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儿童英语读物 The Midnight Mystery CHAPTER 6 The Red Rooster

时间:2017-11-07 06:27来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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After Mr. Percy left, the children put the new inventions that had arrived on display in the house. They could hear Brad working in the kitchen, but Martha seemed to have disappeared.

“I wish Mr. Percy had tried on my flashlight hat,” Benny said. “People who fix things could use it, too. Or the deliveryman could use one when he’s looking for packages in his truck. Do you think I’ll win a prize at the invention convention1?”

Henry was still thinking about getting trounced in checkers. “Oh, I don’t know, Benny. Suppose somebody comes along with a hat that has a fan in it or something? Or a hat you could put an ice pack in to stay cool on a hot day?”

Benny could tell Henry was just kidding. “But no hats came in those invention boxes.”

“You’re right,” Henry agreed. “When you get rich and famous from your flashlight hat, just remember to send me one.”

By this time, the Aldens were walking to the diner. Up ahead, they could see the wooden rooster perched on the roof.

“That rooster makes me think of chickens, and chickens make me think of eggsalad,” Benny announced.

Violet2 wasn’t thinking about eggsalad. She was still wondering about Mr. Percy. “Mr. Percy was so nice about Benny’s hat today. But yesterday he shooed us away. I wonder if he was just having a bad day.”

Henry didn’t wonder about that at all. “Violet, you’re too nice. If you ask me, Mr. Percy’s hiding something. Didn’t Ms. Putter say he shows up at all hours? And he was really weird3 about that box Benny’s penny fell into. As soon as we weren’t around, he started snooping inside the invention boxes. Looking at those boxes is our job, not his.”

“I think Mr. Percy just likes seeing how inventions work so he can do a good job fixing them, especially Alice Putter’s,” Violet said. “He just seems absentminded about everything else except inventions and loses track of the time. That’s what Ms. Putter seemed to think.”

“I think he’s nice, too,” Benny said, taking Violet’s side.

“Aw, that’s just because he liked your hat,” Henry said. “He’s up to something. Remember how Ms. Putter told us he once came to the house at midnight to check the grandfather clock? That’s pretty strange.”

Jessie listened carefully to everyone’s opinions before she said anything. “Well, Mr. Percy’s not the only one visiting the grandfather clock at twelve. Martha’s the one who has been spending time there lately. You know what? I think she figured out that the riddle4 we found has something to do with the clock. She even had the riddle book in her pocket the other night.”

When the Aldens got close to the diner, Benny skipped ahead. He couldn’t wait to eat in a restaurant with a big red rooster on the roof.

The diner was busy with the lunch crowd. Fortunately with four pairs of sharp eyes, the Aldens were champions at finding5 empty tables. They made their way toward6 an empty booth7 in back. A waitress stopped by to hand them four huge menus. The Aldens were silent for a moment as they began to study the menu.

“It’s hard to decide what to get in a diner,” Violet said. “There’s so much to choose from.”

“You can have breakfast all day,” Henry added, “even at lunchtime. That’s what I like about diners.”

“I like that diners always have big, squishy eggsalad sandwiches,” Benny said. “I’ve already decided8.” Benny switched off the light on his flashlight hat and closed his menu. He adjusted the hat’s side mirror to get a better view. It was fun watching people walk into the diner through the door behind him.

“Hey,” Benny said suddenly His brother and sisters didn’t pay him any mind. They were still reading their menus. “Guess who just came in. Martha, with a man in a suit. She doesn’t even see me! Let’s hide behind our menus.” Benny was thrilled to be an invisible9 spy in the busy diner. “Guess what,” he whispered. “She just sat down in the booth behind us.”

“Who?” Henry didn’t look up. He was still trying to decide between a turkey club and a grilled10 cheese sandwich. Maybe he’d have one of each.

Benny tapped Henry’s arm across the table. He mouthed the name Martha.

Finally, the other Aldens realized what Benny was whispering about.

“Maybe we should say hello,” said Violet.

Benny looked disappointed. Then something in the mirror caught his eye. “Hey!” he whispered. “She’s taking out the riddle book!”

“Here’s the clue I told you about on the phone,” the Aldens could hear Martha saying to the man sitting across from her. “If you compare it to these samples I showed you before, I think it proves Isabel has something to hide.”

“What going on?” Henry asked Benny.

Benny adjusted the little mirror on his hat. “She’s showing that man two of those black books Isabel got out of the cabinet11. Remember? Uh-oh. What if one of them is the missing12 plan book we tried to find? Gosh, Martha looks upset. I wonder who the man is.”

Martha’s voice grew louder. “I just know this isn’t Alice Putter’s design.”

Benny couldn’t see the man’s face in the little mirror, but he heard his words. “At first glance, it is convincing,” the man said. “I may not be able to get back to you until after the invention convention. I have a lot of work to do before then. I’m one of the judges.”

“Well, let’s skip lunch so you can return to your office right away,” Martha suggested. Benny saw Martha put the notebooks and the riddle book into an envelope. She pushed it across the table to the man.

The man took the envelope, then got up from his seat.

“Hey,” Benny whispered. “They’re leaving, and they didn’t even order anything.”

Henry laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re not leaving and we’re probably ordering everything. Here comes our waitress.”

The waitress passed the empty booth and came over to the Aldens. “Sorry I took so long,” she said. “We sure are busy today. I guess the couple behind you got tired of waiting. They just left without ordering anything!”

“We know them — I mean, the lady,” Benny said. “She wasn’t hungry, but we are. I’m having an egg salad sandwich.” Then he remembered his manners. “Please.”

