Themillionpoundbank.doc
《Themillionpoundbank.doc》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Themillionpoundbank.doc(14页珍藏版)》请在三一文库上搜索。
1、Simplified versionChapter One: From San Francisco to LondonWhen I was 27 years old, I worked in an office in San Francisco. I did my job well and my future was promising. I was alone in the world and I was happy. On Saturday afternoons I didnt work. I sailed my little sailboat on San Francisco Bay.
2、One Saturday afternoon, I sailed out too far. The strong afternoon wind pushed my sailboat out of the bay, into the Pacific Ocean. That night, when I had lost all hope, a small British brig saw me and took me on board. The brig was sailing to London. The voyage was long and stormy. I earned my passa
3、ge without pay. When I arrived in London, my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in my pocket. This money fed and sheltered me twenty-four hours. During the next twenty-four I went without food and shelter. At about ten oclock the following morning, I went to Portland Place. I sa
4、w a child walking past, holding a big pear. The child ate one small piece and then threw the pear onto the street. I stopped, of course, and fastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved it, my whole being begged for it. But every time I made a move to g
5、et it some passing eye detected my purpose, and of course I straightened up then, and looked indifferent, and pretended that I hadnt been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening and happening, and I couldnt get the pear. I was just getting desperate enough to brave all the sha
6、me, and to seize it, when a window behind me was raised, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying: Step in here, please. A well-dressed servant opened the door. He took me to a beautiful room where two elderly gentlemen were sitting and discussing something important. They had just finished their bre
7、akfast, and the sight of the remains of it almost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that food, and I stared at their breakfast.I want to tell the reader that the two gentlemen had made a bet several days before. I knew nothing about the bet until later. Let me t
8、ell you what happened.Chapter Two: An Unusual BetThe two old gentlemen were brothers. For several days, they argued about a very strange subject. They decided to end their argument with a bet, as the English usually do. The following was the subject of the bet.The Bank of England issued two banknote
9、s of a million pounds each for a public transaction with a foreign country. England used one banknote and the other remained in the bank. At this point, Brother A said to Brother B, If an honest and intelligent stranger arrives in London without a friend and without money, except for the 1,000,000 b
10、anknote, he will starve to death.Brother B answered, No! I dont agree.Brother A said, If he goes to the bank or anywhere else to change this big note, the police will put him in prison. Everyone will think he stole it.They continued arguing for days, until Brother B said, Ill bet 20,000 that the str
11、anger will live for thirty days with the banknote and not go to prison.Brother A accepted the bet. He went to the bank and bought the 1,000,000 banknote. After, he returned home and prepared a letter. Then the two brothers sat by the window and waited for the right man for the bet.They saw a lot of
12、honest faces go by, but they were not intelligent enough. Several faces were intelligent, but they were not honest. A lot of faces were honest and intelligent, but they were not poor enough. Other faces were honest, intelligent and poor, but they were not strangers.When they saw me from the window,
13、they thought I was the right man. They asked me questions, and soon they knew my story.Finally, they told me I was the right man for the bet. I asked them to explain the bet. One of the gentlemen gave me an envelope. I wanted to open it, but he said, No, dont open it now. Wait until you are in your
14、hotel room. Then read it very carefully.I was confused and I wanted to discuss the subject with them. But they didnt; so I took my leave, feeling hurt and insulted because I was the subject of a joke.When I left their house, I looked for the pear on the street. It was gone. I was quite angry with th
15、ose two gentlemen.Chapter Three: At the RestaurantFar from their house, I opened the envelope and saw that it contained money! My opinion of those people changed, I can tell you! I lost not a moment, but shoved note and money into my vest pocket, and broke for the nearest cheap eating house. Well, h
16、ow I did eat! When at last I couldnt hold any more, I took out my money and unfolded it, took one glimpse and nearly fainted. Five millions of dollars! Why, it made my head swim. I was speechless. I stared at the banknote. The two gentlemen had made a big mistake. They probably wanted to give me a o
17、ne-pound banknote.The first thing I noticed, then, was the landlord. His eye was on the note, and he was petrified. He was worshiping, with all his body and soul, but he looked as if he couldnt stir hand or foot. I did not know what to do or say, so I simply give him the note and said, Give me the c
18、hange, please.Then he was restored to his normal condition, and made a thousand apologies for not being able to break the bill, and I couldnt get him to touch it. He wanted to look at it, and keep on looking at it; he couldnt seem to get enough of it to quench the thirst of his eye, but he shrank fr
19、om touching it as if it had been something too sacred for poor common clay to handle. I said: I am sorry if it is an inconvenience, but I must insist. Please change it; I havent anything else. But he said that wasnt any matter; he was quite willing to let the trifle stand over till another time. I s
20、aid I might not be in his neighborhood again for a good while; but he said it was of no consequence, he could wait, and, moreover, I could have anything I wanted, any time I chose, and let the account run as long as I pleased. He said he hoped he wasnt afraid to trust as rich a gentleman as I was, m
21、erely because I was of a merry disposition, and chose to play larks on the public in the matter of dress. By this time another customer was entering, and the landlord hinted to me to put the monster out of sight; then he bowed me all the way to the door.Chapter Four: The LetterI started straight for
22、 that house and those brothers, to correct the mistake which had been made before the police should hunt me up, and help me do it. I was pretty nervous; in fact, pretty badly frightened, though, of course, I was no way in fault; but I knew men well enough to know that when they find theyve given a t
23、ramp a million-pound bill when they thought it was a one-pounder, they are in a frantic rage against him instead of quarreling with their own near-sightedness, as they ought. As I approached the house my excitement began to abate, for all was quiet there, which made me feel pretty sure the blunder w
24、as not discovered yet. I rang. The same servant appeared. I asked for those gentlemen. They are gone, the servant said.Gone? Gone where?Oh, on a journey.But, where did they go?To the Continent, I think.The Continent?Yes, sir.When will they be back?In a month.A month! Oh, this is awful! Give me some
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- Themillionpoundbank
链接地址:https://www.31doc.com/p-2293856.html