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儿童英语读物 The Mystery at the Crooked House CHAPTER 10 A Hidden Treasure

时间:2017-09-30 03:05来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“There must be something else here,” said Jessie. “Something we’re not seeing.”

This got Henry thinking. Reaching into the hatbox, he patted all around. Finally, he pulled up gently on the flowery paper that lined the bottom. “I think there’s something here!”

“What is it?” Violet asked in a hushed voice.

Henry lifted the lining1 away and shone the light into the box. “It looks like a story.”

“A very old manuscript,” added Jessie. “It’s all yellowed with age. Just like the note.”

“What’s a manuscript?” asked Benny.

“A story that’s ready to send to a publisher,” explained Jessie.

Henry peered closely at the top page. “This one’s called The Crooked2 House Mystery.”

“And look!” Violet was glancing over Henry’s shoulder. “It says it was written by Amelia Quigley Adams.”

“Wow!” cried Benny. “You mean Amelia Quigley Adams wrote a mystery about Mrs. McGregor’s family home? But ... I’ve never seen The Crooked House Mystery in the Greenfield Library.”

“Neither have I,” said Jessie thoughtfully. “I don’t think it was ever published.”

The attic3 stairs suddenly gave a loud creak.

“Who’s that?” asked Violet in alarm.

Jessie put a protective arm around Benny as Henry clicked off the flashlight.

“I don’t know,” whispered Henry. He peeked4 out from behind the mirror just as a shadow appeared in the doorway5.

The inky outline began to move slowly into the deeper darkness of the attic, with its own beam from a flashlight leading the way.

Benny tried to stay very still and quiet. But the dust was tickling6 his nose. There was nothing he could do! His nose started to twitch7, and then suddenly a sneeze escaped! “Aaah-chooo!”

“Who’s there?”

It was Rebecca Flagg! The Aldens recognized her voice immediately. Loud thumping8 and bumping noises began as Rebecca tried to make her way through the maze9 of boxes and trunks. Then there was a terrible thud!

Henry beamed the light to where Rebecca had tripped and fallen.

Concerned, Violet rushed out from behind the mirror. “Are you all right?”

“I am most certainly not all right!” Rebecca pulled away when Violet tried to give her a hand. “You scared me half to death! I should have known the Aldens would be up here. Snooping around as usual.”

“We weren’t snooping!” Benny said indignantly as Rebecca got slowly to her feet.

Just then, they heard the thundering sounds of someone racing10 up the stairs. Then Nick was standing11 in the doorway with Clarissa at his elbow.

“What’s going on in here?” Nick held up a hand to shield his eyes from Henry’s flashlight. “I thought the roof was falling in!”

Rebecca mumbled12, “Oh, it’s just the Aldens playing games.”

“Well, it’s too cold to be playing up here,” declared Nick. “Let’s go downstairs where it’s warm.”

But Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny weren’t going anywhere without the hatbox. By the time the Aldens finally made their way downstairs, Mrs. McGregor and Madeline had returned.

“What in the world are you doing with that old hatbox, Henry?” asked Mrs. McGregor as she hung up her coat.

Madeline stepped out of her boots. “Nick told us you were up in that icy attic.” She shook her head disapprovingly13 “I just hope you don’t catch pneumonia14!”

“Nick and Clarissa are in the living room with Nola,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Why don’t we go in and sit by the fire with them?”

Madeline’s tone was stern. “And then you can tell us what this is all about!”

When everyone was gathered in the living room a few minutes later, Henry reached into the hatbox, took out the yellowed manuscript, and handed it to Mrs. McGregor. “The hatbox had a false bottom,” he explained. “We found something hidden underneath15. Something that belongs to you.”

Mrs. McGregor stared down at the pages in bewilderment, while Nick looked over her shoulder and let out a low whistle.

Rebecca rushed over. When she saw the manuscript, she drew in a sharp breath. “For years it’s been rumored16 that Amelia Quigley Adams left behind an unpublished manuscript,” she said in a hushed voice.

“But nobody’s been able to trace its whereabouts. Until now, that is.”

