18. John Rossister’s Wife.

The most fascinating place in the United States today, I consider is Palm Beach and the most interesting spot in it is 'Whitney's'. It is a restaurant and a gambling place and sooner or later everybody who comes to Palm Beach visits 'Whitney’s'. It’s far more interesting and better conducted than Monte Carlo. Once I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Whitney himself. Mr. Whitney seemed to be very excited by something.

'I had a rather strange experience the other day,' he said as soon as I introduced myself. 'I was sitting in my office one morning when a lady wanted to see me.' - 'Mrs. Rossister,' the manager told me. I have been acquainted to Mr. Rossister. I’ve know him well enough only to say 'Hello', but not too much intimately than that. So I wondered what she wanted and bid the manager to show her in.

Before she said a word she began to cry. Her husband had been gamling, she told me, at 'Whitney's' on Wednesday, the day before, and had lost 30 000 dollars. Mrs. Rossister explained that the great problem of her life had been her husband’s gambling. The 30 000 dollars he had lost on Monday, it meant – oh, I've forgotten what she told me exactly: selling the house — it was mortgaged already, she said, taking the two girls out of school… It was a long story? I told her that I didn’t like the idea of anybody coming here and losing everything. The result of it all was that I agreed to give her back the money that her husband had lost, but on one condition, and I made that point very clear: John Rossister was never to enter my place again. She promised it to me with the tears running down her cheeks, and I gave her the money. I didn't think anything more about the affair until the very next afternoon. My manager came to me and said that John Rossister had just come in, had gone to the gambling room and was playing at one of the tables. I went straight up to him and said: 'May I speak to you for a minute? Your wife came to see me yesterday morning and told me about your troubles and about your losing 30 000 dollars here on Wednesday, and I gave her the money you’d lost'. Rossister looked at me for a moment. Then he said: 'Why, Mr. Whitney, there must be some mistake. I'm not married'.

1. Whitney’s is:

A. A bar. B. A place where you can eat and play cards.

C. A beach. D. A fast food restaurant.

2 Whv did Mr. Whitney tell the manager to show Mrs. Rossister in?

A. He knew her very well. B. She was his regular customer.

C. He knew her husband very well.

D. He was surprised and decided to find out what she wanted.

3. What did Mr. Whitney learn about John Rossister's family?

A. That his two daughters had been expelled from school.

B. That they had sold their house.

C. That his gambling made his wife unhappy.

D. That they were not rich people.

4. How much money did Mr. Whitney give to Mrs. Rossister?

A. Nearly half a million dollars. C. More than half a million dollars.

B. Less than half a million dollars. D. It is not clear from the text.

5. Why did Mr. Whitney give Mrs. Rossister money back that her husband had lost?

A. She promised not to come to his place again.

B. She persuaded him to lend her money.

C. His refusal to give her money made her cry.

D. She made it clear that Mr. Whitney would never see her husband again.