Honor Note 10 Ekşi

William Sydney Porter, known

to the readers under the pen-name Elementary
of 0 . Henry, is a recognized master Для начинающих
of a fascinating plot
and unpredictable ending. Pre-Intermediate
His novels, full of sophisticated Для продолжающих
первого уровня
judgements of human nature
peculiarities, make the reader smile
Intermediate
as well as plunge in thought
Для продолжающих
over sudden changes of fate. второго уровня

Upper Intermediate

третьего уровня

t—
Vtr Advanced

Для совершенствующихся

ISBN

9 1
 >ЯГЛ^

!Ш №
U pper In te rm e d ia te

Q Английский клуб

0. Генри
РАССКАЗЫ
Книга для чтения на английском языке
в старших классах средних школ, гимназий,
лицеев, на I— II курсах неязыковых вузов

Адаптация текста, комментарий,

словарь Г. К Магидсон-Степановой
Упражнения А. Е. Хабенской

МОСКВА

£% А Й Р И С П РЕС С

УДК ()
ББК Англ
Г34

Серия «Английский клуб» включает книги и учебные

пособия, рассчитанные на пять этапов изучения анг­
лийского языка: Elementary (для начинающих), Pre-
Intermediate (для продолжающих первого уровня).
Intermediate (для продолжающих второго уровня),
Upper Interm ediate (для продолжающих третьего
уровня) и Advanced (для совершенствующихся).

Серийное оформление А. М. Драгового

Генри,О .
Г34 Рассказы [= Stories] / О. Генри; адаптация текста, ком-
мент., слов. Г. К. М агидсон-Степановой; упражнения
А. Е. Хабенской. — М.: Айрис-пресс, — с.: пл. —
(Английский ютуб). — (Домашнее чтение).
ISB N 9 7 8 -5 -8 1 1 2 -3 3 2 3 -6

Настоящий сборник состоит из адаптированных рассказов амери­

канского писателя О. Генри. Адаптация рассказов велась по линии со­
кращения текста и замены трудных слов и выражений. Сборник снаб­
жен упраж нениями, англо-русским словарем, а также списком соб­
ственных имен и географических названий.
Книга предназначена для учащихся старших классов средних школ,
гимназий, лицеев, студентов 1—II курсов неязыковых вузов.
ББК Англ
УДК ()

© О О О «И здательство « А Й Р И С -
пресс», о ф о р м л ен и е, ад ап та­
ция, ком м ентарий, словарь.
ISB N 9 7 8 -5 -8 1 1 2 -3 3 2 3 -6 у п р а ж н е н и я ,
 T H E C O U N T A N D T H E W E D D IN G G U E S T

Andy Donovan was a boarder at Mrs. Scott’s board­

ing-house.
One evening he cam e to dinner and Mrs. Scott in ­
troduced him to a new boarder, a young girl, Miss C o n ­
way.
Miss Conway was small and quite simple. She wore a
plain brown dress. After the introduction she did not speak
to Andy Donovan. She sat looking at her plate and he for­
got Miss Conway almost at once.
Two weeks later Andy was sitting on the front steps
o f th e b o a rd in g -h o u se , sm oking a cigar. S u d denly
som ebody cam e o u t. H e tu rn e d his h ead an d his
head tu rn e d .1
Miss Conway was coming out o f the door. She wore
a beautiful black dress and a beautiful black hat. H er shoes
and her gloves were black too. H er rich golden hair, and
her large grey eyes made her almost beautiful. She stood
looking above the houses across the street up into the sky.
H er eyes were sad. All in black, and that sad far-aw ay
look2 and the golden hair shining under the black veil
Mr. Donovan threw away his unfinished cigar.
“It’s a fine, clear evening, Miss Conway,” he said.
“Yes, it is,” answered Miss Conw ay, “but not for
me, Mr. D onovan.”
“ I hope none o f your family is ,” said Andy.
Miss Conway was silent. At last she said:
“ N ot my family. D eath has taken from me som e­
body who was very, very dear to me N ow I am alone in
the world. And I have no friends in this city.”
Andy Donovan did not ask any more questions4 and
their conversation came to an end.
The more Andy thought o f Miss Conway the more
he was sorry for her.5 Once he said to her at table:

1He turned his head and his head turned. — Он повернул голо­
ву и голова у него закружилась (игра слов).
2 that sad far-away lo o k — этот печальный и какой-то
отсутствующий взгляд
3none of your family is — никто из членов вашей семьи не
4did not ask any more questions — больше не задавал вопросов
5The more Andy thought of Miss Conway the more he was sorry for
her. — Чем больше Энди думал о мисс Конвэй, тем больше он ей
сочувствовал, (to be sorry— сочувствовать; раскаиваться,
извиняться)
4
 “ It’s hard to be alone in New York. You should go
o u t1 sometimes to forget your trouble. Do you wish to take
a walk in the park, Miss Conway? If you allow m e”
“Thank you, Mr. D onovan,” said Miss Conway. “I
shall be very glad to have your company. You are very kind.”
While walking2 in the park Miss Conway told Andy
her sad story.
“ His nam e was F ernando M azzini and he was an
Italian Count. He had a lot o f land and a villa in Italy. We
were going to get m arried3 next spring. Fernando went to
Italy to make his villa ready for us. After he left I came to
New York to get a job. Three days ago I received a letter
from Italy. It says that Fernando is dead. He was killed in
a gondola accident.
“That is why I am wearing black. That is why I am
always sad. I cannot take an interest in anybody.4 If you
wish to walk back to the house, Mr. Donovan, let’s go.”
Andy Donovan did not wish to walk back to the house.
“ I’m very sorry5,” he said softly. “N o, we w on’t6 go
back to the house, not yet7. And don’t say that you have no

' You should go out — Вы должны выходить, развлекаться (гла­

гол should выражает долженствование, необходимость)
2While walking — Во время прогулки (walking— Present Partici­
ple, соответствует русскому деепричастию гуляя)
3We were going to get married — Мы собирались пожениться (to
be going to do smth. — собираться, намереваться что-л. сделать)
41 cannot take an interest in anybody. — Никто мне неинтересен.
(Я никем не могу заинтересоваться.)
3Г т (I am) very sorry — Мне очень жаль
6 we won’t = we will not (w ill— модальный глагол, выражает
намерение, решимость, особенно в 1-м лице единственного и
множественного числа)
not yet — (пока) еще нет
5
friends in this city, Miss Conway. I ’m very, very sorry for
you. And you must believe that I’m your friend.”
“ I have a small photograph o f him with m e,” said
Miss Conway. “ I have never shown it to anybody. But I
will show it to you, Mr. Donovan, because I believe that
you are my friend.”
Mr. D onovan looked at the photograph with m uch
interest and for a long time. The face o f C ount Mazzini
was an interesting o n e 1. It was a clever face o f a strong
man.
“ I have a larger photo o f him in my ro o m ,” said
Miss Conway. “W hen we get back to the house I ’ll show it
to you. I look at it many times a day2. He will always be
present in my heart.3”
W hen they came into the hall o f the boarding-house
she ran up to her room and brought down a big photo­
graph o f the dead man.
“A fine-looking m a n ,” said D onovan. “ I like his
face very much. Miss Conway, may I ask you to come to
the theatre with me next Sunday?”

A m onth later they told Mrs. Scott that they were

going to get married. But in spite o f this Miss Conway
continued to wear black.
One evening Mr. Donovan and Miss Conway were
sitting in the park. It was a fine clear night. The m oon
shone brightly on the green leaves. Everything around
them was very beautiful. But Donovan was silent. He had

1 an interesting one — интересное лицо (местоимение one

употребляется во избежание повторения слова face)
2many times a day — много раз в день
3Не will always be present in my heart. — Он всегда будет жить в
моем сердце.
4in spite of — несмотря на
6
been so silent all day that Miss Conway at last decided to
ask him a question.
“W hat is the m atter1, Andy?”
“N othing, M aggie.”
“But you never looked so unhappy before. W hat is
it?”
“ It’s nothing m uch2, Maggie.”
“I want to know, Andy. I am sure you are thinking
about some other girl. Well, why d o n ’t you go to her if you
love her? Take your arm away3, please!”
“All right, I ’ll tell you,” said Andy. “I have a friend.
His name is Mike Sullivan. D o you know him ?”
“N o, 1 d o n ’t , ” said Maggie. “And I d o n ’t want to
know him if you are so unhappy because o f him .”
“ He is a good friend, M aggie,” continued Andy. “ I
saw him yesterday and I told him 1 was going to get m ar­
ried in two weeks5. ‘Andy’, says he, ‘I want to be present at
your wedding. Send me an invitation and I ’ll com e.’”
“Well, why d o n ’t you invite him then if he wants so
much to com e?” said Maggie.
“T here is a reason why I c a n ’t invite h im ,” said
Andy sadly. “There is a reason why he must not be present
at our wedding. D o n ’t ask me any m ore questions now,
because I can ’t answer them .”
“You must! You must tell me everything,” said M ag­
gie.
“All right,” answered Andy. “ Maggie, do you love
me as much as you loved your your C ount M azzini?”

1What is the matter — В чем дело (что с тобой)

2nothing much — ничего особенного
3Take your arm away — Убери свою руку
4because of — из-за, по причине
5in two weeks — через две недели
7
 He waited a long tim e, but Maggie did not answer.
Suddenly she turned to him and began to cry.
“There, there, there1!” repeated Andy. “W hat is the
m atter now?”
“A ndy,” said Maggie at last, “ I have lied to you,
and you will never marry me. You will never love me any
m ore. But I feel th at I m ust tell you everything. Andy,
there was no co u n t in my life. T here was nobody who
loved me in all my life. All the other girls always talked
about love and marriage. But nobody loved me. Nobody
wanted to marry me. So at last I thought o f a plan. I went
to a ph o to g rap h er and bought th a t big p h o to w hich I
showed you. He also made a small one for me. Then I
invented that story about the C ount and about the gon­
dola accident so th at2 I could wear black. I look well in
black, and you know it. But nobody can love a liar. And
you will now leave m e, Andy, and I shall die for sham e3.
You are the only man I loved4 in my life. T h at’s all.”
But instead o f leaving her5, Andy put his arms about
her6 and looked into her face. She looked up and saw how
happy he was.
“Can you can you forget it, Andy?” she asked.
“O f course, I c a n ,” said Andy. “ I ’m glad you have
told me everything, Maggie.”
They were silent for some time. Then Maggie said:

1There, there, there — Ну, ну, не надо, не плачь

2so that — так чтобы, для того чтобы
31 shall die for shame — я умру от стыда
4 the only man I loved — единственный мужчина, которого я
любила
5 instead of leaving her — вместо того, чтобы уйти от нее
(покинуть ее)
0put his arms about her — обнял ее
8
 “A ndy, did you believe all th a t story about the
C ount?”
“Well, not all o f it1,” said Andy, “because the photo­
graph you have shown me is the photograph o f my friend,
Mike Sullivan.”

E X E R C ISE S

Checking Comprehension

1 Make the right choice.

1. The boarding-house a) Andy Donovan

belonged to b) Fernando Mazzini
c) Mrs. Scott
2. After the a) didn’t pay much attention
introduction Andy to Miss Conway
b) followed Miss Conway
everywhere
c) went for a walk with
Miss Conway

3. Miss Conway was a) black was a good colour

wearing black for her
clothes because b) she had lost somebody
who was dear to her
c) she had nothing else
to wear

1not all of it — не целиком, не вполне

9
4. Miss Conway told a) walking in the park
Andy her sad story b) having dinner
while c) standing on the front porch
of the boarding-house

5. Miss Conway had a) to get married

come to New York b) to get a job
c) to find her friend

6. Fernando Mazzini a) a friend of Andy

was Donovan
b) a friend of Miss Conway
c) an Italian Count

7. Andy looked at a) no interest at all

the photograph b) much interest
with c) curiosity

8. After a month a) to leave New York

Andy and Miss b) to get married
Conway decided c) to go to Italy

9. Andy looked a) he was thinking about

unhappy because another girl
b) he didn’t believe
Miss Conway’s story
c) he wanted to know
the truth

Miss Conway a) there had been no count

began to cry in her life
because b)she didn’t want to be a liar
in Andy’s eyes
c) Andy had known the truth
10
 Mike Sullivan was a) a friend of Andy
b) a friend of Miss Conway
c) a friend of Mrs. Scott

2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the

false one.

1. The story took place in one of the boarding-houses

of Italy.
2. Fernando Mazzini owned this boarding-house.
3. Miss Conway was wearing black clothes because she
looked very attractive in black.
4. When Andy Donovan was introduced to Miss Con­
way his head turned.
5. Miss Conway and Andy spent time together walking
in the park.
6. When they decided to get married Miss Conway told
Andy her sad story.
7. Andy recognized his friend in the photograph and
got upset.
8. Miss Conway turned out to be a liar.
9. Andy forgave Miss Conway because he loved her.
Andy and Miss Conway invited Fernando Mazzini
to their wedding.

3 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. *She told him her sad story.

2. Two weeks later Andy noticed how beautiful Miss
Conway looked.
3. Andy Donovan stayed at Mrs. Scott’s boarding-house.
4. He was very sorry for her and invited her for a walk
with him.
11
 5. Once he was introduced to a new boarder, Miss
Conway.
6. A month later Andy and Miss Conway decided to
get married.
7. Miss Conway began crying and confessed that she
had invented the story about Count Mazzini.
8. She was all in black and he thought somebody in
her family might have died.
9. Andy told Miss Conway that his friend wanted to be
present at their wedding.
When they got back to the house Miss Conway
showed Andy a photograph of a fine-looking man.
Andy told Miss Conway that the photograph she
had shown him was a photograph of his friend.
But Andy could not invite his friend to their wedding.
Andy assured her that he was her friend.

4 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

Who are they?
2. In what kind of a place are they staying?
3. Where does the introduction take place?
4. What time of day is it?
5. How is the girl dressed all the time?
6. What covers her head?
7. What does she tell Andy while walking in the park?
8. In what way does she look beautiful?
9. Who comes out when Andy is sitting on the front
steps of the boarding-house?
What effect does this have on Andy?
What colour is the girl’s hair?
How does Andy feel about what he has been told?

12
 How much do they talk on the first day?
What takes place in the end?
What did Miss Conway badly need?
What did she do to draw Andy’s attention to herself?
What does Andy do instead of leaving her?
What tells you that Miss Conway isn’t a liar?

ffl Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what the italicized words mean.

1. Andy and Miss Conway wereboarders atMrs.

Scott’s boarding-house.
2. She was wearing a black hat with a black veil.
3. It was a photograph of a fine-looking man.
4. She said that she had lied to him.
5. Nobody can love a liar.
6. Miss Conway said that she would be gladto have his
company.

2 Say which noun goes with which adjective in this story.

Use them in the situations from the story.

1. face a) small and simple

2. girl b) black
3. leaves c) golden
4. night d) grey
5. veil e) strong
6. hair f) clever
7. man g) clear
8. eyes h) green
9. cigar i) unfinished
13
3 Fill in the gaps with prepositions.

1. Mrs. Scott introduced Andy Donovan a young girl.

2. Seeing Miss Conway coming _______the house
Andy Donovan th rew his unfinished cigar.
3. Andy was sorry the girl.
4. Miss Conway was stan d in g the steps looking
the houses_______ the sky.
5. She thought she was a lo n e the world.
6. Their conversation c a m e an end.
7. Andy invited Miss Conway to g o to forget her
trouble.
8. Miss Conway said Fernando had been killed a
gondola accident.
9. Miss Conway said she could not take an interest
anybody.
They c a m e the hall, she r a n ______ her room
and brought a photograph the dead man.
She thought he would leave her, and she would die
shame.
But instead leaving her, Andy put his a rm s___
her and looked her face.

4 Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense form.

The new boarder (to be) a small and simple girl, and he
(to forget) her at once. But once he (to see) her (to
dress) in a beautiful black clothes with her golden hair
under a black veil, and his head (to turn). He (to be)
sorry to know about her trouble. To forget it he (to in­
vite) her for a walk in the park. She (to say) she (to be
going) to get married soon, but her beloved (to be killed)
in an accident, and she (to be) quite alone in the world.
Andy (to assure) her that she (not to be ) alone, he (to
14
 be) her friend. Miss Conway (to invent) this story so
that she (can) wear black. Black (to be) a good colour
for her. She (to say) nobody (to love) her, nobody (to
want) to marry her. But she (to want) to be loved and
get married. She (to say) he (to be) the only man she (to
love). But now she (to be afraid) that he (to leave) her
and she (to die) for shame.

Ф Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. Andy Donovan forgot Miss Conway immediately af­

ter the introduction.
2. His head turned when he saw Miss Conway coming
out of the door.
3. Andy Donovan was sorry for Miss Conway.
4. Andy invited her to take a walk in the park.
5. Miss Conway showed Andy the photograph.
6. Andy looked at the photograph with much interest
and for a long time.
7. Miss Conway continued to wear black after she and
Andy had decided to get married.
8. Andy could not invite his friend for the wedding.
9. Miss Conway began to cry.
Miss Conway invented that story.

