18 Up to the castle!

　　18
　　Up to the castle!
　　Jack¹ went stealthily out of the camp. All was quiet. There was no lamp or candle alight in any ofthe vans. The circus folk were tired out with setting up camp again, and had gone to bed early, inreadiness for their grand opening the next day.
　　It was a starry² night, with no moon, so there was not much light. It was not pitch dark, however,and Jack did not need to use his torch, once his eyes had got used to the darkness. The stars gave afaint light, just enough for him to avoid falling over anything.
　　He went up to the slope of the hill where the camp was placed. He came to a low castle wall. Heshone his torch here and there, and found a place he thought he could climb, where the stoneswere rough and uneven³.
　　His rubber shoes helped him a good deal. He wished he had rubber gloves on his hands, too, sothat his fingers would not slip on the stones as he tried to grasp them!
　　He was over at last. He looked round cautiously, not daring to put on his torch. He seemed to bein a small courtyard. He strained his eyes. He could make out the great bulk of the castle easily. Itrose up high, towering about him, solid and strong. He despaired of ever getting inside – or evenof getting in touch with Philip and the others!
　　He crept quietly over the courtyard, stumbling now and again over an uneven stone. Hesuddenly walked into something that scared him tremendously, and made Kiki give a frightenedsquawk.
　　Something wrapped itself round his head! What was it? In a panic Jack tore at it, and ranforward. But something flapped at him again, and covered his whole face. Desperately⁴ Jackswitched his torch on and off for a moment, to see what was attacking him.
　　When he saw what it was, he gave a laugh of relief, and felt very silly. He had walked into aline of washing! A sheet had ‘attacked’ him, that was all – and the thing that had wrapped itselfround his head was a jersey⁵.
　　A jersey! Jack stopped. A jersey – such things were not worn in Tauri-Hessia. He stepped backand flashed his torch on again. Yes – it was either Lucy-Ann’s or Dinah’s. There was no doubt ofit. So they definitely were there. Good, good, good! They were quite near him, somewhere. Ifonly, only he could get to them.
　　He stood and considered. If the children were held in secret, then it was strange that theirclothes should be washed and hung out on a line. People would see them and be surprised. Perhapsthis courtyard was an enclosed space – a secret yard where nobody came, except possibly MadameTatiosa. Would she wash the clothes though? She might, if she didn’t want anyone to know aboutthe children.
　　Perhaps Hela’s mother was in the secret too? Perhaps she washed for the children, cooked theirmeals and so on? Somebody would have to do that.
　　There must be a way into the castle from this little yard – possibly a back way into the kitchenor wash-houses. Jack went towards the great walls of the castle and flashed his torch up and down.
　　He would have to risk being seen by someone! He would never find out anything if he didn’t usehis torch now and again.
　　There was a small wash house there, as he had expected. He tried the door. It was locked. Heshone his torch in at the window and saw coppers⁶ and pails and washing baskets. Yes, that waswhere the washing was done. What a pity the washerwoman had remembered to lock the door!
　　Jack looked at the little washhouse. It was built out from the castle wall. He flashed his torch tothe roof of the wash house – and then higher up. He saw something that made his heart jump inexcitement!
　　There was a window not far above the wash house roof – and as far as Jack could see it had noglass in it at all! It was a very old, narrow window and might never have had any glass, hethought.
　　‘Now, let me think carefully!’ he said to himself. ‘If I could get up on the wash house roof –and then up to that window – I’d be inside the castle at once, and could look for the others. Buthow can I get up to the roof? I really don’t think I can climb it, though it isn’t very high.’
　　He couldn’t. It was just too high for him to jump and catch hold of the guttering⁷ to pull himselfup. There was no pipe he could climb up, either. Nothing at all.
　　‘A ladder,’ thought Jack, desperately. ‘If only I could find a ladder.’
　　He began to hunt round, feeling rather hopeless. Kiki sat still on his shoulder, puzzled. Sheknew she must not make a sound, but she longed to, especially when a bat came swooping⁸ nearher.
　　Jack went carefully round the yard. It wasn’t very big. He came to a small shed. It was notlocked, only latched⁹. He opened the door carefully, horrified¹⁰ at the squeak¹¹ it made, and flashed historch inside.
　　Wonder of wonders! There was a ladder there! Jack could hardly believe his eyes. He went overto it. It was very old, and some of its rungs were missing – but it might do. It just might do!
　　Anyway, he would try it.
　　He pulled it out of the shed, upsetting a can of some sort as he did so. The noise echoed roundthe yard, sounding extraordinarily¹² loud. Jack halted, holding his breath. He quite expected to seelights flashing up in every window.
　　But none came. Everything was still and dark. He heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps nobody hadheard the noise after all – or perhaps nobody slept on that side of the castle.
　　He carried the ladder over to the wash house. It was not very heavy, because it wasn’t verylong. Still, it would be long enough, he was sure.
　　He set it up against the wash house. It reached almost to the roof. He flashed his torch at therungs to make sure which were missing. Then he put his torch into his pocket, and with Kiki flyinground his head in excitement, he began to climb.
　　It certainly was a very old ladder! One of the rungs he trod on almost gave way. He hurriedlymissed it and put his foot up to the next. He was very thankful when at last he was at the top.
　　Now to pull himself on to the roof. He managed to get there with a scraped knee and satpanting. Now for the next step – to get to the window above, in the castle wall itself.
　　The roof of the wash house was flattish, and Jack was able to make his way on all fours. Hecame to the wall. He stood up cautiously, feeling it with his hands, and then used his torch again.
　　‘Blow! The window’s just too high for me to pull myself up,’ thought Jack, in deepdisappointment. ‘I can reach the sill with my hands – but can’t get enough hold to pull up mybody.’
