and she had a sense of humour. Her word was law in the house and on the farm.

In short, she was a character.

One day Mrs. George met me in the street and told me that they had received

a letter from their Uncle George, whom them all thought dead. The letter

informed them of his coming. "Just fancy," she said, "he hasn't been here for

fifty years. And old Mrs. Meadows sits there and smiles to herself! All she says

is that he was very good-looking, but not so steady as his brother Tom!" Mrs.

George invited me to look in and see the old man. I accepted the invitation with

joy, as I knew the story of Uncle George Meadows and it amused me because it

was like an old ballad. It was touching to come across such a story in real life.

More than fifty years ago, when Mrs. Meadows was Emily Green, a young

charming girl, George and his younger brother Tom both courted her. When

Emily married Tom, George had gone to sea. For twenty years he sent them

presents now and then; then there was no more news of him. After her

husband's death Emily wrote George about it, but never received an answer. And

the previous day, to their greatest surprise they

Maugham [тэ.т]

received his letter, in which he wrote that he was crippled with rheumatism

and feeling he had not much longer to live, wanted to return to the house in

which he was born.

When I came the whole family was assembled in the kitchen. I was amused

to see that Mrs. Meadows was wearing her best silk dress. On the other side of

the fireplace sat an old man with a wrinkled yellow face. He was very thin and

his skin hung on his bones like an old suit too large for him. Captain George, as

he had called himself, told us that he had been so ill he thought he would never

be able to get back, but the look of his old home had done him a lot of good. He

said good-humouredly: "I feel now better and stronger than I have for many

years, dear Emily!" No one had called Mrs. Meadows by her Christian name for

a generation and it gave me a shock, as though the old man were taking a liberty

with her. It was strange to look at these two old smiling people and to think that

nearly half a century ago he had loved her and she had married another.

When I asked him if he had ever been married he said he knew too much

about women for that. Then he added looking at Mrs. Meadows: "I said I'd never

marry anyone but you, Emily, and I never had." He said it not with regret, but

with some satisfaction.

Captain Meadows told us a lot of interesting stories about his adventures and

about many things he had seen and done.

"Well, one thing you'haven't done. George, and that is to make a fortune!"

said Mrs. Meadows with a thoughtful smile.

"Oh, I'm not one to save money. Make it and spend it, that's my motto. But if

I had a chance of going through my life again I'd take it. There are not many

people who'd wish it!"

I looked at this toothless, crippled, penniless old man with admiration and

respect. That was a man who had made a success of his life, because he had

enjoyed it.

Next morning I decided to see the old man again. I saw Mrs. Meadows in the

garden picking white flowers. I asked her if Captain Meadows was well. "Oh,

dear, he had always been a harum-scarum fellow! He boasted that he was so

happy to be back in his old home that he would live for another twenty years.

Alas! He died in his sleep.u Mrs. Meadows smelt the flowers she held in her arms

and added thoughtfully: "Well, I'm glad he came back. After I married Tom and

George went away, I was never sure I had married the right man!"

TEXT 2 D I A L O G U E

A l i c e : Hallo, Mike, have you been waiting long? I'm so sorry I'm late.

M i k e : Now that you are here it's all right.

A l i c e : I say, Mike, I've just had a wire from Mary. She is coming by the

5.20 train. And I have a meeting at 5. Will you do me a favour and meet her at

the station?

M i k e : Certainly, but I've never seen her. How could I possibly recognize

her?

A l i c e : Oh, it's quite easy. She's just like her mother.

M i k e : Most helpful I'd say, but the trouble is I've never seen her mother

either.

A l i c e : No, you haven't. And I'm afraid I haven't any photos of her.

M i к e: At least try to describe her. What does she look like? AI i с e: A tall

slim girl of 18 with an oval face. M i k e : Complexion? A l i c e : Rather pale.

M i k e : Hair?

A l i c e : Fair and curly. Light grey eyes, a small snub nose, a big mouth

with white even teeth and a pleasant smile.

M i k e : Г m sure there'll be at least a dozen girls like that at the station.

A l i c e : Oh, Mike, we've been discussing it for the better part of an hour

and I see no end to it.

M i k e : But how am I to recognize her in the crowd?

A l i c e : Oh, I forgot. There's a dimple in her left cheek. She is so lovely,

you'll fall in love with her at first sight.

M i k e : That'll help me, to be sure. Go to your meeting. I promise to be on

the platform at 5 sharp looking for a tall slim fair-haired lovely girl with a

dimple in her cheek.

VOCABULARY NOTES

lovely adj прелестный, прекрасный, чудесный; Syn. beautiful. Pretty, good-

looking, as a lovely child (girl, woman), a lovely day; lovely eyes, hair, e. gr. We had a

lovely time. What lovely weather!

Note t h e adjectives with the same suffix -ly: friendly дружеский; lonely одинокий;

kindly добродушный

handsome a d j красивый; Syn. beautiful, e. g . a handsome boy (man), but a beautiful

girl (woman); a handsome face, handsome appearance

deserve w; to deserve attention (punishment, reward, praise, love.

etc.) заслуживать внимания (наказания, награды, похвалы, любви

и т. д.), е. д. Не hasn't deserved that from you. They deserved praise

for what they had done.

jmerry a d j веселый; a s a merry child (look, game, company, song),

a merry face, merry eyes; merrily a d v весело

industrious a d j трудолюбивый; Syn. hard-working

wrinkle л морщина, е. д. There were merry wrinkles in the corners

of his eyes, wrinkled a d j морщинистый, e. g . Her face was old and

wrinkled.

inform v t / t сообщать, информировать, уведомлять; S y n . Let know, e. g. We must

inform them immediately, to inform smb. of smth., e. g. You must inform the post-office of

the change in your address, to inform smb. that e. g . We informed them that there would be

a meeting on Thursday, information л (no pl.\ no indefinite article!) сведения, сообщения,

е. д. I want some information about this town useful (interesting) information; to get

(receive) information, to give information

amuse vt забавлять, развлекать, смешить, е. д. The sight of the child amused us.

amusing a d j забавный, as an amusing story (child, incident, play, scene)

to go (away) to sea стать моряком

now and then время от времени

regret vt сожалеть, пожалеть о..., е. д. You will regret your words to regret doing