2 Prove that:

1. Miss Conway was lonely.

2. Andy Donovan was a kind-hearted man.
3. Andy and Miss Conway loved each other.
15
3 Add more information to these:

1. He turned his head and his head turned.

2. Once he invited her to take a walk in the park.
3. She told Andy her sad story.
4. He looked at the photograph.
5. He was so silent all day that she decided to ask him
a question.
6. He asked her if she loved him as much as she had
loved Count Mazzini.
7. There was nobody who loved her in all her life.

4 Make up and act out the talk between:

• Andy and Miss Conway (on the steps of the board­

ing-house).
• Andy and Miss Conway (after she told him her story).
• Andy and Miss Conway (a month later sitting in the
park).

5 Imagine that you are:

• Mrs. Scott.
a) Introduce Andy to a new boarder.
b) Say what you think of a young girl.
c) Say what you think of Andy Donovan.
d) How you took the news of their wedding.

• Miss Conway. Say why:

a) you had come to New York;
b) you didn’t talk to Andy after the introduction;
c) you invented your sad story.

16
* Andy Donovan. Say why:
a) you didn’t pay any attention to Miss Conway first;
b) your head turned when you saw her all in black;
c) invited her for a walk;
d) you were happy with her.

What do you think?

1. Do you think Miss Conway invented her story be­

cause she wanted to draw Andy’s attention to her­
self or because she had loved him already, or do you
have your own idea on this score? Give reasons.
2. Do you think Andy knew the truth from the very
beginning or it came later? Give reasons for your
answer.
3. Where do you think they had their wedding: at the
boarding-house, at a fine restaurant, or some other
place? Give reasons for your choice.
4. What kind of wedding do you think this one to have
been?
5. What do you know about boarding-houses (meals,
rooms, space, accommodation, and kind of people
staying there)?
6. How do you think Miss Conway and Andy earn
their living?
 GIRL

On the glass door of the office were the words: “Rob­

bins & Hartley, Brokers”. It was past five, and the clerks had
already gone. The two partners — Robbins and Hartley —
were going to leave the office too1. Robbins was fifty; Hart­
ley — twenty-nine, — serious, good-looking and nervous.
A man came in and went up to Hartley.
“I have found out where she lives,” he said in a half­
whisper. H artley m ade a sign o f silence to him 2. W hen
1were going to leave the office too — также собирались уходить из
конторы
2 made a sign of silence to him — показал ему знаком, чтобы он
замолчал
Robbins had put on his coat and hat and left the office, the
detective said:
“ Here is the address,” and gave H artley a piece of
paper. There were only a few words on it.
Hartley took the paper and read: “Vivienne Arling­
ton, No. , East T enth Street.”
“ She moved there a week ago,” said the detective.
“Now, if you want to know more about her, Mr. Hartley, 1
can try to find out. It will cost you only seven dollars a
day. I can send you a report every day.”
“Thank you,” said the broker. “It is not necessary. I
only wanted the address. How m uch shall I pay you?1”
“One day’s work,” said the sleuth. “Ten dollars will
be enough.”
Hartley paid the m an, sent him away and left the o f­
fice. He went to find the address written on the paper the
sleuth had given him. It took him about an hour to get to
the place.2 It was a new building o f cheap flats. Hartley
began to climb the stairs. On the fourth floor he saw Vivi­
enne standing in an open door. She invited him inside
with a bright smile. She put a chair for him near the w in­
dow, and waited.
Hartley gave her a friendly look3. He said to himself
that she was a nice girl and dressed in good taste.
Vivienne was about twenty-one. She was o f the Sax­
on type. H er hair was golden. H er eyes were sea-blue.4
She wore a white blouse and a dark skirt — a costume that
looks well on any girl, rich or poor5.

1How much shall I pay you? — Сколько я вам должен?

2 It took him about an hour to get to the place. — У него ушло
около часа на дорогу.
3gave her a friendly look — окинул ее дружелюбным взглядом
4Her eyes were sea-blue. — Глаза ее были цвета морской волны.
5rich or poor — независимо от того, богатая она или бедная
19
 “Vivienne”, said Hartley, “you didn’t answer my last
letter. It took me over a week to find your new address.
Why did you take no notice o f my letter?1 You knew very
well that I wanted very m uch to see you and talk to you!”
The girl looked out o f the window, thoughtfully.
“ Mr. Hartley,” she said at last, “I don’t know what to
say to you. The more I think o f your offer — the less I know2
what to answer you. I understand you are doing it for my
happiness. Sometimes I feel that I should say3 yes. But at the
same time4 1 don’t want to make a mistake. I was bom in the
city and I am afraid I shall not be happy in the country5.”
“ My dear girl,” answered Hartley, “ I have told you
m any tim es th at my house is situated only a little way
from6 the city. I have also promised to give you everything
that you want. You will be able to come to the city, to go
to the theatres and to visit your friends as often as you
wish. D o you believe that?”
“Yes, o f course I believe you,” she said, turning her
beautiful eyes on him with a smile. “ I know you are a very
kind man. The girl that you will get — will be a lucky one7. I
found out all about you when I was at the Montgomerys’8.”
1Why did you take no notice of my letter? — Почему вы прене­
брегли моим письмом? (То take по notice o f — не обращать
внимания, не замечать.)
2the more I think the less I know — чем больше я думаю , тем
меньше я знаю
3should — см. ком. 1 на стр. 5
4at the same time — в то же время
5in the country — в сельской местности, за городом
6a little way from — неподалеку от
7 a lucky one — счастливая девушка (местоимение one упот­
реблено во избежание повторения существительного girl)
8 at the Montgomerys’ [mant 'дшпэпг] — у Монтгомери, в доме
Монтгомери (определенный артикль, множественное число и
форма притяжательного падежа указывают на то, что имеется в
виду семья Монтгомери, их дом)
20
 “A h,” cried Hartley, “ I rem em ber well the evening I
first saw you at the M ontgomerys’. Mrs. M ontgomery told
me so m uch about you that evening. A nd she m ade no
mistake. I shall never forget that supper. Com e with me,
Vivienne! Promise me! I need you so much. You will nev­
er be sorry for com ing to m e .1 N o one will give you a
home as good as m ine.”
The girl said nothing.
Suddenly an idea came into his head.
“Tell m e, V ivienne,” he asked, looking at her, “is
there another — is there someone else2?”
The girl blushed and answered very quickly:
“You shouldn’t ask that, Mr. Hartley. But I will tell
you. T here is a n o th e r — but he has no right — I have
promised him nothing.”
“ His nam e?” dem anded Hartley.
“Tow nsend.”
“ R afford T ow nsend!” exclaim ed H artley angrily.
“W here did you meet that man? I have done so m uch for
him! How could he!”
“ His car has just stopped at the house,” said Vivi­
enne, looking out o f the window. “ He is com ing for his
answer. Oh, I don’t know what to do!”
The bell rang. Vivienne hurried to open the door.
“Stay here,” said Hartley. “ I will open the door myself.”
Townsend was surprised to see Hartley.
“G o back,” said Hartley.
“ Hullo!” said Townsend. “W hat’s up?3 W hat are you
doing here, old m an?”

1You will never be sorry for coming to me. — Вы не раскаетесь в

том, что пойдете ко мне. (never— усиленное отрицание)
2is there someone else — может быть у вас есть кто-нибудь дру­
гой
3What’s up? — Что случилось? (В чем дело?)
21
 “G o back,” repeated Hartley. “The Law o f the Ju n ­
gle.1 She is m ine.”
“ I cam e here to see her on business2, ” said
Townsend bravely.
“ D on’t tell me any lies3,” said Hartley, “go back!”
Tow nsend left very angry. H artley returned to the
girl.
“V ivienne,” he said, “I need you very m uch. Stop
playing with me!”
“W hen do you need m e?” she asked.
“Now. As soon as you are ready to go.”
She stood quietly and thought for a short time.
“ D o you think for one m o m en t,” she said, “that I
shall enter your house while Helen is there?”
Hartley did not expect that. At first4 he did not know
what to say.
Then he said bravely: “ She will have to go.5 She is
making my life miserable. I have never had a peaceful day
since she came to my house. But this is the end. You are
right, Vivienne, Helen must be sent away before I can take
you home. She must go. I have decided. I will turn her out.”
“W hen will you do this?” asked the girl.
“T o-night,” said Hartley. “ I will send her away to ­
night.”
“T h en ,” said Vivienne, “ my answer is ‘yes’. Come
for me when you wish.”

1The Law of the Jungle. — Закон джунглей, (т.е. право более

сильного)
2on business — по делу
3Don’t tell me any lies — He лгите мне
4At first — Сначала
5She will have to go. — Ей придется уйти. (Вместо глагола must,
не имеющего формы будущего времени, употребляется глагол to
have с последующим инфинитивом.)
22
 She looked into his eyes and smiled. H artley was
happy, but he was afraid to believe her.
“Promise m e,” he said, “on your word o f honor1.”
“On my word o f honor,” repeated Vivienne softly.
At the door he turned and looked at her happily.
“Tom orrow ,” he said.
“Tom orrow ,” she repeated with a smile.
It took Hartley an hour and forty m inutes to get to
his hom e in the country.
The door was opened by a young woman who kissed
him as he came in.
“ M other is h e re,” she said. “ She cam e for dinner,
but there is no dinner.”
“I ’ve2 som ething to tell you,” said H artley, “some
news.”
“W hat kind o f news3,” asked the wom an, “good or
bad news?” He whispered something in her ear. Hartley’s
wife scream ed. H er m other cam e running into the hall.
His wife scream ed again — it was a happy scream , very
happy.
“Oh, M other,” she cried, “what do you think? Vivi­
enne has agreed to come and cook for us! She is the cook
that worked for the M ontgom erys’ a whole year. I am so
happy! And now, Bill, dear, you must go to the kitchen
and send H elen away. She is drunk again.”

1on your word of honor — под честное слово (honor— американ­

ское написание; honour — английское)
2 I’ve = I have
3What kind of news — Какая новость, что за новость
23
 EXERCISES

? Checking Comprehension

1 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. What are their names and occupation?
3. Where do the events take place? What tells you
about it?
4. How old are the main characters?
5. What is Vivienne like?
6. Who is looking for her and what for?
7. How does he find Vivienne?
8. How long does it take him to find her?
9. How does she receive him?
What does Hartley ask Vivienne to do?
Is she happy about his offer?
Who interrupts their conversation?
What does Hartley do about that?
What does Vivienne promise Hartley?
What does Hartley promise Vivienne?
Where is Hartley’s home?
How long does it take to get there?
Who meets Hartley at home and how?

2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the

false one.

1. Robbins and Hartley worked as detectives.

2. Hartley left the office before closing hours to have
time to find the girl.
3. It took him quite a long time to find the girl.
24
 4. She lived in a new building of rather expensive flats.
5. The girl was glad to see Hartley.
6. She was dressed like a model and looked very attractive.
7. Hartley offered the girl to go to live in the country.
8. She was a country girl, and the offer pleased her
very much.
9. Hartley and Vivienne first had met at their friends.
A friend of Vivienne interrupted their conversation.
Hartley was very rude with him.
Hartley promised Vivienne to turn out his wife Helen.
Vivienne felt happy about this.
At home Hartley was met by his mother.

3 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. Vivienne meets Hartley at the door.

2. The detective gives him a piece of paper.
3. Hartley is alone in the office.
4. Hartley asks Vivienne to come to live in his coun­
try house.
5. Their conversation is interrupted.
6. Hartley promises to turn out Helen.
7. Hartley arrives at his country house.
8. Hartley pays the detective.
9. Hartley finds the place.
Vivienne doesn’t know what to do.
Hartley settles the matter bravely.
Vivienne gives a positive answer.

4 Say what you have learned about:

Robbins; Hartley; the detective; Vivienne; Townsend;

Helen; Mother; Hartley’s wife
25
Щ Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what the italicized words mean.

1. The sleuth handed Hartley a piece of paper.

2. Robbins and Hartley were brokers.
3. She was of the Saxon type.
4. I found out all about you when I was at the Mont­
gomerys’.
5. She is making my life miserable.
6. I will turn her out.
7. Hartley’s wife screamed, it was a happy scream.

2 Match the words which have the same or very close

meaning. Use them in the situations from the story.

1. to turn out a) to need

2. to want b) to go away
3. to go back c) to send away
4. to repeat d) sleuth
5. to leave e) to return
6. to enter 0 to say again
7. to expect g) to think
8. to blush h) to come in
9. miserable i) information
peaceful j) unhappy
report k) quiet
offer 1) to turn red
detective m) proposal

26
3 Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.

to look well; as as; a friendly look;

the more the less; to make a mistake; to
take no notice of; a bright smile; in good taste

1. He promised to give h e r many th in g s she

wanted.
2. The blouse and the s h irt on her.
3. She was dressed .
4. She invited him inside w ith .
5. Hartley gave Vivienne .
6. He complained that s h e his letter.
7. she thought of his o ffe r she knew what to
say.
8. The girl was doubting and afraid .

4 Match the verbs on the left with the adverbs on the right
(according to the story) and use them in the situations
from the text.

1. repeated a) quietly
2. looked b) happily
3. screamed c) bravely
4. stood d) happily
5. said e) quickly
6. answered f) softly
7. exclaimed g) thoughtfully
8. looked out h) angrily

27
fk Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. Hartley needed a detective.

2. Hartley paid the detective.
3. Vivienne hadn’t taken notice of Hartley’s last letter.
4. Vivienne was afraid to go to live in thecountry.
5. Townsend arrived at Vivienne.
6. Townsend left angry.
7. Hartley promised Vivienne to turn out Helen.
8. Hartley’s wife was happy to hear the news.

2 Prove that:

1. Vivienne is a nice-looking girl.

2. Hartley is a young man looking for adventures.
3. Vivienne is not rich.
4. Hartley is rather rich.
5. Hartley might be hard on people.
6. Hartley’s wife doesn’t know him well.

3 Add more information tothese:

1. A man went up to Hartley.

2. “If you want to know more about her.”
3. Hartley climbed up the steps.
4. “I will give you everything youwant.”
5. The bell rang.
6. Hartley did not expect that.
7. A young woman opened the door.

28
4 Act out the talk between:

• Hartley and the detective.

• Hartley and Vivienne (when she is in doubts).
• Hartley and Vivienne (recalling their first meeting).
• Hartley and Townsend.
• Hartley and Vivienne (after Townsend had left).
• Hartley and his wife.

§ Imagine that you are:

• Robbins. Say:
a) about your work;
b) what you feel about Hartley.

• Hartley. Say:
a) what you feel about Robbins;
b) what you feel about Vivienne;
c) what you feel about your wife;
d) what you feel about Helen.

• Vivienne. Say:
a) what you feel about Hartley;
b) what you feel about Townsend;
c) what you feel about Hartley’s wife;
d) what you feel about Helen.

• Hartley’s wife. Say:

h) what you feel about your husband;
b) what you feel about Helen.

29
What do you think?

1. Which of the characters do you like (dislike, feel

sorry for)? Say why.
2. Why do you think Helen is often drunk?
3. Do you think Vivienne will be happy at Hartley’s
house? Give reasons for your answer.
 WITCHES’ LOAVES1

Miss M artha M eacham had a small bakery. She was

neither very rich n o r very poor. She had two thousand
dollars in the bank.
Miss M artha was forty years old. She had a kind
heart, and only two o f her teeth were false. Although she
was still unm arried she hoped to get married some tim e2.
Two or three tim es a week a custom er cam e in to
buy some bread. He was a middle-aged m an with a beard
and he wore glasses.
'W itc h e s ’ L oaves— Чародейные хлебцы {witch [witf] —
чародейка, волшебница)
2some time — когда-нибудь
31
 Soon Miss M artha began to take an interest1 in him.
H e spoke English w ith a strong G erm an accen t. His
clothes were old but clean and he had good manners.
He always bought two loaves o f stale bread. Fresh
bread was five cents a loaf. Stale bread was two loaves for
five cents. The custom er never bought fresh bread.
Once Miss M artha saw red and brown stains on his
hands. She was sure then that he was an artist and very
poor. She was sure he lived in a cold room where he paint­
ed his pictures. He ate stale bread and thought o f the good
things that were sold in Miss M artha’s bakery. W hen she sat
down to dinner or had tea and jam , she used to think o f the
poor artist with good manners and feel sorry for him. She
wanted to share all the good things she had with the well-
mannered man. I have told you already that Miss M artha
had a kind heart.
One day she brought from her room a picture that
she had bought many years before. With its help she hoped
to find out whether the m an was really an artist.
It was a Venetian scene2. There was a beautiful pal­
ace in the picture, gondolas, young ladies, the m oon and
the stars. She hung the picture on the wall o f her bakery so
that the artist could notice it.
Two days passed. The custom er came in for bread.
“Two loaves o f stale bread, blease3!”
“You have here a fine picture, m adam ,” he said tak­
ing the bread from her.
Miss M artha was very happy to hear these words.
“ Do you think It is a good picture?” she said.

