Timmy growled1, and so did Binky. The children swung round and saw the old witch-like womanstanding there, her wispy2 grey hair hanging over her face.
'What's the matter, Mrs. - er - Mrs. Janes?' said Julian, fortunately remembering the name Mr.
Gringle had told him. 'We're not doing any harm.'
'My son don't like strangers here,' said Mrs. Janes, mumbling3 so much that the children could hardlyunderstand what she was saying.
'But this place belongs to Mr. Gringle surely, and his friend,' said Dick, puzzled.
'I tell 'ee my son don't hold with strangers here,' mumbled4 the old woman again and shook her fist atthem.
Timmy didn't like this, and growled. She at once pointed5 her finger at him and muttered a long stringof such queer-sounding words that Anne shrank back, afraid. Really, Mrs. Janes did look exactly likea witch - and sounded like one, too.
Timmy acted strangely. He put his tail down, stopped growling6 and crept close to George. She wasmost astonished.
'It looks as if she's trying to put a spell on old Tim,' said Dick, half laughing, but that was too muchfor Anne and George.
Taking Timmy by the collar, George rushed off quickly with Anne following. The boys laughed.
Binky ran after Timmy, and Toby spoke7 boldly to the queer old woman.
'Your son isn't even here - so what business is it of his to tell you to give orders to visitors?'
Tears suddenly began to pour down the old woman's face and she wrung8 her bony hands together.
'He'll hit me,' she wept. 'He'll twist my arm! Go away! Do go away! If he comes, he'll chase you off.
He's a bad man, my son is!'
'She's mad, poor old thing,' said Toby, feeling sorry for old Mrs. Janes. 'Our cook often says so,though she's harmless enough. Her son's not too bad - he's quite handy at repairs, and we used to havehim come to the farm to mend roofs and things like that. But he's not so good as he used to be. Comeon - let's go. Mr. Gringle's a bit queer, too, isn't he?'
They went off after the two girls, Julian still feeling uncomfortable and distressed9.
'What's Mr. Gringle's friend like - the one who helps him?' asked Julian.
27
'I don't know. I've never seen him,' said Toby. 'He's away mostly, doing the business side, I think- selling specimens10 of eggs, caterpillars11 and so on - and the perfect moths12 and butterflies, too, ofcourse.'
'I'd like to see that Butterfly House again, but Mr. Gringle gets on my nerves,' said Dick. 'Thosebrilliant eyes behind those thick glasses. You'd think that if they were as bright and piercing as thathe wouldn't need to wear any glasses at all!'
'Hey, George - Anne!' shouted Julian. 'Wait for us - we're just coming.' They caught up the girls andJulian grinned at George.
'You thought old Timmy was going to be changed into a black beetle14 or something, didn't you?'
he said.
'No, of course not,' said George, going red. 'I just didn't like her very much - pointing her finger likethat at Timmy. No wonder he growled.'
'You didn't hear what she said about her son,' said Dick. 'She began to cry like anything after you'dgone, and say that her son would beat her and twist her arm if we didn't go - and he's not even there!'
'She's mad,' said George. 'I don't want to go there again. What are we going to do now?'
'Go up to our camping-place and have our lunch,' said Julian promptly15. 'Come with us, Toby - orhave you got jobs to do at the farm?'
'No. I've done them all,' said Toby. 'I'd love to have a meal with you up on the hill.'
It wasn't very long before they were back at their camping-place. Everything was as they had left it -macs neatly16 under the gorse bush with the rugs and other little things - and the food in Anne's'larder' waiting for them.
The meal was very hilarious17, as Toby was in one of his silly moods, and produced some idiotic18 jokes.
The most successful one was a large imitation spider with shaky legs, which, while Anne and Georgehad gone to get the food, he hung by a thin nylon thread to a spray on the nearby gorse bush. Dickgrinned broadly.
'Wait till Anne sees that!' he said. 'George always says she doesn't mind spiders, but a big one likethat is distinctly creepy.'
It certainly was. Anne didn't spot it until she was eating her strawberries, covered with some of thecream that Toby's mother had generously sent. Then she suddenly spied it, shaking slightly in thebreeze, hanging by its thread just over George's head.
28
'Ooooooooh!' she squealed19. 'Ooooh, George - be careful! There's a MONSTER spider just over yourhead!'
'What - is George scared of spiders?' cried Toby at once. 'Just like a girl!' George glared at him. 'Idon't mind them at all,' she said coldly.
'I'm glad you aren't scared of them,' said Toby. 'I'd have to call you Georgina if you were. That's yourright name, isn't it?'
'George - do move!' cried Anne, upsetting her strawberries in her anxiety. 'It's almost on your head, Itell you - its legs are wobbling as if they are going to settle on your hair. George, it's an ENORMOUSone! It might even be one of those foreign things - a tarantula or something!'
The wind blew a little just then and the spider moved about on the thread most realistically. EvenDick was glad it wasn't alive!
George couldn't resist looking up, pretending to be quite unmoved - but when she saw the enormouscreature just above her she shot straight out of her place and landed on Toby's legs, making him spillhis strawberries and cream.
