Answer the following questions. West 42nd Street: the address was in a block in 42nd Street to the west of Fifth Avenue which divides the cross street numbers east and west

NOTES

West 42nd Street: the address was in a block in 42nd Street to the west of Fifth Avenue which divides the cross street numbers east and west, with the number running 100 to the block between avenues

trench coat: a heavy, belted raincoat in a military style

teller: a bank clerk who pays out or receives money

heck (sl): an exclamation used as a euphemism for hell

Fifth: Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York

twenty-odd: a few over twenty

nerve: self-possession, cool courage

backtrack (Am. E.): to retreat, to withdraw

minister: a clergyman

adobe: unburnt, sun-dried brick

pressure: urgency; compelling influence

den: a small cosy room where one can be alone to read, work, etc.

patio: a courtyard or inner area open to the sky; common in Spanish and Spanish American architecture

John Clayton (1693—1773), an American botanist

Rabelais, Francois (1494? — 1553), a French satirist and humorist

Grimm: the Grimm brothers, Jakob Grimm (1785—1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786—1859), German philologists and writers, collected and wrote fairy tales.

Ambrose Bierce (1842—1914? ), an American writer. Disappeared into Mexico in 1913, where probably a year later he died. Of his actions or fate after his departure to Mexico, no authentic trace is available.

Lexington Avenue: a major avenue in Manhattan, New York

White Plains: a city in the state of New York

depot (Am. E.) ['di: pou]: a bus station

hole-in-the-wall: a small, dirty, dingy place

shirt-sleeved: not wearing a coat or jacket over one's shirt

Homburg hat: a man's felt hat with a crown dented from back to front and a stiffened brim turned up slightly at the sides

Manhattan: an island between the Hudson and East Rivers, forming part of New York City, the chief business district and theatrical centre

Long Island: an island in New York state, between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic

plumb: vertical

bilk: to cheat, to swindle

Answer the following questions.

1. How did Charley Ewell come to learn about The Folder? 2. What made him decide to try his luck? 3. What sort of agency was the Acme Travel Bureau? 4. What did the place look like inside? 5. How did Charley Ewell finally bring up the matter of The Folder? 6. Why did the man behind the counter make a careful study of Charley's face before showing him The Folder? 7. What was Verna? 8. What was life like on Verna? 9. Why did the man persist in repeating that the whole thing was a kind of a joke? 10. What were Charley's doubts and hesitations? 11. What made him finally decide in favour of Verna? 12. Why did the man want assurance that Charley's decision was final? 13. How much did a ticket to Verna cost? 14. Why did the Acme Depot have such a depressing effect on Charley? 15. Who was there for the journey to Verna? 16. Where did the battered old bus bring them? 17. Why was Charley seized with doubt when he found himself in the old barn? 18. What made him think that they had been tricked? 19. What happened as he left the barn? 20. Why did Charley Ewell keep the ticket for a one-way trip to Verna?

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Say what is meant by

a travel bureau; a wall directory; a virgin forest; a reasonably decent kind of man; ah occasional client; color stereopticon pictures; a desperate longing; early pioneering communities; drudgery; economic, social pressures; a motto; light years; space travel; a non-transferable, one-way ticket; operating expenses; bus-line offices; a sliding door; a gullible person

3. Study the following word combinations. Make sentences with each.

anticipate : an argument; a question; smb.'s wish; smb.'s order;

draw : water from a well; a cart; a train; enemy fire; an audience; a blank; a prize; a conclusion;

offer : a cigarette; a drink; a cup of coffee (tea); information; help; assistance; employment; advice; one's hand;

shabby : man; clothes; goods; neighbourhood; street; bus; surroundings; trick; treatment;

trivial: differences; injury; expenses; remark; mind

Paraphrase or explain.

1. I rehearsed it all in my mind... 2. Now I spotted it... an old, pseudo-modernized building, tired, outdated, refusing to admit it but unable to hide it. 3. But upstairs the Acme office had divorced itself from the atmosphere of the building. 4. I stalled for time... 5. Then my nerve failed me, and I tried to think of a way to backtrack. 6.... and I had the sudden conviction that without any difficulty he was learning a great deal about me... 7.... they liked their work, all of them, whatever it was; that there was no forced hurry or pressure about it. 8. They (the words) seemed real; they belonged... 9. " Nineteen thirteen, " I murmured, as something caught at my memory. 10. The bus was a shabby thing, bought third-or fourth-hand... 11.... and a moment later we heard the motor start and the bus lumber away in low gear. 12. Time ticked away, and I felt an urge, presently, to speak to whoever was next to me. 13. We'd been tricked! bilked out of our money by our pathetic will to believe an absurd and fantastic fable and left, now, to sit there as long as we pleased, until we came to our senses... 14.... if you're the type, if you can believe — then make up your mind and stick to it.

ACTIVITIES