Five On Kirrin Island Again Chapter Two BACK AT KIRRIN COTTAGE

Chapter Two BACK AT KIRRIN COTTAGE

JULIAN, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy went straightaway to have buns and ginger-beer at the station tearoom. It was good to be all together again. Timmy went nearly mad with joy at seeing the two boys. He kept trying to get on to their knees.

'Look here, Timmy, old  thing,  I love  you very much, and  I'm  jolly  glad to  see  you,' said  Dick,

'but  that's  twice  you've  upset  my  ginger-beer  all  over  me.  Has  he  behaved  himself  this  term, George?'

'Fairly well,' said George, considering. 'Hasn't he, Anne? I mean - he only got the joint¹ out of the larder² once - and he didn't do so much harm to that cushion he chewed - and if people will leave their  galoshes  all  over  the  place,  nobody  can  blame  Timmy  for  having  a  good  old  game  with them.'

'And that was the end of the galoshes, I suppose,' said Julian, with a grin. 'On the whole, Timmy, you have a rather poor  report.  I'm  afraid  our Uncle Quentin will not  award  you the usual  half-crown we get for good reports.'

At the mention of her father, George scowled⁴.

'I see George has not lost her pretty scowl³,' said Dick, in a teasing voice, 'Dear old George! We shouldn't know her unless she put on that fearsome scowl half a dozen times a day!'

6

'Oh, she's better than she was,' said Anne, hurrying to George's defense⁵ at once.

George was not so touchy⁶ as she had once been, when she was being teased. All the same, Anne knew  that  there  might  be  sparks  flying  over  her  father  taking  Kirrin  Island  these  holidays,  and she didn't want George to fly into a temper too soon!

Julian  looked  at  his  cousin.  'I  say,  old  thing,  you're  not  going  to  take  this  business  of  Kirrin Island  too  much  to  heart,  are  you?'  he  said.  'You've  just  got  to  realize  that  your  father's  a remarkably⁷  clever  man,  one  of  the  finest  scientists  we've  got  -  and  I  think  that  those  kind  of fellows  ought  to  be  allowed  as  much  freedom  as  they  like,  for  their  work.  I  mean  -  if  Uncle Quentin wants to work on Kirrin Island for some peculiar⁸ reason of his own, then you ought to be pleased to say "Go ahead,' Father!"

George  looked  a  little  mutinous  after  this  rather  long  speech;  but  she  thought  a  great  deal  of Julian,  and  usually  went  by  what  he  said.  He  was  older  than  any  of  them,  a  tall,  good  looking boy,  with  determined  eyes  and  a  strong  chin.  George  scratched  Timmy's  head,  and  spoke  in  a low voice. 'All right. I won't go up in smoke about it, Julian. But I'm frightfully disappointed. I'd planned to go to Kirrin Island ourselves these holls.'

'Well,  we're  all  disappointed,'  said  Julian.  'Buck-up  with  your  bun,  old  thing.  We've  got  to  get across London and catch the train for Kirrin. We shall miss it if we don't look out.'

Soon they  were in  the train  for Kirrin.  Julian was  very  good at  getting porters and taxis.  Anne gazed admiringly at her big brother as he found them all corner-seat a carriage. Julian did know how to tackle things!

Do you think I've grown, Julian?' she asked him. 'I hope I'd be as tall as George by the end of this term too!'

Well  -  I should think  you might  be  a quarter of  an inch more than last  term,' said  Julian.  'You can't catch us up - you'll always be the smallest! But I like you small.'

'Look  at  Timmy,  putting  his  head  out  of  the  window  usual!'  said  Dick.  'Timmy,  you'll  get  a smoke-grit in your eye. Then George will go quite mad with grief and think you're going blind!'

Woof,' said Timmy, and wagged his tail. That was the nice part about Timmy. He always knew when he was being spoken to, even if his name was not mentioned he answered at once.

Aunt Fanny was at the station to meet them in the trap. The children flung themselves on her, for they were very fond of her. She was kind and gentle, and did best to keep her clever, impatient husband from find too much fault with the children.

7

'How is Uncle Quentin?' asked Julian, politely, when they were setting off in the trap.

