🔊 About noon the next day the boys arrived at the dead tree; they had come for their tools. Tom was impatient to go to the haunted house; Huck was measurably so, also—but suddenly said:

约莫中午时分,两个孩子又来到了那棵枯树跟前；他们是来拿工具的。汤姆早已按捺不住,急着要去那座鬼屋；哈克也是兴致勃勃--不过他忽然开口说:

🔊

measurably /ˈmeʒərəbli/

adv. 可察觉地,显著地➕

🔊 "Lookyhere, Tom, do you know what day it is?"

“哎,我说汤姆,你知道今儿是星期几吗？”

🔊 Tom mentally ran over the days of the week, and then quickly lifted his eyes with a startled look in them—

汤姆心里默默盘算着星期几,猛地睁大眼睛,一脸惊愕--

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mentally /ˈmentəli/

adv. 在心里；精神上➕

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startled /ˈstɑːrtld/

adj. 受惊吓的,震惊的➕

🔊 "My! I never once thought of it, Huck!"

“天哪！我压根儿没想起来这茬,哈克！”

🔊 "Well, I didn't neither, but all at once it popped onto me that it was Friday."

“可不是,我也没想起来,可突然一下子就记起今儿是星期五。”

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popped /pɒpt/

v. (过去式). 突然出现,冒出➕

🔊 "Blame it, a body can't be too careful, Huck. We might 'a' got into an awful scrape, tackling such a thing on Friday."

“真要命,这事儿可得格外当心,哈克。咱们要是挑星期五干这种事儿,指不定会倒大霉。”

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scrape /skreɪp/

n. 困境,窘境➕

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tackling /ˈtæklɪŋ/

v. (动名词). 处理,应对（难题）➕

🔊 "Might! Better say we would! There's some lucky days, maybe, but Friday ain't."

“指不定？我看是准定倒霉！也许有些日子走运,可星期五绝对不在此列。”

🔊 "Any fool knows that. I don't reckon you was the first that found it out, Huck."

“这连傻瓜都知道。我看也不是你头一个发现的,哈克。”

🔊

reckon /ˈrekən/

v. 认为,估计；[非正式] 想,料想➕

🔊 "Well, I never said I was, did I? And Friday ain't all, neither. I had a rotten bad dream last night—dreamt about rats."

“哼,我又没说我头一个发现,对吧？再说也不光是星期五的事儿。我昨晚做了个不吉利的梦--梦见老鼠了。”

🔊

rotten /ˈrɒtn/

adv. [口语] 非常,极其（用作强化语,常与'bad'等词连用）➕

🔊 "No! Sure sign of trouble. Did they fight?"

“糟了！这准是麻烦的兆头。它们打架了吗？”

🔊 "No."

“没打。”

🔊 "Well, that's good, Huck. When they don't fight it's only a sign that there's trouble around, you know. All we got to do is to look mighty sharp and keep out of it. We'll drop this thing for to-day, and play. Do you know Robin Hood, Huck?"

“哦,那还好,哈克。老鼠不打架,不过是说麻烦就在附近,你懂吧。咱们只要多加小心,别撞上就成。今儿这事儿先搁下,玩别的吧。你知道罗宾汉吗,哈克？”

🔊

mighty /ˈmaɪti/

adv. [非正式] 非常,极其➕

🔊 "No. Who's Robin Hood?"

“不知道。罗宾汉是谁？”

🔊 "Why, he was one of the greatest men that was ever in England—and the best. He was a robber."

“嗨,他可是英格兰有史以来顶了不起的人物--也是顶好的人。他是个侠盗。”

🔊 "Cracky, I wisht I was. Who did he rob?"

“好家伙,我要是就好了。他都抢谁？”

🔊 "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. But he never bothered the poor. He loved 'em. He always divided up with 'em perfectly square."

