儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Hidden Painting CHAPTER 5 Follow the Leader
时间:2018-12-06 作者:英语课 分类:24 The Mystery of the Hidden P
The Aldens could hardly wait until it was time to go to the museum. They ate breakfast and lunch as slowly as they could so the time would pass. They played three games of badminton. Finally, they all piled into Aunt Jane’s car and drove into town.
When they got to the museum, Mr. Mason looked startled 1 to see Aunt Jane. Violet 2 and Jessie exchanged a glance when they saw Mr. Mason’s surprised face. “Well, Mrs. Bean,” he said, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I just thought I’d drive the Aldens into town,” she said.
“Mr. Mason,” Henry asked, “have you had time to look at Violet’s drawing of the necklace yet?”
“Well now, young man,” Carl Mason began. “A very strange thing happened. The drawing is gone.”
“Gone!” Violet and Jessie said at the same time.
Mr. Mason cleared his throat. “The cleaning man was here last night, and I guess in his effort to straighten up my desk he just threw out some things he shouldn’t have. I’m really very sorry.”
All the Aldens secretly thought he didn’t look sorry.
“My sister took a lot of time to make that drawing,” Benny said. “I’ll bet 3 she feels really bad that you threw out her picture. It was very good, too.”
Violet raised her chin and looked at Mr. Mason. “It’s all right, Benny. I can make another one when I get home.”
“Well, my dear, you just do that,” Mr. Mason said.
Aunt Jane took Benny by the hand and said, “Mr. Mason, I wonder if I could see the necklace, please.”
Carl Mason looked very unhappy. “Of course, Mrs. Bean. Just come right this way.”
They all walked into the room that held the display case. Aunt Jane looked at the necklace and said softly 4, “It is lovely.”
Suddenly, Jessie said, “Look! I didn’t notice this yesterday.” She pointed 5 to a small card on the lower part of the case. She read out loud, “Donated by Mrs. Lorraine Newton.”
“What does that word donated mean?” Benny asked.
“It means that the necklace was given as a gift to the museum by Mrs. Newton,” Henry said.
“Who is she?” Benny asked.
“Mrs. Lorraine Newton is a very important person in Elmford,” Mr. Mason said. “She is a very wealthy and well-known woman here.”
“And the necklace is hers?” Violet asked.
“Well, it was hers, until she very generously gave it to the museum. That was many years ago,” Mr. Mason said. “Really, that’s all I can tell you.”
Aunt Jane said, “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Mason. I guess it’s time we left.” She guided the children out of the museum.
In the car driving home, Aunt Jane said, “I know what you are all thinking. You want to visit Mrs. Newton, but I don’t think you can do that. The necklace must have been hers. You can’t just go and ask her a lot of questions.”
“Not a lot,” Henry said. “Just a few.”
“I don’t know,” Aunt Jane said.
“We can’t go home without talking to Mrs. Newton,” Jessie said. “We just can’t.”
“I doubt that she’ll even see you,” Aunt Jane said.
“Can’t we try?” Jessie asked.
Aunt Jane laughed. “Well, I do admit you are the most determined 6 children I’ve ever known. You get it from your grandfather. All right, but don’t bother the poor woman longer than a few minutes.”
Aunt Jane looked at Henry who was sitting next to her. The other children were in the backseat. “Henry, you keep looking at the side mirror. Is there something bothering you?”
Henry didn’t take his eyes off the mirror. “Aunt Jane, someone is following us.”
Jessie, Benny, and Violet immediately turned around and looked out of the back window. Benny was now kneeling 7 on the seat.
“Henry, what an imagination you have,” Aunt Jane said. “Why would anyone want to follow us?”
“I think it’s Mr. Mason,” Jessie said, staring out of the window.
“Oh, Jessie,” Aunt Jane said, laughing. “You’ve been playing detective too many times. Mr. Mason would have no reason to follow us.”
“Aunt Jane,” Henry said, “just to test him, make a right turn at the corner.”
Aunt Jane turned the car, and the car behind turned right, too.
“See,” Benny said, “he turned, too. He is following us.”
Aunt Jane laughed. “Well, maybe the man wanted to go right because he lives near here. I’m going back to the main road and I’m going to take you all to Kenniston Park. It’s wonderful there. We’ll rent a boat and go rowing, and we’ll eat there, too. Maybe it will take your minds off the necklace. I hope it will.”
But the children all kept looking at the car behind them. When they left Elmford and were riding toward 8 Kenniston, the car behind them disappeared.
“See,” Aunt Jane said cheerfully 9. “It’s gone.”
“Yes,” Henry agreed. “But it only turned off when we left Elmford.”
When they got to Kenniston Park, they went to the lake, where Aunt Jane rented the largest rowboat. The Aldens sat two by two opposite each other, and Aunt Jane sat in the back. Violet and Jessie rowed together and then Benny and Henry. Aunt Jane trailed her hand in the cool water and watched the Aldens pulling on the oars 10. All of them loved every minute and they were all able to forget about the necklace.
Then they walked to a food stand in the park and bought hot dogs and bags of potato chips and sodas 11. They sat on the grass by the lake while they ate.
“Mrs. McGregor wouldn’t approve of us eating this kind of dinner,” Violet said, smiling.
“Well,” Aunt Jane said, “I don’t like eating junk food either, but it can’t hurt once in a while.”
They finished their food and sat quietly watching the sky darken, and lights come on in the park. Music came from somewhere in the distance. Benny fell asleep with his head in Jessie’s lap. When it was time to leave, Henry carried him to the car. The Aldens all agreed it had been a wonderful night. But every now and then, Jessie and Violet and Henry each thought of the sparkling 12 sapphire 13 necklace in the display case in the now dark museum.
- 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》
- She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
- Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
- I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说,你解决不了这个难题。
- I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。
- He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
- She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
- 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。
- I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
- He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
- Better die standing than live kneeling. 宁愿站着死,不愿跪着生。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He pulled her down so that they were kneeling face to face. 他拉她跪下来,他们脸对着脸。 来自英汉文学
- Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
- Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
- The train rolled cheerfully into the station.火车欢呼着驶进车站。
- He takes our advice quite cheerfully.他欣然接受我们的劝告。
- He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
- The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
- Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句