Jeremy led the way out of the circus-ring. It had been well-lighted, and the night seemed very darkoutside the ring. They went over the field to where a large fire was burning, cleverly set about withstones. An enormous cooking-pot was hung over it, and a very, very nice smell came to their noses asthey went near.
Old Grandma was there, of course, and she began stirring the pot when she saw them. 'You've been along time in the ring,' she grumbled1 to Grandad. 'Anything gone wrong?'
'No,' said Grandad, and sniffed2 the air. 'I'm hungry. That smells good. Jeremy, help your Grandma.'
'Yes, Grandad,' said Jeremy, and took a pile of plates to the old lady, who at once began ladling outpieces of meat and potatoes and vegetables from the steaming pot. Old Grandad turned to Julian.
'Well - did you like our little rehearsal3?' he asked.
'Oh yes!' said Julian. 'I'm only sorry you didn't rehearse all the turns. I badly wanted to see theacrobats and the clowns. Are they here? I can't see them.'
'Oh yes - there's one clown over there - look - with Madelon, who had the horses,' said Grandad.
The children looked - and were very disappointed. 'Is he a clown?' said Dick, disbelievingly. 'Hedoesn't look a bit funny. He looks miserable5.'
'That's Monty all right,' said Grandad. 'He always looks like that out of the ring. He'll make youdouble up with laughter when the circus is on, he's a born clown - but a lot of clowns are like Montywhen they're not performing - not much to say for themselves, and looking miserable.
Winks6 is a bit livelier - that's him, pulling Madelon's hair. He'll get a smacked7 face in a minute, he's areal tease. There - I knew he'd get a clip on the ear!'
Winks went howling over to the children, boo-hooing most realistically. 'She smacked me!' he said.
'And she's got such p-p-p-pretty hair!'
The children couldn't help laughing. Mischief8 ran to the clown, jumped up on his shoulder andchattered comforting monkey-words into his ear. Charlie the Chimp9 let himself out of his cage, andcame to put his great paw into Winks's hand. They both thought that Winks really was hurt.
43
'That's enough, Winks,' said Grandad. 'You'll have the horses comforting you next! You do that in thering tomorrow when we open, and you'll bring the house down. Sit down, and have your supper.'
'Mr. Tapper,' said Julian. 'There's one member of your circus we didn't see at the rehearsal - and that'sMr. Wooh, the Wonder Magician. Why wasn't he there?'
'Oh, he never rehearses,' said Mr. Tapper. 'He keeps himself to himself, does Mr. Wooh. He maycome and join us for supper, and he may not. As we're opening the circus tomorrow night, maybehe'll turn up tonight. I'm a bit scared of him, to tell you the truth.'
'But he's not a real wizard, is he?' asked Tinker.
'Well, when I talk to Mr. Wooh I feel as if he is,' said Mr. Tapper. 'There isn't a thing he doesn't knowabout figures, there isn't a thing he can't do with them. Ask him to multiply any number by any othernumber, running into dozens of figures, and he'll tell you in a second. He shouldn't be in a circus. Heshould be an inventor of some sort - an inventor whose invention needs pages and pages of figures.
He'd be happy then.'
'He sounds a bit like my father,' said Tinker. 'He's an inventor, you know, and sometimes when Icreep into his study I see papers FULL of millions of tiny figures and plans and diagrams with tinyfigures all over them too.'
'Very interesting,' said Grandad. 'Your father and Mr. Wooh ought to meet. They would probably talkfigures all day long! My word - what's that you're handing round, young lady?'
'Some of the food we brought,' said Anne. 'Have a sausage or two, Mr. Tapper - and a roll - and atomato.'
'Well, thanks,' said Mr. Tapper, pleased. 'Very kind of you. Nice to have met you all. You might beable to teach Jeremy a few manners!'
'Grandad - here's Mr. Wooh!' said Jeremy, suddenly, and got up. Everyone turned round. So this wasMr. Wooh the Wonder Magician. Well, he certainly looked the part.
He stood there, with a half-smile on his face, tall, commanding and handsome. His hair was thick,and black as soot10, his eyes gleamed in the fire-light, half hidden by great eye-brows, and he wore athin, pointed4 beard. He had a curiously11 deep voice, and spoke12 like a foreigner.
