Wonder Book 7

polished them with their spoons till they shone again. Once Oliver was
so desperate with hunger that he came up to the master, his bowl and
spoon in hand, and said:
“Please, sir, I want some more.”
The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. First he
looked at Oliver in stupefied astonishment, and then he struck the boy
on the head and shrieked for Mr. Bumble. Mr. Bumble locked Oliver in a
small dark room, where the boy was crying all day long.
Next morning a note was pasted on the outside of the workhouse gate.
Five pounds and Oliver Twist would be offered to any man or woman
who wanted an apprentice to any trade.
Oliver stayed in the dark room for a week and then a certain Mr.
Sowerberry, the undertaker, agreed to take Oliver.
Little Oliver was taken before ‘the gentlemen’ that evening and informed
that he would go, that night, as apprentice to a coffin-maker’s; and that
if he complained of his situation, or ever came back to the parish again,
he would be sent to sea and get drowned there, or knocked on the head.
Oliver showed so little emotion that they all called him a hardened young
rascal, and asked Mr. Bumble to take the boy to Mr. Sowerberry.
When they were near Mr. Sowerberry’s house, Mr. Bumble looked down
at Oliver to see that the boy was in good order for inspection by his new
master.
“Oliver!” said Mr. Bumble.
“Yes, sir,” replied Oliver in a trembling voice.
“Pull that cap off your eyes, and hold up your head.”
Oliver did as he was told and he felt tear in his eyes as he looked at his
conductor. The tear rolled down his cheek. It was followed by another,
and another. The child made a strong effort but it was an unsuccessful
one. He covered his face with both hands and wept.
“Well!” exclaimed Mr. Bumble, stopping short. “Well! Of all the most
ungrateful boys I have ever seen, Oliver, you are the--”
“No, no, sir,” sobbed Oliver, “no, no, sir; I will be good indeed; indeed,
indeed I will, sir! I am a very little boy, sir; and I’m so – so--”

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“So what?” inquired Mr. Bumble in amazement.
“So lonely, sir! So very lonely!” cried the child. “Everybody hates me!” Mr.

Bumble looked at the poor child with some astonishment and told him
to dry his eyes and be a good boy. He took his hand and walked on with
him in silence.
The undertaker was writing in his day-book by the light of a candle,
when Mr. Bumble entered. “Aha!” said the undertaker, looking up from
the book, “is that you, Bumble?”
“No one else, Mr. Sowerberry,” replied Mr. Bumble. “Here! I’ve brought
the boy.” Oliver made a bow.
“That’s the boy, is it?” said the undertaker, raising the candle above his
head to get a better view of Oliver. At this moment Mrs. Sowerberry
entered the room.
“My dear,” said Mr. Sowerberry, “this is the boy from the workhouse that
I told you of,” Oliver bowed again.
“Dear me!” said the undertaker’s wife, “he’s very small. I see no use in
parish children for they always cost more to keep than they’re worth.”
She gave Oliver some leftovers, ignored by the dog, and in silent horror
watched how Oliver gulped down the food, thinking about his future
appetite.
After supper Mrs. Sowerberry took Oliver upstairs. “Your bed’s under
the counter. You don’t mind sleeping among the coffins, I suppose?
But it doesn’t much matter whether you do or don’t, for you can’t sleep
anywhere else.”
A month passed. One day Oliver got into a fight with Mr. Sowerberry’s
senior apprentice who said some very bad words about his mother. The
insult to his dead mother set his blood on fire. Though Oliver was much
younger, he seized the boy by the throat, shook him, and collecting his
whole force into one heavy blow, knocked him down.
With the help of Mrs. Sowerberry and her maid, they managed to stop
Oliver. They beat him cruelly and then dragged him to the dusty cellar
and locked him up. Soon Mr. Sowerberry came and beat Oliver too. After
that he was sent upstairs to his bed among coffins.
Now, when there was nobody to see or hear him, he fell upon his knees

