Dick stood and listened, holding his breath. He could hear no sound except for the rustling1 of thetrees around, and the sudden squeak2 of a field-mouse. It was a dark night and cloudy. Was thereanyone hidden nearby, or could he find a hiding-place in safety and wait?
He thought for a few minutes, and decided3 that there wouldn't be anyone watching the back of thehouse now that it was dark. Julian and the others would be in full view of any watcher at the front,seated as they were in the lighted sitting-room4 - there would be no need for anyone to watch the back.
He debated where to hide and then made a quick decision. 'I'll climb a tree,' he thought. 'What aboutthat one just near the crazy paving path? If the clouds clear away I could perhaps catch a glimpse ofwhat the man's like who comes to collect the parcel. Then I'll shin quietly down the tree and stalkhim.'
He climbed up into an oak tree that spread its broad branches over the path. He wriggled5 down in acomfortable fork and set himself to wait patiently.
42
What time had that note said? Eleven o'clock. Yes - Julian was to go down at eleven o'clock and putthe parcel under the stone. He listened for the church clock to strike. If the wind was in the rightdirection he would hear it clearly.
It struck just then. Half-past ten. Half an hour to wait. The waiting was the worst part. Dick put hishand into his pocket and brought out a bar of half-melted chocolate. He began to nibble6 it verygently, to make it last a long time.
The church clock struck a quarter to eleven. Dick finished the chocolate, and wondered if Julianwould soon be along. Just as the clock began to chime the hour at eleven, the kitchen door openedand Dick saw Julian outlined in the opening. He had the parcel under his arm.
He saw Julian go swiftly down the path and sensed him looking all about. He dared not give theslightest hint to him that he was just above his head!
He heard Julian scrabble about in the path, and then drop the big stone back into its place. Hewatched the light of Julian's torch bobbing back up the path to the kitchen door. Then the door shutwith a bang.
And now Dick could hardly breathe! Who would come for the parcel? He listened, stiff withexcitement. The wind blew and a leaf rustled7 against the back of his neck making him jump. It felt asif a finger had touched him.
Five minutes went by and nobody came. Then he heard the slightest sound. Was that somebodycrawling through the hedge? Dick strained his eyes but could only make out a deeper shadow thatseemed to be moving. Then he could most distinctly hear somebody breathing hard as they tugged8 atthe heavy stone! The parcel was being collected as arranged!
The stone plopped back. A shadow crept over to the hedge again. Whoever had the parcel was nowgoing off with it.
Dick dropped quietly down. He had rubber shoes on and made no noise. He slipped through a big gapin the hedge nearby and stood straining his eyes to find the man he wanted to follow. Ah- there was a shadow moving steadily9 down the field-path to the stile. Dick followed, keeping close tothe hedge.
He kept well behind the moving shadow till it reached the stile, got over it and went into the lanebeyond. When it got there it stopped, and a perfect fusillade of loud owl-hoots came to Dick's startledears.
43
Of course! That was the signal that the parcel had been collected. Dick admired the excellentimitation of a little owl's loud, excited hooting10.
The shadow stopped hooting and went on again. It obviously did not suspect that it might befollowed and, although it moved quietly, it did not attempt to keep under cover. Down the lane itwent and into a field.
Dick was about to follow when he heard the sound of voices. They were very low, and he couldn'thear a word. He crouched11 in the shadow of the gate, which was swung right back, leaving an entryinto the field.
A loud noise made him jump. Then a brilliant light dazzled him and he felt glad he could duck downbehind the gate. There was a car in the field. A car that had just started up its engine and switched onits lights. It was going, moving slowly down to the gate!
Dick tried his hardest to see who was in the car. He could make out only one man, and he wasdriving. It didn't seem as if anyone else was in the car at all. Where was the other fellow, then -the one who must have collected the parcel and given it to the man in the car? Had he been leftbehind? If so, Dick had better be careful!
The car was soon out in the lane. It gained speed and then Dick heard it roaring off in the distance.
He couldn't stalk a car, that was certain! He held his breath, listening for some movement of the otherman who, he felt certain, was still there.
He heard a sniff12 and crouched lower still. Then a shadow passed quickly through the gate, turnedback in the direction of Kirrin Cottage and was lost in the darkness of the lane.
