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儿童英语读物 Mystery in the Sand CHAPTER 3 Midnight Mystery

时间:2017-06-29 02:24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)

At midnight, Benny woke up suddenly. He felt strange. “What’s the matter with me?” he thought.

Then Benny saw the moon was shining right in his face. It was almost as bright as day. Without waking Henry, Benny slipped out of bed to pull the curtain across the window.

For a minute Benny stood looking out at the beach and the dark water with the bright streak1 of moonlight on it. Then he stepped quickly back from the window, for somebody was on the beach.

As Benny carefully peered2 out, he saw two dark figures looking at the trailer house. They were too far away and near the water for Benny to see them very well.

“Now what is going on?” Benny asked himself. “Two people looking at our house.” He tried to tell whether the figures were men or women. “I guess they are men,” he thought. “They have on pants.”

One of the walkers on the beach was much smaller than the other. Could it be a man and a boy? But at that moment Benny remembered that everybody at the beach dressed in pants—men, women, boys, and girls.

The two men (if they were men) still stood looking at the trailer. Then one bent3 over and pointed4 at the sand, and the two seemed to talk.

Benny wished he could hear what they said. The beach was very quiet, but the water made enough noise to cover the sound of the voices.

“Can they be looking for something?” Benny wondered. “Anyway they are up to no good. I wonder if I ought to wake Henry? I think so.”

Henry was awake at once. “What’s the matter, Ben?” he whispered.

“I don’t know. See those two men looking at our trailer? What are they doing on the beach at midnight?”

“Well, they certainly are not just taking a walk,” whispered Henry. “We’ll watch and see what they do next.”

The boys tried to see the two figures more plainly, but their clothes were dark, and they were fifty feet or more away.

“Look at that, Henry!” Benny said softly5. “Quick! Get out of sight.”

The two men were pointing at a spot in the sand. One looked toward6 the trailer, then got down and began to dig. But the digging did not last long.

At last the two figures seemed to give up. They turned and walked up the beach, looking back as they walked. That was all the boys could see.

“Look, Ben!” whispered Henry suddenly. “Another man!”

As the first two walkers hurried more quickly up the beach, another figure followed at a distance. It seemed to be a man who wore a long cape7. He was certainly following the first two. All at once he began to run.

“He is trying to catch the other two!” Benny whispered in excitement.

“Trying to catch up, anyway,” agreed Henry. The man’s cape flapped8 in the wind. “This is very strange, the whole thing. I don’t think we need to be afraid, Ben. There are lots of neighbors near us.”

The boys still watched the three figures. A dog howled in the distance.

Then the first two men turned off the sand into the beach grass and walked away out of sight. The man in the cape stood still and watched for a minute. Then he turned around and started back.

“Wait!” said Henry in a low voice. “He will go right past us on his way back. Maybe we can see more then.”

Soon the figure went by at a fast pace, but the two boys could not see anything more. He was too far away, down by the water.

“I wish I could see better,” Henry said.

Benny whispered, “That long cape covers him up. It could be a woman and not a man at all.”

“Maybe they are all women,” returned Henry. That seemed so funny that the boys laughed softly. They watched until the last figure had gone down the beach. His steps were slow now.

“I hope whoever it is won’t bother Mr. Lee,” said Benny, feeling worried.

“Mr. Lee can take care of himself,” said Henry. “Don’t forget he has the dog.”

“That’s right. I forgot Richard. If anyone tried to hurt his master, Richard would tear him to pieces. I guess that’s the end of this adventure.”

Benny remembered the footprints he had seen in the sand in the morning, but all at once he was too sleepy to think about anything.

The two boys went back to bed. They slept until morning, when they heard Jessie in the kitchen getting breakfast. They told her about their excitement at midnight.

After breakfast on the sand, with tea ready, the Aldens were not surprised to see Mr. Lee coming toward them. But he walked slowly. When he arrived, he said “Good day” as usual, but he looked tired.

Jessie thought, “Oh, I do hope he isn’t sick. He looks terrible this morning.”

“You had a bad night?” she asked as she put the teapot on the tray9.

