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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Missing Cat CHAPTER 8 A Strange Phone Call

时间:2017-08-08 06:48来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Look, Violet! That’s the North Star,” Henry pointed1 up at the sky.

The Aldens had just finished dinner and Grandfather Alden had gotten out his book of constellations2. The four children were trying to find the constellations and stars he had shown them in the book.

“I see the Big Dipper,” said Henry.

“Very good, Henry,” said Grandfather.

Just then they heard the sound of the phone ringing through the open back door.

“I’ll get it,” said Henry.

He raced up the stairs and a moment later, the others heard the phone stop in mid-ring.

A few minutes later, Henry came back outside.

“Who was it, Henry?” asked Grandfather Alden.

“I don’t know,” said Henry. “I think someone was trying to disguise3 his — or her — voice.”

“What do you mean?” Jessie asked quickly.

Henry said, “It was someone calling about Spotzie. The voice was very muffled4 and hard to hear. He — or she — said that Spotzie is lost and going to stay lost. And if we know what’s good for us, we’ll stop looking for her!”

Everyone was so surprised that no one said anything at all for a minute. Then Violet said, “Do you think it was the same man who called me? Mr. Jones?”

“There’s no way of knowing,” said Henry. “I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman calling. But if it was a man, it might be the man you talked to.”

Suddenly Jessie snapped5 her fingers excitedly. “But now we have a clue!”

“A clue?” Grandfather looked at Jessie. “What’s the clue?”

“Now we know Spotzie was stolen! Why else would anyone want us to stop looking for her, unless they’d taken her and didn’t want to get caught?” explained Jessie.

“You’re right!” exclaimed Henry.

“Was it a cat burglar6?” asked Benny, looking up at his grandfather. “Was it a cat burglar who took Spotzie?”

Grandfather Alden patted his youngest grandchild on the head. “It was a cat burglar of sorts, Benny.”

“I think we should visit Professor Madison again,” Jessie said. “I think she knows more than she is telling us.”

The Aldens all agreed it was a good idea, and decided7 to go visit Professor Madison the following day.

The next day when the Aldens arrived at Professor Madison’s, she was even more unfriendly than she had been before.

“Hello,” said Henry politely when the professor opened the door.

This time, Professor Madison didn’t try to close the door in their faces. Instead, she stepped outside onto her porch8 and shut the front door behind her. She folded her arms in front of her and frowned. “What is it now?” she asked.

“We’d like to talk to you about Spotzie.” Jessie held up the photograph of Spotzie to remind the professor.

The professor sighed a big, annoyed sigh. “Are you still looking for that cat? Well, she’s not here. Not now. Not ever!”

“Wait a minute,” said Henry. “Remember the last time we were here and we tried to show you a photograph of Spotzie. You said you didn’t have a cat that looked like ours. But you didn’t really look at the photograph!”

Professor Madison bit her lip. “I saw as much as I needed to see.”

“But — ” Henry began.

“I’ve told you everything I’m going to tell you,” Professor Madison told them.

“Then there is more,” said Jessie quickly. “You know more and you aren’t telling us!”

Putting her hand on the door handle behind her, the professor said, “No. Well . . .”

“Wait,” said Violet. “Please wait. We need your help. We think Spotzie isn’t lost after all. We think she was stolen. If you know anything that can help us find her, please tell us!”

The professor hesitated. She half turned, as if she were about to go back inside without answering. Then she turned back around.

“Okay,” she said. “You’re not the only one looking for a lost cat that matches the picture you showed me. The day before you came over, someone else was here looking for a lost cat. He’d gotten my name from the animal shelter as someone who had a lot of cats and might have taken his in.”

“What happened?” asked Jessie eagerly.

“I showed him the cat I gave to you. He said she was his cat and made a grab9 for her. She hissed10 and tried to get away from him. That made me suspicious11.”

“Why would his own cat do that?” Benny’s eyes were wide.

“I don’t think it was his cat.” Professor Madison went on, “I became really suspicious when he offered me a large reward for the cat — a great deal too much money — if I’d just hand her over. When I wouldn’t, he became very angry and almost threatening. I made him leave.