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on the floor and, hiding his face in hands, wept and wept.
With the first ray of light Oliver opened the door and went out. He
remembered the way he went with Mr. Bumble and he took the same route
and walked quickly on. His way lay directly in front of the workhouse.
It was so early that there was very little fear that anybody could see him;
so he walked on.
He reached the workhouse. There was nobody at that early hour. Oliver
stopped, and looked into the garden. A child was weeding the garden. It
was one of his former companions. Oliver felt glad to see him, for, though
younger than himself, the boy was his little friend and playmate. Many
times they were beaten, and starved, and shut up together.
“Hush, Dick!” said Oliver, as the boy ran to the gate, and thrust his thin
arm between the rails to greet him. “Is anybody up?”
“Nobody but me,” replied the child.
“You mustn’t say you saw me, Dick,” said Oliver. “I am running away.
They beat me, Dick; and I am going to seek my fortune, some long way
off. I don’t know where. How pale you are!”
“I heard how the doctor told them I was dying,” replied the child with a
faint smile. “I am very glad to see you, dear; but don’t stop, don’t stop!”
“I shall see you again, Dick,” replied Oliver. “I know I shall! You will be
well and happy!”
“I hope so,” replied the child. “After I am dead, but not before. I know the
doctor must be right, Oliver, because I dream so much of Heaven, and
Angels, and kind faces that I never see when I am awake. Kiss me,” said
the child, climbing up the low gate, and he put his little arms round
Oliver’s neck. “Good-bye, dear! God bless you!”
The blessing was from a young child’s lips, but it was the first time Oliver
heard such words addressed to him; and through the struggles and
sufferings, and troubles and changes of his new life, he never forgot this
blessing.

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Vocabulary

Make a list of 12 new and interesting words from the story and discuss their
meanings. Also use them in sentences of your own.

Comprehension Activities

1 Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements.
a. Oliver’s mother was a famous woman.
b. Mrs. Mann used the greater part of the money for the children.
c. Mr. Bumble took Oliver back to the workhouse where Oliver could

be taught a trade.
d. When there was nobody to see or hear him, he fell upon his knees

on the floor and, hiding his face in his hands, laughed and laughed.
e. Oliver felt glad to see his former friend and playmate.
f. Oliver said to Dick that he was going to seek his fortune and that he

knew where to go.

2 What do you think?
a. Mrs. Mann got some money from the parish authorities, didn’t she?

Then why were the children hungry and badly clothed?
b. Why do you think Oliver never forgot the blessing from a young

child’s lips?

3 Complete the sentences.
a. Nobody knew where the boy’s mother came from because.........

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b. The master looked at Oliver in stupefied astonishment because.........
c. Oliver decided to run away from Mr. Sowerberry because.........
d. When Oliver reached the workhouse there was nobody there

because.........
e. Oliver was very glad to see Dick because.........

4 Put the sentences in the right order by numbering them from 1 to 10
according to the events in the story.

 Oliver Twist and his companions were always hungry because the
only thing the boys were ever fed was gruel.

 Nobody knew where Oliver’s mother came from or what her name
was.

 First he looked in stupefied astonishment at Oliver, and then he
struck the boy on the head.

 Soon Mr. Bumble came to take him back to the workhouse where
Oliver could be taught to trade.

 One day Oliver was so hungry that he asked the master for some
more gruel.

 When Oliver was ten months old they sent him to a
branch-workhouse, where Oliver was brought up by elderly Mrs.
Mann with other twenty or thirty children.

 One day Oliver got into a fight with Mr Sowerberry’s senior
apprentice.

 Dick climbed up the low gate, and he put his little arms around
Oliver’s neck.

 They beat him cruelly and then dragged him to the dusty cellar and
locked him up.

 Mrs. Sowerberry gave Oliver some leftovers, ignored by the dog.

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5 Answer the following questions.
a. Where was Oliver sent at the age of ten months?
b. Why did Mr. Bumble take Oliver back to the workhouse?
c. Why were the boys always hungry?
d. Why did Oliver get into a fight with the apprentice?
e. Whom did Oliver see in the workhouse yard and what did he say to

him?
f. Why did Oliver never forget Dick’s words in his life?
g. Did Oliver do the right thing to run away from his masters and live a

life of uncertainty? Why?

Write Long Answer

1. How was the life in the workhouse full of misery?
2. How was Oliver rescued from the dark room?

Creative Writing

Do you think it is a good idea to teach a child a trade at the age of nine? Write
a paragraph about it.

Think, Pair and Share

What was a wokhouse in the long past?

Project Activity

Who is an orphan? What is an orphanage? How are the orphans treated, reared
and educated? Write a paragraph about it.

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32 The Bet
(Part: one)

Before you proceed
a. What is a bet? Do you like it?
b. Have you ever betted money with anyone?

Meet the author
Anton Chekhov This amazing Russian born author,
well-known for his short fiction and wonderful novels,
didn't have the best start in life. In 1876, while Anton
was still at school Chekhov's father was declared
Bankrupt and the family moved from Taganrog,
Southern Russia to Moscow. Anton however
remained for a further three years to complete his
education and sold the families possessions. During
this time he had to support himself and his family as well as pay for his
education! He achieved this by catching and selling goldfinches, private
tutoring and selling humorous sketches about contemporary Russian life
to newspapers. Anton Chekhov finished his schooling in 1879 and moved
to Moscow to join his family. He studied medicine at Moscow University
and qualified as a doctor in 1884. He practised as a doctor despite writing
over four hundred short stories in his short life He died of Tuberculosis at
the age of just 44 years old. His famous quote "Medicine is my lawful wife
and literature is my mistress." perfectly sums up his career.

The Bet (Part: One)

- Anton Chekhov
It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was pacing from corner
to corner of his study, recalling to his mind the party he gave in the
autumn fifteen years before. There were many clever people at the party
and much interesting conversation. They talked among other things of

A course in English literature Book - 7 207

capital punishment. The guests, among them not a few scholars and
journalists, for the most part disapproved of capital punishment. They
found it obsolete as a means of punishment, unfitted to a Christian State
and immoral. Some of them thought that capital punishment should be
replaced universally by life-imprisonment.

What did most of the guests at the party think of capital punishment?

pacing: walking back and forth within a restricted area

bet: agreement that the person who incorrectly predicts the
outcome of a future event will give money to another

study: room for reading or writing

capital punishment: death punishment

disapproved: refuse to approve or agree to something

life-imprisonment: punishment to remain in prison for whole life

"I don't agree with you," said the host. "I myself have experienced neither
capital punishment nor life-imprisonment, but if one may judge a priority,
then in my opinion capital punishment is more moral and more humane
than imprisonment. Execution kills instantly, life-imprisonment kills by
degrees. Who is the more humane executioner, one who kills you in a
few seconds or one who draws the life out of you incessantly, for years?"

"They're both equally immoral," remarked one of the guests, "because
their purpose is the same, to take away life. The State is not God. It has
no right to take away that which it cannot give back, if it should so desire."
Among the company was a lawyer, a young man of about twenty-five.
On being asked his opinion, he said:

"Capital punishment and life-imprisonment are equally immoral; but if
I were offered the choice between them, I would certainly choose the
second. It's better to live somehow than not to live at all."

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How old was the lawyer?
priority: high in terms of importance or urgency

instantly: immediately and without delay
incessantly: continuously for a long time and without stopping
opinion: view somebody takes about an issue
There ensued a lively discussion. The banker who was then younger and
more nervous suddenly lost his temper, banged his fist on the table, and
turning to the young lawyer, cried out:
"It's a lie. I bet you two millions you wouldn't stick in a cell even for five
years."
"If you mean it seriously," replied the lawyer, "then I bet I'll stay not five
but fifteen."
"Fifteen! Done!" cried the banker. "Gentlemen, I stake two millions."
Who was the bet between?
"Agreed. You stake two millions, I my freedom," said the lawyer.
So this wild, ridiculous bet came to pass. The banker, who at that time
had too many millions to count, spoiled and capricious, was beside
himself with rapture. During supper he said to the lawyer jokingly:

"Come to your senses, young roan, before it's too late. Two millions are
nothing to me, but you stand to lose three or four of the best years of
your life. I say three or four, because you'll never stick it out any longer.
Don't forget either, you unhappy man, that voluntary is much heavier
than enforced imprisonment. The idea that you have the right to free
yourself at any moment will poison the whole of your life in the cell. I
pity you."

A course in English literature Book - 7 209

ensued: follow closely

stake: bet money on something

ridiculous: completely unreasonable

capricious: make sudden unexpected changes

rapture: happiness or delight

roan: an animal, especially a horse

And now the banker, pacing from corner to corner, recalled all this and
asked himself:
"Why did I make this bet? What's the good? The lawyer loses fifteen years
of his life and I throw away two millions. Will it convince people that
capital punishment is worse or better than imprisonment for life? No, no!
all stuff and rubbish. On my part, it was the caprice of a well-fed man; on
the lawyer's pure greed of gold."
He recollected further what happened after the evening party. It was
decided that the lawyer must undergo his imprisonment under the
strictest observation, in a garden wing of the banker's house. It was
agreed that during the period he would be deprived of the right to cross
the threshold, to see living people, to hear human voices, and to receive
letters and newspapers. He was permitted to have a musical instrument,
to read books, to write letters, to drink wine and smoke tobacco. By the
agreement he could communicate, but only in silence, with the outside
world through a little window specially constructed for this purpose.
Everything necessary, books, music, wine, he could receive in any quantity
by sending a note through the window. The agreement provided for all
the minutest details, which made the confinement strictly solitary, and it
obliged the lawyer to remain exactly fifteen years from twelve o'clock of
November 14th, 1870, to twelve o'clock of November 14th, 1885. The least
attempt on his part to violate the conditions, to escape if only for two
minutes before the time freed the banker from the obligation to pay him
the two millions.
During the first year of imprisonment, the lawyer, as far as it was possible
to judge from his short notes, suffered terribly from loneliness and

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boredom. From his wing day and night came the sound of the piano. He
rejected wine and tobacco. "Wine," he wrote, "excites desires, and desires
are the chief foes of a prisoner; besides, nothing is more boring than to
drink good wine alone," and tobacco spoils the air in his room. During
the first year the lawyer was sent books of a light character; novels with
a complicated love interest, stories of crime and fantasy, comedies, and
so on.

In the second year the piano was heard no longer and the lawyer asked
only for classics. In the fifth year, music was heard again, and the prisoner
asked for wine. Those who watched him said that during the whole of
that year he was only eating, drinking, and lying on his bed. He yawned
often and talked angrily to himself. Books he did not read. Sometimes at
nights he would sit down to write. He would write for a long time and
tear it all up in the morning. More than once he was heard to weep.

caprice: sudden unexpected action or change of mind

recollected: bring something back to mind

observation: careful watching

deprived: lacking the things needed

confinement: restriction or limitation within the boundaries

obligation: something that must be done

wing: a part of a building that project from the main part

In the second half of the sixth year, the prisoner began zealously to study
languages, philosophy, and history. He fell on these subjects so hungrily
that the banker hardly had time to get books enough for him. In the
space of four years about six hundred volumes were bought at his request.
It was while that passion lasted that the banker received the following
letter from the prisoner: "My dear gaoler, I am writing these lines in six
languages. Show them to experts. Let them read them. If they do not
find one single mistake, I beg you to give orders to have a gun fired off
in the garden. By the noise I shall know that my efforts have not been in
vain. The geniuses of all ages and countries speak in different languages;
but in them all burns the same flame. Oh, if you knew my heavenly

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happiness now that I can understand them!" The prisoner's desire was
fulfilled. Two shots were fired in the garden by the banker's order.
Later on, after the tenth year, the lawyer sat immovable before his table
and read only the New Testament. The banker found it strange that
a man who in four years had mastered six hundred erudite volumes,
should have spent nearly a year in reading one book, easy to understand
and by no means thick. The New Testament was then replaced by the
history of religions and theology.
During the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an
extraordinary amount, quite haphazard. Now he would apply himself
to the natural sciences, then he would read Byron or Shakespeare. Notes
used to come from him in which he asked to be sent at the same time a
book on chemistry, a textbook of medicine, a novel, and some treatise on
philosophy or theology. He read as though he were swimming in the sea
among broken pieces of wreckage, and in his desire to save his life was
eagerly grasping one piece after another.

geniuses: exceptional intellectual or creative abilities
New Testament: second section of the Christian Bible
mastered: became highly skilled
wreckage: broken pieces
grasping: understanding something

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Vocabulary

1. Choose words from the box to match with their meanings given below.

violate, zealously, gaoler, experts, foes, passion, obliged,
solitary, execution, obsolete, classics, erudite, treatise, theology,
haphazard, classics

a. out-of-date
b. killing somebody as part of a legal process
c. done without the company of other people
d. make it necessary for somebody to do
e. act contrary to something such as a law
f. actively enthusiastic
g. strong liking or enthusiasm
h. supervisor of a prisoner in a jail
i. persons with a great deal of knowledge
j. enemies or opponents
k. a body of ancient Greek and Roman literature
l. having great knowledge
m. gained from study and reading
n. the study of religion
o. happening in an unplanned way
p. formal written work dealing systematically

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Comprehension Activities

1 Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
a. The banker had many millions of money to count at the time
when he betted two millions.
b. The lawyer accepted wine and tobacco during the first year of
his imprisonment.
c. In the second year of his imprisonment, the piano was not heard
but the lawyer wished to read only classics.
d. In the sixth year of his imprisonment the lawyer would write
for a long time and tear it all up in the morning.
e. After the tenth year, the lawyer sat immovable before his table
and read only the New Testament.
f. During the last two years of his confinement, the prisoner
studied an extraordinary amount quite haphazardly.

2 Fill in the blank spaces with correct words from the above story.
a. During the first year of imprisonment, the lawyer suffered
terribly from …………... and from his wing day and night came
……………….. the piano.
b. In the fifth year, music …………. again, and the prisoner asked
for wine during and he was only …………………… and lying on
his bed.
c. In the second half of the sixth year, the prisoner began ……………
to study ………………… and history.
d. In the space of four years about six hundred ……………………
were bought at his request.
e. The New Testament was then ………… by the history of
…………... The New Testament was then replaced by the history
of religions and theology.

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f. The prisoner also read a book on chemistry, a textbook of ………,
a novel, and some treatise on …………or theology during the
last two years of his confinement.

3 Write short answers to these questions.
a. Why did the host think that capital punishment is more moral
and more humane than life imprisonment?
b. In what way were both death penalty and life imprisonment
equally immoral, according to one of the guests?
c. Why did the lawyer prefer life imprisonment to death penalty?
d. What was the bet made between the banker and the lawyer?
e. What did the banker tell the lawyer during the supper jokingly?
f. What was the lawyer given to read during the first year of his
imprisonment?

Write Long Answer

1. What were the conditions that the lawyer had to undergo during his
imprisonment?

2. During the last two years of his confinement, what did the prisoner
read?

Literary Terms

First-person narrator is a character in the story; uses “I,” “we,” etc.
Third-person narrator outside the story; uses “he,” “she,” “they”.
Third-person limited narrator tells only what one character perceives.
Third-person omniscient narrator can see into the minds of all characters.
Who is the narrator of the above story? What type of narrator is he?

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Creative Writing

Write an short introduction to the New Testament.

Think, Pair and Share

Do you thing you make right decision when you are angry?

Project Activity

In what situations do you like to sing songs or compose poems. Write a
paragraph about it.

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33 The Bet
(Part: Two)

Before you proceed
a. Do you wish to kill a bet winner after you sense that you are losing

the bet?
b. When do you wish to violate the agreement to avoid winning the bet?

The Bet (Part: Two)

- Anton Chekhov
The banker recalled all this, and thought:
"Tomorrow at twelve o'clock the lawyer receives his freedom. Under the
agreement, I shall have to pay him two millions. If I pay, it's all over with
me. I am ruined for ever …"
Fifteen years before he had too many millions to count, but now he was
afraid to ask himself which he had more of, money or debts. Gambling
on the Stock-Exchange, risky speculation, and the recklessness of which
he could not rid himself even in old age, had gradually brought his
business to decay; and the fearless, self-confident, proud man of business
had become an ordinary banker, trembling at every rise and fall in the
market.
"That cursed bet," murmured the old man clutching his head in despair…
"Why didn't the man die? He's only forty years old. He will take away my
last farthing, marry, enjoy life, gamble on the Exchange, and I will look
on like an envious beggar and hear the same words from him every day:
'I'm obliged to you for the happiness of my life. Let me help you.' No, it's
too much! The only escape from bankruptcy and disgrace—is that the
man should die."

