21. Explain the title of the text.

Mr. Fielding

Hello, Charles. I hear you had a bit of a fire after the party last week. Was there much damage?

Mr. Williams

Well, fortunately we managed to confine all the damage to the one room, so it wasn't too bad really. The carpets and curtains were ruined, and the walls and ceiling were blackened by smoke, so we had to redecorate the room completely.

Mr. Fielding

It must have been a cigarette-end, I suppose.

Mr. Williams

Yes, that's for sure. Someone must have dropped a cigarette on the carpet near the big window, and after we'd gone the curtains caught fire. We ought to have checked everything before going to bed, I know, but we were so tired we decided to clear up in the morning. We shouldn't have left the windows open either.

Mr. Fielding

Have you any idea who the culprit was? It was very careless of someone.

Mr. Williams

It might have been Ted Redman. He's a chain-smoker and he'd had one or two too many.

Mr. Fielding

It can't have been me anyway; I'm a non-smoker. But it may well have been old Bill Coleman. The more I think about it, the more I feel sure that he was standing by that window most of the time towards the end of the party.

Mr. Williams

So he was! And he's a careless sort of chap — he flicks his cigarette ash all over the place. And the more he drinks the worse he gets.

Mr. Fielding

Still, you can't very well accuse him of it — it could have been anyone.

Mr. Williams

True. Besides, I can't complain; our room was repainted at the insurance company's expense.

culprit

преступник, виновный

a bit of

небольшое количество

damage

ущерб

to confine all the damage to

ограничить ущерб

cigarette-end

окурок

for sure

наверняка

catch fire

загораться

clear up

убирать

chain-smoker

заядлый курильщик

careless of

неосторожный, беззаботный

flick one’s cigarette ash

стряхивать пепел сигареты

accuse of

обвинить в

at (his) expense

за счет кого-либо