“光抢那郡长、主教、阔佬和国王这类人。可他从不招惹穷人。他爱穷人。抢来的东西总是分给他们,分得公公平平。”

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sheriffs /ˈʃɛrɪfs/

n. 县治安官➕

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bishops /ˈbɪʃəps/

n. 主教➕

🔊 "Well, he must 'a' been a brick."

“噢,那他准是个大好人。”

🔊

brick /brɪk/

n. （俚语）可靠的好人,靠得住的人➕

🔊 "I bet you he was, Huck. Oh, he was the noblest man that ever lived. They ain't any such men now, I reckon. He could lick any man in England, with one hand tied behind him; and he could take his yew bow and plug a ten-cent piece every time, a mile and a half."

“我敢打赌他是,哈克。唉,他是古往今来最高尚的人。我寻思如今可没这样的人了。他一只手绑在背后,也能把英格兰随便哪个好汉打趴下；他能用紫杉木弓在一英里半外射中一个一毛钱的银角子,回回都中。”

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noblest /ˈnoʊblɪst/

adj. 最高尚的,最崇高的（noble的最高级）➕

🔊

lick /lɪk/

v. （非正式）打败,战胜➕

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yew bow /juː boʊ/

n. 紫杉木制成的弓➕

🔊

plug /plʌɡ/

v. （非正式）射击,射中➕

🔊 "What's a yew bow?"

“紫杉木弓是什么？”

🔊 "I don't know. It's some kind of a bow, of course. And if he hit that dime only on the edge he would set down and cry—and curse. But we'll play Robin Hood—it's nobby fun. I'll learn you."

“我也不知道。反正是一种弓呗。要是他只射中那银角子的边儿,他就会坐下来哭--还骂骂咧咧。不过咱们来玩罗宾汉吧--可有意思啦。我来教你。”

🔊

dime /daɪm/

n. （美国、加拿大）十分硬币➕

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curse /kɜːrs/

v. 咒骂,诅咒➕

🔊

nobby /ˈnɒbi/

adj. （过时俚语）一流的,时尚的,漂亮的➕

🔊 "I'm agreed."

“行啊。”

🔊 So they played Robin Hood all the afternoon, now and then casting a yearning eye down upon the haunted house and passing a remark about the morrow's prospects and possibilities there. As the sun began to sink into the west they took their way homeward athwart the long shadows of the trees and soon were buried from sight in the forests of Cardiff Hill.

于是整个下午,他俩都扮作罗宾汉玩,只是不时朝鬼屋那边投去渴望的目光,议论几句明天去那里的前景和种种可能。待到夕阳开始西沉,他们便踏上了回家的路,穿过树木投下的长长阴影,很快就消失在卡第夫山的林莽之中。

🔊

yearning /ˈjɜːrnɪŋ/

adj. 渴望的,向往的➕

🔊

haunted house /ˈhɔːntɪd haʊs/

n. 鬼屋➕

🔊

morrow's /ˈmɒrəʊz/

n. （古语）明天的,翌日的➕

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prospects /ˈprɒspekts/

n. 前景,可能性➕

🔊

athwart /əˈθwɔːrt/

prep. 横跨,穿过；与…相反➕

🔊 On Saturday, shortly after noon, the boys were at the dead tree again. They had a smoke and a chat in the shade, and then dug a little in their last hole, not with great hope, but merely because Tom said there were so many cases where people had given up a treasure after getting down within six inches of it, and then somebody else had come along and turned it up with a single thrust of a shovel. The thing failed this time, however, so the boys shouldered their tools and went away feeling that they had not trifled with fortune, but had done all that men could toward securing the treasure.

星期六,刚过晌午不久,两个孩子又来到枯树跟前。他们在树荫下抽了阵烟,聊了会儿天,又在原先挖过的坑里象征性地刨了几下,倒不抱多大指望,只因汤姆说,好多人都挖到离宝藏只有六英寸便放弃了,后来别人来了,只消一铲子就把宝贝翻了出来。不过这次还是白费力气,于是孩子们扛起工具走了,心里觉得他们并没怠慢好运,但凡人力能及的,他们为得到这宝藏都已尽力而为。

🔊

thrust /θrʌst/

n. 猛推,刺➕

🔊

shovel /ˈʃʌv(ə)l/

n. 铲子,铁锹➕

🔊

shouldered /ˈʃəʊldəd/

v. 扛起,承担（shoulder的过去式）➕

🔊

trifled with /ˈtraɪf(ə)ld wɪð/

v. phrase. 轻视,玩弄➕

🔊

securing /sɪˈkjʊərɪŋ/

v. 确保获得,使安全➕

🔊 Now they wended their way to the haunted house. A fatal stillness reigned in the spot, and the loneliness was dreary. They were afraid to go in at first; they threw a stone into the doorway, and it echoed through the empty rooms with a sepulchral sound that made their flesh creep. By and by they ventured in softly, with quickened pulses, talking in whispers, ears alert to catch the slightest sound, and muscles tense and ready for instant retreat.

这会儿,他们便朝鬼屋走去。一股要命的寂静笼罩着这地方,孤独感阴森森的。起初他们不敢进去；他们先扔了块石头进门洞,石头在空荡荡的房间里激起一阵回响,那坟墓般的声响让他们起了一层鸡皮疙瘩。渐渐地,他们才壮起胆子,蹑手蹑脚地摸进去,心跳得厉害,说话压着嗓子,耳朵竖起捕捉最细微的动静,肌肉绷紧,随时准备拔腿就跑。

🔊

wended /ˈwɛndɪd/

v. 走,前往（wend的过去式,现多用于文学或古语）➕

🔊

fatal /ˈfeɪt(ə)l/

adj. 致命的；灾难性的➕

🔊

stillness /ˈstɪlnəs/

n. 寂静,静止➕

🔊

reigned /reɪnd/

v. 统治；盛行（reign的过去式）➕

🔊

dreary /ˈdrɪəri/

adj. 沉闷的,阴郁的,枯燥的➕

🔊

sepulchral /sɪˈpʌlkr(ə)l/

adj. 坟墓般的,阴森森的；丧葬的➕

🔊

flesh creep /fleʃ kriːp/

v. phrase. （使）毛骨悚然,（使）起鸡皮疙瘩➕

🔊

quickened /ˈkwɪk(ə)nd/

v. 加快,加速➕

🔊

pulses /ˈpʌlsɪz/

n. 脉搏；脉冲➕

🔊

whispers /ˈwɪspəz/

n. 低语,耳语（whisper的复数）➕

🔊

tense /tɛns/

adj. 紧张的；绷紧的➕

🔊

retreat /rɪˈtriːt/

n. 撤退；退避处➕

🔊 But gradually their courage grew. They became bolder, and gave the place a critical and interested examination, admiring their own audacity and wondering at it the next. Then they went upstairs. Here was the same desolation. In one corner they found a closet that promised mystery, but the promise was a fraud—there was nothing in it. Now they were possessed of a devouring curiosity to look under the bed. They shoved it out into the room. The result was a dust cloud and nothing more. Tom said:

可渐渐地,他们的胆子大了起来。他们变得大胆了些,带着挑剔和好奇把这地方细细察看一番,先是佩服自己的胆量,转念又为此惊讶。接着他们上了楼。这里同样荒凉破败。在一个角落里,他们发现一个壁橱,看上去很有神秘感,但这指望落了空--里面空空如也。这会儿他们心里烧着强烈的好奇,非要瞧瞧床底下不可。他们把床从墙边拖到屋子中央。结果只扬起一阵灰尘,别无他物。汤姆说:

🔊

bolder /ˈbəʊldə(r)/

adj. 更大胆的（bold的比较级）➕

🔊

critical /ˈkrɪtɪk(ə)l/

adj. 批判性的,审慎的；关键的➕

🔊

audacity /ɔːˈdæsəti/

n. 大胆,鲁莽；厚颜无耻➕

🔊

desolation /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/

n. 荒凉,荒芜；孤寂➕