DICK looked at George. He didn't think it would matter telling Martin where Timmy was, solong as George didn't give the reason why he had been left on the island.
But George was going to hold her tongue now. She looked at Martin and spoke1 quite airily. 'Oh,Timmy? We left him behind today. He's all right.'
'Gone out shopping with your mother, I suppose, hoping for a visit to the butcher's!' said Martin.
This was the first joke he had ever made to the children, and though it was rather a feeble onethey laughed heartily2. Martin looked pleased. He began to try and think of another little joke,while his deft3 hands put reds and blues4 and greens on the little wooden figures.
They all had a huge tea. Then, when the clock said a quarter to six the girls carried the paintedfigures carefully back to the coastguard, who was delighted with them. Dick took back the littletins of paint, and the brush, stuck in a jar of turpentine.
'Well now, he's clever that boy, isn't he?' said the coastguard, eyeing the figures in delight.
'Looks sort of miserable5 and sulky -- but he's not a bad sort of boy!'
'I'll just have one more squint6 through your telescope,' said George, 'before it gets too dark.' Shetilted it towards her island. But once more there was no sign of Timmy, or of her father either.
She looked for some time, and then went to join the others. She shook her head as they raisedtheir eyebrows7 inquiringly.
The girls washed up the tea-things, and cleared away neatly8. Nobody felt as if they wanted towait and see Mr. Curton. They didn't feel as if they liked him very much, now they knew howhard he was on Martin.
'Thanks for a lovely afternoon,' said Martin, limping to the door with them. 'I enjoyed my spot ofpainting, to say nothing of your company.'
'You stick out for your painting,' said Julian. 'If it's the thing you've got to do, and you know it,you must go all out for it. See?'
'Yes,' said Martin, and his face went sullen9 again. 'But there are things that make it difficult --things I can't very well tell you. Oh well - never mind! I dare say it will all come right one day,and I'll be a famous artist with pictures in the academy!'
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'Come on, quickly,' said Dick, in a low voice to Julian. 'There's his father coming back!' Theyhurried off down the cliff-path, seeing Mr. Curton out of the corner of their eyes, coming up theother path.
'Horrid man!' said Anne. 'Forbidding Martin to do what he really longs to do. And he seemed sonice and jolly and all-over-us, didn't he?'
'Very all-over-us,' said Dick, smiling at Anne's new word. 'But there are a lot of people like that -- one thing at home and quite another outside!'
'I hope Mr. Curton hasn't been trying to explore that passage in the side of the quarry10,' saidGeorge, looking back, and watching the man walk up to his back door. 'It would be too bad if hebutted in and spoilt our fun. I mean -- there may be nothing to discover at all -- but it will be funeven finding there is nothing.'
'Very involved!' said Dick, with a grin. 'But I gather what you mean. I say, that was a good tea,wasn't it?'
'Yes,' said George, looking all round her in an absent-minded manner.
'What's up?' said Dick. 'What are you looking like that for?'
'Oh - how silly of me - I was just looking for Timmy,' said George. 'You know, I'm so used tohim always being at my heels or somewhere near that I just can't get used to him not being here.'
'Yes, I feel a bit like that too,' said Julian. 'As if there was something missing all the time. Goodold Tim! We shall miss him awfully11, all of us -- but you most of all, George.'
'Yes. Especially on my bed at night,' said George. 'I shan't be able to go to sleep for ages andages.'
'I'll wrap a cushion up in a rug and plonk it down on your feet when you're in bed,' said Dick.
'Then it will feel like Timmy!'
'It won't! Don't be silly,' said George, rather crossly. And anyway it wouldn't smell like him. He'sgot a lovely smell.'
'Yes, a Timmy-smell,' agreed Anne. 'I like it too.'
The evening went very quickly, playing the endless game of monopoly again. Julian lay in bedlater, watching for, his uncle's signal. Needless to say, George was at the window too! Theywaited for half past ten.
'Now!' said Julian. And just as he spoke there came 'the first flash from the lantern in the tower.
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'One,' counted George, 'two, three, four, five, six!' She waited anxiously to see if there were anymore, but there weren't.
'Now you can go to bed in peace,' said Julian to George. 'Your father is all right, and that means'that Timmy is all right too. Probably he has remembered to give Timmy a good supper, and hashad some himself as well!'
'Well, Timmy would soon remind him, if he forgot to feed him, that's one thing,' said George,slipping out of the room. 'Good night, Dick; good night, Ju! See you in the morning.'
And back she went to her own bed and snuggled down under the sheets. It was queer not to haveTimmy on her feet. She tossed about for a while, missing him, and then fell asleep quitesuddenly. She dreamed of her island. She was there with Timmy -- and they were discoveringingots of gold down in the dungeon12. What a lovely dream!
Next morning dawned bright and sunny again. The April sky was as blue as the forget-me-notscoming out in the garden. George gazed out of the dining-room window at breakfast-time,wondering if Timmy was run-fling about her island.
'Dreaming about Tim?' said Julian, with a laugh. 'Never mind -- you'll soon see him, George.
Another hour or so and you'll feast your eyes on him through the coastguard's telescope!'
