Chapter 4 JUNIOR!

Chapter 4 JUNIOR!
A big man came into the kitchen, very like the twins to look at. He stooped, and seemed tired. Hedidn't smile, but just nodded.
'Trevor, here are the visitors I told you about,' said Mrs. Philpot. 'Look, this is Julian and...'
'More visitors?' said Trevor, with a groan¹. 'Good heavens - what a crowd of children! Where's thatAmerican boy? I've got a bone to pick with him. He tried to set the tractor going by himself thismorning, and...'
'Oh Trevor - never mind about that now. Just wash and come and have your tea,' said Mrs.
Philpot. 'I've kept some of your favourite scones² for you.'
'Don't want any tea,' said her husband. 'Can't stop - except for just one cup, and that I'll take into thedairy. I've got to go and see to the milking. Bob's off today.'
'We'll help, Dad!' said the twins, speaking together, as usual, and they got up from the table at once.
'No - you sit down,' said their mother. 'You've been on the go from seven o'clock this morning.
Sit down and finish your tea in peace.'
'I could do with your help, twins,' said their father, as he went through the door towards the dairies,'but now your mother's got so many on her hands, she'll need you more than I do!'
'Mrs. Philpot - let the twins go if they want to,' said Julian at once. 'We can help, you know -we're used to helping³ at home.'
'And what's more, we like it,' said Anne. 'Do let us, Mrs. Philpot - we'll feel much more at home then.
Can't we clear away and wash up and all that, while the twins go and help with the milking?'
'YOU LET 'EM HELP!' shouted old Great-Grand-dad suddenly from his corner, making Timmy andSnippet leap to their feet, startled. 'WHAT ARE CHILDREN COMING TO NOWADAYS,WAITED ON HAND AND FOOT? PAH!'
'Now, now, Grand-dad,' said poor Mrs. Philpot, 'Don't you start worrying. We can manage fine.'
The old man made a loud, explosive noise, and banged his hand down on the arm of his chair.
'WHAT I SAY IS THIS...'
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But he got no further, for the sound of footsteps could be heard in the hall, coming towards thekitchen, and loud, American voices came nearer and nearer.
'See here, Pop - I wanna come with you! This is a dead-and-alive place. You take me up to Londonwith you, aw, Pop, go on, do!'
'That the Americans?' asked Dick, turning to the twins. Their faces had gone as black as thunder.
They nodded. In came a burly man, looking rather odd in smart town clothes, and a fat pasty-facedboy of about eleven. The father stood at the door and looked round, rubbing his hands.
'Hiya, folks! We've been over to that swell⁴ old town, and picked up some fine souvenirs - my, my,they were cheap as dirt! We late for tea? Hallo, who're all these folks?'
He grinned round at Julian and the others. Julian stood up politely. 'We're four cousins,' he said.
'We've come to stay here.'
'Stay here? Where you gonna sleep, then?' demanded the boy, pulling up a chair to the table.
'This is a one-eyed place, ain't it, Pop - no wash-basins, no...'
'Shut up,' said the twins together, and gave the boy such a glare that Anne stared in astonishment⁵.
'Aw, go on, I can say what I like, can't I?' said the boy. 'Free country, isn't it? Gee⁶, you should just seeAmerica! That's something! Mrs. Philpot, I'll have a bit of that cake - looks good to me.'
'CAN'T YOU SAY PLEASE?' roared a voice from the corner. That was Great-Grand-dad, of course!
But the boy took no notice, and merely held out his plate, while Mrs. Philpot cut him an enormousslice of cake.
'I'll have the same as Junior, Mrs. Philpot mam,' said the American, and sat down at the table. He heldout his plate too. 'Say, you should see the things we've bought. We've had a day, haven't we, Junior?'
'Sure, Pop,' said Junior. 'Say, can't I have an iced drink? Look-a-here - who's going to drink hot tea ona day like this!'
'I'll get you some iced orangeade,' said Mrs. Philpot, rising.
'LET HIM GET IT HIMSELF! LITTLE VARMINT!' That was Great-Grand-dad again, of course.
But the twins were already up and on their way to fetch the orangeade themselves.
George caught sight of their faces as they passed her, and had a shock of surprise. Goodness -how those twins hated that boy!
'That old Grand-daddy of yours must be a bit of a nuisance to you,' said the American in a low voiceto Mrs. Philpot. 'Always butting⁷ in, isn't he? Rude old fellow, too.'
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'NOW DON'T YOU SET THERE WHISPERING!' shouted Grand-dad. 'I CAN HEAR EVERYWORD!'
'Now, now, Grand-dad, don't upset yourself,' said poor Mrs. Philpot. 'You just sit there and have anap.'
'No. I'm going out again,' said Great-Grand-dad, heaving himself up. 'There's some people that fairmake me ill!'
And out he went, leaning on his stick, a magnificent figure with his head of snow-white hair and hislong beard.
'Like someone out of the Old Testament,' said Anne to Dick. Timmy got up and followed the old manto the door, with Snippet close behind him. Junior saw Timmy at once.
'I say! Look at that big dog!' he said. 'Who's he? I've not seen him before. Hey, you, come and have abun.'
Timmy took not the slightest notice. George addressed Junior in an icy voice. 'That's my dog Timmy.
I don't allow anyone to feed him except myself.'
'Shucks!' said Junior, and threw the cake down on the floor, so that it slid to Tim's feet. 'That's foryou, dog!'
Timmy looked down at the cake, and stood perfectly⁸ still. Then he looked at George. 'Come here,Timmy,' said George, and he walked straight to her. The cake lay on the floor half-broken intocrumbs.
'My dog is not going to eat that,' said George. 'Better pick it up, hadn't you? It's made a bit of a messon the floor.'