1to take an interest (in) — интересоваться, проявлять интерес

2a Venetian [vi hi:Jan] scene — сцена из венецианской жизни
2blease = please — пожалуйста (покупатель говорит с немецким
акцентом)
32
 “Well” he said, “the palace is not so good. The per­
spective is not true. G oot morning1, m adam .” He took his
bread and left.
Yes, he must be an artist! Miss M artha was sure o f it
now. She took the picture back to her room. How kindly
his eyes shone behind his glasses! How clever he was!
He saw the perspective at once. And he has to eat
stale bread only! But artists often have to struggle before
they become famous.
How she w anted to be o f som e h elp2 to him! She
wanted to keep house for him , to share with him all the
good things she had in her bakery. She was even ready to
share her two thousand dollars with him!
Time went on. Sometimes he talked to her for a few
minutes. He bought only stale bread as before. He never
bought a cake, or a loaf o f fresh bread.
She thought he began to look thinner. It was clear to
her he did n o t eat enough, he was starving! H ow she
wished to add som ething good to the stale bread he ate.
But she knew, poor artists were proud and she was afraid
to make him angry3.
Miss M artha began to wear her new dress in the bak­
ery. She also bought some cold cream 4 in order to make
her face a little more beautiful.
One day the custom er came in as usual and asked for
stale loaves. While Miss M artha was getting them from the
shelf the siren o f a fire-engine was heard.
The custom er ran to the door to look. Suddenly a
bright idea came to Miss M artha. O n one o f the shelves

1Goot (Good) morning — До свидания (в Англии и Америке

при прощании часто говорят: Good morning, Good evening)
2to be of some help — как-нибудь помочь
3to make him angry — рассердить его
4cold cream — кольдкрем (косметическое средство)
33
there was a pound o f butter she had bought in the morning.
With her bread knife Miss M artha made a deep cut in each
of the stale loaves. Then she quickly put a big piece o f but­
ter into each cut and pressed the loaves together again.
W hen the custom er turned from the door she was
wrapping the loaves in paper.
As usual he said a few pleasant words to her and left.
After he had gone, Miss M artha smiled to herself.
But she was not sure Had she the right to do such a
thing? Who knows? Artists have their pride. Will he be
angry with her? Still, the more she thought o f it the more
she became sure1 that the custom er would not be angry2.
F o r a long tim e she th o u g h t about him : now he
comes home and sits down to his dinner o f stale bread and
water Now he cuts into a lo a f ah!
Miss M artha blushed. Will he think o f the hand that
put the b u tte r in th e bread? W ill he th a n k h e r in his
heart?
Suddenly the front door bell rang loudly. Somebody
was coming in making a lot o f noise3.
Miss M artha hurried to the door. Two m en were
there. One was a young m an sm oking a pipe. She had
never seen him before. The other was her artist.
His face was very red. H is hat was on the back o f
his head. H is eyes looked at h er angrily. He raised his
Fists an d shook th e m in M iss M a rth a ’s face. In M iss
M a rth a ’s fa c e !
1the more she thought the more she became sure — чем больше
она раздумывала, тем больше она убеждалась
2the customer would not be angry — покупатель не рассердится
(Future-in-the-P ast — будущее в прошедшем употреблено по
правилу согласования времен: после прошедшего времени в
главном предложении в придаточном употребляется вместо
будущего времени будущее в прошедшем)
3a lot of noise — страшный шум
34
 “ D u m m k o p f!” he shouted very loudly and angrily.
T hen “Tausendonfer!”2 or som ething like th a t3 in G e r­
man.
The young man tried to pull him away.
“ I will n o t g o ,” th e artist sh o u ted , “ I w ant to tell
her all!”
“You have spoiled everything,” he cried, “ I want to
tell you. You were a M ED D LESO M E OLD CAT4!”
Miss M artha was silent. She could not say a word.
She put her hand to her heart.
The young m an took the artist by the arm.
“ Let’s go,” he said. “You have said too m uch.” He
dragged the angry artist out into the street. Then he came
back to the bakery.
“I want to explain everything,” he said. “That m an’s
name is Blumberger. He is an architectural draftsm an. I
work in the same office with him.
“It took him three m onths to draw a plan for a new
building. It was for a prize com petition5. T h at’s why he
worked so hard at it. He finished inking the lines yester­
day. You know a draftsman always makes his drawing in
pencil first6. After that he inks the line. W hen it’s done he
rubs out the pencil lines with stale bread. It is better than
India-rubber7.
“ Blumberger has always bought stale bread here. T o­
day he tried to rub out the pencil lines o f his plan with the
bread he bought in your bakery Well, you know that
1Dummkopf [ 'dumkopfj (нем.) — дура
2Tausendonfer — немецкое ругательство
3something like that — что-то в этом роде
4 meddlesome old cat — нахальная старая кошка (meddlesome —
сующий свой нос куда не просят, вмешивающийся не в свои дела)
5prize competition — конкурс
6in pencil first — сначала в карандаше
7 India-rubber — резинка, ластик
35
butter is not good for paper You must understand that
his plan can now be used only as paper for sandwiches.”
Miss M artha went to her room. She took off her new
dress. She put on the old brow n one she used to wear.
Then she threw the cold cream out of the window.

EXERCISES

? Checking Comprehension

1 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. What were their names and occupation?
3. What kind of a woman was Miss Martha?
4. What kind of a man was the customer?
5. What did the customer always buy?
6. How much did it cost him?
7. What did he need it for?
8. What seemed unusual about him to Miss Martha?
9. In what way was she sorry for him?
What action did she take?
How did Miss Martha feel about what she had
done?
What effect did this have on the customer?
In what way was the customer angry?
What effect did this have on Miss Martha?
Did she escape from his fists?
Who tried to explain the situation?
What is the end of the story?

36
2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the
false one.

1. Miss Martha owned a large bakery.

2. She was in good health and was going to get married
soon.
3. One of the customers got interested in Miss Martha.
4. The customer had good manners and spoke good
English.
5. He always bought a loaf of bread in Miss Martha’s
bakery.
6. One day he brought her a picture of an Italian master.
7. His manners told her that he was an artist.
8. Miss Martha made good use of various creams to
look younger.
9. She managed to put butter into his loaves because
he was short-sighted.
Miss Martha was sure she had done the right thing.
The customer brought a young man to encourage
him since he was too shy to thank Miss Martha.
The young man explained the situation.
The customer had hoped to win the prize competi­
tion.
Miss Martha gave up the idea of getting married.

3 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. Miss Martha thought he was a poor artist.

2. She was ready to share everything she had with him.
3. She was almost sure that the customer would thank
her in his heart.
4. The young man dragged the angry artist out into the
street.

37
 5. He explained the situation.
6. Miss Martha was shocked to see his raised fists by
her face.
7. Miss Martha realised that she had spoilt everything.
8. When the moment came Miss Marthaput a piece of
butter into his loaves.
9. To make sure of that Miss Martha hung a picture on
the wall of the bakery.
She got interested in one of her customers.
Miss Martha had a bakery, two thousand dollars in
the bank, and a kind heart.

4 Say what you have learned about:

• Miss Martha
• Mr. Blumberger
• The young man

ffl Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what the italicized words mean.

1. Two of her teeth were false.

2. He usually bought two loaves of stale bread.
3. She saw red and brown stains on his hands.
4. Miss Martha wanted to share with him all the good
things she had.
5. She wrapped the loaves in paper.
6. He raised his fists and shook them in her face.
7. He dragged the angry man out into the street.
8. He finished inking the lines.
9. Draftsmen always make their drawing in pencil first.
38
2 Make the sentences complete.

1. She brought a picture to her bakery so th a t .

2. She wanted to do something good for him so that
•

3. She wrapped the loaves in paper so th a t .

4. The young man pulled the angry artist by the arm so
th a t .
5. Mr. Blumbeiger worked hard at his plan so th a t .
6. He bought only stale bread so th a t .

3 Report the sentences in indirect speech.

1. “Two loaves of stale bread, please,” he said.

2. “Do you think it is a good picture?” she asked.
3. “Good morning, Madam,” he said and left.
4. “Let’s go,” he said. “You havesaid too much.”
5. “I will not go,” he shouted. “I want to tell her all.”

4 Fill in the gaps with prepositions.

1. Soon Miss Martha took an interest the custom­

er.
2. He spoke English a strong German accent.
3. Miss Martha was very sorry____ the a rtist___ good
manners.
4. Miss Martha wanted to b e some h e lp him,
_

to sh a re him everything she had.

5. She made a deep c u t each the loaves___
her bread knife and put a p iece b u tter each
cut, then she wrapped the loaves paper.
6. Miss Martha was afraid that he would be angry___
her.

39
 7. His hat w a s the b a c k his head; he looked
angrily her; he shook his fists_h er face.
8. The young man held the a r tis t___the hand and
tried to pull h im .
9. At last he managed to drag the a rtis t_______ the
street, then he c a m e _______ the bakery.
He said he w orked the same office the art­
ist.
He worked h a r d the p la n a new building
first making i t ___ pencil.
He bought stalebread to r u b the pencil lines
it.

fk Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. Miss Martha took an interest in the customer who

bought stale bread at her bakery.
2. She was sure that the customer was a poor artist.
3. She hung a picture on the wall of her bakery.
4. She was ready to share everything she had with him.
5. She began to wear a new dress, and she bought
some cold cream.
6. She put butter into his stale loaves of bread.
7. The customer did not notice what she had done.
8. Miss Martha was sure that the customer would not
be angry with her.
9. The customer soon returned making a lot of noise.
He came accompanied by a young man.
The customer was angry.
The customer cursed in German.

40
 The customer always bought only stale bread.
Miss Martha changed her new dress for the old one
and threw her cold cream out of the window.

2 Prove that:

1. Miss Martha was rather rich.

2. Mr. Blumberger was too busy to notice Miss Mar­
tha’s new dress.
3. Miss Martha had a kind heart.
4. Miss Martha might be a good wife.
5. Mr. Blumbei^er was too angry to think of his man­
ners.
6. Miss Martha meant well putting butter into the
loaves of bread.
7. Miss Martha’s heart was broken.

3 Add more information to these:

1. Miss Martha was not young.

2. A middle-aged man always bought bread at her bak­
ery.
3. Miss Martha saw red and brown stains on his
hands.
4. Miss Martha brought a picture to her bakery.
5. Miss Martha often thought about the artist.
6. The customer heard the siren of a fire-engine.
7. Suddenly Miss Martha heard the door bell ringing
loudly.
8. Miss Martha could not recognize her good-m an­
nered artist.
9. The young man explained the situation.
Miss Martha went to her room.
41
4 Make up and act out the talk between:

• Miss Martha and the customer (discussing the pic­

ture).
• Miss Martha and the young man (explaining the sit­
uation).

5 Imagine that you are:

• Miss Martha. Say:

a) what told you that the customer was an artist;
b) what you thought about him;
c) why you wanted to share your life with him;
d) what you felt seeing him angry and hearing him
cursing;
e) what you felt after realising the situation.

• The customer. Say:

a) why you bought bread at Miss Martha’s bakery;
b) why you bought only stale bread;
c) why you never talked much with her;
d) what kind of work you did.

• The young man. Say:

a) why you accompanied Mr. Blumberger to Miss
M artha’s bakery;
b) what you thought of Miss Martha;
c) why you dragged Mr. Blumbeiger out into the street.

6 What do you think?

1. If you were Miss Martha, of her age, with her kind

heart, would you do the same to help the artist? If
42
 not, what would you do? Why wouldn’t you do the
same?
2. If you were the customer, and somebody, like Miss
Martha, had done the same to you. What would
your reaction have been?
3. Do you think the customer will forgive Miss Martha
some day? Give your reasons.
4. What do you think Miss Martha’s life will be like
after this?
5. Say what you like about Miss Martha, Mr. Blum­
berger, and the young man.
6. Say what you do not like about them. Give reasons
for your answers. Don’t hesitate if you have no rea­
sons. Sometimes people can’t explain their likes and
dislikes.
 SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS1
I

Old Jerom e W arren lived in a h u n d red -th o u san d

dollar house in East Fiftieth Street. He was so rich that he
could allow himself to walk to his office for his health.
His wife was dead and he had no children. But his
wife’s niece Barbara lived in his house. He also had an
adopted son, — the son o f an old friend — nam ed Gilbert.
Gilbert was an artist and had a studio a little way from2 old
Jerom e’s house.
1Schools and Schools — зд. Школы бывают разные
2a little way from — недалеко от
 Gilbert and Barbara were friends. People hoped that
som e day they would m arry 1 and spend the old m a n ’s
money together. But here I have to introduce some diffi­
culties2.
Thirty years ago when old Jerome was young, he had
a brother nam ed Dick. D ick went West hoping to find
gold. N othing was heard o f him 3 for m any years. T hen
one day old Jerom e got a letter from his brother. It was
clear that the man who wrote it was very ill. In fact Dick
wrote that he was dying and was writing with great diffi­
culty. In his letter he asked his brother to take care o f N e­
vada, his nineteen-year old daughter, the only child he
had4. He was going to send her to Jerom e at once. Old
Jerome could not say ‘n o ’ to his dying brother. So he said
‘yes’.
Old Jerom e, Barbara and Gilbert met Nevada W ar­
ren at the station.
She was not a very big girl, but strong and good-
looking.
“ I’m sure we shall be the best o f friends,” said Bar­
bara, kissing Nevada.
“I hope so,” said Nevada.
“ D ear little niece,” said old Jerom e, “you are wel­
com e5 to my house. It is your house now .”
“T hanks,” said Nevada.
“And I am going to call you ‘cousin’,” said Gilbert.

1 People hoped that some day they would marry — Окружающие

надеялись, что когда-нибудь они поженятся (см. ком. 2 на стр. 34)
21 have to introduce some difficulties — зд. я вынужден рассказать
о некоторых затруднительных обстоятельствах
3Nothing was heard of him — От него не было никаких вестей
4the only child he had — его единственной дочери
5you are welcome — добро пожаловать
45
 II
W hen we hear about any difficulties betw een one
man and two women, or one woman and two men, — we
call such situations — triangles. Very soon Nevada, Bar­
bara and G ilbert form ed such a triangle. A nd Barbara
formed the hypotenuse o f this triangle1.
One morning old Jerom e sat a long time after break­
fast, reading his newspaper. A servant brought in a note
for Miss Nevada.
“A messenger has brought it,” she said. “ He is wait­
ing for an answer.”
Nevada took the letter. She knew it was from Gilbert
before she opened it because o f2 the little gold palette in
the left-hand com er o f the envelope. All o f G ilbert’s enve­
lopes had such palettes. Nevada opened the envelope and
looked at the note attentively. She looked at it for some
time and then went up to her uncle.
“ Uncle Jerom e,” she said. “Is Gilbert a nice boy?”
“ O h, yes, o f course, he is,” said old Jerom e, who
was very fond of both Gilbert and Nevada3. He is a very
nice boy. I raised4 him myself. Why do you ask?”
“Are you sure, uncle Jerom e, that Gilbert will never
write anything that is not nice5?”
“O f course I am, my dear,” said old Jerome. “ I am
sure that G ilbert cannot write anything that is not nice.
But I don’t understand why you ask me th at.”
1 Barbara formed the hypotenuse o f this triangle — в этом
треугольнике Барбара занимала место гипотенузы
2because of — из-за, по причине того
3was very fond o f both Gilbert and Nevada — очень любил и
Гильберта и Неваду (to be fond o f — любить кого-л. или что-л.)
4to raise — воспитывать
5Gilbert will never write anything that is not nice — Гильберт не
может написать что-нибудь неподходящее (нехорошее)
46
 “ Read this note and see for yourself,” said Nevada.
Do you think that everything in it is all right? I don’t know
much about city people and their manners. T hat’s why I
am asking you.”
Old Jerom e took G ilbert’s note and looked at it at­
tentively. He read it twice, and then a third time.
“W hy1, child,” he said at last, “I was sure o f the boy
and I have not made a mistake. There is nothing bad in
the note. He only asks you and Barbara to be ready at four
o ’clock this afternoon for an automobile drive. I don’t see
anything bad in it. I hope you will have a good tim e2.”
“Will it be all right to go3?” asked Nevada.
“Yes, yes, yes, child, o f course. Why not? G o and
have a good time!”
“Will you come with us, uncle?” said Nevada.
“ I? N o, no, no! I ’ve gone once in a car that Gilbert
was driving. N ever again! But never m ind me4! You and
Barbara go! Yes, yes. But I will not. No, no, no, no!”
Nevada ran to the door and said to the servant:
“O f course, w e’ll go! I ’m sure Miss Barbara will be
glad to go too. Tell the messenger-boy to tell Mr. Warren
that we will go.”
“ I ’m sorry, N evada my d e a r,” said the old m an,
“but are you not going to send Gilbert a note? Only a line
or tw o.”
“N o ,” said Nevada, “it will take me too m uch tim e5
to write a note, and the boy is waiting for an answer. G il­
bert will understand, I ’m sure. I have never ridden in an

1Why — зд. Ну что же

2to have a good time — хорошо провести время
3Will it be all right to go — Будет ли прилично поехать
4never mind me — не обращай на меня внимания
5 it will take me too much time — это займет у меня слишком
много времени
47
automobile in my life, but, uncle, 1 used to paddle a canoe
down Little Devil River1 and it was not easy!

Ill

Two months passed.

