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儿童英语读物 The Vampire Mystery CHAPTER 10 Caught!

时间:2017-12-12 07:50来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The next morning after a quick breakfast of cereal and fruit, the Aldens jumped on their bikes and quickly rode to Mr. Hudson’s house. But there was a police car in front! It was just driving away as the children walked up the front steps.

Jessie knocked on the front door.

“Come on in, kids,” Mr. Hudson called from the living room. He was sitting on the couch, his suitcase dumped on the floor beside the coffee table. His hair was uncombed and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Josh stood in the corner with his hands thrust deeply into his pockets.

“Is everything all right?” Jessie asked. “We just saw the police car.”

“The police were here looking for fingerprints,” Mr. Hudson said. “Someone has broken into my home!”

Josh stepped forward. “No locks or windows were broken,” he said. He stared at the Aldens. “Someone must have left the door unlocked. And it wasn’t me!”

Mr. Hudson looked at the children. “I don’t blame you,” he said. “I even forget to lock the door sometimes. I know you meant well.”

“But we did lock the door!” Jessie insisted. “We are very responsible. The person who broke into your home knew where the key was hidden. He took it from the shed and let himself in. We found the key last night on the kitchen counter.”

Mr. Hudson looked up sharply.

“You must have told some of your friends where that key was,” Josh said accusingly. “Who else could know where the key was hidden?”

“I can promise you that we did not tell anyone,” Jessie answered.

Mr. Hudson ran his hands through his hair. “Someone was in the shed,” he said. “My plane came in very early this morning. When I got home, I heard noises coming from the shed. I called the police right away. The person in the shed ran away through the cemetery1 when the police arrived. The officers chased him. I don’t know if they caught him yet or not. Perhaps he found the key by accident and let himself in when I was away.”

The Aldens looked at each other.

“Was the person who ran from the shed as tall as the vampire2 that you have been seeing in the cemetery lately?” asked Henry.

“What?” Mr. Hudson sat up very straight. “The vampire? Josh, have you been telling stories?”

“It’s not just a story,” Josh answered. “You told me yourself that you saw something strange in the cemetery at night.”

“I saw a person,” Mr. Hudson explained to the children. “He dressed and acted like the vampire from my book, The Legend of the Vampire. Whenever I tried to call out to him or to catch him, he ran away.”

“Do you think the person in the shed could have been the one who acted like the vampire?” Henry asked.

“I suppose so,” Mr. Hudson answered. “He was about the same height. But who would want to do such a thing? I don’t understand.”

Jessie put her hand on Mr. Hudson’s shoulder. “Mr. Hudson, was there anyone at all besides you who knew where you hid the spare key?”

Mr. Hudson was quiet for some time. “Besides you four children, there might be one other person,” he said. “But it couldn’t have been him.”

The Aldens weren’t so sure. “Mr. Hudson,” Henry said. “We think it may have been your brother Francis who took the spare key and let himself into your home.”

“Francis? What? How do you know that name?” Mr. Hudson’s eyes were wide with surprise.

Benny took the folded photo from the pages of the book and handed it to Mr. Hudson.

Mr. Hudson drew in his breath sharply. He cradled the photo gently in his hands. “Where did you get this?” he finally asked.

“We found it,” Benny replied, “stuck between the pages of The Legend of the Vampire.”

“This is a picture of my brother and me!” Mr. Hudson cried.

Just then there were heavy footsteps on the front porch. Two police officers opened the screen door and brought in a man in handcuffs. He was dirty and disheveled. He looked almost exactly like Mr. Hudson.

Mr. Hudson jumped to his feet. “Francis!” he cried. He threw his arms around his brother.

The officers looked confused.

“Please, officer,” Mr. Hudson asked. “Take those handcuffs off. This has all been a big misunderstanding. This is my brother.”

“You’re not going to press charges?” asked the officer. “He has already admitted that he broke into your home.”

“No, no, of course I’m not going to prosecute,” Mr. Hudson said hurriedly. “There has been no crime here. My brother is welcome in this house at any time.”

The officer shook his head disapprovingly5, but he removed the cuffs3. Mr. Hudson thanked the police for all their help and showed them to the door.

After Francis was comfortably seated in a chair with a glass of lemonade and a clean shirt borrowed from his brother, the Aldens explained what they knew.

“While you were away,” Henry said, “Benny ran into a man at the library fair who looked exactly like you.”

“I thought it was you at first, Mr. Hudson,” Benny said. “But then I realized that the man was too …” Benny paused.

“Messy.” Francis finished the sentence.

“Yes,” Benny agreed, his face coloring. “Mr. Hudson is always dressed so neatly6.”

“We may look alike,” Francis said, “but other than that we are as different as brothers can be.”

“We are very different,” Mr. Hudson agreed. “And I’m sorry to say that it led to quite a few fights when we were younger.”

“I’m sorry about those fights, Charles,” Francis said.

“I am, too.” Mr. Hudson looked at the Aldens. “Francis and I loved each other, but we disagreed about many things.”

“Charles was fussy7 and neat,” Francis said. “His half of the room was always clean and organized. I was a lot a messier and I drove him crazy sometimes.”

