Chapter 13 A HORRID SHOCK

Chapter 13 A HORRID¹ SHOCK
Julian was not very happy to hear that his aunt and uncle were staying away for a week. He picked upthe telegram. It was addressed to George, but Joan had opened it.
'Not returning for a week,' it said. 'Complications have arisen, Hope all goes well. Love fromMother.''
There was no address. How annoying! Now Julian couldn't even let them know that he was feelinguneasy. He made up his mind to guard Berta every minute! Thank goodness they had Timmy.
Nobody would dare to do any kidnapping under Timmy's eye!
He thought it was a good idea to put Timmy in Joan's room that night with Berta. In fact, if Georgewould agree, it would be best to do that each night. He thought it would not be wise to ask Georgenow, though, because he could see that she was half sorry she had made the offer to Joan!
Julian was quite fussy² that evening. He insisted on the blinds being drawn³ when they sat down toplay cards after their supper. He would not let Berta take Sally out for a run, but took her himself,watching for any strange person as he went down the lane.
'You're making me feel quite scared!' said Anne with a laugh. 'Oh Ju, it's so hot in this room. Do, dolet's have the blind up for a few minutes and let some air in. I shall begin to sizzle if we don't.
Timmy would soon growl⁴ if there was anyone outside.'
'All right,' said Julian and drew up the blind. It was dark outside now, and the light streamed out.
'That's better,' said Anne, mopping her wet forehead. 'Now, whose turn is it? Yours, George.'
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They sat round the table, playing. Julian and Berta sat side by side, as Julian was helping⁵ her in a newgame of cards. She looked exactly like a very earnest little boy, with her straight close-cut fair hair.
George sat opposite the window with Dick on one side of her and Anne on the other.
'Your turn, Dick,' said George. 'Do buck⁶ up, you're slow tonight.' She sat and waited, looking out ofthe window into the darkness.
Then suddenly she slammed down her cards and leapt up, shouting. Everyone jumped almost out oftheir skins.
'What is it, what is it, George?' cried Julian.
'Out there - look - a face! I saw a face peeping in at us - the light of the window just caught it!
Timmy, Timmy! Quick, go after him!'
But Timmy wasn't there! Nor was Sally. George called frantically⁷ again. 'TIMMY! Come here,quickly. Oh, blow him, that fellow will get away. TIM!'
Timmy came bounding up the hall and into the sitting-room⁸, barking. Sally followed behind.
'Where were you! Fathead!' cried George furiously. 'Jump out of the window - go on - chase him, findhim!'
Timmy leapt out of the window and Sally tried to do the same, but couldn't. She barked and yelped,trying again and again to jump out. Joan came running in, panic-stricken, wondering what washappening.
'Listen,' said Julian, suddenly. 'Shut up, Sally, Listen!'
They were all suddenly quiet, Sally too. There was the sound of a car being revved⁹ up down the lane,and then the sound died down as the car sped away.
'He's got away, whoever he was,' said Dick, and sat down suddenly. 'Gosh, I feel as if I'd beenrunning a mile. You nearly scared the life out of me when you slammed down your cards like that,George, and yelled in my ear.'
Timmy leapt in at the window at that moment and Dick almost jumped out of his skin again. So dideveryone else, including Sally, who fled behind the sofa in panic.
'What's all this about?' said Joan, quite fiercely. 'Really!'
George was in a tearing rage - with Timmy of all things! She shouted at the surprised dog and he puthis tail down at once.
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'Where were you? Why did you slink out of the room into the kitchen? How dare you leave me andgo off like that? Just when we needed you! I'm ashamed of you, Timmy - you could have caught thatfellow easily!'
'Oh don't,' said Berta, almost in tears. 'Poor Timmy! Don't George!'
Then George turned on Berta. 'You just let me scold my own dog if he needs it! And you go andscold yours too. I bet Timmy followed your horrid little woolly pet out into the kitchen - it was herfault, not his!'
'Shut up, George,' said Julian. 'Your temper gets us nowhere. Calm down and let's hear what you saw.
CALM DOWN, I say.'
George stared at him, about to retort with something defiant¹⁰. Then Timmy gave a small whimper- his heart was almost broken to hear George - George, his beloved mistress - rave¹¹ at him in suchanger. He had no idea what he had done to displease¹² her.
The whimper brought George to her senses. 'Oh Timmy!' she said, and knelt down and flung her armsround his neck. 'I didn't mean to shout at you. I was so angry because we missed our chance ofgetting that man who was peeping in at us. Oh Timmy, it's all right, it really is.'
Timmy was extremely glad to hear it. He licked George lavishly¹³, and then lay down by her verysoberly. He wished he knew what all the excitement was about.
So did Joan. She thumped¹⁴ on the table to get everyone's attention, and at last got Julian to explaineverything to her. She stared out of the window, half-thinking that she could see faces in the darknessoutside. She drew the blind down sharply.
'We'll go to bed,' she said. 'All of us. I don't like this. I shall ring up the police and warn them.
Master Lesley, you come with me straightaway now.'
'I think perhaps you're right, Joan,' said Julian. 'I'll lock up everywhere. Come on, girls.'
Timmy was astonished and upset to find himself handed over to Joan and Berta. Was George stillcross with him then? It was a very, very long time since he had slept away from her at night.
He cheered up a little when he saw that Sally was going to be with him, and trotted¹⁵ rather mournfullyup the attic¹⁶ stairs to Joan's room.
Joan soon got Berta into bed, and then undressed herself. She fastened the window and locked thedoor. She gave Timmy a rug in a corner, and Sally jumped up on Berta's bed as usual.
'Now we ought to be quite safe!' said Joan, and settled creakingly into her bed.