Barbara was sitting in the study o f her uncle’s house.
She was alone. Uncle Jerome and Nevada had gone
to the theatre. Barbara had not wanted to go. She wanted
to stay at home. I ’ve told you before that Barbara was the
hypotenuse o f the triangle. It usually takes a hypotenuse a
long time to discover that it is the longest side o f the trian­
gle. But at last Barbara began to understand that the beau­
tiful Western Witch was getting a lasso on the young man
she herself wanted.
Barbara sat at the writing table holding a letter in her
hand. The letter was not addressed to her. It was a d ­
dressed to Nevada Warren. In the left-hand corner o f the
envelope was G ilbert’s gold palette. The letter had been
brought at nine o ’clock, after Nevada had left. What was
in the letter? Barbara could not guess. But, oh, how she
wanted to know!
She could not open the envelope by means o f steam,
or by any other method. She was a lady and ladies do not
do such things. We all know that. She had held the enve­
lope up to a strong light in order to 3 read the lines. But
no, — she could not read a word.
At eleven-thirty old Jerom e and N evada returned
from the theatre. Old Jerome was tired and went to bed at

1 I used to paddle a canoe down Little Devil River — я не раз

плавала на байдарке по Чертовой Речке
2by means of — при помощи
3in order to — (для того) чтобы
48
once. Nevada came into the study where Barbara was still
sitting. She sat down in an arm chair trying to unbutton her
long gloves. She began telling Barbara about the play she
had just seen.
“ H ere is a letter for you, d e a r,” said Barbara. “ It
came just after you had gone.”
“Who is it fro m '?” asked Nevada struggling with a
button on her glove.
“ I don’t know ,” said Barbara with a smile. “I think it
is from Gilbert because the envelope has a little gold pal­
ette in the com er. You can see it for yourself.2”
“W hat can he write to me about?” said Nevada.
“We are all alike3,” said Barbara. “All women try to
guess what is in a letter before they open it. So they study
the envelope. And it is not o f great help4. Open it and read
it, dear. Here it is!” She was going to throw the letter to
Nevada but the girl said: “I can ’t take these gloves off. It
is always so difficult. Oh, Barbara, open the envelope and
read the letter, please!”
“Why, dear, the letter is for you! How can you ask
other people to read G ilbert’s letter?”
N evada raised h er beautiful blue eyes from her
gloves and said:
“N obody writes me anything that everybody c a n ’t
read. Read it, Barbara! Maybe Gilbert wants to take us for
a drive again tom orrow .”
“All right, d e a r,” said Barbara, “ I ’ll read it if you
like!”

1Who is it from — От кого оно (письмо) (Предлог в английском

вопросительном предложении обычно стоит в конце пред­
ложения (см. ниже: What can he write to me about?)
2You can see it for yourself. — Можешь посмотреть сама.
3We are all alike — Мы все одинаковы
4it is not of great help — толку в этом немного
49
 She opened the envelope and quickly read the letter.
Then she read it again and looked at Nevada who was still
looking at her gloves.
Suddenly she smiled. “N evada,” she said: “Why did
you ask me to read this letter? I am sure it was written for
your eyes only, and not for mine!”
Nevada forgot her gloves for a moment.
“ Read it aloud,” she said, “you have already read it,
so you can read it again. If Mr. W arren has written some­
thing bad to me, — everybody should know it1.”
“W ell,” said Barbara, “this is w hat the letter says:
‘Dearest Nevada, — Come to my studio at twelve o ’clock
to-night. D o not be late. I shall be waiting for you!’”
Barbara rose and gave the letter to Nevada.
“ I ’m very sorry th at I have read it,” she said. “ It
isn’t like G ilbert.2 There must be some mistake.3 I d o n ’t
understand how he could write such a letter. I hope he will
explain everything. L et’s forget it. And now I must go to
bed. G ood night.”

IV
N evada looked at her w atch. It said a q u arter to
twelve. She went out o f the room and ran quickly to the
front door. She went out into the snowstorm. Gilbert W ar­
ren’s studio was only a little way from old Jerom e’s house.
The snow lay a foot deep4 in the street and she walked with
difficulty.

1everybody should know it — об этом все должны знать

2It isn’t like Gilbert. — Это не похоже на Гильберта.
3 There must be some mistake. — Здесь что-то не так (букв.
должно быть, какая-то ошибка).
4The snow lay a foot deep — Сугробы были в фут высотой
50
 “ Hello, little girl,” a policem an called to her, “it’s
too late for such a little girl to be o u t1.”
Nevada took no notice o f him and went on.
There was a light in G ilbert’s window. He was wait­
ing for her. She knew his window because she had been in
his studio before, with Barbara and uncle Jerome.
On the eighth floor she found room 89 and knocked
at the door. Gilbert opened the door. He had a pencil in
his hand and a pipe in his m outh. The pipe fell to the
floor.
“Am I late?” asked Nevada. “ I came as quickly as I
could. U ncle and I have been to the theatre this evening.
Here I am 2, Gilbert!”
G ilb ert was standing in the door w ith his m outh
open.
“You asked me to com e,” said Nevada simply, “and
I came. You said so in your letter. Why did you send for
m e?”
“ Did you read my letter?” asked Gilbert.
“N o, I didn’t ,” said Nevada. “Barbara read it to me.
Your letter said: ‘Come to my studio at twelve o ’clock to ­
night. D o not be late. I shall be waiting for you.’ I thought
you were ill. But you look quite well.”
“Aha,” cried Gilbert. “I ’ll tell you why I asked you to
come, Nevada. I wanted to ask you to marry me at once
tonight! That is why I asked you to come. Will you?”
“ O f course I w ill,” answ ered Nevada. “You knew
long ago that I would marry you! I am sure, you knew it.
And it will be nice to be married in a snowstorm at night.
In fact, I don’t like rich wedding ceremonies in a church
full o f guests.”

1it’s too late to be out — слишком поздно для прогулок (букв.

находиться вне дома)
2Неге I аш — зд. Вот я и пришла
51
 “Wait a m inute,” said Gilbert, “ I want to do a little
’phoning.” 1 He went to his bedroom and closed the door
behind him. Then he began to telephone.
“ Is that you, Jack? Wake up, I need you at once. I
am going to be married right away2! So I want two witness­
es. Wake up and bring your sister too. You must! Nevada
is here waiting. We are both waiting for you! What? You
will? G ood, old boy!3 I knew you were a good friend.”
G ilb ert retu rn ed to the room w here N evada was
waiting. He said, “I had to telephone Jack Peyton, an old
friend o f mine. I asked him and his sister to be our wit­
nesses. T hey had prom ised to be here at a q u arter to
twelve. But they are late. I have ’phoned them to hurry.
They will be here in a few minutes. Oh, Nevada, I am the
happiest m an in the world. Nevada, dear, what did you do
with the letter I sent you this evening?”
“I have it with me,” said Nevada and gave him the letter.
Gilbert took the letter out o f the envelope and looked
at it attentively. Then he looked at Nevada thoughtfully.
“W ere you angry with me because I asked you to
come to my studio at m idnight?” he asked.
“Why, n o ,” said Nevada. “How could 1 be angry if
you needed me? Out West4, when a friend sends for you
and asks you to hurry, — you get there first and talk about
it after5. And we are not afraid o f snowstorm.”
“N evada,” said Gilbert, “Jack and his sister will be
here in a few minutes. I shall try to find a raincoat for you

11 want to do a little ’phoning. — Мне нужно поговорить по

телефону (’phoning сокр. от telephoning).
2right away (ам.) — немедленно, сейчас же
3Good, old boy! — зд. Молодец, старина!
4Out West — У нас на Западе
5you get there first and talk about it after — сперва спешишь к
нему, а уж в разговоры пускаешься потом
52
to put on. It will take me som e tim e, so you can look
through the evening paper on the table. There is an article
on the front page. It’s about your section o f the West. I
know it will interest you.”
He went to his bedroom and returned in a minute or
two. Nevada was not reading when he came in. She had
not moved. She looked at him nervously.
“I was going to tell you som ething,” she said, “be­
fore you before we before You must know that fa­
ther never sent me to school. I have never learned to read
or write So if you ”
At this very m om ent1 the door opened and Jack and
his sister came in.

W hen Mr. and Mrs. W arren were riding home after

the wedding ceremony, Gilbert said:
“Nevada, do you want to know what I really wrote in
the letter you received last night?”
“Yes, o f course,” said Nevada, “what was it?”
“Word for word2, it was this,” said her husband: “ My
dear Miss W arren, — you were right about the nam e of
that flower yesterday. It was a hydrangea, and not a lilac,
as I thought.”
“All rig h t,” said N evada. “ But let’s forget it. The
joke is on Barbara, anyway.3”

1At this very moment — В этот самый момент

2Word for word — Слово в слово
3The joke is on Barbara, anyway. — Как бы то ни было, Барбара
сама же себя и подвела своей шуткой (сама над собой и
подшутила).
53
 EXERCISES

? Checking Comprehension

1 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. What were their names?
3. How old were they you think?
4. In what relation to each other were themain char­
acters?
5. Which of them formed a triangle?
6. Who was the hypotenuse of this triangle?
7. What did a messenger bring in?
8. What did it read?
9. Who was the letter for?
What told Nevada who the letter was from?
How did Nevada take the letter?
Did old Jerome accept the invitation? What reason
did he give?
Had Nevada ever taken a ride in an automobile?
What kind of ride did she use to take instead?
Where was Nevada when another letter was
brought?
Who received it?
Did Barbara do anything to find out what the letter
read?
Who opened the letter and read it?
What reason did Nevada give for not reading the let­
ter addressed to her?
What did Barbara read in the letter?
Did Nevada believe it? What tells you this?
What action did Nevada take?

54
 What season was then?
Where did Nevada find Gilbert?
How did Gilbert take Nevada’s arrival?
In what way was Nevada a Westerner?
What special event took place that night?
Who were present at it?

2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the

false one.

1. Jerome’s wife was dead, but he had a daughter.

2. Jerome had a brother named Jack.
3. Jerome’s brother went West and died there.
4. Nevada was a good-looking little girl.
5. Nevada was Barbara’s cousin.
6. Jerome’s brother raised Gilbert.
7. Nevada did not read the letter from Gilbert since
she thought he might have w ritten som ething
bad.
8. Nevada did not know much about city people and
their manners.
9. Barbara and Nevada had a good time riding in an
automobile.
Barbara did not want to interfere in Nevada’s af­
fairs.
Barbara did not care what was in the letter.
Barbara wanted to play a joke on Nevada.
Old Jerome was very much fond of Barbara.
Another letter was addressed to Barbara.
Nevada walked to the studio under a heavy rain.
There were many guests at Gilbert and Nevada’s
wedding.
Barbara played a joke on herself.

55
3 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. Nevada receives a letter from Gilbert.

2. Nevada finds an excuse not to write an answer.
3. Another letter addressed to Nevada arrives.
4. Barbara reads the letter for Nevada.
5. Nevada arrives at old Jerome’s house.
6. Nevada goes out into the night.
7. One man and two women form a triangle.
8. The joke is on Barbara.
9. Jack and his sister arrive.
Nevada learns what the letter read.
Gilbert acts as a man of decision.
Old Jerome has to read the letter.
Old Jerome and Barbara are at the theatre.
Barbara acts like a lady.

4 Who said these to whom?

1. “I am sure we shall be the best of friends.”

2. “I am going to call you ‘cousin’.”
3. “It is your house now.”
4. “A messenger has brought it. He is waiting for an
answer.”
5. “Will it be all right to go?”
6. “I hope you will have a good time.”
7. “Here is a letter for you, dear.”
8. “We are all alike.”
9. “There must be some mistake.”
“It’s too late for such a little girl to be out.”
“I came as quickly as I could.”
“It will be nice to be married in a snowstorm at night.”
“I knew you were a good friend.”

56
 “I am going to tell you something.”
“All right. But let’s forget it.”

5 Say what you have learned about:

• old Jerome
• Jerome’s brother
• Barbara
• Nevada
• Gilbert
• Jack and his sister

Q Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what you understand by these:

1. He was so rich that he could allow himself to walk

to his office for his health.
2. Barbara was the hypotenuse of the triangle. It usual­
ly takes a hypotenuse a long time to discover that it
is the longest side of the triangle.
3. At last Barbara began to understand that the beauti­
ful Western Witch was getting a lasso on the young
man she herself wanted.
4. The envelope has a little gold palette in the comer.

2 Say which adjective goes with which noun in the story.

Use them in the situations from the text.

57
 1. adopted a) girl
2. dying b) palette
3. strong c) difficulty
4. little d) witch
5. gold e) son
6. nice 0 niece
7. good g) man
8. beautiful h) eyes
9. young i) friend
left-hand j) brother
long k) boy
great О corner
blue m) gloves
wedding n) ceremony

3 Fill in the blanks with the link-words from the box. Use
each only once.

although, if, because of, when,

so, because, while, since, as, before

1. Gilbert was his adopted son, Old Jerome was

fond of him.
2. She knew who the letter was fro m the gold pal­
ette in the corner of the envelope.
3. Old Jerome knew what it was to ride in an automo­
bile driven by Gilbert, he refused to join the
girls.
4. Nevada did not send a note to G ilbert it would
take her too much time to write it.
5. Old Jerome went to bed at o n c e , he was tired.
6. All the women try to guess what it is that in the let­
ter they open it.
58
 7. Barbara said she would read the le tte r Nevada
liked it.
8. Nevada knew Gilbert’s w indow , she had been
in his studio before.
9. Gilbert closed the door behind h im he talked to
his friend.
Barbara read the le tte r Nevada was struggling
with the button on her glove.

4 Open the brackets and use the right form of the verb.

1. Old Jerome (to be) very rich but he (not to have)

children of his own. He (to adopt) a boy, named
Gilbert, who (to live) close to Jerome’s house. Old
Jerome (to be) fond of him. He also (to love) Bar­
bara, his wife’s niece, who (to live) in his house. He
(to think) that some day Barbara and Gilbert (to
marry).
2. The letter (to come) in the morning. Though she
(to know) it (to be) from Gilbert, she (not to be
able) to read it because she (not to be taught) to
read or write. Her father never (to send) her to
school. But her quick mind (to prompt) her what to
do.
3. Nevada (to be sure) that Barbara (to be glad) to take
a ride. She (to run) to the door and (to tell) the
servant that they (to go). She never (to ride) in an
automobile before, and she (to believe) that they (to
have) a good time.
4. Barbara (to sit) in her room. She (to hold) a letter
in her hand. She (cannot) open it because it (not to
be addressed) to her. It (to be addressed) to Nevada
who (to go) to the theatre before the letter (to ar­

59
 rive). Barbara (to give) it to Nevada when she (to
return) from the theatre.
5. Gilbert (to give) her a paper and (to say) that there
(to be) an article about that part of the West where
Nevada (to live). He (to say) it (to be) interesting to
her. But Nevada even (not to touch)the paper. She
(to get) nervous — how to tell him that shenever
(to go) to school.

Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. Nevada came to old Jerome’s house.

2. Barbara was the hypotenuse of the triangle.
3. Nevada knew that the letters were from Gilbert.
4. Nevada found excuses not to read the letters.
5. old Jerome refused to take a ride in Gilbert’s auto­
mobile.
6. Barbara held the envelope up to a strong light.
7. Jerome went to bed as soon as they returned from
the theatre.
8. Barbara did not read what was in the letter.
9. a policeman called to Nevada.
Nevada knew where Gilbert’s window was.
Nevada walked to Gilbert’s studio through a heavy
snowstorm late at night.
Gilbert met her with his mouth open.
Gilbert agreed to what Nevada told him about the
content of his letter.
Gilbert telephoned his friend after closing the door
behind him.

60
 Nevada was nervous when Gilbert gave her a paper to read
The joke was on Barbara.

2 Prove that:

1. the story takes place in a big city.

2. old Jerome takes care of his children.
3. Barbara cares for Gilbert.
4. Nevada is a kind-hearted girl.
5. Gilbert is a man of decision.
6. Gilbert has a true friend.
7. Jerome is sure that Gilbert is gentleman.

3 Add more information to these:

1. Old Jerome had no children of his own.

2. When Jerome was young he had a brother.
3. Soon there was a triangle formed.
4. Jerome took Gilbert’s letter.
5. Barbara was holding a letter.
6. Old Jerome and Nevada returned from the theatre.
7. Barbara opened the envelope.
8. Nevada went out into the night.
9. Gilbert went to his bedroom and closed the door
behind him.
Gilbert gave an evening paper to Nevada.

4 Act Out the talk between:

• Nevada and old Jerome (with the letter from Gil­

bert).
• Nevada and Barbara.

61
 • Nevada and Gilbert (before making a call).
• Gilbert and Jack (think of Jack’s words).
• Nevada and Gilbert (after making a call).
• Gilbert and Nevada (after the wedding).

5 Imagine that you are:

• Uncle Jerome. Say:

a) the story of your brother;
b) how you raised Gilbert;
c) how you took the news of the wedding;
d) how once Gilbert took you for a ride.

• Barbara. Say:
a) how Gilbert came into your life;
b) how Nevada came into your life;
c) why you played a joke on Nevada;
d) if you guessed that Nevada could not read or write;
e) how you took Gilbert and Nevada’s wedding.

• Nevada. Say:
a) what your life in the West was like;
b) something about your father;
c) how you liked a big city;
d) what you think of Gilbert;
e) what you think of Barbara;
f) something about your wedding;
g) what you think about your future education.

• Jack. Say:
a) how you took the news of the wedding when Gil­
bert woke you up late on a stormy night;
b) how you got to Gilbert’s place.

