英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

儿童英语读物 The Midnight Mystery CHAPTER 2 Something Is Missing

时间:2017-11-07 06:08来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The next morning, the Aldens awoke to the steady ticking of the clocks.

Benny’s stomach rumbled1. He opened one eye, then the other. Pushing his brown bangs from his forehead, he sat up. He was hungry.

Seeing Benny awake, Ruff and Tumble trotted2 over. They rested their quivering noses on the edge of his custom-size bed.

Benny stroked the dogs’ long, silky ears. “You guys must be hungry, too.”

Henry sat up in bed. “And I must be hungry three,” he joked.

Soon all of them — boys, girls, and dogs — were up and about. Isabel had said they could help set up some of the inventions that had arrived already. The children could hardly wait to see what the other inventors had designed.

Under Jessie’s supervision3, teeth were brushed, hair was combed, sneakers were tied, and sleeping bags were rolled neatly4 on each bed. Benny put on his flashlight hat. Then the dogs and children followed their noses downstairs and over to Isabel’s cottage. They could hear silverware clinking and food sizzling. The dogs ran ahead as fast as they could, which wasn’t awfully5 fast on their short legs. Midnight, who was eating her breakfast, had plenty of time to scurry6 away.

When his grandchildren bounded into Isabel’s cheery kitchen, Grandfather set down his coffee cup. “Morning, sleepyheads,” he said, getting up to hug them. “I knew all these good breakfast smells would wake you up.”

“Help yourselves to pancakes,” Isabel said. “They’re warming on the stove along with the sausages. Everything else is on the table. Now, tell me, did you sleep through all the clocks chiming at midnight?”

Benny speared a sausage. “No way! I stayed up past midnight! The clocks made lots of noise right in our room. And guess what. We heard some mystery tapping.”

“Tapping?” Isabel asked, puzzled. “Are you certain it wasn’t the wind?”

Jessie sat down next to Isabel. “I think it was the wind. The scarecrow was spinning in the garden, anyway.”

During breakfast Isabel explained what needed to be done that morning. “Many of the inventors are already in town. Some have already dropped off their inventions in the old garage. Others mailed their inventions — you can help unpack7 them. My assistant, Martha, is registering the inventions now. After she finishes, you can help move some of the pieces into the main house. I’ll meet you in the garage after breakfast and — ”

Ruff and Tumble suddenly stopped eating. They skittered across the kitchen floor and rushed to another part of the house, barking all the way.

“Goodness, what’s that all about?” Isabel asked. She quickly rose from the table to see.

Although they hated to leave their delicious pancakes, the Aldens followed.

“Mr. Percy!” Isabel yelled over the barking.

The dogs had cornered a short, round, balding man in the far side of the living room. A small wooden toolbox lay open next to him on the fireplace mantel.

“Please call these animals away!” the man cried.

Isabel and Henry took Ruff and Tumble by their collars. They led them to a small room and closed the door. The dogs whined9 and barked to be let out.

“You can come out in a while,” Isabel told them. “Quiet, now!”

The dogs whined sadly. Isabel and Henry returned to the living room.

By this time Grandfather had introduced himself and the children to Mr. Percy. Mr. Percy didn’t seem a bit interested in knowing who they were. He closed the door of a glass clock on the mantelpiece that had all its gears and springs showing. “Well, I certainly didn’t need to be attacked by a pack of wild dogs, Ms. Putter,” he complained. “If you want me to fix and clean your grandmother’s clocks and artworks, you mustn’t let those beasts loose on me.”

The Aldens tried to keep from giggling10. Ruff and Tumble loved to bark and whine8, but they would hardly attack anyone.

Isabel tried to cover her smile with her hand. “I’m sorry they burst in here, Mr. Percy. As I’ve suggested before, please let me know when you’re coming and where you’re going to be working. Then Ruff and Tumble and I can welcome you properly.”

Mr. Percy locked his toolbox. “I arrive when I arrive. I never know the time. Perhaps on another occasion I’ll be able to finish cleaning the mantel clock without being attacked. I’ll be on my way now. I noticed your grandmother’s scarecrow sounded rusty11 last night. I’ll go work on that. Just keep those dogs away from me.”

