Chapter 3 FACE AT THE WINDOW

　　Chapter 3 FACE AT THE WINDOW
　　The five curled up in their holes once more. Dick felt his jaw-bone. 'That ragamuffin of a girl gave mea good bang,' he said, half-admiringly. 'Little demon¹, isn't she! A bit of live wire!'
　　'I can't see why Julian wouldn't let me have a go at her,' said George sulkily. 'It was my hole she satin - she meant to be annoying! How dare she?'
　　'Girls can't go about fighting,' said Dick. 'Don't be an ass², George. I know you make out you're asgood as a boy, and you dress like a boy and climb trees as well as I can - but it's really time you gaveup thinking you're as good as a boy.'
　　This sort of speech didn't please George at all. 'Well, anyway, I don't burst into howls if I'm beaten,'
　　she said, turning her back on Dick.
　　'No, you don't,' agreed Dick. 'You've got as much spunk⁴ as any boy - much more than that other kidhad. I'm sorry I sent her flying now. It's the first time I've ever hit a girl, and I hope it'll be the last.'
　　'I'm jolly glad you hit her,' said George. 'She's a nasty little beast. If I see her again I'll tell her what Ithink of her.'
　　'No, you won't,' said Dick. 'Not if I'm there, anyway. She had her punishment when I sent her flying.'
　　'Do shut up arguing, you two,' said Anne, and sent a shower of sand over them. 'George, don't go intoone of your moods, for goodness' sake - we don't want to waste a single day of this two weeks.'
　　'Here's the ice-cream man,' said Julian, sitting up and feeling for the waterproof⁵ pocket in the belt ofhis bathing trunks. 'Let's have one each.'
　　'Woof,' said Timmy, and thumped⁶ his tail on the sand.
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　　'Yes, all right - one for you, too,' said Dick. 'Though what sense there is in giving you one, I don'tknow. One lick, one swallow, and it's gone. It might be a fly for all you taste of it.'
　　Timmy gulped⁷ his ice-cream down at once and then went into George's hole, squeezing beside her,hoping for a lick of her ice, too. But she pushed him away.
　　'No, Timmy. Ice-cream's wasted on you! You can't even have a lick of mine. And do get back intoyour hole - you're making me frightfully hot.'
　　Timmy obligingly got out and went into Anne's hole. She gave him a little bit of her ice-cream.
　　He sat panting beside her, looking longingly⁸ at the rest of the ice. 'You're melting it with your hotbreath,' said Anne. 'Go into Julian's hole now!'
　　The five of them had a thoroughly⁹ lazy morning. As none of them had a watch they went in far tooearly for lunch, and were shooed out again by Joan.
　　'How you can come in at ten past twelve for a one o'clock lunch, I don't know!' she scolded. 'I haven'teven finished the housework yet.'
　　'Well - it felt like one o'clock,' said Anne, disappointed to find there was so long to wait. Still, whenlunch-time came, Joan really did them well.
　　'Cold ham and tongue - cold baked beans - beetroot - crisp lettuce¹⁰ straight from the garden -heaps of tomatoes - cucumber - hard-boiled egg!' recited Anne in glee.
　　'Just the kind of meal I like,' said Dick, sitting down. 'What's for pudding?'
　　'There it is on the sideboard,' said Anne. 'Wobbly blancmange, fresh fruit salad and jelly. I'm glad I'mhungry.'
　　'Now don't you give Timmy any of that ham and tongue,' Joan warned George. 'I've got a fine bonefor him. Coming, Timmy?'
　　Timmy knew the word ''bone'' very well indeed. He trotted¹¹ after Joan at once, his feet soundingloudly in the hall. They heard Joan talking kindly¹² to him in the kitchen as she found him his bone.
　　'Good old Joan,' said Dick. 'She's like Timmy - her bark is worse than her bite.'
　　'Timmy's got a good bite, though,' said George, helping¹³ herself to three tomatoes at once. 'And hisbite came in useful heaps of times for us.'
　　They ate steadily¹⁴, thinking of some of the hair-raising adventures they had had, when Timmy and hisbite had certainly come in very useful. Timmy came in after a while, licking his lips.
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　　'Nothing doing, old chap,' said Dick, looking at the empty dishes on the table. 'Don't tell me you'vechomped up that bone already!'
　　Timmy had. He lay down under the table, and put his nose on his paws. He was happy. He had had agood meal, and he was with the people he loved best. He put his head as near George's feet as hecould.
　　'Your whiskers are tickling¹⁵ me,' she said, and screwed up her bare toes. 'Pass the tomatoes, someone.'
　　'You can't manage any more tomatoes, surely!' said Anne. 'You've had five already.'
　　'They're out of my own garden,' said George, 'so I can eat as many as I like.'
　　After lunch they lazed on the beach till it was time for a bathe again. It was a happy day for all ofthem - warm, lazy, with plenty of fun and romping¹⁶ about.
　　George looked out for the ragamuffin girl, but she didn't appear again. George was half sorry.
　　She would have liked a battle of words with her, even if she couldn't have a fight!
　　They were all very tired when they went to bed that night. Julian yawned so loudly when Joan camein with a jug¹⁷ of hot cocoa and some biscuits that she offered to lock up the house for him.
　　'Oh, no, thank you, Joan,' said Julian at once. 'That's the man's job, you know, locking up the house.
　　You can trust me all right. I'll see to every window and every door.'
　　'Right, Master Julian,' said Joan, and bustled¹⁸ away to wind up the kitchen clock, rake out the fire, andgo up to bed. The children went up, too, Timmy, as usual, at George's heels. Julian was leftdownstairs to lock up.
　　He was a very responsible boy. Joan knew that he wouldn't leave a single window unfastened.
　　She heard him trying to shut the little window in the pantry, and she called down:
　　'Master Julian! It's swollen¹⁹ or something, and won't shut properly. You needn't bother about it, it's toosmall for anyone to get into!'
