We learn foreign languages

Lesson twety five
POST HASTE
“I say, I’m pleased to see you”, said the little man standing by the letter-box.
“Oh, hello,” I said stopping. “Simpson, isn’t it?”
The Simpsons were newcomers to the town and my wife and I had only met them once or twice. “Yes, that’s right,” answered Simpson. “I wonder if you can lend me some money.” I put my hand into my pocket. “You see”, he continued, “my wife gave me a letter to post, and I’ve just noticed it isn’t stamped. It must go tonight – it really must! And I don’t think the post-office will be open at this time of night, do you?” It was about eleven o’clock and I agreed that it wouldn’t. “I thought, you see, I’d get stamps out of machine” explained Simpson, only I find I have no small change about me”. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I haven’t either,” I said. “Oh dear, dear,” he said. “Maybe somebody else has” I said. “There isn’t anyone else”. We both looked up and down the street, but there was nobody to be seen. “Yes, well”, I said intending to move off. But he looked so unhappy standing there with the blue unstamped envelope, that I really couldn’t leave him alone. “I’ll tell you what ,” I said , “You’d better walk along with me to my place – it’s only a few streets off – and I’ll try to find some change for you there .”
“ It’s really very good of you ,” said Sipmson.
At home , we managed to find the money he needed . He thanked me and left . I watched him take several steps up the street and then return to me .
“ I say, I’m sorry to trouble you again ,”he said . ” The fact is we’re still quite strangers round here and –well , I’m rather lost , to tell you the truth. Will you tell me tell me the way to the post-office?” I did my best. It took me several minutes to explain to him where the post-office was. At the end of that time I felt as lost as Simpson and decided to go along with him. I led the way to the post-office. Simpson put a penny into the automatic stamps-machine. The coin passed through the machine, but with no result. “It’s empty”, I explained. Simpson was so nervous that he dropped the letter on the ground and when he picked it up there was a large black spot on its face. “Dear me”, he said. “My wife told me to post the letter tonight. After all it’s not so important but you don’t know my wife. I had better post it now.” Suddenly I remembered that I had a book of stamps at home. “It will be posted”, I said. “But we’d better hurry or we’ll miss the midnight collection”. It took rather a long time to find the book of stamps. But when we found it, we saw after all that it was empty. The last thing I could advise him to do was to post the letter unstamped. “Let the other man pay double postage on it in the morning”. I took him firmly by the arm and accompanied him to the post –office in time for the midnight collection. He dropped in his letter and then to finish off my job, I took him home. “I’m so grateful to you, really”, he said when we reached his home. “That letter- it’s only an invitation to dinner to Mr……Dear me!” “Why, what’s the matter?” “Nothing. Just something I’ve remembered”. “What?” But the didn’t tell me. He just opened his eyes and his mouth at me like a wounded goldfish, hurriedly said “Good night” and went inside. All the way home I was wondered what it was he had remembered. But I stopped wondering the next morning, when I had to pay the postman double postage for a blue envelope with a large spot on its face.

DIALOGUES.

(to be translated into uzbek and learnt by heart)
A: Excuse me, can you show me the way to the nearest post-office? I am a stranger here and I don’t know how to get there.
B:Certainly. Go straight a head, then take the first turning to the right and you’ll see the post-office. You can’t miss it. A: Thank you very much.
2.AT THE POST-OFFICE.
A: I want to send a registered letter to Omsk. How much is it? C: Three hundred some. Shall I give you a three hundred some stamps? A: Yes please. I want it to by air mail. C: That’ll be six hundred some extra please. What else can I do for you? A:I’d like to make out a money order and also send off telegram. Where can I get a form? C: Here’s a money-order form and you’ll find telegram forms and can fill them in at the desk over there. A: (handing in the filled-in forms) I want to send a little present to a friend of mine. Where do they take parcels? C: In the next room please. Here are your receipts. A: Thank you. Good morning. C: Good morning.

FOR DISCUSSION.

THE LOVE DRUG.
Jim a young car driver was a boarder at old Riddle’s. He was in love with Rosy, mr Riddle’s only daughter and Rosy was in love with him. They wanted to get married but Mr Riddle expected his daughter to marry a richer man and that meant that Jim was going to have hard struggle for his happiness. Jim had a friend called Pilkins who worked as a night clerk at a chemist’s. One day Jim came to the chemist’s looking very excited and told him that he and Rosy had decided to run away and get married that night. “That is” he added, “if she doesn’t change her mind. One day she says she will and the same evening she says she won’t because she’s afraid. But you can help me, can’t you?” Jim asked finishing his story. “I don’t see how?” said Pilkins . “I say Pilkins isn’t there a drug that’ll make a girl like you better if you give it to her? I think that if I have a real stuff like this to give Rosy when I see her at supper tonight, she won’t be afraid any longer. I don’t mind if I have to pay for it even if it costs all the money I have”. “When is all this supposed to take place?” asked Pilkins.
“At nine o’clock. Supper’s at seven at eight Rosy goes to bed pretending to have a headache, at nine I go under her window and Make up the powder, Pilkins will you? And I’ll look after everything else myself”. “I’ll do my best”, said Pilkins. He gave Jim a powder and received his heartiest thanks. “This”, Pilkins said to himself, “will make Rosy sleep for several hours without any danger to her”. When Jim had gone, Pilkins who was in love with Rosy too, immediately went to Mr Riddle and told the old man that Jim and Rosy were going to run away that night. “Can I do anything for you, sir?” he asked politely. “Shall I call the police?” “No, thank you,” said Mr Riddle. “My room’s just above Rosy’s. I’ll go up myself after supper and take my gun and wait. If he comes under Rosy’s window he’ll want a doctor, not a policeman you can be sure of that.” Pilkins went home. All night he waited for news of the tragedy but none came. At eight o’clock in the morning when it was the day clerk’s turn to start work, Pilkins went hurriedly to Mr Riddle’s. As he was crossingthe street, he was surprised to see Jim who cried out: “Rosy and I were married at 9:30 last night. She’s up at the flat making lunch – Lord! I’m the luckiest man. You must come and have dinner with us some day.” “And the……powder?” Pilkins said in a weak voice. “Oh that stuff you gave me? Well it was this way. I set down next to the old man at supper last night. I looked at Rosy and said to myself, Don’t play any tricks on that girl. She’s loves you, that’s clear enough. Then I looked at her father and thought “There’s the man you should take care of’. So I watched for my chance and put the powder in old Riddle’s coffee – see?”