After Mr. Percy had left, Isabel let out Ruff and Tumble. They yipped and yapped with joy. They were free to go back to breakfast.

The Aldens did the same.

Isabel sighed. “So now you’ve met Mr. Percy,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll meet him again. He’s in and out of the house quite often, sometimes at strange hours.”

“Mr. Percy had a lot of interesting tools in his toolbox,” Violet said. “What does he do with them?”

Isabel poured hot chocolate into Benny’s pink cup. “Mr. Percy is a wonder with Grandma Alice’s clocks and artworks. He can fix or clean any mechanical object so it is in tip-top condition. But he shows up whenever and wherever he wants, without a thought to whether it’s convenient or not. One night, he arrived at midnight so he could hear one of the clocks sound. It didn’t occur to him to come at noon instead. You should’ve heard Ruff and Tumble then. They did sound like a pack of wild dogs at that hour.”

Benny reached under the table and patted the dogs’ noses.

“So,” said Isabel, changing the subject, “I thought today I could show you around the grounds and explain what needs to be done in the next few days before the convention starts. It sure is great to have you all here to help.” She smiled at each of them. “While you help set up, your grandfather and I will be picking up the inventions of Grandma Alice’s that collectors are lending us to display at the invention convention.”

Grandfather put down his napkin. “Well, I guess by the time we get back Mr. Percy will have every movable object of your grandmother’s spinning and chiming.”

Isabel brought her dishes to the sink. “I’m going to go out to the garage to see what my other assistants are up to. You children can join me when you’re finished. Just leave the dishes.”

Of course, the Aldens never left dirty dishes. After Grandfather and Isabel left, they washed, dried, and put away the breakfast dishes lickety-split just the way they did at home. Then everyone, dogs included, marched out to the garage to join Isabel.

“Wow! Look at all this stuff,” Henry said as he entered the huge garage. It was filled with all kinds of gadgets12. “I don’t know whether to be excited or worried. I thought we came up with super inventions, but look at these.” He picked up a pair of stretchy sunglasses that could fit any size head. Then he read the description of the waker-upper alarm clock. “There’s a tape recorder inside. You can record whatever you want to wake up to, and the alarm clock plays it back.”

“We could have Watch bark into the tape to wake us up,” Benny said.

Jessie laughed. “He does that already without a special alarm clock.”

Benny strolled off to check the other tables. “I hope nobody else thought up my flashlight hat.” He patted his head to make sure his invention was still in place.

That’s when Benny noticed a person reflected in the little mirror on his hat. When he moved to the side, so did the person. When Benny stopped, the person stopped. Benny turned around quickly. When he did, the man bumped right into him.

“Look where you’re going,” the man said.

Benny wanted to say something about the man bumping into him. Then he saw the look on Jessie’s face. Benny swallowed his words. Sometimes having manners wasn’t much fun.

As soon as the man left, Jessie put her arm around Benny. “Good for you. I saw him bump into you, as if he were following you on purpose. But it’s crowded in here, so maybe that’s why he was right behind you. He might be someone Ms. Putter knows.”

Then Benny had a happy thought. “What if he makes hats? Maybe he wants to make lots of hats like mine. I’ll be a millionaire and everything!” He was sure the world was just waiting for his flashlight hat.

“You never know,” Henry said, pushing down the brim of Benny’s hat. “I’d like one of those, too. Then maybe I’d have a chance of winning when we play checkers in the dark.”

“There’s Ms. Putter,” Benny said. “Let’s go talk to her.”

Violet grabbed Benny’s arm. “Let’s wait,” she whispered. “She’s talking to that older woman who just came up to her. They don’t seem to be having a very pleasant conversation.”

Violet was right. Isabel looked unhappy with whatever the woman was telling her. Finally the woman stepped away.

“I guess we can talk to her now,” Violet said. “I wonder why she looks so upset.”

