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儿童英语读物 The Mystery at Skeleton Point CHAPTER 8 Locked Out!

时间:2017-10-24 06:19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 soon as the children got on the bike path again, they tried to figure out their conversation with Hilda.

“We didn’t get any answers about the Clover Dodge1 statue,” Violet said.

Henry disagreed. “Oh, but we did. Now we know Hilda definitely took things from Skeleton Point and that she doesn’t want us to see them. That’s got to be the reason she didn’t let us in her studio.”

“I guess you’re right, Henry,” Violet said. “I sure wish the statue was back where it belongs. Since it wasn’t broken, why did Hilda bring it to her studio?”

The children pedaled along the lake and thought about what to do next.

“Let’s have lunch!” Benny suggested. “That helps me figure out things.”

“Lunch always solves everything for you, Benny,” Jessie said with a laugh. All the same, she slowed down when she came to the sign for the Shady Lake General Store. “You know, if we stop here, we can — ”

“Have an ice cream cone2 for dessert!” Benny said.

Jessie smiled. “Exactly!”

The children rolled their bikes to a picnic grove3 close to the dock that belonged to the general store. As soon as the Aldens took out their sandwiches, a flock of ducks decided4 to join the children for lunch, too. Not a crumb5 was wasted as the birds waddled6 under the picnic table. The children hadn’t been seated long when another visitor showed up.

“Max!” Jessie said when Greeny’s dog raced over to chase the ducks away. “You smelled our ham sandwiches, didn’t you? Where’s Greeny?”

Benny slid over to pet Max. “Sorry, the ducks ate the rest of my sandwich. Hey, you’re as wet as a duck, too. Were you playing in the water?”

“Greeny’s boat is docked out there,” Henry said, looking at the marina. “He must be at the store getting supplies. Jessie, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Jessie nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with just going for a walk on the dock, is there? And if we happen to pass Greeny’s boat, we might be able to see if he still has that mysterious crate7 we saw him carry down from Skeleton Point.”

The Aldens didn’t waste any time. They gathered up their trash and threw it into a nearby basket. Max followed along, hoping to catch a few forgotten crumbs8 the ducks might have missed.

Benny dug into his backpack for a ball he often carried. He aimed it toward the dock. “Go get it, Max! Let’s follow him. Now we have a good excuse to go near the boat.”

“Exactly what I was thinking, Detective Alden,” Henry told Benny.

As soon as Max found the ball, he trotted9 out to Greeny’s boat.

Jessie had to laugh. “Max is just like Watch. He likes to bring the ball to a special spot then makes us chase him there.”

The children ran after Max.

When he got to the dock, Henry stared into the boat. “Greeny sure keeps a lot of stuff in there. Fishing tackle, life jackets, boxes, a couple of toolboxes, fuel cans, and — ”

“A skull10!” Benny said in a loud whisper. “See? It’s in the milk crate, but it’s partway covered up.”

The children craned their necks, trying to get a better look under the canvas.

Just as a gust11 of wind began to lift the covering, Greeny appeared. “What are you kids doing?”

Thank goodness for Max. At that moment, he picked up the ball in his mouth and brought it over to Greeny.

“He wants you to take Benny’s ball and throw it,” Jessie said. “We were trying to get it back when Max jumped into your boat with it.”

Max suddenly dropped the ball, so Benny reached in and picked it up. Max leaped from the boat, and Benny followed him.

By this time, Greeny got in the boat himself. He quickly tucked the canvas cover tightly over the milk carton. “Max, get back here!” Greeny yelled. “Don’t throw that ball near the boat, Benny. Got it?”

“Got it,” Benny said, walking toward his bike. He felt so upset at being scolded, he forgot all about his ice cream and finishing the game of fetch with Max.

The children quietly pedaled away, not as happily as before. Awhile later, they came to Skeleton Point.

“Let’s push our bikes behind those bushes so everything will be safe,” Henry suggested. “We can come back for them later.”

“What I want to find out,” Jessie said as the children began to climb the steps, “is whether William will let us work in Dr. Tibbs’s study.”

Halfway12 up, the Aldens searched for the trail they had hiked the day before.

“Hey, where’s the secret path?” Benny asked. “Wasn’t it right around here?” He skipped a couple steps ahead then came back down. “The skeleton isn’t sitting here, either, like yesterday.”

“It’s almost as if we dreamed up the secret path,” Violet said. “Wait! I know why.” She pulled away a tangle13 of prickly holly14 branches. “These branches covered it up.”

Henry still had on his bike gloves. He tossed the thorny15 branches aside. “Since no one knows we’re here yet, let’s check Dead Man’s Cave before we go to the house.”

The Aldens set out on the secret path. Along the way, they looked for the horse skull they had seen the day before. That, too, was gone. They finally located the hideout door.

“Benny, hand me my flashlight,” Henry said, peeking16 into a crack between the door and the rock. “Even if we can’t get inside, the door doesn’t quite fit over the cave opening. Maybe I can get a look with my flashlight.”