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On the floor below the two boys followed the same procedure, and so did Anne and George.
Doors were locked and windows fastened, though it was a hot night and they were all sure theywould be melted by the morning. George couldn't bear to think of Timmy with Berta and Joan -especially as she had been so very cross with him. She lay in bed, full of remorse¹⁷. Dear, kind, faithfulTimmy - how could she have shouted at him like that?
'Do you suppose Timmy is feeling very upset?' she said, when she and Anne were in bed.
'A bit, perhaps,' said Anne. 'But dogs are very forgiving.'
'I know. That somehow makes it worse,' said George.
'Well, you really shouldn't get into such tempers,' said Anne, seizing the opportunity to tell George afew home truths. 'I thought you were getting over the tantrums you used to have. But these holsyou've been pretty bad. Because of Berta, I suppose.'
'I wish I could go up and say good night to Timmy,' George began again, after a few minutes'
silence.
'Oh for goodness' sake George!' said Anne, sleepily. 'Do be sensible. You can't go and bang on Joan'sdoor and ask for Timmy - you'd scare them to death!'
Anne fell asleep, but George didn't. Then suddenly she heard the sound of a door being unlocked, andsat up. It sounded as if it came from the attic. Was it Joan unlocking her door?
What did she want?
A cautious little knock came at George's door. 'Who is it?' said George.
'Me. Joan,' said Joan's voice. 'I've brought Sally down, Miss George. Timmy keeps trying to get up onMiss Berta's bed to be with Sally, and she simply can't go to sleep, her camp-bed is too small to holdall three of them. So will you have Sally, please?'
'Oh blow!' said George, and went to open her door. 'How's Timmy?' she said, in a low voice.
'All right,' said Joan. 'He'll be annoyed I've taken Sally away. I'm glad to have him up here tonightwith all these goings on!'
'Is he - is he happy, Joan?' asked George, but Joan had turned away and didn't hear. George sighed.
Why had she offered to let Joan and Berta have Timmy tonight of all nights, when she had scoldedhim so unfairly? Now she had got to have this silly little Sally instead!
Sally whimpered. She didn't like being away from Berta, and she was not fond of George. Shewriggled out of George's arms and ran round the room, still whimpering.
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Anne woke up with a jump. 'Whatever's going on?' she said. 'Why - it's Sally in the room! How didshe get here?'
George told her, sounding very cross. 'Well, I hope she'll settle down,' said Anne. 'I don't want her towhimper and run round the bedroom all night long.'
But Sally wouldn't settle down. Her whimpering became louder, and when she took a flying jump onto George's bed and landed right on George's middle, the girl had had enough of it. She sat up andspoke in a fierce whisper.
'You little idiot! I'm jolly well going to take you downstairs and put you into Timmy's kennel¹⁸!'
'Good idea,' said Anne, sleepily. George picked up the lively little poodle and went out of the room,shutting the door softly. Anne promptly¹⁹ went to sleep again.
George crept down the stairs and went to the garden door. She undid²⁰ it and walked out in dressing-gown and pyjamas²¹, her curly hair all tousled, carrying the whimpering little dog.
Suddenly she felt Sally stiffen²² in her arms, and growl. Grrrrrrr! George stood quite still. What hadSally heard?
Then things happened very suddenly indeed. A torch was flashed in her face, and before she couldcry out, a cloth was thrown over her head so that she could not make a sound.
'This is the one!' said a low voice. 'The one with curly hair! And this is her dog, the poodle. Put himin that kennel, quick, before he barks the place down.'
Sally, too scared even to growl, was pushed into the kennel and the door shut on her. George,struggling and trying vainly to call out, was lifted off her feet and carried swiftly down to the frontgate.
The garden door swung creaking to and fro in the night wind. Sally whimpered in her kennel.
But no one heard either door or dog. Everyone in Kirrin Cottage was sound asleep!

1 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

2 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

5 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。

6 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

7 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

8 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

9 revved   

v.（使）加速( rev的过去式和过去分词 )；（数量、活动等）激增；（使发动机）快速旋转；（使）活跃起来

参考例句：

• The taxi driver revved up his engine. 出租车司机把发动机发动起来。
• The car revved up and roared away. 汽车发动起来，然后轰鸣着开走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

11 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

12 displease   

vt.使不高兴，惹怒；n.不悦，不满，生气

参考例句：

• Not wishing to displease her,he avoided answering the question.为了不惹她生气，他对这个问题避而不答。
• She couldn't afford to displease her boss.她得罪不起她的上司。

13 lavishly   

adv.慷慨地，大方地

参考例句：

• His house was lavishly adorned.他的屋子装饰得很华丽。
• The book is lavishly illustrated in full colour.这本书里有大量全彩插图。

14 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。

15 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。

16 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

17 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

18 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

19 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

20 Undid   

v. 解开, 复原

参考例句：

• The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
• He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。

21 pyjamas   

n.（宽大的）睡衣裤

参考例句：

• This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
• Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

22 stiffen   

v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬

参考例句：

• The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时，皮肤的供血量就减少了。
• I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。