Isabel’s face was still red when she looked up and saw the Aldens. She could barely manage a smile. “Oh, there you are, children. Sorry I’m in such a tizzy.”

“Is everything okay?” Henry asked.

Isabel nodded and lowered her voice. “I just had a bit of a disagreement with Martha, the woman over there. It’s a shame, too. We used to be such good friends when we were children.”

“You were?” Violet asked.

Isabel nodded. “Martha’s grandfather and my grandmother were close friends, too. Her grandfather even rented this house when Grandma Alice lived in Europe for a few years. I’m almost sorry I invited Martha to assist at the invention convention. I thought she’d enjoy working around the house where she once lived. But she keeps forgetting it still belongs to my family. She often just barges13 in.”

“I know we’d be upset if somebody used our boxcar without asking us,” Benny said.

Isabel sighed. “I’ve found Martha in private areas of the property several times. I had to ask her for the key back.”

The man who had bumped into Benny overheard this. “Good morning, Ms. Putter. If you have the house key, I’ll take it to the hardware store to get it copied. Sorry I misplaced the one you gave me. I’ll need another one so I can come and go while you’re gone.”

Isabel looked at the young man. “Oh ... oh, that won’t be necessary, Brad, now that the Aldens are here.”

The young man frowned, confused. “The Aldens?”

Isabel seemed flustered14. “Oh, dear. I forgot to mention they were coming. The Aldens are these lovely children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny,” she said, sweeping15 her hand around. “They’ll be staying in the main house and can let you in. Children, this is Brad Smithy. He’s doing some work on the house before the convention. You can let him in anytime.”

The Aldens put out their hands for handshakes, but Brad ignored them. “I can’t count on these kids to be around every time I need to get into the house, Ms. Putter.” He sounded impatient.

Isabel squared her shoulders. “I suppose I could postpone16 the repairs until after the convention — or find someone else to do them.”

Now Brad was full of apologies. “Oh, no. Um, I didn’t mean that, Ms. Putter. Sure, if these kids are around, I guess they can let me in.”

Brad left, not looking too pleased with this arrangement.

Henry had a question. “So it’s okay to let him in anytime while you’re gone?”

Isabel nodded. “Yes, it’ll be fine. Brad’s done handiwork around here in the past. He’s interested in inventions, though he hasn’t had much luck with his ideas. He’s a much better carpenter than inventor. He knows the house fairly well and where everything goes. Now I hope Martha has cooled off. I’ll introduce you to her.” Isabel called out to the other older woman. “Martha! Come meet the Aldens.”

“Hmm,” Martha said after Isabel had introduced everyone. “So you’re all staying in my grandfather’s ... I mean ... Alice Putter’s house? Well, it certainly is a fun place for kids. You know, my grandfather was the one who gave Alice Putter the idea for the adjustable17 children’s furniture in the kids’ room.”

Isabel looked startled. “What do you mean?”

Martha turned around. “Well, he built some children’s furniture just like that for my sister and me.”

Isabel seemed flustered. “That doesn’t mean it was your grandfather’s idea.”

Martha stared at Isabel. “We would know for sure if you’d been more careful with all the plan books and diaries Granddad and Alice left in the house.”

Isabel’s cheeks grew bright red again. She drew in a deep breath before speaking. “My family saved everything we could find, Martha. Just because there’s one particular plan book missing doesn’t mean I’ve been careless.”

“It’s a plan book for the clocks that made Alice Putter famous,” Martha explained to the Aldens. “Until it shows up, we’ll never know what’s in it.” She glanced at Isabel. “Will we?”

The children wanted to say something to cheer up Isabel.

Finally Benny thought of something. “Know what? We like looking for missing things. Maybe we can find that book.”

“I don’t think you’ll have any luck with that,” Martha said. “I’ve helped Isabel search high and low. Brad has, too. There’s something about that plan book that Alice Putter probably didn’t want anyone else to see. She — or someone else — must have hidden or destroyed it.”

“Oh, I doubt that very much, Martha,” Isabel said. “Grandma Alice was a very generous person. She had so many projects going, it’s no wonder one of her plan books went missing.”

