There were exclamations of delight and admiration. The ring was passed from hand to hand. For a moment it rested on my own palm, gleaming splendidly. Then I passed it on to my neighbour. As I turned away again, I saw her pass it on.
It was some 20 minutes later when the princess stood up and said: "Before we leave you, may I have my ring back?" ... There was a pause, while each of us looked expectantly at his neighbour. Then there was silence.
The princess was still smiling, though less easily. She was unused to asking for things twice. The silence continued, I still thought that it could only be a practical joke, and that one of us – probably the prince himself – would produce the ring with a laugh. But when nothing happened at all, I knew that the rest of the night would be dreadful.
I am sure that you can guess the sort of scene that followed. There was the embarrassment of the guests – all of them old and valued friends. There was a nervous search of the whole room. But it did not bring the princess's ring back again. It had vanished – an irreplaceable thing, worth possibly two hundred thousand pounds – in a roomful of twelve people, all known to each other.
No servants had entered the room. No one had left it for a moment. The thief (for now it could only be theft) was one of us, one of my uncle Octavian's cherished friends.
I remember it was the French cabinet minister who was most insistent on being searched, indeed, in his excitement he had already started to turn out his pockets, before my uncle held up his hand and stopped him. "There will be no search in my house," he commanded. "You are all my friends. The ring can only be lost. If it is not found" – he bowed towards the princess – "I will naturally make amends myself."
The ring was never found, it never appeared, either then or later.
To our family's surprise, uncle Octavian was a comparatively poor man, when he died (which happened, in fact, a few weeks ago). And I should say that he died with the special sadness of a hospitable host who never gave a single lunch or dinner party for the last thirty years of his life.
NOTES:
fabulous – 3p
make amends (for) – 3p. BO3MCCTHTb yrzrep6
Exercises and Assignments on the Text
Упражнения и Задания к Тексту
Assignment # One – Задание № 1
Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов:
было больно двигаться – _________________________________________;
больной и несчастный – _________________________________________;
у него жар – _________________________________________;
форма гриппа – _________________________________________;
записал время приема лекарств – _________________________________________;
темные круги под глазами – _________________________________________;
не слушал, что я читаю – _________________________________________;
немного бредил – _________________________________________;
никого не пускал в комнату – _________________________________________;
это глупости – _________________________________________;
его взгляд уже не был таким напряженным – _______________________________________;
напряжение спало – _________________________________________.
Assignment # Two – Задание № 2
Дайте русские эквиваленты следующих слов, выражений и оборотов из текста; Составьте по три предложения с каждым их этих оборотов:
look ill – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
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take smb's temperature – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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there is something (nothing) to worry about – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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there is some (no) danger – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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to go to sleep – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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cannot keep from doing smth – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
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do good – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
be of some (much, no) importance – _________________________________________;
________________________________________________________________________________
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Assignment # Three – Задание № 3
Ответьте на следующие вопросы:
1) What signs of illness could the boy's father notice when he came into the room?
When he came into the room ______________________________________________________.
2) Did the boy go to bed as his father had asked him?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
3) What did the doctor say? What did he prescribe?
_______________________________________________________________________________.
4) Find in the text the sentences which prove that something serious worried the boy.
_______________________________________________________________________________.