It is morning. Orders are given to every one to put on their best faces 9 and be lively.10 Then they are marched up to the auction.

Tom was standing with the other slaves near one of the platforms. A man came up to Tom and began to examine him. He opened Tom's mouth to see his teeth; made him show his muscles; ¹ turned him round, made him jump.

"Where were you born?" he asked.

"In Kentucky, master," said Tom, looking about, as if for help. "What have you done?" "Looked after the master's farm," said Tom. When the auction began, Tom went on the platform. The trader called the price in French and in English; the buyers shouted their prices. Then the final ² price was called and Tom was sold and had a new master—the man who had examined him before the auction.

borrow -занимать

trust—доверять

throw (threw, thrown) — бросать

orange— апельсин

stick—палка

imitation—подражание

trader—торговец

part.—расставаться

waiter—официант

make up—мириться

mistress ['mistris] — хозяйка

swell (swilled, swollen) — вздуваться; подниматься (о воде)

float [flout] — плавать ⁴ inn—гостиница

creak—трещать

Servant — слуга

horrible ['horibl] — ужасный

shock — возмущать, шокировать

respectable [ris'pektebl]—порядочный

human ['hju:men]—человеческий

feed (fed, fed) — кормить

separately ['sepritli] — отдельно

put on a good face—сделать приятное лицо

lively ['laivli] —веселый

I. Find the answers to the following questions in Part I, and read them aloud.

1. Why did Mr. Shelby decide to sell his slaves?

2. What was Haley's business?

3. Why did Haley like little Harry?

4. Why did Haley buy little boys?

5. Did Mr. Shelby want to sell the little boy?

6. Why did Mr. Shelby promise to give the answer only in the evening?

II. Read the Introduction to Part II and retell it using the following key-words:

Heard; decided; to run away; wore free; packed; took; left; ran; told; advised; did not want.

10. Find and read aloud sentences from Part II describing the following:

    1. The way to the Ohio River.

    2. The Ohio River in spring.

    3. Eliza's rest at a small inn.

    4. Crossing the Ohio River.

11. Find facts In Part III, which explain or illustrate the following statements:

    1. The slave-traders did not want to shock respectable society.

    2. The members of a family could be sold to different masters.

    3. The buyers examined the slaves like cattle.

muscle [masl]—мускул

final ['fainl] — окончательный

MARK TWAIN

(1835-1910)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known to the world as Mark Twain, was the son of a small-town lawyer in the State of Missouri. In different stories Mark Twain showed race discrimination and false democracy ("Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again"). In the story "A Defence of General Funston" hе criticized the imperialist policy of the American Government. Chernishevsky said that "American satirical ⁹ and critical literature began with Mark Twain".

In 1876 the writer published "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and in 1884 "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" — the novels that are now known to children and grown-ups all over the world. The writer showed boys and girls in the novels with such sympathy and understanding that readers always see themselves in these char­acters. Mark Twain protested there against slavery and one of the main characters in the novel "Huckleberry Finn" is a Negro, Jim, who is honest, brave and kind.

The profession of a writer did not bring much money to Mark Twain and he had to give lectures on literature and read his stories to the public. He visited many countries, and for a long time lived in England. In 1907 the Oxford University gave Mark Twain an honorary doctorate of letters.¹

Ernest Hemingway once wrote: "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn'."

IS HE LIVING OR IS HE DEAD?

I was spending the month of March, 1882, in Europe at Mentone. It is a quiet and restful place with much sunshine and bright blue sea. Usually rich people do not come there. Now and then a rich man comes and I happened to make friends with one of them, an Englishman. I shall call him Smith. One day in the hotel at the second breakfast he suddenly said:

"Look at the man going out at the door." "Why?"

"Do you know who he is?"

"Yes. He spent several days hero before you came. He is an old, retired ² and very rich businessman from Lyons, they say, and I think he is alone in the world, for he always looks sad and dreamy, and doesn't talk with anybody. His name is Theophile Magnan."

Smith did not explain the large interest he had shown in Magnan, but sat thinking for some minutes and then began to talk about something else.

That evening I met Smith and he asked me up to his room to smoke.¹ The room looked nice with comfortable chairs and a friendly fire.

We talked a little and then he told me his story.