Mrs. McGregor looked more confused than ever. “But ... how did it get into the hatbox?”

“The Mystery Lady!” Benny piped up. “Her real name was Amelia Quigley Adams.”

Mrs. McGregor’s eyes widened. “The Mystery Lady and Amelia Quigley Adams were the same person?”

“It can’t be!” cried Madeline in disbelief.

“It’s true,” insisted Rebecca.

Madeline narrowed her eyes. “What makes you so sure, Nola?”

“Her name isn’t Nola,” Henry stated firmly. “It’s Rebecca Flagg.”

Madeline and Mrs. McGregor both stared at the young woman.

“Is there anything the Aldens don’t know?” asked Nick in surprise.

“We know a lot,” Benny told him. “We even know that you and Rebecca were planning to steal the treasure from Mrs. McGregor!”

Madeline looked horrified17. “Benny, what a terrible thing to say!”

Rebecca dropped into a chair. “It’s high time you knew the truth. My real name is Rebecca Flagg.”

Madeline and Mrs. McGregor were too shocked to speak.

“Please, let me explain,” Rebecca went on. “I’m not a thief, and neither is Nick. The fact is, I’m a writer. For the past year, I’ve been working on a biography of Amelia Quigley Adams. I’ve been trying to fill in some of the missing gaps in her life. And I’ve been hoping I just might be able to find her famous missing manuscript at the same time.

“You see, for a few weeks every summer Amelia would vanish into thin air. I suppose it was her way of escaping from the demands of editors and fans. But it’s always been a mystery where she went. Then one day, I happened to come across a small sketch18. Just something doodled into a corner of Amelia’s notepad.”

“What was it?” asked Madeline curiously19.

“It was a drawing of a house with crooked windows and a crooked door. And a funny crooked chimney.”

“Oh!” cried Mrs. McGregor.

Rebecca went on, “I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. At least, not until I was invited to a dinner party about a month ago. That’s when I heard one of the guests mention his holidays. He said he’d stayed at a Crooked House on Riddle20 Lake. I could hardly believe my ears!” Rebecca stopped talking and took a deep breath. “I managed to get Madeline’s phone number, and I called the very next day. I asked for her permission to poke21 around the house a bit.”

All eyes turned to Madeline.

“I do remember a phone call about a month ago,” Madeline said slowly. “Someone inquiring about a guest who supposedly left something behind years ago.” Madeline looked at Rebecca. “I thought you were accusing me of keeping something—something that didn’t belong to me.”

“I was so excited at the time,” Rebecca was forced to admit, “I probably didn’t explain myself very well. I ended up offending you, Madeline. I didn’t know what to do then. That’s why I decided22 to go by a different name: Nola Rawlings.”

“That way, you could visit the Crooked House anyway,” guessed Henry.

“Yes, and truly I’m sorry for the deception23, Madeline,” Rebecca apologized. “But I was afraid you wouldn’t let me stay if you knew I was the woman who had phoned.”

Nick spoke24 up. “I’m just as much to blame. When I happened to run into Rebecca in town, and she mentioned she was staying at the Crooked House, I told her about your plans to sell the place, Madeline. And that’s when she explained her real reason for coming to Riddle Lake. I suggested she keep pretending her name was Nola Rawlings for a while.”

“But why?” asked Madeline. “Why would you do such a thing?”

Nick sighed. “Because Rebecca wasn’t sure she was on the right track.”

“That’s right,” agreed Rebecca. “I’d been trying to match other sketches25 of Amelia’s with houses in the neighborhood and with buildings in town. Many places had changed over the years, so I used photographs from the town archives. It wasn’t long before I knew that Amelia must have spent a great deal of time at Riddle Lake. I still wasn’t sure, though, if she’d actually stayed at the Crooked House.”

Nick interrupted. “Since it was just a hunch26, I suggested not saying anything to you, Madeline. Not until there was more proof that the Crooked House really had been Amelia’s secret getaway. I didn’t want you to be disappointed if there was no treasure.”

Henry looked at Rebecca. “So you tried to make us think you had no interest in Amelia Quigley Adams.”

