I. Pick out all the proverbs in the story and give their Russian equivalents.

II. Write an end to the story using some of the following proverbs;

to take the bull by the horns; what must be must be; appearances are deceptive; strike while the iron is hot; second thoughts are best; he or she who makes no mistakes makes nothing; one good turn deserves another.

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X

They were hardly settled in their new house when fresh trouble came to them.

"Have you heard about Jones?" said the old man one day with an anxious face.

"No," I answered.

"He's ill - some sort of fever, poor chap - has been ill for three days, and they never told me or sent for me."

From day to day I had reports from the old man of the progress of Jones's illness. "I sit with him every day," he said. "Poor chap, he was very bad yesterday for a while - mind wandered, quite delirious. I could hear him from the next room, seemed to think someone was hunting him. 'Is that damn old fool gone?' I heard him say."

"I went in and soothed him. 'There is no one here, my dear boy,' I said, 'no one, only me ...' He turned over and groaned. Mrs. Jones begged me to leave him. 'You look quite used up,' she said. 'Go out into the open air,' 'My dear Mrs. Jones,' I said, 'what does it matter about me?'"

Eventually, thanks no doubt to the old man's care, Jones got well.

"Yes," said the old man to me a few weeks later, "Jones is all right again now, but his illness was a long hard pull. I haven't had an evening to myself since it began. But I'm paid, sir, now, more than paid for anything I've done. The gratitude of those two people - it's unbelievable."

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

I. What story does the passage fit into?

II. What do you think the cause of Mr. Jones's illness was?

XI

The second day out I was wandering around the boat deck and ran into his hide-out - a little nook where he had taken his deck chair.

We had caught glimpses of him before and, in fact, Betsy and I used him in the little game we played aboard the ship - trying to guess what business different people were in. I looked at the bushy hair, the ragged gray beard, the pullover sweater and the sandals, and violated my own rule by saying I thought he was an artist, a French artist.

Betsy laughed at me because we had long since agreed that people don't often look their business. She said she thought he was either a Greek archbishop or a member of the British parliament.

When I poked my nose into his hide-out he raised his head and gave me as nasty a scowl as you ever saw in your life. I started to back away, mumbling an apology, and then his expression changed.

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"Wait!" he called out. "You are American?"

His English was good, and he asked me if I had a moment to help him with a small problem. He wanted to know if there was a United States Senator named Boat or Ship or Ferry. He showed me the ship's daily puzzle which he was trying to work out.

I sat down and puzzled over the thing. The definition was, "Senator who crosses a river." I thought of Senator Ford, the raconteur, but there were no Fords on the passenger list, and then I got it - Senator Bridges. There was a Miss Ethelyn Bridges on board.

My bearded friend swiftly lettered in the name "Bridges" on his puzzle sheet, and then leaped from his chair and went flying off down the deck.

I didn't see him again until next day, just before lunch, when he came into the main lounge, grabbed me by the arm and drew me off into a corner.

"Look!" he said in a hoarse whisper. In the palm of his big hand he was holding a man's wallet, made of pigskin.

"The prize!" he said. "I won it! You, my friend, are responsible. Come and have a cocktail with me."

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION