Part 3. (модуль 3)

Not. Tonight. Danger.

after Brett Halliday

The telephone in Michael Shayne's Miami apartment began ringing shortly after eleven o'clock.

A man's voice answered Shayne. It sounded agitated.

— Is that Michael Shayne, the detective? Thank heavens I've reached you. This is Mr Schoolman speaking. Harold Schoolman.

Shayne said,

— I don't know you, do I?

— No. I'm staying at the Splendide Hotel on Miami Beach. Something terrible has happened, M: Shayne. I must consult you.

Shayne glanced at his watch.

— Can't it wait until morning?

— It definitely cannot. You see I… I hardly know how to say this. I… I've done a horrible thing. I'm… a thief.

— Wait! Splendide Hotel? Are you telling me you stole the Duchess Montalba's diamond this afternoon?

— Good heavens, no! I wasn't even present at the concert when it happened, though my wife was. This is another matter. I'm not far from your place at the moment. If I could come up and explain…?

— Come along, said Shayne.

Haroid Schoolman arrived a short time later. He was a slight, middle-aged man with a bulging forehead and rimless glasses. He gave Shayne a limp hand.

— This is the most upsetting experience of my life. I find myself a criminal, Mr Shayne. I want you to find the owner of the stolen property and return it without publicity.

- Sit down and tell me about it.

Schoolman sat on the edge of a chair, reached in a side pocket and brought into view a small, beautiful evening bag with gold clasp and a thin gold chain.

— I bought this for my present wife last Chritsmas. It cost three hundred dollars, and you see there's a chain to go over the wrist for safety while it is being carried.

Shayne nodded.

— But my wife is very careless. She refused to use the chain, though I often warned her how easily a thief might snatch it from under her arm. So I decided to teach her a lesson. We were leaving the hotel at nine o'clock for a party here in Miami. It was raining hard and there was a crowd under the marquee waiting for taxis.

I left Alice to give the doorman a dollar bill, and when I pushed back to her I saw the bag just begging to he stolen. So I took it. She had tucked the bag in the crook of her white fur sleeve, and she was not even aware it had been taken. At that moment some men shouldered their way between us and I lost sight of Alice. Then the doorman waved that he had a taxi and we both pushed forward through the crowd and drove away with the bag in my pocket.

Then I put my plan into effect. I said, ‘I have nothing smaller than a ten for the driver. Do you have a dollar bill in your bag, my dear?’ Mr Shayne, you will never guess what happened.

Shayne grinned at him,

— Your wife took a bill from her bag. You put your hand into your pocket and realized you had become a thief. In the crowd you mistook another woman for your wife, one wearing a similar white fur coat and with a similar evening bag. So you snatched the. Wrong one. Is there some identification inside?

— There was nothing inside the bag.

— Nothing? Shayne took the bag in his hands. It was empty except for a small torn piece of paper, with a margin on the right and printed lines on the left.

— Only that, said Schoolman. A piece torn from a galley proof, with proofreader's corrections on the margin.

— Galley proof? How do you know?

— I'm a publisher in Boston, you see, Schoolman explained. He pointed to the pencilled marks.

— Quotation marks, you see. The next is the symbol for more space. Then a single quote and a dollar sign that have evidently been omitted.

Shayne nodded.

— Three of the printed words are underlined. Not. Tonight. And danger. Looks like a message.

- A message? But what can it mean?

— That's what we’ll have to find out. I'd like to talk to your wife, said Shayne.

— Yes. Of course. Schoolman looked at his watch. I must be getting back to the hotel I expect a long distance call at twelve fifteen from my daughter in Boston— from my first marriage. I left Alice at the party while I came here, and she promised to return to the hotel at twelve thirty. Would you like to see her?

— Very much. Shayne replaced the scrap of paper in the bag and rose. I'll drive you to the hotel, he said.

It was a little after midnight when they reached the Splendide Hotel. As they entered the lobby, Shayne said,

— Suppose you go up to wait for your call. I'll nose downstairs a while and join you in half an hour.

— Very well. Our room is 610.

Shayne crossed the lobby to a nail-studded leather door. He knocked and entered.

A pudgy man, seated at a desk, looked up at him with a smile.

— Hi, Mike. What brings you here?

— Hello, Branson. Had any robberies lately?

— Do you mean that crazy Spanish Duchess and her quarter-million-dollar diamond? asked the security officer.

— Yes. How did it happened?

— It was a benefit concert in the main ballroom. A hundred or more guests were present. It happened at the punch bowl. A dame stumbled into the Duchess just as she was drinking a cup of punch. It spilled on her and there was a lot of confusion. A minute later she screamed that her medallion was missing. There were four persons close enough to steal it. A Mrs Davis from Atlanta, who stumbled into her… insisted that she was pushed. A Myrtle Hodson, unemployed secretary. Lucille Lassale, the movie actress, and… John Tarleton, who registered here yesterday.

— Gentleman John? Good Lord, Branson!

— Gentleman John Tarleton. With a record of arrests in every major world capital for suspected jewel thefts. Sure he got it. Right, under my nose. I recognized him at once and grabbed him. We also grabbed the three women and they agreed to be searched, after we explained that John is suspected of always working with a woman confederate to whom he passes the loot. But it had no result.

— So he passed the diamond to some other woman before you got him?

— Yes. To any one of two or three dozen. He had sixty seconds. That's all Tarleton needs.

— Arrest him?

— How the devil could we? We had to let him go with an apology. All we can do is tail him and wait for him to contact his confederate. Monitor his telephone line.

— Any idea how many of your guests wear white fur coats?

— There were three at the concert. The Duchess, Miss Lassale and a woman from Boston. Mrs Schoolman.

Shayne drew the evening bag from his pocket.

— I hoped that this bag had been reported stolen this evening. About nine o'clock.

— Sorry. Branson looked bewildered.

“Nothing like that was reported stolen. — Shayne said,

— See what you make of the paper inside.

Three words underlined. Could be some sort of message. A warning?

Could be, agreed Shayne. You say you've got men on Tarleton. What were his movements this evening?

Branson picked up one of the papers and read: “Stayed in his room until eight. Down to lobby at eight twelve. Bought newspaper and cigar. Sat alone in chair and read until nine six. Spoke to no one. Went out at nine six where there was a crowd waiting for taxis. Stayed there, closely observed, for ten minutes. Returned to room”.

Suddenly the telephone began ringing. Branson listened a moment while his pudgy face went white.

— I’ll be up at once. Stay right there.

He put down the phone and told Shayne:

— Harold Schoolman has just been murdered upstairs.

The woman who confronted them in Room 610 was obviously fighting hard to hold back tears. She stepped aside to show them the body of her husband lying on the floor beside a small table where a portable typewriter stood. Schoolman's head was crushed, and the blood still flowed from the wound onto the carpet. A heavy, blood-stained whiskey decanter lay beside the body. From his position, it appeared that Schoolman had been seated in a chair before the typewriter, with his back to the door, when the fatal blow was struck. A single sheet of paper was in the typewriter with the figures 2 and 3 typed on it.

Schoolman had died instantly, and not more than ten minutes the detectives arrived. Mrs Schoolman's white fur coat lay on the floor, with a pair of white gloves and an evening bag beside it.

— I returned from a parry just a few minutes ago, she explained. I expected Harold to be in because he was expecting a telephone call. I rang the bell but he didn't answer. I thought he was on the phone, and used my key. He was… like that. She covered her face with both hands.

Shayne said:

— Branson, check Tarleton's room. Is it on this floor?

— One above. Branson turned to the phone. Shayne looked down at the dead man and the typewriter.

— Did you or your husband use this machine, Mrs Schoolman?

— I… mostly.

— What do the figures two and three mean to you?

— I don't know, she said.

Branson came from the phone. — Gentleman John has been on the phone in his room chatting with a friend in New York for the past twenty minutes.

Shayne nodded. He took out the evening bag that Schoolman had given to him and asked Alice Schoolman.

— Have you ever seen this before?

She looked at it with surprise.

— It's like mine on the floor. Isn't it the one Harold grabbed by mistake? Didn't he explained that to you?

— He told me. Shayne opened the bag and withdrew the scrap of paper. He also showed you this. Do you agree that these are proofreader’s marks in the margin?

— I suppose so. He said they were. He was a publisher, you know.

Shayne told Branson:

— Ask the Duchess and Miss Lassalle to come here at once and bring their evening bags with them.

In a few minutes Branson turned from the phone.

— Miss Lassalle is out. Her maid insists that she has only jewelled evening bags. The Duchess refuses to come and denies owning such a bag like these.

Shayne was looking down at the scrap of paper and the two digits on the sheet in the typewriter.

— I think I know why Schoolman typed those two figures. Where is the private safe in this room?

Alice Schoolman pointed to a silver dial in the wall above the divan. Shayne went to it, asking her,

— What is the combination?

— I don't… know. Harold set it this morning and didn't tell me.

— Can you get the combination? he asked Branson.

— Not a chance. Each guest sets his own. It's a simple one. Just two figures on the dial. You make two full turns to the right and stop. Then back to the second figure you've chosen.

