The four children waited at the open front door, listening to Timmy's angry, excited barking.
Anne was trembling, and Julian put his arm round her comfortingly.
'What was this dreadful face like?' he asked her. Anne shivered in his arm.
'I didn't see very much,' she said. 'You see, I just switched on my torch, and the beam was directed onthe window nearby - and it lighted up the face for a second. It had nasty gleaming eyes, and it lookedvery dark - perhaps it was a black man's face! Oh, I was frightened!'
'Then did it disappear?' asked Julian.
'I don't know,' said Anne. 'I was so frightened that I dropped my torch and the light went out.
Then George woke up and rushed to the window.'
'Where on earth was Timmy?' said Dick, feeling suddenly surprised that Timmy hadn't awakenedthem all by barking. Surely he must have heard the owner of the face climbing up to the window?
'I don't know. He came rushing into the bedroom when I screamed,' said Anne. 'Perhaps he had hearda noise and had gone down to see what it was.'
'That's about it,' said Julian. 'Never mind, Anne. It was a tramp, I expect. He found all the doors andwindows downstairs fastened - and shinned up the ivy1 to see if he could enter by way of a bedroom.
Timmy will get him, that's certain.'
But Timmy didn't get him. He came back after a time, with his tail down, and a puzzled look in hiseyes. 'Couldn't you find him, Timmy?' asked George, anxiously.
'Woof,' said Timmy, mournfully, his tail still down. George felt him. He was wet through.
14
'Goodness! Where have you been to get so wet?' she said, in surprise. 'Feel him, Dick.'
Dick felt him, and so did the others. 'He's been in the sea,' said Julian. 'That's why he's wet. I guessthe burglar, or whatever he was, must have sprinted2 down to the beach, when he knew Timmy wasafter him - and jumped into a boat! It was his only chance of getting away.'
'And Timmy must have swum after him till he couldn't keep up any more,' said George. 'Poor oldTim. So you lost him, did you?'
Timmy wagged his tail a little. He looked very downhearted indeed. To think he had heard noises andthought it was a rat - and now, whoever it was had got away from him. Timmy felt ashamed.
Julian shut and bolted the front door. He put up the chain, too. 'I don't think the Face will come backagain in a hurry,' he said. 'Now he knows there's a big dog here he'll keep away. I don't think we needworry any more.'
They all went back to bed again. Julian didn't go to sleep for some time. Although he had told theothers not to worry, he felt worried himself. He was sorry that Anne had been frightened, andsomehow the boldness of the burglar in climbing up to a bedroom worried him, too. He must havebeen determined3 to get in somehow.
Joan, the cook, slept through all the disturbance4. Julian wouldn't wake her. 'No,' he said, 'don't tell heranything about it. She'd want to send telegrams to Uncle Quentin or something.'
So Joan knew nothing about the night's happenings, and they heard her cheerfully humming in thekitchen the next morning as she cooked bacon and eggs and tomatoes for their breakfast.
Anne was rather ashamed of herself when she woke up and remembered the fuss she had made.
The Face was rather dim in her memory now. She half wondered if she had dreamed it all. She askedJulian if he thought she might have had a bad dream.
'Quite likely,' said Julian, cheerfully, very glad that Anne should think this. 'More than likely! Iwouldn't worry about it any more, if I were you.'
He didn't tell Anne that he had examined the thickly-growing ivy outside the window, and had foundclear traces of the night-climber. Part of the sturdy clinging ivy-stem had come away from the wall,and beneath the window were strewn broken-off ivy leaves. Julian showed them to Dick.
'There was somebody,' he said. 'What a nerve he had, climbing right up to the window like that.
A real cat-burglar!'
15
There were no footprints to be seen anywhere in the garden. Julian didn't expect to find any, for theground was dry and hard.
The day was very fine and warm again. 'I vote we do what we did yesterday - go off to the beach andbathe,' said Dick. 'We might take a picnic lunch if Joan will give us one.'
'I'll help her to make it up for us,' said Anne, and she and George went off to beg for sandwiches andbuns. Soon they were busy wrapping up a colossal5 lunch.
'Do for twelve, I should think!' said Joan, with a laugh. 'Here's a bottle of home-made lemonade, too.
You can take as many ripe plums as you like as well. I shan't prepare any supper for you tonight -you'll not need it after all this lunch.'
