Lesson 18

Text of conversation

Nora: It’s Peter’s birthday the day after tomorrow. I’ve had a new suit made for him to wear at his party.

Harry: Are we going to have a lot of his friends here, Nora?

Nora: Oh, yes didn’t I tell you? He was very busy last week getting his invitations sent out.

Harry: Oh dear, I hate having the house full of noisy children.

Nora: Oh, but we have to give Peter a party on his birthday.

Robert: After all, I always had a party when I was his age.

Harry: Are you going to cook all the cakes and things your self?

Nora: Some of them. And the rest I shall have done by a shop. That reminds me, I must get the carpets beaten before the party.

Robert: And Dad, will you have gramophone mended by Friday? It’s broken again, and I can’t do anything with it.

Harry: Well, why don’t you have it mended your self, Robert? You know the shop to take it to. Didn’t you have it mended last time it broke?

Robert: Yes, Dad.

Nora: What do you want the gramophone for on Friday?

Robert: We shall have to use it for the dancing.

Nora: But Peter’s guests won’t dance! They’re all boys.

Robert: Ah, but I’m having a few friends of my own round, and we shall have a bit of dancing after Peter’s young friends have gone home.

Harry: What dancing half the night? Then I see what I shall have to do.

Nora: What’s that, Harry?

Harry: /Jokingly/ I must have a bed made up for me at the club, and spend the night there.

Lesson 19

Text of conversation

Harry: Peter! What have you been doing? You’re soaking wet.

Peter: Well, I was walking along –

Nora: Come here, quickly, you must get things wet off. Stand in front of the fire. Here’s a towel, give yourself a good rub down. Now, what were you doing, you naughty boy?

Peter: I was walking along by the river when I saw a dog.

Nora: Yes, yes, but how did you get so wet? Here, give me those trouser. Look! Absolutely soaking wet!

Peter: I know, well I’m trying to tell you. I saw this dog in the water, so I jumped in and saved him.

Harry: You jumped in? Why, you must be mad! A dog can swim – he doesn’t need to be saved.

Peter: Oh, but it was different – don’t you see? He wasn’t just swimming. It was down near the mill, and the water was doing very fast, and the dog was going round and round. Once he got near the side and tried to get out, but he couldn’t.

Harry: But the mill’s a very dangerous place!

Peter: I know. And the dog was going round again, when suddenly he gave a little bark, and rolled his eyes in a funny way – and then he sank.

Nora: So you –

Peter: Yes, so I jumped in and pulled him out, just before he went under the mill.

Nora: But you bad boy, that was very dangerous.

Peter: But I had to, Mum. I’m a Boy Scout.

Nora: Well, are you dry now? Put these pajamas on. You must go straight to bed… We’re not really angry, Peter.

Harry: No, we’re really quite proud of you.