Secrets at Sea: Chapters 1–4

by Richard Peck
The oldest of her surviving mouse siblings, Helena recounts the adventures of her family when they hid in the trunk of a human to sail from New York to England.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–11, Chapters 12–16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flare
    a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate
    They wouldn’t have seen me if I’d been sending up flares.
  2. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    “I’m not sure what I heard, exactly.” Louise wavered.
  3. muddle
    a confused multitude of things
    Louise’s mind was in a muddle. “I didn’t understand most of it. But Mrs. Cranston went on and on about giving Olive Her Chance. ‘We must give Olive Her Chance,’ said Mrs. Cranston.”
  4. sober
    become or cause to become more serious
    “Mr. Cranston has crossed the river, looking for a young man for Olive.”
    We stood sobered by the thought.
  5. particular
    exacting especially about details
    “Aren’t the young men of Europe as particular as the young men here?” Louise wondered.
    “As I understand it, they’re not,” I said. “Besides, in Europe, money buys everything. But with us, it’s family that counts. Family.”
  6. frill
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    I make most of them myself and was wearing my apron with the frill.
  7. bodice
    part of a dress above the waist
    Beatrice was wearing her polished cotton, very girlish with the smocking across the bodice.
  8. stout
    having rugged physical strength
    And they built good strong stone houses, gabled and stout to keep winter out.
  9. sow
    place seeds in or on the ground for future growth
    Being a boy, he sowed the seeds of destruction wherever he was.
  10. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    A cat had been sighted in the vicinity.
  11. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    Mrs. Flint was an indifferent cook, but there were two good things about her.
  12. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    “Those teeth are for chewing. Think of the many mice who must forage for their food, Lamont. Mice who would be glad to be sitting at your place.”
  13. cunning
    showing inventiveness and skill
    Mrs. Flint always left a pan of breakfast coffee at the back of the stove. We had a cunning little dipper we could send down into the pan on a length of picture wire.
  14. settee
    a small sofa
    They sat sideways on the settee because of their bustles, waiting for visitors who never came.
  15. idle
    not in action or at work
    I kept Beatrice busy. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
  16. in a nutshell
    summed up briefly
    “How did all this end, Louise?” I asked, because she was going on forever. “Put it in a nutshell.”
    “Money,” Louise said.
  17. evidently
    in a manner that is obvious or unmistakable
    “Mrs. Minturn said it would take money to unlock the doors of Europe. Nobody in Europe is interested in poor Americans. No young man is. Evidently they have enough poor people of their own.”
  18. spare
    save or relieve from an experience or action
    The four eyes of my sisters fell upon me. But I was spared answering.
  19. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Beatrice stifled a scream and pointed.
  20. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    Lamont writhed on the rag rug with far less tail to lash.
  21. loll
    be lazy or idle
    “Up, Lamont.”
    He lolled and squealed, and I untied my apron.
  22. cower
    crouch or curl up
    Lamont cowered, but I marched him out of the room.
  23. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    All the way up through the walls I bristled with things I felt like saying to Lamont, things he needed to hear.
  24. teem
    be full of or abuzz with
    Even when the grass is new-mown, we are up to our eyes in it. And it teems with beetles and earthworms and pesky ticks.
  25. practically
    almost; nearly
    We were practically in the barn’s shadow now.
  26. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    A cat lives in the barn, to keep down the vermin. And we are the vermin.
  27. yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
    But he wanted his tail, and we’d come for it. He squeaked a yearning little squeak.
  28. hapless
    unfortunate and deserving pity
    I cut and ran toward the haystack, pounding past my hapless brother.
  29. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    And here Lamont came, with the end of his tail unfurling from his mouth.
  30. keel over
    fall suddenly; collapse
    In the shadow of the spirea we keeled over, gasping in the grass.
  31. tarry
    stay longer than you should
    But we could not tarry long there out in the open.
  32. scud
    run or move very quickly or hastily
    The scudding clouds above us threw cat-shaped shadows across the yard.
  33. rummage
    search haphazardly
    Tying my apron about me, I rummaged for a needle and thread while Louise and Beatrice stood by, speechless.
  34. stealthy
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    Stealthy Louise lifted her tail to keep from knocking over anything as she made for the door.
  35. ruffle
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    She’d shinny up the dust ruffle on Camilla’s bed.
  36. bound
    very likely; almost certain to happen
    Louise was bound to be lost without Camilla.
  37. meek
    evidencing little spirit or courage
    Meek to a fault was Beatrice.
  38. mousy
    quiet, timid, and ineffectual
    Meek to a fault was Beatrice. And though I didn’t want to say it—a little bit mousy.
  39. seething
    in constant agitation
    But I may have drifted into a dream then. I must have, because there before my sleeping self rose an enormous sunlit Stilton cheese, seething with snakes.
  40. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    Still—once I’d made up my mind to go to Aunt Fannie, I may have drifted into a fitful sleep.
Created on Tue Apr 30 14:17:10 EDT 2024 (updated Thu May 02 12:35:23 EDT 2024)

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