儿童故事集：The Beauty and Sir Basil

 We reach the fifteenth chapter of our Waking Beauty series, and some of the mystery surrounding Princess Talia will be revealed.

 

The city of Oxford¹ has fallen asleep under a cloud of fog. Only Basil and one or two others are awake. He meets Princess Talia’s fairy godmother, who takes him to a barge² by the river and explains to him why all these mysterious things have happened.

 

 

 

Story by Bertie.

 

Read by Elizabeth.

 

Proofread³ by Jana Elizabeth.

 

Illustrated⁴ by Chiara Civati.

 

 

 

The paving stones of Westerly College were ankle deep in wisps of mist. But it was the time of day when the spring sun shone directly into the quad⁵, and shafts⁶ of light played in the flaxen hair of the woman who was walking towards Basil. She seemed like she had stepped out of a dream or a vision. She walked up to him with hurried steps and said:

 

“Sir Basil, let us be gone from this place. It is an evil corner of the city.”

 

Basil was not quite sure whether he was more taken aback by being addressed ‘Sir’or the description of his college as ‘evil’.

 

“But I can’t go until I’ve found my friend Sally.”

 

“She is waiting for us in the barge, my Lord.”

 

“What barge?” asked Basil.

 

“The barge of Avion. But each minute on the dial is precious, let us hurry.”

 

And Basil realised that her every answer just gave rise to more questions, and so he stopped asking, and hurried in the direction of the Porter’s Lodge⁷, and from there, he stepped out into the sleeping city.

 

As they went along, Basil checked his smart phone to see if there was anything on Google news or the BBC about what was happening in Oxford, but his phone had no signal.

 

They retraced⁸ his recent path, across the piazza⁹ with the domed¹⁰ Radcliffe Camera building, and back down the silent and slumbering¹² High Street towards Magdalen Bridge. Basil walked meekly¹³ alongside the lady, now well aware that he had little or no say over where they would go, who they would meet, or what they would do. The events that were taking place were beyond his understanding. All he could do was to place his complete faith and trust in this good fairy.

 

The mist was thick by the river, and they made their way with great care down some steps to the bank, and along the narrow tow path to where the punts were tied waiting for tourists and romantically minded students to hire them. But there were no customers today, and the owner was fast asleep on the grass. Basil shuddered¹⁴ as he thought how cold he must be, but he was one of thousands who had fallen asleep in random¹⁵ spots all over city.

 

A little further along, a wooden barge was moored¹⁶. It was a pretty boat, painted gold, and with a prow¹⁷ in the form of a swan. The name on its side was Avion.

 

Basil stepped on board first, and held his hand out for the fairy godmother, though she was no doubt both lighter¹⁸ and steadier on her feet than he was.

 

The door of the cabin opened, and a familiar head popped out and said:

 

“What took you so long?”

 

It was of course Sally, still wearing the protecting amulet¹⁹ given to her by Princess Talia. She invited them to step down into the cabin, which was filled with a homely²⁰ aroma²¹. A freshly baked fruit cake, slightly crusty and burnt on top, stood on the table.

 

“Hmm, that smells good,” said Basil. “Did you bake it?”

 

“No. Edwina did. I just took it out.”

 

“Edwina?” asked Basil.

 

And Sally indicated with a nod that Edwina was the name of Talia’s fairy godmother.

 

They sat around the table, and Sally cut the cake, but Edwina said that only Basil – or to be precise, ‘Sir Basil’ could eat it.

 

“All for me?” asked Basil. “It’s not got anything, er, unusual in it, by any chance?”

 

“The cake is powerful,” said Edwina, “but good.”

 

The taste was certainly more tangy than a usual fruit cake, but Basil liked it. “Yes, very good,” he said.

 

“Don’t say that, I’m famished,” said Sally. And when Basil wiped his mouth and asked if he could have another piece, her stomach audibly growled²² in protest.

 

“Sorry Sally,” he said.

 

“No, it’s me who should be sorry,” said Sally “for thinking that Talia was crazy. Poor Talia. Edwina told me what happened. And of course I realise now that the Rector’s wife really is a witch.”

 

“And not just any ordinary witch,” said Edwina in her clear voice. “She is Morgan Le Fay.”

 

“I’ve heard of her name,” said Basil “But I’m afraid I don’t know anything about her. Could you try to help me understand what’s happening?”

 

“She is an enemy of knowledge. She derives²³ her magical powers from human ignorance. She is like a black hole that sucks up knowledge and destroys it in the process. An event like a book burning fills her with energy and rejuvenates²⁴ her malicious²⁵ powers.

 

“She brought down the Court of Camelot, the home of King Arthur, Chivalry²⁶, and Honour, and ushered²⁷ in the dark ages, when ignorance ruled this sceptered isle²⁸. Abroad, she inspired the persecution²⁹ of the astronomer³⁰, Galileo. She caused the Great Fire of London which ravaged³¹ St. Paul’s Cathedral, and all the books that used to be kept within it. Now she plans to create a great bonfire of books from the greatest library in the world, the Bodleian here in Oxford, but the minds of all the scholars working around the university were interfering³² with her plans. Her evil intent cannot operate in a field of such intense and collective thought. It is for this reason, that she has caused the city to fall asleep. This is a trick she has employed before, not least when she set Princess Talia and her family to slumber¹¹ for a thousand years. They were the greatest scholars of their time, and therefore the enemies of superstition³³ and ignorance. She had to put them to one side while she burned the Book of Wisdom which they kept in their castle.”

