Chapter 9 A STRANGE TALE

Chapter 9 A STRANGE TALE
The children did not bother about their skis that first day. For one thing the snow was not quite thickor smooth enough for skiing, and for another thing they longed for the swift excitement oftobogganing. Dick took George on his toboggan and Julian took Anne on his. Timmy wouldn't comeon either of them.
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'Race you to the bottom!' Julian shouted. 'One, two, three, go!' And away they went, swishing overthe clean white snow at top speed, shouting with laughter.
Julian won easily, because Dick's toboggan caught on a root or small bush under the snow, whichupset it very suddenly. Dick and George were flung headlong into the snow, and sat up, blinking, andspitting out the cold snow from their mouths.
Timmy was terribly excited. He came plunging¹ down the hillside after the toboggans, annoyed at theway his legs went into the snow, barking madly. He was most astonished to see Dick and George flyinto the air when their toboggan upset, and pranced² round them, licking them and leaping on them ina most aggravating³ way.
'Oh, get away, Timmy!' said Dick, trying to get up, and being knocked down again by the exciteddog. 'Go and knock George over, not me! Call him, George!'
Pulling the toboggans back up the hill was a tiring job - but the swift flight down over the snow wasworth all the pullings-up! The four children soon had glowing faces and tingling⁴ limbs, and wishedthey could throw off their coats and scarves!
'I can't pull up our toboggan one more time!' said Anne, at last. 'I really can't. You'll have to pull it upyourself, Julian, if you want to toboggan any more.'
'Well, I do want to - but my legs will hardly walk up the hill now,' said Julian, panting. 'Hey, Dick -Anne and I have had enough. We'll go up and eat our sandwiches at the top of the slope, where wecan watch you.'
The other two soon joined them, and Timmy was glad to sit down too. His long pink tongue hung outof his mouth, and he puffed⁵ his white breath out like rolling mist! At first he had been puzzled bywhat he thought was 'smoke' coming out of his mouth so continually, but now, seeing that everyonewas apparently⁶ puffing⁷ it out too, he didn't worry!
The Five sat at the top of the slope, eating their sandwiches hungrily, very glad of the rest. Juliangrinned round at them all.
'Pity Mother can't see us now!' he said. 'We look marvellous! And nobody's coughed once. I bet we'llbe stiff tomorrow though!'
Dick was looking across the slope to the opposite hill, rising steeply up a mile or so away.
'There's that building I thought I saw yesterday,' he said. 'Isn't that a chimney sticking up?'
'You've got sharp eyes!' said George. 'Nobody could surely see a building as far away as that, whenthe snow is on it!'
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'Did we bring the field-glasses?' asked Julian. 'Where are they? We could soon find out if there's ahouse there or not, if we look through those.'
'I put them into a cupboard,' said Anne, getting up. 'Ooooh, I'm stiff! I'll just go and get them.'
She soon came back with the glasses and handed them to Dick. He put them to his eyes and adjustedthem, till they were properly focused on the far-away hill opposite.
'Yes,' he said. 'I was right. It is a building - and I'm pretty sure it must be Old Towers, too. You know- the place we went to by mistake two nights ago when we lost our way.'
'Let's have a look,' said Anne. 'I think I might recognise it. I caught a glimpse of the towers when weswung round a corner on the way up Old Towers Hill.'
She put the glasses to her eyes and gazed through them. 'Yes. I'm sure that's the place,' she said.
'Wasn't it queer - that big rude notice on the gate - and that fiercely barking dog - and nobody about!
How lonely the old lady must be living there all by herself!'
As they sat there, nibbling⁸ their apples, Timmy suddenly began to bark. He stood up, turning his headtowards the path that ran higher up the hill.
'Perhaps it's Aily, that funny child, coming,' said Julian, hopefully. But it wasn't. It was a small, wiry-looking woman, a shawl over her head, neatly-dressed, walking swiftly.
She didn't seem very surprised to see the children. She stopped and said 'Good day'.
'You'll be the boys my Aily was telling me of last night,' she said. 'Are you staying in the Jones'
hut?'
'Yes,' said Julian. 'We were staying at the farm first - but our dog didn't get on with the others, sowe've come up here. It's fine. Marvellous view, too!'
'If you see that Aily of mine, you tell her not to stay out tonight,' said the woman, wrapping her shawlmore tightly round her. 'Her and her lamb! She's as mad as the old lady in the house yonder!' and shepointed in the direction of Old Towers.