62
What do you think?

1. The story does not say anything about how old Jer­
ome had made his fortune. Do you have any ideas?
Say why you think so.
2. Which couple do you think Jerome will prefer —
Gilbert and Nevada, or Gilbert and Barbara? Which
is your preference? Give reasons for your answer.
3. Do you think Nevada will go to school, or will Gil­
bert teach her? Do you have your own ideas on this
score?
4. Say what you think of Gilbert as an artist. What sort
of pictures do you think he painted? Do you think
he will be a success (if you take into account his
character).
5. Do you think Gilbert and Nevada have something
in common? Remember her paddling a canoe, her
walk into a stormy night, his quick decision). What
do you think of all that?
6. Say what you like (or dislike) about old Jerome, Gil­
bert, Nevada, and Barbara. Who is your favourite?
Give reasons for your likes and dislikes.
7. The title of the story is “Schools and Schools”.
Which schools do you think the author meant? Can
you think of another title to this story?
 LOST ON DRESS PARADE1

W hen in the evening Mr. Towers Chandler appeared

in the streets o f New York, people took him for a rich
young man. He was handsom e, well dressed and sure of
himself. In a word2, he looked like a typical clubman going
out to have a good tim e. N o one knew that he was not
rich. He was in fact quite poor.
C handler was tw enty-tw o years old. He worked in
the office o f an architect and got eighteen dollars a week.
At the end o f each week he put aside one dollar out o f his

' Lost on dress parade — зд. Проигрыш из-за щегольства

2In a word — Одним словом
salary. At the end o f each ten weeks he ironed his evening
suit and went out to have a good time. He usually dined at
a fashionable restaurant where there was wine and music.
It took him ten weeks' to accum ulate his capital o f ten
dollars and it took him only a few hours to spend it, play­
ing the role o f a rich idler.
One night he went out, dressed in his evening clothes
and started for the restaurant where he dined one evening
out o f seventy.
He was just going to turn around the com er2 when a
young girl in front o f him slipped on the snow and fell
down. Chandler ran up and helped her to her feet3.
“T hank y o u ,” said the girl. “ I think I have twisted
my ankle.”
“ Does it hurt very m uch?” asked Chandler.
“Yes, it does,” she answered, “but I think I shall be
able to walk in a few m inutes.”
“C an I do anything for you4?” said Chandler. “I will
call a cab, or ”
“Thank you,” said the girl again, “but I d o n ’t want
to trouble you any longer”
Chandler looked at the girl. She was very young. H er
face was both beautiful and kind. She was dressed in a
cheap black dress that looked like a uniform that sales-girls
wear. A cheap black hat was on her shining dark-brown
hair. She looked like a working girl o f the best type5.

1It took him ten weeks — У него уходило десять недель

2Не was just going to turn around the comer — Он как раз соби­
рался завернуть за угол
3helped her to her feet — помог ей подняться на ноги
4Can I do anything for you — Могу я быть чем-нибудь вам поле­
зен
5working girl of the best type — зд. вполне порядочная девушка-
работница
65
 A sudden idea came into the young architect’s head.
He decided to ask this girl to dine with him. He was sure
she was a nice girl. H er speech and m anners showed it.
And in spite of1 her simple clothes he felt he would be hap­
py2 to sit at table with her. H e thought: This poor girl has
never been to a fashionable restaurant, it is clear. She will
rem em ber the pleasure for a long time.
“I th in k ,” he said to her, “that your foot must rest
for some time. Now, I am going to tell you something. I
am on my way to dine. Com e with me. W e’ll have a nice
dinner and a pleasant talk together. And when our dinner
is over3 your foot will be better, I am sure.”
The girl looked up into C handler’s clear, blue eyes.
Then she smiled: “We d o n ’t know each other. I ’m afraid
it is not right,” she said.
“W hy n o t?” asked the young m an. “ I ’ll introduce
myself. My nam e is Towers Chandler. I will try to make
our dinner as pleasant as possible. And after dinner I will
say good-bye to you, or will take you to your door as you
w ish.”
“But how can I go to the restaurant in this old dress
and hat?” said the girl, looking at C handler’s evening suit.
“N ever m ind th at4, ” said Chandler. “ I ’m sure you
will look better in them than any one we shall see there in
the richest evening dress.”
“I think I will go with you, Mr. C handler,” said the
girl, “because my ankle still hurts me. You may call me
Miss M arian.”

1in spite of — несмотря на

2he felt he would be happy — он почувствовал, что будет счастлив
(см. ком. 2 на стр. 34)
3when our dinner is over — когда обед окончится (to be over —
оканчиваться)
4 Never mind that — Это неважно, не обращайте на это внимания
66
 “All right, Miss M arian,” said the young architect,
“you will not have to walk far1. There is a very good res­
taurant a little way from here. You will have to hold my
arm and walk slowly. It will take only a few minutes to get
th ere.”
The two young people came to the restaurant and sat
down at a table. Chandler ordered a good dinner. He felt
quite happy.
T he restau ran t was full o f richly-dressed people.
There was a good orchestra playing beautiful music. The
food was excellent. His com panion, even in her cheap hat
and dress, looked m ore beautiful th a n som e ladies in
evening dresses.
And then some kind o f madness came upon2 Tow­
ers Chandler. He began to play the role o f a rich idler be­
fore the girl. He spoke o f clubs and teas, o f playing golf
and riding horses and tours in Europe. He could see that
the girl was listening to him with attention, so he told her
more and more lies3. The longer he talked the more4 lies
told her about his life.
At last she said: “D o you like living such an idle life?
Have you no work to do? Have you no other interests?”
“My dear Miss M arian,” he exclaimed, “work! I am
too busy to work. It takes so m uch time to dress every day
for dinner, to m ake a dozen visits in an afternoon I
have no time for work.”
The dinner was over. The two young people walked
out to the com er where they had met. Miss M arian walked
very well now, her ankle was m uch better.

1you will not have to walk far — вам не придется идти далеко
2some kind of madness came upon — какое-то умопомрачение
нашло на
3he told her more and more lies — он все больше и больше лгал ей
4The longer the more — Чем дольше, тем больше
67
 “Thank you for a nice tim e1,” she said to Chandler.
“I must run home now. I liked the dinner very m uch, Mr.
C handler.”
He shook hands with her, smiling, and said that he
also had to hurry. He was going to his club to play bridge.
In his ch eap cold room C h an d ler put away his
evening suit to rest for sixty nine days.
“That was a fine girl,” he said to himself. “I should
like2 to meet her again. I have made a mistake in playing
the role o f a rich idler before a poor working girl. Why did
I lie to her? All because o f my evening suit3, I think I ’m
sorry it’s all over!”
After she had left Chandler the girl came to a rich and
handsome house facing a beautiful avenue. She entered a
room where a young lady was looking out of the window.
“ O h, M arian!” she exclaim ed when the o th er e n ­
tered. “W hen will you stop frightening us? Two hours ago
you ran out in this old dress and H elen’s hat. M other is so
worried. She sent the chauffeur in the automobile to look
for you. You are a bad, bad girl, Marian!”
Then she pressed a button. A servant cam e in and
she said:
“ Helen, tell M other that Miss M arian has returned.”
“ D o n ’t be angry with me, Sister,” said M arian. “ I
only ran down to my dressmaker to tell her to use blue but­
tons instead o f white for my new dress. My old dress and
H elen’s hat were just what 1 needed4. Every one thought I
was a sales-girl, 1 am sure.”

1 Thank you for a nice time — Благодарю вас за приятно

проведенное время
21 should like — Мне бы хотелось
3All because of my evening suit — Все из-за моего вечернего
костюма
4just what I needed — именно то, что мне было нужно
68
 “D inner is over, dear, you were away so long,” said
M arian’s sister.
“I know ,” said Marian. “ I slipped in the street and
twisted my ankle. So I walked to a restaurant with great
difficulty and sat there until my ankle was better. T h at’s
why I was so long.”
The two girls sat down at the window, looking out.
Then M arian said: “We will have to marry one day, both
of us. We have too m uch money, so we shall not be left in
peace1, 1 am sure. Shall I tell you the kind o f m an2 1 can
love?”
“G o on, dear,” said her sister, smiling.
“The man 1 can love must have clear blue eyes, he
must be handsom e and good and he m ustn’t try to flirt.
But I shall love a man like that3 only if he is not lazy, if he
has some work to do in the world. No matter4 how poor he
is I shall love him. But, Sister, dear, what kind o f young
men do we meet every day? They live an idle life between
visits to their friends and visits to their clubs. N o, I can’t
love a m an like that, even if his eyes are blue and he is
handsome: even if he is kind to poor girls whom he meets
in the street.”

1we shall not be left in peace — нас не оставят в покое (пока мы

не выйдем замуж)
2the kind of man — какого человека
’a man like that — такого человека
4No matter — He имеет значения, неважно
69
 EXERCISES

? Checking Comprehension

1 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. Where does the story take place? What tells you
this?
3. What did Towers Chandler look like?
4. In what way did Chandler look like a typical club­
man?
5. What was Chandler’s occupation?
6. In what way did he manage to accumulate money
for a dinner?
7. What kind of a restaurant was it?
8. How often did he dine there?
9. How much was the dinner?
How long did it take Chandler to spend his savings?
How was Chandler dressed on such occasions?
What happened one night on his way to the restau­
rant?
What did Chandler do to the girl?
What was the girl like?
How was she dressed?
What kind of an idea came into Chandler’s head?
How did the girl take Chandler’s idea?
What made the girl accept Chandler’s invitation?
What was the restaurant where Chandler and Mari­
an came in like?
20 What kind of a man did Chandler play before the
girl?
How did Marian listen to Chandler?

70
 Did her ankle hurt Marian when the dinner was
over?
Did Chandler go to the club to play bridge or did he
go to his room?
What kind of a room was it?
What did Chandler do with his evening suit?
When was he going to wear it next?
What did Chandler think of himself after the din­
ner?
What did he feel about Marian?
What kind of a house did Marian live in?
What kind of a man would she love?

2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the

false one.

1. Chandler looked like a typical working man.

2. At the end of each week Chandler went out to have
a good time.
3. He had to iron his suit every week.
4. It took him a month to save money for a good din­
ner in a fashionable restaurant.
5. Chandler did not know what to do to the girl when
she had slipped on the snow.
6. The girl was dressed like a model.
7. Chandler hurt his ankle while helping the girl to her
feet.
8. Chandler decided to play a joke on the girl.
9. Chandler’s story did not impress the girl.
Helen was Marian’s sister.
Chandler lived an idle life.
Marian will never marry Chandler.

71
3 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. One night Chandler met a girl with a beautiful and

kind face.
2. To make impression on Marian Chandler pretended
to be a rich idler.
3. Marian, that was the girl’s name, came from a rich
family.
4. Chandler worked for eighteen dollars a week.
5. Chandler took Marian for a working girl.
6. To give a rest to her twisted ankle Marian accepted
the invitation.
7. Marian confessed to her sister what kind of a man
she could love.
8. In his cold room Chandler realised what a mistake
he had made.
9. He invited her to dine with him at a restaurant.
Chandler went out to have a good time at a fashion­
able restaurant every ten weeks.
Marian returned to her house where her sister and
mother worried about her.

4 Say which words and word combinations you would use

to describe Chandler and which — to describe Marian.

rich, well-dressed, young, handsome, sure of oneself,

typical clubman, poor, twenty-two years old, dressed in
evening suit, beautiful, kind, dressed in simple clothes,
shining dark-brown hair, nice speech and manners,
clear blue eyes, happy, rich idler

72
Ш Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Find in the text the English for:

1. Об этом свидетельствовали ее речь и манеры.

2. Она долго будет помнить это удовольствие.
3. Я иду обедать.
4. Боюсь, это неприлично.
5. Я провожу вас до самого дома.
6. Не обращайте на это внимание.
7. Недалеко отсюда.
8. Вам придется держаться за мою руку.
9. Понадобится всего несколько минут, чтобы
добраться туда.
Играть роль богатого бездельника.
Вести праздный образ жизни.
Не сердитесь на меня.
Когда-нибудь нам придется выходить замуж.

2 Match the verbs and phrases, which have the same or very
close meaning. Use them in the situations from the story.

1. to put aside a) to use up

2. to spend b) to injure
3. to start for c) to have dinner
4. to hurt d) to be finished
5. to be able e) to manage
6. to trouble 0 to save
7. to dine g) to walk to
8. to be over h) to bother
9. to introduce 0 to be anxious
oneself j) to look toward
to face Ю to be lazy
to be worried 1) to trifle in love
73
 to look for m) to seek
to flirt n) to make oneself known
to be idle to another

3 Make the questions complete and answer them.

1. Did Towers Chandler look like a poor clerk or did

he look lik e ?
2. Did Marian look like a rich girl or did she look like

3. Did Marian’s dress look like an evening one or did it

look lik e ?
4. Did Marian’s house look like a house of a poor fam­
ily or did it look lik e ?
5. Did Chandler look like a hard-working young man
or did he look like ?

4 Fill in the gaps with the appropriate participle clauses

from the box below. Each participle clause can be used
only once.

helping her to her feet

feeling quite happy
playing the role of a rich idler
putting away his evening suit
looking out of the window
living an idle life
twisting her ankle
smiling to her
playing good music
looking at his evening suit
going out to have a good time
returning home

74
 1. He looked like a typical clubm an____.
2. Chandler held the girl’s a r m .
3. the girl wondered how she could go to a restau­
rant in her old dress and hat.
4. Chandler ordered a good d in n er____.
5. There was a good orchestra .
6. He talked of clubs, and golf, and horses, and tours
to Europe .
7. Chandler shook hands with h e r ____.
8. he realised what a mistake he hadmade.
9. Marian saw her sister .
Marian slipped in the street .
Marian did not like the men

5 Complete the sentences.

1. When Towers Chandler appeared in the streets of

New York dressed in his evening suit people .
2. To be able to spend one night at a fashionable res­
taurant Chandler had t o .
3. The girl slipped on the snow, fell down, a n d .
4. Her speech and manners showed t h a t .
5. He introduced himself and said that he w ould .
6. Chandler invited her to a restaurant, which w as .
7. In spite of her simple clothes he fe lt .
8. He said it would take .
9. The restaurant they came in w as .
Playing the role of a rich idler he spoke o f .
When the two young people came to the corner
where they had m e t .
When Chandler came to his poor cold room h e .
When Marian returned home her sister .
Marian said that she had only run d o w n .

75
 M arian dream ed o f a handsom e m an with blue eyes
but

Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. People took Towers Chandler for a rich young

man.
2. Chandler put aside one dollar out of his salary.
3. Marian twisted her ankle.
4. M arian looked like a working girl o f the best
type.
5. Chandler thought that Marian would remember the
pleasure of being at a fashionable restaurant for a
long time.
6. Marian was afraid that it was not right to have din­
ner with Chandler.
7. At last Marian accepted the invitation.
8. She had to hold Chandler’s arm and walk slowly.
9. Some kind of madness came upon Chandler.
Chandler thought he had made a mistake.
Marian’s mother was worried.
Marian wanted to go to her dressmaker.
Marian believed that she and her sister would not be
left in peace.
Chandler lost his fortune.

2 Prove that:

1. Chandler is not rich.

2. Chandler is a kind young man.
76
 3. Marian is rich and lives in a family.
4. Marian is a serious girl.
5. Chandler might have (мог бы) won a fortune.

3 Add more information to these:

1. Chandler started for the restaurant.

2. He saw the girl slip on the snow.
3. A sudden idea came into the youngman’s head.
4. “I think I will go with you,” said the girl.
5. The two young people sat down at a table.
6. Chandler did not know what happened to him.
7. She thanked him for a nice time.
8. In his cheap cold room Chandler put away his
evening suit.
9. Marian explained the situation to her sister.
Marian thought of the men she could love.

4 Act out the talk between:

• Chandler and Marian (after she fell down).

• Marian and Chandler (he invites the girl to the res­
taurant).
• Chandler and Marian (in the restaurant).
• Marian and her sister.

5 Imagine that you are:

• Chandler. Say:
a) something about yourself;
b) why you go to a fashionable restaurant;
c) how you met Marian;
d) what made you play the role of a rich idler.
77
• Marian. Say:
a) why you left your house that evening;
b) what happened to you in the street;
c) what you felt having dinner with Chandler;
d) what you liked about Chandler. Why?
e) what you do not like about him. Why?

• Marian’s sister. Say:

what was happening in the house while Marian was
away.

What do you think?