Mr. Hudson smiled. “And Francis was a great athlete, but I couldn’t even run without tripping over my own two feet. Francis liked to go sleep early, especially before big games, while I liked to stay up late reading. He used to be so annoyed with me for keeping the light on.”

Both brothers laughed at the memories.

“After our parents died, we fought a lot more often,” Francis said.

“I wanted you to stay in school and get a good education,” Mr. Hudson remembered.

Francis nodded. “And I wanted to quit school and work in my friend’s carpentry shop. One day, after a particularly big fight, I got very angry and I left home without a word. Since then, I’ve traveled all around the country. I’ve lived and worked in many different states. My life has been very interesting. But throughout all those years, I always missed my home and my brother.”

“Why didn’t you call or write?” asked Mr. Hudson. “I always wondered where you were.”

“I thought you might not want me back,” Francis explained. “I know that I was quite a troublemaker8. I was afraid that we would just start fighting again. Then, a few months ago, I finally decided9 to take the risk and come back and see you. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized how much my family and my old home mean to me. I was going to surprise you. But when I saw the sign on the lawn that said that the house was for sale, I became angry. You weren’t ever supposed to sell this house, Charles. Our parents wanted us to keep it in the family as long as we were alive. But I had been gone for so long. I knew I couldn’t demand anything from you.”

“So you decided to scare away the people who came to buy the house?” Henry asked.

“Yes.” Francis hung his head. “I admit it. I pretended to haunt the graveyard10 at night. I wore a cape11 and I even sprinkled fake blood on tombstones and people’s back porches. I tried to do all the things that the vampire did in the stories you used to tell me when we were growing up. I knew it would start people talking and word would get around. I thought that no one would want to buy a house with a vampire in the backyard.”

Henry pulled a small vial from his pocket. “Was this the blood that you used?”

“Yes!” Francis exclaimed. “But it is only colored water. Where did you find that?”

“You dropped it when we bumped into each other at the library fair,” Benny explained. “I tried to catch you to give it back, but you ran away.”

“I was worried when you called me ‘Mr. Hudson’,” Francis said. “I thought you might know who I was. I didn’t want Charles to know I was in town until I had finished scaring away all the buyers for the house.”

“Did you take The Legend of the Vampire from my backpack?” asked Benny.

“I did,” Francis said. “I saw you put it in there on that first day that you met my brother. I needed more ideas for my vampire haunting. I knew I could find them in the book.”

“And then you left the picture in the book,” Jessie added.

“Yes. I was so surprised to see young Benny there at the diner, that I jumped up and left, leaving the book behind. Imagine how surprised I was to find the book on the kitchen table later that night.”

“That’s because I left it there by accident.” Benny sighed.

“I figured as much,” Francis said. “The flowers were replanted and the porch was scrubbed. I knew you kids had been here.”

“You wrote those terrible words in ink on our front porch?” Charles asked. “How could you do that?”

Francis looked sheepish. “I’m very sorry, Charles. I promise to repaint the porch for you. I was only trying to be a good vampire. But I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of it. The Aldens came back to the house at night. I thought they would be too frightened for that.”

“We were looking for the book,” Benny explained.

“I knew Charles had gone out of town and so I took the key from under the pot. We always kept it there, even when we were children. I was having a nice sandwich and reading by flashlight when you children surprised me. I rushed into the basement. When I heard footsteps on the stairs I had to quickly sneak12 out the back door. I circled around to the front. I thought I could get back in to get the rest of my sandwich and the book, but these two kids where standing4 by the door.” Francis pointed13 at Violet and Benny.

“You tried to scare us with a bat,” Benny said.

Francis chuckled14. He put his two hands together and flapped his fingers as though they were wings. “Remember this, Charles? We used to make all kinds of animal shapes in the shadows at night. I was quite good at it.”

“You still are!” Violet said. “It looked very much like a real bat. We were frightened.”

Mr. Hudson shook his head. “Francis, I wish you hadn’t done all these things. I wish you had just come and talked to me.”

Francis sighed. “I know that now. And I’m sorry.” Francis turned to Violet. “I apologize for frightening you.”

“And where did you put all the ‘For Sale’ signs that you stole?” asked Mr. Hudson.

“You have to return them to Josh. You upset him as well.”

Francis looked confused.

“Your brother didn’t steal the ‘For Sale’ signs,” Violet said. “Josh did that.”

“What?” Mr. Hudson turned to look at his realtor. “Why would Josh steal his own signs? That doesn’t make any sense. He wants to sell the house. It’s his job.”

Josh stuck his hands even deeper into his pockets. He seemed to be trying to find something to say.

“Josh has a friend who wants your house, Mr. Hudson,” Violet explained. “Only he can’t afford to buy it unless you lower the price. Josh didn’t start the vampire rumors15, but he helped them along. He thought that if buyers were frightened away, you would be happy to sell the house for a lot less money to his friend. I saw the missing ‘For Sale’ signs in the back of Josh’s car and I overheard him on the phone with his friend.”

Josh’s face was bright red. “You should know that it is not right to eavesdrop16!” he shouted at Violet.