　　'Right!' said Julian, thankfully, and went upstairs. He yawned a terrific yawn again, and set Dick off,too, as soon as he came into the bedroom they both shared. The girls, undressing in the next room,laughed to hear them.
　　'You wouldn't hear a burglar in the middle of the night, Julian and Dick!' called Anne. 'You'll sleeplike logs!'
　　'Old Timmy can listen out for burglars,' said Julian, cleaning his teeth vigorously. 'That's his job, notmine. Isn't it, Timmy?'
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　　'Woof,' said Timmy, clambering on to George's bed. He always slept curled up in the crook²⁰ of herknees. Her mother had given up trying to insist that George didn't have Timmy on her bed at night.
　　As George said, even if she agreed to that, Timmy wouldn't!
　　Nobody stayed awake for more than five seconds. Nobody even said anything in bed, except for asleepy good night. Timmy gave a little grunt²¹ and settled down, too, his head on George's feet.
　　It was heavy, but she liked it there. She put out a hand and stroked Timmy gently. He licked one ofher feet through the bed-clothes. He loved George more than anyone in the world.
　　It was dark outside that night. Thick clouds had come up and put out all the stars. There was nosound to be heard but the wind in the trees and the distant surge of the sea - and both sounded somuch the same that it was hard to tell the difference.
　　Not another sound - not even an owl³ hooting²² to its mate, or the sound of a hedgehog pattering in theditch.
　　Then why did Timmy wake up? Why did he open first one eye and then another? Why did he prickup his ears and lie there, listening? He didn't even lift his head at first. He simply lay listening in thedarkness.
　　He lifted his head cautiously at last. He slid off the bed as quietly as a cat. He padded across the roomand out of the door. Down the stairs he went, and into the hall, where his claws rattled²³ on the tiledfloor. But nobody heard him. Everyone in the house was fast asleep.
　　Timmy stood and listened in the hall. He knew he had heard something. Could it have been a ratsomewhere? Timmy lifted his nose and sniffed²⁴.
　　And then he stiffened²⁵ from head to tail, and stood as if turned into stone. Something was climbing upthe wall of the house. Scrape, scrape, scrape - rustle²⁶, rustle! Would a rat dare to do that?
　　Upstairs, in her bed, Anne didn't know why she suddenly woke up just then, but she did. She wasthirsty, and she thought she would get a drink of water. She felt for her torch, and switched it on.
　　The light fell on the window first, and Anne saw something that gave her a terrible shock. Shescreamed loudly, and dropped her torch in fright. George woke up at once. Timmy came bounding upthe stairs.
　　'Julian! wailed²⁷ Anne. 'Come quickly. I saw a face at the window, a horrible, dreadful face looking inat me!'
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　　George rushed to the window, switching on her torch as she did so. There was nothing there.
　　Timmy went with her. He sniffed at the open window and growled²⁸.
　　'Hark - I can hear someone running quickly down the path,' said Julian, who now appeared with Dick.
　　'Come on, Timmy - downstairs with you and after them!'
　　And down they all went - Anne too. They flung the front door wide and Timmy sped out, barkingloudly. A face at the window? He'd soon find out who it belonged to!

1 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

2 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

3 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

4 spunk   

n.勇气，胆量

参考例句：

• After his death,the soldier was cited for spunk.那位士兵死后因作战勇敢而受到表彰。
• I admired her independence and her spunk.我敬佩她的独立精神和勇气。

5 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

6 thumped   

v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
• He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。

7 gulped   

v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
• She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下，似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

11 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

12 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

15 tickling   

反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法

参考例句：

• Was It'spring tickling her senses? 是不是春意撩人呢？
• Its origin is in tickling and rough-and-tumble play, he says. 他说，笑的起源来自于挠痒痒以及杂乱无章的游戏。

16 romping   

adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜

参考例句：

• kids romping around in the snow 在雪地里嬉戏喧闹的孩子
• I found the general romping in the living room with his five children. 我发现将军在客厅里与他的五个小孩嬉戏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

18 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

19 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

20 crook   

v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)

参考例句：

• He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。
• She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

21 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

22 hooting   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩

参考例句：

• He had the audience hooting with laughter . 他令观众哄堂大笑。
• The owl was hooting. 猫头鹰在叫。

23 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

24 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 stiffened   

加强的

参考例句：

• He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
• She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。

26 rustle   

v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声

参考例句：

• She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。
• He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

27 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

28 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》