«The day before yesterday’s!» he (whisper), too angry to shout, throwing the paper on the table, «I (be) late for the train!»
At last, we (find) his newspaper for him – usually he (sit) on it. Then he (smile). It was a smile of a man who (know) that he (have) to be surrounded by a band of the hopeless idiots.
«All the time, right in front of your noses -!» He (not/finish) the sentence, proud of his self-control.
Answer the questions:
1. Why did the narrator remember Uncle Podger when he was going to be late for the train?
2. Why was Uncle Podger usually late for his morning train?
3. What made him angry?
4. Where was usually the newspaper?
18. «Three Men on a Bummel» by Jerome K. Jerome
Vocabulary: balloonist – воздухоплаватель, bark – зд. рявкнуть, hydrogen gas – водород.
Tenses to use: Present Simple, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Future Simple.
In my early journalistic days, I (work) in a popular newspaper which (give) advice to people about everything – how to marry, how to keep rabbits, how to eat soup.
Once somebody, naming himself «balloonist», (write) to ask us how to produce hydrogen gas. It (be) an easy thing to produce – I (see) that after reading up the subject at the British Museum Library. But I (warn) the «Balloonist» to be very careful.
Ten days later, when we (sit) at our tables (work), a red-faced lady (come) to our office, leading by the hand what, she (explain), (be) her son, aged twelve. The boy (have) a strange expression on his face, and when he (come) nearer, I (understand), why. He (have) no eyebrows and no hair.
«This (be) a nice boy last week, with naturally curly hair,» (say) the lady with her voice going up as she (speak).
«What (happen) to him?» (ask) our chief.
«This (be) what (happen) to him,» (bark) the lady. With these words she (take) a copy of our newspaper with my article about hydrogen gas and (give) it to the chief. He (take) it and (look) it through.
«He (be) «Balloonist?» (ask) the chief.
«He (be) «Balloonist,» (answer) the lady, «the poor child, look at him!»
«I (think), the hair (grow),» (say) the chief.
«May be, it (grow),» (agree) the lady, «but I (want) to know what you (do) for him.»
«I really (not/think) it (be) our fault,» (say) the chief, «he (ask) for the information and he (get) it.»
«Don’t try to be funny about it,» (say) the lady, «or I (go) to court and you all (have) heads like this!» She (mean) like the boy’s.
Our chief (settle) the matter with a five-pound note, which (be) a month’s profit of the paper. The lady (leave), taking her damaged son with her.