The waitress wrote down everyone’s order and then left for the kitchen.

Henry frowned13 thoughtfully14. “Doesn’t it seem as if Martha’s trying to prove somebody else thought up some of Alice Putter’s inventions?”

Violet couldn’t bear this thought. “Ms. Putter would be so upset! Martha must be wrong,” she protested15. “All those bird clocks in our room, even the spinning scarecrow, all seem to come from the same artist. And so does Grandfather’s nightingale clock at home.”

Always sensible16, Jessie tried to smooth out everyone’s worries. “Whoever that man is knows about inventions — and about Alice Putter. After all, he’s a judge at the invention convention. Everything will be okay.”

“But what kind of clue is the riddle book?” Violet asked. “I wish we had it back.”

Soon a tray17 of huge sandwiches appeared. The waitress’s head was hidden behind all the food. She set down the tray and handed each of the Aldens a plate with a tall sandwich on it. Each sandwich was held together with a ruffled18 toothpick so it wouldn’t topple.

Benny removed his toothpick and tried to take a bite of the eggsalad sandwich. It was too big. “I can’t figure out how to eat this,” he said. The food looked so good, his mouth had already started watering.

Jessie handed Benny a knife. “Here, scrape19 half the eggsalad onto your plate. Then I think you can manage the sandwich. We’ll have the restaurant wrap up the extra. You can save it for lunch tomorrow.”

“I’m eating my turkey and bacon club sandwich in one sitting,” Henry said. “No leftovers21 for me!”

But Henry was wrong. When lunch was over, the waitress handed the Aldens a large brown bag to bring home. “Here are your leftover20 sandwich halves,” the waitress said. “The cook put in some extra pickles22. Oh, one other thing. Your friend left a business card in the booth. Do you want to give it to her?”

“Sure,” Benny said, taking the card. He handed Henry the leftovers bag to carry.

“Well, I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I couldn’t eat another thing!” Henry said after he paid the bill. He pushed the door open to let the others out.

Benny walked out first, clutching23 the business card that Martha had left behind. “This was a good diner,” he said. “We got sandwiches and a clue.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 convention KYFza     
n.惯例,习俗,常规,会议,大会
参考例句:
  • How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到?
  • He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
2 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
3 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
4 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。
5 finding 5tAzVe     
n.发现,发现物;调查的结果
参考例句:
  • The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
  • That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
6 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
7 booth eRzyG     
n.小房间,公用电话亭,岗亭;货摊
参考例句:
  • Where can I find a telephone booth?我在哪儿可以找到电话亭?
  • Let's walk around to each booth.我们到每个摊子转一转吧!
8 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。
9 invisible L4Dx0     
adj.看不见的,无形的
参考例句:
  • The air is full of millions of invisible germs.空气中充满了许多看不见的细菌。
  • Many stars are invisible without a telescope.许多星辰不用望远镜便看不见。
10 grilled grilled     
adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后,警察才放他走。
  • He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问,直到他承认为止。
11 cabinet ISPyS     
n.内阁,内阁会议;(带玻璃门存物品的)橱柜
参考例句:
  • I keep my collection of old china in the cabinet.我把古瓷器收藏品存放在橱子里。
  • He had held many important offices in the French cabinet.他在法国内阁中任过许多重要职务。
12 missing 3nTzx7     
adj.遗失的,缺少的,失踪的
参考例句:
  • Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具,看有无丢失。
  • All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了,就短他一个。
13 frowned fdfd04918425477a66e031069e013e79     
皱眉( frown的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She frowned in puzzlement. 她迷惑地蹙着眉。
  • The mother frowned when her son failed in his exam. 儿子考试不及格时,母亲皱着眉。
14 thoughtfully aoiwf     
ad.考虑周到地
参考例句:
  • She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 她若有所思地抚摩着下巴。
  • The man pulled thoughtfully at his pipe before commenting on our proposal. 那人若有所思地吸了口烟,然后就我们的建议发表自己的见解。
15 protested 024d7a2621b30761ab841fdd955c6836     
v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 );坚决地表示;申辩
参考例句:
  • He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议,说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 sensible 9zAwg     
adj.可察觉的,意识到的,实用的;n.可感知物
参考例句:
  • Are you sensible of the dangers of your position? 你觉察到你处境中的危险了吗?
  • He was sensible enough to mind his own business.他颇有见识,不去管闲事。
17 tray qmDwn     
n.盘,托盘,碟
参考例句:
  • There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
  • A waitress came in,carrying tea on a tray.一名女侍者走进来,手端放着茶的托盘。
18 ruffled e4a3deb720feef0786be7d86b0004e86     
adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
  • All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。
19 scrape GDUze     
v.勉强维持;刮擦;n.刮,擦;刮擦声;困境
参考例句:
  • We don't have much money but we scrape along somehow.虽然我们没多少钱,但是还可以过得下去。
  • The high mountains seem to scrape the sky.峻岭摩天。
20 leftover V97zC     
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。
21 leftovers AprzGJ     
n.剩余物,残留物,剩菜
参考例句:
  • He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
  • She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。
22 pickles fd03204cfdc557b0f0d134773ae6fff5     
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 );处于困境;遇到麻烦;菜酱
参考例句:
  • Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
23 clutching 21754f3bf86c762098b07dfc1ab1c950     
抓住,紧紧抓住( clutch的现在分词 ); (因害怕或痛苦)突然抓住
参考例句:
  • He was clutching the magazine lovingly with both hands. 他紧紧地捏着杂志,好像害怕琴会把它抢去似的。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • Children clutching empty bowls form a line. 紧紧抓着空碗的孩子们排成一队。
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