Chapter 14 ROOKY IS VERY ANGRY

　　Chapter 14 ROOKY IS VERY ANGRY
　　About an hour later there was a curious grinding, groaning¹ noise that turned to a whining².
　　Richard, Anne and George jumped violently. But Julian knew what it was.
　　The gates are being opened,' he told them, and they remembered how he had described the machinerythat opened the gates - the curious wheel-like handle, labelled 'Left Gate. Right Gate.
　　Both Gates'.
　　'How do you know that?' asked Hunchy at once, surprised and suspicious.
　　'Oh, I'm a good guesser,' replied Julian airily. 'Correct me if I'm wrong - but I couldn't help thinkingthe gates were being opened - and I'm guessing it's Rooky that's coming through them!'
　　'You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day,' grumbled⁴ Hunchy, going to the door.
　　'So my mother told me when I was two years old,' said Julian, and the others giggled⁵. If there was anyanswering back to be done, Julian could always do it!
　　They all went to the window. George opened it. Timmy was there, sitting just outside. George hadbegged the woman to let him in, but she wouldn't. She had thrown him some scraps⁶, and told Georgethere was a pond he could drink from, but beyond that she wouldn't go.
　　'Timmy,' called George, as she heard the sound of a car purring quietly up the drive, 'Timmy -stay there. Don't move!'
　　She was afraid that Timmy might perhaps run round to the front door, and go for anyone who jumpedout of the car. Timmy looked up at her inquiringly. He was puzzled about this whole 60affair. Why wasn't he allowed inside the house with George? He knew there were some people whodidn't welcome dogs into their houses - but George never went to those houses. It was a puzzle tohim, too, to understand why she didn't come out to him.
　　Still, she was there, leaning out of the window; he could hear her voice; he could even lick her handif he stood up on his hind⁷ legs against the wall.
　　'You shut that window and come inside,' said Hunchy, maliciously⁸. He took quite a pleasure in seeingthat George was upset at being separated from Timmy.
　　'Here comes the car,' said Julian. They all looked at it - and then glanced at each other. KMF 102- of course!
　　The black Bentley swept by the kitchen windows and up to the front door. Three men got out.
　　Richard crouched⁹ back, his face going pale.
　　Julian glanced round at him raising his eyebrows¹⁰, mutely asking him if he recognized one of the menas Rooky. Richard nodded miserably¹¹. He was very frightened now.
　　The whining, groaning noise came again. The gates were being shut. Voices came from the hall, thenthe men went into one of the rooms, and there was the sound of a door being shut.
　　Julian wondered if he could slip out of the room unnoticed and go up to see if Dick was all right.
　　He sidled to the door, thinking that Hunchy was engrossed¹² in cleaning an array of dirty shoes.
　　But his grating voice sounded at once.
　　'Where you going? If you don't obey orders I'll tell Mr. Perton - and won't you be sorry!'
　　There's quite a lot of people in this house going to be sorry for themselves soon,' said Julian, in anirritatingly cheerful voice. 'You be careful, Hunchy.'
　　Hunchy lost his temper suddenly and threw the shoe-brush he was using straight at Julian. Juliancaught it deftly¹³ and threw it up on the high mantelpiece.
　　'Thanks,' he said. 'Like to throw another?'
　　'Oh don't,' said the woman, beseechingly¹⁴. 'You don't know what he's like when he's in a real temper.
　　Don't!'
　　The door of the room that the men had gone into opened, and somebody went upstairs. 'To fetchDick,' thought Julian at once. He stood and listened.
　　Hunchy got another shoe- brush and went on polishing, muttering angrily under his breath. Thewoman went on preparing some food. The others listened with Julian. They too guessed that the manhad gone to fetch Dick to show him to Rooky.
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　　Footsteps came down the stairs again - two lots this time. Yes - Dick must be with the man, theycould hear his voice.
　　'Let go my arm! I can come without being dragged!' they heard him say indignantly. Good old Dick!
　　He wasn't going to be dragged about without making a strong protest.
　　He was taken into the room where the other three men were waiting. Then a loud voice was heard.
　　'He's not the boy! Fools - you've got the wrong boy!'
　　Hunchy and the woman heard the words too. They gaped¹⁵ at one another. Something had gone wrong.
　　They went to the door and stood there silently. The children just stood behind them.
　　Julian edged Richard away very gradually.
　　'Rub some soot¹⁶ over your hair,' he whispered. 'Make it as black as you can, Richard. If the men comeout here to see us, they're not likely to recognize you so easily if your hair's black. Go on, quick -while the others aren't paying attention.'
　　Julian was pointing to the inside of the grate, where black soot hung. Richard put his trembling handsinto it and covered them with it. Then he rubbed the soot over his yellow hair.
　　'More,' whispered Julian. 'Much more! Go on. I'll stand in front of you so that the others can't seewhat you're doing.'
　　Richard rubbed soot even more wildly over his hair. Julian nodded. Yes - it looked black enoughnow. Richard looked quite different. Julian hoped Anne and George would be sensible enough not toexclaim when they saw him.
　　There was evidently some sharp argument going on in the room off the hall. Voices were raised, butnot many words could be made out from where the children stood at the kitchen door. Dick's voicecould be heard too. It suddenly sounded quite clearly.
　　'I TOLD you you'd made a mistake. Now you just let me go, see!'