1. What do you think of Chandler? What kind of a

husband might he be?
2. Do you think he will try to play the role of a rich
idler again? Give reasons for your answer.
3. What do you think of Marian? Is she a spoilt girl?
What makes you think so? Say what you like about
her and what you do not like. Why?
4. Chandler worked in the office of an architect. Imag­
ine some day Marian’s family needs services of an
architect to do some restoration work in the house.
It is Chandler who comes to do the work. Chandler
and Marian meet again. Go on with your imagina­
tion.
 THE TRIMMED LAMP'

Lou2 and Nancy were friends. They came to New York

to find work because there was not enough to eat at their
homes. Nancy was nineteen. Lou was twenty. Both Nancy
and Lou3 were very pretty. Lou found work in a laundry. She
was an ironer. Nancy began to work as a sales-girl.
At tlje end o f six m onths o f their life in the big city,
Lou m et a young m an nam ed D an. They soon becam e

1The Trimmed Lamp — Зажженный светильник (букв, заправ­

ленный светильник)
2Lou [lu:] — уменьшительное от женского имени Louise
1Both Nancy and Lou — И Нэнси и Jly
79
good friends. In fact they fell in love with each other.
They went o u t1 together several times a week.
“A ren’t you cold2, N ancy?” Lou asked her friend
one evening. They were standing on the com er waiting for
Dan. “ I feel sorry for you. Why are you working in that
old store for eight dollars a week? I made3 eighteen dollars
last week! O f course, ironing is not so pleasant as selling
gloves in a store, but it pays4. N one o f the ironers make
less than ten dollars a week. I like my work.”
“A nd 1 like m in e ,” said N ancy, “ even th o u g h 5 I
make only eight dollars a week. 1 like to work in a big
store, and to be among beautiful things and nice people.
One of our sales-girls m arried a steel m aker from Pitts­
burg. He makes a lot o f money! You may be sure I’ll catch
a millionaire some day! And whom can you marry working
in a laundry?”
“W hy, I m et D an in the laun d ry ,” said Lou. “ He
came in to get his Sunday shirt and collars and saw me. 1
was ironing. Later he said he had noticed my arms first,
how white and round they were. I tell you, some very rich
m en com e to laundries. O f course if you want to starve
and put on airs6, do as you like!”
Just then Dan came. He was an electrician, making
thirty dollars a week. It was clear he was in love with Lou,
he looked at her with the sad eyes o f Romeo.
“Nancy, I want to introduce to you my friend, Mr.
Owens. D an, shake hands with Miss D anforth,” said Lou.

1They went out — Они ходили развлекаться {to go out — выхо­

дить, бывать в обществе)
2Aren’t you cold — Неужели тебе не холодно
31 made —■Я заработала
4it pays — это хорошо оплачивается
5even tnough — даже если
6to put on airs — важничать
80
 “ I ’m very glad to m eet you, Miss D an fo rth ,” said
Dan. “ I’ve heard so much about you from Lou.”
“T hanks,” said N ancy, “ I’ve heard from her about
you, to o .”
“I have tickets for a theatre,” said Dan. “ Let’s all go.”
The three o f th em 1 started out to have a good time
together.

* * *

N ancy had no gentlem en friends.2 N obody waited

for her after work. Some o f the sales-girls joked that she
was waiting to “catch a m illionaire”. “I ’ll make the big­
gest catch in the world, — or nothing at all!” she used to 3
say.
O ne day, tw o o f the sales-girls w ho w orked with
N ancy invited her to have dinner together with them and
th eir gentlem en friends. T he d in n e r took place in a
fashionable caf6.
O ne o f the gentlem en friends had no hair on his
head, — the other wore a diam ond ring and liked neither
the food nor the wine3.
The next day the gentlem an with the diam ond ring
appeared in the shop and asked N ancy to m arry him .
She said ‘n o ’. W hen he left, on e o f th e girls said to
N ancy:
“W hat a terrible fool you are!4 That fellow is a m il­
lionaire — he is the son o f Van Skittles himself! Are you
m ad, N ancy? W hat do you want? Do you want to be a

1The three of them — Все трое

2Nancy had no gentlemen friends. — У Нэнси не было кавалеров.
3liked neither the food nor the wine — не понравились ни куша­
нья, ни вино
4What a terrible fool you are! — Ты ужасная дура!
81
M orm on1 and marry Rockfeller2 and the King o f Spain at
the same tim e?”
“ I d o n ’t want his m oney,” said Nancy. “I d o n ’t like
him, th a t’s all! I want to marry a rich man, th at’s true. But
I also want to like him!”

* * *

Lou worked on3 in the laundry. Out o f her eighteen

dollars a week she paid six dollars for her room and board.
The rest o f the money went for clothes.
W hen the day’s work was over she m et Dan who was
always w aiting for h er outside the laundry. Som etim es
D an did not like her clothes, they were too bright — he
thought — and in bad taste4. But she liked bright clothes,
and when people in the streets looked at her, she liked that
very much.
D an and Lou always asked N an cy to com e with
them when they went out to have a good time.
One Saturday afternoon the two girls met, and Lou said:
“ D an is always asking me to m arry him . But why
should I5? I am independent. Now I can do what 1 like
with the money I make. And if 1 marry D an he will not
allow me to work. N ancy, what are your plans for the fu­
ture? Have you caught your millionaire yet?”
“ N ot yet,” said N ancy with a laugh. “ I haven’t se­
lected one yet ”

1Mormon ['т з :т э п ] — мормон(ка) (мормоны — североамери­

канская секта, возникшая в х годах XIX в. Среди членов этой
секты распространено многоженство.)
2 Rockfeller [roki'feb] — Рокфеллер (американский миллиардер)
3worked on — продолжала работать
4in bad taste — безвкусный (об одежде)
5why should I (= why should I do it) — зачем это мне нужно
(букв.: почему я должна делать это)
82
 “You are joking, o f course,” said Lou. “ Millionaires
do n ’t notice working girls like us. Still I am sure that I’ll
catch one before you d o .”

* * *

N ancy worked on. She watched and studied the rich

men and wom en who came to the store. She hoped some
day to find the m an she could marry.
So she kept her lam p trim m ed and burning to re­
ceive her bridegroom when he should com e.1

* * *

O ne T hursday evening N an cy left the store and

walked over to the laundry. Dan and Lou had invited her
to go to a musical comedy with them.
Dan was just coming out o f the laundry when she ar­
rived. There was a strange nervous look on his face.
“I hoped to find out something about her. I thought
they had heard from her2,” he said.
“ H eard from whom? W hat are you talking about?”
said Nancy. “Isn’t Lou there?”
“ I thought you knew everything,” said D an. “She
h asn ’t been here o r at the house where she lived since
Monday. She took all her things from there. She told one
o f the girls in the laundry that she was going to Europe.”
“ Has anybody seen her anywhere?” asked Nancy.
Dan looked at her. His gray eyes were like steel.

1So she kept her lamp trimmed and burning to receive her bride­
groom when he should come.-— Ее светильник был всегда заправ­
лен и зажжен, чтобы принять суженого, когда он появится.
(Ссылка на мифологический образ невесты, ожидающей своего
суженого.)
2they had heard from her — они имеют от нее известия
83
 “They told me in the laundry,” he said, “that they
saw her yesterday in an automobile. With one o f those
millionaires that you and Lou were always talking about.”
For the first tim e1 in her life Nancy did not know what
to say. Then she laid her hand on D an’s arm and said:
“You have no right to say such a thing to me, Dan.
Do you think that she has done it because o f my jokes
about millionaires? I am sorry for you, but I have nothing
to do with it2.”
“ I’m sorry I said it,” answered D an, “ D on’t be an­
gry with me!”
“ I have tickets for a show to -n ig h t,” he said a m o­
m ent later. “If you ”
Nancy saw how miserable he was and she felt sorry
for him.
“I ’ll come with you, D an ,” she said.

* * *

Three m onths passed before N ancy saw Lou again.

One evening she was hurrying home from the store.
Suddenly somebody called her name. She turned around
and saw Lou who caught her in her arms.
N ancy noticed at once that Lou had becom e rich.
She was very well dressed and had diam ond rings on her
fingers.
“You little fool3,” cried Lou, “ I see you are still
working in that store. I see you haven’t caught a million­
aire yet.”
And then Lou looked and saw that N ancy had some­
thing better than m oney, som ething that shone brighter

1For the first time — Впервые

2 1 have nothing to do with it — я к этому не имею никакого
отношения
3You little fool — Ах ты, глупышка
84
than stars in her eyes, som ething that was redder than a
rose in her cheeks. Happiness!
“Yes, I’m still in the store,” said N ancy, “but I am
going to leave it next week. I’ve made my catch, the best
catch in the world. I ’m going to be married to Dan to
Dan! He is my D an now.”
A policem an, going around the co m er o f the park
saw two young women. One o f them , with diam ond rings
on her fingers was crying like a child. The other, a simply
dressed working girl, was trying to console her. The po­
licem an passed on. He knew he could not help the one
who was crying1.

E X E R C ISE S

? Checking Comprehension

1 Say who:

1. came to New York to make money.

2. was nineteen.
3. was twenty.
4. worked in a laundry.
5. was a sales-girl.
6. made ten (eighteen, thirty) dollars a week.
7. paid six dollars for the room and board.
8. fell in love with each other.
9. married a steel maker from Pittsburgh.
hoped to catch a millionaire some day.

1he could not help the one who was crying — он не мог помочь
той (девушке), которая плакала
85
 was an electrician.
invited Nancy to have dinner at a fashionable caf6
one day.
had no hair on his head.
wore a diamond ring.
asked Nancy to marry him.
did not want to have a millionaire’s money only.
liked to wear bright clothes.
liked to be looked at.
kept the lamp trimmed and burning.
made Dan feel miserable.
felt sorry for him.
met two months later.
had become rich by that time.
had become happy by that time.

2 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. What are the names of the two girls?
3. How old are they?
4. What brought them to New York?
5. How did they earn their living?
6. Whose work paid more, Nancy’s or Lou’s?
7. What is Dan?
8. How did Dan and Lou meet?
9. How much did Dan make a week?
How often did Dan and Lou go out?
What was Nancy’s reaction to the sales-girls’ jokes?
What kind of a man asked Nancy to marry him?
How did she take it?
What kind of a man did Nancy hope to marry?
In what way did Lou spend her week’s salary?

86
 What was it that Dan sometimes did not like about Lou?
How did Nancy spend her free time?
What made Dan feel miserable one evening?
What did Nancy feel about this?
What told Nancy that Lou had become rich when
they met in three months?
What told Lou that Nancy was happy?
What kind of a catch had Nancy made?
What about Lou?

3 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the

false one.

1. Lou and Nancy came to New York because they

wanted to marry millionaires.
2. Nancy did not like her job because it did not pay.
3. Dan fell in love with Lou at first sight.
4. Dan was a rich man.
5. Dan liked when people looked at Lou.
6. Though Nancy often said that she would catch a
millionaire, she did not mean money only.
7. Though Lou loved Dan, she did not want to marry
him.
8. One day Lou went away with a millionaire.
9. Her disappearance was not a big blow for Dan.
In two months the millionaire left Lou.
Lou returned to Dan.

4 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. Lou and Dan fell in love with each other and went
out several times a week.
2. Nancy often had a good time with Lou and Dan.
87
 3. Though Lou went out with Dan, she did not want
to marry him.
4. This made Dan feel miserable.
5. Nancy and Lou met again three months later.
6. Nancy had something better than money — she had
happiness.
7. The policeman could not help the crying girl.
8. Lou and Nancy came to New York to find work.
9. One of them found work in a laundry, the other —
in a store.
Nancy had no gentlemen friends.
Lou and Nancy hoped to catch a millionaire some
day.
One day Lou disappeared.
Nancy was sorry for Dan, and went to the theatre
with him.
Lou had diamond rings on her fingers, and was
richly dressed.

Ш Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what you understand by the following:

1. “I will make the biggest catch in the world, — or

nothing at all!”
2. It was clear he was in love with Lou, he looked at
her with the sad eyes of Romeo.
3. The rest of the money went for clothes.
4. His gray eyes were like steel.
5. “ I have made my catch, the biggest catch in the
world.”
6. The other girl was trying to console her.

88
2 Complete the sentences according to the story.

1. Lou and Dan spent a lot of time together because

th e y _______________ each other.
2. After work N a n c y _______ to the laundry to meet
Lou.
3. When Nancy heard somebody call her s h e ______
and saw Lou.
4. Every free evening th e y ______ to have a good time
together.
5. The sales-girls o f te n _______Nancy but s h e ____
their jokes.
6. The g ir ls _______ , and did not lose the hope to
catch a millionaire some day.
7. The policem an_______, because he knew that he
could not help the crying girl.
8. Though nobody_______ Nancy after work, she did
not look sad.
9. Nancy said she was going t o ___________ Dan.
The fact that Lou was gone had nothing t o ______
Nancy.

3 Say which noun goes with which adjective in the story.

Use them in the situations from the text.

1. eyes a) pretty
2. people b) big
3. things c) young
4. arms d) old
5. men e) beautiful
6. fool 0 nice
7. comedy g) steel
8. city h) round

89
 9. girl i) rich
man j) sad
store k) terrible
clothes 1) bright
look m) musical
maker n) nervous
girls o) crying

4 Say which word doesn’t go with the others and why.

1. pretty, beautiful, happy, miserable

2. young, old, little, rich
3. terrible, independent, different, intelligent
4. working, selling, crying, ironing
5. bakery, house, store, laundry
6. bright, grey, white, round
7. starve,.marry, console, comedy
8. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday
9. worker, sales-girl, ironer, electrician
big, sad, nice, worst

5 Fill in the gaps using Present Perfect of the verbs in the

box.

catch, hear, select, see, be, do

1. I have n o t much about you.

2. Have y o u your millionaire, yet?
3. I have n o t one, yet.
4. She has n o t here since Monday.
5. Has anybody her anywhere?
6. Do you think she h a s it because of my jokes?

90
 Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. Lou and Nancy left their homes.

2. Lou was sorry for Nancy.
3. Nancy liked her work.
4. Lou liked her work.
5. It was clear that Dan was in love with Lou.
6. Nancy had no gentlemen friends.
7. Nancy refused to the millionaire with a diamond ring.
8. Sales-girls were joking at Nancy.
9. Lou did not want to marry Dan.
There was a strange nervous look on Dan’s face one
evening.
Lou left Dan.
Lou was crying two months later.
Nancy’s eyes shone brighter than stars.

2 Prove that:

1. Lou and Nancy were friends.

2. Lou and Nancy were different.
3. There were many tempting (соблазнительные)
things in New York for simple pretty girls.
4. To catch a millionaire does not always mean to find
happiness.
5. Nancy has made her catch.

3 Add more information to these:

1. Lou and Nancy have already been in New York for

six months.
91
 2. Nancy has not made her big catch yet.
3. Lou has not been at the house where she lived since
Monday.
4. Nancy has made the biggest catch in the world.
5. Lou worked on in the laundry.
6. Nancy worked on in the store selling gloves.
7. Three months have passed.
8. The policeman saw two young girls.
9. Once sales-girls invited Nancy to have dinner with
their gentlemen friends.
When Nancy arrived at the laundry Dan was just
coming out of it.

4 Make up and act out the talk between:

• Lou and Nancy (waiting for Dan).

• Nancy and Dan (after the introduction).
• Nancy and the millionaire proposing her.
• Nancy and one of the sales-girls (after Nancy’s re­
fusal).
• Lou and Nancy (talking about their future plans).
• Nancy and Dan (in the laundry after Lou had left).
• Nancy and Lou (three months later).

5 Imagine that you are:

• Lou. Say:
a) what made you leave home;
b) how you find life in New York;

92
 c) what you feel about Dan;
d) what you feel about Nancy;
e) why you left Dan;
f) where you went after leaving Dan;
g) why you were crying when meeting Nancy three
months later.

• Nancy. Say:
a) what made you leave home;
b) how you met Lou;
c) what you think of her;
d) what you think of New York;
e) what kept you in the store;
0 how you spent time with Lou and Dan;
g) why you think Dan is your biggest catch.

• Dan. Say:
a) how you found yourself in New York;
b) how you got work;
c) how you met Lou;
d) how you spent time with her;
e) what you liked (didn’t like) about Lou;
f) what you felt after her leaving;
g) how you came to love Nancy;
h) in what way you think the two girls are different.

• The millionaire with a diamond ring. Say:

a) what made you ask Nancy to marry you;
b) why you chose Lou;
c) where did you go with her;
d) what happened three months later;
e) why you were making your choice among work­
ing girls;
f) what your plans for future are.
93
What do you think?

1. Say what you feel about Lou, what you like about
her, what you don’t like. Can you imagine her fu­
ture life? Give reasons for your answers.
2. Say what you feel about Nancy, her likes and dis­
likes. Do you think she made the right choice? What
do you think her life with Dan could be? Say why
you think this or that way.
3. Do you think Dan was lucky with Nancy? What
kind of husband do you think he could be? What do
you like (don’t like) about him? Give reasons.
4. Compare salaries of Lou, Nancy, and Dan with
those of working young people nowadays. Lou could
spend two-thirds of her salary on clothes. How
much of her (his) salary can a young girl (man)
spend on clothes nowadays? Do you think life is
cheaper or more expensive now?
5. Compare the way Lou and Nancy spent their free
time with the way young people do it nowadays. Are
there any similarities? What are the differences?
 NO STORY1

The conversation I am going to tell you about took

place in the rep o rter’s room o f The M orning Beacon2. I
was doing some work for this newspaper. I wrote about
anything I could see in New York City during my long
walks about its streets. I had very little m oney because I
had no regular work3.

