儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Stolen Music CHAPTER 5 The Search

“The Mozart score has been stolen?” Jessie repeated to make sure she had heard right.

“Yes,” Janet Muller said. She wandered away, murmuring, “I knew it. I just knew this would happen.”

Melody¹ saw the Aldens and rushed over.

“When did you discover the score was stolen?” Jessie asked.

“Do you know who stole it?” Benny added.

“Have you called the police?” Henry wanted to know.

Melody held up her hand to silence them. “Wait, wait,” she said. “Who told you the score had been stolen?”

“Janet Muller,” Jessie answered.

“She’s jumping to conclusions,” Melody said.

“The score hasn’t been stolen then!” Violet sounded relieved.

Henry looked at the display case. It was empty. “The score’s not in the case,” he said. “If it wasn’t stolen, where is it?”

Melody shrugged². “We’re not sure,” she said. Then she went on to explain. “Victor took it back to the hotel after the party. He thought it would be safer than leaving it here at the Center overnight.”

Bob Weldon came up beside Melody. “Too bad no one was around to remind the great Victor Perrelli not to misplace it,” he said.

Benny nodded. “He forgot where he put it!”

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to find,” Henry said.

Melody sighed. “Victor’s the only one who knows where it is, and he has completely forgotten.”

“Maybe he’ll remember where he put it when he starts looking for it,” Jessie suggested.

Bob Weldon chuckled³. “By the time he gets back to the hotel, he’ll forget why he’s there,” he said.

“We could go back to the hotel with Mr. Perrelli,” Henry suggested.

“Yes,” Violet said. “We could help him look.”

Benny thought that was a splendid idea. “We’ll find the missing music,” he assured Melody. “We’re very good detectives.”

Melody smiled. “I’ll get Victor,” she said.

“What about the rehearsal⁴?” Bob Weldon asked. “We can’t cancel that. People are arriving. We can’t disappoint them.”

Melody’s smile faded. “You’re right, Bob. If we cancel the first event of the week …” Her voice trailed off.

“So the score will have to wait,” Bob Weldon said. “I’ll round up the musicians.” He hurried off.

“I hate to put off looking for the score,” Melody said. “The longer it’s lost, the greater the chance that the wrong person might find it.”

“Couldn’t someone else conduct the rehearsal?” Violet asked.

“That’s it,” Melody said. “I’ve been so upset, I don’t seem to be thinking. I’ll lead the rehearsal while you and Victor go back to the hotel.” She hurried over to Victor to tell him the plan.

He listened attentively⁵, and nodded. Then he strode⁶ toward the Aldens. “Let’s see what we can see,” he said and led them outside.

At the hotel, they went directly to his room. There, the conductor turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

Henry was surprised. “The door wasn’t locked,” he said.

Victor Perrelli stepped back to let the children enter. “Locked doors require keys,” he said. “Too easy to misplace.”

“But anyone could come into your room, Mr. Perrelli,” Jessie said. “Maybe — ”

“Please call me Victor,” he interrupted. He walked into the room. “What we need here is music!” He snapped⁷ on the tape recorder on the nightstand.

Instantly, the room was filled with the sounds of a full orchestra⁸. Victor stood listening, his eyes closed. After several seconds, he began to wave his arms as though he were conducting the invisible musicians.

The children waited silently. Finally, Benny whispered, “Now I know how he practices.”

Victor dropped his arms suddenly and turned to the Aldens. “What was it we were supposed to do here?”

“Look for the missing score,” Henry reminded him.

Victor nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. Where shall we look first?”

“Try to remember what you did when you came back here after the reception,” Jessie suggested.

Victor nodded. “I listened to a Mozart concerto⁹,” he said. “Very beautiful.”

“Did you hide the score before or after that?” Violet asked.

Victor sighed deeply. “A head full of music has no room for details,” he answered.

Seeing that they could not depend on Victor to remember anything helpful, Henry took charge. “Let’s divide things up,” he suggested. “Jessie and Soo Lee, you check the bathroom. Violet, you help Victor search this room. Benny and I will look in the closet.”

They all set to work.

Jessie and Soo Lee found nothing in the bathroom.

Violet and Victor looked everywhere — even under the mattress¹⁰. No success.

Henry and Benny searched the closet shelves and Mr. Perrelli’s pockets. Nothing. Finally, Benny dragged the suitcase into the room.

“How about in here?” he asked.

Victor opened the suitcase. It was empty.

“Your garment bag’s hanging in the closet,” Henry said. “We didn’t look in it.”

Victor shook his head. “There’s nothing in there but my tuxedo¹¹. And it’s dirty at that. I must remember to have it cleaned before the concert.” Suddenly, his face lit up. “Yes, yes. Now I remember.”

He had remembered where he’d put the score! The Aldens waited anxiously for him to tell them where it was.

Instead, he said, “Such a strange thing: memory.”

“What is it you remembered?” Henry asked.

“Last night, after I listened to the concerto, I took a long walk,” Victor responded. “It was a lovely night. It brought back so many memories of my childhood.”

“Did you lock your door when you left?” Jessie asked.

She knew the answer. They all knew the answer. Victor Perrelli did not lock his door. Had someone come into his room while he was out and found the Mozart score? Perhaps Janet Muller had been right after all: The music had been stolen!

1 melody   

n.旋律，曲调，悦耳的音乐

参考例句：

• She struck up a folk melody on the piano.她开始用钢琴演奏那首民歌。
• After she wrote the melody,she asked us for criticisms.她做好曲之后，请我们提意见。

2 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 chuckled   

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 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

5 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 strode   

大踏步走，跨过( stride的过去式 )； (stride的过去式)

参考例句：

• She strode past him without a backward glance . 她大步从他身边走过，都没有回头瞧他一眼。
• We strode across the snowy fields. 我们大步流星地穿过雪封的旷野。

7 snapped   

v.猛地咬住( snap的过去式和过去分词 )；（使某物）发出尖厉声音地突然断裂[打开，关闭]；厉声地说；拍照

参考例句：

• The wind had snapped the tree in two. 风把树喀嚓一声刮断了。
• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

9 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• The piano concerto was well rendered.钢琴协奏曲演奏得很好。
• The concert ended with a Mozart violin concerto.音乐会在莫扎特的小提琴协奏曲中结束。

10 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

11 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？