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儿童英语读物 The Ghost Ship Mystery CHAPTER 8 A Friend Disappears

时间:2017-08-03 08:30来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The next morning, in the dining room, Mrs. Pease bustled1 around the Aldens’ table like a mother hen. “Now today I want you children to eat well and not run off with just a few muffins. Especially you, Benny.”

“I won’t,” said Benny who was on his second helping2 of scrambled3 eggs.

“And I can’t have my guests just making do with a few sandwiches like yesterday, either,” Mrs. Pease told the children. “With all your adventures, you need a proper lunch. Today it’s my special clam4 chowder with apple pie for dessert.”

Mr. Alden put down his coffee cup. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Pease. We’ll all be here for lunch today, that I promise. My grandchildren are going to show me all the treasures they found and took to the Sailors’ Museum. Then we’re going to see whether we can go out on Captain Bob’s boat.”

“Oh, I hope you’re not counting on that,” Mrs. Pease said. “Captain Bob told Mr. Pease he won’t be starting up for awhile. I must say that puzzles me on these fine days. Still, that’s always the way with him after a big storm.”

“We’ll go check anyway, after we visit with Miss Coffin5, that is,” Mr. Alden said.

Mrs. Pease refilled Mr. Alden’s cup with steaming coffee. “I am so glad your grandchildren have made friends with Prudence6. And to think they found such treasures! Why it’s just the thing Prudence needs. She spends too much time locked up in that museum and worrying about things that happened a long time ago that can’t be changed. It’s good for her to have some young people around.”

Jessie took a sip7 of her juice and looked up at Mrs. Pease. “I’m not so sure about that, Mrs. Pease. She didn’t seem too happy with us yesterday afternoon.”

“She practically shooed us out of the museum,” Benny said, still hurt about that.

“Museum? Are you talking about the theft at the Sailors’ Museum?” a guest at the next table asked, when he heard what the Aldens were talking about. He held up his morning newspaper. A headline in large letters said: SCRIMSHAW THEFT AT SAILORS’ MUSEUM.

“May we look at that?” Jessie asked the guest. “We were just at the museum yesterday. We didn’t know anything was stolen.”

“Happened last night,” the guest told Jessie. “Whoever took the carvings9 knew what was valuable. Two of the oldest, rarest pieces were taken.”

The Aldens, with Mrs. Pease looking over their shoulders, read the article.

“Oh, no!” Violet cried. “It says the whale tooth with the parrot carving8 was taken. Oh, I wonder if the parrot picture we found was taken, too!”

Henry grabbed a piece of toast. “Come on. Let’s get over there!”

In no time the children were at the front door of the Sailors’ Museum. One of the Ragged10 Cove11 police officers was there, knocking on the door and looking in the windows.

“Sorry kids, it’s closed,” the officer said. “You’ll have to come back another time. Early this morning, Miss Coffin reported a robbery, so we’re sealing off the scene of the crime. I was just trying to get Miss Coffin to open up, but she doesn’t seem to be around.”

“She’s not?” Henry said. “She told us to come back to help out with some of the old things we found at Howling Cliffs. Did you try the delivery entrance?”

“I did,” the officer answered. “She’s gone, though her car is here. Did you happen to see anything unusual at the museum yesterday?”

“Everything was fine when we left yesterday afternoon,” Henry said.

“Except for the man in the blue sailor hat,” Benny broke in. “The one who passed us in the alleyway, right there.”

The officer bent12 down to talk to Benny. “Tell me something. Did you ever see the man before?”

“Maybe we did,” Benny said, trying to think. “The hat anyway. See, I have one just like it, only smaller.”

“Well, I wish that hat was more of a clue. It seems anybody around here who ever set foot on a boat wears a blue sailor hat like that.

“Maybe later when my partner comes back you can help identify what else might be missing,” the police officer said. “Miss Coffin was so upset when she called. She wasn’t able to give us much information about what was gone—just said some scrimshaw. We don’t really know about anything else. It doesn’t help that she isn’t here to let us in. We have to get a spare key from the town hall.”

