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儿童英语读物 The Castle Mystery CHAPTER 7 Benny Solves a Puzzle

时间:2017-07-31 08:45来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“What an adventure!” Benny announced when he came back to the castle.

The children chattered1 on about their morning while they helped Carrie get lunch. As usual, Benny was starving, which was too bad. Lunch that day was just dibs and dabs2 of leftovers3 from the day before.

“Sorry about serving reruns again, Benny,” Carrie said. “I thought Sandy would be back with the groceries by now.”

“I found one can of tuna fish left,” Jessie said when she looked in the almost empty cabinets. “Maybe I can stretch it out.”

Carrie looked disgusted. “That Sandy! Where can she be? She promised to be back by lunchtime.”

Henry was surprised to hear this. “Wait a minute. At least an hour ago Benny and I saw a red Jeep driving back toward the castle. Wasn’t that Sandy?”

“That must have been someone else on the lake road,” Carrie said. “It’s too bad it wasn’t Sandy. I guess we’ll have to make do with what food we have.”

By the time everyone had sat down to eat, the lunch tasted just fine to the Aldens. Their morning’s adventure had made them hungry for anything, even leftovers.

“We’re going to start work on the stained glass windows in the towers this afternoon,” Carrie announced when lunch was over. “I’ve got this book of old photos and watercolors that show how the windows looked originally.”

Violet studied the pictures of Drummond Castle as it once was. “Do you think someday the castle will really look like this again?”

Carrie gave Violet a smile. “With patience and care, we can do anything. Now let’s find Mr. Tooner. Your grandfather mentioned you like drawing and painting, Violet. I think you might be of special help.”

Mr. Tooner was halfway4 up the staircase in the other tower when the Aldens caught up with him. He didn’t even turn around when Carrie came up with the Aldens. He just went right on taking down the plywood coverings from the damaged windows.

“Already at work, I see,” Carrie said to Mr. Tooner. “Violet is going to sketch5 the windows from the picture and number the window pieces that are missing. Then we can give her sketches6 and your measurements to the glassmaker.”

“If you like, you can hand things to us, Mr. Tooner,” Henry said. “We can help you put back the plywood coverings.”

Jessie gathered up old nails scattered7 around the floor. “These can be used again if we hammer them straight. Can Benny borrow this extra hammer?”

“Humph,” was Mr. Tooner’s answer.

The children decided8 this meant yes. Soon Benny was banging away on the nails to make them straight. Henry helped take down the plywood so Mr. Tooner wouldn’t have to go up and down his step stool every time. As Mr. Tooner uncovered each window, Violet made sketches to show the missing pieces. Then Jessie labeled them with the measurements.

After each window was done, Benny handed Mr. Tooner nice straight nails to hammer on the coverings again.

“Did I do these right, Mr. Tooner?” Violet asked when she put down her colored pencils.

Mr. Tooner looked at Violet’s drawings. His face seemed to brighten. “Why, yes, Miss, yes. That is just the way they should be.”

After that, Mr. Tooner didn’t seem to mind that the Aldens were there.

“I can see you don’t need me,” Carrie said. “I’ll be downstairs. Maybe Sandy is back by now.”

Mr. Tooner and the Aldens labeled every window along the tower staircase until they got to the top floor.

“Are we going in here?” Henry asked when they came to a locked door. “Carrie says no one goes in that room.”

“This room is closed up, but look what I have,” Mr. Tooner said. He jiggled some keys in his pocket. The children all wondered the same thing. Did Mr. Tooner have the big key to the blue door?

He didn’t. When he held up his key ring, they saw it had only small, ordinary-sized keys on it.

Mr. Tooner opened the door to the mysterious tower room, and they all went inside. The room was cluttered9 with boxes and old furniture and toys. Most of the windows were plain leaded ones. There was another one hidden under a square of plywood. When Mr. Tooner and Henry pulled down the wood covering, a rainbow of colors filled the room.

“It’s hardly damaged at all!” Jessie cried. “Just one or two pieces are missing.”

Mr. Tooner showed the children just how to measure the pieces that needed to be replaced. Violet sketched10 them and wrote down the measurements. The children, and even Mr. Tooner, hummed and hammered, measured and whistled. When they had finished, the children looked around the room.

“This looks like an old attic,” Benny said. “I guess that’s why no one comes up here.”

“It’s too bad,” Jessie said. “We like our two little tower rooms on the other side.”

This made Henry realize something. “Isn’t it strange that this room is only as big as one of our rooms? Since the towers are the same size from the outside, they should be the same size on the inside!”

“Or there should be another room,” Jessie said, puzzled.

“I’d like to find a secret room,” Benny said. He crawled behind the old toys and suits of armor piled up all around. He tried to look behind the bookcase, but realized it was built into the wall.

“This has been used as a storage room ever since Mr. Drummond died,” Mr. Tooner said. “Once it was used as a playroom for some of the servants’ children. There’s probably a crawlspace around it, nothing more. Well, we’re finished with these windows. Let’s go downstairs and work on the others.” As Benny left the room, he took one last look at the suit of armor standing11 in the corner of the room. He knew it was impossible, but he was almost certain he’d seen it move. He hurried to catch up with the others.

“Listen,” Violet whispered to Jessie as they followed Mr. Tooner down the tower stairs. “Mr. Tooner is humming that same fiddle12 tune13 we heard.”

