George was most astonished at Dick. How very shocking to see who could spit damson stones out thefarthest.
'It's all right,' said Julian to her in a low voice. 'You know how good Dick is at that sort of game.
He'll win - and we'll send the girl scooting off, well and truly beaten.'
'I think you're horrible, Dick,' said George, in a loud voice. 'Horrible!'
'Who used to spit cherry-stones out and try and beat me last year?' said Dick at once. 'Don't be sohigh-and-mighty, George.'
Anne came slowly back from her pool, wondering why the others were up on the rocks. Damsonstones began to rain round her. She stopped in astonishment1. Surely - surely it couldn't be the othersdoing that? A stone hit her on her bare arm, and she squealed2.
The ragamuffin girl won handsomely. She managed to get her stones at least three feet farther thanDick. She lay back, laughing, her teeth gleaming very white indeed.
'You owe me an ice-cream,' she said, in her sing-song voice. Julian wondered if she was Welsh.
Dick looked at her, marvelling3 that she managed to get her stones so far.
'I'll buy you the ice-cream, don't worry,' he said. 'Nobody's ever beaten me before like that, not evenStevens, a boy at school with a most enormous mouth.'
'I do think you really are dreadful,' said Anne. 'Go and buy her the ice-cream and tell her to go home.'
'I'm going to eat it here,' said the girl, and she suddenly looked exactly as mulish and obstinate4 asGeorge did when she wanted something she didn't think she would get.
18
'You look like George now!' said Dick, and immediately wished he hadn't. George glared at him,furious.
'What! That nasty, rude tangly5-haired girl like me!' stormed George. 'Pooh! I can't bear to go nearher.'
'Shut up,' said Dick, shortly. The girl looked surprised.
'What does she mean?' she asked Dick. 'Am I nasty? You're as rude as I am, anyway.'
'There's an ice-cream man,' said Julian, afraid that the hot-tempered George would fly at the girl andslap her. He whistled to the man, who came to the edge of the rocks and handed out six ice-creams.
'Here you are,' said Julian, handing one to the girl. 'You eat that up and go.'
They all sat and ate ice-creams, George still scowling6. Timmy gulped8 his at once as usual. 'Look- he's had all his,' marvelled9 the girl. 'I call that a waste. Here, boy - have a bit of mine!'
To George's annoyance10, Timmy licked up the bit of ice-cream thrown to him by the girl. How couldTimmy accept anything from her?
Dick couldn't help being amused by this queer, bold little girl, with her tangled11 short hair and sharpdarting eyes. He suddenly saw something that made him feel uncomfortable.
On her chin the girl had a big black bruise12. 'I say,' said Dick, 'I didn't give you that bruise yesterday,did I?'
'What bruise? Oh, this one on my chin?' said the girl, touching13 it. 'Yes, that's where you hit me whenyou sent me flying. I don't mind. I've had plenty worse ones from my Dad.'
'I'm sorry I hit you,' said Dick, awkwardly. 'I honestly thought you were a boy. What's your name?'
'Jo,' said the girl.
'But that's a boy's name,' said Dick.
'So's George. But you said she was a girl,' said Jo, licking the last bits of ice-cream from her fingers.
'Yes, but George is short for Georgina,' said Anne. 'What's Jo short for?'
'Don't know,' said Jo. 'I never heard. All I know is I'm a girl and my name is Jo.'
'It's probably short for Josephine,' said Julian. They all stared at the possible Josephine. The shortname of Jo certainly suited her - but not the long and pretty name of Josephine.
19
'It's really queer,' said Anne, at last, 'but Jo is awfully14 like you, George - same short curly hair -only Jo's is terribly messy and tangly - same freckles15, dozens of them - same turned-up nose...'
'Same way of sticking her chin up in the air, same scowl7, same glare!' said Dick. George put on herfiercest glare at these remarks, which she didn't like at all.
'Well, all I can say I hope I haven't her layers of dirt and her sm -' she began, angrily. But Dickstopped her.
'She's probably not got any soap or hair-brush or anything. She'd be all right cleaned up. Don't beunkind, George.'
George turned her back. How could Dick stick up for that awful girl? 'Isn't she ever going?' she said.
'Or is she going to park herself on us all day long?'
'I'll go when I want to,' said Jo, and put on a scowl, so exactly like George's that Julian and Dicklaughed in surprise. Jo laughed, too, but George clenched16 her fists furiously. Anne looked on indistress. She wished Jo would go, then everything would be all right again.