'He's very well,' said his aunt. 'And terribly excited really, I've never known him to be so thrilled as he has been lately. His work has been coming along very successfully.'

'I suppose you don't know what's his latest experiment?' said Dick.

'Oh no! He never tells me a word,' said Aunt Fanny 'He never tells anyone except his colleagues, of course. I do know it's important and I know, of course that the last step the experiment has to be  made  in  air  with  water  all  around.  Don't  ask  me  'Look!  There's  Kirrin  Island!'  They  had rounded  a  corner,  and  had  come  in.  Guarding  the  entrance  of  it  was  the  curious  little  island topped by the old ruined castle. The sun shone down on the blue sea, and the island looked most enchanting⁹.

George looked earnestly at it. She was looking for the building, whatever it was, that her father said he needed for his work. Everyone looked at the island, seeking the same thing. They saw it easily  enough!  Rising  from  castle,  probably  from  the  castle  yard,  was  a  tall,  thin  tower,  rather like a lighthouse. At the top was a glass-enclosed room, which glittered in the sun.

"Oh Mother!" I don't like it! It spoils Kirrin Island,' said George, in dismay.

'Darling, it can come down when your father has finished his work,' said her mother. 'It's a very flimsy, temporary thing. It can easily be pulled down. Father promised me he would scrap¹⁰ it  as soon  as  his  work was  done. He says  you  can  go  across  and see it, if  you  like.  It's really  rather interesting.'

'Ooooh  -  I'd  love  to  go  and  see  it,'  said  Anne,  at  once.  'It  looks  so  queer.  Is  Uncle  Quentin  all alone on Kirrin Island, Aunt Fanny?'

'Yes.  I  don't  like  him  to  be  alone,'  said  her  aunt.  'For  -  one  thing  I  am  sure  he  doesn't  get  his meals  properly,  and  for  another,  I'm  always  afraid  some  harm  might  come  to  him  when  he's experimenting - and if he's alone, how would I know if anything happened to him?'

'Well, Aunt Fanny,  you could always arrange for him to signal to  you each morning and night, couldn't  you?'  said  Julian,  sensibly.  'He  could  use  that  tower  easily.  He  could  flash  a  signal  to you  in  the  morning,  using  a  mirror,  you  know  --  heliographing  that  he  was  all  right  --  and  at night he could signal with a lamp. Easy!'

'Yes. I did suggest that sort of thing,' said his aunt. 'I said I'd go over with you all tomorrow, to see him and perhaps, Julian dear, you could arrange something of the sort with your uncle? He seems to listen to you now.'

8

'Gracious! Do you mean to say Father wants us to invade his secret lair¹¹, and actually to see his strange  tower?'  asked  George,  surprised.  'Well  --  'I  don't  think  I  want  to  go.  After  all,  it's  my island and it's horrid¹² to see someone else taking possession of it.'

'Oh, George, don't begin all that again,' said Anne, with a sigh. 'You and your island! Can't you even  lend  it  to  your  own  father!  Aunt  Fanny,  you  should  have  seen  George  when  your  letter came. She looked so fierce that I was quite scared!'

Everyone laughed except George and Aunt Fanny. She looked distressed¹³. George was always so difficult!  She  found  fault  with  her  father,  and  got  up  against  him  time  after  time  but  dear  me, how very, very like him she was, with her scowls¹⁴, her sudden temper, and her fierceness! If only George was as sweet-tempered and as easy going as these three cousins of hers!

George looked at her mother's troubled face, and felt ashamed of herself. She put her hand on her knee, and said - 'It's all right, Mother! I won't make a fuss. I'll try and keep my feelings to myself, really I will. I know. Father's work is important. I'll go with you to the island tomorrow.'

Julian gave George a gentle clap on the back. 'Good old George! She's actually learned, not only to give in, but to give in gracefully¹⁵! George, you're more like a boy than ever when you act like that.'

George glowed. She liked Julian to say she was like a boy. She didn't want to be petty and catty and bear malice¹⁶ as so many girls did. But Anne looked a little indignant.

'It isn't only boys that can learn to give in decently, and things like that,' she said. Heaps of girls do. Well, I jolly well hope I do myself!'