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The clock had just struck three. The banker was listening. In the house
everyone was asleep, and one could hear only the frozen trees whining
outside the windows. Trying to make no sound, he took out of his safe
key of the door which had not been opened for fifteen years, put on
his overcoat, and went out of the house. The garden was dark and cold.
It was raining. A damp, penetrating wind howled in the garden and
gave the trees no rest. Though he strained his eyes, the banker could
see neither the ground, nor the white statues, nor the garden wing, nor
the trees. Approaching the garden wing, he called the watchman twice.
There was no answer. Evidently the watchman had taken shelter from
the bad weather and was now asleep somewhere in the kitchen or the
greenhouse.

recklessness: lack of thought about danger

speculation: financial transaction that involves risk, but is profitable

gambling: betting money for winning money

stock-exchange: buying and selling stocks and shares

decay: decline in quality gradually and steadily

trembling: shake with slight movements, continuously

cursed: afflicted with harm

murmured: said quietly or indistinctly

clutching: gripping tightly

strained: made a great effort through

evidently: clearly

"If I have the courage to fulfill my intention," thought the old man, "the
suspicion will fall on the watchman first of all."

In the darkness he groped for the steps and the door and entered the
hall of the garden-wing, then poked his way into a narrow passage and
struck a match. Not a soul was there. Someone's bed, with no bedclothes
on it, stood there, and an iron stove loomed dark in the corner. The seals
on the door that led into the prisoner's room were unbroken.
218 A course in English literature Book - 7

When the match went out, the old man, trembling from agitation, peeped
into the little window.

In the prisoner's room a candle was burning dimly. The prisoner himself
sat by the table. Only his back, the hair on his head and his hands were
visible. Open books were strewn about on the table, the two chairs, and
on the carpet near the table.

Five minutes passed and the prisoner never once stirred. Fifteen years'
confinement had taught him to sit motionless. The banker tapped on the
window with his finger, but the prisoner made no movement in reply.
Then the banker cautiously tore the seals from the door and put the key
into the lock. The rusty lock gave a hoarse groan and the door creaked.
The banker expected instantly to hear a cry of surprise and the sound
of steps. Three minutes passed and it was as quiet inside as it had been
before. He made up his mind to enter.

Before the table sat a man, unlike an ordinary human being. It was a
skeleton, with tight-drawn skin, with long curly hair like a woman's, and
a shaggy beard. The colour of his face was yellow, of an earthy shade; the
cheeks were sunken, the back long and narrow, and the hand upon which
he leaned his hairy head was so lean and skinny that it was painful to
look upon. His hair was already silvering with grey, and no one who
glanced at the face would have believed that he was only forty years
old. On the table, before his bended head, lay a sheet of paper on which
something was written in a tiny hand.

peeped: looked quickly or secretly

strewn: scattered untidily

stirred: moved

tapped: hit lightly more than once

hoarse groan: rough painful sound

creaked: made a prolonged squeaking noise

shaggy: growing long and unevenly

sunken: submerged beneath the surface of something

hand: handwriting

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"Poor devil," thought the banker, "he's asleep and probably seeing millions
in his dreams. I have only to take and throw this half-dead thing on
the bed, smother him a moment with the pillow, and the most careful
examination will find no trace of unnatural death. But, first, let us read
what he has written here."

The banker took the sheet from the table and read:"Tomorrow at twelve
o'clock midnight, I shall obtain my freedom and the right to mix with
people. But before I leave this room and see the sun I think it necessary
to say a few words to you. On my own clear conscience and before God
who sees me I declare to you that I despise freedom, life, health, and all
that your books call the blessings of the world.

"For fifteen years I have diligently studied earthly life. True, I saw neither
the earth nor the people”.

"Your books gave me wisdom. All that unwearying human thought created
in the centuries is compressed to a little lump in my skull. I know that I
am cleverer than you all.

"And I despise your books, despise all worldly blessings and wisdom.
Everything is void, frail, visionary and delusive as a mirage. Though you
be proud and wise and beautiful, yet will death wipe you from the face
of the earth like the mice underground”.

diligently: with hard work

void: ineffective or useless

frail: morally bad or wrong

visionary: imaginary

delusive: misleading

mirage: an optical illusion of a sheet of water appearing in the desert

"That I may show you in deed my contempt for that by which you live,
I waive the two millions of which I once dreamed as of paradise, and
which I now despise. That I may deprive myself of my right to them, I
shall come out from here five minutes before the stipulated term, and
thus shall violate the agreement."