Shayne turned the dial two full circles to the right, stopped on two and started to turn back to three.

— Not that way, said Branson. The first digit has to be larger. You can't turn back past zero.

Shayne made two more full turns, stopped at three. He turned back to two. Nothing happened. He glanced at Alice Schoolman. She was pale and frightened.

Shayne went to the typewriter and studied the scrap of paper again. Then he pressed one of the keys of the typewriter. An eight appeared next to the two and three already on the sheet. He pressed another key and had four figures in a row: two, three, eight, four.

He told Branson

— That's the real message that was hidden in the bag. Not the three underlined words. They were camouflage to draw attention away from the four pencilled symbols in the margin. Quotation marks, a space symbol, single quote, a dollar sign…

He pointed to the symbols on the top row of the top line of keys.

— A beautifully simple code. The same key that has quotes is also the figure two. The space symbol is a three. A single quote and a dollar sign — eight and four.

— So what? asked Branson.

— Try eight and four on the wall safe, said Shayne. When it opens, reach inside and take out the diamond medallion that Gentleman John snatched this afternoon and passed on to his confederate for safe keeping while he was being searched.

Branson was on his way to the safe when Alice Schoolman rushed to him like a fury, crying hysterically.

*******************************************************

— She had to kill her husband, Shayne told Branson later. As soon as she entered the room and saw the sheet of paper in the typewriter with the two and the three typed on it. He'd evidently remembered the proof marks and just noticed the position of those symbols and numbers on the top row of keys. Twenty-three and the combination to the safe.

*******************************************************

— What was the twenty-three for? asked Branson.

— Twenty-three hours. Eleven o'clock. Those were the two items of information she had to pass on to Tarleton after bringing the diamond up and putting it in her own safe this afternoon. The two things they couldn't set beforehand when they planned all this in Boston where Tarleton picked her as his confederate. They couldn't afford to see each other or speak together in the hotel, yet Tarleton had to know when the room would be vacant and the safe combination.

Tarleton knew he'd be watched every moment after the robbery, and bought her another evening bag as a means of passing the information. She had them both with her when she went down tonight.

Imagine how Tarleton must have felt when he followed her from the lobby to pick up the information… and had to stand helplessly by while her husband snatched the bag from her in front of his eyes. To teach his wife a lesson on the perils of carelessness, Shayne ended sardonically.

Task I. Write these word combinations into your vocabulary book and learn them.

1. Tо find oneself a criminal – обнаружить, что себя преступником

2. Tо bring into view – попасть в поле зрения

3. Tо teach smb. a lesson –преподать урок

4. Tо push back to smb. – оттолкнуть назад

5. Tо push forward – протолкнуть вперед

6. Tо shoulder one’s way (through a crowd) – пробиваться сквозь толпу

7. Tо lose sight of – потерять из виду

8. Tо put one’s plan into effect – осуществить план

9. Tо mistake another person for smb.- принять кого-либо за другого человека

10. Tо find out – обнаружить

11. Tо look like – выглядеть как

12. Tо nose downstairs a while – “вынюхивать”, разузнавать что-либо

13. A long distance call – междугородний телефонный звонок

14. Tо become a thief – стать вором

15. Tо look bewildered –выглядеть озадаченным

16. Tо be suspected of – быть под подозрением

17. Tо hold back tears – сдерживать слезы

18. Tо be searched – быть обысканным

19. Tо be on the phone – говорить по телефону

20. Tо do smth. by mistake – сделать что-либо по ошибке

21. Tо draw attention away –отвлечь внимание

22. Tо set beforehand –запланировать заранее

23. Tо pick smb. as a confederate – ывбирать кого-либо своим сообщником

24. Tо pick up the information – собрать информацию

25. As a means of doing smth. – как средство

26. Tо be vacant – быть свободным

27. Tо snatch smth. from smb. – схватить / вырывать что-либо у кого-либо

28. Tо be aware (of) –быть осведомленным

29. Tо be watched – быть под наблюдением

30. Tо grin at smb. – усмехаться кому-либо, ухмыльнуться

31. Tо stumble into smb. – споткнуться обо что-либо

Task II. Match the words given in column ‘A’ with the corresponding English equivalents in column ‘B’.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A

