Chapter 4 SETTLING IN

Chapter 4 SETTLING IN
The Five stared after Wilfrid in silence. Timmy wagged his tail and whined¹. He wanted the boy tocome back.
'Well, thank you, Timmy, old thing,' said Anne, patting the big dog on the head. 'We certainlywouldn't have had this lovely little cottage, with its incredible view, if you hadn't made friends withWilfrid. What a funny boy he is!'
'Jolly queer, I think!' said George, still amazed at the way that Timmy had gone to Wilfrid, when theboy had been about to strike him. 'I'm not sure that I like him!'
'Don't be an ass², George,' said Dick, who had been very much impressed by the boy's handling of thehares, the rabbits and the magpie³. 'That boy must have a wonderful love for animals. They wouldnever come to him as they did, if they didn't trust him absolutely. Anyone who loves animals as hedoes must be pretty decent.'
'I bet I could make them come to me if I had that pipe,' said George, making up her mind to borrow itif she could.
15
Anne went back into the cottage. She was delighted with it. 'It must be very very old,' she thought. 'Itstands dreaming here all day long, full of memories of the people who have lived here and loved it.
And how they must all have loved this view - miles and miles of heather, great stretches of sea - andthe biggest, highest, widest sky I've ever seen. It's a happy place. Even the clouds seem happy -they're scurrying⁴ along, so white against the blue!'
She explored the cottage thoroughly⁵. She decided⁶ that the room above, under the thatch⁷, should befor the three boys. There were two mattresses⁸ - one small, one larger. 'The little one for Wilfrid - thebig one for Dick and Julian,' she thought. 'And I and George can sleep down in the living-room, withTim on guard. I wonder if there are any rugs we could sleep on. Ah - wait a bit- this couch is a pull-out bed - just right for us two girls! Good!'
Anne enjoyed herself thoroughly. This was the kind of problem she liked - fixing up this and that forthe others! She found a little larder⁹, facing north. It had a few tins in it, and a jug¹⁰ of milk, slightlysour. It also had two loaves of extremely stale bread, and a tin of rather hard cakes.
'Mrs. Layman¹¹ doesn't seem to be a very good housekeeper¹² for herself and Wilfrid,' thought Anne,seriously. 'We'll have to go down to the village and put in a stock of decent food. I might get a smallham - the boys would like that. Goodness - this is going to be fun!'
Julian came to the door to see what she was doing. When he saw her happy, serious face, hechuckled. 'Acting¹³ 'mother' to us, as usual?' he said. 'Deciding who's going to sleep where, and whichof us is to do the shopping, and which the washing-up? Dear old Anne - what should we do withoutyou when we go off on our own?'
'I love it,' said Anne, happily. 'Julian, we need another rug or two, and a pillow, and some food.
And...'
'Well, we'll have to go back home and collect a few clothes and other things,' said Julian. 'We canshop on the way back, and get whatever we want. I wonder if that woman that Mrs. Layman spokeabout will be coming in to help?'
'Well - Wilfrid said he sent her off,' said Anne. 'And I think perhaps as the cottage is so small, itmight be better if we managed it ourselves. I think I could do a bit of cooking on that oil-stove in thecorner - and anyway we can pretty well live on cold stuff, you know - ham and salad and potted meatand fruit. It would be easy enough for any of us to pop down to the village on our bikes, to fetchanything we needed.'
'Listen!' said Julian, cocking his head to one side. 'Is that somebody calling us?'
16
Yes - it was. When Julian went outside, he saw Mrs. Layman at the gate that led on to the hillsidewhere the cottage stood. He went over to her.
'We LOVE the cottage!' he said. 'And if it's all right, we'd like to move in today. We can easily pophome and bring back anything we want. It's a glorious old place, isn't it - and the view must be thefinest anywhere!'
'Well, that harbour is the second biggest stretch of water in the whole world,' said Mrs. Layman.
'The only stretch that is any bigger, is Sydney Harbour - so you have something to feast your eyes on,Julian!'
'My word, yes,' said Julian. 'It's amazing - and so very blue! I only wish I could paint - but I can't.
At least - not very well!'
'What about Wilfrid?' said Mrs. Layman, anxiously. 'Is he behaving himself? He's - well - he's rathera difficult boy at times. And he can be very rude. He hasn't any brothers to rub off his awkwardcorners, you see.'
'Oh, don't you worry about Wilfrid!' said Julian, cheerfully. 'He'll have to toe the line, and do as he'stold. We all do our bit, when we're away together. He's a wonder with animals, isn't he?'
'Well - yes, I suppose he is!' said Mrs. Layman. 'Though I can't say I like pet snakes, or pet beetles,and owls¹⁵ that come and hoot¹⁶ down the chimney at night to find out if Wilfrid will go out and hootback to them!'
Julian laughed. 'We shan't mind that,' he said. 'And he's managed to get over what might have beenour biggest difficulty - he has made friends with our dog, Timmy. In fact, he informed us that ifTimmy stayed, we could all stay - but only if Timmy stayed!'
Mrs. Layman laughed. 'That's so like Wilfrid,' she said. 'He's an odd boy. Don't stand any nonsensefrom him!'
'We shan't,' said Julian, cheerfully. 'I'm surprised he wants to stay on with us, actually. I should havethought he would rather go home, than be with a lot of strangers.'
'He can't go home,' said Mrs. Layman. 'His sister has measles¹⁷, and his mother doesn't want Wilfrid tocatch it. So you'll have to put up with him, I fear.'
'And he'll have to put up with us!' said Julian. 'Thanks very much for letting us have the cottage, Mrs.
Layman. We'll take great care of everything.'
'I know you will,' said the old lady. 'Well, goodbye, Julian. Have a good time. I'll get back to my carnow. Give Wilfrid my love. I hope he doesn't fill the cottage with animals of all kinds!'
17
'We shan't mind if he does!' said Julian, and waited politely until Mrs. Layman had disappeared, andhe could hear the noise of a car starting up.