Mr. Tooner’s humming carried clearly up the stone staircase.

“You’re right,” Jessie said. “But I don’t think it has anything to do with the missing violin. He’s too nice to be mixed up with that.”

Henry overheard the girls. “I bet Mr. Tooner sometimes hears that same music, and it just got into his head. He probably doesn’t even realize where that tune came from!”

“Well, anyway I’m glad he’s humming instead of being grouchy14 like before,” Violet agreed.

The children stopped whispering when they caught up with Mr. Tooner. He waved them down a hall on the second floor toward the front of the castle.

“Where to now, Mr. Tooner?” Henry shifted the step stool from one shoulder to another.

“Another secret room?” Benny joked.

For the first time, the children saw Mr. Tooner smile a real smile. His blue eyes twinkled.

“You guessed right, my boy,” Mr. Tooner said to Benny. “Now follow me. Henry, you can put down that ladder. You girls can leave the toolbox and papers in the hall. Nothing needs fixing in here.”

With that, Mr. Tooner pulled out his key ring again. He opened a door to another small room filled with soft colored light.

“It’s the room with the round stained glass window over the front door!” Violet cried.

“Yes, indeed,” Mr. Tooner said. “Mr. Drummond used to spend a lot of time here. He had this room and that window specially15 designed.”

Mr. Tooner went over to the window and clicked two latches16. Out fell the central piece of stained glass. The children gasped17.

“Don’t worry. It’s not broken,” Mr. Tooner said with a very nice smile. “Here Benny, hold this piece over your face.”

Benny carefully took the painted piece of the knight’s face. It fit right over his own! Benny knew just what to do next. He went over to the empty space and put his own face in the window. It fit almost perfectly18.

“I can see everything from up here!” he cried.

“And so could Mr. Drummond,” Mr. Tooner explained. “He designed the removable glass so he could see who came to the door ahead of time. Then he would decide if he wanted to meet with a visitor or not.”

Mr. Tooner slapped his knee. “I sometimes do the same. Half the time people who come to the door are just a plain bother. If I don’t like ’em, I don’t answer the door.”

“You must have liked us, Mr. Tooner,” Violet said. “I saw a face the day we arrived at Drummond Castle. Remember? You were the one who answered the door.”

Mr. Tooner shook his head. “I answered the door, but I haven’t been in this room for weeks. Too much work to do.”

“But … but, someone was here,” Violet said. “Now that I know this is a lookout19, I’m sure someone was watching us the day we drove up.”

“What about this morning?” Henry asked Mr. Tooner. “Benny and I are sure someone was up here. But when we got close, the person moved away.”

“Can’t be, my boy, can’t be,” Mr. Tooner told Henry. “Even Mrs. Bell doesn’t have a key. She thinks it’s my private storage room and doesn’t bother me about it.”

The children were completely confused. They couldn’t say for sure that they had seen a face in the funny window. But they certainly thought they had.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 chattered 0230d885b9f6d176177681b6eaf4b86f     
(人)喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 ); 唠叨; (牙齿)打战; (机器)震颤
参考例句:
  • They chattered away happily for a while. 他们高兴地闲扯了一会儿。
  • We chattered like two teenagers. 我们聊着天,像两个十多岁的孩子。
2 dabs 32dc30a20249eadb50ca16023088da55     
少许( dab的名词复数 ); 是…能手; 做某事很在行; 在某方面技术熟练
参考例句:
  • Each of us had two dabs of butter. 我们每人吃了两小块黄油。
  • He made a few dabs at the fence with the paint but didn't really paint it. 他用颜料轻刷栅栏,但一点也没刷上。
3 leftovers AprzGJ     
n.剩余物,残留物,剩菜
参考例句:
  • He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
  • She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。
4 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
5 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。
6 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》
7 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
8 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。
9 cluttered da1cd877cda71c915cf088ac1b1d48d3     
v.杂物,零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 );乱糟糟地堆满,把…弄得很乱;(以…) 塞满…
参考例句:
  • The room is cluttered up with all kinds of things. 零七八碎的东西放满了一屋子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The desk is cluttered with books and papers. 桌上乱糟糟地堆满了书报。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 sketched 7209bf19355618c1eb5ca3c0fdf27631     
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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 fiddle GgYzm     
n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动
参考例句:
  • She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
  • Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。
13 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
14 grouchy NQez8     
adj.好抱怨的;愠怒的
参考例句:
  • Grouchy people are always complaining for no reason.满腹牢骚的人总是毫无理由地抱怨。
  • Sometimes she is grouchy, but all in all she is an excellent teacher.有时候她的脾气很坏,但总的来说她还是一位好老师。
15 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
16 latches 72e582024c502f75cdd8b1b4d69a127f     
n.(门窗的)门闩( latch的名词复数 );碰锁v.理解( latch的第三人称单数 );纠缠;用碰锁锁上(门等);附着(在某物上)
参考例句:
  • The virus latches onto the red blood cells. 这种病毒附着在红细胞上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The opposite end latches onto the pathogen. 相对的一端锁在病原体上。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
17 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》
18 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
19 lookout w0sxT     
n.注意,前途,瞭望台
参考例句:
  • You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
  • It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来,公司的前景可就不妙了。
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