'Now, now, Georgina,' said the annoying Toby, picking up his strawberries. 'You said you didn'tmind spiders. I'll remove it for you, and you can go back to your place.'
'No, no - don't touch it - ugh!' cried Anne. But Toby, putting on a very brave face, leaned over andneatly took the spider off the gorse-bush, still swinging by its thread. He swung it near to Anne, whoscrambled up at once.
Then he made it 'walk' over Dick's knee, and Timmy came to investigate at once. Binky came too,and snapped at it, breaking the nylon thread that held it.
'Ass13!' said Toby, giving him a smack20. 'My beautiful spider - my spinner of webs - my tame catcher offlies!'
'What - is it a tame one?' said Anne in horror.
'More or less,' said Toby, and put it carefully into his pocket, grinning all over his round face.
'That's enough, Toby,' said Julian. 'Joke's finished.'
George stared at Toby, her face growing crimson21. 'A joke? A JOKE! You wait till I pay you out,Toby! I don't call that a joke. I call it a mean trick. You knew Anne hated spiders.'
'Let's change the subject,' said Dick hastily. 'What are we going to do this afternoon?'
'I know what I'd like to do,' said Julian longingly22. 'I'd like a bathe. It's so jolly hot. If we were atKirrin I'd be in the sea all the afternoon.'
29
'I wish we were at Kirrin,' said George sulkily.
'Well - if you really do want a bathe, I can take you to a pool,' said Toby, anxious to get intoeveryone's good books again.
'A pool? Where?' said Dick eagerly.
'Well - see that airfield23 down there?' said Toby, pointing. 'And see this spring here, where you getyour water? It goes on and on running down the hill, joins two or three more little rivulets24, and endsin a smashing pool not far from the airfield. Cold as ice it is, too. I've often bathed there.'
'It sounds jolly good,' said Julian, pleased. 'Well, we can't bathe immediately after a meal. The girlswill want to do their bit of washing-up, and put the rest of the food away. We'll sit here and wait tillthey've finished, have a bit of a rest, and then go and find this pool.'
Everyone agreed to this, and the girls hurried off to the little spring.
'If Toby has any more idiotic tricks like that I'll play a few on him!' said George. 'In fact I've a goodmind to pull him under in the pool.'
'He's all right, George,' said Anne. 'He's just like that at school, Dick says. He must drive the mastersmad!'
They soon joined the boys and had a short rest, while Timmy and Binky went off amiably25 together todo a little hunting - sniping down holes and under bushes, looking very serious indeed. They cameback immediately George whistled.
'We're going, Timmy,' said George. 'Here's your swim-suit, Dick, and yours, Julian. Good thing webrought them with us!'
'What about you, Toby? You haven't a swim-suit with you,' said Julian.
'We have to pass fairly near the farm,' said Toby. 'I'll leave you when we're near there and get mine -it won't take more than five minutes if I run all the way back.'
They set off down the hill towards the airfield. Except for the planes they had heard that morning,they had heard and seen none. It seemed a very quiet airfield.
'Wait till they start experimenting with the new fighter planes my cousin told me about!' said Toby.
'You'll hear a noise then - they're so fast they break the sound-barrier every time they go up!'
'Would your cousin let us look over the airfield one day?' asked Julian. 'I'd like to do that. It wouldn'tinterest the girls, but Dick and I would love it.'
30
'I should certainly like to go,' said George at once. 'It would interest me as much as you!'
'But you're a girl,' said Toby. 'Girls don't understand the first thing about aeroplanes or motor-cars orships - or spiders either, come to that! I really don't think you'd be interested, Georgina dear.'
'My name is not Georgina,' said George furiously. 'And don't call me ''dear''.'
'Shut up, you two!' said Julian. 'It's too nice an afternoon to begin an argument. Look - isn't that yourfarm, Toby? We've got here jolly quickly - but it's all downhill, of course.'
'Yes,' said Toby. 'Come on, Binky - race you home and back. Shan't be long, Julian! Keep straightahead, and walk towards that big pine-tree you can see in the distance. I'll be with you by the timeyou're there.'
He raced off at top speed, while the others went on slowly towards the pine-tree in the distance.
It would be heavenly to bathe in a cold pool!
Toby was certainly a fast runner! Just before they reached the pine-tree he came up behind them, hisswimsuit over his shoulder, so out of breath that he could hardly speak!
'It's over there,' he panted. 'Look - the pool!'
And sure enough, there was the pool - deep blue, cool and as smooth as glass. Trees surrounded it onone side, and heather grew right down to the edge.
The five children went towards it gladly - but suddenly they came to a big notice, nailed to a tree:
KEEP OUT DANGER
CROWN PROPERTY
'I say - what does that mean?' said Dick in dismay. 'We can't bathe after all!'
'Oh, take no notice of that,' said Toby. 'It doesn't mean a thing!'
But it did as they were very soon to find out!
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收听单词发音
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1
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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2
wispy
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| adj.模糊的；纤细的 | |
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3
mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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6
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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9
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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10
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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11
caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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13
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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14
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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15
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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18
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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19
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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21
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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22
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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23
airfield
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| n.飞机场 | |
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24
rivulets
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| n.小河，小溪( rivulet的名词复数 ) | |
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amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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