B

1. Гранка 2. Корректорская правка 3. Знак, означающий пробел 4. Кавычки 5. Обитая кожей дверь 6. Одинарная кавычка 7. Вестибюль 8. Чаша с пуншем 9. Список арестов 10. Кража драгоценностей 11. Задержать 12. Сообщник 13. Окровавленный 14. Графин 15. Роковой удар 16. Уловка 17. Сделанные карандашом значки 18. Верхний регистр на пишущей машинке 19. Фурия 20. Опасность 21. Шатёр (навес) 22. Отворот (пальто)

a. Woman confederate b. Pencilled symbols c. Nail-studded leather door d. То grab e. a record of arrests f. fury g. decanter h. fatal blow i. symbol for more space j. quotation mark k. top row l. proofreader’s corrections m. single quote n. lobby o. jewel thefts p. peril q. punch bowl r. galley proof s. blood-stained t. camouflage u. crook v. marquee

III. Match the following verbs with the corresponding adverbs. The verbs are numbered in column ‘A’, the adverbs are lettered in column‘B’. Make all the possible variants.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A	B
1. tо snatch 2. tо observe 3. tо die 4. tо cry 5. tо plan 6. tо stand 7. tо grab 8. tо end 9. tо find 10. tо arrest	a. closely b. instantly c. sardonically d. easily e. hysterically f. quickly g. carefully h. helplessly i. immediately j. calmly

Task IV. Match the verbs in column ‘A’ with the prepositions in column ‘B’.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A	B
tо insist tо chat tо look tо draw tо glance tо be suspected tо stand tо stumble tо stare tо reach tо bring tо push tо grin tо wait tо spill	a. at b. with c. in d. by e. on f. of g. into h. back i. away j. for k. forward

Task V. Paraphrase the following word combinations from column ‘A’ by choosing one of the equivalents in column ‘B’ which best keeps the meaning.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A

B

1. tо teach smb. a lesson on carelessness 2. tо get smb. on someone 3. tо put one’s plan into effect 4. tо nose downstairs a while 5. a long distance call 6. tо hold back tears 7. tо shoulder one’s way through 8. tо draw attention away 9. tо make of the paper inside 10. tо get smth. right under smb’s nose 11. tо stumble into smb.

a. tо punish for being careless b. tо try to find out esp. things that do not concern one c. tо push with the shoulders d. tо hit one’s foot against smth. while moving and start to fall e. tо fulfil one’s plan f. right in front of someone; quite openly g. tо turn smb’s attention away h. trunk call i. tо prevent the expression of tears j. tо understand (partly or at all) k. tо tail smb., to follow smb. closely l. tо carry out one’s plan m. tо call smb’s attention away

Task VI. Arrange the following words from column ‘A’ with those in column ‘B’ which may serve as synonyms or explanations to them.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A	B
1. tо glance 2. tо stare 3. tо gaze 4. agitated 5. terrible 6. without publicity 7. a present 8. tо refuse 9. tо steel 10. a thief	a. a gift b. tо look steadily for a long time c. worried d. tо deny e. secretly f. a looter g. tо object h. horrible i. tо look briefly j. anxious k. tо look at smb. / smth. with a fixed gaze l. tо take smth. that doesn’t belong to you

Task VII. Mark the following statements as “false” (a) or “true” (b).

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Mr Schoolman said that he had snatched his wife’s evening bag.

2. Mr Schoolman said that he had become a thief.

3. Alice Schoolman was very careful about her things.

4. There were three persons close enough to the Duchess to steal the medallion.

5. John Tarleton was suspected of always working with a woman confederate.

6. Mr Schoolman was killed with a knife.

7. When Schoolman and his wife were waiting for a taxi Tarleton was speaking on the phone in his room.

8. Gentleman John and Alice Schoolman planned the robbery after they had met each other at the hotel.

9. Alice Schoolman did not kill her husband.

10. The underlined words were camouflage to draw attention away from the four symbols in the margin.

Task VIII. Answer the following questions choosing one of the variants suggested beneath each question.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Who rang Michael Shayne’s Miami apartment shortly after eleven o’clock?

1. Mr Schoolman

2. John Tarleton

3. Alice Schoolman

2. What did Mr Schoolman tell Shayne?

a. He told him that he had stolen the Duchess Montalba’s diamond.

b. He told him that he had stolen his wife’s evening bag.

c. He told him that he had stolen a bag.

3. Was there anything inside the bag?

1. There was nothing inside the bag.

2. There was a small torn piece of paper.

3. There was a piece of newspaper in it.

4. Who was Gentleman John?

a. He was a private detective.

b. He was a very famous thief.

c. He was the owner of the Splendide Hotel.

