The hall clock suddenly struck loudly. DONG!'
'One o'clock,' said Joan. 'One o'clock in the morning! Master Julian, we can't do any more tonight.
This gipsy child here, she's not fit to take you trapesing out anywhere else. She's done for - she canhardly stand.'
'Yes, you're right Joan,' said Julian, at once giving up the idea of going out to find George that night.
'We'll have to wait till tomorrow. It's a pity the telephone wires are cut. I do really think we ought tolet the police know something about all this.'
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Jo looked up at once. 'Then I won't tell you where George is,' she said. 'Do you know what the policewill do to me if they get hold of me? They'd put me into a Home for Bad Girls, and I'll never get outagain - because I am a bad girl and I do bad things. I've never had a chance.'
'Every one gets a chance sooner or later,' said Julian gently. 'You'll get yours, Jo - but see you take itwhen it comes. All right - we'll leave the police out of it if you promise you'll take us to whereGeorge is. That's a bargain.'
Jo understood bargains. She nodded. Joan pulled her to her feet and half led, half carried her upstairs.
'There's a couch in my room,' she told Julian. 'She can bed down there for the night - but late or notshe's going to have a bath first. She smells like something the dog brought in!'
In half an hour's time Jo was tucked up on the couch in Joan's room, perfectly1 clean, though markedwith scratches and bruises2 from top to toe, hair washed, dried, and brushed so that it stood up in wirycurls like George's. A basin of steaming bread and milk was on a tray in front of her.
Joan went to the landing and called across to Julian's room. 'Master Julian! Jo's in bed. She wants tosay something to you and Master Dick.'
Dick and Julian put on dressing-gowns and went into Joan's neat room. They hardly recognized Jo.
She was wearing one of Anne's old nightgowns and looked very clean and childish and somehowpathetic.
Jo looked at them and gave them a very small smile. 'What do you want to say to us?' asked Julian.
'I've got some things to tell you,' said Jo, stirring the bread round and round in the basin. 'I feel goodnow - good and clean and - and all that. But maybe tomorrow I'll feel like I always do - and then Iwouldn't tell you everything. So I'd better tell you now.'
'Go ahead,' said Julian.
'Well, I let the men into your house here, the night they came,' said Jo. Julian and Dick stared inastonishment. Jo went on stirring her bread round and round.
'It's true,' she said. 'I got in at that tiny window that was left unfastened, and then I went to the backdoor and opened it and let the men in. They did make a mess of that room, didn't they? I watchedthem. They took a lot of papers.'
'You couldn't possibly squeeze through that window,' said Dick at once.
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'Well, I did,' said Jo. 'I've - I've squeezed through quite a lot of little windows. I know how to wriggle,you see. I can't get through such tiny ones as I used to, because I keep on growing. But yours waseasy.'
'Phew!' said Julian, and let out a long breath. He hardly knew what to say. 'Well, go on. I supposewhen the men had finished you locked and bolted the kitchen door after them and then squeezed outof the pantry window again?'
'Yes,' said Jo, and put a piece of milky3 bread into her mouth.
'What about Timmy? Who doped him so that he slept all that night?' demanded Dick.
'I did,' said Jo. 'That was easy, too.'
Both boys were speechless. To think that Jo did that, too! The wicked little misery4!
'I made friends with Timmy on the beach, don't you remember?' said Jo. 'George was cross about it. Ilike dogs. We always had dozens till Mum died, and they'd do anything I told them. Dad told mewhat I was to do - make friends with Timmy so that I could meet him that night and give him meatwith something in it.'
'I see. And it was very, very easy, because we sent Timmy out alone - straight into your hands,'
said Dick bitterly.
'Yes. He came to me at once, he was glad to see me. I took him quite a long walk, letting him sniffthe meat I'd got. When I gave it to him, he swallowed it all at once with hardly a chew!'
'And slept all night long so that your precious friends could break into the house,' said Julian. 'All Ican say is that you are a hardened little rogue5. Aren't you ashamed of anything?'
'I don't know,' said Jo, who wasn't really quite certain what feeling ashamed meant. 'Shall I stoptelling you things?'
'No. For goodness' sake go on,' said Dick, hastily. 'Had you anything to do with George'skidnapping?'
