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儿童英语读物 The Ghost of the Chattering Bones CHAPTER 3 The Watery Ghost

时间:2017-11-16 07:38来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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That night, all the Aldens fell asleep right away. Around midnight, Benny stirred. He thought he heard something—a rushing kind of sound. It seemed to be coming from outside. What was making that noise?

“Henry?” he whispered.

Henry didn’t answer. He was sound asleep.

Benny slid out of bed. He went over to the window. Leaning on the sill, he peered out through the window screen into the inky darkness.

The strange noise suddenly stopped.

“Benny?” Henry asked sleepily “What’s going on?”

“I … I heard something.”

“It’s just the crickets,” Henry said in the middle of a yawn. “Nothing to worry about.”

Benny nodded his head. “No, it was something else, Henry,” he insisted, trying to keep his voice low. “Something … weird2.”

“You were probably dreaming,” Henry told him, in a sleepy voice.

“Maybe,” Benny said, as he climbed back into bed. But he knew he wasn’t dreaming.

“I’m telling you, your great-great-grandmother’s brooch was stolen,” Annette was telling Norah at breakfast the next morning. “If you ask me, it was taken by one of the workmen at the time.”

Benny frowned. “You don’t think there’s a secret hiding place?”

“I certainly don’t.” Annette tore a small piece of crust off her toast and popped it into her mouth. “I’ve done the research. I know what I’m talking about.”

Benny looked crushed.

Violet felt her little brother’s disappointment. “We won’t know for sure until we do some investigating, Benny.” She passed the platter of bacon to Pam.

Henry nodded. “We should at least check into it.”

“Maybe you missed something, Annette,” Benny said.

This was the wrong thing to say. Annette frowned. “Well, isn’t it lucky we have the Aldens around to keep us on track,” she said, though it was clear from her voice that she didn’t think it was lucky at all.

Jessie and Henry looked at each other. Why was Annette so unfriendly?

“According to all the old newspapers, there was no evidence of theft.” Norah took a bite of her toast and chewed thoughtfully. “And what about that little verse of Meg’s? What do you think it means, Annette?”

“Nothing, probably.”

Norah lifted an eyebrow3. “Nothing?”

“Nonsense verse,” Annette said, patting her mouth with a napkin. “That’s all it is.”

Pam tucked a loose strand4 of hair under her polka-dotted headband. “What’s nonsense verse?” she asked.

“A silly rhyme that has no meaning whatsoever,” Annette answered.

But Norah wasn’t convinced. “I think there’s more to Meg’s verse than meets the eye.”

Mrs. McGregor was quick to agree. “If anyone can figure it out, the Aldens can.”

Annette threw up her hands in a frustrated5 way. “Well, I have better things to do with my time,” she said, pushing back her chair. “I’ll be in the den1 if you need me.”

“Before you go, Annette,” Norah said, changing the subject. “I was wondering if you’ve seen my tape recorder. It seems to have disappeared from my desk.”

Jessie couldn’t help noticing that Pam was blushing.

“I’m afraid not,” said Annette. Then an amused smile curled her lips. “But I’m sure the Aldens can track it down—just like that!” she added, with a snap of her fingers. Then she hurried away.

“I don’t think Annette likes us,” Benny said in a small voice. He wasn’t used to anyone making fun of them.

“I’m sure she likes you just fine, Benny,” Norah assured him. “She puts in long hours and it makes her a bit grumpy. You mustn’t let it bother you.” She paused as she swallowed a mouthful of eggs. “This research seems to mean a great deal to Annette. I’m not really sure why.”

Mrs. McGregor, who was buttering her toast, suddenly looked up. “Your assistant seems sure the brooch was stolen.”

Benny nodded. “By one of the workmen. I wonder what she meant by that.”

“She was talking about the men who were working on the bridge,” explained Norah, as she poured syrup6 on her pancakes. “They were hired around the time the brooch disappeared.”

Henry asked, “Are you talking about the bridge out back?”

“That’s right, Henry,” said Norah. “It came all the way from Stone Pool.”

“Stone Pool?” Violet looked at Norah in surprise.

“It was the bridge where Jon proposed to Meg,” put in Mrs. McGregor, as she helped herself to more bacon. “Right, Norah?”

Norah smiled at her friend. “Yes, indeed, Margaret! And Jon was determined7 to bring that bridge across the ocean for his bride.”

Violet nodded in understanding. Jon wanted to bring a part of Stone Pool to Eton Place to keep Meg from feeling homesick.

“They say he made an offer that the village of Stone Pool just couldn’t refuse. In no time at all, the bridge was taken apart, stone by stone, and shipped to America.” Norah smiled a little. “There was only one problem.”