5. Who could steal the diamond medallion, in Branson’s opinion?

1. It was Tarleton who could do that.

2. It was Miss Lassale who could do that.

3. It was Alice Schoolman who could do that.

6. What did Branson learn answering the telephone?

1. He learned that Mrs Schoolman had escaped from the town.

2. He learned that Tarleton had returned the medallion to the Duchess.

3. He learned that Mr Schoolman had been murdered.

7. What was Schoolman doing when the fatal block was struck?

1. He was speaking on the phone.

2. He was typing.

3. He was trying to open the safe.

8. Where was Tarleton at the moment of the murder?

1. He was in his room.

2. He was in the Schoolman’s room.

3. He was in the lobby.

9. Who put the medallion into the safe?

1. Harold Schoolman put the medallion into the safe.

2. Alice Schoolman put the medallion into the safe.

3. Gentleman John put the medallion into the safe.

10. What did the symbols in the margin of the paper mean?

1. They meant the safe combination.

2. They meant the time when the room would be vacant.

3. They meant both the safe combination and the time when the room would be vacant.

Task IX. Translate the following sentences from column ‘A’ into English by choosing one of the most suitable variants suggested in column ‘B’.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

A

B

1. Это был самый досадный случай в моей жизни. 2. Я потерял её из виду. 3. Я осуществил свой план. 4. Вы схватили не ту сумочку. 5. Он указал на пометки карандашом. 6. Произошел большой переполох. 7. Я решил преподать ей урок. 8. Она пыталась сдержать слёзы. 9. Я увидел, что сумочка просто напрашивается на то, чтобы её украли. 10. Вы приняли другую женщину за вашу жену. 11. В этот момент какие-то люди протиснулись между нами. 12. О чём говорят вам эти цифры, 13. Герцогиня отрицает, что у нее есть подобная сумочка.

a. What do the figures mean to you? b. You snatched the wrong bag. c. He pointed to the pencilled marks. d. The Duchess denies owning such a bag like these. e. She was fighting hard to hold back tears. f. That was the most upsetting experience in my life. g. At that moment some men shouldered their way between us. h. I lost sight of her. i. You mistook another woman for your wife. j. I put my plan into effect. k. I decided to teach her a lesson. l. I saw the bag just begging to be stolen. m. There was a lot of confusion.

Task X. The given below sentences are incomplete ones. Beneath each sentence you will see 3(4) words or phrases marked (a),(b),(c) and (d). Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Mr Schoolman snatched his wife’s evening bag

1. because he wanted to teach her a lesson.

2. because he was a kleptomaniac.

3. because he wanted to make fun.

2. Mr Schoolman was killed

a) because he had learnt what the symbols in the margin meant.

2. because he had rung up to the private detective.

3. because he had participated in that looting.

3. Tarleton and Alice Schoolman planned the robbery after

1. they met each other at the hotel.

2. They knew about a benefit concert.

3. They learnt about the Duchess Montabla’s diamond.

4. The benefit concert at the Splendide Hotel on Miami Beach.

4. The underlined words were camouflage

1. tо draw attention away from the four symbols in the margin.

2. tо draw attention to the four symbols in the margin.

3. tо draw attention to the figures.

4. tо draw attention from the figures.

5. Tarleton was known of

1. always working alone.

2. never working alone.

3. always working with woman confederate.

4. always working with man confederate.

6. Tarleton bought Alice Schoolman another bag

1. as a means of passing information.

2. as a means of keeping the stolen medallion in it.

3. as not to lose the sight of her.

4. as a present.

7. When Schoolman and his wife were waiting for a taxi Tarleton

1. was speaking on the phone in his room.

2. was watching them in the crowd.

3. was reading newspaper in the lobby.

4. was opening the safe in Mr Schoolman’s room.

Task XI. Write down all the words related to the crime described in this story in the alphabetic order.

The correct way to answer is: 1, 4, 2, 5, etc.

1. detective	2. nose downstairs	3. contact one’s confederate	4. reported stolen	5. blood-stains
6. thief	7. robbery	8. searched	9. get men on smb.	10. fatal blow
11. steal	12. missing	13. suspected of	14. closely observed	15. strike a blow
16. criminal	17. record	18. confederate	19. murdered	20. die instantly
21. stolen property	22. arrest	23. loot	24. crush	25. dead man
26. snatch smth.	27.suspected	28. let smb. go	29. wound	30. kill
31. identification	32. theft	33. grab	34. medallion	35. be watched

Task XII. Write down all the facts related to the crime in the chronological order.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. The stolen bag had not been reported that evening.

2. Mr Schoolman returned back to his room because he expected a long distance call.

3. Mr Schoolman rang Michael Shayne’s Miami apartment shortly after eleven o’clock.

4. The detective met Branson and tried to make of a piece of paper inside the small bag.

5. Harold Schoolman had been murdered upstairs.

6. Mr Schoolman told that he had stolen smb’s evening bag.

7. Alice Schoolman gave her own version of the event.

8. There was a small torn piece of paper with proofreader’s corrections on the margin inside the small bag.

Task XIII. Answer the following questions choosing one of the suggested variants.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b etc.

