Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The kids stared at Wallis in silence. She winked at them. "Don't worry, that's just his way of saying hello. Shall we go down?" The kids glanced at each other, then followed Wallis down the wooden stairs. At the bottom they found a small, sandy beach. Dink and Josh set the basket in the shade of some boulders while Wallis and Ruth Rose spread the blanket. "Look! A cave!" Josh said, pointing at a tunnel at the bottom of the cliff. The sea snaked into the dark hole, making a narrow river. "How far does it go in?" Josh asked, peering into the black space. "I don't know," Wallis said. "Walker told me that it's full of bats."

孩子们默默地盯着沃利斯。 她对他们眨了眨眼睛。“别担心，那只是他打招呼的方式。 我们下去好吗?”孩子们互相看了一眼，然后跟着沃利斯下了木楼梯。 在海底，他们发现了一个小沙滩。 丁克和乔希把篮子放在一些巨石的阴影下，沃利斯和露丝·罗斯铺上毯子。 “看!一个山洞!”乔希指着悬崖底部的一条隧道说。 海水蜿蜒流入黑洞，形成一条狭窄的河流。 “它能进多远?”乔希问，凝视着黑暗的空间。 “我不知道，”沃利斯说。 “沃克告诉我那里到处都是蝙蝠。”

They picnicked on chicken sandwiches, apples, chocolate chip cookies, and cold lemonade. Wallis pointed down the shoreline. "Walker's house is beyond those trees." "Where is he?" asked Dink. "Out on his boat," Wallis said, waving a cookie at the ocean. "His lobster pots are scattered over about a half mile of very deep water." "How does he find them?" Josh asked. Wallis wiped her fingers on a paper napkin. "Well, he has a good compass aboard Lady Luck

他们野餐时吃了鸡肉三明治、苹果、巧克力饼干和冷柠檬水。 沃利斯指着海岸线。 “沃克的家在那些树的后面。” “他在哪儿?”丁克问。 “在他的船上，”沃利斯对着大海挥舞着一块饼干说。 “他的龙虾罐散落在大约半英里深的水中。” “他是怎么找到他们的?”杰克问。 沃利斯用餐巾纸擦了擦手指。 “好吧，他在幸运女神船上有一个很好的指南针

— that's his boat—and he knows the water." After their picnic, Wallis put everything back into the basket. "Ready for a walk?" They hiked along the rocky beach. Ruth Rose poked into tide pools and picked up shells. Josh hung his sneakers around his neck and waded along the shore. "Better watch out for lobsters," Dink teased. "They like smelly toes." Josh grinned and splashed Dink. Rounding a curve in the shoreline, Wallis pointed. "There's Walker's place." It was a gray cottage with a red roof, surrounded by dune grass and sand. Just then they heard a shout. Dink looked around and saw someone waving from the end of a dock. Wallis waved back. "Kids, come and meet our friend Ripley Pearce." They walked out on the dock toward a long green boat tied at the end. The boat's brass and wood trim gleamed in the sunlight. A man stood next to the boat, holding a dripping sponge. He had dark slicked-back hair and blue eyes.

——那是他的船——他熟悉水。” 野餐过后，沃利斯把所有的东西都放回篮子里。 “准备好去散步了吗?”他们沿着多岩石的海滩徒步旅行。 露丝·罗斯探进潮池，捡起贝壳。 乔希把运动鞋挂在脖子上，沿着海岸涉水而行。 “最好小心龙虾，”丁克开玩笑说。 “它们喜欢臭脚趾。”乔希咧嘴一笑，朝丁克泼水。 在海岸线上拐过一个弯，沃利斯指了指。 “那是沃克的住处。”那是一座灰色的小屋，红色的屋顶，周围是沙丘草和沙子。 就在这时，他们听到一声喊叫。 丁克环顾四周，看见码头尽头有人在挥手。 沃利斯也挥了挥手。“孩子们，来见见我们的朋友雷普利·皮尔斯。” 他们走出码头，向一艘拴在码头尽头的绿色长船走去。 船的黄铜和木头装饰在阳光下闪闪发光。 一个人站在船边，手里拿着一块滴水的海绵。 他有一头乌黑顺滑的头发和一双蓝眼睛。

"Hi, Rip," Wallis said. "Meet Dink Duncan, Josh Pinto, and Ruth Rose Hathaway." The man smiled and stuck out a hand. He had dazzling white teeth and a deep tan. "You're fans of this lady's books, right?" "I've got all of them!" Dink announced. "I met these three in Connecticut," Wallis explained. "They're spending a week up at the castle. Why don't you come for supper with us tonight?" "I like your boat," Ruth Rose said. "It's so shiny and clean!" Rip flashed her a grin. "Thank you very much, little lady. I'll see you tonight at dinner." Then he looked at Josh. "Want to untie me?" he asked, pointing to a rope tied to the end of the dock. Josh untied the rope and handed it to Rip. "Nice meeting you kids," he said, stepping aboard his boat. He started the engine, and the boat pulled smoothly away from the dock. Dink watched the boat cut through the water. "Maybe I won't be a writer when I grow up. Maybe I'll get a lobster boat."

“嗨，瑞普，”沃利斯说。"来见见丁克·邓肯，乔什·平托和露丝·罗斯·海瑟薇" 那人微笑着伸出一只手。 他的牙齿白得耀眼，皮肤晒得黝黑。 “你们是这位女士的书迷，对吧?”“我全抓住了!”丁克宣布。 “我是在康涅狄格州认识这三个人的，”沃利斯解释说。 “他们要在城堡里待一个星期。 今晚你为什么不和我们一起吃晚饭呢?”“我喜欢你的船，”露丝·罗斯说。 “它又亮又干净!”里普冲她咧嘴一笑。 “非常感谢你，小姑娘。 今晚晚餐时见。” 然后他看着乔希。“想给我松绑吗?”他指着绑在码头一端的一根绳子问道。 乔希解开绳子，递给瑞普。 “很高兴认识你们，孩子们。”他边说边踏上他的船。 他发动引擎，船平稳地驶离码头。 丁克看着船破浪而行。 “也许我长大后不会成为一名作家。 也许我该买条龙虾船。”

Wallis grinned at Dink. "Better stick to writing, Dink. Lobsters are getting scarce in Maine." "I can't wait to go out on Walker's boat," Ruth Rose said. "My brother's boat is nothing like Rip's," Wallis said. She shook her head. "I don't know how Rip keeps his so clean. Walker's boat looks and smells like a lobster boat." They walked back toward their picnic spot. Josh kicked water on Ruth Rose, and she chased him down the beach, yelling all the way. Dink walked quietly along with Wallis. Overhead, a sea gull cried out. Dink looked up at Wallis. "Do you really think that scream we heard was the ghost of Emory Scott?" Wallis laughed. "All I know is I've been hearing those screams since I moved in. The first time, I searched the castle. But I never found a thing." Dink shivered. "Do you hear the noises a lot?" he asked. Wallis shrugged. "Sometimes weeks go by and there's not a peep. Then I'll hear them for a few days in a row."

沃利斯对丁克咧嘴一笑。“还是专心写作吧，丁克。 缅因州的龙虾越来越少了。” “我迫不及待地想登上沃克的船，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我哥哥的船一点也不像里普的，”沃利斯说。 她摇了摇头。“我不知道里普是怎么把他的手弄得这么干净的。 沃克的船看起来和闻起来都像龙虾船。” 他们朝野餐地点走去。 乔什把水踢到露丝·罗斯身上，她追着他一路大喊大叫。 丁克和沃利斯静静地走在一起。 头顶上，一只海鸥在叫。 丁克抬头看着沃利斯。“你真的认为我们听到的尖叫声是埃默里·斯科特的鬼魂吗?”沃利斯笑了。 “我只知道，自从我搬进来，我就一直听到那些尖叫声。 第一次，我搜遍了城堡。 但我什么也没找到。” 丁克颤抖。“你经常听到这些声音吗?”他问。 沃利斯耸耸肩。“有时几个星期过去了，一点动静也没有。 然后我会连续几天听到他们的声音。”

Wallis smiled down at Dink. "To tell you the truth, Dink, this is one mystery that's got me stumped. If those screams aren't the ghost of Emory Scott, I don't know what they are!"

沃利斯朝丁克微笑。 “说实话，丁克，这是一个把我难住的谜。 如果那些尖叫不是埃默里·斯科特的鬼魂，我不知道那是什么!”