Benny rummaged17 through Henry’s bike bag. “Here.”

Henry held his flashlight up to the crack. “Gee18, it’s not much of a hideout,” he said. “Our boxcar was way bigger than this. Hey wait! Jessie, here, take a look.”

Jessie took the flashlight. “Wow! That looks like Mister Bones in there. And the horse skull, too. Plus some statues I never saw before. Come here.”

Benny could hardly wait. Since he was shorter than the other children, he saw something they had missed. He waved the flashlight over the floor of the hideout. “Look. Footprints.”

“They’re still muddy,” Violet said when she took a look. “Whoever made them was just here.”

The children tried hard to pull open the rusty19 door but had no luck.

“Let’s go up to the house,” Jessie suggested. “We can at least see if William made those prints. They sure look like his.”

“And these!” Henry pointed20 to a muddy part of the path. “These footprints look pretty new, too. Let’s follow them.”

When the children returned to the main path, they followed the muddy footprints up the steps.

Henry covered up the secret path with the holly branches again. “I don’t want anybody else to find this trail or even know we found it.”

When they reached the top, the children saw William heading to the gardening shed with some clippers in his hand.

Jessie caught up to him. “Hi, Mr. Mason,” she said. “Oh, your gardening clippers are just like Grandfather’s. So are those leather gardening gloves. Were you out pruning21 brushes?”

William stared at the clippers in his gloved hand as if he didn’t know what they were. He ignored Jessie’s question. “I thought you kids said you were going swimming today.”

“You said that, not us,” Henry replied. “We came here to help Charlotte. Did she call you about working on Dr. Tibbs’s skeleton collection? She wants us to count what’s in there.”

“Waste of time, if you ask me,” William said. “Just ship the whole shebang to the medical school and let them do the job.”

Violet had something important to tell Mr. Mason. “Charlotte is putting Greeny Owen in charge of the skeletons before she sends them to the medical school.”

“Greeny Owen?” William Mason said. “I chased him off here just this morning when I found him wandering around in the house as if he owned it.”

Violet had to defend Greeny. “He just wants to protect Dr. Tibbs’s skeleton collection. He thinks someone may have taken some of them recently.”

William looked at Violet for a long time. “What do you mean, someone took the skeletons? There’s such a jumble22 of bones in there, who would even know if any of them were missing?”

“Greeny would!” Benny blurted23 out. “And we saw skeletons in the woods, and so did Grandfather and Charlotte.”

William laughed. “Well, everybody knows about the Walking Skeleton,” he told the Aldens. “Maybe you should tell Charlotte to stay put in her nice little cottage where she won’t be scared by skeletons roaming the woods.”

“Charlotte isn’t scared of skeletons, walking or not,” Jessie said. “She’s going to fix up Skeleton Point no matter what.”

William walked up the broken steps of the reflecting pool. “Well, you can’t say she wasn’t warned ahead of time.”

Jessie checked her watch. “We’d like to go into Dr. Tibbs’s study and do what Charlotte asked us to do.”

William didn’t look too pleased about this, but he nodded anyway. “Suit yourself. If that’s what Charlotte wants, feel free.”

But the door to Dr. Tibbs’s study wasn’t open.

Henry pushed the door with his shoulder. “Maybe it’s stuck the way it was the other day.” When the door didn’t budge24, he pushed it with his whole body. Still it didn’t open. “Know what? There’s a lock on it — a new one,” he said. “That’s why I can’t get it open.”

Hilda arrived just as the Aldens were heading out to find William.

Jessie went up to her. “Hi, again. Would you happen to have the key to the study? It’s locked. Charlotte wants us to get started organizing the skeleton collection.”

Hilda looked puzzled. “Locked? Why would anybody lock up those dusty old things? None of the locks inside the house work anyway. Just push the door hard.”

“We already did,” Henry said. “This lock is new. Did the locksmith finally come? Charlotte sent one out last week, but he got scared off.”

Hilda seemed in a hurry and not in any kind of mood to talk with the Aldens. “Well, since you can’t get in there, you won’t be able to do whatever job Charlotte suggested. Perhaps you should head home until you hear from her again.”

The children looked at one another. Why was this woman always trying to make them go away?

Jessie surprised her brothers and sister by agreeing. “Sure. I guess we will go. See you tomorrow.”

When the children got outside, Benny was confused. “Why are we going home? Can’t we ask her about my photos?”

Jessie put her arm on Benny’s shoulder. “We’re only going to pretend to leave. We’ll sneak25 to the other side of the house and see what the two of them are up to.”

When the children came outside, they waved at William.

“See you tomorrow,” Henry called out loudly. Then in a whisper he said, “And probably a whole lot sooner.”

Soon the children were hiking through the woods again. As they circled back, they came up with a plan.