1. What did Mr Schoolman tell Shayne?

1. he told him that someone had stolen his wife’s bag.

2. he told him he had stolen a bag.

3. He told him that he had stolen the Montalba’s diamond.

2.What was there in the bag?

1. There was a piece of a letter in it.

2. There was a piece of a newspaper in it.

3. There was a piece of a galley proof in it.

3. Who was Gentlemen John?

1. He was a private detective.

2. He was a famous thief.

3. He was the owner of the Splendide Hotel.

4. Who could steal the diamond medallion, in Branson’s opinion?

1. It was Mrs Schoolman who could do it.

2. It was Miss Lassalle who could do that.

3. It was Tarleton who could do that.

5. What did Branson learn answering the telephone?

1. He learned that the medallion had been found.

2. He learned that Mr Schoolman had been murdered.

3. He learned that Tarleton had escaped from the hotel.

6. What was Schoolman doing when the fatal blow was struck?

1. He was trying to open the safe.

2. He was speaking on the phone.

3. He was typing.

7. Where was Tarleton at the moment of the murder?

1. He was in the Schoolmans’ room.

2. He was in his room.

3. He was in the lobby.

8. Who put the medallion into the safe?

1. It was Alice Schoolman who did that.

2. It was Harold Schoolman who did that.

3. It was Tarleton who did that.

9. What did the symbols in the margin of the paper mean?

1. They meant the safe combination.

2. They meant the time when the room would be vacant.

3. They meant both the safe combination and the time when the room would be vacant.

10. Why did Tarleton get the nickname Gentleman John?

1. Because he was always working with a woman confederate.

2. Because he was always working with men confederate.

3. Because he was gentle, polite and well-educated.

11. Do you think it was necessary for Alice Schoolman to kill her husband?

1. No, it was not. He could hardly understand what all that was about.

2. Yes, it was. Otherwise he might have called the police.

3. No, it wasn’t. She could explain the matter to him and suggest money for his silence.

12. Why didn’t she get rid of the sheet of paper in the typewriter?

1. because she had no time to do it.

2. Because she wanted the police think it was her husband who had typed the note.

3. Because she wanted to attract the detective’s attention to a small piece of paper.

13. Suppose Harold Schoolman had not snatched his wife’s evening bag. What way would the events of the story develop then?

1. The police would never find out the looting.

2. Tarleton would get a message hidden inside the evening bag.

3. Alice Schoolman would get her definite share after the sail of the Duchess Montalba’s diamond.

14. Suppose Harold Schoolman had opened the safe just before his wife returned. What would the end of the story be then?

1. Harold Schoolman would hide the diamond somewhere else in the room.

2. Harold Schoolman would immediately call the police.

3. Harold Schoolman would wait until his wife had returned and would demand her explanations.

Task XIV. Write a short summary of the text arranging the following sentences according to the narration of the story.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. There was a benefit concert in the main ballroom of the Splendide Hotel on Miami Beach.

2. There were four persons close enough to steal it.

3. Tarleton planned the robbery in advance.

4. Alice Schoolman had tucked the bag in the crook of while fur sleeve and thus draw her husband’s attention to what he called her ‘carelessness’.

5. In a taxi Harold Schoolman realized that he became a thief of someone’s property and when he left the party he phoned Michael Schoolman, the detective.

6. Harold Schoolman was killed by his own wife, Alice.

7. Tо teach his wife a lesson on the perils of carelessness cost Schoolman his own life.

8. Harold Schoolman decided to teach his wife a good lesson and snatched her bag just begging to be stolen.

9. Alice’s husband seemed to understand what all this matter was about.

10. One of the four suspected was John Tarleton, known as Gentleman John, because he was always working with a woman confederate.

11. The Schoolmans were among the guests at the benefit concert in the main ballroom of the Splendide Hotel.

12. A hundred or more guests were present at the party and among them the Duchess of Spain, the owner of the diamond medallion.

13. Tarleton chose Alice Schoolman to be his woman confederate.

14. The information about the code and the time had been typed on the scrap of paper and put inside the evening bag.

15. At the punch bowl an unpleasant incident happened due to which someone stole the Duchess Mantabla’s diamond medallion.

16. Tarleton knew he’d been watched every moment after the robbery, and bought Alice another evening bag as a means of passing the information.

