Chapter 3 BIG HOLLOW - AND TINKER AND MISCHIEF AGAIN!

Chapter 3 BIG HOLLOW - AND TINKER AND MISCHIEF¹ AGAIN!
The four children and Timmy went through the big, heavy gate, which groaned² loudly. Timmy wasvery startled to hear the mournful creak, and barked sharply.
'Sh!' said George. 'You'll get into trouble with the Professor, Timmy, if you raise your voice like that.
I expect we'll have to talk in whispers, so as not to disturb the Professor - so just see if you canwhisper too.'
Timmy gave a small whine³. He knew he couldn't whisper! He trotted⁴ at George's heel as they all wentdown the steep drive to the house. It was a queer house, built sideways to the drive, and hadastonishingly few windows.
'I expect Professor Hayling is afraid of people peering in at his work,' said Anne. 'It's very, verysecret, isn't it?'
'I know he uses miles and miles of figures,' said Dick. 'Tinker told me one day that his monkeyMischief once chewed up a page of figures when he was very small - and Professor Hayling chasedhim for a whole hour, hoping to catch him and find even a few bits of paper still in his 11mouth, so that he could rescue at least part of his figures. But Mischief fled down a rabbit-hole anddidn't come up for two days, so it wasn't any good.'
Everyone smiled at the thought of poor Mischief hiding down a rabbit-hole. 'You couldn't do that,Timmy old thing!' said Julian. 'So just be careful of any paper you eat.'
'He wouldn't be so silly,' said George, at once. 'He knows perfectly⁵ well what's eatable and what'snot.'
'Ha! Does he!' said Anne. 'Well, I'd just like to know what kind of food he thought my blue slipperwas that he chewed up last hols!'
'Don't tell tales of him,' said George. 'He only chewed it because someone shut him in your bedroomand he hadn't anything else to do.'
'Woof,' said Timmy, quite agreeing. He gave Anne's hand a little lick, as if to say, 'Very sorry, Anne -but I was so bored!'
'Dear Timmy! I wouldn't mind if you chewed up all my slippers⁶!' said Anne. 'But it would be nice ifyou chose the very oldest ones!'
Timmy suddenly stopped and looked into the bushes. He gave a low growl⁷! George put her hand onhis collar at once. She was always afraid of snakes in the spring time.
'It might be an adder⁸!' she said. 'The dog next door trod on one last year, so I heard, and his legswelled up terribly, and he was in great pain. Come away now, Timmy - it's an adder, with poison inits fangs⁹!'
But Timmy went on growling¹⁰. Then he suddenly stood still and sniffed¹¹ hard. He gave an excitedwhimper and pulled away from George, jumping into the bushes - and out came, not a snake, butMischief, Tinker's bright-eyed little monkey!
He at once leapt on to the dog's broad back, put his little monkey fingers under Timmy's collar, andchattered in delight. Timmy nearly dislocated his neck trying to twist his head round to lick him!
'Mischief!' cried everyone at once, in real delight. 'You've come to welcome us!'
And the little monkey, jabbering¹² away excitedly in monkey-language, leapt first on to George'sshoulder, and then on to Julian's. He pulled Julian's hair, twisted his right ear round, and then leaptfrom him to Dick, and on to Anne's shoulder. He cuddled into her neck, his eyes bright and brown,looking very happy.
'Oh! Isn't he pleased to see us again!' said Anne, delighted. 'Mischief, where's Tinker?'
12
Mischief jumped off Anne's shoulder and scampered¹³ down the drive as if he quite understood all thatAnne had said. The children raced after him - and then a stentorian¹⁴ voice suddenly roared at themfrom one side of the drive.
'What are you doing here? Clear out! This is private ground. I'll fetch the police. Clear OUT!'
The Five stopped still in fright - and then Julian saw who it was - Professor Hayling! He steppedforward at once. 'Good afternoon, sir,' he said. 'I hope we didn't disturb you, but you did tell my auntwe could come here.'
'Your aunt? Who's your aunt? I don't know any aunt!' roared the Professor. 'You're sight-seers, that'swhat you are! Come to pry¹⁵ into my work, just because there was a piece about it in some silly paper!
You're the third lot today. Clear out, I tell you - and take that dog too. How DAREyou!'
'But sir - don't you really know us?' said Julian, very startled. 'You came to stay at our house, youknow, and...'
'Stuff and nonsense! I haven't been away for years!' shouted the Professor. Mischief, the monkey, wasso frightened that he leapt away into the bushes, making a funny little crying noise.
'I hope he fetches Tinker,' said Julian, in a low voice to Dick. 'The Professor has forgotten who weare, and why we've come. Let's retreat a bit.'
But as they went cautiously back up the steep path, followed by the angry Professor, a loud voicehailed them, and Tinker came racing¹⁶ up with Mischief on his shoulder, clinging to his hair. So thelittle monkey had gone to fetch him. 'Good for him!' thought Julian, pleased.
'Dad! Don't yell at our friends like that!' cried Tinker, dancing about in front of his angry father.
'You asked them here yourself, you know you did!'
'I DID NOT!' said the Professor. 'Who are they?'
