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儿童英语读物 The Ghost of the Chattering Bones CHAPTER 4 Jon’s Blunder

时间:2017-11-16 07:39来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

As Spence walked off, Benny edged closer to the rough stone ledge1 and peered over the side. Down below, purple pansies rippled2 in the breeze. He looked relieved.

As if reading his thoughts, Henry put a comforting arm around his brother. “Not a drop of water in sight.”

“The Chattering3 Bones haunts the bridge at night,” said Pam, who was standing4 within earshot. “Remember?”

Henry turned to look at her. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Before Pam had a chance to answer, Jessie called out, “Look at this.” She pointed5 to a small bronze plaque6 bolted to one of the stones. Engraved7 on the plaque were the words JON’S BLUNDER.

“One of the men working on the bridge had it made as a joke,” Norah told them. “It wasn’t long before everyone started calling the bridge Jon’s Blunder.”

Benny frowned. “What’s a blunder?”

“A blunder’s a mistake, Benny,” Henry told him. “A big mistake.”

“Oh!” said Benny, catching8 on. “And Jon made a big mistake—the bridge wasn’t long enough for the stream.”

Norah laughed. “I’m afraid my great-great-grandfather never heard the end of it.”

Just then, Violet noticed something, too. The shape of a heart had been chiseled9 into one of the stones nearby. In the middle of the heart was Meg’s name.

They all moved closer for a better look. “Jon carved that heart for Meg on the day he proposed to her,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Right, Norah?”

“That’s right, Margaret.”

“It’s so romantic,” said Violet. She had a dreamy smile on her face as she traced the letters MEG with a finger.

But Benny was more interested in the mystery. “Let’s get started looking for clues,” he suggested.

“Any idea where you’ll begin?” Norah asked as they headed back to the house.

“We thought we’d hike around the property,” said Jessie. “Maybe keep an eye out for Eton’s Loop.”

“Whatever that is,” added Benny.

Mrs. McGregor looked up at the blue sky. “Why not pack a lunch?” she suggested.

“Oh, yes!” put in Norah. “What could be better than a picnic?”

“Nothing!” cried Benny, who loved picnics.

Mrs. McGregor smiled. “There’s a great spot to eat by the stream in the woods.”

“Sounds good,” said Henry.

“Come with us, Pam,” Jessie offered.

Pam put on a little smile. “Thanks, but I never hike that far. Not all the way to the woods.”

The Aldens looked at each other, puzzled. How could anyone turn down a picnic?

As they went inside, Norah said, “By the way, there’s a potluck dinner at the community center tonight, so watch the time.”

“What’s a—” Benny began to say, but Jessie knew the question before he asked it.

“A potluck’s where everybody brings something, Benny,” she explained. “That way, you get to sample different dishes.”

Benny broke into a big grin. “Sounds like fun!”

“A picnic and a potluck dinner in the same day,” said Henry. “That’s a dream come true for you, Benny!”

The Aldens washed and dried the breakfast dishes, then made sandwiches on the counter. Violet buttered the bread. Henry added cold cuts, pickles10, and lettuce11. Benny slapped on the mustard. And Jessie cut and wrapped the sandwiches that Benny passed to her.

“I wonder why Pam never wants to do anything with us,” said Benny, licking some mustard from the back of his hand.

“I’m not sure,” Jessie said after a moment’s thought. “She’s hard to figure out.”

“You’ve got that right,” said Henry.

“She didn’t even want to help us solve a mystery,” added Benny, who still couldn’t get over it.

“Maybe Pam’s shy around new people,” Violet was quick to suggest.

Jessie frowned as she wrapped a sandwich. She thought there was more to it than that. Pam always seemed so eager to get away from them.

Henry filled a large thermos12 with lemonade. “I think we should concentrate on one mystery at a time,” he said, and the others nodded.

Jessie loaded their picnic lunch into her backpack. She even remembered Benny’s special cup—the cracked pink cup he had found while they were living in the boxcar.

Then they filed out the door.

“Stick together!” Norah called out to them from an opened window. “We don’t want anyone to get lost.”

“Don’t worry, Norah,” Jessie called back to her with a little wave. “We always stick together.”

