30 ‘God save the King!’

　　30
　　‘God save the King!’
　　Jack¹ awoke to find a pretty Tauri- Hessian maid bringing him a most magnificent breakfast.
　　Somebody had undressed him, put silk pyjamas² on him and popped him into a luxurious³ bed. Hewas amazed.
　　‘To think they did all that and I never woke up!’ he thought. ‘I must have been tired! Gosh –what a breakfast! Kiki, look here – the biggest, juiciest grapefruit I ever did see in my life – andtwo halves, not one. You can have one for yourself if you don’t make too much mess.’
　　Kiki approved of the grapefruit. She settled down to it, and for once in a way didn’t say a word.
　　Jack ate every scrap⁴ of the generous breakfast, and then lay back, thinking over the happenings ofthe night before.
　　‘I bet the Count isn’t eating a breakfast like this,’ he told Kiki. ‘What do you think?’
　　‘The doctor’s got a cold, fetch the King,’ said Kiki, looking to see if Jack had left any of hisgrapefruit. ‘One, two, how-do-you-do?’
　　‘Buckle my shoe, you mean,’ said Jack. ‘I say – look! Do you suppose those princely clothesare for me to put on, Kiki, old bird? Goodness, the Tauri-Hessians won’t know if I’m the Prince,or Gussy.’
　　Bill came in, looking much smartened up. ‘Oh, you’re awake at last,’ he said. ‘My word, youdon’t mean to say you ate all that breakfast!’
　　‘Kiki helped me,’ said Jack, with a grin. ‘Have the others been sent for yet, Bill?’
　　‘Yes. I’d like to see their faces when the King’s State Car rolls up, complete with clothes forthem all,’ said Bill. ‘The King’s a great sport. He’s asked Pedro, Toni, Bingo and old Ma too – andsent clothes for them all!’
　　‘Goodness!’ said Jack. ‘Old Ma! She’ll have the time of her life. But if it hadn’t been for herlooking after Gussy he’d certainly have been caught. I say – this is going to be quite a party, isn’tit?’
　　‘Oh, quite,’ said Bill. ‘And your aunt is arriving today too!’
　　‘It’s just like a pantomime ending!’ said Jack, delighted. ‘Everyone on the stage at the end!’
　　‘You’d better get up,’ said Bill. ‘The King is making his speech to the people at twelve o’clock,and it’s now eleven. After that there is to be a really splendid luncheon⁵ laid on – and you’ll besorry you ate so much breakfast, I can tell you!’
　　Jack leapt out of bed. ‘Is it really eleven o’clock? Gosh, I’ll never be ready. I don’t know howto put all these clothes on – buckles⁶ – sashes – ruffles⁷ – good gracious, is it royal dress?’
　　‘No. Ordinary Tauri-Hessian festival wear,’ said Bill. ‘I don’t feel able to cope with it myself,nor does Ronnie. We feel a bit more at ease in our own things, but you and the others will lookfine.’
　　Jack was ready at a quarter to twelve. He looked at himself in the glass. ‘Gracious – I’m like atheatrical prince. I really must have my photograph taken to show the boys at school – they’ll beamazed!’
　　There came the sound of cheering in the street below. Jack opened his window and looked out.
　　A very grand State Car was being driven slowly up the street, followed by yet another. The peoplewere cheering each one as it went by.
　　Jack nearly fell out of the window, and Kiki gave a loud screech⁸. ‘Look, Kiki – do you seewho’s in the first car?’ cried Jack. ‘Lucy-Ann, Philip, Gussy and Dinah! Did you ever see anyonelooking so grand? And look in the second car – Pedro – Ma – Toni and Bingo! They look as fineas if they were just going to perform in the circus ring!’
　　So they did. Ma, especially, looked magnificent, and she had a sudden unexpected dignity thatmade Pedro look at her with surprise and great pride. His mother! Old Ma, riding in a State Car,wearing silk clothes right down to her skin! Pedro couldn’t believe it.
　　He looked very grand himself, and enjoyed it. He knew that nothing like this would ever happento him again in his life and he meant to enjoy every moment of it.
　　Toni and Bingo looked grand but subdued⁹. They were not in the least nervous when they wentinto the circus ring – but they couldn’t help feeling nervous now – all this cheering and shoutingwhen they weren’t even performing!
　　The cars turned in at the gates, and Jack leaned out of the window and yelled, quite forgettingthat he was in a King’s palace.
　　‘Lucy-Ann! I’m up here!’
　　Kiki squawked too. ‘Hip-hip-hip-hip-hurrah! Send for the doctor!’