"A long time ago I was a young artist and came to France where I was travelling from place to place making sketches. One day I met two French artists who were also moving from place to place making sketches and I joined them. We were as happy as we were poor, or as poor as we were happy, as you like it.

"Claude and Carl—these are the names of those boys—were always in good spirits and laughed at poverty.² We were very poor. We lived on the money which we got from time to time for our sketches. When nobody wanted to buy our sketches we had to go hungry.

"Once, in the north of France, we stopped at a village. For some time things had been very difficult for us. A young artist, as poor as ourselves, lived in that village. He took us into his house, and saved ⁸ us from starvation.⁴ The artist's name was François Millet." ï

"What! The great François Millet?"

"Great? He wasn't greater than we were, then. He wasn't famous even in his own village; and he was so poor that very often he hadn't anything for dinner but cabbage, and sometimes he could not even get cabbage. We lived and worked together for over two years. One day Claude said;

"'Boys, we've come to the end. Do you understand that? Every­body is against us. I've been all around the village and they do not want to sell food until we pay all the money.' There was a long silence." At last ⁷ Millet said, 'What shall we do? I can't think of anything. Can you, boys?'

"We made no answer. Then Carl began to walk up and down the room. Suddenly he stopped in front of a picture and said: 'It's a shame! ⁸ Look at these pictures! They are good, as good as the pic­tures of any well-known artist. Many people had said so too.'

"'But they don't buy our pictures,' said Millet.

"'They said it and it's true too. Look at your 'Angelus' there!'

"'My 'Angélus'! I was offered five francs for it.'

"'When?'

"'Who offered it?'

"'Where is he?'

"Why didn't you take it?'

'Don't all speak at once. I thought he would give more—I was sure of it—so I asked him eight.'

'"Well—and then?'

"'He said he would come again.¹

"'Why, François—'

"'Oh, I know—I know! It was a mistake. Boys I meant for the best, you must understand, and I—'

"Why, certainly, we know that, but don't do it again.'

"'I wish that somebody came along and offered us a cabbage for it,_; and you will see!'

"'A cabbage! Oh, don't speak of it, I'm hungry. Let's talk of some other things.'

'"The pictures are good,' said Carl again, 'and a well-known artist could sell them at a high price, couldn't he?'

"'Of course he could,' said Claude.

"Carl sat down and said, '1 know now how we can become rich.'

"'Rich! You have lost your mind.' ¹

'"No, I haven't.'

"'Yes, you have—you've lost your mind. What do you call rich?'

"'A hundred thousand francs for a picture.'

"'He has lost his mind. I knew it.'

"'Yes, he has. Carl, these troubles have been too much for you, and-'

'"Carl, you must take some medicine and go to bed.'

"'Stop it!' said Millet seriously, 'and let the boy say what he wants to. Now, then—go on with your plan, Carl. What is it?'

'"Well, then, to begin with, I will ask you to note this fact in human history: many great artists die of starvation. And only after their death people begin to buy their pictures and pay large sums of money for them. So the thing is quite clear,' he added, 'one of us must die, Let us draw lots.' ² We laughed and gave Carl some medi­cal advice, but he waited quietly, then went on again with his plan.

"'Yes, one of us must die, to save the others—and himself. We will draw lots. He will become famous and all of us will become rich. Hero is the idea. During the next three months the man who must die will paint as many pictures as he can, sketches, parts of pictures, fragments of pictures with his name on them, and each must have some particulars ³ of his, that could be easily seen. Such things are sold too and collected at high prices for the world's museums, after the great man is dead. At the same time the others of us will Inform ¹ the public that a great artist is dying, that he won't live over three months.'

"'But what if he doesn`t die?' we asked Carl.

"'Oh, he won't really die, of course; he will only change his name and disappear,² we bury a dummy and cry over it and all the world will help us. And—' But he wasn't allowed ⁴ to finish. Everybody applauded him, we ran about the room, and fell on each others' necks, and were happy. For hours we talked over the great plan and quite forgot that we were hungry.

"At last we drew lots and Millet was elected to die. We collected the few things we had left and pawned them. So we got a little money for travel and for Millet to live on for a few days. The next morning Claude, Carl and I left the village. Each had some of Millet's small pictures and sketches with him. We took different roads. Carl went to Paris, where he would begin the work of building Millet's fame.* Claude and I were going abroad.