He went back to the cottage and stood outside, looking down at the amazing view. The harbour wasfull of boats, big and little. A steamer went busily along, making for a great seaside town far away onthe other side.
Anne came to join Julian. 'Glorious, isn't it?' she said. 'We're so very high up here that it seems as ifwe can see half the world at our feet. Is that an island in the middle of the harbour, Ju?'
'Yes - and a well-wooded one too!' said Julian. 'I wonder what it's called - and who lives there. I can'tsee a single house there, can you?'
Dick called to Anne. 'Anne! George and I are going to fetch our bikes and ride down to the village.
Give us your shopping list, will you? Julian, is there anything special you want us to pack for you athome, and bring back, besides your night-things and a change of clothes?'
'Yes - don't go off yet!' called Julian, hurrying into the cottage. 'I've made a list somewhere. I think I'dbetter go with you. There will be food and other things to bring back - unless Mother would bringeverything up by car this afternoon.'
'Yes - that's a good idea,' said Dick. 'We'll go to Kirrin Cottage first and get George's things - andthen home to get ours. I'll leave all the shopping with Mother, and all our luggage, so that she can popup here in the car with it. She'll love the view!'
'I'll stay behind and tidy up the cottage, and find out how the stove works,' said Anne, happily.
'I'll have everything neat and tidy by the time Mother comes this afternoon, Dick. Oh, here's Julianwith the list. Why don't you go off on your bike with George and Dick, Julian? I'll be quite happyhere, messing about.'
'Yes, I'm going to,' said Julian, putting his list into his pocket. 'Look after yourself, Anne! We'll takeTimmy with us, to give him a run.'
Off went the three, Timmy loping behind, very glad of the run. Anne waited till they were out ofsight, then went happily back to the cottage. She was almost there when she heard someone callingher. She turned and saw a fresh-faced woman waving.
'I'm Sally!' she called. 'Do you want any help with the cooking and cleaning? Wilfrid told me not tocome any more, but if you want me, I will.'
'Oh, I think we can manage, Sally,' said Anne. 'There's so many of us now, we can do all the jobs.
Did you sleep here?'
18
'Oh no, miss!' said Sally, coming up. 'I just came in to help, and then went back home. You tell me ifyou want me any time, and I'll gladly come. Where's that monkey of a Wilfrid? He spoke¹⁴ to me veryrudely this morning, the young varmint. I'll tell his grandmother of him - not that that's much good!
He just laughs at her! Don't you stand any nonsense from him!'
'I won't,' said Anne, smiling. 'Where do you live, in case we do want you?'
'Just the other side of the road, in the small wood there,' said Sally. 'You'll see my tiny cottage whenyou go by the wood on your bikes.'
She disappeared up the hill and across the road there. Anne went back happily to her household tasks.
She cleaned out the little larder, and then found a pail and went to the well. She hung the pail on thehook at the end of the rope, and then worked the old handle that let the pail down to the water,swinging on the rope. Splash! It was soon full, and Anne wound it up again. The water looked crystalclear, and was as cold as ice - but all the same Anne wondered if she ought to boil it!
Someone came quietly behind her - and jumped at her with a loud howl! Anne dropped the pail ofwater, and gave a scream. Then she saw it was Wilfrid, dancing round her, grinning.
'Idiot!' she said. 'Now you just go and get me some more water.'
'Where's that big dog?' demanded Wilfrid, looking all round. 'I can't see him. You can't any of youstay here unless you have that dog. I like him. He's a wonderful dog.'
'He's gone down to the village with the others,' said Anne. 'Now will you please pick up that pail andget more water?'
'No, I won't,' said Wilfrid. 'I'm not your servant! Get it yourself!'
'Very well, I will. But I'll tell George, who owns Timmy, how rude you are - and you may be quitesure that Timmy won't be friends with you,' said Anne, picking up the pail.
'I'll get the water, I'll get the water!' shouted Wilfrid, and snatched the pail. 'Don't you dare to tellGeorge or Timmy tales of me. Don't you dare!'
And off he went to the well and filled the pail. Well! What a time they were all going to have withsuch a very peculiar¹⁸ boy! Anne didn't like him at all!

1 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

2 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

3 magpie   

n.喜欢收藏物品的人，喜鹊，饶舌者

参考例句：

• Now and then a magpie would call.不时有喜鹊的叫声。
• This young man is really a magpie.这个年轻人真是饶舌。

4 scurrying   

v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We could hear the mice scurrying about in the walls. 我们能听见老鼠在墙里乱跑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We were scurrying about until the last minute before the party. 聚会开始前我们一直不停地忙忙碌碌。 来自辞典例句

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 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。

7 thatch   

vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋)

参考例句：

• They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把，放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。
• They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。

8 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

9 larder   

n.食物贮藏室，食品橱

参考例句：

• Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
• They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。

10 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。

11 layman   

n.俗人，门外汉，凡人

参考例句：

• These technical terms are difficult for the layman to understand.这些专门术语是外行人难以理解的。
• He is a layman in politics.他对政治是个门外汉。

12 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 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。

15 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

16 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

17 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

18 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。