“That same night, someone tried to break into my house. Fortunately, I have an alarm system and it scared off whoever it was. But I’m sure it was the same man.”

“It could be the same man who called us, too,” said Henry.

“What are you talking about?” the professor asked.

“Last night, someone called us and told us to stop looking for Spotzie if we knew what was good for us. That’s what made us think she was stolen,” Henry explained. “What did the man who came here look like?”

Professor Madison answered, “It was hard to tell. He was wearing a hat and dark glasses and a coat with the collar turned up — almost like a disguise. That made me suspicious, too.”

The Aldens exchanged glances. It sounded like the man who had followed them outside the animal shelter!

“I think you’re right,” Professor Madison continued. “I think it might be the same man that called you.” She reached out and took the photograph of Spotzie that Jessie was holding. “They do look alike, don’t they. But I don’t understand it. Why would someone steal a cat like this?”

No one could answer that.

The professor gave the photograph back to Jessie. “Anyway, I’m glad she’s in a safe place now. That’s why I insisted you take her. I know that man wasn’t her owner and I didn’t trust him.”

Jessie put the picture carefully in her pocket. “Thank you, Professor Madison,” she said.

“Good luck,” said Professor Madison. “If anything else happens, or I can think of anything to help, I’ll let you know.”

She went back into her house and the Boxcar children went down the stairs and got back on their bicycles.

“Who could have taken Spotzie?” wondered Violet.

“And why?” added Jessie.

“That’s the biggest mystery of all,” said Henry. “Spotzie looks like an ordinary cat.”

“Maybe she’s not,” said Benny. “Maybe she’s a rare and valuable cat.”

“Oh, Benny,” said Jessie. “Spotzie isn’t like those cats we saw at Mr. Allen’s. Those cats are like the dogs we saw at the dog show. They are very valuable.”

“But Watch isn’t a show dog, and he’s valuable,” said Benny.

“That’s true, Benny,” Violet said. “And Spotzie isn’t a show cat, but she is valuable to Mr. Woods, too, because he loves her, the same way we love Watch.”

“That makes Watch and Spotzie the most valuable dog and cat of all,” declared Benny.

“You’re right,” Violet said to her little brother, giving him a warm smile. “You’re exactly right, Benny.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 constellations ee34f7988ee4aa80f9502f825177c85d     
n.星座( constellation的名词复数 );一群杰出人物;一系列(相关的想法、事物);一群(相关的人)
参考例句:
  • The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转,要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分
3 disguise 9lbzE     
vt.把...假扮起来;n.伪装物,假装,伪装
参考例句:
  • He went about in the disguise of a sailor.他伪装成海员到处流窜。
  • It is impossible to disguise the fact that business is bad.生意不好这件事无法隐瞒。
4 muffled fnmzel     
adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己)
参考例句:
  • muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
  • There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 snapped 049d092795475d08a3fcd2d16ef4b519     
v.猛地咬住( snap的过去式和过去分词 );(使某物)发出尖厉声音地突然断裂[打开,关闭];厉声地说;拍照
参考例句:
  • The wind had snapped the tree in two. 风把树喀嚓一声刮断了。
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了,暴躁地斥责孩子们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 burglar rssz2     
n.窃贼,破门盗窃者
参考例句:
  • The policeman took the burglar by surprise as he opened the window.当夜盗开窗时,警察冷不防地捉住了他。
  • The man glanced the burglar climbing out of the window.那人瞥见小偷从窗户爬出来。
7 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。
8 porch ju9yM     
n.门廊,入口处,走廊,游廊
参考例句:
  • There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
  • The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。
9 grab ef0xd     
vt./n.攫取,抓取;vi.攫取,抓住(at)
参考例句:
  • It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
  • The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包,但被我推开了。
10 hissed 2299e1729bbc7f56fc2559e409d6e8a7     
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对
参考例句:
  • Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过?
  • The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。
11 suspicious DrLw1     
adj.可疑的,容易引起怀疑的,猜疑的,疑心的
参考例句:
  • A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
  • He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重,连自己的母亲也不相信。
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