“We have to somehow get upstairs without anyone seeing us,” Henry said. “That way we’ll get a better view around the property. And in old houses, the sound sometimes travels through the heating vents26. We might be able to hear what Hilda and William are up to. They seem to spend all their time either outside or downstairs.”

The children hid behind some trees not far from the back of the house. A large clearing stood between the house and the woods. Somehow they were going to have to race through the clearing without being seen.

Jessie took the binoculars27 to check around the property. “Hilda’s out talking with William near the reflecting pool. Okay now. One by one, we have to scoot into the open and go through the back door. Who wants to go first?”

Benny volunteered. “Say when,” he whispered to Jessie.

“Now!” Jessie said. “They’re facing away from the house. You go, too, Violet. See that room in the tower? We’ll meet you up there. If you hear anyone coming, hide behind the furniture. If you get caught, just say you came back to look for Benny’s camera.” With that, Jessie gave both of the younger children a little push. They were across the lawn in a flash.

“Uh-oh, duck,” Henry told Jessie. “William just turned around. Gee, he’s walking this way. I hope he didn’t see us.”

But William seemed too lost in his own thoughts to notice Jessie and Henry crouching28 in the bushes. He passed just a couple feet away from them on his way to the gardening shed.

“It’s now or never,” Jessie whispered to Henry. “Hilda is putting her sketch29 pad and pencils back into her tote bag. She’s going to turn around any minute.”

Henry glanced up at the main house. “Look, Benny and Violet are waving us that the coast is clear.” Henry grabbed his sister’s hand. The two of them raced across the clearing and disappeared into the house.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 dodge q83yo     
v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计
参考例句:
  • A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪,才没被车从身上辗过。
  • The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。
2 cone lYJyi     
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果
参考例句:
  • Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
  • The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。
3 grove v5wyy     
n.林子,小树林,园林
参考例句:
  • On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
  • The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。
4 decided lvqzZd     
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。
5 crumb ynLzv     
n.饼屑,面包屑,小量
参考例句:
  • It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
  • Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。
6 waddled c1cfb61097c12b4812327074b8bc801d     
v.(像鸭子一样)摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A family of ducks waddled along the river bank. 一群鸭子沿河岸摇摇摆摆地走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The stout old man waddled across the road. 那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
7 crate 6o1zH     
vt.(up)把…装入箱中;n.板条箱,装货箱
参考例句:
  • We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
  • The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。
8 crumbs crumbs     
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句:
  • She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
  • Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊,天哪!都这会儿啦?
9 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
10 skull CETyO     
n.头骨;颅骨
参考例句:
  • The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
  • He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去,跌裂了颅骨。
11 gust q5Zyu     
n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发
参考例句:
  • A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来,把前门关上了。
  • A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。
12 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
13 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠;缠结;混乱;v.(使)缠绕;变乱
参考例句:
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你,我就不跟他们争吵。
14 holly hrdzTt     
n.[植]冬青属灌木
参考例句:
  • I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
  • People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。
15 thorny 5ICzQ     
adj.多刺的,棘手的
参考例句:
  • The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
  • The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。
16 peeking 055254fc0b0cbadaccd5778d3ae12b50     
v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 );偷看;窥视;微露出
参考例句:
  • I couldn't resist peeking in the drawer. 我不由得偷看了一下抽屉里面。
  • They caught him peeking in through the keyhole. 他们发现他从钥匙孔里向里窥视。 来自辞典例句
17 rummaged c663802f2e8e229431fff6cdb444b548     
翻找,搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 ); 已经海关检查
参考例句:
  • I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
  • The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。
18 gee ZsfzIu     
n.马;int.向右!前进!,惊讶时所发声音;v.向右转
参考例句:
  • Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
  • Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇!我们会赚好多钱啦!
19 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
20 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。
21 pruning 6e4e50e38fdf94b800891c532bf2f5e7     
n.修枝,剪枝,修剪v.修剪(树木等)( prune的现在分词 );精简某事物,除去某事物多余的部分
参考例句:
  • In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍,小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 jumble I3lyi     
vt.使混乱,混杂;n.混乱;杂乱的一堆
参考例句:
  • Even the furniture remained the same jumble that it had always been.甚至家具还是象过去一样杂乱无章。
  • The things in the drawer were all in a jumble.抽屉里的东西很杂乱。
23 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 budge eSRy5     
v.移动一点儿;改变立场
参考例句:
  • We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来,但它连动都没动一下。
  • She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。
25 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
26 vents 3fd48768f3da3e458d6b73926735d618     
(气体、液体等进出的)孔、口( vent的名词复数 ); (鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的)肛门; 大衣等的)衩口; 开衩
参考例句:
  • He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
  • The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。
27 binoculars IybzWh     
n.双筒望远镜
参考例句:
  • He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
  • If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜,我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。
28 crouching crouching     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
  • A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
29 sketch UEyyG     
n.草图;梗概;素描;v.素描;概述
参考例句:
  • My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
  • I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
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