Twenty six

MR WINKLE ON THE ICE
(after Charles Dickens)
“The Pickwick Papers” is Charles Dickens’ first novel. It was published in 1837 and was a great success. It has been translated into many languages since then and is read with interest all over the world. Everybody enjoys the am using adventures o f M r Pickwick, his servant Sam Weller and the members o f the famous Pickwick Club. Here is an extract from the novel.
One fine winter day Mr Wardle, in whose house Mr
Pickwick and his friends were staying, said:
“What d’you said to an hour on the ice?” Everybody
thought it was a good idea.
“You skate, Winkle, don’t you?” (Mr Wardle had often
heard Mr Winkle say that he went in for sports.)
“Ye - yes, oh yes”, replied Mr Winkle. “But I - 1 - am
rather out of practice.”
“Oh, do skate, Mr Winkle,” said one of the ladies. “I
do so like to watch people skating.”
“Oh, it’s so graceful,” said another young lady. A third
young lady said it was very elegant.
“I should be very happy, I’m sure,” said Mr Winkle,
reddening, “but I’ve got no skates.”
Hearing this, one of Mr Winkle’s friends immediately
promised to lend him his own pair.
“You needn’t trouble about skates,” somebody added.
“There are lots of them downstairs.”
Mr Winkle said he was very pleased, but looked rather
uncomfortable.

Old Wardle led the way to a very nice skating-rink on

a small lake near his house. The snow had already been
swept away. The younger guests immediately put on their
skates. Old Wardle soon joined them and they successfully
performed a dance on the ice. All this time, Mr Winkle,
blue with cold, was trying to put on his skates. After this
had been done, Mr Winkle was raised to his feet by Sam
Weller.
“Now, sir,” said Sam. “Show them how to do it! ”
“Stop, Sam, stop,” said Mr Winkle, trem bling and
catching hold of Sam’s arm with the grasp of a drowning
man.
“How slippery it is, Sam!”
“Not an uncommon thing with ice, sir” answered Mr
Weller. “Hold up, sir.”
“These - these are very bad skates, aren’t they, Sam?”
asked Mr Winkle.
“Now, Winkle,” cried Mr Pickwick, who did not know
what was the matter. “Come, the ladies are waiting for
you.”
“Yes, yes,” replied Mr Winkle, “I ’m coming.”
“Well, sir, start off!” said Sam, trying to free himself
from Mr Winkle.
“Wait a minute, Sam,” said Mr Winkle. “I remember
I’ve got two coats at home that I don’t want, Sam. You can
have them, Sam.”
“Thank you, sir,” replied Mr Weller, touching his hat.
“Never mind touching your hat, Sam,” said Mr Winkle
hurriedly. “You needn’t take your hand away to do that. I
intended to give you five shillings this morning, Sam. I’ll
give it to you this afternoon, Sam.”
“You’re very good, sir,” replied Mr Weller.
“Please hold me at first, Sam, will you?” said Mr
Winkle. “I shall soon learn how to do it. Not too fast, Sam,
not too fast.”

But at that moment Mr Pickwick suddenly shouted

from the opposite bank, “Sam!”
“Sir?” said Mr Weller.
“Here I want you.”
“Let me go, sir”, said Sam. “Can't you hear Mr
Pickwick calling me?” and taking no notice of the
unhappy Mr Winkle, Mr Weller tried to free himself, and
in doing so pushed him. The latter fell on the ice and sat
there, trying to smile. Mr Pickwick ran up to Mr Winkle,
very angry.
“Take Mr Winkle’s skates off’, he said to Sam
Weller.
“But I’ve only begun ...” said Mr Winkle weakly.
“Take his skates off,” repeated Mr Pickwick. When
the skates had been taken off, Mr Pickwick said to Sam,
“Lift him up.”
Sam helped Mr Winkle to rise. Then Mr Pickwick
walked a short distance away from the rest of the party,
asking Mr Winkle to follow him, and said in a low voice:
“You are a great liar, sir.”
With these words Mr Pickwick turned slowly away
from Mr Winkle and joined his friends.

DIALOGUE