'I like that dog,' said Jo, suddenly, and she leaned over to where Timmy lay beside George. Shepatted him with a hand that was like a little brown paw. George swung round.
'Don't touch my dog!' she said. 'He doesn't like you, either!'
'Oh, but he does,' said Jo, surprisingly. 'All dogs like me. So do cats. I can make your dog come to meas easy as anything.'
'Try!' said George, scornfully. 'He won't go to you! Will you, Tim?'
Jo didn't move. She began to make a queer little whining17 noise down in her throat, like a forlornpuppy. Timmy pricked18 up his ears at once. He looked inquiringly at Jo. Jo stopped making the noiseand held out her hand.
Timmy looked at it and turned away - but when he heard the whining again he got up, listening.
He stared intently at Jo. Was this a kind of dog-girl, that she could so well speak his language?
Jo flung herself on her face and went on with the small, whining noises that sounded as if she were asmall dog in pain or sorrow. Timmy walked over to her and sat down, his head on one side, puzzled.
Then he suddenly bent19 down and licked the girl's half-hidden face. She sat up at once and put herarms round Timmy's neck.
'Come here, Timmy,' said George, jealously. Timmy shook off the brown arms that held him andwalked over to George at once.
Jo laughed.
20
'See? I made him come to me and give me one of his best licks! I can do that to any dog.'
'How can you?' asked Dick, in wonder. He had never seen Timmy make friends before with anyonewho was disliked by George.
'I don't know, really,' said Jo, pushing back her hair again, as she sat up. 'I reckon it's in the family.
My mother was in a circus, and she trained dogs for the ring. We had dozens - lovely they were. Iloved them all.'
'Where is your mother?' asked Julian. 'Is she still in the circus?'
'No. She died,' said Jo. 'And I left the circus with my Dad. We've got a caravan20. Dad was an acrobattill he hurt his foot.'
The four children remembered how the man had dragged his foot as he walked. They looked silentlyat dirty little Jo. What a strange life she must have led!
'She's dirty, she's probably very good at telling lies and thieving, but she's got pluck,' thought Julian.
'Still, I'll be glad when she goes.'
'I wish I hadn't given her that awful bruise,' thought Dick. 'I wonder what she'd be like cleaned up andbrushed? She looks as if a little kindness would do her good.'
'I'm sorry for her, but I don't much like her,' thought Anne.
'I don't believe a word she says!' thought George angrily. 'Not one word! She's a humbug21. And I'mashamed of Timmy for going to her. I feel very cross with him.'
'Where's your father?' asked Julian at last.
'Gone off somewhere to meet somebody,' said Jo vaguely22. 'I'm glad. He was in one of his tempers thismorning. I went and hid under the caravan.'
There was a silence. 'Can I stay with you today till my Dad comes back?' said Jo suddenly, in hersing-song voice. 'I'll wash myself if you like. I'm all alone today.'
'No. We don't want you,' said George, feeling as if she really couldn't bear Jo any longer. 'Do we,Anne?'
Anne didn't like hurting anyone. She hesitated. 'Well,' she said at last, 'perhaps Jo had better go.'
'Yes,' said Julian. 'It's time you scooted off now, Jo. You've had a long time with us.'
Jo looked at Dick with mournful eyes, and touched the bruise on her chin as if it hurt her. Dick feltmost uncomfortable again. He looked round at the others.
'Don't you think she could stay and share our picnic?' he said. 'After all - she can't help being dirtyand - and...'
21
'It's all right,' said Jo, suddenly scrambling23 up. 'I'm going! There's my Dad!'
They saw the man in the distance, dragging his foot as he walked. He caught sight of Jo and gave ashrill and piercing whistle. Jo made a face at them all, an impudent24, ugly, insolent25 face.
'I don't like you!' she said. Then she pointed26 at Dick. 'I only like him - he's nice. Yah to the rest ofyou!'
And off she went like a hare over the sand, her bare feet hardly touching the ground.
'What an extraordinary girl!' said Julian. 'I don't feel we've seen the last of her yet!'
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
squealed
|
|
| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
marvelling
|
|
| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
obstinate
|
|
| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
tangly
|
|
| 混乱的，乱作一团的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
6
scowling
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
scowl
|
|
| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
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： |
|
|
|
|
9
marvelled
|
|
| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
bruise
|
|
| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
freckles
|
|
| n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
whining
|
|
| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
pricked
|
|
| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
caravan
|
|
| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
humbug
|
|
| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
scrambling
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
impudent
|
|
| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
insolent
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |