Chapter Four WHERE IS UNCLE QUENTIN?

　　Chapter Four WHERE IS UNCLE QUENTIN?
　　The four of them, with Timmy nosing round their legs, stood staring down at the big stone thathid the entrance to the dungeons². Julian was perfectly³ right. The stone could not have been liftedfor months, because weeds had grown closely round the edges, sending their small roots intoevery crack.
　　'No one is down there,' said Julian. 'We need not even bother to pull up the stone and go down tosee. If it had been lifted lately, those weeds would have been torn up as it was raised.'
　　'And anyway, we know that no one can get out of the dungeon¹ once the entrance stone is closingit,' said Dick. 'It's too heavy. Uncle Quentin wouldn't be silly enough to shut himself in! He'dleave it open.'
　　'Of course he would,' said Anne. 'Well - he's not there, then. He must be somewhere else.'
　　'But where?' said George. 'This is only a small island, and we know every corner of it. Oh -would he be in that cave we hid in once? The only cave on the island.'
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　　'Oh yes he might be,' said Julian. 'But I doubt it. I can't see Uncle Quentin dropping downthrough the hole in the cave's roof - and that's the only way of getting into it unless you're goingto clamber and slide about the rocks on the shore for ages. I can't see him doing that, either.'
　　They made their way beyond the castle to the other side of the island. Here there was a cave theyhad once lived in. It could be entered with difficulty on the seaward side, as Julian had said, byclambering over slippery rocks, or it could be entered by dropping down a rope through a hole inthe roof to the floor some way below.
　　They found the hole, half hidden in old heather. Julian felt about. The rope was still there.
　　'I'll slide down and have a look,' he said.
　　He went down the rope. It was knotted at intervals⁴, so that his feet found holding-places and hedid not slide down too quickly and scorch⁵ his hands.
　　He was soon in the cave. A dim light came in from the seaward side. Julian took a quick lookround. There was absolutely nothing there at all, except for an old box that they must have leftbehind when they were last here themselves.
　　He climbed up the rope again, his head appearing suddenly out of the hole. Dick gave him ahelping hand.
　　'Well?' he said. 'Any sign of Uncle Quentin?'
　　'No,' said Julian. 'He's not there, and hasn't been there either, I should think. It's a mystery!
　　Where is he, and if he's really doing important work where is all his stuff? I mean, we know thatplenty of stuff was brought here, because Aunt Fanny told us so.'
　　'Do you think he's in the tower?' said Anne, suddenly. 'He might be in that glass room at the top.'
　　'Well, he'd see us at once, if he were!' said Julian, scornfully. 'And hear our yells too! Still, wemight as well have a look.'
　　So back to the castle they went and walked to the queer tower. Their aunt saw them and called tothem. 'Your lunch is ready. Come and have it. Your uncle will turn up, I expect.'
　　'But Aunt Fanny, where is he?' said Anne, with a puzzled face. 'We've looked simplyeverywhere!'
　　Her aunt did not know the island as well as the children did. She imagined that there were plentyof places to shelter in, or to work in. 'Never mind,' she said, looking quite undisturbed. 'He'll turnup later. You come along and have your meal.'
　　'We think we'll go up the tower,' said Julian. 'Just in case he's up there working.'
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　　The four children and Timmy went to where the tower rose up from the castle yard. They rantheir hands over the smooth, shining sections, which were fitted together in curving rows.
　　'What's this stuff it's built of?' said Dick.
　　'Some kind of new plastic material, I should think,' said Julian. 'Very light and strong, and easilyput together.'
　　'I should be afraid it would blow down in a gale,' said George.
　　'Yes, so should I,' said Dick. 'Look -- here is the door.'
　　The door was small, and rounded at the top. A key was in the keyhole. Julian turned it andunlocked the door. It opened outwards⁶ not inwards. Julian put his head inside and looked round.
　　There was not much room in the tower. A spiral staircase, made of the same shiny stuff as thetower itself, wound up and up and up. There was a space at one side of it, into which projectedcurious hook-like objects made of what looked like steel. Wire ran from one to the other.
　　'Yes. It's lovely,' said Anne. 'But - where is Uncle Quentin? We still haven't found him. I supposehe is on the island.'
　　'Well, his boat was pulled up in the cove,' said George. 'We saw it.'
　　'Then he must be here somewhere.' said Dick. 'But he's not in the castle, he's not in the dungeons,he's not in the cave and he's not up here. It's a first-class mystery.'
　　'The Missing Uncle. Where is he?' said Julian. 'Look, there's poor Aunt Fanny still down there,waiting with the lunch. We'd better go down. She's signaling to us.'
　　'I should like to,' said Anne. 'It's an awful squash in this tiny glass room. I say - did you feel thetower sway then, when that gust⁷ of wind shook it? I'm going down quickly, before the wholething blows over!'
　　She began to go down the spiral stairs, holding on to a little hand-rail that ran down beside them.
　　The stairs were so steep that she was afraid of falling. She nearly did fall when Timmy pushedhis way past her, and disappeared below her at a remarkably⁸ fast pace.
　　Soon they were all down at the bottom. Julian locked the door again. 'Not much good locking adoor if you leave the key in,' he said. 'Still - I'd better.'
　　They walked over to Aunt Fanny. 'Well, I thought you were never coming!' she said. 'Did yousee anything interesting up there?'
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　　'Only a lovely view,' said Anne. 'Simply magnificent. But we didn't find Uncle Quentin. It's verymysterious, Aunt Fanny - we really have looked everywhere on the island - but he's just nothere.'
　　'And yet his boat is in the cove,' said Dick. 'So he can't have gone.'
　　'Yes, it does sound queer,' said Aunt Fanny, handing round the sandwiches. 'But you don't knowyour uncle as well as I do. He always turns up all right. He's forgotten I was bringing you, or hewould be here. As it is, we may not see him, if he's quite forgotten about your coming. If heremembers, he'll suddenly turn up.'
　　'But where from?' asked Dick, munching⁹ a potted meat sandwich. 'He's done a jolly gooddisappearing trick, Aunt Fanny.'
　　'Well, you'll see where he comes from, I've no doubt, when he arrives,' said Aunt Fanny.
　　'Another sandwich, George? No, not you, Timmy. You've had three already. Oh George, do keepTimmy's head out of that plate.'
　　'He's hungry too, Mother,' said George.
　　'Well, I've brought dog-biscuits for him,' said her mother.
　　'Oh, Mother! As if Timmy would eat dog biscuits when he can have sandwiches,' said George.
　　'He only eats dog biscuits when there's absolutely nothing else and he's so ravenous¹⁰ he can't helpeating them.'
　　They sat in the warm April sunshine, eating hungrily. There was orangeade to drink, cool anddelicious. Timmy wandered over to a rock-pool he knew, where rain-water collected, and couldbe heard lapping there.
　　'Hasn't he got a good memory?' said George proudly. 'It's ages since he was here - and yet heremembered that pool at once, when he felt thirsty.'
　　'It's funny Timmy hasn't found Uncle Quentin, isn't it?' said Dick, suddenly. 'I mean -- when wewere hunting for him, and got "Warm" you'd think Timmy would bark or scrape about orsomething. But he didn't.'
　　'I think it's jolly funny that Father can't be found anywhere,' said George. 'I do really. I can't thinkhow you can take it so calmly, Mother.'
　　'Well, dear, as I said before, I know your father better than you do,' said her mother. 'He'll turn upin his own good time. Why, I remember once when he was doing some sort of work in the19
　　stalactite caves at Cheddar, he disappeared in them for over a week - but he wandered out allright when he had finished his experiments.'
　　'It's very queer,' began Anne, and then stopped suddenly. A curious noise came to their ears - arumbling, grumbling¹¹, angry noise, like a giant hidden dog, growling¹² in fury. Then there was ahissing noise from the tower, and all the wires that waved at the top were suddenly lit up as if bylightning.
　　'There now I knew your father was somewhere about,' said George's mother. 'I heard that noisewhen I was here before -- but I couldn't make out where it came from.'
　　'Where did it come from?' said Dick. 'It sounded almost as if it was underneath¹³ us, but it couldn'thave been. Gracious, this is most mysterious.'
　　No more noises came. They each helped themselves to buns with jam in the middle. And thenAnne gave a squeal¹⁴ that made them all jump violently.
　　'Look! There's Uncle Quentin! Standing¹⁵ over there, near the tower. He's watching the jackdaws!
　　Wherever did he come from?'

1 dungeon   

n.地牢，土牢

参考例句：

• They were driven into a dark dungeon.他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
• He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago.几天前，他刚从土牢里被放出来。

2 dungeons   

n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The captured rebels were consigned to the dungeons. 抓到的叛乱分子被送进了地牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He saw a boy in fetters in the dungeons. 他在地牢里看见一个戴着脚镣的男孩。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

5 scorch   

v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕

参考例句：

• I could not wash away the mark of the scorch.我洗不掉这焦痕。
• This material will scorch easily if it is too near the fire.这种材料如果太靠近炉火很容易烤焦。

6 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。

7 gust   

n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发

参考例句：

• A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。
• A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

8 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。

9 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

10 ravenous   

adj.极饿的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• The ravenous children ate everything on the table.饿极了的孩子把桌上所有东西吃掉了。
• Most infants have a ravenous appetite.大多数婴儿胃口极好。

11 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

12 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

13 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

14 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

15 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。