“Yes, I really did. I am not a good sleeper10, anyway. Are you?” He looked right at Jessie as he said this. It was almost like asking her if she had seen the men walking around on the beach.

“We are all good sleepers,” replied Jessie. “I’m so sorry you have such bad nights. Nothing bothers me, unless I hear somebody calling ‘Jessie.’ Then I wake right up.”

Mr. Lee drank his tea as if he needed it. And after a short time he began to look better. He smiled at the Aldens, perhaps because he could see that they were worried about him.

Suddenly Mr. Lee asked, “Benny, why don’t you try the metal-finder again? Perhaps you’ll find something, perhaps you won’t. It’s always the same chance when you try.”

“I understand,” Benny replied. He took up the metal-finder and looked around at the beach.

Mr. Lee said, “Do you see that piece of post? I’m quite sure there used to be an old dock11 there because there are several posts like that. Try listening around them. You see, objects usually work their way under the sand to a post or a big rock. Go slowly now.”

Benny obeyed. He ran the ring very, very slowly around the post. Richard stood up. He wagged12 his tail, but he didn’t understand why this strange boy should be using his master’s rod13 again. He lay down and whined14.

All at once the metal-finder gave a signal that something was nearby.

“Yes,” nodded Mr. Lee, “you’ve found something. Start digging.”

Benny was only too willing to dig. Richard started to get up and then lay down again. Benny went on digging as fast as he could. “You want to dig, Henry?” he asked.

“No, I’d rather watch you,” said Henry.

When the hole was fairly deep, one of Benny’s fingers touched something. He reached in and picked up a round object, covered with wet sand. “Probably another bottle top,” he said, “or the cover of a little jar.” He gave it to Mr. Lee.

With one rub15 of his fingers, Mr. Lee pushed away the sand and said, “It looks like an old watch. Take it yourself, Benny. You found it, whatever it is.”

Violet16 handed Benny one of her paint brushes and he carefully brushed off the sand. “It’s a gold locket!” he exclaimed17. “How about that?”

“Well, well,” Mr. Lee said, much pleased. “You have had good luck on your second try. Now is the time to be careful.”

“Shall we go into the house?” asked Jessie.

“Yes, I think that would be wise,” replied Mr. Lee. “Then if anything drops off the locket, we won’t lose it in the sand.”

The Aldens and Mr. Lee and Richard, the dog, all went into the small living room of the trailer. Henry took the books off a little table and moved it in front of Mr. Lee.

“You’d better show us what to do this time,” Henry said. “We don’t know anything about this.”

Mr. Lee took a small box from his pocket and opened it. It held a strange set of tools. He spread out a piece of thin black silk. He put the locket on top, and a magnifying18 glass in his eye.

“You look like a watchmaker,” Benny said.

Mr. Lee looked closely19 at the locket and then exclaimed, “Look, there are initials20 on the cover: R.L.”

“R.L.,” repeated Jessie. “That should make it easier to find the owner.”

“Don’t be too sure,” Mr. Lee said. “It may take a long time.”

Then with great care, he began to brush both sides of the locket. “I won’t open it just yet,” he explained. “I want to get all the sand out of the edges first.”

“Is it a good locket?” asked Benny.

Mr. Lee was using a fine tool to pick out bits of sand along the crack where the locket opened. He said, “Yes, I think it is quite good. It is probably gold for one thing, and it is old. And for another thing, we may find a puzzle when we open it.”

“Oh, we love mysteries,” Benny exclaimed. “I do hope there’s a mystery inside.”

With a very fine tool Mr. Lee gently pried21 up the cover of the locket, first on one side and then on the other. At last the locket came open, but not enough to show what, if anything, was inside.

Mr. Lee looked up at Benny. “From now on, it is yours, Benny. You found it. You take it. See what’s inside.”

“You take it, Violet,” said Benny. “Your fingers are better with little things than mine are.”

Violet did not hold back. She sat down on the couch22 as Mr. Lee moved over. Very gently she opened the locket.

“Pictures!” she said. “One of a house, and one of a cat.”

