Analytical reading-Part 8

From The Avenging Chance

Anthony Berkeley

F

or a moment Beresford demurred politely and then, most unfortunately for himself, accepted. The money so saved meant nothing to him for he was a wealthy man; but trouble was always worth saving.

            By an extraordinarily lucky chance neither the outer wrapper of the box nor its covering letter were thrown into the fire, and this was the more fortunate in that both men had tossed the envelopes of their letters into the flames. Sir William did, indeed, make a bundle of the wrapper, letter and string, but he handed it over to Beresford, and the latter simply dropped it inside the fender. This bundle the porter subsequently extracted and, being a man of orderly habits, put it tidily away in the waste-paper basket, whence it was retrieved later by the police.

            Of the three unconscious protagonists in the impending tragedy, Sir William was without doubt the most remarkable. Still a year or two under fifty, he looked, with his flaming red face and thick-set figure, a typical country squire of the old school, and both his manners and his language were in accordance with tradition. His habits, especially as regards women, were also in accordance with tradition—the tradition of the bold, bad baronet which he undoubtedly was.

            In comparison with him, Beresford was rather an ordinary man, a tall, dark, not unhandsome fellow of two-and-thirty, quiet and reserved. His father had left him a rich man, but idleness did not appeal to him, and he had a finger in a good many business pies.

            Money attracts money. Graham Beresford had inherited it, he made it, and, inevitably, he had married it, too. The daughter of a late ship owner in Liverpool, with not far off half a million in her own right. But the money was incidental, for he needed her and would have married her just as inevitably (said his friends) if she had not had a farthing. A tall, rather serious-minded, highly cultured girl, and not so young that her character had not had time to form (she was twenty-five when Beresford married her, three years ago), she was the ideal wife for him. A bit of a Puritan perhaps in some ways, but Beresford, was ready enough to be a Puritan himself by that time if she was. To make no bones about it, the Beresfords succeeded in achieving that eighth wonder of the modern world, a happy marriage.

Notes and comments:

to demur [di’m¶:] (-rr-) противя се, дърпам се, опъвам се, колебая се

without demur(ring) без колебание/възражение, безпрекословно

in that syn. inasmuch as, since, because; тъй като, защото

manners pl. (добри) обноски, държание, поведение, маниери

in this manner по този начин

in such a manner that по такъв начин, че

bad manners лошо/невъзпитано държание

to have no manners липсва ми възпитание

a novel after the manner of Michael Crichton роман в стила на Майкъл Крайтън

good manners добро държание, благоприличие, учтивост

it’s bad manners to невъзпитано/неучтиво е да

reserved--reticent, antisocial, bashful, demure, diffident, modest, quiet, restrained, shy, silent, taciturn, timid, uncommunicative, unsociable, withdrawn

to have a finger in the pie имам пръст в, меся се в, участвам в

done by the finger of God божа работа

not to lift a finger не си мърдам и пръста

a finger of brandy един пръст бренди

to make no bones about не се церемоня, не се стеснявам, не му цепя басмата

to bone up--(амер. разг.) зубря, кълва

Copy the words listed below into two groups according to their suffix –ance or –ence. Learn those words and try to use them in sentences of your own.

benevolence, ambulance, equivalence, vigilance, excellence, prevalence, jubilance, violence, turbulence, resemblance, condolence, corpulence, pestilence, indolence, opulence, virulence, admittance, competence, reluctance, inheritance, persistence, existence, circumstance, resistance, insistence, transmittance, distance, subsistence, assistance, importance, acceptance, acquaintance, accidence, abundance, dependence, evidence, coincidence, attendance, providence, incidence, independence, guidance, residence, superintendence, accordance, confidence, diffidence, resplendence, conscience, luxuriance, disobedience, experience, obedience, radiance, efficiency, brilliance, sapience, audience, sufficiency, alliance, appliance, reliance, compliance, defiance, variance, annoyance, convenience, expediency, patience, proficiency, subservience, consistency, delinquency, eloquence, mellifluence, fluency, sequence, consequence, influence, continuance, reference, preference, conference, abhorrence, severance, utterance, adherence, deference, inference, sufferance, concurrence, transference, reverence, occupancy, clearance, assurance, endurance, appearance, interference, forbearance, reassurance, disappearance, coherence, procurance

Insert –a or –e:

allow…nce, disturb…nce, griev…nce, nuis…nce, perform…nce, abhorr…nce, afflu…nce, circumfer…nce, coincid…nce, compet…nce, concurr…nce, condol…nce, confid…nce, consequ…nce, corpul…nce, curr…ncy, defer…nce, delinqu…ncy, depend…nce, despond…ncy, differ…nce, diffid…nce, effici…ncy, continu…nce, immin…nce, impati…nce, imprud…nce, impud…nce, infer…nce, inherit…nce, malevol…nce, melliflu…nce, obedi…nce, occurr…nce, opul…nce, consist…ncy, constitu…ncy, conveni…nce, emin…nce, excell…nce, exist…nce, expedi…ncy, flu…ncy, perman…nce, prefer…nce, promin…nce, prud…nce, alli…nce, appli…nce, reli…nce, defi…nce, rever…nce, subsist…nce, transpar…ncy, turbul…nce, innoc…nce, eloqu…nce, adolesc…nce, luxuri…nce, brilli…nce, radi…nce, audi…nce, abund…nce, attend…nce, guid…nce

Translate into English!

Иван Вазов

“под игото”

            Тая вечер Марко беше в добро настроение на духа. Той с любопитство следеше боричкането на ситите, с розови бузички деца, които цепеха въздуха със звънливите си смехове. На всеки миг те образуваха живописна група, из която шумно излазяха звънливи крясъчета, весели кискания, сърдити гласчета: те приличаха на рояк птичета, що играят из клоните. Но тая невинна радостна игра сдоби изведнъж по-войнствен характер: ръчичките замахаха по-живо, размениха се малки юмручета, чуха се застрашителни крикчета и се вдигна писък и врява, птичият концерт се обърна на сражение… Победители и победени—всички се затекоха към баща си да се тъжат или оправят. Един сочеше баба си за защитник, друг назначаваше майка си за прокурор. Сега от безпристрастен зрител Марко се обърна на съдия. По право и по длъжност той трябваше да гледа делото. Но съдията, въпреки съдебната практика, не щя да чуе ни обвинения, ни защита, а издаде присъда: някои погали по главичките, други потегли за ушите, а най-малките—сиреч обидените—той целуна по бузките.

            И народът се умири.