1No story — зд. Рассказа не получилось (букв.: никакого рас­

сказа)
2 The Morning Beacon — «Утренний Маяк» (название газеты)
31 had no regular work — я не был в штате (букв.: у меня не было
постоянной работы)
95
 One day T ripp cam e in and stopped at my table.
Tripp was working in the printing departm ent. I think he
had som ething to d o 1 with pictures, because he always
smelled o f photographers’ chemicals and his hands were
always stained and burnt with acids. He was about twenty-
five but looked forty. Half o f his face was covered with a
short red beard, which looked like a door-m at. He looked
pale, miserable and unhealthy. He always borrowed m on­
ey from all o f us. He asked for a small sum — from twenty-
five cents to a dollar. One dollar was his limit. He knew
that nobody would give him more than a dollar. He sat on
my table holding one hand with the other with difficulty.
But it was no use: both hands were shaking. Whisky!
That day I had got five new silver dollars as an ad­
vance on a story I was writing for the paper. So I was feel­
ing at peace with the world.
“Well, Tripp,” said I looking up at him, “how are you?”
“ Have you got2 a dollar?” asked Tripp. He was look­
ing more miserable than ever.
“ I have,” said I. And again I said: “ I have five dol­
lars in fact. And I got them with great difficulty, I can tell
you. And I am very glad I got them because I need them
very m uch.” I was afraid he would ask me to give him a
dollar. So I made everything clear.
“ I d o n ’t want to borrow any m oney,” said Tripp,
and I was glad to hear those words. “ I can give you some
facts for a story and you can write it up and get a lot of
money. It will make an interesting story.3 It will cost you a
dollar or two to get the facts for the story. But I d o n ’t want
any money for myself.”

1he had something to do — он имел какое-то отношение

2Have you got = Have you
3 It will make an interesting story. — Получится интересный
рассказ.
96
 “W hat are the facts?” I asked him.
“ I’ll tell you,” said Tripp. “ It’s a girl. A beauty. You
have never seen a girl like her. She is a flower She has lived
in a village for twenty years and never saw New York City
before. I met her on Thirty-fourth Street. I tell you, she is the
most beautiful girl in the world. She stopped me in the street
and asked me where she could find Geoige Brown. Asked
me where she could find G E O R G E BROW N IN NEW
YORK CITY! What do you think of that?
“ I talked to her, and found out that she was going to
marry a young farmer named H iram D odd next week. But
she cannot forget her first love — George Brown. George
left his village some years ago, and cam e to the city to
make his fortune1. But he forgot to go back to his village,
so after some time she agreed to marry H iram Dodd. And
now a few days before the wedding Ada — h er nam e is
Ada Lowery — suddenly went to the railroad station and
took the train for New York City. She is looking for her
George. You understand women, I hope: Geoige was not
there, so she wanted him 2.
“Well, you know, I couldn’t leave her in the streets
of New York. She was sure that the first person she asked
about George Brown would say: ‘George Brown? — Let
me see Is he a short m an with light-blue eyes? Yes?
Then you will find him on O ne-hundred and Twenty-fifth
Street a little way from the bakery.’ D o you see now what a
child she is? A beautiful child! But you must see her!
“W hat could I do?” Tripp continued. “I never have
money in the morning. And she has paid her last cent for
her railroad ticket. So I took her to a boarding-house on

1to make his fortune — чтобы разбогатеть

2Geoige was not there, so she wanted him — раз Джорджа не было
с ней, значит он ей стал нужен
3Let me see — Одну минуточку (букв.: дайте мне подумать)
97
Thirty-second Street where I used to live. I left her there.
We shall have to pay one dollar for her room. That is the
price per day1. I ’ll show you the house.”
I was angry. “W hat are you talking about, Tripp?” I
said. I thought you had facts for a story. Every train brings
in or takes out2 hundreds o f young girls! W hat kind o f sto­
ry3 can I make out o f this?”
“I am sorry you d o n ’t see what an interesting story
you could w rite4,” said Tripp. “You could describe the
beauty o f the girl; you could write about true love! Well,
you know how to do it. I am sure you could get fifteen
dollars for the story. And it will cost you only four dollars.”
“How will it cost me four dollars?” I asked him.
“One dollar for the room , and two dollars to pay for
the girl’s ticket hom e.”
“And the fourth dollar?”
“One dollar to m e,” said Tripp, “for whisky. D o you
agree?”
I did not answer him but only smiled and began writ­
ing again.
“You d o n ’t understand,” said Tripp, looking more
miserable than before. “This girl must be sent hom e to ­
day. N ot to-night nor to-m orrow , but to-day. I can ’t do
anything for her. I thought you could make a newspaper
story out o f it and get some money for it. But no m atter5
whether you want to write the story or not — she must get
back home before night!”

1per day — в день

2brings in or takes out — привозит иди увозит
3What kind of story — Какой же рассказ
4 you could write — вы могли бы написать (сослагательное
наклонение)
5no matter — неважно, не имеет значения
98
 And then I began to feel sorry for the girl. I knew that
my three dollars would be spent on Ada Lowery. But I
prom ised m yself that Tripp would not get his dollar for
whisky. Very angry I put on my coat and hat.
It took us half an hour to get to the boarding-house.
Tripp rang the bell.
“Give me one o f the dollars — quick!” he said.
A woman opened the door a little. Tripp gave her the
dollar without a word, and she let us in 1.
“She is in the parlor,” said the woman, turning her
back on us.
In the dark parlor a girl was sitting at a table She was
crying. Yes, she was a beauty! Crying had only made her
beautiful eyes brighter.2
“ Miss Lowery, this is my friend Mr. Chalm ers,” said
Tripp. He looked like a beggar in his old coat and I was
ashamed when he called me his ‘friend’.
“ My friend,” said Tripp again, “will tell you, Miss
Lowery, the same that I did. He is a reporter and he can
talk better than I can. T hat’s why I have brought him here.
He is a very clever man. He will tell you what is the best
thing to d o .”
“ Miss Lowery,” I began and stopped. I did not know
what to say. “ I shall be glad to help you, o f course, but first
tell me your story, please”
“It’s the first time I have ever been to New York3,”
said the girl. “I had no idea that it was such a big place.
And I m et M r Mr. Flip in the street and asked him

1let us in — впустила нас

2Crying had only made her beautiful eyes brighter. — Слезы только
усилили блеск ее прекрасных глаз.
3 It’s the first time I have ever been to New York — Я впервые при­
ехала в Нью-Йорк
99
about a friend o f mine, and he brought me here and asked
me to w ait.”
“ I advise you, Miss Low ery,” said T ripp, “to tell
Mr. Chalmers all. He is a friend o f mine, and he will tell
you what to do.”
“Why, o f course,” said Ada. “There is nothing to tell
only th at I was going to m arry H iram D odd next
Thursday evening. He has got two hundred acres o f land
and one o f the best farms in our village. But this morning I
told my m other that I was going to spend the day with Su­
sie Adams. It was a lie, o f course but I d o n ’t care1. And
I came to New York by train, and I met M r Mr. Flip in
the street and asked him if he knew where I could find G -
G -G G eorge”
“ Miss Low ery,” T ripp stopped her, “you told me
that you liked this young man, H iram Dodd. You also told
me that he was in love with you and was very good to
you2.”
“O f course, I like h im ,” said Miss Lowery. “And of
course he is good to me. Everybody is good to m e.”
O f course, all men were good to Ada. I was sure that
m en would always be good to her: she was so beautiful!
“ B ut,” continued Miss Lowery, “last night I began
thinking about G — George and I ”
And she began to cry again. Such a beautiful spring
storm! I was sorry that I could not be o f great help to her.
I was not George. And I was glad that I was not Hiram. I
was glad and sorry at the same time.
By and by3 the storm passed. She smiled and went on
with her story.

11 don’t care — мне все равно

2he was in love with you and was very good to you — он влюблен в
вас и очень добр к вам
3By and by — Вскоре

 “George Brown and I were in love with each other
since he was eight an d 1 was five. W hen he was n in e ­
teen — that was four years ago — he left our village and
went to the city. He said he was going to be a policeman
or a president o f a railroad com pany o r som ething like
that. He promised to come back for me. But I have never
heard from him 1 any more. And 1 I liked him .”
She was going to cry again. But th e n T ripp said
quickly to me: “ M ister Chalm ers, can you tell the lady
what is the best thing to do now?”
“Miss Lowery,” said I, “life is hard for all o f us. We
seldom marry those whom we first love. You say that Mr.
Dodd is very good to you and that you like him. I am sure
you will be happy when you marry him .”
“Y es,” said Miss Lowery, “ I can get along with
him2. He promised me an automobile and a motor-boat.
And still, when the time o f our wedding was so close — I
began thinking about George. I know, he doesn’t write me
because something bad has happened to him. On the day
he left, he and I got a ham m er and a chisel and cut a dime
into two pieces. I took one piece and he took the other.
We promised to be true to each other and always keep the
pieces till we meet again. I keep my piece at home. I see
now that it was silly to come up here looking for him. 1
didn’t know what a big place it is.”
Tripp laughed. I saw he was trying to be o f help in
order to get his whisky dollar.
“ O h ,” he said, “the boys from the country forget
their girls when they come to the city. I am afraid he is in
love with another girl now, or may be he has gone to the

11 have never heard from him — я не имела от него никаких

вестей
21 can get along with him — я с ним уживусь (to get along —
ладить)
dogs because o f whisky1. You listen to Mr. Chalmers and
go home, and everything will be all right.”
At last she agreed to go home. The three o f us went
to the station. The price o f a ticket to her village was only
a dollar and eighty cents. I bought the ticket and also a
red, red rose for Miss Lowery. We said good-bye to her.
It was over at last.2 Tripp and I looked at each other.
He looked more miserable than ever.”
“Can you make a story out o f it?” he asked.
“N ot a line3,” said I. “There is nothing interesting in
all this. But we should be glad that we have helped the little
girl. T hat’s all.”
“I ’m sorry,” said Tripp softly. “ I ’m sorry you’ve had
to spend m oney.”
“Let’s try to forget it,” I said. I was not going to give
him a dollar for whisky.
Tripp unbuttoned his coat to take a handkerchief out
o f his pocket. As he did so I noticed a cheap w atch-chain
across his vest. Something was hanging from the chain. I
took it in my hand. It was half o f a dime. It had been cut
in halves4 with a chisel.
“W hat?” I said, looking at him in surprise.
“O h, y es,” he answ ered, softly. “ G eorge Brown,
now Tripp. W hat’s the use?5”
I took a dollar out o f my pocket and put it into
Tripp’s hand.

1he has gone to the dogs because of whisky — его жизнь загублена,
так как он спился
2It was over at last. — Наконец, все это было позади.
3Not a line — Ни единой строчки
4in halves — пополам (на две половинки)
5What’s the use? — А что толку?

 EXERCISES

? Checking Comprehension

1 Answer the following questions.

1. How many persons are mentioned in this story?

2. What are their names and occupation?
3. Where did the event take place? What tells you
about it?
4. How old were the main characters?
5. What kind of work did the reporter do?
7. What was Tripp?
8. What told about his occupation?
9. How old did Tripp look?
What made him look this age?
What kind of a habit did Tripp have?
What made the reporter feel at peace with the world
that day?
What did Tripp offer the author?
In what way did Tripp meet the girl?
What made Ada come to New York?
Where did Tripp take Ada to?
What was the price per day in the boarding-house?
How much did Tripp ask the reporter to give him?
What for?
What kind of a man was Ada going to marry?
What kind of a lie did Ada tell her mother?
What kind of a story did Ada tell the reporter?
In what way did the reporter help the girl?
What made the reporter give one dollar to Tripp?

2 Say whether the statement is true or false. Correct the
false one.

1. The conversation took place between the reporter

and the girl.
2. Tripp looked older because of his beard.
3. Tripp always asked for a dollar.
4. Tripp gave the reporter some facts for a very inter­
esting story.
5. Ada took the train to New York to find the man
who had promised to marry her.
6. Ada stopped Tripp in the street to ask him the way
to the boarding-house.
7. The woman did not let the reporter and Tripp come
in before they had given her a dollar.
8. The young man, the girl was going to marry, was
very good to her.
9. The young man, the girl was going to marry, was a
policeman.
The girl had half of a dime in her hand.
It was difficult to make the girl agree to go back
home.
The reporter did not give Tripp a dollar for whisky.
Tripp felt happy that the girl had left.
The reporter made an interesting story out of
Tripp’s facts.

3 Complete the sentences.

1. The reporter had no regular work, s o .

2. Tripp’s hands were always stained and burned with
acids since h e .
3. Tripp looked forty b u t .

 4. Tripp’s hands were shaking because___ .
5. Tripp said that the reporter would get a lot of money
if .
6. Ada was going to marry a farmer b u t___ .
7. Ada paid her last cent for the railroad ticket, s o ____.
8. The best thing to do for the girl w as___ .
9. The girl said that George Brown had promised to

Everybody was good to Ada because .

Ada realized that it had been silly to come up to
New Y o rk .
Ada did not know .
Tripp was trying to be of help in o rd e r .
The reporter noticed a cheap watch-chain when

Tripp told the story th a t .

4 Put the sentences in the right order.

1. Tripp tells the reporter a story of the girl from the

village.
2. Ada tells her mother a lie in order to go to New
York.
3. Tripp takes Ada to a boarding-house.
4. Tripp looks more miserable than ever.
5. Tripp asks the reporter to spend three dollars on the
girl.
6. They see the girl sitting in the parlor and crying.
7. Ada says that she has never been to New York before.
8. On the day when George leaves the village they bring
a hammer and chisel and cut a dime into two pieces.
9. They promise to be true to each other, and keep the
pieces till they meet again.

 The reporter sees half a dime hanging on a chain
across Tripp’s vest.
The reporter gives Tripp a dollar.
At last the girl agrees to go home.
She takes one half, and George takes the other.
Ada says that she is going to marry a farmer next
Thursday.
The reporter is ashamed when Tripp calls him
‘friend’.
Tripp used to live in a village.
Ada stops Tripp in the street and asks him where
she can find George Brown.
Tripp comes to the reporter’s room to tell a story.
The reporter is angry with Tripp because he finds no
story in Tripp’s story.
The reporter feels that he will spend three dollars
for Ada.
Tripp and the reporter go to the boarding-house.

Ш Working with Vocabulary and Grammar

1 Say what you understand by these:

1. That day 1 had got five new silver dollars as an ad­

vance on a story.
2. 1 made everything clear.
3. “She is in the parlor,” said the woman, turning her
back on us.
4. Every train brings in and takes out hundreds of
young girls.
5. He said he was going to be a policeman or a presi­
dent of a railway company, or something like that.

6. Life is hard for all of us. We seldom marry those
whom we first love.
7. We promised to be true to each other.
8. Tripp unbuttoned his coat to take a handkerchief
out of his pocket.

Match the words in two columns (according to the text).

a)
1. to borrow a) one’s fortune
2. to make b) no idea
3. to ring c) money
4. to have d) one’s coat
5. to unbutton e) the bell
6. to keep 0 a lie
7. to tell g) place
8. to turn h) one’s back
9. to take i) the pieces

b)
1. regular a) beard
2. printing b) dollar
3. red c) farmer
4. shaking d) department
5. silver e) work
6. young 0 hands
7. railroad g) story
8. beautiful h) parlor
9. boarding i) station
last j) eyes
newspaper k) love
true 1) cent
dark m) watch-chain
 old n) storm
clever o) man
spring p) coat
cheap q) house

3 Fill in to look or to look like in the right form.

1. Tripp was about twenty-five, but h e forty.

2. T rip p a beggar in his old coat.
_

3. T rip p pale, miserable and unhealthy.

_

4. His short red b eard a door-mat.

5. The girlwas crying, and her beautiful eyes more
beautiful.
6. When the girl left T rip p even more miserable.

4 Fill in the gaps with the word combinations from the box
below. Use each one only once.

to be sorry for
to be asham ed
to be in love with
to be kind to
to be good to
to be over
to be glad
to be close
to be true to each other
to be o f some help

1. The r e p o r te r w hen T ripp called him ‘frien d ’.

2. T hough th e r e p o r te r T ripp he did n o t w ant to
give him a dollar.
3. The reporter w anted t o to the girl.

 4. When everything at last, Tripp asked the re­
porter if he could make a story out of that.
5. They promised t o till they meet again.
6. When the wedding d a y she began thinking of
George.
7. She was so beautiful that all m e n her.
8. George and A d a each other when they were lit­
tle children.
9. The girl said that Hiram D o d d always her.
The reporter that Tripp was not going to bor­
row money from him.

5 Complete the sentences with clauses of time or condition.

1. Tripp said that the reporter would get a lot of money

if .
2. Tripp said that it would cost the reporter a dollar or
two i f .
3. The farmer will give Ada an automobile and a mo-
tor-boat i f .
4. Tripp said to the girl that the reporter would help
her i f .
5. The reporter was sure that the girl would be happy
w hen .
6. George and Ada promised to each other that they
would keep the pieces till .
7. The girl thought that George would never come
back if

6 Change the sentences to reported speech.

1. “ Well, T rip p ,” said I, looking up at him , “how are

you?”