“What was that, Norah?” Jessie asked.

“Jon was positive the bridge would span the stream in the woods,” she said. “But he was sadly mistaken. You see, the bridge wasn’t nearly long enough.”

“At least the bridge was the right size for the stream behind the house,” Violet pointed9 out.

“There’s no stream running through the backyard, Violet.” Norah said. “The bridge doesn’t cross over water—only a large bed of pansies.”

“No wonder nobody ever goes fishing from it,” Henry realized.

“Not a drop of water under it,” Norah said with a nod. “Never has been.” She handed the syrup to Benny. “But Meg didn’t mind,” she added. “It made her happy to look out and see that old stone bridge in the backyard.”

Benny was wondering about something. “Is the bridge haunted, Norah?”

“Darlene spilled the beans, I’m afraid,” said Mrs. McGregor.

Norah rolled her eyes. “Darlene never did know how to hold her tongue.”

The Aldens looked at one another in astonishment10. Had Darlene been right after all?

“Does Jon haunt the bridge?” Violet wanted to know. “Or is it Meg?”

Benny suddenly remembered what Mrs. McGregor had said. “I bet it’s the ghost of the chattering11 bones!”

Norah smiled over at the youngest Alden. “You hit the nail on the head, Benny!”

Jessie was curious. “Will you tell us more about it, Norah?”

Norah said, “Over the years strange noises have sometimes been heard in the middle of the night.”

Benny’s eyes widened. “What kind of noises?”

“I’ve never heard the noises myself, Benny,” Norah said, as she padded her mouth with a napkin. “But they say it sounds just like water flowing over rocks.”

The Aldens were so surprised all they could do was stare. Before they could ask any questions, Norah spoke12 again.

“You see, ‘Chattering Bones’ was the name of a little stream near Stone Pool. For many years it flowed under an old stone bridge on the edge of town.”

Violet gasped13. “The bridge Jon bought for Meg?”

Norah nodded her head. “The very same one that was taken apart and shipped across the ocean.”

Pam, who had been quietly peeling an orange, suddenly looked up. “Just after that, the Chattering Bones disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” the Aldens echoed in unison14.

Pam nodded. “It vanished into thin air.”

Henry was baffled. “But it couldn’t just … vanish!”

“Apparently it did, Henry. They say the stream dried up shortly after the bridge was torn down. It was almost as if the creek15 needed the bridge.” Norah spoke slowly as if uncertain about what she was saying.

Violet shivered. Everything was becoming more and more mysterious. Benny’s eyes were round. “You mean, the sound at night is the ghost of the Chattering Bones?”

Pam was the first to answer. “Yes, the ghostly stream flows under the bridge when it’s dark,” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

Benny’s eyes grew even rounder. He hurried over to the window and peeked16 outside.

“That’s a strange ghost story,” Jessie remarked, as she got up to clear the table.

“Eton Place has its share of mysteries,” Mrs. McGregor agreed. “No doubt about that.”

Benny suddenly looked over at Norah. “That man’s out there again.”

“What man?” asked Henry, coming up behind his brother.

“The one who wants to buy the bridge.”

In a flash, Norah was on her feet. “That fellow needs to be told a thing or two!”

Everyone followed as she led the way outside. Sure enough, they found Spence Morton standing8 on the bridge. He waved over to them. Spence was all smiles when they hurried over. “Just checking on my bridge,” he told them.

“Now just what does that mean?” Norah had an angry frown on her face.

But Spence didn’t seem to hear Norah. He just stared down at the stones and smiled.

“This bridge is mine,” Norah said sharply. “And I won’t be selling it to you or anyone else!”

Spence suddenly laughed, but not in a funny way. “I’ve got a hunch17 you’ll change your mind,” he said. Then he turned and strode away.

The Aldens exchanged worried looks. What was Spence Morton planning to do?
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 den 5w9xk     
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室
参考例句:
  • There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
  • The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。
2 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。
3 eyebrow vlOxk     
n.眉毛,眉
参考例句:
  • Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
  • With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬,似乎既感到吃惊,又觉有趣。
4 strand 7GAzH     
vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地)
参考例句:
  • She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
  • The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。
5 frustrated ksWz5t     
adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
参考例句:
  • It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
  • The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 syrup hguzup     
n.糖浆,糖水
参考例句:
  • I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
  • Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。
7 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
8 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。
9 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。
10 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
11 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
12 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。
13 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 unison gKCzB     
n.步调一致,行动一致
参考例句:
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。
15 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
16 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
17 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。
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