　　Hunchy suddenly pushed everyone roughly away from the door - except poor Richard who wasstanding over in a dark corner, shaking with fright!
　　'They're coming,' he hissed¹⁸. 'Get away from the door.'
　　Everyone obeyed. Hunchy took up a shoe-brush again, the woman went to peel potatoes, the childrenturned over the pages of some old magazines they had found.
　　Footsteps came to the kitchen door. It was flung open. Mr. Perton was there - and behind him anotherman. No mistaking who he was!
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　　Thick-lipped, with an enormous nose - yes, he was the ruffian Rooky, once bodyguard¹⁹ to Richard'sfather - the man who hated Richard because he had told tales of him and who had been sent off indisgrace by the boy's father.
　　Richard cowered²⁰ back in his corner, hiding behind the others. Anne and George had given himastonished stares when they had noticed his hair, but neither of them had said a word. Hunchy andthe woman didn't seem to have noticed any change in him.
　　Dick was with the two men. He waved to the others. Julian grinned. Good old Dick!
　　Rooky glanced at all four children. His eye rested for a moment on Richard, and then glanced away.
　　He hadn't recognized him!
　　'Well, Mr. Perton,' said Julian. 'I'm glad to see you've got my brother down from the room you lockedhim up in last night. I imagine that means he can come with us now. Why you brought him here asyou did, and made him a prisoner last night I can't imagine.'
　　'Now look here,' said Mr. Perton, in quite a different voice from the one he had used to them before,'now look here - quite frankly²¹ we made a mistake. You don't need to know why or how -that's none of your business. This isn't the boy we wanted.'
　　'We told you he was our brother,' said Anne.
　　'Quite,' said Mr. Perton, politely. 'I am sorry I disbelieved you. These things happen. Now - we wantto make you all a handsome present for any inconvenience you have suffered - er - ten pounds foryou to spend on ice-creams and so on. You can go whenever you like.'
　　'And don't try and tell any fairy stories to anyone,' said Rooky suddenly, in a threatening voice.
　　'See? We made a mistake - but we're not having it talked about. If you say anything silly, we shall saythat we found this boy lost in the woods, took pity on him and brought him here for the night - andthat you kids were - found trespassing²² in the grounds. You understand?'
　　'I understand perfectly,' said Julian, in a cool rather scornful voice. 'Well - I take it we can all go now,then?'
　　'Yes,' said Mr. Perton. He put his hand into his pocket and took out some pound notes. He handedtwo to each of the children. They glanced at Julian to see if they were to take them or not.
　　Not one of them felt willing to accept Mr. Perton's money. But they knew they must take them ifJulian did.
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　　Julian accepted the two notes handed to him, and pocketed them without a word of thanks. The othersdid the same. Richard kept his head down well all the time, hoping that the two men would not noticehow his knees were shaking. He was really terrified of Rooky.
　　'Now clear out,' said Rooky when the ten pounds had been divided. 'Forget all this - or you'll be verysorry.'
　　He opened the door that led into the garden. The children trooped out silently, Richard well in theirmidst. Timmy was waiting for them. He gave a loud bark of welcome and flung himself on George,fawning on her, licking every bit of her he could reach. He looked back at the kitchen door and gavea questioning growl²³ as if to say, 'Do you want me to go for anyone in there?'
　　'No,' said George. 'You come with us, Timmy. We'll get out of here as quickly as we can.'
　　'Give me your pound notes, quick,' said Julian in a low voice, when they had rounded a corner andwere out of sight of the windows. They all handed them to him wonderingly. What was he going todo with them?
　　The woman had come out to watch them go. Julian beckoned²⁴ to her. She came hesitatingly down thegarden. 'For you,' said Julian, putting the notes into her hand. 'We don't want them.'
　　The woman took them, amazed. Her eyes filled with tears. 'Why - it's a fortune - no, no, you takethem back. You're kind, though - so kind.'
　　Julian turned away, leaving the astonished and delighted woman standing¹⁷ staring after them. Hehurried after the others.
　　'That was a very, very good idea of yours,' said Anne, warmly, and the others agreed. All of them hadbeen sorry for the poor woman.
　　'Come on,' said Julian. 'We don't want to miss the opening of the gates! Listen - can you hear thegroaning noise back at the house. Somebody has set the machinery³ working that opens the gates.
　　Thank goodness we're free - and Richard too. That was a bit of luck!'
　　'Yes, I was so scared Rooky would recognize me, even though my hair was sooted²⁵ black,' saidRichard, who was now looking much more cheerful. 'Oh look - we can see the end of the drive now -and the gates are wide open. We're free!'
　　'We'll get our bikes,' said Julian. 'I know where we left them. You can ride on my crossbar Richard,because we're a bike short. Dick must have his bike back now - you remember you borrowed it?
　　Look - here they are.'
　　They mounted their bicycles and began to cycle down the drive - and then Anne gave a scream.
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　　'Julian! Look, look - the gates are closing again. Quick, quick - we'll be left inside!'
　　Everyone saw in horror that the gates were actually closing, very slowly. They pedalled as fast asthey could - but it was no use. By the time they got there the two great gates were fast shut. Noamount of shaking would open them. And just as they were so very nearly out!