While the officer was talking, Benny spotted13 a familiar face looking down from a building across the street. He waved, but the face disappeared from the window.

“Who’s that, Benny?” Jessie asked. She looked up at the deserted14 building.

“Captain Bob. At least it looked like Captain Bob,” Benny answered. “He was looking at us. If it was him, I mean.”

“Bob Hull15?” the officer said. “Oh, I don’t think so. He’s busy getting the Jonah ready for a whale watch this afternoon. I ran into him down at the docks. He’s got a big tourist group scheduled.”

Violet looked a bit upset. “I wonder why he didn’t tell the Peases. In fact, he told them he wasn’t going out for a few days.”

“Well, all I can think is that he’s got a busload down from Bassville,” the officer said. “Maybe he’s only taking groups today.”

“But we’re a group,” Violet said. “We wanted to go out with our grandfather before we leave Ragged Cove in a couple days. Grandfather was looking forward to it.”

“There’s something else we can do, Violet. Follow me,” Jessie said all of a sudden. “See you later, officer.”

Jessie pulled away her brothers and sister and began walking toward the street with all the shops.

“Where are we going, Jessie?” Violet wanted to know.

Jessie turned down a narrow cobbled street. “Spooner Cooke’s Scrimshaw Shop.”

Henry smacked16 his forehead. “I was thinking that very thing, Jessie. Mr. Cooke got so angry when we wouldn’t show him the things we found out at Howling Cliffs. Maybe he was the one in the alleyway yesterday, trying to see if we had anything valuable. I wonder if he had something to do with the robbery.”

Jessie rushed ahead of everyone. “I didn’t want to mention him in front of the police officer in case I’m wrong. Let’s just stop by his shop and take a look around.”

The children stopped when they got to the shop.

“Well, who’s going in there first?” Benny asked nervously17.

“I’ll go in first,” Violet said, to her brothers’ and sister’s surprise. “I like the pretty things in his shop. If I’m nice to him, maybe he’ll be nice to me.”

“That’s the way to go, Violet,” Henry said, proud of his sister. “Mr. Cooke can’t help being nice to you.”

Violet stepped inside the tiny shop. Every space was crammed18 with bone and tooth carvings from the great whaling days of Ragged Cove.

“What is it, miss?” Mr. Cooke asked when he saw Violet standing19 there.

Violet pointed20 to a small piece of scrimshaw in a glass case. “I’d like to look at that pie crimper for our housekeeper21, Mrs. McGregor.”

The man took another look at this bright little girl. “How did you know this was a pie crimper? Most folks don’t have any idea of how it’s used. Half of ’em think it’s some kind of toy. You seem to know something about old things.”

Violet smiled her sweet smile. “I use a wooden one like it when I bake with Mrs. McGregor. Ours isn’t nearly as pretty as this one with the little unicorn22 decoration. How much is it?”

“Two hundred dollars, I’m afraid,” Mr. Cooke said. “It’s very unusual, one of my finest pieces. I’d almost hate to part with it.”

Violet’s face fell in disappointment.

“Does your housekeeper do needlework? I have some antique whalebone needles in back,” Mr. Cooke told Violet when he saw how disappointed she was. “They’re quite reasonable.”

“We both do needlework,” Violet said. “I would like to see the needles.”

Violet waved in Henry, Jessie, and Benny when Mr. Cooke went into the back room. “He’s nice,” she whispered. “He doesn’t seem a bit like a thief.”

The children tried to memorize every piece of scrimshaw in the shop. None of it looked like anything they’d seen at the museum.

“I don’t see any parrot carvings,” Benny whispered.

“Did you say parrot carvings, young fellow?” Mr. Cooke asked when he came out front. “Sorry, the only one I’ve ever seen is carved on a whale tooth right in our excellent museum.”

Benny stepped up to the counter. “Well, we’ve seen it, too. Yesterday, we found another one in that postbox. Only it was carved on a small, flat piece. And guess what? It was the same parrot Miss Coffin had when she was small like me! We gave it to her for the museum.”

“Well, you are a remarkable23 boy,” Mr. Cooke said. “I’m going to give you a small reward for giving what you found to the museum.”