"On the second day I began to sketch a villa near a big town because I saw the owner standing on the veranda. He came down to look on. I showed him my sketch and he liked it. Then I took out a picture by Millet and pointed to the name in the corner.

"'Do you know the name?' I said proudly. 'Well, he taught me!" I finished.

"The man looked confused.⁷

"'Don't you know the name of François Millet?' I asked him.

"'Of course it is Millet. I recognize it now,' said the man, who had never heard of Millet before, but now pretended ⁸ to know the name. Then he said that he wanted to buy the picture. At first I refused ⁸ to sell it, but in the end I let him have it for eight hundred francs. Yes, Millet would sell it for a cabbage. I got eight hundred francs for that little thing. I wish I could get it back for eighty thousand. But that time is gone by. I made a very nice picture of that man's house and wanted to offer it to him for ten francs, but remembered that I was the pupil of such a master, so I sold it to ^J for the eight hundred francs straight back to a day. I always said to the man who bought it, 'I'm a fool ¹ to sell a picture by François Millet. The man won't live three months. When he dies, his pictures will be sold at a very high price.'

"The plan of selling pictures was successful with all of us. I walked only two days. Claude walked two—both of us afraid to make Millet famous too near the village where he lived—but Carl walked only half a day and after that he travelled like a king. In every town that we visited, we met the editor ² of the newspaper and asked him to publish a few words about the 'master's' health. We never called Millet a genius.⁵ The readers understood that everybody knew Millet. Sometimes the words were hopeful, sometimes tearful. We always marked ⁴ these articles and sent the papers to all the people who had bought pictures of us.

"Carl was soon in Paris. He made friends with the journalists and Millet's condition was reported ⁶ to England arid all over the continent, and America, and everywhere.

"At the end of six weeks from the start, we three met in Paris and decided to stop asking for more pictures from Millet. We saw that it was time to strike. So we wrote Millet to go to bed and began to prepare for his death. We wanted him to die in ten days, if he could get ready. Then we counted the money and found that we had sold eighty-five small pictures and sketches and had sixty-nine thousand francs. Carl had sold the last picture and got the largest sum. He sold the 'Angelus' for twenty-two hundred francs. How happy we were! We did not know then that a day was coming when France would struggle to buy it and a stranger ¹ would take it for five hun­dred and fifty thousand francs.

"Claude and I packed up and went back to the village to look after Millet in his last days and keep people out of the house. We sent daily bulletins to Carl in Paris for the papers of several conti­nents with the information for a waiting world. The sad end came at last, and Carl came to the village to help us. Large crowds of people from far and near attended the funeral.² We four carried the coffin.⁸ There was only a wax ⁴ figure in it. Millet was disguised ⁵ as a rela­tive and helped to carry his own coffin.

"After the funeral we continued selling Millet's pictures. We got so much money that we did not know what to do with it. There is a man in Paris today who has seventy Millet's pictures. He paid us two million francs for them."

When Smith finished his story, I asked him if he knew what had become of Millet.

"He lives under a new name. Do you remember the man I point­ed out to you in the dining-room today? That was François Millet."

honorary doctorate of letters—почетный доктор филологических наук (звание)

retired— ушедший от дел

lose one's mind —сойти с ума

lot—жребий

particular— разг. характерная особенность Si

fool—дурак

editor ['edito] —редактор

genius— гений

mark — отмечать

condition - состояние

report [ri'port] — сообщать

I. Find and read aloud sentences describing:

1. François Millet;

2. Smith, Claude and Carl;

3. the life of the four artists;

4. Carl's plan to become rich and famous.

II. Choose the correct ending to each sentence.

1. Mark Twain heard the story

1. from a man he called Smith;

2. from François Millet;

3. from a Frenchman.

1. The poor young artists travelled

1. from Europe to America;

2. from place to place in America;

3. from place to place in France.

3. The artists were very poor,

1. and people never bought their pictures;

2. but sometimes people bought their pictures;

3. but they did not want to sell their pictures.

4. The people in the village

1. gave them food and didn't take any money;

2. gave them food but took their pictures instead of money;

3. refused to sell them food until they paid money for it.

5. The artists decided that one of them

1. must stop painting pictures;

2. must become a writer;

3. must become a famous painter.