 

“A library seems like quite an old fashioned target,” said Basil. “What about the internet? Surely she must want to bring that down?”

 

“The internet is indeed a great source of knowledge, but it is also a vast repository of idle gossip, dark plots, wild theories, crude entertainment and stupidity. People are as much distracted as enlightened by it. On balance, the net suits her purpose for now. She has not only put Oxford to sleep, but she has suspended it in time. The Oxford we are in now is a suspended state that exists in parallel with the city that continues to live and bustle³⁴. She expended³⁵ a huge amount of magical power to cast such a spell, and now she is resting. We have about 48 hours before she will be restored enough to carry out the next phase of her plan. And when she has completed that, and the knowledge of centuries is in flames, then Basil, she intends to bring Oxford out of its state of suspended animation³⁶. She will be flush with evil energy from so great a destruction and then she will challenge and eliminate her enemies, chiefly, Princess Talia, myself, and dear Basil, you.”

 

“Me, why on earth am I her enemy?”

 

“Because, dear Basil, you are the direct descendant of Sir Eric, Knight³⁷ of the Round Table, and it is your destiny to triumph over Morgan Le Fey. But first you must return home to retrieve³⁸ the armour³⁹ and weapons that you will need for the task.”

 

“I didn’t think I had any weapons at my parent’s house in Fulham,” said Basil.

 

“Not that home. You must return to your ancestral home, and for that you must go back in time.”

 

“Yes, back in time,” he said sleepily.

 

“Basil, are you okay?” asked Sally with alarm. She leant over the table and felt his hand. It was cold and clammy. “Oh no, don’t fall asleep now… Basil, stay awake!”

 

But Edwina said: “Don’t worry Sally. It is a different sort of sleep that is taking over him now.”

 

Basil tried to speak, but instead he yawned.

 

“Go into the back room and lie down on the bed,” said the fairy godmother. “We shall leave now before you fall asleep. The boatman will take you back in time. When you wake, be sure to ask for the Wizard Merlin.”

 

Basil felt too weary to protest. He more or less stumbled into the bedroom at the back of the boat, crashed on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

 

And Sally said: “Oh Basil, waiting for you here is going to be so hard. I wish I could go with you.”

 

And Edwina said: “Rest child. All we can do now is wait for him.” She sat in a tall Venetian chair with lion heads carved on the back and gently closed her eyes.

 

Sally tried to lie down on a chaise longue, but she was far to fidgety to sleep. She eyed the cake on the table. Basil had left his second slice almost untouched. Quietly, she got up, took the piece on the table, and went into the room where Basil lay virtually unconscious. She began to eat the cake.

 

And that was the story of ‘The Beauty and Sir Basil’. I’m not quite sure if that cleared up the mystery of Princess Talia or deepened it.

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

3 proofread   

vt.校正，校对

参考例句：

• I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
• Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前，他又将申请书补正了一遍。

4 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

5 quad   

n.四方院；四胞胎之一；v.在…填补空铅

参考例句：

• His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.他的房间位于四方院的左侧。
• She is a 34-year-old mother of quads.她是个生了四胞胎的34岁的母亲。

6 shafts   

n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等）

参考例句：

• He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把，摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下，并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句

7 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

8 retraced   

v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

10 domed   

adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• I gazed up at the domed ceiling arching overhead. 我抬头凝望着上方弧形的穹顶。
• His forehead domed out in a curve. 他的前额呈弯曲的半球形。

11 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

12 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

13 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

16 moored   

adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. 该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
• We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank. 我们收起桨，把船泊在岸边。

17 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

18 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

19 amulet   

n.护身符

参考例句：

• We're down here investigating a stolen amulet.我们来到这里调查一个失窃的护身符。
• This amulet is exclusively made by Father Sum Lee.这个护身符是沙姆.李长老特制的。

20 homely   

adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的

参考例句：

• We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
• Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？

21 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

22 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 rejuvenates   

使变得年轻，使恢复活力( rejuvenate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Active Collagen rejuvenates, regenerates and revitalises the skin the body. 活性胶原蛋白使全身皮肤恢复青春再生。
• Adds protection against drying and rejuvenates dull, brittle coats. 保护皮肤、防止干燥，令暗哑、脆弱的披毛变得健康。

25 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

26 chivalry   

n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤

参考例句：

• The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry.中世纪也是骑士制度盛行的时代。
• He looked up at them with great chivalry.他非常有礼貌地抬头瞧她们。

27 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

29 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

30 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

31 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

32 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

33 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

34 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

35 expended   

v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽

参考例句：

• She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。
• The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

37 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

38 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

39 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。