220 A course in English literature Book - 7

When he had read, the banker put the sheet on the table, kissed the head
of the strange man, and began to weep. He went out of the wing. Never
at any other time had he felt such contempt for himself as now. Coming
home, he lay down on his bed, but agitation and tears kept him a long
time from sleeping…

The next morning the poor watchman came running to him and told
him that they had seen the man who lived in the wing climb through the
window into the garden. He had gone to the gate and disappeared. The
banker instantly went with his servants to the wing and established the
escape of his prisoner. To avoid unnecessary rumours he took the paper
with the renunciation from the table and, on his return, locked it in his
safe.

marvel: be amazed or surprised

bartered: exchanged

contempt: powerful feeling of dislike or hatred

deprive: prevent from having

stipulated: specified

term: length of time

established: proved or confirmed the truth or validity

rumours: statements without facts to confirm its truth

renunciation: denial or rejection of something

A course in English literature Book - 7 221

Vocabulary

1. Read and learn the meaning of the words used in the story above.

farthing: smallest amount
envious: wanting to have somebody else's success and
possessions
bankruptcy: legal inability to pay debts
shame or loss of respect
disgrace: making a high sound
strong enough to enter or spread through something
whining: made a long wavering or whining sound
belief that somebody may have committed a crime
penetrating: felt the way forward slowly
moved in a slow unhurried way
howled: individual person
appeared large or indistinct
suspicion: nervous anxiety
the enemy of God
groped: kill somebody or something by suffocation
sign
poked: sense of what is right and wrong
dislike intensely
soul:

loomed:

agitation:

devil:

smother:

trace:

conscience:

despise:

222 A course in English literature Book - 7

2. Use the following words in sentences so that the meaning is clear:
a. farthing ……………………......…………………………………………..
b. nvious………………………………………....……………………………
c. bankruptcy …………………………….....................................……………
d. disgrace ………………………………..................................………………
e. suspicion ………………………………............……….………………...
f. agitation …………………………………..............………………………
g. conscience ………………………………………………………………..
h. despise…………………………………………….........................…………

Comprehension Activities

1 Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
a. Fifteen years before, the banker had too much money to count
but now he was in debts.
b. Gambling on the Stock-Exchange had gradually brought the
banker’s business to decay.
c. When clock had just struck three, everyone was awoken in the
house.
d. The banker wanted to escape from bankruptcy by killing the
lawyer who was imprisoned in the wing.
e. The banker took out of his safe key of the door which had not
been opened for fifty years.

A course in English literature Book - 7 223

2 Fill in the blank spaces with correct words from the above story.
a. After the banker put on ………., he went out of the house.
b. Approaching the garden wing, the banker called
…………………………. twice but there was no answer.
c. It was clear that the watchman had taken shelter from the
…………… and was now asleep somewhere in ……………….. or
the greenhouse.
d. The old man thought that that if he killed the lawyer the
suspicion would fall on……………………………….. first of all.
e. The old man poked his way into a…………….. and struck a
………………. but nobody was there.

3 Write short answers to these questions.
a. What did the old man do after the match went out?
b. What did the lawyer do when the banker tapped on the window
with his finger?
c. What was written on the sheet of paper?
d. How long did the lawyer diligently studied earthly life and
what did he gain from his study?
e. How would the prisoner violate the agreement of the two
millions?

Write Long Answer

1. What did the old man see when he peeped into the little window?
2. In what way did the lawyer decide to deprive himself of his right to

the two millions of his bet?
3. How did the lawyer escape from the wing?

224 A course in English literature Book - 7

Literary Terms

Irony is a technique that involves surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions
or contrasts.
Verbal irony occurs when words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual
meaning.
An irony of situation is when an event occurs that directly contradicts
expectations.
Can you explain an irony of situation in the story above?

Creative Writing

Write an essay on the “Importance of Reading Books”

Think, Pair and Share

Do you think the life in an imprisonment is difficult? How?

Project Activity

Write a short description on “The Life of a Prisoner.”

