Six（5）

VTommy continued his walk and presently entered the post office, wherehe put through a call to Mr. Grant, and reported “the recent operation wassuccessful and our friend C is definitely involved.”
Then he wrote a letter and posted it. It was addressed to Mr. Albert Batt,The Duck and Dog, Glamorgan St., Kennington.
Then he bought himself a weekly paper which professed¹ to inform theEnglish world of what was really going to happen and strolled innocentlyback in the direction of Sans Souci.
Presently he was hailed by the hearty² voice of Commander Haydockleaning from his two-seater car and shouting, “Hallo, Meadowes, want alift?”
Tommy accepted a lift gratefully and got in.
“So you read that rag, do you?” demanded Haydock, glancing at the scar-let cover of the Inside Weekly News.
Mr. Meadowes displayed the slight confusion of all readers of the peri-odical in question when challenged.
“Awful rag,” he agreed. “But sometimes, you know, they really do seemto know what’s going on behind the scenes.”
“And sometimes they’re wrong.”
“Oh, quite so.”
“Truth of it is,” said Commander Haydock, steering³ rather erraticallyround a one-way island and narrowly missing collision with a large van,“when the beggars are right, one remembers it, and when they’re wrongyou forget it.”
“Do you think there’s any truth in this rumour⁴ about Stalin having ap-proached us?”
“Wishful thinking, my boy, wishful thinking,” said Commander Hay-dock. “The Russkys are as crooked⁵ as hell and always have been. Don’ttrust ’em, that’s what I say. Hear you’ve been under the weather?”
“Just a touch of hay fever. I get it about this time of year.”
“Yes, of course. Never suffered from it myself, but I had a pal⁶ who did.
Used to lay him out regularly every June. Feeling fit enough for a game ofgolf?”
Tommy said he’d like it very much.
“Right. What about tomorrow? Tell you what, I’ve got to go to a meetingabout this Parashot business, raising a corps⁷ of local volunteers — jollygood idea if you ask me. Time we were all made to pull our weight. Soshall we have a round about six?”
“Thanks very much. I’d like to.”
“Good. Then that’s settled.”
The Commander drew up abruptly⁸ at the gate of Sans Souci.
“How’s the fair Sheila?” he asked.
“Quite well, I think. I haven’t seen much of her.”
Haydock gave his loud barking laugh.
“Not as much as you’d like to, I bet! Good-looking girl that, but damnedrude. She sees too much of that German fellow. Damned unpatriotic, I callit. Dare say she’s got no use for old fogies like you and me, but there areplenty of nice lads going about in our own Services. Why take up with abloody German? That sort of thing riles me.”
Mr. Meadowes said:
“Be careful, he’s just coming up the hill behind us.”
“Don’t care if he does hear! Rather hope he does. I’d like to kick MasterCarl’s behind for him. Any decent German’s fighting for his country—notslinking over here to get out of it!”
“Well,” said Tommy, “it’s one less German to invade England at allevents.”
“You mean he’s here already? Ha ha! Rather good, Meadowes! Not that Ibelieve this tommyrot about invasion. We never have been invaded andnever will be. We’ve got a Navy, thank God!”
With which patriotic⁹ announcement the Commander let in his clutchwith a jerk and the car leaped forward up the hill to Smugglers’ Rest.

1 professed   

公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的

参考例句：

• These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
• Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。

2 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

3 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

4 rumour   

n.谣言，谣传，传闻

参考例句：

• I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
• There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

5 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

6 pal   

n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友

参考例句：

• He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
• Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

9 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。