'Do you really think you'll be able to make out Tim, if he's in the tower with your father at halfpast ten?' asked her mother. 'I shouldn't have thought you would be able to.'
'Yes, I shall, Mother,' said George. 'It's a very powerful telescope, you know. I'll just go up andmake my bed, then I'll go up the cliff-path. Anyone else coming?'
'I want Anne to help me with some turning out,' said her mother. 'I'm looking out some oldclothes to give to the vicar's wife for her jumble13 sale. You don't mind helping14 me, Anne, do you?'
'No, I'd like to,' said Anne at once. 'What are the boys going to do?'
'I think I must do a bit of my holiday work this morning,' said Julian, with a sigh. 'I don't want to- but I've kept on putting it off. You'd better do some too, Dick. You know what you are -- you'llleave it all to the last day if you're not careful!'
'All right. I'll do some too,' said Dick. 'You won't mind scooting up to the coastguard's cottagealone, will you, George?'
'Not a bit,' said George. 'I'll come back just after half past ten, as soon as I've spotted15 Timmy andFather.' She disappeared to make her bed. Julian and Dick went to fetch some books. Anne went62
to make her bed too, and then came down to help her aunt. In a few minutes George yelled good-bye and rushed out of the house.
'What a hurricane!' said her mother. 'It seems as if George never walks if she can possibly run.
Now Anne - put the clothes in three piles -- the very old - the not so old -- and the quite nice.'
Just before half past ten Julian went up to his window to watch for the signal from his uncle. Hewaited patiently. A few seconds after the hall-hour the flashes came - one, two, three, four, five,six - good! Now George would settle down for the day. Perhaps they could go to the quarry inthe afternoon. Julian went back to his books and was soon buried in them, with Dick grunting16 byhis side.
At about five minutes to eleven there was the sound of running feet and panting breath. Georgeappeared at the door of the sitting-room17 where the two boys were doing their work. They lookedup.
George was red in the face, and her hair was windblown. She fought to get her breath enough tospeak. 'Julian! Dick! Something's happened -- Timmy wasn't there!'
'What do you mean?' said Julian in surprise. George slumped18 down on a chair, still panting. Theboys could see that she was trembling too.
'It's serious, Julian! I tell you Timmy wasn't in the tower when the signals came!'
'Well -- it only means that your absent-minded father forgot to take him up with him,' said Julian,in his most sensible voice. 'What did you see?'
'I had my eye glued to the telescope,' said George, 'and suddenly I saw someone come into thelittle glass room at the top. I looked for Timmy, of course, at once - but I tell you, he wasn'tthere! The six flashes came, the man disappeared -- and that was all. No Timmy! Oh I do feel sodreadfully worried, Julian.'
'Well, don't be,' said Julian, soothingly19. 'Honestly, I'm sure that's what happened. Your fatherforgot about Timmy. Anyway, if you saw him, obviously things are all right.'
'I'm not thinking about Father!' cried George. 'He must be all right if he flashed his signals -- I'mthinking about Timmy. Why, even if Father forgot to take him, he'd go with him. You knowthat!'
'Your father might have shut the door at the bottom and prevented Timmy from going up,' saidDick.
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'He might,' said George, frowning. She hadn't thought of that. 'Oh dear - now I shall worry allday long. Why didn't I stay with Timmy? What shall I do now?'
'Wait till tomorrow morning,' said Dick. 'Then probably you'll see old Tim all right.'
'Tomorrow morning! Why, that's ages away!' said poor George. She put her head in her handsand groaned20. 'Oh, nobody understands how much I love Timmy. You would perhaps if you had adog of your own, Julian. It's an awful feeling, really. Oh Timmy, are you all right?'
'Of course he's all right,' said Julian, impatiently. 'Do pull yourself together, George.'
'I feel as if something's wrong,' said George, looking obstinate21. 'Julian -- I think I'd better goacross to the island.'
'No,' said Julian at once. 'Don't be idiotic22, George.' 'Nothing is wrong, except that your father'sbeen forgetful. He's sent his O.K. signal. That's enough! You're not to go and create a scene overthere with him. That would be disgraceful!'
'Well - I'll try and be patient,' said George, unexpectedly meek23. She got up, looking, worried.
Julian spoke in a kinder voice.
'Cheer up, old thing! You do like to go off the deep end, don't you?'
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1
spoke
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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 | |
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2
heartily
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adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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3
deft
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adj.灵巧的,熟练的(a deft hand 能手) | |
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4
blues
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n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐 | |
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5
miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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6
squint
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v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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7
eyebrows
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眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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neatly
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adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 | |
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9
sullen
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adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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10
quarry
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n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 | |
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11
awfully
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adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 | |
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12
dungeon
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n.地牢,土牢 | |
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13
jumble
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vt.使混乱,混杂;n.混乱;杂乱的一堆 | |
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14
helping
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n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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15
spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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16
grunting
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咕哝的,呼噜的 | |
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17
sitting-room
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n.(BrE)客厅,起居室 | |
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18
slumped
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大幅度下降,暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 ); 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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19
soothingly
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adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地 | |
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20
groaned
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v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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21
obstinate
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adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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22
idiotic
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adj.白痴的 | |
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23
meek
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adj.温顺的,逆来顺受的 | |
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