　　He wondered if he could use the old ladder again. He crawled back to it. He put his hand downand felt the top-most rung. Then he pulled hard. The ladder seemed a great deal heavier to pull upthan it had been when he only carried it level. He tugged¹³ and tugged.
　　It was difficult to get it over the edge of the roof, but he managed it at last. He had to sit andhold the ladder by him for a while, because it had taken all his strength. He felt very pleased. Nowhe could put the ladder up to the window, and getting in would be child’s play!
　　He managed to get the ladder to the castle wall, though it was a very dangerous business, andtwice he nearly rolled off. But at last he was by the wall, and raised the ladder carefully. It wasdifficult to find a safe place to put it.
　　At last he thought he had got it as safe as he could manage. Now to go up. He hoped that theladder wouldn’t suddenly slip as he was climbing it. That wouldn’t be at all a pleasant thing tohappen!
　　He climbed up as quickly as he could, his heart thumping¹⁴. Would the ladder hold? He got rightto the top, and was just clambering on to the window sill when the ladder slipped beneath him.
　　It slid sideways, fell on to the roof with an appalling¹⁵ noise and then crashed down into thecourtyard. NOW there would be people waking up and coming to see what the noise was!
　　Jack pulled himself right through the window. As he had thought, it had no glass, and probablynever had had. He jumped quietly down inside the window and crouched¹⁶ there, waiting.
　　He waited for three or four minutes, with Kiki nibbling¹⁷ his right ear, not making a sound. Thenhe stood up and stretched himself. He peered out of the window.
　　No – nobody was about. He could see no lantern or torch flashing, could hear no voices. Thisside of the castle must be uninhabited then, or surely someone would have heard such atremendous noise!
　　Dare he flash his torch to see where he was? He waited another minute and then, hearing nosound, flicked¹⁹ his torch on quickly and off again. But he had seen enough in that second.
　　He was in a small room, piled with chairs and benches set neatly²⁰ on top of one another –nothing else was there at all.
　　‘Just a storeroom for extra furniture,’ thought Jack. ‘Come along, Kiki – we must rememberwe’ve got to find some other way of getting out of the castle – we can’t get out the way we camein! That ladder is certainly out of our reach!’
　　He went to the door and looked out into what seemed a corridor. Not a sound was to be heard. Itwas pitch dark here, so he flashed his torch on again. Yes – a long stone passage without even acarpet runner on it. No pictures about. No chairs. This certainly must be a part of the castle wherenobody slept.
　　He went down the long corridor, his rubber shoes making no sound. He came to the end, wherethere was a window – a round one, with glass in it. He turned the corner and saw another longcorridor, high-ceilinged, a little wider than the other, but still very bare.
　　Halfway down the corridor changed from bareness to comfort. A beautiful carpet ran down it,almost touching²¹ the walls each side. A big settee, covered in a golden damask, stood at one side.
　　Great pictures hung on the walls.
　　‘This is where I’ve got to be careful’, thought Jack. ‘There’s even a lamp alight on that roundtable over there – a dim one, it’s true – but still, enough for anyone to see me by!’
　　He went on. He passed an open door and looked cautiously inside. The light from another lampjust outside showed him what looked like a grand drawing-room. Tapestries²² hung all round thewalls. Mirrors hung there too. A great carved table stood in the middle, its polished surfacegleaming softly in the light of Jack’s torch.
　　He went out into the passage again, and considered what to do. First – in which direction wasthe tower that Hela had said the children were in? He must go in that direction if he could puzzle itout. He would have to find stairs too and climb them.
　　He decided²³ to go on down the corridor. He must come to stairs soon, leading up into a tower!
　　He came to another door, wide open. He peeped inside. How grand this castle was! Whatmagnificent furnishings it had!
　　The room must be a library. It had books from floor to ceiling. Goodness – had anyone everread even a hundredth of them? Surely not!
　　A noise made Jack flick¹⁸ out his torch and stand absolutely still. It was a noise in the room hewas standing²⁴ in – the library. It came from behind him – a whirring, groaning²⁵ noise. Kiki gave asmall squawk. She was as startled as Jack. Whatever was it?

1 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。

2 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

3 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

4 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 coppers   

铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币

参考例句：

• I only paid a few coppers for it. 我只花了几个铜板买下这东西。
• He had only a few coppers in his pocket. 他兜里仅有几个铜板。

7 guttering   

n.用于建排水系统的材料；沟状切除术；开沟

参考例句：

• a length of guttering 一节沟槽
• The candle was guttering in the candlestick. 蜡烛在烛台上淌着蜡。 来自辞典例句

8 swooping   

俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The wind were swooping down to tease the waves. 大风猛扑到海面上戏弄着浪涛。
• And she was talking so well-swooping with swift wing this way and that. 而她却是那样健谈--一下子谈到东，一下子谈到西。

9 latched   

v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上）

参考例句：

• The government have latched onto environmental issues to win votes. 政府已开始大谈环境问题以争取选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He latched onto us and we couldn't get rid of him. 他缠着我们，甩也甩不掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

11 squeak   

n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声！
• We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛，不过是侥幸取胜。

12 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

13 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

16 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

17 nibbling   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

19 flicked   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
• I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

20 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。

21 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

22 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 decided   

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。

24 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。

25 groaning   

adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
• The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。