17. Tarleton passed on the diamond medallion to Alice Schoolman for safe keeping.

Task XV. Give three basic forms of the irregular verbs you came across while reading the story; each verb should be mentioned once; arrange the verbs in the alphabetic order; the total number of the irregular verbs in this story is 49.

The correct way to answer is:

Infinitive	Past Indefinite	Past Participle
tо be	was / were	been

Task XVI. Insert the prepositions where necessary. The blank spaces in the sentences are numbered. The prepositions are lettered. Some of the prepositions may be used several times.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1). I am staying (1)___ the Splendide Hotel (2)___ Miami Beach.

2). Schoolman sat (3)___ the edge (4)___ a chair, reached (5)___ a side pocket and brought (6)___ view a small, beautiful evening bag (7)___ gold clasp and a thin gold chain.

3). I bought it (8)___ my present wife last Christmas.

4). Your wife took a bill (9)___ her bag.

5). That’s what we’ll have to find (10)___.

6). It spilled (11)___ her and there was a lot (12)___ confusion.

7). So he passed the diamond (13)___ some other woman.

8). A single sheet (14)___ paper was (15)___ the typewriter (16)___ the figures 2 and 3 typed (17)___ it.

9). I thought he was (18)___ the phone and used my key.

10). Shayne was looking (19)___ (20)___ the scrap (21)___ paper and the two digits (22)___ the sheet (23)___ the typewriter.

a. into	b. with	c. то	d. of
e. on	f. out	g. in	h. from
i. at	j. down	k. above	l. for

Task XVII. Insert the correct tense-forms of the verbs into the blank spaces of the following sentences. For this choose one of the suggested variants beneath each sentence.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Then I ___ my plan into effect.

1. to put

2. put

3. had put

4. was putting

2. At that moment some men ___ their way between us and I ___ sight of Alice.

was shouldering	will shoulder
shouldered	had been shouldered
to lose	had lost
have lost	lost

3. A pudgy man, seated at a desk, ___ up at him with a smile.

1. had been looked

2. to look

3. would look

4. looked

4. A dame ___ into the Duchess just as she ___ a cup of punch.

to stumble	was stumbling
stumbled	had stumbled
was drinking	had drunk
will drink

5. Schoolman ___ instantly, and not more than ten minutes the detectives ___.

die	died
had died	will die
to arrive	arrived
was arriving	had arrived

6. He ___ out the evening bag that Schoolman ___ to him and asked Alice Schoolman.

take	takes
took	had taken
to give	gave
had given	was given

7. Shayne ___ to the typewriter and ___ the scrap of paper again.

to go	was going
went	had gone
studied	to study
will study	was studying

8. As soon as she ___ the room she ___ the sheet of paper in the typewriter.

entered	had entered
was entering	will enter
sees	has seen
saw	was seen

9. Then he ___ one of the keys of the typewriter.

1. was pressing

2. had been pressed

3. was pressing

4. had pressed

10. I ___ Harold to be in because he ___ a telephone call.

1. expect

2. had expected

3. expected

4. had been expect

5. has expected

6. is expecting

7. will expect

8. was expecting

Task XVIII. Put the words in the right order to make up a sentence.

The correct way to answer is: 1-a, b, c, d, etc. or you may write down the full sentence itself.

1. the; b. – Branson; c.- from; d.- phone; e.- came;

1. a.- tо; b.-Alice; c.- a; d.- dial; d.-wall; c.-silver; e.- above; f.- the; g.- Schoolman; h.- pointed; i.- divan; j.- the;

2. a.-husband; b.- she; c.- her; d.- kill; e.- tо; f – had;

3. a.-turned; b.- tо; c.- right; d.- Shayne; e.- dial; f.- the; g.- full; h.-the; i.-two; j.- circles

4. a.- just; b.- he; c.- position; d.- noticed; e.- those; f.- of; g.- had;

5. h.- symbols; i.-and; j.-on; k.- top; l.- the; m.- numbers; n.- row; o.- keys; p.- of; q.- the.

Task XIX. State the type of the questions given below as:

1. Special

2. General

3. Alternative

4. Disjunctive

The correct way to answer is: 1- – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Is that Michael Shayne, the detective?

2. Can it wait till morning?

3. Do you have a dollar bill in your bag, my dear?

4. How did it happen?

5. Did you or your husband use this machine, Mrs. Schoolman?

6. What do the figures two and three mean to you?

7. Where is the private safe in this room?

8. The Duchess refuses to come, doesn’t she?

9. Who returned from a party just a few minutes ago?

10. Shayne didn’t drew the evening from his pocket, did he?

11. A Mrs Davis from Atlanta did not stumble into the Duchess, did she?

12. What did she refuse to use?

Task XX. Choose the right answer.

