儿童英语读物 The Camp-Out Mystery CHAPTER 8 The Storm

“What do you suppose happened to Grandfather?” Benny asked.

They had pulled the picnic table under the kitchen tent and were sitting at it. Rain fell all around them. In the distance, thunder rumbled¹. Plates of stew² sat before them. No one was very hungry.

“I’m sure he’s all right,” Jessie said. She didn’t want the others to know how worried she was.

“It’s not safe to be walking in the woods during a storm,” Henry reminded them. “Grandfather probably decided³ to stay with Doris and her family.”

“Yes,” Jessie said. “That’s what he did. He stayed with Doris.”

“He’ll be here by the time we get up in the morning,” Violet added. But she was as worried as Jessie.

“Then let’s go to bed now,” Benny suggested, “so morning will come quicker. I don’t like being here without Grandfather.”

They put the leftover⁴ stew in a container in the cooler and cleared off the table.

Henry aimed his flashlight at the big tent. The others made a dash for it. When they were safely inside, he ran to join them.

Their sleeping bags felt warm and cozy⁵, but they couldn’t sleep. They lay listening to the rain drumming on the tent, each of them thinking about Grandfather. His empty sleeping bag made them feel even sadder.

After a long silence, Henry said, “Remember when we didn’t want to live with Grandfather?”

“Yes, we thought he was mean,” Violet said.

“And we didn’t even know him!” Jessie put in.

“That wasn’t very smart,” Benny summed up. “He’s the best grandfather in the whole world.”

Suddenly, everything was light and sound. Lightning flashed. Thunder crashed. The ground shook. The children moved closer together. Benny pulled his sleeping bag up over his head.

The storm pounded around them for most of the night. When it finally moved on, Benny sighed. “I’m glad it’s over,” he said. He rolled over and went to sleep.

The others were just drifting off when— suddenly—music ripped through the night air.

Watch pricked⁶ up his ears. He stood up, listening. Then he moved to the tent flap and poked⁷ his nose outside.

“What is it, boy?” Henry whispered. “Who’s out there?”

Watch looked at Henry over his shoulder. He yawned, turned around three times, and curled up by the door of the tent.

“The music sounds close,” Jessie whispered.

“It’s even louder than last time,” Violet added.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the music stopped. The rain had stopped, too. Except for the steady drip drip from the trees, everything was quiet.

“Whoever’s playing it doesn’t want us here,” Henry said.

“What makes you think that?” Jessie asked.

“Why else would they keep playing it at night like they do? And so near?” Henry said. “They’re trying to spoil things for us.”

“ ‘I hope nothing spoils the trip for you,’ ” Violet quoted. “Isn’t that what Doris said?”

“Do you suppose she’s the one who’s trying to scare us off?” Jessie wondered.

“She can’t be,” Henry said. “She’s probably with Grandfather right now.”

“I hope so,” Jessie said. “I hope he’s warm and safe just like we are.”

1 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

2 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

5 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

6 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

7 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》