“I was not eavesdropping17!” Violet crossed her arms and stood her ground. “I was working in the garden when you made a call near the front porch. I couldn’t help but hear what you said.”

“And you should know that you were supposed to be working for me and not for your friend,” Mr. Hudson added. “You’re fired as my realtor, Josh.”

Josh bit hard on his lower lip. He took a few steps toward the door, then turned back around. “I’m very sorry, Charles,” he said. “And I’m sorry for accusing you, Violet. My friend doesn’t have a lot of money and he has five children. I thought this would be the perfect house for him. But it was wrong of me to try to ruin your chances of selling at a good price. I didn’t mean any harm, but I know what I did was wrong. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Josh pushed open the screen door to leave just as Mrs. Fairfax was about to knock.

“What is going on over here?” she complained, stepping into the living room. “All this commotion18 has got to stop. Realtors, children, police cars. What next?”

“Hello, Martha,” said Francis.

“Francis? Is that Francis?” Mrs. Fairfax put her hand over her heart.

Mr. Hudson helped Mrs. Fairfax into a seat. “It’s my brother all right, Martha,” he said with a smile. “He’s come back to live with me.”

“So you’re not selling the house?” Mrs. Fairfax asked.

Mr. Hudson looked at his brother and paused. “No, I’m not selling. That is,” he continued, “as long as Francis agrees to move in and help me out with the house.”

Francis stood and threw his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Thank you, Charles,” he said. “There is nothing I would like better. It is so good to be home!”

Suddenly, a loud growling20 noise came from the sofa. Everyone turned to look.

Benny’s face turned bright red. He clasped his hands over his stomach. “Excuse me,” he apologized.

Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Fairfax.

“I suppose tracking down vampires21 can make a person quite hungry.” Mr. Hudson smiled.

“Everything makes Benny hungry,” Henry explained.

Mr. Hudson brought out a pitcher22 of lemonade and set a tray of snacks on the table for his company.

Everyone was excited when Mr. Hudson told them that the producers had agreed to film the movie version of The Legend of the Vampire. It was going to be set right in Greenfield.

“Maybe we can all have a role in the film!” Benny cried.

“That would be so exciting,” Jessie agreed. “At the very least, perhaps we can come and watch the filming. Would that be all right with you, Mr. Hudson?”

“Of course!” Mr. Hudson said. “You are more than welcome.”

“Are you going to write any more books, Mr. Hudson?” Violet asked.

“I never stop writing, Violet,” Mr. Hudson said. “And I’m always looking for ideas for my next story.”

As Benny reached for a third helping23 of cheese and crackers24, his stomach let out another loud growl19.

Mr. Hudson laughed. “Maybe my next book could be called The Legend of the Bottomless Stomach.”

“And if that book is made into a movie, I could have the lead role!” Benny grinned. “I knew my stomach would make me famous!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 cemetery ur9z7     
n.坟墓,墓地,坟场
参考例句:
  • He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
  • His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。
2 vampire 8KMzR     
n.吸血鬼
参考例句:
  • It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆,而是个吸人血的妖精!
  • Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说,孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。
3 cuffs 4f67c64175ca73d89c78d4bd6a85e3ed     
n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打,拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
  • The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。
4 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。
5 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》
6 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
7 fussy Ff5z3     
adj.为琐事担忧的,过分装饰的,爱挑剔的
参考例句:
  • He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
  • The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。
8 troublemaker xflzsY     
n.惹是生非者,闹事者,捣乱者
参考例句:
  • I would hate you to think me a troublemaker.我不愿你认为我是个搬弄是非的人。
  • Li Yang has always been a troublemaker.李阳总是制造麻烦。
9 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。
10 graveyard 9rFztV     
n.坟场
参考例句:
  • All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
  • Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。
11 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。
12 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
参考例句:
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
13 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。
14 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
15 rumors 2170bcd55c0e3844ecb4ef13fef29b01     
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷
参考例句:
  • Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 eavesdrop lrPxS     
v.偷听,倾听
参考例句:
  • He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里,以便偷听。
  • It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。
17 eavesdropping 4a826293c077353641ee3f86da957082     
n. 偷听
参考例句:
  • We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
  • Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间,一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。
18 commotion 3X3yo     
n.骚动,动乱
参考例句:
  • They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵,引起了一阵骚乱。
  • Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间,整条街道变得一片混乱。
19 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
20 growling growling     
n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼
参考例句:
  • We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
  • The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡,聚集在一起发牢骚。
21 vampires 156828660ac146a537e281c7af443361     
n.吸血鬼( vampire的名词复数 );吸血蝠;高利贷者;(舞台上的)活板门
参考例句:
  • The most effective weapon against the vampires is avampire itself. 对付吸血鬼最有效的武器就是吸血鬼自己。 来自电影对白
  • If vampires existed, don`t you think we would`ve found them by now? 如果真有吸血鬼,那我们怎么还没有找到他们呢? 来自电影对白
22 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
23 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。
24 crackers nvvz5e     
adj.精神错乱的,癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 );薄脆饼干;(认为)十分愉快的事;迷人的姑娘
参考例句:
  • That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
  • We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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