'Oh - do you know anything about that old place?' asked Julian, at once. 'We went to it by mistake,and...'
'Well, you didn't get into it, I'll be bound,' said Aily's mother. 'Notices on the gate and all! And tothink I used to go up there three times a week, and never anything but kindness shown me! And nowold Mrs. Thomas, she won't see a soul except those friends of her son's. Poor old lady - she's out ofher mind, so they say. Must be - or she'd see me, that waited on her for years!'
This was all very interesting.
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'Why do they say 'Keep Out' on the gates?' asked Julian. 'They've a fierce dog there, too.'
'Ah well, young sir, you see some of the old lady's friends would like to know what's going on,'
said Aily's mother. 'But nobody can do a thing. It's a queer place now - with noises at night - andmists - and shimmerings - and...'
Julian began to think this was an old wives' tale, made up because the villagers were angry that theywere now kept out of the big old house. He smiled.
'Oh, you may smile, young man,' said the woman, sounding cross. 'But ever since last October, there'squeer doings there. And what's more, vans have been there in the dead of night. What for, I'd like toknow? Well, if you ask me, I reckon they've been taking away the poor old thing's belongings⁹ -furniture and pictures and such. My poor old Madam - she was sweet and kind, and now I don't knowwhat's happening to her!'
There were tears in the woman's eyes, and she hastily brushed them away.
'I shouldn't be telling you all this - you'll be scared sleeping here alone at night now.'
'No - no, we shan't,' Julian assured her, amused that she should think that a village tale might frightenthem. 'Tell us about Aily. Isn't she frozen, going about with so few clothes on?'
'That child! She's fey, I tell you,' said Aily's mother. 'Runs about the hills like a wild thing - playstruant from school - goes to see her father - he's shepherd, up yonder where the sheep are - anddoesn't come home at nights. You tell her there's a good whipping waiting for her at home if shedoesn't come back tonight. She's like her father, she is - likes to be alone all the time - talks to thelambs and the dogs like they were human - but never a word to me!'
The children began to feel uncomfortable, and wished they hadn't spoken to the grumbling¹¹ gossipywoman. Julian got up.
'Well - if we see Aily, we'll certainly tell her to go home - but not about the whipping, because Iexpect she wouldn't go home then,' he said. 'If you pass by the farmhouse¹² will you be kind enough tostep in and tell Mrs. Jones we are quite all right, and enjoying ourselves very much?
Thank you!'
The woman nodded her head, muttered something, and went off down the hill, walking as swiftly asbefore.
'She said some queer things,' said Dick, staring after her. 'Was that a silly village-tale she told us- or do you suppose there's something in it, Ju?'
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'Oh - a village tale of course!' said Julian, sensing that Anne hadn't liked it much. 'What a strangefamily - a shepherd who spends all his time on the hills - a child who wanders about the countrysidewith a lamb and a dog - and a mother who stops and tells such angry tales to strangers!'
'It's getting dark,' said Dick. 'I vote we go in and light the oil-lamp and get the hut warm - and lightthe table-lamp too. It'll be cosy¹³ in there. I'm feeling a bit chilled now, sitting out here so long.'
'Well, don't begin to cough,' said Julian, 'or you'll set us all off! Indoors, Tim! Come on!'
Soon they were all in the hut, the oil-lamp giving out a lovely warmth and glow, and the table-lampshining brightly.
'We'll play a game, shall we?' said Dick. 'And have a sort of high tea later. Let's have a silly game -snap, or something!'
So they sat down to play - and soon Dick's cards had all been 'snapped' by the others. He yawned andwent to the window, looking out into the darkness that hid all the snowy hills. Then he stood tense fora moment, staring in surprise. He spoke¹⁰ to the others without turning.
'Quick! Come here, all of you! Tell me what you make of this! Did you ever see such anextraordinary thing! QUICK!'

1 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pranced   

v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their horses pranced and whinnied. 他们的马奔腾着、嘶鸣着。 来自辞典例句
• The little girl pranced about the room in her new clothes. 小女孩穿着新衣在屋里雀跃。 来自辞典例句

3 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

4 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

7 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 nibbling   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

10 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

12 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

13 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。