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儿童英语读物 The Deserted Library Mystery CHAPTER 3 The Squirrel That Wasn’t There

时间:2017-07-06 01:33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)

The next morning, before anyone awakened1, Henry quietly went outside and mounted his bicycle. He pedaled down the winding2 path and rode the two miles to Pete’s Café. He must phone Grandfather and tell him they’d arrived safely.

The air smelled salty, and the sunny day warmed him. He felt good. They were off on another adventure.

Entering the café, Henry smiled at a plump man with a white beard behind the counter. He knew he must be Pete. “Hi, I’m Henry Alden. James Alden is my grandfather. My sisters and brother and I are living in your house for a few days,” Henry said.

“Hi, Henry,” the plump man said. “Good to meet you. How do you like my house?”

“Fine,” Henry answered. He didn’t want to tell him how much cleaning they’d had to do.

Pete chuckled3. “I imagine the cobwebs and dust were pretty thick after my house had been sitting there for all these months. I guess you and your sisters and brother took care of things.”

“We did a little cleaning,” Henry said with a smile.

“Did you find the extra pillows in the closet by the back door?”

“Yes, we’ve found everything we need,” Henry assured him.

“And the pump worked okay?”

“Yes, and so did the stove and refrigerator,” Henry said. “I need to use the phone to tell Grandfather we’re all right.”

“Go right ahead,” Pete said. “And tell him hello for me.”

As Henry dialed, he overheard two men who were sitting at a nearby table.

The first man leaned forward. “Did you hear Mrs. Tate was robbed of her diamond ring last week?”

“You’re kidding!” the second man said in surprise. “That’s the third robbery in two months. Some antique maps were taken from Tom Davis’s map and coin shop, and Mike Johnson’s jewelry4 store was robbed, too. Who do you suppose is doing it?”

“Beats me,” the first man said. “But we’d all better keep things under lock and key.”

Henry promised himself that they’d better be careful and lock Pete’s door.

After talking to Grandfather, Henry said good-bye to Pete and biked back to the house.

He arrived just in time for breakfast, and then they all biked to the library, which was about a quarter of a mile away. Because the narrow winding lane was steep, Benny had to stop several times.

When they reached the library, they stopped to stare at the gray shingled5 building. It tilted6 to one side, and the ground floor windows were boarded up. The front concrete steps were chipped and broken, and the roof had lost half its shingles7.

The second floor had a large window looking to the sea. Because no one had boarded it up, a few glass panes8 were missing. It was as if the library had one big eye watching the water. Watching and waiting. What was it that Violet had said? Jessie thought. The library looked sad and lonely.

“Wow!” Benny uttered, a light breeze rumpling9 his dark shiny hair. “It’s scary!”

Jessie pushed her strange thoughts away. “Let’s see for ourselves,” she said brightly. She moved to the first step.

“Okay,” Benny said. “I’m right behind you.”

Henry laughed, taking Violet’s hand. “This is going to be fun.”

Jessie unlocked the door.

After they entered the dark and silent library, they halted. Surprise was written on their faces. Shelves of books lined the room, but many more books were scattered10 on the floor, some face down. Others were thrown in a corner. In the center of the room was a large desk that had been the circulation desk.

They walked further into the room. Henry bravely went upstairs. “Come on,” he urged. His brother and sisters followed. They went into a room that also had books, but there was a large reading area by the big window. Under the window was a long seat covered in faded and worn material.

“This velvet11 seat was once red,” Jessie said, brushing her fingertips over the cushion.

“It looks pink to me!” Benny said. His voice echoed through the whole room.

“All right,” Henry said, “before we go through the books, I’ll remove the boards from the downstairs windows.” He was dressed for work, too, in his jeans, and a shirt with a red stripe and short sleeves. “If we make the library look good, it may be given the landmark12 status Grandfather wants so much.”

“It would be wonderful to be able to do that for him,” Violet said.

“I’ll help you, Henry,” Benny said, running downstairs.

“Careful,” Jessie cautioned. “Some of those wooden steps might be broken.”

“I’m okay,” Benny said. “See?” He stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up. His hands were behind his back, and he wore a big grin.

“Good, Benny,” Henry said. “Here we come.” They hurried down after Benny.

