of breathing the same air with Ruth. He washed his teeth, and scrubbed his hands with a kitchen scrub-brush, till he saw a nail-brush in a drug-store window. He swiftly noted the difference between the baggy knees of the trousers worn by the working-class, and the straight line from knee to foot of those worn by the men above the working-class. Also, he learned the reason why, and invaded his sister’s kitchen in search of irons and ironing-board. He had misadventure at first, hopelessly burning one pair and buying another with what little money he still had.
But the reform went deeper than mere outward appearance. He still smoked, but he drank no more. Up to that time, drinking had seemed to him the proper thing for men to do, and he had prided himself on his strong head. But now the need for strong drink had vanished. He was drunken in new and more profound ways – with Ruth, who had fired him with love, with books and with the sense of personal cleanliness.
Exercises
1. Listen to the chapter with your book closed and put the statements in the correct order.
1. Martin spent hours on end in the servant’s room reading.
2. The books in the library pressed upon Martin and crushed him.
3. Martin’s dwelling differed much from Ruth’s home.
4. Ruth had fired with love.
5. Martin liked his sister and nephew.
6. Martin did not exactly know how to behave in the company of such a girl as Ruth was.
7. Martin thought the library was a most lovely place for Ruth.
2. Learn the words from the text:
exclamation, irritation, aware, repulsive, mean, soothe, value, affectionate, crush, swear, vain, abandon, consent, obtain, dare, undergo, misadventure, vanish.
3. Complete the sentences using the words from the text. Make the changes where necessary.
1. He did not .......... say what he thought.
2. The newspaper reports of scandals are a constant source of .......... for the president.
3. The magician .......... in a puff of smoke.
4. They are .......... of dangers.
5. His mother .......... abandoned him when he was five years old.
6. What a .......... man.
7. The winner will receive a prize to the .......... of 10,000.
8. Don’t be so .......... to your little brother.
9. She was doing her best to .......... her crying baby.
4. Choose a word to match the following definitions.
1) to disappear suddenly
2) something that you say suddenly loudly
3) to experience something
4) a feeling of being annoyed or impatient
5) showing caring feelings and love for somebody
6) knowing about a situation or a fact
7) the amount of money that is something worth
8) very unpleasant
9) to make somebody who feels upset fell calmer
10) cruel or unkind
5. Find in the text the English equivalents for:
самый замечательный день в жизни, выместить свою досаду, библиотечные порядки, запас человеческих знаний, заполнить бланки, получить согласие, глядеть украдкой, в известном смысле, до этого времени, зажечь чувство любви.
6. Find the words in the text for which the following are synonyms:
suffer, declare, futile, permission, accident, break, offensive, annoyance, disappear, calm.
7. Say the following statements in your own words.
1. His sister visited her irritation upon one of her numerous progeny.
2. He was aware that the whole thing was repulsive and mean.
3. He had no idea of the value of money.
4. He wanted to be affectionate to his sister.
5. He had always been her favourite.
6. He did not know the way of libraries.
7. He had never dreamed that the fund of human knowledge bulked so big.
8. He abandoned his search.
9. He was walking near the home stealing glimpses at the windows.
10. Ruth had fired Martin with love.
8. Explain and expand on the following.
1. Next morning Martin awoke in a steamy atmosphere.
2. “A nickel would have been enough,” Gertrude said.
3. Martin wanted to be affectionate to his sister.
4. From every side the books seemed to press upon him and crush him.
5. He had never dreamed that the fund of human knowledge bulked so big.
6. One day he received another proof of enormous distance that separated Ruth from him.
7. In one way Martin had undergone a moral revolution.
8. The reform went deeper than mere outward appearance.
9. Answer the following questions.
1. How did Martin feel at home?
2. Why wasn’t Martin’s sister contented?
3. Why did Martin want to be affectionate to Gertrude?
4. Why did Martin decide to visit the Oakland Library?
5. What kind of books did he find there?
6. Why did he search for the books on etiquette?
7. Why did he make out application blanks for membership for all his family?
8. Why did he decide to change his life?
10. Correct the statements.
1. Next morning Martin awoke in his hotel room.
2.