'Well, George, that girl, is the daughter of Mr. Kirrin, and the others are his niece and nephews.
And that's their dog, Timmy. And you asked them all here because Mr. and Mrs. Kirrin are inquarantine for scarlet¹⁷ fever,' shouted Tinker, still dancing about in front of his father.
'Stop jigging¹⁸ about like that,' said the Professor, crossly. 'I don't remember asking them. I would havetold Jenny the maid, if I had.'
'You did tell her!' shouted Tinker, still jigging about, with Mischief the monkey jigging too in delight.
'She's already made up the beds. I helped her. She's angry because you left your breakfast and nowit's almost dinner-time. She's cleared it away.'
13
'Bless us all - so that's why I feel so hungry and cross!' said Professor Hayling, and he began to laugh.
He had a tremendous laugh, and the children couldn't help laughing too. What an odd fellow - sobrainy, such a fine scientist - with the most enormous amount of knowledge in his head - and yet nomemory for such ordinary things as breakfast and visitors and telephone calls.
'It was just a misunderstanding, sir,' said Julian, politely. 'It was very, very kind of you to invite ushere when we can't be at home because of the scarlet fever. We'll try not to be a nuisance, and ifthere's anything we can do to help you, please ask us. We'll make as little noise as possible, and keepout of your way, of course.'
'You hear that, Tinker?' said Professor Hayling, suddenly swinging round on the startled Tinker.
'Why can't you do the same - make a very little noise, and keep out of my way? You know I'm verybusy now - on a MOST IMPORTANT project.' He turned to Julian. 'You'll be very welcome if youkeep Tinker out of my way. And NOBODY - absolutely NOBODY - is to go up into that tower.
Understand?'
They all looked up to where he was pointing, and saw a tall, slender tower rising up amid the trees. Ithad curious tentacle-like rods sticking out at the top, and these shook slightly in the breeze.
'And don't ask me questions about it,' went on the Professor, looking fiercely at George. 'Your father'sthe only other man who knows what it's for, and he knows how to keep his mouth shut.'
'None of us would dream of prying¹⁹, sir,' said Julian. 'It's very, very kind of you to offer to have ushere, and do believe me when I say we shan't be any trouble to you at all - but a help if you'll allowus.'
'Ah well, you sound a sensible fellow, I must say,' said the Professor, who had now calmed down,and looked quite peaceable. 'Well, I'll say good-bye for now and go and have my breakfast. I hope it'sfried eggs and bacon. I'm very hungry.'
'Dad - Jenny's cleared your breakfast AWAY! I told you that before!' said Tinker in despair. 'It'salmost dinner-time, now.'
'Ah good - good!' said the Professor. 'I'll come at once.'
And he led the way indoors, followed by the five children, with Timmy and Mischief, all lookingrather worried. Really, nobody ever knew what the Professor was going to do or say next!
Jenny certainly had a good dinner for them all. There was a large and delicious stew²⁰ with carrots,onions and peas swimming in the gravy²¹, and plenty of potatoes. Everyone tucked in well, and 14Mischief, who loved the peas, took quite a few from Tinker's plate, his little paw creeping up, andneatly snatching a pea from the gravy.
The girls went out to help bring in the next course, which was a big steamed pudding with plenty ofraisins in it. Mischief at once jigged²³ up and down in delight, for he loved raisins²². He leapt on to thetable, and received a sharp smack²⁴ from the Professor, who unfortunately smacked²⁵ the pudding dish atthe same time, making the pudding jump in the air.
'Good gracious, Dad - we nearly lost the pudding!' cried Tinker. 'And it's my favourite. Oh, don't giveus such small pieces! Mischief, get off the table. You are NOT to put your paw into the white sauce!'
So Mischief disappeared under the table, where he received quite a lot of raisins from various kindlyhands, unseen by the Professor. Timmy felt rather left out. He was under the table too, having beenrather scared by the Professor's angry voice, but as he didn't very much like raisins, he wasn't aslucky as Mischief.
'Ha - I enjoyed that!' said the Professor, having cleaned his plate thoroughly²⁶. 'Nothing like a goodbreakfast!'
'It was midday dinner, Dad!' said Tinker. 'You don't have pudding at breakfast.'
'Dear me, of course - that was pudding!' said his father, and laughed his great laugh. 'Now you can alldo exactly what you like, so long as you do NOT go into my study, OR my workroom ORthat tower. AND DON'T MEDDLE²⁷ WITH ANYTHING! Mischief, get off the water-jug, you'll upsetit. Can't you teach that monkey some table-manners, Tinker?'
And with that he marched out of the room, and disappeared into some mysterious passage thatapparently led to his study or workroom. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
'We'll clear away and then I'll show you your rooms,' said Tinker. 'I do hope you won't be too dullhere.'
Dull, Tinker! You needn't worry! There is far too much excitement waiting for the Five - and youtoo! Just wait a bit, and see!

1 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

2 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

4 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。

5 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。

6 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

7 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。

8 adder   

n.蝰蛇；小毒蛇

参考例句：

• The adder is Britain's only venomous snake.蝰蛇是英国唯一的一种毒蛇。
• An adder attacked my father.一条小毒蛇攻击了我父亲。

9 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 jabbering   

v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴

参考例句：

• What is he jabbering about now? 他在叽里咕噜地说什么呢？
• He was jabbering away in Russian. 他叽里咕噜地说着俄语。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 scampered   

v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cat scampered away. 猫刺棱一下跑了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The rabbIt'scampered off. 兔子迅速跑掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 stentorian   

adj.大声的，响亮的

参考例句：

• Now all joined in solemn stentorian accord.现在，在这庄严的响彻云霄的和声中大家都联合在一起了。
• The stentorian tones of auctioneer,calling out to clear,now announced that the sale to commence.拍卖人用洪亮的声音招呼大家闪开一点，然后宣布拍卖即将开始。

15 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

16 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

17 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

18 jigging   

n.跳汰选，簸选v.（使）上下急动( jig的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They were jigging up and down to the music. 他们随着音乐的节拍轻快地上下跳着。 来自互联网
• She hopped about on stage, jigging her feet. 她在舞台上用脚跳来跳去。 来自互联网

19 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

21 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

22 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

23 jigged   

v.（使）上下急动( jig的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He jigged up and down with excitement. 他激动得又蹦又跳。
• He jigged up and down in anger. 他气得又蹦又跳。 来自辞典例句

24 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

25 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

26 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。

27 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。