“You are?” Benny said. “Heck, it was easy. All I did was climb this ledge24. It was pretty high. Higher than this shop almost, and there it was. This old box with all these old things in it. The parrot picture, some bent-up old spoons, and some whale toys.”

“Whale toys?” Mr. Cooke said. “Well, I have some whale toys. Here’s an antique top. What do you think of that?”

Benny gave the top a spin on the counter. “I think I like it better than the parrot tooth.”

Mr. Cooke handed Violet a small painted Chinese box. “And for your sister here, I have something special. Go ahead, open it, young lady.”

Violet opened the box. Lying inside on a piece of satin was a matched set of bone needles from tiny to big. “Oooh,” Violet breathed. “They’re beautiful. I’ll put them right into my sewing bag when I get back to the inn. Thank you.”

“And thank you children for bringing your things to our Sailors’ Museum,” Mr. Cooke said to everyone. “I’m on the board there. We haven’t many funds to buy things. So it helps when we get donations. I especially would like to see the parrot carving you found in the box.”

“Why?” Benny wanted to know.

Mr. Cooke smiled. “Because I knew that parrot when I was a boy! Miss Coffin and I were best friends. Both our families used to spend the summer out on Plum Island where I live now. Prudence moved to town a few years ago when the ferry service slowed down. She hardly ever leaves the museum anymore unless I motor her out to the island on her boat. Myself, I’m a rowing man. Well, I’ll go over and talk to her about your find.”

Jessie stared at Mr. Cooke. “You mean you didn’t hear about Miss Coffin? She reported that there was a robbery at the museum last night, but now no one can find her.”

Mr. Cooke held onto the counter. His pink face grew pale. “Prudence is gone?”

Mr. Cooke pulled down a sailor’s pea coat from a hook by the front door. Underneath25 was a blue wool sailor cap just like Benny’s. The children stared at the hat.

“I’ll have to go look for her,” Mr. Cooke said. “This is terrible. She never leaves that museum. Something must be very wrong. You’ll have to leave. I’m going to close up and look for her.”

Mr. Cooke put up his “Closed” sign and locked the door to his shop. The children watched him go down the narrow street away from town.

“Why is he heading toward the beach?” Jessie wondered.

By the time the children followed Mr. Cooke, he was gone, and so was his little rowboat.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 bustled 9467abd9ace0cff070d56f0196327c70     
闹哄哄地忙乱,奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 ); 催促
参考例句:
  • She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
  • The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。
2 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。
3 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 clam Fq3zk     
n.蛤,蛤肉
参考例句:
  • Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀!我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
  • The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
5 coffin XWRy7     
n.棺材,灵柩
参考例句:
  • When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
  • The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。
6 prudence 9isyI     
n.谨慎,精明,节俭
参考例句:
  • A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
  • The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。
7 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
8 carving 5wezxw     
n.雕刻品,雕花
参考例句:
  • All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
  • He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。
9 carvings 3ccde9120da2aaa238c9785046cb8f86     
n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 );雕刻术;雕刻品;雕刻物
参考例句:
  • The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 ragged KC0y8     
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
参考例句:
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
11 cove 9Y8zA     
n.小海湾,小峡谷
参考例句:
  • The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁,嫩绿一片,好一个山外的小海湾。
  • I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。
12 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
13 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
14 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
15 hull 8c8xO     
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳
参考例句:
  • The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
  • The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。
16 smacked bb7869468e11f63a1506d730c1d2219e     
拍,打,掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴,一声也不言语。
  • She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。
17 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
18 crammed e1bc42dc0400ef06f7a53f27695395ce     
adj.塞满的,挤满的;大口地吃;快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满;填入;临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
  • All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。
19 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。
20 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。
21 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
22 unicorn Ak7wK     
n.(传说中的)独角兽
参考例句:
  • The unicorn is an imaginary beast.独角兽是幻想出来的动物。
  • I believe unicorn was once living in the world.我相信独角兽曾经生活在这个世界。
23 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
24 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁
参考例句:
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上,摔倒了。
25 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
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