George and Anne looked at her in alarm. No supper! Then they caught the twinkle in her eye andlaughed.
'We'll make all the beds and do our rooms before we go,' said Anne. 'And is there anything you wantfrom the village?'
'No, not today. You hurry up with your jobs and get along to the beach,' said Joan. 'I'll be quite gladof a peaceful day to myself. I shall turn out the larder6 and the hall cupboards and the scullery, andenjoy myself in peace!'
Anne seemed quite to have forgotten her fright of the night before as they went down to the beachthat day, chattering7 and laughing together. Even if she had thought about it, something soonhappened that swept everything else from her mind.
The little ragamuffin girl was down on the beach again! She was alone. Her dreadful old father, orwhatever he was, was not there.
George saw the girl first and scowled8. Julian saw the scowl9 and then the girl, and made up his mind atonce. He led the others firmly to where rocks jutted10 up from the beach, surrounded by limpid11 rock-pools.
'We'll be here today,' he said. 'It's so hot we'll be glad of the shade from the rocks. What about justhere?'
'It's all right,' said George, half sulky and half amused at Julian for being so firm about things.
'Don't worry. I'm not having anything more to do with that smelly girl.'
'I'm glad to hear it,' said Julian. They had now turned a corner, and were out of sight of the girl.
Big rocks ran in an upwards12 direction behind them, and jutted up all around them. Julian sat down ina lovely little corner, with rocks protecting them from the sun and the wind.
16
'Let's have a read before we bathe,' said Dick. 'I've got a mystery story here. I simply MUST find outwho the thief is.'
He settled himself comfortably. Anne went to look for sea anemones13 in the pool. She liked the petal-like creatures that looked so like plants and weren't. She liked feeding them with bits of biscuit,seeing their 'petals14' close over the fragment and draw them quickly inside.
George lay back and stroked Timmy. Julian began to sketch15 the rocks around, and the little pools. Itwas all very peaceful indeed.
Suddenly something landed on George's middle and made her jump. She sat up, and so did Timmy.
'What was that?' said George indignantly. 'Did you throw something at me, Dick?'
'No,' said Dick, his eyes glued to his book.
Something else hit George on the back of the neck, and she put her hand up with an exclamation16.
'What's happening? Who's throwing things?'
She looked to see what had hit her. Lying on the sand was a small roundish thing. George picked itup. 'Why - it's a damson stone,' she said. And 'Ping'! Another one hit her on the shoulder. She leaptup in a rage.
She could see nobody at all. She waited for another damson stone to appear, but none did.
'I just wish I could draw your face, George,' said Julian, with a grin. 'I never saw such a frown in mylife. Ooch!'
The 'ooch!' was nothing to do with George's frown; it was caused by another damson stone thatcaught Julian neatly17 behind the ear. He leapt to his feet too. A helpless giggle18 came from behind arock some way behind and above them. George was up on the ledge19 in a second.
Behind one of the rocks sat the ragamuffin girl. Her pockets were full of damsons, some of themspilling out as she rolled on the rocks, laughing. She sat up when she saw George, and grinned.
'What do you mean, throwing those stones at us?' demanded George.
'I wasn't throwing them,' said the girl.
'Don't tell lies,' said George scornfully. 'You know you were.'
'I wasn't. I was just spitting them,' said the awful girl. 'Watch!' She slipped a stone into her mouth,took a deep breath and then spat20 out the stone. It flew straight at George and hit her sharply andsquarely on the nose. George looked so extremely surprised that Dick and Julian roared withlaughter.
17
'Bet I can spit stones farther than any of you,' said the ragamuffin. 'Have some of my damsons andsee.'
'Right!' said Dick promptly21. 'If you win I'll buy you an ice-cream. If I do, you can clear off from hereand not bother us any more. See?'
'Yes,' said the girl, and her eyes gleamed and danced. 'But I shall win!'
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
ivy
|
|
| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
sprinted
|
|
| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
disturbance
|
|
| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
colossal
|
|
| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
larder
|
|
| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
chattering
|
|
| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
scowled
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
scowl
|
|
| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
jutted
|
|
| v.（使）突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
limpid
|
|
| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
upwards
|
|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
anemones
|
|
| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
petals
|
|
| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
sketch
|
|
| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
exclamation
|
|
| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
neatly
|
|
| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
giggle
|
|
| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
ledge
|
|
| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |