9 THE RUBY SCORPION

CHAPTER 9 THE RUBY SCORPION After eleven verses of "The Drills on the Teeth," The bus finally came 10 a stop. "We're here!" said Mr. Plunkett. "Grab your gear and head inside." The Stermont Museum looked like a cross between a bank and a haunted house. Alexander, Rip, and Nikki followed their classmates into the lobby.

在唱了十一节“牙齿上的钻头”之后，公共汽车终于停了下来。 “我们来了！”普伦基特先生说。 “拿上你的装备，冲进去。” 斯特蒙特博物馆看起来就像一个介于银行和鬼屋之间的地方。 亚历山大、里普和尼基跟着他们的同学进了大厅。

The room was big, cold, and dark. A green glow came from an enormous clock on the second floor. Colorful banners hung everywhere.

房间又大又冷又黑。 二楼的一个大钟发出绿光。 到处都挂着五颜六色的横幅。

"Okay," said Mr. Plunkett. "Put your sleeping bags over by the gift shop— next to that mean- looking soldier statue." The statue's head slowly turned to face the group. Everyone gasped. "Actually," said the statue, "I am not a statue. I am a guard." She flashed a badge. Ms. Sargent looked Mr. Plunkett up and down. "My job is to protect Stermont's greatest treasures— and to make sure there's no funny business tonight." She glared at Mr. Plunkett's gopher slippers.

“好吧，”普伦基特先生说。 “把你的睡袋放在礼品店旁边——就在那个看起来很刻薄的士兵雕像旁边。” 雕像的头慢慢转向人群。 每个人都气喘吁吁地说。“事实上，”雕像说，“我不是雕像。 我是一个卫兵。”她亮出一枚徽章。 萨金特女士上下打量了普伦基特先生。 “我的工作是保护斯特蒙最珍贵的宝藏——并确保今晚没有任何恶作剧。” 她怒视着普伦基特先生的地鼠拖鞋。

"Funny business?! Me?! Never!" said Mr. Plunkett. "And with Dr. Bopp and Mr. Hoarsely here— wait!" He looked around. "Where is Mr. Hoarsely?" The students stared back in silence. "Oh, brother," said Mr. Plunkett. "He is always wandering off. Let's just start the tour BDNG! COGKOO! Mr. Plunkett looked up at the balcony. Like I said, let's—" The students covered their ears. "What you're hearing is the world's second- largest cuckoo clock," Ms. Sargent said. "It's three stories tall. You'll notice—" "Clocks schmocks!" yelled Rip. "Let's see the Ruby Scorpion!"

“有趣的业务? !我? !绝不！”普伦基特先生说。 “还有波普博士和沙哑先生——等等！”他环顾四周。 “沙哑先生在哪儿？”学生们默默地盯着他。 “哦，兄弟，”普伦基特先生说。 “他总是走神。 让我们开始我们的旅程吧！COGKOO !普伦基特先生抬头看了看阳台。 就像我说的，让我们——”学生们捂着耳朵。 “你听到的是世界上第二大的布谷鸟钟。” 萨金特说。“它有三层楼高。 你会注意到——”“钟表是笨蛋！” “让我们看看红宝石蝎子！”

Ms. Sargent gave Rip a look that could wilt lettuce. "Fine," she said through clenched teeth. "Follow me." She led the group to a round room. The room was empty except for a small, glass dome holding the scorpion-shaped red gem. Its eyes seemed to move in the twinkling light. "Oooooh," everyone said. They squeezed in for a closer look. Alexander got separated from Rip and Nikki. Ugh, he thought. The scorpion's cool and all, but there's no need to shove.

萨金特女士看了里普一眼，看得莴苣都蔫了。 “很好，”她咬紧牙关说。 “跟我来。”她把大家领到一个圆形的房间。 房间里空无一人，只有一个小小的玻璃圆顶，上面挂着那颗蝎子形的红色宝石。 它的眼睛似乎在闪烁的光线中转动。 “哦哦，”大家都说。他们挤进去凑近看。 亚历山大跟里普和妮基走散了。 啊，他想。蝎子很酷，但没必要推。