The Aldens set off across the fields, following a row of scraggly pines that grew near a rail fence. They made a detour13 around a weedy pond and stopped by a lone14 apple tree on a hill to pick wildflowers. By the time they reached the woods, the afternoon sun was getting hot and their flowers were starting to wilt15.

“I’m starving,” said Benny, as they followed a winding16 path covered with pine needles. “Is it lunchtime yet?”

“Got to be!” said Henry. “I’m ready for a break.”

“Mrs. McGregor said there was a good spot for a picnic by the stream,” Violet recalled.

“It must be up ahead,” guessed Jessie. “Let’s keep going a while longer.”

Pine needles crackled under Benny’s feet as he quickened his pace. “Sure hope we find it soon,” he said, rubbing his empty stomach.

“Doesn’t it smell wonderful here?” Violet said, looking back at her older sister.

Jessie filled her lungs with the spicy17 scent18 of pine. “It sure does.”

Just then, Benny stopped so quickly that Henry almost bumped into him.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked.

Benny stood frozen to the spot.

“Benny?” Jessie said in alarm. “Are you okay?”

The youngest Alden put a finger to his lips signaling for the others to be quiet. “Listen!”

No one spoke19 for a moment. Then Henry nodded. So did Jessie and Violet. They heard it, too. A rushing noise.

“That’s water rushing over rocks,” stated Henry. “The stream must be close by.”

It wasn’t long before they reached a stream that wound its way through the woods.

They quickly made themselves comfortable on the grassy20 bank. Then Jessie passed out the sandwiches while Henry poured the lemonade.

“Mrs. McGregor was right,” Violet said as she unwrapped a sandwich. “This really is a perfect spot for a picnic.”

Jessie looked around. “It’s a perfect spot for a bridge, too,” she said, taking the lemonade that Henry handed her.

“You’re right, Jessie,” said Henry. “I bet this is just where Jon Eton was going to put that old stone bridge.”

“I wonder if …” Violet began and then stopped herself.

“Are you wondering if one of the workmen really did steal Meg’s brooch?” Jessie asked. “I don’t blame you, Violet. I can’t help wondering about that myself.”

“Annette seems so convinced,” said Violet.

Henry suddenly had a thought that hadn’t occurred to him before. “Maybe it wasn’t one of the workmen who stole the brooch.”

“What are you getting at, Henry?” Violet looked confused.

“Maybe Jon took Meg’s brooch.”

“I suppose so.” Violet frowned. She didn’t want to believe Jon Eton would steal his wife’s family heirloom.

“If only we could figure out Meg’s verse,” said Jessie. She pulled her notebook from her back pocket and read the words aloud one more time.

When last goes first,

and first goes last,

Eton’s Loop will show you

a clue from the past.

But nobody had any idea what the verse meant. It still didn’t make any sense.

Violet couldn’t help noticing that her little brother was unusually quiet. She could tell something was troubling him. “Is anything wrong, Benny?”

Benny’s eyes were fixed21 on the water flowing swiftly over the rocks. “I heard it last night,” he said softly.

“Heard what, Benny?” Jessie asked.

“Water rushing over rocks!”

The others stopped eating and stared at him. “I didn’t know what it was,” Benny told them. “But now I do.”

“You couldn’t have heard this stream last night, Benny,” Henry argued. “It’s too far away from the house.”

Benny shook his head. “It wasn’t this stream, Henry. It was the ghost—the ghost of the Chattering Bones!”

“Oh!” Violet put one hand over her mouth in surprise.

But Henry wasn’t having any of that. “There’s no such thing as ghosts, Benny” he said for the umpteenth22 time. “Not even ghost streams.”

Violet glanced at Henry. She knew her older brother was right. And yet, Benny’s words still gave her a chill.

“Benny are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” Jessie wanted to know.

“I thought maybe I was,” Benny admitted. “I even forgot all about the weird23 noise for a while—until we got closer to this stream.” He looked over at his brother and sisters. “It wasn’t a dream last night. I’m sure of it.”

“There’s only one way to settle this,” said Jessie. “If it happens again, we’ll all check it out together.”

Violet added, “That’s a promise.”

“There must be an explanation for what you heard, Benny,” said Henry. “We just have to figure out what it is.”