1 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。

2 whining   

n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚

参考例句：

• That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
• The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。

3 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

4 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

5 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

7 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

8 maliciously   

adv.有敌意地

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His enemies maliciously conspired to ruin him. 他的敌人恶毒地密谋搞垮他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 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。

10 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

11 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

13 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

14 beseechingly   

adv. 恳求地

参考例句：

• She stood up, and almost beseechingly, asked her husband,'shall we go now?" 她站起身来，几乎是恳求似地问丈夫：“我们现在就走吧？”
• Narcissa began to cry in earnest, gazing beseechingly all the while at Snape. 纳西莎伤心地哭了起来，乞求地盯着斯内普。

15 gaped   

v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• A huge chasm gaped before them. 他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The front door was missing. A hole gaped in the roof. 前门不翼而飞，屋顶豁开了一个洞。 来自辞典例句

16 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

17 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。

18 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

19 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

20 cowered   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 )

参考例句：

• A gun went off and people cowered behind walls and under tables. 一声枪响，人们缩到墙后或桌子底下躲起来。
• He cowered in the corner, gibbering with terror. 他蜷缩在角落里，吓得语无伦次。

21 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

22 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

23 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

24 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 sooted   

v.煤烟，烟灰( soot的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flue has become sooted up. 烟道里都是黑灰。 来自辞典例句