'So we have visitors this night?' he said, and showed a row of gleaming white teeth in a quick smile.
'May I join you?'
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'Oh do, Mr. Wooh,' said Anne, delighted to have the chance of talking to a Wonder Magician.
'We've brought plenty of food. Do you like cold sausage - and tomato - and a roll?'
'Most delicious!' said the magician, and sat down cross-legged to join the group.
'We were disappointed not to see you at the rehearsal,' said Dick. 'I'd have liked to hear you doing allkinds of wizard sums in your head, as quick as lightning!'
'My father can do that too,' said Tinker proudly. 'He's a wizard at figures as well. He's an inventor.'
'Ha! An inventor? And what does he invent?' asked Mr. Wooh, eating his roll.
That was enough to set Tinker describing at once how wonderful his father was. 'He can inventanything he's asked for,' said the boy, proudly. 'He invented a wonderful thing for keeping aeroplanesdead straight in the right direction - better than any idea before. He invented the sko-wheel, if youknow what that is - and the electric trosymon, if you've ever heard of that. I don't suppose you have,though. They're too...'
'Wait, boy!' said Mr. Wooh, sounding most interested. 'These things I have heard of, yes. I do notknow them, but I have certainly heard of them. Your father must be a very, very clever man, with amost unusual brain.'
Tinker swelled14 with pride. 'Something got into the papers about his inventions a little while ago,'
he said, 'and reporters came down to see Dad, and his name was in the papers - but Dad was awfullycross about it. You see, he's in the middle of the biggest idea he's ever thought of and it messed up hiswork to have people coming to interview him - some of them even peered through the window, andwent to see his wonderful tower, with its...'
'Tower? He has a tower?' said Mr. Wooh, full of surprise. Before Tinker could answer, he received ahard poke13 from Julian's finger. He turned crossly, to see Julian frowning fiercely at him. So wasGeorge. He went suddenly red in the face. Of course - he had been told never to talk about his father'swork. It was secret work, very secret.
He pretended to choke over a piece of meat, hoping that Julian would take the chance of changing thesubject - and Julian did, of course!
'Mr. Wooh, could you do a bit of magic reckoning with figures?' he asked. 'I've heard that you cangive the answers to any sum as quick as lightning.'
'That is true,' said Mr. Wooh. 'There is nothing that I cannot do with figures. Ask me anything youlike, and I will give you the answer at once!'
45
'Well, Mr. Wooh, answer this then,' cried Tinker. 'Multiply sixty-three thousand, three hundred andforty-two by eighty thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three! Ha - you can't do that in a hurry!'
'The answer is, in figures, 5127724926,' said Mr. Wooh at once, with a slight bow. 'That is an easyquestion, my boy.'
'Crumbs16!' said Tinker, astounded17. He turned to Julian. 'Is that right, Ju?'
Julian worked out the sum on paper. 'Yes. Absolutely correct. Whew!' he said. 'You said that as quickas lightning!'
'Let me give him a sum to do!' cried George. 'What do you get if you multiply 602491 by 352, Mr.
Magician?'
'I get the figures 2-1-2-0-7-6-8-3-2,' said Mr. Wooh, immediately. And once more Julian worked outthe sum on paper. He raised his head and grinned. 'Yes - correct. How do you do it so quickly?'
'Magic - just a little elementary magic!' answered Mr. Wooh. 'Try it sometime yourself. I am sure thatthis boy's father would be as quick as I am!' He looked at Tinker. 'I should much like to meet yourclever father, my boy,' he said in his deep, foreign-sounding voice. 'We would have much, so much totalk about. I have heard about his wonderful tower. A monument to his genius! Ah, you see, even weforeigners know of your father's great work. Surely he is afraid of having his secrets stolen?'
'Oh, I don't think so,' said Tinker. 'The tower is a pretty good hiding- place, and...' He stoppedsuddenly, and went red again as he received an even harder kick from Julian. How could he be suchan ass18 as to give away the fact that his father's secret plans and models were hidden in the tower?
Julian thought it was time to take Tinker firmly away from Mr. Wooh and give him a good lecture onkeeping his mouth shut. He looked at his watch, and pretended to be horrified19 at the time. 'Goodgracious - do you know what the time is? Jenny will be ringing up the police if we don't get backstraight away. Come on, Tinker, and you others, we must go. Thanks most awfully15, Grandad, forletting us share your supper.'