They all pitched in. The boards were removed from the windows, letting the sunlight stream in. They dusted and cleaned until Benny said, “Isn’t it time for lunch yet?”

Violet halted, wiping her forehead. “Yes, I’m ready for a sandwich, too.” She sat down, straightening the collar on her violet T-shirt. Violet was her favorite color. She even had wallpaper in her room at home with violets on it.

“Lunch will be later,” Jessie said. “It’s only eleven o’clock.”

Willingly, they straightened more books.

“Look,” Benny said, holding up a volume of fairy tales. It was an old book with no cover, but the pages were still in good condition. “Read me this story, Jessie,” he said, pointing to one.

Jessie, who was on her knees, stood up and took a deep breath. “I’m ready for a break. We’ll sit over here by the circulation desk, Benny. Ah, you’ve chosen Rumpelstiltskin.” She began to read about the maiden13 who was forced to weave all day, and the threads she wove that turned to gold.

When Jessie finished the story, Benny stood up. “Wow!” he exclaimed, “Rumpelstiltskin was a mean man. I’d like to spin gold!”

“And what would you do with it, Benny?” Jessie asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

“I’d fix up this old library for Grandfather,” he said promptly14.

“That’s a great idea,” Henry said, joining them. “Right now, though, rest time is over.”

“Is it lunchtime?” Benny asked.

“Not yet,” Henry chuckled, lightly touching15 Benny’s chin with his fist. “We’ve got hundreds of books to straighten.”

“Okay,” Benny said cheerfully. “But I’m going upstairs.”

“Will you place the books neatly16 on the shelves?” Violet asked.

“I sure will!”

And before anyone could say another word, Benny raced upstairs.

Jessie smiled. “I hope he’s this eager to help by late afternoon.”

“Look at this old speller I found,” Violet said, handing a thin book to Jessie.

Jessie wrinkled her small nose. “It smells musty.” She handed the book back. “We’d better finish these shelves.” She pulled out a book and flipped17 through its pages. All at once she gasped18. “A moth19! It flew right in my face.”

Violet glimpsed a winged insect flying out the window. “What next?” she asked, with a sigh.

Suddenly Benny rushed downstairs. His round face was pale, and his lower lip trembled.

“Benny! What happened?” Jessie asked in a concerned tone. “You’re as white as a sheet.”

“I-I heard a noise,” he said in a quavering voice. “Someone is up there.”

Jessie glanced at Violet and Henry, then turned back to Benny. “Just what did you hear, Benny?”

“It was kind of a little sound, and then I saw a big black shadow!”

“We’ll all go upstairs and look around,” Violet said. She put her arm around Benny’s shoulders. “Maybe it was a squirrel hiding a nut.”

Benny shook his head. “No. Someone was there! I know it!”

They went upstairs and searched every row of books and every corner. “No one’s here, Benny,” Jessie said, tousling her brother’s hair. “Maybe the squirrel went out through the broken windowpane.”

“M-maybe,” he stammered20. But Benny glanced at the stairs. Not for a minute did he believe it was a squirrel. Violet, too, had a nervous look on her face.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 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。
3 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
4 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
5 shingled aeeee5639e437c26f68da646e7d5f87d     
adj.盖木瓦的;贴有墙面板的v.用木瓦盖(shingle的过去式和过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • They shingled the roof. 他们用木瓦盖屋顶。 来自互联网
6 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
7 shingles 75dc0873f0e58f74873350b9953ef329     
n.带状疱疹;(布满海边的)小圆石( shingle的名词复数 );屋顶板;木瓦(板);墙面板
参考例句:
  • Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句
8 panes c8bd1ed369fcd03fe15520d551ab1d48     
窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上,又反射到他身上。
  • The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。
9 rumpling 1444bedba386aa87ba8b75dcd4c8c2d8     
v.弄皱,使凌乱( rumple的现在分词 )
参考例句:
10 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
11 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
12 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
13 maiden yRpz7     
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
参考例句:
  • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
  • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
14 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
15 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
16 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
17 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
参考例句:
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
18 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
19 moth a10y1     
n.蛾,蛀虫
参考例句:
  • A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
  • The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。
20 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
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