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儿童英语读物 The Sword of the Silver Knight CHAPTER 8 Benny Delivers a Message

时间:2017-11-17 06:11来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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That evening, the Aldens went to the park as usual. Hannah greeted them as they came to change into their costumes. “Do you realize we have only two more nights here in Greenfield?” she asked.

“Really?” said Henry. The week had gone by so quickly

“Tomorrow night is our last show here. Then we’re moving on to Silver City,” Hannah said.

The children dressed quickly and headed off to their various jobs. But before they separated, Jessie turned to the others. “We’ve got to solve this mystery before the fair leaves Greenfield. We’ve got to find that sword!”

The others nodded solemnly.

Benny went to his usual job of helping1 Jonathan prepare for the show. Jonathan was cheerful as always, whistling and joking with Benny. He seemed to love looking at himself in the mirror, especially when he was all dressed up in his armor.

“My, uh, friend is coming to see the show tonight,” he told Benny.

“That’s neat,” said Benny. “I’m sure he’ll like it.”

“Yes, I think he will,” Jonathan said.

When Jonathan was finished dressing2, he poked3 his head out of the tent. Crowds of people were lining4 up to enter the main tent.

Jonathan called, “Hey, Benny, come here for a minute.”

Benny joined Jonathan in the doorway5.

“Do you see that man with the beard and the dark sunglasses? He’s my—” Jonathan hesitated. “My friend.”

Benny noticed that Jonathan had started to call the man by a different word but had stopped himself. He wondered why. Benny studied the crowd. “Yes, I see him.”

“I want you to do me a favor,” Jonathan said. “Will you give him a message from me?”

“Sure,” Benny said, always eager to be useful.

Jonathan leaned his head close to Benny’s and spoke6 in a low voice. “Tell him ‘Our plan is working. We’re going to be rich!’”

Benny’s eyes opened wide when he heard the message.

“Got it?” Jonathan asked.

Benny nodded and swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell him.”

As Benny hurried out of the tent, his mind was racing7. What did Jonathan mean? Was he talking about stealing the sword? Was this man Jonathan’s partner in crime? Benny hated to think of Jonathan that way, but he couldn’t help wondering.

Even though he was worried, Benny did as Jonathan had asked. He ran over to the bearded man. “Excuse me, sir,” Benny said.

“Yes?” the man replied. He looked surprised.

“I have a message for you from Jonathan Fairbanks,” Benny said.

Now the bearded man nodded. “Ah, yes, Jonathan.”

“He told me to tell you, ‘Our plan is working. We’re going to be rich,’” Benny said.

The bearded man smiled broadly. “I’m glad to hear it. And I’m looking forward to seeing the show.”

“It’s a great show,” Benny said. “Goodbye.” He went back to Jonathan’s tent. What were Jonathan and that man up to, he wondered.

Meanwhile, Violet and Jessie had gone to help in Annie’s tent. When they arrived they found her sitting in a chair, gazing blankly into the distance.

“Annie?” said Violet. “Are you okay?” Annie seemed startled8. “Oh, um, hello.” She smiled at the girls. “I was just, um, thinking about something …”

Jessie noticed a crumpled9 piece of paper and an envelope in Annie’s hand.

“Did you just get some bad news?” Jessie asked gently.

Annie sighed. “Oh, it’s just a letter from the bank. I got it a few days ago. I’ve been trying to get a loan so I can finish college. The bank said no.”

“I’m sorry,” Violet said.

Annie smiled briefly10. “Oh, well, I’ll just have to figure out something else.”

“Sorry to bother you,” Jessie said. “But it’s time to get ready for the show.”

“I didn’t realize it was that late,” Annie said, glancing at the small clock next to her mirror. “Yes, I guess you’re right.”

“Shall we do your hair first?” Violet asked.

“That sounds good,” said Annie.

Violet got the brush and began brushing Annie’s long brown hair. When she was finished brushing, Violet made a tiny braid on each side, carefully weaving tiny white ribbons into the braids. Then she fastened the braids at the back of Annie’s head with a sparkly11 barrette.

Meanwhile Jessie had been getting Annie’s clothes. When Annie’s hair was done, Jessie helped Annie into her petticoat and long white dress. It was made of soft velvet12, with sleeves that puffed13 slightly at the shoulders and then narrowed to points over her wrists.

“This is such a beautiful dress,” Jessie said. “I love the beading and the silver threads.”

“It is a wonderful dress, isn’t it?” Annie said. “And certainly more comfortable than wearing armor! I feel so sorry for the men.”

“I agree,” said Violet. “Armor does not look comfortable at all.” She picked up a rhinestone14 necklace and fastened it around Annie’s neck.

Annie laughed. “Trust me, I know. It isn’t comfortable. And it’s hard to walk in.”

“How do you know?” Jessie asked. “Have you ever worn it?”

Annie’s face suddenly went pale. “Me?” she asked. “Worn armor? Why would I have worn armor? I just mean, I can tell by looking at it.”

Jessie and Violet looked at one another. Why did Annie suddenly seem so embarrassed, as if she’d said something wrong?

“Oh,” Jessie said. “That’s what I thought.”

“I’d better be getting over to the main tent,” Annie said, stepping into her white silk slippers15. She hurried out, leaving Jessie and Violet behind.

When the children arrived home that night, Grandfather was out at a business dinner.

The children sat down in the kitchen, talking about how much fun they’d been having at the show.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Mrs. McGregor said, going to her room.

“We won’t,” called the children.

“This medieval16 fair has been so great,” said Violet. “I wish tomorrow weren’t the last day.”

“Me, too,” said Henry. “Especially since we haven’t found that sword yet.”

