Sentence:  Her eyes still closed, his aunt smiled cruelly. “I know what you are dying to say, Bertie. Go ahead—take the cheap shot. I'll squash you like the nasty little bug you are.” ¶ Thus chastened, the little man <WSD>beetled</WSD> away. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To move away quickly, to scurry away.