Answer the following questions. 1. What is the usual way of travelling from Florence to England?

1. What is the usual way of travelling from Florence to England? 2. What was the author's way of travelling home from Florence? 3. Who else happened to take the same carriage on that particular occasion? 4. What made him take no­tice of the other passenger? 5. What did Miss Bradley look like? 6. How did it happen that the author found himself opposite Miss Bradley in the dining car? 7. What language did Miss Bradley use when ordering her food? 8. Why did this. seem unusual to the author? 9. What impression did one get of Miss Bradley? 10. When did the author see her again?

11. Why did he really speak to Miss Bradley this time?.

12. Why did the author believe it to be his fault that they real­ly began to know each other when they reached Calais Port?

13. How did the author and Miss Bradley happen to find them­selves side by side on the boat? 14. What did Miss Bradley tell the author about herself during the trip? 15. Why did the author decide to take the Golden Arrow to London? 16. Why were the passengers for the Golden Arrow dealt with by the Cus­toms first? 17. What made the author disown Miss Bradley's luggage? 18. What had delayed the porter with the author's luggage? 19. What had Miss Bradley been trying to smuggle into the country? 20. What made the author fairly sure that he had been deliberately chosen by Miss Bradley as the per­son to see her through the Customs?

Paraphrase or explain.

1. Yet Miss Bradley was determined to order her food in unbelievably bad schoolgirl French, though she was red in the face when she did so, and plainly very ashamed. 2. It

is difficult to dine endlessly opposite somebody without making a few polite sounds. 3. I smiled at her with a real and pleasant sense of virtue... 4. I hope it will be agreed that up to this point 1 had acted like a gentleman, though perhaps at no great personal sacrifice. 5.... my usual bad qualities began to take control. 6. I considered that I should certainly have to see Miss Bradley safely off the boat at Do­ver and on to her train... 7. But suddenly the worst bits of pride in my nature rose to the surface. 8.... if 1 had not been too proud about her baggage, it would almost certainly have been carelessly passed with mine...

Find in the text the English for

сделать пересадку (на транспорте); вагон прямого сооб­щения; потерять на войне руку (или ногу); крупная, полная женщина; вагон-ресторан; занимать много времени; продол­жаться до бесконечности; красный как рак; испытывать чувство стыда; по моей вине; поток носильщиков; выгля­деть жалкой и беспомощной; преисполниться жалости к кому-либо; нехотя; на борту парохода; рядом; скучный; запинаясь; два места (о багаже); взять носильщика; обидеть кого-либо; не обратить внимания на кого-либо; об­меняться рукопожатием; с некоторым облегчением; запы­хавшись; спросить резким тоном; заговорить первой, за­вязать знакомство

Study the following phrases. Recall how they were used in the text. Make sentences with each.

cannot help doing (noticing, etc.) smth.

e. g. 1. She couldn't help smiling. It was all so ridiculous, 2. I can't help thinking that it was all my fault.

Be anxious to do (please, practise, etc.) smth.

e. g. 1. They were all anxious to help. 2. She was most anxious to hide her feelings.

try hard (one's hardest, one's best) to do -smth.

e. g. 1. He tried his best to make himself understood but couldn't. 2. The visiting team tried their hardest to win the game, but all their efforts were in vain.

a sense of virtue (humour, right, wrong, etc.)

e.g.'l. He's got a keen sense of duty. 2. His sense of honour would never let him be unjust.