“I know we can solve this mystery,” said Jessie. “We’ve never failed before.”

“I could think better if I had a snack,” Benny said.

“I had a feeling you might say that,” Jessie said, smiling at her brother. “How about some ice cream?”

Benny’s face lit up. Jessie went to the freezer and got out a container of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, while Henry and Violet got the bowls, spoons, and napkins. Benny got the ice-cream scooper17.

Soon they were all settled at the table with bowls of ice cream in front of them. Benny stirred his ice cream around and around until it was soft and melted. Violet thoughtfully licked18 her spoon.

Benny told the others about Jonathan’s message that night for the bearded man. “What do you think he was talking about?” Benny asked.

Jessie looked concerned. “I don’t know, but it sounds as if he’s working with that man, and they stole the sword together. It sounds as if they plan to sell it and get rich.”

“Jonathan was the last one seen with the sword,” said Henry. “We have only his word that he left it in Mr. Worthington’s tent.”

“And we saw him wandering around that night,” Violet recalled. “Who knows where he was going, or what he was up to. Maybe he took the sword and hid it.”

“I don’t think it was Jonathan!” Benny said. “I think he’s telling the truth—that he left the sword in Mr. Worthington’s tent. I think Mr. Worthington hid it somewhere to get Jonathan in trouble.”

“That’s possible, too,” Henry said, eating another spoonful of ice cream.

Jessie pulled out her notebook and looked at the notes they’d made over the past few days. “There’s another possibility. They could both be telling the truth. Jonathan said he left the sword at about ten o’clock, right after the show ended. Mr. Worthington was still out signing autographs and thinks he came back to the tent at around ten-fifteen. In those fifteen minutes, someone else could have come in and stolen the sword.”

“But who?” Violet asked.

“What about Hannah?” asked Benny.

“Why would she steal her own sword?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense,” Benny agreed. Violet handed him a napkin to wipe off the ice cream that had dripped on his chin.

“What about Annie?” suggested Jessie. “She keeps talking about needing money for college. She might have stolen the sword for the money.”

“She seemed to be covering up something today,” Violet recalled. “We started talking about the costumes, and then she suddenly got up and left.”

“What do you think she’s covering up?” Jessie asked.

Violet shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“I just have a feeling the sword is hidden somewhere at the park,” Henry said. “Maybe the thief didn’t have time to take it somewhere else that night.”

“Whoever stole it might have buried it,” Benny said. “That’s what you do with treasure.”

Jessie and Violet nodded. But Henry looked unconvinced. “I don’t know,” he said. “If they buried it underground, we’d see a spot that looked freshly dug up. I haven’t noticed any spot like that.”

“We haven’t been everywhere around the park,” Benny pointed19 out.

“We’ll just have to search the whole place tomorrow,” Jessie said. “It’s our last chance.”

“That park is huge,” said Benny. “How will we ever find it?”

“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Violet said.

The Aldens sat quietly for a moment, thinking. Then Jessie stood up and carried her bowl to the sink. “We’d better get some sleep. We’ll work on this tomorrow.”

The children went off to bed. But Henry couldn’t fall asleep. Something about what Violet had said kept going through his mind. “A needle in a haystack …” he mumbled20 as he drifted off to bed.

In the morning, Henry sat up in bed. He had an idea.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
2 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
3 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交
参考例句:
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 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。
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 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。
7 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。
8 startled 651a5bec8a61bb5867cc270c8ec3c20b     
adj.受惊吓的v.使惊跳,使大吃一惊( startle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A crowd of 2000 was startled near the end of the concert. 2000名观众在音乐会将近结束时大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Startled by the sudden whistle of the train, the horse broke away. 火车突然鸣笛,那匹马受惊脱逃。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 crumpled crumpled     
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
  • She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
10 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
11 sparkly sparkly     
闪耀的
参考例句:
  • Gardens and fields, sparkly green, decorated the desert landscape like bright emerald necklaces. 一片挨着一片绿得发亮的花园和田园,活像晶亮的绿宝石项链点缀着这荒凉的背景。 来自教父部分
  • Description of Moongate: Blue oval sparkly vortex as tall as a player and about as wide. 月门的描述:能容纳一个玩家高宽的椭圆形,里面是有火花的蓝色漩涡。 来自互联网
12 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
13 puffed 72b91de7f5a5b3f6bdcac0d30e24f8ca     
adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟,狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了,便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 rhinestone zXcxx     
n.水晶石,莱茵石
参考例句:
  • She often wears that cheap showy rhinestone bracelet.她经常戴那个廉价艳丽的水晶手镯。
  • Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing,当她发现一个缺了几颗人造钻石的手镯时,有些孩子鄙笑起来。
15 slippers oiPzHV     
n. 拖鞋
参考例句:
  • a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
  • He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋,倒在床上。
16 medieval 2C1xi     
adj.中世纪的,中古(时代)的
参考例句:
  • This is a medieval story.这是一个中世纪的故事。
  • The museum has a fine collection of medieval ivories.该博物馆收藏着一批精美的中世纪象牙制品。
17 scooper 1048ec101fc1388058a448921ed82fdc     
斗式升运机;勺子
参考例句:
  • This paper studies the dynamic characteristics of a scooper loader by using virtual prototype technology. 应用虚拟样机技术对卷筒的动力学特性进行研究。 来自互联网
18 licked cc44423320e8979294d71cbc42dbad80     
舔( lick的过去式和过去分词 ); 打败; (波浪)轻拍; (火焰)吞卷
参考例句:
  • He licked his fingers. 他舔了一下自己的手指。
  • The flames of the fire licked the sides of the fireplace. 火焰卷烧着壁炉的边缘。
19 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。
20 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。
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