6. They drew lots and

1. Carl was elected to die and become famous;

2. Claude was elected to die and become famous;

3. François was elected to die and become famous.

7. They travelled in France and abroad and

1. sold Millet's pictures at low prices;

2. sold Millet's pictures at high prices;

3. could not sell any of Millet's pictures.

8. François Millet stayed in the village,

1. painted pictures and sent them to his friends;

2. painted pictures and sold them in the village;

3. but did not paint any pictures.

9. The newspapers informed the public that

1. Millet had left France and gone to America;

2. Millet was ill and would soon die;

3. Millet had got well and was painting pictures again.

10. When the time for the death came,

1. Claude and Smith packed and went to Millet;

2. Carl and Claude went to Millet and Smith stayed in Paris;

3. Claude stayed in Paris and Smith went to Millet.

11. Large crowds of people attended the funeral and

1. the four young artists carried the coffin;

2. the relatives carried the coffin;

3. Carl, Claude and Smith carried the coffin.

12. After the funeral Millet lived

1. in America under his old name;

2. in the same little village under a new name;

3. in France under a new name.

III. Retell the story. The following key-words will help you:

1. heard; travelled; were poor; sold; must die and become famous; drew lots; elected to die; stayed; informed; packed and went; attended; lived.

0. HENRY

(1862-1910)

The real name of the writer was William Sydney Porter. He was born in Greenboro, North Carolina, USA, in the family of a doctor. He was brought up by his aunt because his mother died when he was a small boy. After finishing school at the age of fifteen, Porter worked as a clerk for five years in his uncle's chemist, shop in Greenboro. Then he went to Texas because he wanted to see new places.

Soon he married and when a daughter was born to them, Porter was a happy husband and father, but his happiness did not last long.

In 1901, when he was released ³ from prison, he settled in New York, and continued writing short stories for different magazines. Very soon he became one of the most popular short-story writers in America.

0. Henry's stories won great popularity and have been translated into many languages. Most of them have unexpected endings and the reader is always taken by surprise.

During the short period of his literary activity, 0. Henry wrote 273 short stories and one novel, "Cabbages and Kings" (1904).

Taken as a whole, the work of 0. Henry is bourgeois in its spirit.

WITCHES' LOAVES

Miss Martha Meacham kept the little bakery⁷ on the corner. Miss Martha was forty, she had two thousand dollars in a bank, two false teeth and a kind heart.

Many people have married who had less possibilities to do so than Miss Martha.

Two or three times a week a man came into her shop to buy bread and very soon she began to take an interest in him. He was a man of middle ago with spectacles ¹ and a short brown beard.² His clothes were poor, but he looked clean and had very good manners.

He always bought two loaves of stale ³ bread. Fresh ⁴ bread was five cents a loaf. Stale loaves were two for five. He never bought any­thing but stale bread.

Once Miss Martha saw red and brown stains on his fingers. She was sure then that he was an artist and very poor. Of course he lived in a little room, where he painted pictures and ate stale bread, and thought of the good things in Miss Martha's bakery.

Often when Miss Martha sat down to eat her good dinner, she thought about the poor artist and wanted him to share her meal in­stead of⁸ eating his stale bread.

Miss Martha's heart, as you have been told, was a very kind one.

In order to find out⁷ his profession, she brought from her room one clay a painting that she had once bought and put it against the shelves behind the bread counter.

It was an Italian painting. A beautiful palace stood near a lake. Miss Martha was sure that an artist would notice it.

Two days later the man came into the shop.

"Two loaves of stale bread, if you please."

"You have a fine picture here, madam," he said while she was get­ting the bread.

"Yes?" said Miss Martha. "I love art and" (she could not say 'art­ists') "and paintings," she added. "You think it is a good picture?"

"The palace," said the man, "is not in good drawing. The per­spective of it is not true. Good morning, madam."

He took his bread and hurried out.

Yes, he must be an artist. Miss Martha took the picture back to her room.

How kind his eyes were behind his spectacles! What a broad fore­head he had! To be an artist—and to live on stale bread! But gen­ius often has to struggle before it is recognized.

How good would it be for art if genius was helped by two thou­sand dollars in the bank, a bakery, and a kind heart too—but these were only dreams, Miss Martha.