'But we haven't yet finished!' said Grandad. 'You haven't had enough to eat.'
'We really couldn't eat any more,' said Dick, following Julian's determined20 lead. 'See you tomorrow,Grandad. Good night, Grandma. Thanks very much indeed.'
'We've still got bananas and apples to eat,' said Tinker, feeling obstinate21.
46
'Oh, we brought those for Charlie the Chimp,' said Dick, not quite truthfully. He could have boxedTinker's ears! Silly little fathead, couldn't he realize that Julian wanted to get him away from thiscunning Mr. Wooh? Wait till he got Tinker by himself!
Tinker found himself hustled22 on all sides, and felt a bit scared. Julian sounded rather fierce, hethought. Old Grandad was most astonished at the sudden departure of his guests - but Charlie theChimp didn't mind! The guests had left behind a most generous supply of fruit!
Over the fence they all went, with Julian hustling23 Tinker in front of him. Once over the fence and outof Mr Wooh's hearing, Julian and George rounded on the boy angrily.
'Are you mad, Tinker?' demanded Julian. 'Didn't you guess that that foreign fellow was trying topump you about your father's hush-hush job?'
'He wasn't,' said Tinker, almost in tears. 'You're just exaggerating!'
'Well, I hope I never try to give away my father's secret work!' said George, in a tone of such disgustthat Tinker could have howled.
'I wasn't trying to!' he said. 'Mr. Wooh's all right. Why should you think he isn't?'
'I don't like him and I don't trust him,' said Julian, sounding suddenly very grown up. 'But there yousat lapping up everything he said, ready to pour out all he wanted to know. I'm ashamed of you.
You'd get a jolly good thrashing if your father had heard you. I only hope you haven't already saidtoo much. You know how angry your father was when a report of his latest ideas got into the papers,and swarms24 of people came prying25 round the house...'
Tinker could stand it no longer. He gave a forlorn howl that made Mischief jump, and fled up thegarden to the house, the little monkey running swiftly behind him. He wanted to comfort Tinker.
What was the matter? Poor little Mischief felt bewildered, and tried his best to catch up the sobbingTinker. He caught him up at last, leapt to the boy's shoulder and put his little furry26 arms roundTinker's neck, making a queer comforting noise.
'Oh, Mischief,' said Tinker. 'I'm glad you're still my friend. The others won't be now, I know.
Aren't I an idiot, Mischief? But I was only being proud of my father, I was, really!'
Mischief clung to Tinker, puzzled and upset. Tinker stopped outside the tall tower. There was a lightat the top. His father must still be working there. A faint humming noise came to his ears.
He wondered if it was those queer, spindly tentacles27 right at the very top of the tower, that made thenoise. Suddenly the light at the top of the tower went out.
47
'Dad must have finished his work for tonight,' thought Tinker. 'He'll be coming to the house. I'd bettergo. He might wonder why I'm all upset. Gosh, I never heard Julian be so angry before. He sounded asif he absolutely despised me!'
He crept up the path that led to the house, and in at the garden door. Better not go and see Jenny.
She might worm everything out of him, and be as disgusted with him as Julian was. She wouldwonder why he wasn't camping out with them. He'd go upstairs and sleep in his own bed tonight!
'Come on, Mischief,' he said, in a mournful voice. 'We'll go to bed, and you can cuddle down withme. You'd never be mean to me, would you? You'd always be my friend.'
Mischief jabbered28 away, and the funny little monkey voice comforted Tinker all the time heundressed. He flung himself into bed, and Mischief lay at the bottom, on his feet. 'I shall never beable to get to sleep tonight,' said Tinker, still miserable. 'Never!'
But he fell asleep at once - which was a great pity, really. He might have shared in quite a bit ofexcitement, if he hadn't slept so soundly! Poor Tinker!
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1
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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sniffed
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| 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 | |
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rehearsal
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| n.排练，排演；练习 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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6
winks
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| v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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7
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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chimp
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| n.黑猩猩 | |
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soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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11
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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12
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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13
poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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14
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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15
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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22
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hustling
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| 催促（hustle的现在分词形式） | |
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24
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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25
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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26
furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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27
tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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28
jabbered
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的过去式和过去分词 )；急促兴奋地说话 | |
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