'I just had to hoot6 like an owl7 when she and Timmy were coming,' said Jo. 'They were ready for herwith a sack to put over her head - and they were going to bang Timmy on the head with a stick toknock him out - then put him into a sack too. That's what I heard them say. But I didn't see them. Ihad to creep back here and shut the front door, so that if nobody missed George till morning they'djust think she'd gone out early somewhere.'
'Which is what we did think,' groaned8 Dick. 'What mutts we are! The only clever thing we thought ofwas to stalk the person who collected the parcel.'
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'It was only me, though,' said Jo. 'And anyway, I was coming back to tell you I would take you toGeorge. Not because I like her - I don't. I think she's rude and horrible. I'd like her to stay kidnappedfor years!'
'What a nice, kind nature!' said Julian to Dick, helplessly. 'What can you do with a kid like this?'
He turned to Jo again. 'Seeing that you wish George would stay kidnapped for years, what made youdecide to come and tell us where to find her?' he asked, puzzled.
'Well, I don't like George - but I do like him!' said Jo, pointing with her spoon at Dick. 'He was niceto me, so I wanted to be nice back. I don't often feel like that,' she added hurriedly, as if being kindwas some sort of weakness not really to be admired. 'I wanted him to go on liking9 me,' she said.
Dick looked at her. 'I shall like you if you take us to George,' he said. 'Not unless. If you deceive us, Ishall think you're like one of those sour damson stones - only fit to be spat10 out as far away aspossible.'
'I'll take you tomorrow,' said Jo.
'Where is George?' asked Julian, bluntly, thinking it would be as well to know now, in case Jochanged her mind by the morning, and became her wicked little self again.
Jo hesitated. She looked at Dick. 'It would be very nice of you to tell us,' said Dick, in a kind voice.
Jo loved a bit of kindness and couldn't resist this.
'Well,' she whispered, 'you know I told you my Dad had gone off and left me to Jake. Dad didn't tellme why - but Jake did. He shut George and Timmy into our caravan11, harnessed Blackie the horse,and drove away in the night with them both. And I guess I know where he's gone - where he alwaysgoes when he wants to hide.'
'Where?' asked Julian, feeling so astounded12 at these extraordinary revelations that he really began towonder if he was dreaming.
'In the middle of Ravens13 Wood,' said Jo. 'You don't know where that is, but I do. I'll take youtomorrow. I can't tell you any more now.' She began to spoon up her bread and milk very fast indeed,watching the boys through her long eyelashes.
Dick considered her. He felt pretty sure she had told them the truth, though he was equally certain shewould have told lies if she could have got more by doing so.
He thought her a bad, cold- blooded, savage14 little monkey, but he pitied her, and admired herunwillingly for her courage.
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He caught sight of her bruises and grazes, and bit his lip as he remembered how he had pounced15 onher and pummelled her, giving her back kick for kick and blow for blow - he hadn't guessed for onemoment it was Jo.
'I'm sorry I hurt you so,' he said. 'You know I didn't mean to. It was a mistake.'
Jo looked at him as a slave might look at a king. 'I don't mind,' she said. 'I'd do anything for you,straight I would. You're kind.'
Joan knocked impatiently at the door. 'Aren't you ready yet, you boys?' she said. 'I want to come tobed. Tell Jo to stop talking, and you come on out too, and go to bed.'
The boys opened the door. Joan took one look at their solemn faces and guessed that what Jo had toldthem was important. She took the empty basin from the girl's hands and pushed her down on thecouch.
'Now you go straight off to sleep - and mind, if I hear any hanky-panky from you in the night I'll getup and give you such a spanking16 you won't be able to sit down for a month of Sundays,' she saidroughly, but - not unkindly.
Jo grinned. She understood that kind of talk. She snuggled down into the rugs, marvelling17 at thewarmth and softness. She was already half-asleep. Joan got into bed and switched off her light.
'Two o'clock in the morning!' she muttered as she heard the hall clock strike. 'Such goings-on! I'llnever wake up in time to tell the milkman I want more milk.'
Soon only Julian was awake. He worried about whether he was doing right or not. Poor George -was she safe? Would that scamp of a Jo really lead them to the caravan next day - or might she leadthem right into the lion's mouth, and get them all captured? Julian simply didn't know.
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收听单词发音
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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ravens
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| n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
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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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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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spanking
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| adj.强烈的，疾行的；n.打屁股 | |
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marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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