“That’s right,” confessed Rebecca. Then she smiled a little. “I must admit, it startled me when Mrs. McGregor asked if I was a fan of Amelia’s. I was afraid she knew the truth about me.”

Mrs. McGregor had a question. “Why would the Mystery Lady—I mean, Amelia—hide her manuscript?”

Rebecca frowned. “To make a long story short, Amelia’s publishing company was sold. She didn’t like the new people who started to work on her books. They wanted Amelia to take a new direction with her books. They thought her books were too gentle and old-fashioned for the market. They were wrong, of course. Those are the very qualities that have made Amelia’s books popular throughout the years.”

“Poor Amelia!” cried Violet. “What did she do?”

“Well, for one thing,” responded Rebecca, “she refused to change a single word. Finally, she decided not to publish her latest manuscript at all.”

“Instead, she hid the manuscript away in the hatbox,” said Jessie, nodding.

“Yes, and soon after that, she became very ill.” Rebecca cleared her throat. “Sadly, Amelia passed away the following winter.”

“Oh, dear!” said Mrs. McGregor. “That was always my worst fear.”

After a long pause, Rebecca continued. “No one ever found her manuscript, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard about a riddle that would lead to a hidden treasure!”

“You were listening when Mrs. McGregor told us about the Mystery Lady, weren’t you?” said Violet.

Rebecca lowered her eyes, and her face reddened. “Yes, I admit I was standing in the hallway.”

“Violet had a feeling someone was eavesdropping,” said Jessie. “Did you tell Nick and Clarissa everything?”

Rebecca nodded. “I always kept them posted on any new developments.”

Jessie turned to Clarissa. “So that’s how you knew about the P.S. at the end of the note!”

Clarissa looked over at the Aldens sheepishly. “I couldn’t admit that I already knew about the riddle. Not without explaining about Rebecca, too.”

Just then Benny turned to Rebecca. “You took the note, didn’t you? The one the Mystery Lady wrote to Mrs. McGregor.”

Rebecca hesitated, then she reached into her vest pocket and pulled out the yellowed paper. “I intended to put it back. That’s what I was doing up in the attic earlier. I just needed it long enough for Nick to study the handwriting. And from the way he described the person who wrote it, I knew it could be none other than Amelia Quigley Adams. She was the guest known to everyone as the Mystery Lady.”

Nick nodded. “We agreed it was time to explain everything to you, Madeline. We were just waiting for you to get home. We were hoping you’d want to make a thorough search of the house when you heard about Amelia’s manuscript.”

Puzzled, Violet said, “There are some things I don’t understand. What did you mean when you said that you and Nola were partners in crime?”

“Oh, you heard that, did you?” Nick was smiling. “It’s not what you think. It was just a joke. My only crime was not wanting Madeline to get her hopes up for nothing.”

Violet turned to Clarissa. “And why did you rush away so quickly when we invited you to go skating?”

Clarissa looked down at her hands. “I didn’t know Madeline had decided for sure to sell the Crooked House. Not until Jessie mentioned it at the lake that day. I was so upset, I had to find out from Madeline if it was true.”

“I’m sorry you found out like that.” Madeline put her arm around Clarissa. “I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t want to spoil your holidays.”

Henry was wondering about something. “What will you do with the manuscript, Mrs. McGregor?”

After a few moments, Mrs. McGregor said, “It isn’t mine alone, Henry. This manuscript belongs to Amelia’s fans everywhere. I’ll make sure it gets to the right publisher. Someone who won’t change a single word.”

Nick was grinning from ear to ear. “The Crooked House will get all the free advertising27 it needs with the publication of that manuscript! And on top of that, there’s the biography that Rebecca is writing. Why, people will soon be coming from every corner of the world to spend time at the Crooked House!”

Madeline wiped away a tear. “I can’t believe it! We can keep our family home after all.”

Benny looked surprised. “But don’t you want to travel?”

“Oh, I like traveling, Benny,” replied Madeline. “And I hope one day to be able to do a lot more. But I realized a long time ago that there’s no place like home! And I’m sorry I tried to discourage you from searching for the treasure,” she added. “I just wanted to spare you the same disappointment my sister had experienced years ago.”

