Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

How Do You Know When You Hate It a******

the english gentlemanFor xxx years now I have been studying my young man-men. I do not know very much near them. I suppose it is on  the face up that for the most part nosotros guess the persons we encounter. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the rima oris. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are e'er correct. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more than they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don't know anything well-nigh them.
These thoughts have occurred to me considering I read in this morning time's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Nihon for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his advent and his way gave the impression of a very unlike man. He was a tiny little boyfriend, very slender, with white pilus, a red face up much wrinkled, and blueish optics. I suppose he was well-nigh threescore when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accord with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came downward to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days in that location, waiting for a send, and I was introduced to him at the British Guild. We played bridge together. He played a practiced game and a generous i. He did non talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a placidity, dry out humour. He seemed to exist popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him equally one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and grinning, and his ii daughters. It was patently a united and loving family. I recall the chief thing that struck me virtually Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His vocalism was gentle; you could not imagine that he could enhance it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a human being who attracted y'all because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. Just there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich human and he had made every penny himself. I suppose i thing that fabricated you like him was that he was so small and frail; he angry your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a wing.
1 afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an fantabulous view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a decorated scene and yet, I practise not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge shortly and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair adjacent to mine.
"What practice you say to a piddling drink?"
He clapped his hands for a male child and ordered 2 drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed forth the street outside and seeing me waved his manus.
"Do you know Turner?" said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
"I've met him at the gild. I'm told he'southward a remittance homo."
"Aye, I believe he is. We accept a skillful many here."
"He plays span well."
"They generally do. In that location was a fellow here terminal year, a namesake of mine, who was the best span player I e'er met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself."
"No. I don't believe I remember the name."
"He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
Burton sipped his gin.
"It's rather a funny story,", he said. "He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a manner, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women idea a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you lot know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows similar him ever practice. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a scrap more than past menu-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a task. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more than money coming from domicile and he wanted to piece of work. I asked him how sometime he was.
"Thirty v,' he said.
'"And what have you lot been doing before?' I asked him.
'"Well, nothing very much,' he said.
"I couldn't help laughing.
"'I'g afraid I tin can't do anything for you simply now,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll run across what I tin can do.'
"He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some fourth dimension. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel beak and they wouldn't requite him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't become a task he'd accept to commit suicide.
"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.
'"Well, isn't in that location anything yous can practice except play cards?' I asked him.
"'I can swim,' he said.
"'Swim!'
"I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly respond.
"'I swam for my university.'
"'I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man,' I said.
"Of a sudden I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do y'all know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, merely I only spent a dark there."
"So you lot don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It'south over iii miles and it'due south rather difficult on business relationship of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he'd practise it I'd give him a job.
"I could see he was rather taken aback.
"You lot say you lot're a swimmer,' I said.
'"I'm not in very practiced condition,' he answered.
"I didn't say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and so he nodded.
"All correct,' he said. 'When do you want me to practice it?'
"I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn't take y'all much over an hr and a quarter. I'll bulldoze circular to the creek at half-past twelve and come across you. I'll have y'all back to the club to dress and and then we'll take dejeuner together.'
"Washed,' he said.
"Nosotros shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to exercise that morning and I simply just managed to go to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, just in vain."
"Did he get frightened at the last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn't. He started swimming. But of course he'd ruined his health by drink. The currents round the buoy were more than than he could manage.' We didn't get the body for about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you lot offered him the job, did you know that he'd be drowned?"
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn't got a vacancy in my part at the moment."
stock-vector-set-of-gentleman-s-accessories-isolated-on-white-vector-illustration-138815180

Exercises

1. The title of the story is the outset of the saying 'A friend in demand is a friend indeed'. Why do you recollect the writer doesn`t give the ending of the maxim?