“It’s not a wonder to me,” Martha answered.

“We’ll look for it,” Jessie said. “What did it look like?”

“I have some similar ones in the library of the house,” Isabel said. “Follow me.”

Isabel led everyone into the house and to a cabinet in the library. She pulled out a large, flat book with a black leather cover. “Well, Aldens, if you’re going to look for Grandma Alice’s plan book, here’s what one looks like. They’re fall of drawings and notes that Grandma Alice wrote down. She numbered each one. Number nine is the one that’s missing. We think it contains many of her clock designs. Grandma Alice had so many places in the house where she stored things, the plan book could be anywhere. We’ve found all kinds of notes and riddles19 she wrote to herself about where she squirreled away things.”

“I do that, too,” Violet said, “so I’ll remember where I’ve hidden presents. Once I forgot to write down where I hid some wool mittens20 I made for Benny’s birthday. By the time I found them under my mattress21, Benny was too big to wear them! Now I write down my hiding places in my notebook.”

Isabel chuckled22. “Grandma Alice was the same way. A few years ago, I even found a diary that mentioned a windup doll she meant to give me when I was little. She wrote a riddle18 about the hiding place. It took me years to figure out that she’d hidden the toy in an unused breadbox in the pantry! I do wish she’d left some hints about where that missing plan book might be.”

Isabel put the book of drawings and notes back in the cabinet with the others. “You’re welcome to look through these if you have the time,” she said to Martha and the Aldens. “Just help yourselves.”

“Are you going to search for the missing plan book, too?” Jessie asked Martha.

“I’ve never stopped searching for it,” Martha answered.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 rumbled e155775f10a34eef1cb1235a085c6253     
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 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。
3 supervision hr6wv     
n.监督,管理
参考例句:
  • The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
  • The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。
4 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。
5 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
6 scurry kDkz1     
vi.急匆匆地走;使急赶;催促;n.快步急跑,疾走;仓皇奔跑声;骤雨,骤雪;短距离赛马
参考例句:
  • I jumped on the sofa after I saw a mouse scurry by.看到一只老鼠匆匆路过,我从沙发上跳了起来。
  • There was a great scurry for bargains.大家急忙着去抢购特价品。
7 unpack sfwzBO     
vt.打开包裹(或行李),卸货
参考例句:
  • I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
  • She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。
8 whine VMNzc     
v.哀号,号哭;n.哀鸣
参考例句:
  • You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
  • The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上,一声尖厉的呼啸,跳飞开去。
9 whined cb507de8567f4d63145f632630148984     
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨
参考例句:
  • The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句
10 giggling 2712674ae81ec7e853724ef7e8c53df1     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑,叫我真受不了,那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
11 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。
12 gadgets 7239f3f3f78d7b7d8bbb906e62f300b4     
n.小机械,小器具( gadget的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
  • This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置,做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
13 barges f4f7840069bccdd51b419326033cf7ad     
驳船( barge的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
  • There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。
14 flustered b7071533c424b7fbe8eb745856b8c537     
adj.慌张的;激动不安的v.使慌乱,使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了,都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句
15 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
16 postpone rP0xq     
v.延期,推迟
参考例句:
  • I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
  • She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。
17 adjustable vzOzkc     
adj.可调整的,可校准的
参考例句:
  • More expensive cameras have adjustable focusing.比较贵的照相机有可调焦距。
  • The chair has the virtue of being adjustable.这种椅子具有可调节的优点。
18 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
19 riddles 77f3ceed32609b0d80430e545f553e31     
n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜
参考例句:
  • Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看,口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
  • But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句
20 mittens 258752c6b0652a69c52ceed3c65dbf00     
不分指手套
参考例句:
  • Cotton mittens will prevent the baby from scratching his own face. 棉的连指手套使婴儿不会抓伤自己的脸。
  • I'd fisted my hands inside their mittens to keep the fingers warm. 我在手套中握拳头来保暖手指。
21 mattress Z7wzi     
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。
22 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。
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