Often now when he came, he talked for some time with Miss Mal­tha. And he continued buying stale bread, never anything else.

She thought he was looking thinner. She wanted to add something good to eat to his stale bread, but she had no courage ¹ to do it. She knew the pride ² of artists.

Miss Martha began to wear her best blue silk blouse almost every day. In the room behind the shop she cooked some mixture ⁹ for her face.

One day the man came as usual, and asked for his stale loaves. While Miss Martha was getting them, there was a great noise in the street and the man hurried to the door to look. Suddenly Miss Martha Lad a bright idea.

On the shelf behind the counter was some fresh butter. With a bread knife Miss Martha made a deep cut in each of the stale leaves put a big piece of butter there, and pressed ⁴ the loaves together again.

When the man turned to her, she was putting the loaves into a pa­per bag.

When he had gone, after a very pleasant little talk, Miss Martha smiled 5 to herself, and her heart beat ⁸ very fast.

For a long time that day she could not think of anything else. She imagined ⁷ his face when he would discover her little secret. He would stop painting and lay down his brushes. " There would stand his picture in which the perspective was perfect. He would prepare for his meal of stale* bread and water. He would take a loaf—ah!

Miss Martha blushed. Would ho think of the hand that had put it there as ho ate? Would he —

The front bell rang loudly. Somebody was coming in, making very much noise.

Miss Martha hurried into the shop. Two men were there. One was a young man smoking a pipe—a man she had never seen before. The other man was her artist.

His face was very red, his hat was on the back of his head, his hair was falling all over his face. He shook his two fists¹" angrily ¹¹ at Miss Martha. At Miss Martha! "Fool!" he shouted very loudly. The young man tried to draw him away.

"I shall not go," he said angrily, "before I told her." He beat his fists on Miss Martha's counter. "You have spoilt my work," he cried, "I will tell you. You are a stupid¹² old cat!"

Miss Martha stood back against the shelves and laid one hand on her heart. The young man took his companion by the arm. "Come on," lie said, "you have said enough." He drew the angry man out into the street, and then came back. "I think I must tell you, ma'am," he said, "why he is so angry. That is Blumberger. He is a draughtsman.¹ I work in the same of­fice with him.

"He worked very hard for three months drawing a plan for a new City Hall. It was a prize competition. He finished it yesterday. You know, a draughtsman always makes his drawing in pencil first. When it is finished he rubs ² out the pencil lines with stale bread. That is hotter than indiarubber.³

"Blumberger always bought the bread here. Well, today—well, you know, ma'am, that butter isn't—well, Blumberger's plan isn't good for anything now."

Miss Martha went into the bock room. She took off the blue silk blouse and put on the old brown one she had worn before, then she poured ⁴ the mixture for her face out of the window.

"Whistling Dick's Christmas Present" — «Рождественский подарок Свистуна Дика»

sign |sain]—подписывать

release [ri'li:s] —освобождать; выпускать

amusing— забавный

incident ['insident]—случай, происшествие

witch — ведьма

bakery ['beikeri]—пекарня

spectacles ['spektaklz] —очки

beard— борода

stale—черствый

fresh—свежий

slain [stein] — пятио

instead [in'sted] —вместо

find out—узнавать

courage—смелость

pride—гордость

mixture—смесь

press—сжимать

smile — улыбаться

beat [bi:t] (beat, beaten)—бить; биться (о сердце)

imagine— воображать, представлять

brush — кисть

blush — красиоть

fist—кулак

angrily — гневно

stupid ['stu:pid]—глупый

draughtsman—чертежник

rub—тереть

indiarubber—резинка для стирания

pour [рз:] — лить

I. Find in the text and read aloud sentences describing:

1. Miss Martha Meacham;

2. Blumbergcr-the draughtsman.

II. Prove that the following statements are true:

1. Miss Martha Meacham had a kind heart.

2. Miss Martha Meacham decided that the middle-aged man was a painter.

3. Miss Martha Meacham wanted to marry this man.

111. Ask your classmates:

1. why Miss Martha decided to put some butter into the stale bread;

2. if the man saw Miss Martha putting the butter into the breadj

3. what Miss Martha thought after the man had gone;

4. what Blumberger said to Miss Martha;

5. who explained things to Miss Martha.