Benny gave his brother and sisters a grateful smile. They always knew how to make him feel better.

After lunch, the four Aldens slipped off their socks and shoes and stood ankle-deep in the icy cold stream. The water was so clear they could see to the bottom. Sidestepping the rocks, they waded24 downstream. By the time they got back, their pockets were bulging25 with interesting pebbles26.

When they stepped onto the mossy bank again, Violet spotted27 something half-hidden in the long grass nearby. “Look at this,” she said, holding up a braided green headband.

“I bet somebody’s looking all over for that,” said Jessie.

“Pam always wears headbands,” Benny pointed out as he put on his socks.

Henry nodded. “Maybe it’s hers.”

“Possibly,” said Jessie. “But not likely.”

Violet agreed. “Pam never hikes this far, remember?” She slipped the headband into her pocket, hoping to find the owner.

Henry looked at his watch. “I guess we should head back.”

“Right,” said Jessie, remembering the potluck dinner. “It’s a long hike.”

With that, the four children followed the path out of the woods, still no closer to solving the mystery. In fact, they didn’t have the faintest idea how they were going to solve it. All they knew was that they had to try.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁
参考例句:
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上,摔倒了。
2 rippled 70d8043cc816594c4563aec11217f70d     
使泛起涟漪(ripple的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
  • The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田,泛起一片麦浪。
3 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
4 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
5 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
6 plaque v25zB     
n.饰板,匾,(医)血小板
参考例句:
  • There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
  • Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
7 engraved be672d34fc347de7d97da3537d2c3c95     
v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中)
参考例句:
  • The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
  • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
9 chiseled chiseled     
adj.凿刻的,轮廓分明的v.凿,雕,镌( chisel的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • Woltz had chiseled the guy, given him peanuts for the book. 乌尔茨敲了这个作家的竹杠,用了他的书,却只给微不足道的一点点钱。 来自教父部分
  • He chiseled the piece of wood into the shape of a head. 他把这块木头凿刻成人头的形状。 来自辞典例句
10 pickles fd03204cfdc557b0f0d134773ae6fff5     
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 );处于困境;遇到麻烦;菜酱
参考例句:
  • Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
11 lettuce C9GzQ     
n.莴苣;生菜
参考例句:
  • Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿,我好做色拉。
  • The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。
12 thermos TqjyE     
n.保湿瓶,热水瓶
参考例句:
  • Can I borrow your thermos?我可以借用你的暖水瓶吗?
  • It's handy to have the thermos here.暖瓶放在这儿好拿。
13 detour blSzz     
n.绕行的路,迂回路;v.迂回,绕道
参考例句:
  • We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走,避开繁忙的交通。
  • He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家,而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。
14 lone Q0cxL     
adj.孤寂的,单独的;唯一的
参考例句:
  • A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
  • She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。
15 wilt oMNz5     
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎;(指人)疲倦,衰弱
参考例句:
  • Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
  • Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。
16 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
17 spicy zhvzrC     
adj.加香料的;辛辣的,有风味的
参考例句:
  • The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
  • Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。
18 scent WThzs     
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉
参考例句:
  • The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
  • The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
19 spoke XryyC     
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。
20 grassy DfBxH     
adj.盖满草的;长满草的
参考例句:
  • They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
  • Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。
21 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
22 umpteenth 70fd13bbfce639c2edadd2d575ff3efc     
adj.第无数次(个)的
参考例句:
  • W; `Qmp`tinW/ pron, det: For the umpteenth time, I tell you I don't know! 我告诉你多少次了,我不知道! 来自辞典例句
  • Vera: That's the umpteenth suggestion I've made which you've turned down. 薇拉:这不知是我提出的第几个建议了,你全部不接受。 来自互联网
23 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
24 waded e8d8bc55cdc9612ad0bc65820a4ceac6     
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
  • He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。
25 bulging daa6dc27701a595ab18024cbb7b30c25     
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱
参考例句:
  • Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
  • Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她:“问问是不是重要的事。”
26 pebbles e4aa8eab2296e27a327354cbb0b2c5d2     
[复数]鹅卵石; 沙砾; 卵石,小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
  • Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石,以确保排水良好。
27 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
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