Rebecca smiled at the Aldens for the first time. She was a changed person now that the truth was out in the open. “I can’t thank you enough for finding the manuscript. And I’m really sorry for being so ...” Her voice trailed away.

“Unfriendly?” asked Benny.

“Yes, Benny,” said Rebecca. “I thought if I kept my distance, no one would ask me any personal questions.”

“Oh,” said Violet, beginning to understand.

“Finding the treasure was very important to me,” added Rebecca. “And I couldn’t help thinking it was a game to the Aldens.”

“It wasn’t just a game to us!” exclaimed Violet.

“It was more than that,” agreed Jessie. “A lot more.”

Henry added, “We were trying to help Mrs. McGregor. And we were also trying to—”

“Solve a mystery!” finished Benny.

“I know that now,” admitted Rebecca. “I didn’t realize the Aldens were such good detectives!”

“They’re the very best kind of detectives,” declared Mrs. McGregor. “They’re the kind who believe in teamwork.”

Just then, Jessie leaned over and whispered in Violet’s ear. Violet dashed from the room. She returned a few minutes later with her sketch of the Crooked House. As everyone gathered around, she presented it to Mrs. McGregor.

“Oh, Violet!” cried Mrs. McGregor. “I’ll treasure this always!”

Madeline sighed happily. “Not even Amelia Quigley Adams could come up with a happier ending to a mystery than this!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
2 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的
参考例句:
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
3 attic Hv4zZ     
n.顶楼,屋顶室
参考例句:
  • Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
  • What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
4 peeked c7b2fdc08abef3a4f4992d9023ed9bb8     
v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 );偷看;窥视;微露出
参考例句:
  • She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句
5 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
6 tickling 8e56dcc9f1e9847a8eeb18aa2a8e7098     
反馈,回授,自旋挠痒法
参考例句:
  • Was It'spring tickling her senses? 是不是春意撩人呢?
  • Its origin is in tickling and rough-and-tumble play, he says. 他说,笑的起源来自于挠痒痒以及杂乱无章的游戏。
7 twitch jK3ze     
v.急拉,抽动,痉挛,抽搐;n.扯,阵痛,痉挛
参考例句:
  • The smell made my dog's nose twitch.那股气味使我的狗的鼻子抽动着。
  • I felt a twitch at my sleeve.我觉得有人扯了一下我的袖子。
8 thumping hgUzBs     
adj.重大的,巨大的;重击的;尺码大的;极好的adv.极端地;非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词);狠打;怦怦地跳;全力支持
参考例句:
  • Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 maze F76ze     
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑
参考例句:
  • He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
  • She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
10 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
11 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
12 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
13 disapprovingly 6500b8d388ebb4d1b87ab0bd19005179     
adv.不以为然地,不赞成地,非难地
参考例句:
  • When I suggested a drink, she coughed disapprovingly. 我提议喝一杯时,她咳了一下表示反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He shook his head disapprovingly. 他摇了摇头,表示不赞成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 pneumonia s2HzQ     
n.肺炎
参考例句:
  • Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
  • Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。
15 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
16 rumored 08cff0ed52506f6d38c3eaeae1b51033     
adj.传说的,谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷
参考例句:
  • It is rumored that he cheats on his wife. 据传他对他老婆不忠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It was rumored that the white officer had been a Swede. 传说那个白人军官是个瑞典人。 来自辞典例句
17 horrified 8rUzZU     
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句:
  • The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
  • We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。
18 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。
19 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
20 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。
21 poke 5SFz9     
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢
参考例句:
  • We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
  • Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。
22 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。
23 deception vnWzO     
n.欺骗,欺诈;骗局,诡计
参考例句:
  • He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
  • He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。
24 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
25 sketches 8d492ee1b1a5d72e6468fd0914f4a701     
n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概
参考例句:
  • The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
  • You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 hunch CdVzZ     
n.预感,直觉
参考例句:
  • I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉,他并不真正想去。
  • I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。
27 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
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