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Why didn’t the good people of the town have cats? Well, they did, and there was a fair fight, but in the end the rats were too many, and the pussies were defeated. Poison, I hear you say? They poisoned so many that it nearly caused a plague. Ratcatchers? Many of them tried their luck but there seemed to be more rats than ever.
The Mayor[18] and the town council were desperate. As they were sitting one day in the town hall trying to figure up what to do, the town messenger run in. ‘Please your Honour[19],’ he said, ‘here is one fellow come to town. I don’t know what to think of him.’ ‘Show him in[20],’ said the Mayor, and he stepped in. He was tall and thin, and had piercing eyes[21]. His clothes was painted in all colours of the rainbow.
‘I’m called the Pied Piper,’ he said. ‘What will you pay me if I free your town of every single rat?’
Fifty pounds[22] were promised him (and it meant a lot of money in those days) as soon as not a rat was left in Newtown.
The Piper laid his pipe to his lips and started playing it. Every rat came out from its hole and followed the sound of his pipe.
The Piper went through town to the harbour[23], and when he was at the water’s edge he stepped into a boat, and all of the rats followed him. On and on he played and played until each rat sank.
The townsfolk had been throwing up their caps and hurrahing[24], but when the Piper stepped ashore[25], the Mayor said ‘you see what poor folk we are; how can we manage to pay you fifty pounds? Will you not take twenty?’
‘Fifty pounds was what I was promised,’ said the Piper shortly; ‘and if I were you I‘d pay it quickly. Because I can pipe many kinds of tunes, as folk sometimes find to their cost[26].’
‘Would you threaten us, tramp[27]?’ shrieked the Mayor, and at the same time he winked to the council; ‘the rats are all dead and drowned,’ said he; and so ‘You may do your worst, my good man,’ and with that he turned short upon his heel.
‘Very well,’ said the Piper, and he smiled a quiet smile. With that he laid his pipe to his lips again, but now there came another tunes. And as he went down the streets from school-room and playroom, from nursery and workshop, children ran, following the Piper to the cool green forest full of oaks and wide-spreading[28] beeches. In and out among the oak trees was heard the laughter of the children break and fade as deeper and deeper into the green wood.
All the while[29], the elders watched and waited. They mocked no longer now. And never saw they the Piper in his pied coat again. The Mayor sent his men to look for the Piper and bring the children back but none could find the lost children.
Exercises
1) True or false?
1. Newtown was full of rats.
2. The Mayor and the town council desided to hunt rats.
3. The Piper was tall and thin.
4. Piper’s clothes was all black.
5. The Mayor promised to pay Piper twenty pounds.
6. The Piper led children to the forest.
2) Fill in the gaps using words in brackets.
1. Even beer in the barrels ............... (to be) not safe from them.
2. The Mayor and the town council ...................... (to be) desperate.
3. They were ...................... (to sit) one day in the town hall .................. (to try) to figure up what to do.
4. His clothes ................... (to be painted) in all colours of the rainbow.
5. The Piper .............. (to lay) his pipe to his lips and started .................. (to play) it.
6. In and out among the oak trees ............... (to be heard) the laughter of the children.
3) Write down a plural form:
Example: dog – dogs
cat – __________________________________
mouse – __________________________________
rat – __________________________________
horse – __________________________________
pig – __________________________________
chicken – __________________________________
bird – __________________________________
goose – __________________________________
fish – __________________________________
4) Translate the following sentences:
1. На свою беду он узнал, что обещания надо выполнять.
2. У дудочника был пронзительный взгляд и пёстрая куртка.
3. Всё то время, что дети были в доме, она пряталась в кладовой.
4. Мэр разрешил провести дудочника внутрь.
5. Вокруг амбара росли дубы и широко раскинувшиеся буки.
6. В порту живёт много бродяг.
7. Эта дудка стоит десять фунтов.
5) Retell the fairy-tale.
III. Princess of Canterbury
There lived formerly in the County of Cumberland a nobleman who had three sons, two of whom were clever, but the third one a natural fool, named Jack, who was a shepherd. The King of Canterbury had a beautiful daughter, who was also very clever. The King proclaimed that whoever[30] should answer three questions put to him by the princess should marry her, and take the crown when her father dies. Soon news of it reached the ears of[31] the nobleman’s sons, and the two clever ones desided to have a trial[32]. They didn’t want their idiot brother to go with them, but they could not get rid of him. They had not gone far, before Jack shrieked with laughter, saying ‘I’ve found an egg.’ ‘Put it in your pocket,’ said the brothers. A little while afterwards, again he laughted because he found a crooked hazel stick, which he also put in his pocket; and a third time he again laughed because he found a nut. That also was put with his other treasures.
When they arrived at the palace, they were immediately shown into a room where the princess and her suite[33] were sitting. Jack, who never stood on ceremony, cried, ‘What a troop[34] of fair ladies we’ve got here!’
‘Yes,’ said the princess, ‘we are fair ladies, for we carry fire in our bosoms[35].’
‘Do you?’ said Jack. ‘Then roast me an egg,’ pulling out[36] the egg from his pocket.
‘How will you get it out again?’ said the princess.
‘With a crooked stick,’ replied Jack, producing[37] the hazel.
‘Where did that come from?’ said the princess.
‘From a nut,’ answered Jack, pulling out the nut from his pocket. ‘I’ve answered the three questions, and now I’ll have the lady.’ ‘No, no,’ said the king, ‘not so fast. You have still a test to go through. You must come here in a week’s time and watch for one whole night with the princess, my daughter. If you can manage to keep awake the whole night long you shall marry her next day.’
18
mayor – мэр
19
your Honour – Ваша честь (обращение)
20
show smb in – провести кого-нибудь внутрь
21
piercing eyes – пронзительный взгляд
22
pound – фунт (денежная единица)
23
harbour – порт
24
hurrah – Ура!
25
ashore – на берег
26
to one‘s cost – на свою беду
27
tramp – бродяга
28
wide-spreading – широко раскинувшийся
29
all the while – всё это время
30
whoever – любой, кто угодно
31
news of it reached the ears of… – слухи дошли до…
32
to have a trial – попробовать
33
suite – свита
34
troop – отряд
35
bosom – грудь
36
pull out – вытащить
37
produce – зд. предъявить