　　Twelve o’clock came. The King went out on the balcony of his palace to show himself to hispeople and to make a speech to explain all that had happened. There was dead silence as the loud-speakers relayed the simple, vigorous speech.
　　Bill thought that Tauri- Hessia had a very fine King. He was glad that the Count had notdethroned him and put Gussy up as King himself. Gussy was just a timid little boy at present – butperhaps, when he had learnt all that his good school had to teach him, at lessons and at games, hewould make as fine a King as his uncle.
　　Gussy had a tremendous reception when his uncle called him to his side, and presented him tothe people. After all the scares of the last few days, they needed to see not only the King but thelittle Prince too.
　　Gussy looked every inch a Prince, as he saluted¹⁰ stiffly, and then bowed in every direction. Hewore magnificent clothes, and his cloak blew out in the wind, showing its scarlet¹¹ lining¹². Jackgrinned as he thought how Gussy had looked when he had seen him last – dressed as a girl, withhis long hair tied up in bows. Poor Gussy! Nobody must ever learn of that, or he would be teasedabout it for the rest of his life – and Gussy did not like teasing.
　　The next thing was the luncheon. The children had all been put at a table together, with Gussyand Pedro as well. Ma, Toni and Bingo were at a side table too, very conscious of their fineclothes. They used fine manners to match, and ate everything with knives, forks or spoons, insteadof using only their fingers half the time as they usually did.
　　The six children talked eagerly together, exchanging news. ‘Fank is up and about again,’ saidPhilip. ‘Thank goodness he is, or I couldn’t have come. Hallo, Snoozy, do you want to join us atlast? He’s seen those almonds, Dinah – do look at him, holding one and nibbling¹³ it!’
　　‘I don’t like him on the table,’ said Dinah, but she was much too happy to make a fuss. She toldJack of the excitement when the message came that they were all to dress in State clothes and bedriven to the Palace. ‘We just couldn’t believe it!’ she said. ‘Tell us again about last night, Jack,and how you rescued the King and caught the Count.’
　　Gussy was tremendously excited. His eyes sparkled, and he talked nineteen to the dozen. He feltin his element now – he was a Prince, the heir to the throne, Prince Aloysius Gramondie – not atimid little boy with a lot of long hair!
　　‘Here’s Aunt Allie!’ cried Lucy-Ann, suddenly. She threw down her table-napkin and flewacross the luncheon room, thinking of nothing but welcoming the person she loved so much. ‘AuntAllie! You’ve come!’
　　Mrs Cunningham was being ushered¹⁴ into the great room by two servants, who called out hername. Bill went to her at once, and Dinah, Philip and Jack joined Lucy-Ann in her rush across theroom. This was all that was needed to make things perfect!
　　Bill’s eyes were shining as he took his wife to introduce her to the King. A place had been leftfor her on his other side, for her aeroplane had been expected for the last half hour. She was quitebewildered by everything, for she knew only half the story, of course.
　　Gussy waited till the others had made enough fuss of her and then went up himself. She held outher hand to him, and he bowed over it, and kissed it politely, just as his uncle had done. Somehowit seemed right in Tauri-Hessia – quite a natural thing to do, and none of the children even thoughtof laughing.
　　After the grand lunch the children went to see over the Palace. ‘My word – you’re lucky to beable to spend the rest of your hols here, Gussy,’ said Jack. ‘It’s a wonderful place. Not that I’d liketo live here, of course – but to stay for a few weeks as you’ll be able to do – you’re jolly lucky!’
　　‘We shall miss you, Gussy,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I suppose we’ll be leaving tomorrow, or sometimesoon. I’m quite sorry this adventure is over.’
　　‘But it isn’t,’ said Gussy, his face beaming all over. ‘It isn’t! I have asked my uncle to let mehave you here as my guests. You will stay? Or do you not like me well enough? You have so oftentizzed me – like when my finger blidded.’
　　‘Oh, Gussy – it doesn’t mean we don’t like people when we tease them!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Doyou really mean that your uncle wants us to stay? All of us? I don’t want to stay without Bill andAunt Allie.’
　　‘All of you,’ said Gussy, beaming again. ‘Kiki and Snoozy too. But not Pedro and the othersbecause they must go with the circus, they say. Then you will stay with me till we go back toschool togezzer?’
　　‘We’d love to,’ said Jack. ‘I could do with a couple of weeks in a Palace. I’ll take some picturesback to show the boys. They’ll think I’m telling them fairy-tales if I don’t!’
　　Pedro, Ma, Toni and Bingo said goodbye to the five children that evening. They were stillwearing their splendid clothes. ‘We’ve been told we can keep them,’ said Pedro, grinning. ‘I shallfancy myself when I go into the ring to help Toni and Bingo set up their wires now – the Great andOnly Pedro the Magnificent.’
　　He bowed himself almost to the ground. Ma gave him a resounding¹⁵ slap. ‘Ha! You will peelpotatoes for your old ma tonight!’ she said, and laughed loudly. Kiki imitated her and made herlaugh all the more.
　　The children were sorry when the circus folk had gone. They had been such good friends. ‘Ihope we’ll see them sometime again,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I liked them all.’
　　‘You will now come to my uncle and tell him you will stay, plizz?’ begged Gussy, who seemedto think they might change their minds. ‘And I have to ask him something. You must help me withit.’
　　He dragged them off to his uncle’s room. They all bowed politely. ‘Well, Aloysius,’ said theKing, looking amused. ‘Have you persuaded your friends to put up with you and stay for the restof the holidays?’
　　‘They will stay,’ said Gussy. ‘And, sir, I have something else to beg of you – BEG of you, sir.
　　These boys, they will tell you it is very, very important. You will grant it to me, sir?’
　　‘I might, as I feel quite pleased with you at the moment,’ said his uncle, smiling. ‘But tell mewhat it is first.’
　　‘It is my hair,’ said Gussy. ‘I want it short – snip¹⁶ snip – like Philip’s and Jack’s. I will not looklike a girl, I WILL NOT .’
　　‘You’re not supposed to wear it short, Aloysius,’ said his uncle, ‘but I know how you feel. I feltthe same when I was a Prince and went to school in England. Very well – you shall have it cutshort!’
　　Gussy’s face was a study. Nothing in the world could have pleased him more. ‘I go tomorrow,’
　　he said. ‘I go tomorrow at seven o’clock in the morning. Ha – it will be so short that never will aribbon sit on it again!’
　　‘Thank you for asking us to stay, Your Majesty¹⁷,’ said Jack, speaking for all the others. ‘Weshall love it, and it’s nice of Gussy to want us.’
　　‘Fussy-Gussy!’ cried Kiki, saying quite the wrong thing.
　　‘Fussy-Gussy! Your Majesty! Majesty, Majesty! Send for the doctor. Blow your nose.’
　　‘Kiki!’ said Jack, shocked.
　　Kiki looked at the King. She raised her crest¹⁸ to its fullest height, and gave a little bow. ‘YourMajesty!’ she said. ‘God save the King!’

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 pyjamas   

n.（宽大的）睡衣裤

参考例句：

• This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
• Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

3 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

4 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

5 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

6 buckles   

搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。

7 ruffles   

褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You will need 12 yards of ribbon facing for the ruffles. 你将需要12码丝带为衣服镶边之用。
• It is impossible to live without some daily ruffles to our composure. 我们日常的平静生活免不了会遇到一些波折。

8 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

9 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

10 saluted   

v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• The sergeant stood to attention and saluted. 中士立正敬礼。
• He saluted his friends with a wave of the hand. 他挥手向他的朋友致意。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

13 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》

14 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

16 snip   

n.便宜货，廉价货，剪，剪断

参考例句：

• He has now begun to snip away at the piece of paper.现在他已经开始剪这张纸。
• The beautifully made briefcase is a snip at £74.25.这个做工精美的公文包售价才74.25英镑，可谓物美价廉。

17 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

18 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。