 2. “Have you got a dollar?” asked Tripp.
3. “What could I do?” Tripp continued. “I never have
money in the morning.”
4. “What are you talking about, Tripp?” I said.
5. “I am sorry you don’t see what an interesting story
you could write,” said Tripp.
6. “How will it cost me four dollars?” 1 asked him.
7. “One dollar to me, for whisky. Do you agree?”
8. “Give me one of the dollars — quick!” he said.
9. “Miss Lowery, this is my friend Mr. Chalmers,”
said Tripp.
“Yes,” said Miss Lowery, “I can get along with him.”
“Can you make a story out of it?” he asked.
“Let’s try to forget it,” I said.

tfr Discussing the Story

1 Say why:

1. The reporter had very little money.

2. Tripp came up to the reporter’s table that day.
3. The reporter knew that Tripp had something to do
with pictures.
4. Tripp looked much older his age.
5. Tripp needed four dollars that day.
6. Ada came to New York.
7. Ada told a lie to her mother.
8. Tripp took Ada to a boarding-house.
9. The reporter was angry with Tripp.
The reporter went to the boarding-house.
The woman opened the door only a little when
Tripp and the reporter arrived.

no
 The girl was crying in the parlor.
The girl was sitting in the parlor, but not in the
room of the boarding-house.
The reporter was ashamed.
Ada had no idea what a big city New York was.
The reporter was sure that men would always be
good to Ada.
The reporter was glad that he was not Hiram.
George Brown had gone to the city.
Ada had never heard of him since then.
George and Ada had cut a dime into two halves.
Tripp looked more miserable than ever when Ada
left for the village.
The reporter looked in surprise at Tripp.

2 Prove that:

1. Ada is not still indifferent to George.

2. Ada is a country girl.
3. George is unhappy about Ada’s wedding.
4. The reporter likes Ada.
5. Life is hard in a big city.
6. George’s dream to make a fortune in the city is not
likely to come true, (is not likely to come true—
вероятно не сбудется)

3 Add more information to the following:

1. The reporter was doing some work for the newspaper.

2. The girl’s name was Ada Lowery.
3. “I can give you some facts for the story.”
4. The reporter began to feel sorry for the girl.
5. “I have never been to New York.”
ill
 6. Her cry was like a beautiful spring storm.
7. They cut a dime into two halves.
8. At last Ada agreed to go home.
9. There was something hanging from the chain.

4 Make up and act out the talk between:

• The reporter and Tripp (in the reporter’s room).

• Tripp and Ada (in the street).
• Tripp and Ada (in the boarding-house).
• Ada and the reporter (in the boarding-house).
• Ada and the reporter (at the railroad station).
• Ada and Tripp (at the railroad station).
• Tripp and the reporter (after Ada had left).

5 Imagine that you are:

• The reporter. Say:

a) what kind of work you did;
b) how often you feel at peace with the world, and
what makes you feel like that;
c) what you felt about Tripp before knowing his story;
d) what made you spend money on the girl;
e) what you felt about the girl when she told you her
story;
f) what you felt about Tripp after knowing his story.

• Tripp. Say:
a) what kind of life you had when living in the vil­
lage;
b) what Ada was for you at that time;
c) how much free time you had, and in what way
you and Ada spent your free time;

 d) what made you leave the village;
e) how you find the life in the big city (compared to
that of the village);
0 how you met Ada in New York, and what you
were feeling about that;
g) how you took the news of her wedding;
h) what you were feeling after she had left;
i) what happened to you after Ada’s departure.

• Ada. Say:
a) what your life had been like before George left
the village;
b) what your life was like after he had left the vil­
lage;
c) how Hiram Dodd came into your life;
d) what your mother felt about Hiram Dodd;
e) what made you go to look for George;
0 what you felt about Tripp when you met him;
g) why you were so unhappy in the boarding-house;
h) what you felt about the reporter;
i) why you agreed to go home without finding
George.

• The woman in the boarding-house. Say:

a) why you were not very friendly with your board­
ers;
b) what you felt about the crying girl.
«
6 What do you think?

1. Do you think life in the country and in a big city is

different for young people? In what way is it differ­
ent or similar?

2. Do you think young people have similar problems
when coming to a big city as they had in the days of
the writer? What do you think are similarities and
differences? Do you think people in the country are
different from those living in a city? If so, what are
the differences?
3. What do you think are advantages and disadvantages
of living in the country and in a big city (take into
account jobs, education, entertainment, pollution,
transportation, food)? Where do you prefer to live
and why?
 THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF1

I am going to tell you a story about how we tried to

kidnap a child.
Bill and I were in a small town in the state of Ala­
bama when the idea o f kidnapping came to us. We needed
money. Kidnapping seemed to us the best way to get a lot
of money. It did not take us long to select a child for kid­
napping. We selected the only child o f a rich m an named
Ebenezer Dorset.
The kid was a boy o f ten, with a face full o f freckles.
His hair was red, in fact it was bright red. We hoped that

1The Ransom of Red Chief — Выкуп за Вождя Краснокожих

Ebenezer would be glad to give us a ransom o f two thou­
sand dollars for his son. But wait till I tell you the story.
A bout two miles from the tow n there was a little
m ountain covered with a thick wood. There was a cave in
the mountain. We kept our food and things in the cave.
One evening we drove in a buggy past E benezer’s
house. The kid was in the street. He was throwing stones
at a cat.
“ Hey, little boy,” said Bill, “would you like to have a
bag of candy and a nice ride1?”
The boy threw a stone at Bill and hit him straight in
the eye.
“ Old Ebenezer will have to pay an extra five hundred
dollars2 for this,” said Bill, getting out o f the buggy.
It took Bill some time to catch the boy and drag him into
the buggy. The boy fought like a bear. At last we drove away.
We took him up to the cave. W hen it became dark I
drove to the little village, three miles away, where we had
hired the buggy and left it there. Then I walked back to the
cave in the m ountain.
W hen 1 came up Bill was sitting near the fire at the
en tran ce o f the cave. H e was p u ttin g plaster on the
scratches on his face and arms. The boy was watching the
fire. H e had two bird feathers in his red hair. W hen I
came up he raised the stick he was holding and cried:
“Ha! you wicked pale-face! Do you dare to enter the
camp o f Red Chief, the terror o f the land?”
“ H e’s all right now ,”3 said Bill, “who was examining
the scratches on his legs. We are playing Indian. He is

1would you like to have a bag of candy and a nice ride — хочешь
получить пакетик конфет и прокатиться немного
2 old Ebenezer will have to pay an extra five hundred dollars —
старику Эбенезеру придется заплатить лишние пятьсот долларов
3 He’s all right now — Сейчас он еще ничего

Red C hief and I am his prisoner. To-m orrow at sunrise he
is going to scalp me. By G o d 1 that kid can kick hard2!”
The boy was having a good time. He liked our cave
very much. And he liked to play Indian and to be Red
Chief. He forgot that he was a prisoner himself. He gave
me the name o f Snake-eye, the Spy3. He told me that he
was going to bum me in the fire at sunrise.
T hen we had supper. The boy’s m outh was full of
bacon and bread but he began to talk. He made a long din­
ner speech.4 It was something like this:
“ 1 like this very m uch. I never cam ped before. I
hate to go to school. Are there any real Indians in these
woods? I w ant som e m ore bacon. We have tw o dogs.
Are the stars hot? I d o n ’t like girls. My father has a lot
o f m oney. A parrot can talk but a fish c a n ’t. Have you
beds to sleep on in this cave? W hat makes your nose so
red, Snake-eye?”
Every few minutes he remembered that he was Red
Chief, so he got up and ran to the entrance o f the cave to
see if there were any pale-face spies hiding there. Now
and then5 he gave a loud war-cry and Bill shivered. That
boy terrorized Bill from the very beginning.
“ Red Chief,” I said to the boy, “do you want to go
hom e?”
“W hat for?” he asked. “ I have no fun at hom e. I
hate to go to school. I like camping here. Are you going to
take me hom e, Snake-eye?”

1By God — Ей-богу

2that kid can kick hard — ну и здорово же лягается этот маль­
чишка
3Snake-eye, the Spy — Шпион-Змеиный глаз
4 Не made a long dinner speech. — Он произнес за обедом
длинную речь.
5Now and then — Время от времени

 “N ot right away1,” I said. “W e’ll stay here in the
cave for some tim e.”
“All right,” he said, “that will be fine. I never had
such fun in all my life.”
We went to bed at about eleven o ’clock. We put Red
C hief between us. We were not afraid he would run away.
But for three hours we could not fall asleep. Every now
and then Red C hief jum ped up and shouted in Bill’s ear or
mine: “Somebody is coming. Who is there?”
At last I fell asleep. I dream ed that I had been kid­
napped and tied to a tree by a pirate with red hair.
Early in the m orning I was aw akened by terrible
screams. They came from Bill. I jum ped up to see what
had happened. Red C hief was sitting on Bill’s chest. With
one hand he was holding Bill’s hair. In the other he had
the knife which we used for cutting bacon. He was trying
to take Bill’s scalp, according to his promise the evening
before2.
I took the knife away from the kid and told him to go
back to sleep. He did so. But from that m om ent on Bill
knew no peace. He did not close his eyes in sleep as long
as that boy was with us. I could not sleep myself. I rem em ­
bered that Red C hief had promised to bum me in the fire
at sunrise. I wasn’t nervous or afraid but I could not sleep.
So I sat up and smoked my pipe.
“Why are you getting up so early, Sam?” asked Bill.
“Oh, I want a sm oke,” said I, “th a t’s all!”
“You lie ,” said Bill. “You are afraid! H e said he
would bum you at sunrise. And you are afraid he will do it.
And he will3 if he finds a match. W hat shall we do, Sam?

1Not right away (ам.) — He сразу

2according to his promise the evening before — как он обещал
накануне вечером (букв.: согласно своему обещанию)
3And he will = and he will do it — И он сделает это

Do you think anybody will pay us money to have this little
devil back hom e?”
“O f course,” I said, “parents love their kids even if
they are little devils. Now, Bill, you and the C hief get up
and cook som e breakfast. I ’ll go up to the to p o f the
m ountain to look around.”
From the top o f the m ountain I looked down at the
town. I saw the streets very clearly. They were very quiet. I did
not see any parents running around, looking for their son.1
And I did not see any policemen arresting anybody for kid­
napping a kid. Everything was quiet. Maybe, I said to myself,
they have not yet discovered that the boy has been kidnapped.
W hen I returned to the cave I saw a frightened Bill
standing with his back to the wall. The boy was going to hit
him with a large stone.
“ He put a hot potato down my back2, ” explained
Bill. “Then he pressed the potato to my back with his foot.
So I had to box his ears3.”
I took the stone away from the boy and told him and
Bill to make peace.
“Y ou’ll be sorry for th a t,” said the boy to Bill. “N o ­
body has ever hit the Red Chief. Those who tried, had to
pay for it”
A fter breakfast the boy took som ething out o f his
pocket. It was a sling. Then he went out o f the cave.
“W hat is he up to now4?” said Bill nervously. “Is he
going to run away, Sam?”
11 did not see any parents running around, looking for their son. —
Я не видел, чтобы какие-нибудь родители метались в поисках
своего сына.
2Не put a hot potato down rny back — Он положил мне за шиво­
рот горячую картофелину
3to box his ears — надавать ему пощечин (a box in the ear— по­
щечина)
4What is he up to now — Что он сейчас замышляет

 “ N o fear o f th a t1,” I said. “ He doesn’t look like a
boy who likes to stay at home. Quite the contrary.2 And he
is having a good time here. But now we must make our
plans to get the ransom for him. I d o n ’t think his father
has noticed his disappearance yet. Maybe he thinks the
boy is sleeping at his a u n t’s house. She lives a little way
from him. But to-day they will discover that he has disap­
peared. We must send a letter to his father to-night, de­
manding the two thousand dollars for the boy’s return.”
At that m om ent we heard a kind o f war-cry3. It came
from Red C hief who was sending a shot from his sling.
A stone as big as an egg hit ВШ behind his left ear. He
fell across the fire which we had made to cook our break­
fast. I dragged him out o f the fire and threw cold water on
his head for half an hour. At last Bill opened his eyes.
“Take it easy, Bill,” I said. “You will be all right soon.”
“ Please, Sam, please,” said Bill, “do not leave me
here alone!”
I went out and caught the boy. I shook him until his
freckles rattled.4
“If you don’t stop doing such things,” I said, “I ’ll take
you home at once. Now, are you going to be good, or not?”
“ I was only playing, “ he said, “I didn’t want to hit
him. I ’ll be good, Snake-eye. D on’t send me home. May I
play the Black Scout to-day?5”
“W hat kind o f game is it6?” I asked. “I d o n ’t know
it. Now I am going away on business for some time. You
1No fear of that — Этого бояться нечего
2Quite the contrary. — Совсем наоборот.
3a kind of war-cry — что-то вроде военного клича
4 1 shook him until his freckles rattled. — Я тряс его до тех пор,
пока у него не загремели (не застучали друг о друга) веснушки.
5 May I play the Black Scout to-day? — Можно мне сегодня
поиграть в разведчиков?
6What kind of game is it — Что это за игра

play with Mr. Bill to-day. Come in and make peace with
him. Say you are sorry that you have hit him. Do what I
tell you, or you will go home at once!”
Red C hief and Bill shook hands and made peace. I
took Bill aside and told him 1 was going to send a letter to
the boy’s father from the nearest post office. In the letter
we shall dem and the ransom o f two thousand dollars and
tell him how to pay the money.
“You know, S a m ,” said Bill, “th at I have always
stood by you1. I have helped you in everything you did.
I have never been afraid o f the police or anything till we
kidnapped this two-legged sky-rocket. The m ore I stay
w ith him th e m ore nervous I b ecom e. P lease, d o n ’t
leave me with him for a long tim e!”
“ I ’ll be back in the afternoon,” I said. “ Play with the
kid and be kind to him. And now let’s write the letter.”
We took paper and pencil and began to write the
letter. Bill asked me to make the ransom fifteen hundred
dollars instead o f two thousand. He was afraid old Dorset
would not pay two thousand dollars for the “freckled wild
cat”. T hat is what he called the boy.2
“You will get a thousand and I will take only five
hundred,” he said.
This is what we wrote:

“ Ebenezer Dorset.
We are hiding your boy in a place which is very far
from your town. D on’t look for him. It is useless. N either
you nor the police can find him. So, don’t try! You can

11 have always stood by you — я всегда тебя поддерживал (to stand

by — помогать, поддерживать)
2That is what he called the boy. — Так он окрестил (назвал)
мальчишку.

have him back only on these terms: We dem and fifteen
hundred dollars for his return. If you agree — write a note
and send it w ith your m essenger to -n ig h t at half-past
eight. A little way from the wood there are three large trees
on the road. There is a fence opposite these trees. And at
the foot o f the fen ce-p o st1 opposite the third tree your
messenger will find a small paper box.
He must put the letter with your answer in that box
and go back at once. At midnight you must put the money
into the same paper box.
If you do not do as we ask you to do — you will never
see your boy again. If you pay the m oney — it will take us
only three hours to bring him back.

Two Desperate M en.2”

I addressed the letter to Ebenezer Dorset, and put it

into my pocket. As I was leaving, the boy came up to me
and said:
“ Snake-eye, you said I could play the Black Scout
while you are away.”
“ Play it, o f course,” said I. “ Mr. Bill will play with
you. What kind o f game is it?”
“ I am the Black Scout and I have to ride a horse. I
am tired o f playing Indian I w ant to be the Black
Scout.”
“ But what am I to do3?” asked Bill.
“You are the horse,” said the boy. “G et down on
your hands and knees4 and I ’ll ride on you.”

1at the foot of the fence-post — под столбом (букв.: у подножья столба)
2Two desperate men. — Двое отчаянных.
3 But what am I to do — А мне что делать (Глагол to be с последу­
ющим инфинитивом обозначает долженствование.)
4Get down on your hands and knees — Становись на четвереньки

 “ How far are you going to ride?” asked Bill.
“N inety miles,” was the answer.
“N inety miles!” said Bill. “ F or Heaven’s sake, Sam,
hurry back. Return as quickly as you can. I ’m sorry we
didn’t ask for a thousand dollars only!”
1 walked to the town. While posting the letter at the
post office I listened to the people’s talk. A man was telling
his friend that old Ebenezer D orset’s son had been lost or
kidnapped. That was all I w anted to know. I posted the
letter.
W hen I got back to the cave I could find neither Bill
nor the boy. So I lighted my pipe and sat down to have a rest.
At the end o f half an hour I saw Bill. He was walking
softly towards the cave. Behind him I saw the boy walking
as softly as Bill. He was smiling. Bill stopped, took off his
hat. He was hot. The boy also stopped about three yards
behind him.
“Sam ,” said Bill, “you may think I am a bad com ­
rade, but I couldn’t help it1. You know I used to take part
in many dangerous plans. You know 1 have always stood
by you and was o f great help to you in everything you did.
But this time I couldn’t help it The boy is gone. I have
sent him home. Everything is lost. My patience has come
to an end.”
“W hat’s the m atter2, Bill?” I asked him.
“ He rode m e,” said Bill. “ He rode me ninety miles.
Then he gave me oats to eat. And it was not real oats of
course, — it was earth. And then for an hour he asked me
questions and I had to explain why there is nothing in holes;
why a road runs in both directions; why grass is green. So at
the end of two hours I took him by the ear and dragged him

11 couldn’t help it — я не мог совладать с собой

2What’s the matter — В чем дело

down the mountain. On the way down1 he kicked my legs
black and blue from the knees down2. He bit my hand so
hard that I have to use some iodine now. But I am glad to
say he is gone3. He is gone home. 1 showed him the road to
the town and kicked him so hard that he fell down. I am
sorry we have lost the ransom. But we had to choose: either