In a trice Dick was after it again. At least he could track down this fellow! He must be goingsomewhere!
Down the lane to the stile. Over the stile and into the field. Across the field and back at the hedge thatgrew at the bottom of Kirrin Cottage.
Why was this fellow going back there? Dick was puzzled. He heard the shadow creeping through thehedge and he followed. He watched it go silently up the path and peer in at a darkened window.
'Going to get into the house again and ransack13 it, I suppose!' thought Dick, in a rage. He consideredthe shadowy figure by the window. It didn't look big. It must be a small man - one that Dick couldtackle and bring to the ground. He could yell loudly for Julian, and maybe he could hold the fellowdown till Julian came.
44
'And then perhaps we could do a little kidnapping, and a little bargaining, too,' thought Dick grimly.
'If they hold George as a hostage, we'll hold one of them, too! Tit for tat!'
He waited till the shadow left the window, and then he pounced14. His victim went down at once with ayell.
Dick was surprised how small he was - but how he fought! He bit and scratched and heaved andkicked, and the two of them rolled over and over and over, breaking down Michaelmas daisies in thebeds, and scratching legs and arms and faces on rose bushes. Dick yelled for Julian all the time.
'Julian! Julian! Help! Julian!'
Julian heard. He tore out at once. 'Dick, Dick, where are you? What is it?'
He flashed his torch towards the shouting and saw Dick rolling on top of somebody. He ran to help atonce, throwing his torch on the grass so that both hands were free.
It wasn't long before they had the struggling figure firmly in their grasp and dragged it, wailing15, to theback door. Dick recognized that wailing voice! Good gracious - no, it couldn't be - it couldn't be Jo!
But it was! When they dragged her inside she collapsed16 completely, sobbing17 and wailing, rubbing herscratched and bruised18 legs, calling both boys all the names she could think of. Anne and Joan lookedon in complete amazement19. Nore what had happened?
'Put her upstairs,' said Julian. 'Get her to bed. She's in a awful state now. So am I! I wouldn't havelammed her like that if I'd known it was only Jo.'
'I never guessed,' said Dick, wiping his filthy20 face with his handkerchief. 'My word, what a wildcat!
See how she's bitten me!'
'I didn't know it was you, Dick; I didn't know,' wailed21 Jo. 'You pounced on me, and I fought back. Iwouldn't have bitten you like that.'
'You're a savage22, deceitful, double-dealing little wildcat,' said Dick, looking at his bites and scratches.
'Pretending you know nothing about the man who gave you that note - and all the time you're in withthat crooked23 lot of thieves and kidnappers24, whoever they are.'
'I'm not in with them,' wept Jo.
'Don't tell lies,' shouted Dick, in a fury, 'I was up in a tree when you came and took that parcel fromunder the stone - yes, and I followed you right to that car - and followed you back again!
You came back here to steal again, I suppose?'
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Jo gulped25. 'No, I didn't.'
'You did! You'll be handed over to the police tomorrow,' said Dick, still furious.
'I didn't come back to steal. I came back for something else,' insisted Jo, her eyes peering through hertangled hair like a frightened animal's.
'Ho! So you say! And what did you come back for? To find another dog to dope?' jeered26 Dick.
'No,' said Jo, miserably27. 'I came back to tell you I'd take you to where George was, if you wouldn'ttell on me. My Dad would half kill me if he thought I'd split on him. I know I took the parcel - I hadto. I didn't know what it was or anything. I took it to the place I was told to. Jake told me. And then Icame back to tell you all I could. And you set on me like that.'
Four pairs of eyes bored into Jo, and she covered her face. Dick took her hands away and made herlook at him.
'Look here,' he said, 'this matters a lot to us, whether you are speaking the truth or not. Do you knowwhere George is?'
Jo nodded.
'And will you take us there?' said Julian, his voice stern and cold.
Jo nodded again. 'Yes I will. You've been mean to me, but I'll show you I'm not as bad as you makeout. I'll take you to George.'
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收听单词发音
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1
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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7
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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10
hooting
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的现在分词 )； 倒好儿； 倒彩 | |
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11
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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13
ransack
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| v.彻底搜索，洗劫 | |
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14
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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15
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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16
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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18
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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19
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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20
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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21
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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23
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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24
kidnappers
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| n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 ) | |
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25
gulped
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| 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 | |
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26
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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