrs Cunningham got out to comfort poor Gussy, who was now green in the face. ‘He would becarsick!’ said Dinah. ‘Just the kind of thing he’d have – carsickness.’
　　‘He can’t help it,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Anyway, it’s all over now. He looks fine.’
　　‘Plizz, I am better,’ announced Gussy, climbing back in the car.
　　‘Keep the cloth,’ said Philip, pushing it at him. ‘It might come in useful if you feel ill again.’
　　‘Everyone ready?’ called Bill. ‘Well, off we go again. We’ll stop for lunch at one o’clock, andthen we’ll be at Little Brockleton by tea time, I hope. Gussy, yell if you feel queer again.’
　　‘I am only sick once,’ said Gussy. ‘Plizz, I have lost my ice cream. Will you stop for another?’
　　‘I will not,’ said Bill, firmly. ‘You’re not having any more ice creams in the car. Doesn’t anyonewant a nap? It would be so nice for me to drive in peace and quietness! Well, next stop, lunch!’

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 puffs   

n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
• Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

3 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

4 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。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 promising   

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。

7 hooting   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩

参考例句：

• He had the audience hooting with laughter . 他令观众哄堂大笑。
• The owl was hooting. 猫头鹰在叫。

8 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

9 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

10 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

11 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

12 quarry   

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。

13 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

14 badger   

v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠

参考例句：

• Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
• If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他，我相信他会同意。

15 badgers   

n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊

参考例句：

• Badgers had undermined the foundations of the church. 獾在这座教堂的地基处打了洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• And rams ' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood. 5染红的公羊皮，海狗皮，皂荚木。 来自互联网

16 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。

17 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

19 tablecloth   

n.桌布，台布

参考例句：

• He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思，轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
• She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。

20 tablecloths   

n.桌布，台布( tablecloth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Champagne corks popped, and on lace tablecloths seven-course dinners were laid. 桌上铺着带装饰图案的网织的桌布，上面是七道菜的晚餐。 来自飘（部分）
• At the moment the cause of her concern was a pile of soiled tablecloths. 此刻她关心的事是一堆弄脏了的台布。 来自辞典例句

21 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

22 purloined   

v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• You have chosen align yourself with those who have purloined the very seat of your existence. 你们选择了将自己与那些盗取了你们存在之真正席位的人相校准。 来自互联网

23 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

24 obstinately   

ad.固执地，顽固地

参考例句：

• He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
• Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。