'My goodness, here's another fire-brand!' said Aunt Fanny, smiling. 'Stop arguing now, all of you

-  here's  Kirrin  Cottage.  Doesn't  it  look  sweet  with  all  the  primroses  in  the  garden,  and  the wallflowers coming out, and daffodils peeping everywhere?'

It certainly did. The four children and Timmy tore in the front gate, delighted to be back. They clattered¹⁷  into  the  house,  and,  to  their  great  delight,  found  Joanna,  the  old  cook  there.  She  had come  back  to  help  for  the  holidays.  She  beamed  at  the  children,  and  fondled  Timmy  when  he leapt round her, barking.

'Well, there now! Haven't you all grown again? How big you are, Master Julian taller than I am, I declare. And little Miss Anne, why, she's getting quite big.'

That pleased Anne, of course. Julian went back to the front door to help his aunt with the small bags in the trap. The trunks were coming later. Julian and Dick took everything upstairs.

9

Anne  joined  them,  eager  to  see  her  old  bedroom  again.  Oh,  how  good  it  was  to  be  in  Kirrin Cottage once more! She looked out of her windows. One looked on to the moor¹⁸ at the back. The other looked sideways on to the sea. Lovely! Lovely! She began to sing a little song as she undid¹⁹ her bag.

'You know,' she said to Dick, when he brought George's bag in, 'you know, Dick, I'm really quite pleased  that  Uncle  Quentin  has  gone  to  Kirrin  Island,  even  if  it  means  we  won't  be  able  to  go there much! I feel much freer in the house when he's away. He's a very clever man and he can be awfully²⁰ nice but I always feel a bit afraid of him.'

Dick laughed. 'I'm not afraid of him - but he's a bit of a wet blanket in a house, I must say, when we're here for the holidays. Funny to think of him on Kirrin Island all alone.'

A voice came up the stairs. 'Come down to tea, children, because there are hot scones²¹ for  you, just out of the oven.'

'Coming, Aunt Fanny!' called Dick. 'Hurry, Anne. I'm awfully hungry. Julian, did you hear Aunt Fanny calling?'

George came up the stairs to fetch Anne. She was pleased to be home, and as for Timmy, he was engaged in going round every single corner of the house, sniffing²² vigorously.

'He always  does  that!' said  George. 'As if he  thought  that there might  be a chair or a table that didn't smell the same as it always did. Come on, Tim. Tea-time!'

'Mother, as Father isn't here, can Timmy sit beside me on the floor? He's awfully well-behaved now,' asked George to her mother.

'Very well,' said her mother, and tea began.

What a tea! It looked as if it was a spread for a party of twenty. Good old Joanna! She must have baked all day. Well, there wouldn't be much left when the Five had finished! 

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 larder   

n.食物贮藏室，食品橱

参考例句：

• Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
• They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。

3 scowl   

vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容

参考例句：

• I wonder why he is wearing an angry scowl.我不知道他为何面带怒容。
• The boss manifested his disgust with a scowl.老板面带怒色，清楚表示出他的厌恶之感。

4 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 touchy   

adj.易怒的；棘手的

参考例句：

• Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心，因为他容易生气。
• He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。

7 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

8 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

9 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。

10 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

11 lair   

n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处

参考例句：

• How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?不入虎穴，焉得虎子？
• I retired to my lair,and wrote some letters.我回到自己的躲藏处，写了几封信。

12 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

13 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

14 scowls   

不悦之色，怒容( scowl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All my attempts to amuse the children were met with sullen scowls. 我想尽办法哄这些孩子玩儿，但是他们总是满脸不高兴。
• Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in. 1. 愁眉苦脸只会把人推开，而微笑却把人吸引过来。

15 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

16 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

17 clattered   

发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手，刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
• His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软，刀子当啷一声掉到地上。

18 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

19 Undid   

v. 解开, 复原

参考例句：

• The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
• He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。

20 awfully   

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。

21 scones   

n.烤饼，烤小圆面包( scone的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
• She makes scones and cakes for the delectation of visitors. 她烘制了烤饼和蛋糕供客人享用。 来自辞典例句

22 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》