2. Notice in the story the English for:

Судить о человеке, делать вывод, озадачивать (ставить в тупик), приходить на ум, быть способным на что-то, морщинистый, повышать голос, и мухи не обидеть, помахать рукой, тезка, потягивать джин, быть высокого мнения о ком-либо, посмеиваться, в состоянии отчаяния, совершить самоубийство, измученный, течение, ошеломленный, пожелать удачи, тщетно (зря), подорвать здоровье, утонуть.

dandy+man+vintage+image+GraphicsFairy3. Fill up the gaps with these words or word combinations in an appropriate grade:

  • To describe conclusions
  • In vain
  • To wave ane`s hand
  • To sip
  • A current
  • To shrug 1`southward shoulders
  • To exist capable of
  • Wrinkled
  • To commit suicide
  • To be drowned

i. Nosotros _____________ from the shape of the jaw, the await in the eye, the shape of the mouth.
two. I should never have believed that he __________ such an action.
3. He was a tiny, little swain, very slender, with white pilus, a scarlet face much ______________ and blue eyes.
4. A man passed along the street outside and seeing me _____________.
5. Burton _________ his gin.
6. If he couldn`t go a job he`d take to _____________.
vii. The __________ round the beacon were more he could manage.
8. I ____________ when people tell me that their impressions of a person are always correct.
9. I waited for him there just _________.
10. When you offered him a task did y'all know that he __________?

iv. Supersede the italicized words/ word combinations with a synonym:

  • To guess
  • A namesake of
  • To heighten one`south vocalization
  • Puzzled
  • To think a lot of
  • To ruin one`southward health
  • To occur
  • Down and out


1. We often course an opinion virtually a person past his looks.
ii. These thoughts came to my heed considering I read in this morning`s newspaper about Edward Burton`s death.
3. You could not imagine that he could speak in a higher tone in anger.
4. There was a fellow there last twelvemonth whose proper name was besides Edward.
v. Women thought highly of him.
6. He was unemployed and without money.
7. I could see he was rather taken aback.
eight. Just of class he undermined his health by beverage.

Discussion points

Reply the following questions:

1) What thoughts occurred to the writer when he read in a newspaper about Mr. Burton`s death?
ii) Why did Mr. Burton involvement the writer?
three) Where did the writer make Mr. Burton`due south acquaintance?
4) What did the author know well-nigh Mr. Burton?
5) What attracted the author in Mr. Burton?
half dozen) When and where did he tell the author the story of his namesake?
7) What kind of human was young Burton?
8) Why did he one time come to Mr. Burton?
9) What was the situation he establish himself in?
ten) What thought did suddenly Mr. Burton have when his namesake said he had swum for the academy?
xi) Why was immature Burton taken dorsum?
12) Why was young Burton drowned?
13) What was the author`s reaction to the story?
14) Why did Mr. Burton say he offered his namesake a job?

Discuss the following:

ane. Why would the writer never accept believed that Mr. Burton was capable of such an actionif he had not heard the story from his own lips? Do you remember that the kickoff impressions of a person are e'er right?

Comment on the following saying (with referrence to the story):

Appearences are deceitful.

ii. Make guesses about young Burton`s 35 years of life. Why had he never washed anything in his life?

3. Is there any evidence in the story that Mr.Burton was not that kind and gentle? Why did he hope his namesake a task if the latter swam round the beacon? Did he know he would be drowned? Why did he come up to the creek?

4. Why did Mr.Burton tell the author the story? Why did he say it was rather a funny story? Why did he give a little mild chuckle when the writer asked him if he had known that the guy would be drowned?

v.What is the story about below the surface of the narrative? Explain the championship of the story. What could have naturally expected of 'a friend in demand' in that state of affairs? What would y'all take told Mr.Burton if y'all had been his listener?

vi. What is you main impression of the story?


riverspritur.blogspot.com

Source: https://lingvistov.ru/blog/reading-club/reading-club-pre-intermediate-a-friend-in-need-by-s-maugham/

Enregistrer un commentaire for "How Do You Know When You Hate It a******"