Lesson 10

Ch. 24-26

1. Find the English equivalents in the text and recollect the situations they are used in:

Ch. 24: to have nothing more to do with smb	to shirk a little trouble
gentle feeling	let smb be
to have a casual acquaintance with smb	to pull smb together
to hunt vaguely about	Ch. 26: to pull through
to keep smb’s whereabouts secret	to put out
to make smb comfortable	to remark on competence
to clatter down	to be delighted with smb.
Ch. 25: to make smb up a bed	he seemed to partake of those obscure forces
to be on the verge of tears	he had no thought for his comfort

2. Explain in English and give your own examples:

Ch. 24: to pass, to have no idea, obscurity, perceive, to look about, to have a rapid glimpse, in which was nothing but a bed, to fancy

Ch. 25: to beg, to consent, to have no objection, you drive me to distraction, to consent in explicable, dread

Ch. 26: a good deal, nothing was too much trouble for him, sublime, weird, abominable, odd, queer, to exasperate

3. Answer the questions:

1/ What made Stroeve invite Strickland to spend Christmas Day at his place? Why was it difficult for him this time?

2/ Did the friends find Strickland in the café? What did they learn? Was Stroeve distressed? Why did he blame himself?

3/ How did they manage to find Strickland?

4/ What decision did Dirk take? What did he ask his wife about? Did she agree? Why was it so difficult to her?

5/ What did the author feel to Strickland after his arriving to Stroeve’s house? Was he a good patient? How did Stroeve and his wife nurse him? What did the author notice in these people’s relations?

6/ Would you do the same to Strickland if you were Dirk? Explain.

7/ How can you explain B. Stroeve’s behaviour when she first denied to help Strickland and then became an excellent nurse for him?

Lesson 11

Ch. 27-29

1. Find the English equivalents in the text and recollect the situations they are used in:

Ch. 27: тешил свою фантазию чувствами	он был вне себя от горя
неизменно вызывала улыбку	у меня было тяжело на сердце
с несчастным видом уставился на картину	потерял чувство собственного достоинства
не драться же мне с ним	ты строишь из себя шута
я оторопело уставился на	Сh. 29: она знала на что идет
Ch/ 28: неделю спустя все выяснилось	ты начисто лишен самолюбия
всегда очень тщательно одетый	мне легче говорить
он с трудом проговорил эти слова	если держать язык за зубами
я был ошеломлен	может все и обошлось бы
с его удивительной способностью высказываться не к месту	быть под рукой
заварил кашу, теперь ее и расхлебывай

2. Answer the questions and do the assignments:

1./ Why was the author surprised seeing Dirk Stroeve at the Louvre? How did he look like?

2/ What news did Stroeve share with his friend? Translate the following words into English and use them to describe the state of mind of the friends: печальный, неловкая тишина, смущение, несчастный, яростный, негодование.

3/ Do these 3 characters ( the author? Stroeve? Strickland) remind you of any personages of a fairy-tale?

4/ Why didn’t Stroeve allow the author to get rid of Strickland?

5/ What happened a week later? What did the author think of Stroeve when he first saw him at the door of his place? How did he look like?

6/ What explanations did the author have first after he heard about Blanch and her behaviour?

7/ What happened in reality? Have you got any other ideas?

8/ Do you feel compassion to Dirk? Would you do the same for the person you love? Can this be an illustration to the words of Jesus : “ And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away, thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also”( New Testament, Lk. 6:29). Explain your point of view.

9/ Can Dirk Stroeve be blamed for what has happened to him? Why do you think so? Who can be blamed?

10/ What can you say to justify Blanch, Strickland?