The correct way to answer is: 1 – a or 1 – b, etc.

1. Mr Schoolman said that he had snatched his wife’s evening bag because he was a kleptomaniac.

1. yes.

b. no.

2. Alice Schoolman was very careful and she always used the chain not to lose her bag.

1. yes.

2. no.

3. There were four persons close enough to the Duchess to steal the medallion.

1. yes.

2. no.

4. Tarleton was known of always working alone.

1. yes.

2. no.

5. When Schoolman and his wife were waiting for a taxi Tarleton was speaking on the phone in his room.

1. yes.

2. no.

6. Tarleton and Alice Schoolman planned the robbery after they met each other at the hotel.

1. yes.

2. no.

7. Alice Schoolman killed her husband because he had learned what the symbols in the margin meant.

1. yes.

2. no.

8. The underlined words were camouflage to draw attention away from the four symbols in the margin.

1. yes.

2. no.

English – Russian Vocabulary

A	agitated	– возбужденный
	arrested	– арестованный
	apology (v)	– извиняться
	afford	– позволять себе
B	beach	– пляж
	beg (v)	– умолять
	benefit	– выгода
	bowl	– чаша
	bewilder (ed)	– изумлять, озадачивать
	blood	– кровь
	blow	– взрыв, удар, порыв ветра
C	consult (v)	– консультировать
	clasp (v)	– обнимать, сжимать руки
	chain	– цепь, сковывать
	carry (v)	– нести
	careless	– беззаботный
	crook	– посох, поворот, плут
	corrections	– исправления
	call	– звонок, зов, звать
	crazy	– сумасшедший
	confusion	– смятение
	confederate	– сообщник
	contact (v)	– контактировать
	confront (v)	– ругаться
C	check (v)	– проверять
	chat (v)	– беседовать
	camouflage	– камуфляж
	chance	– шанс
	combination	– комбинация
D	detective	– детектив
	definitely	– определенно
	doorman	– дворецкий
	dollar sign	– знак доллара
	duchess	– герцогиня
	dame	– госпожа, титул супруги барона
	devil	– дьявол
D	decanter	– графин
	deny (v)	– отрицать
	dial	– набирать номер
	divan	– диван, курительная комната
E	edge	– край
	effect	– эфффект
	empty	– пустой
F	fury	– ярость
	fatal	– смертельный
G	glance (v)	– сверкнуть, мельком взглянуть
	guess (v)	– догадаться
	grin (v)	– скалить зубы, усмехаться
	gally proof	– гранка
	quotation marks	– кавычки
	guest	– гость
H	heaven (s)	– рай, облака, небеса
	horrible	– ужасный
	hysterically	– истерично, нервно
I	identification	– опознавание, метрика
	instantly	– тотчас, немедленно
	imagine (v)	– представлять
	insist	– настаивать
J	join	– присоединяться
K	keys	– ключи
L	lobby	– лобби, прихожая
M	middle-aged	– среднего возраста
	marquee	– большая палатка, шатер
	margin	– край, грань, поля
	message	– сообщение
	marriage	– брак
	monitor (v)	– контролировать, вести радиоперехват
	means	– средство
N	nose (v)	– выискивать, вынюхивать
O	owner	– владелец
	omit (v)	– пропускать
	observe (v)	– наблюдать
	obviously	– очевидно
P	property	– собственность
	publicity	– публичность
	push (v)	– толкать
	pocket	– карман
	printed	– напечатанный
	proofreader	– корректор
	publisher	– издатель
	pencilled	– подрисованный, тонко очерченный
P	pudgy	– коротенький, толстый
	portable	– переносной
	private	– частный, собственный
	peril	– опасность, риск
	punch	– удар кулаком
R	refuse (v)	– отказываться
	realize (v)	– осознавать
	register (v)	– регистрировать
	record	– запись, записывать
	row	– ряд
	robber	– грабитель
S	slight	– слабый, легкий
	snatch (v)	– схватить, рвать
	space	– пространство
	single quote	– одна цитата
	stud (v)	– забивать гвоздями, заколачивать
	scrap	– лом, лоскуток
	security officer	– офицер охраны
	stumble	– ошибка, заминка
	spill (v)	– проливать
	suspect (v)	– подозревать
	stain	– пятно
	surprise	– сюрприз
	safe	– безопасность
	sheet	– простыня, лист
	sardonically	– злобно, насмешливо
T	terrible	– ужасно
	tuck	– складка
	torn	– разорванный
	theft	– воровство
	tail (v)	– следовать по пятам
	typewriter	– пишущая машинка
U	upsetting	– приносящий разочарование