'Pick it up yourself,' said Junior, helping himself to another bun. 'My, my - what a glare you've got!
Makes me want my sunglasses, brother!' He gave George a sudden sharp dig in the ribs⁹, and shegasped. Timmy was beside her in a moment, growling¹⁰ so deeply that Junior slid out of his seat inalarm.
'Say, Pop - this dog's fierce!' he said. 'He made to bite me!'
'He did not,' said George. 'But he might bite if you don't do what I said, and pick up that bun!'
'Now, now,' said Mrs. Philpot, really distressed¹¹. 'Leave it - it can be swept up afterwards. Will youhave another piece of cake, Mr. Henning?'
It really was an embarrassing meal, and Anne longed for it to be over. Junior quietened downconsiderably when he saw Timmy lying down between his chair and George's, but his father 17made up for that by talking non-stop about the 'wunnerful' things he had bought that day.
Everyone was extremely bored. The twins came back with a jug¹² of orangeade, which they placed onthe table, with two glasses, in case Mr. Henning wanted some. They then disappeared.
'Where have they gone?' demanded Junior, having poured a glass of orangeade straight down histhroat in a most remarkable¹³ manner. 'Gee, that was good.'
'The twins have gone to help with the milking, I expect,' said Mrs. Philpot, looking suddenly veryweary. Julian looked at her. She must find these meals very tiring, he thought, coping with so manypeople. Junior piped up at once.
'I'll go and help with the milking,' he said, and slid off his chair.
'I'd rather you didn't, Junior,' said Mrs. Philpot. 'You upset the cows a bit last time, you know.'
'Aw gee - that was because I was new to it,' said Junior. Julian looked at Mr. Henning, expecting himto forbid Junior to go, but he said nothing. He lighted a cigarette and threw the match down on thefloor.
George scowled¹⁴ when she saw Junior heading for the door. How dare he go out to the milking againstthe wishes of his hostess? She murmured a few words to Timmy, and he got up at once and ran to thedoor, barring it against Junior.
'Get outa my way, you,' said Junior, stopping. Timmy growled¹⁵. 'Say, call him back, will you?'
said Junior, turning round. No one said anything. Mrs. Philpot rose and began to gather thingstogether. It seemed to George as if she had tears in her eyes. No wonder, if this kind of thinghappened every day!
As Timmy stood like a statue in the doorway¹⁶, giving small threatening growls¹⁷ every now and again,Junior decided¹⁸ to give up. He dearly longed to give the dog a kick, but didn't dare to. He walked backto his father.
'Say, Pop - coming for a walk?' he said. 'Let's get out of here.'
Without a word father and son walked out of the other door. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
'You go and sit down and have a rest, Mrs. Philpot,' said Anne. 'We'll do the washing-up. We'd loveto!'
'Well - it's really kind of you,' said Mrs. Philpot. 'I've been on the go all day, and twenty minutes'
rest will do me good. I'm afraid Junior gets on my nerves. I do hope Timmy won't bite him!'
'He'll probably give him a nip before long,' said George cheerfully, collecting cups and saucers withAnne. 'What are you boys going to do? Go to the milking-shed?'
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'Yes. We've milked cows plenty of times,' said Dick. 'Nice job! I like the smell of cows. See youlater, girls - and if that little Pest tries any tricks, just give us a call! I'd love to rub his face into thatcrumby mess on the floor!'
'I'm just going to sweep it up,' said Anne. 'See you at supper-time!'
The boys went out, whistling. Mrs. Philpot had disappeared. Only George, Anne and Timmy wereleft, for Snippet had gone out with the Harries¹⁹.
'I rather wish we hadn't come,' said George, carrying out a tray to the scullery. 'It's an AWFULlot for Mrs. Philpot to do. Still - if she needs the money...'
'Oh well - we can help - and we'll be out most of the day,' said Anne. 'We shan't see much of Junior -little beast!'
You're wrong, Anne. You'll see far too much of him! It's a good thing Timmy's there - he's the onlyone that can manage people like Junior!

1 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

2 scones   

n.烤饼，烤小圆面包( scone的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
• She makes scones and cakes for the delectation of visitors. 她烘制了烤饼和蛋糕供客人享用。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

5 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

6 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

7 butting   

用头撞人（犯规动作）

参考例句：

• When they were talking Mary kept butting in. 当他们在谈话时，玛丽老是插嘴。
• A couple of goats are butting each other. 两只山羊在用角互相顶撞。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

10 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

11 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

12 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

13 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

14 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

15 growled   

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

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

17 growls   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• The dog growls at me. 狗向我狂吠。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The loudest growls have echoed around emerging markets and commodities. 熊嚎之声响彻新兴的市场与商品。 来自互联网

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 harries   

n.使苦恼( harry的名词复数 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰v.使苦恼( harry的第三人称单数 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰

参考例句：

• ex libris David Harries 戴维∙哈里斯藏书
• In defence, he harries attacking midfielders and helps protect the defensive line. 防守中，逼抢对方进攻性中场，帮助保护防线。 来自互联网