Jessie looked over Violet’s shoulder. “Those pictures look old and faded,” she said. “But the house—look, Benny!”

Benny cried, “The house is the one with the towers!”

“I believe you are right,” Jessie said. “The picture shows only one tower, but I’m sure that is the house here in Beachwood.”

Mr. Lee took one look. He said, “One tower or not, that’s the Tower House on Main Street.”

Benny looked a little unhappy. “How easy to solve this mystery,” he said. “A picture of a cat and a picture of the Tower House and R.L. on the cover. The answers are all right here in Beachwood. Just a quarter of a mile away, and there’s the owner.”

But later on, Benny decided23 the mystery was more than a quarter of a mile away. And if Benny had looked quickly at Mr. Lee, he might have seen a little smile come and go. Perhaps Mr. Lee guessed the mystery would not be so easy to solve.

After Mr. Lee had put away his tools, he called his dog, picked up his treasure-finder and said goodbye.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 streak UGgzL     
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动
参考例句:
  • The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
  • Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹?
2 peered 20df74dd9059112f4ef8506d8ece8b43     
去皮的
参考例句:
  • He peeled away the plastic wrapping. 他去掉塑料包装。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The paint on the wall has peeled off. 墙上涂料已剥落了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
4 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。
5 softly HiIzR4     
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
参考例句:
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
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 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
8 flapped 3dc9eb645ec67302f44beec300083cdf     
(使)上下左右移动( flap的过去式和过去分词 ); 轻拍; 焦急,焦虑; 振(翅)
参考例句:
  • The swan flapped its wings noisily. 天鹅大声地拍打着翅膀。
  • He flapped the flies away with a fan. 他用扇子把苍蝇拍走。
9 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。
10 sleeper gETyT     
n.睡眠者,卧车,卧铺
参考例句:
  • I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
  • But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。
11 dock GsQx9     
n.码头;被告席;vt.使(船)进港;扣;vi.进港
参考例句:
  • We took the children to the dock to see the ships.我们带孩子们到码头去看轮船。
  • The corrupt official stood in the dock.那贪官站在被告席上。
12 wagged 60283031c63ec779719fd6c0e9e67a65     
v.(使)摇动,摇摆( wag的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The dog wagged its tail with pleasure. 那条狗高兴得直摇尾巴。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She wagged her finger with mock severity. 她故作严厉地摆了摆手指。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 rod xXex4     
n.钓竿,杆,棒
参考例句:
  • Pass me a bamboo rod.递给我一根竹竿。
  • He heated the iron rod and bent it into a right angle.他将铁棒烧热,将其弯成直角。
14 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
15 rub LXWxN     
n.摩擦,困难,障碍,难点,磨损处;vt.擦,搓,摩擦,惹怒;vi.摩擦,擦破
参考例句:
  • Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
  • He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。
16 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。
17 exclaimed 68e477dcdab3965d2189fb7276ee5041     
vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊,惊叫,大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 magnifying 034e3f0a47b1b761a42e4e7bb21d3b80     
放大的
参考例句:
  • Fame is a magnifying-glass. 名誉是放大镜。
  • It is unusual for people to press their differences by magnifying them. 对人们来说,以夸大差异的方式强调差异是不正常的。
19 closely XwNzIh     
adv.紧密地;严密地,密切地
参考例句:
  • We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
  • The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。
20 initials qquzAi     
n.首字母,姓名
参考例句:
  • a glass tankard with his initials etched on it 刻有他姓名首字母的玻璃大酒杯
  • All the towels were personalized with their initials. 所有毛巾上都标有物主姓名的首字母。
21 pried 4844fa322f3d4b970a4e0727867b0b7f     
v.打听,刺探(他人的私事)( pry的过去式和过去分词 );撬开
参考例句:
  • We pried open the locked door with an iron bar. 我们用铁棍把锁着的门撬开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • So Tom pried his mouth open and poured down the Pain-killer. 因此汤姆撬开它的嘴,把止痛药灌下去。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
22 couch mzfxf     
n.睡椅,长沙发椅;vt.表达,隐含
参考例句:
  • Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
  • The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。
23 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。
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