A course in English literature Book - 7 225

Inspirational

It Takes Courage
One at a Time
Puppies for Sale

Reading inspirational texts – both fiction and non-fiction – helps you
to get motivated and to focus on positive aspects of life. It helps you to
think positively and to overcome obstacles with ease.

This is the reason all successful people often read inspirational books.

You are going to read a few inspirational lessons in this section. Try
to apply these lessons and guidelines in your own life.

Fill in the blanks with correct words.

1. Inspirational stories are meant for ... b. looking closely at something

a. giving someone a desire to do
something well

3. A novel is an example of ....

a. fiction

b. non-fiction

34 It Takes Courage

Before you proceed
a. Is it good to tease people because of their appearance?
b. What would you do if a girl with a bald head walked in front of
you? Would you tease her?
c. Do you think it is a right thing to laugh at people without
understanding their problem?

New words
diagnosis : a judgement about a particular illness or problem made after

examining it
leukaemia : a disease in which the body produces too many white blood

cells; blood cancer
jabbed : poked roughly or quickly, especially with something sharp or

pointed

It Takes Courage

You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you
really stop to look fear in the face… You must do the thing you cannot do.

–Eleanor Roosevelt
Her name is Nikki. She lives just down the road from me. I have been
inspired by this young lady for a number of years. Her story has touched
my heart and when times get tough, I reflect on her courage.
It started when she was in the seventh grade, with the doctor’s report.
Everything that her family had feared was true. The diagnosis: leukaemia.

A course in English literature Book - 7 227

The next few months were filled with regular visits to the hospital. She
was poked and jabbed and tested hundreds and thousands of times.
Then came the chemotherapy. Along with it, and a chance to possibly
save her life, she lost her hair. Losing your hair as a seventh grader is a
devastating thing. The hair didn’t grow back. The family started to worry.

What did the doctor's doctor show?

That summer before the eighth grade she bought a wig. It felt
uncomfortable, it was scratchy, but she wore it. She was very popular
and loved by so many students. She was a cheerleader and always had
other kids around her, but things seemed to change. She looked strange
and you know how kids are. I guess maybe like the rest of us. Sometimes
we go after laughter and do things even though it causes great pain in
someone else. The wig was pulled off from behind about half a dozen
times in the first two weeks of the eighth grade. She would stop, bend
down, shake from fear and embarrassment, put her wig back on, wipe
away the tears and walk to class, always wondering why no one stood
up for her.

This went on for two agonizing weeks. She told her parents she couldn’t
take it anymore. They said, “You can stay home if you wish.” You see, if
your daughter is dying in the eighth grade, you don’t care if she makes
it to the ninth. Having her happy and giving her a chance at peace is all
that matters. Nikki told me that to lose her hair is nothing. She said, “I
can handle that.” She even said that losing her life is of little concern. “I
can handle that, too,” she said, “but do you know what it’s like to lose
your friends? To walk down the hall and have them part like the Red
Sea because you’re coming, to go into the cafeteria on pizza-day, our best
meal, and have them leave with half-eaten plates? They say that they’re
not hungry but you know that they’re leaving because you’re sitting
there. Do you know what it’s like to have no one want to sit next to you
in math class and the kids in the locker to the left and right of you have
pulled out? They’re putting their books in with someone else, all because
they might have to stand next to the girl wearing the wig, the one with
the weird disease. It’s not even catching. They can’t get it from me. Don’t
they know that I need my friends most of all? Oh, yes,” she said, “losing
your life is nothing when you know that because of your belief in God

228 A course in English literature Book - 7

you know exactly where you’re going to spend eternity. Losing your hair
is nothing either but losing your friends is so devastating.”

She had planned to stay home from school but something happened that
weekend. She heard about one boy and his story gave her the courage to
go on. The boy was a seventh-grader. He was from Arkansas and even
though it wasn’t popular, he took his New Testament Bible in his shirt to
school. As the story goes, three boys approached him, grabbed the Bible
and said, “You sissy. Religion is for sissies. Prayer is for sissies. Don’t ever
again bring this Bible back to school.” He reportedly handed the Bible
back to the biggest one of the three and said, “Here, see if you’ve got
enough courage to carry this around school just one day.” They said that
he made three friends.

With Nikki’s new-found courage and inspiration, she put her wig on
that next Monday morning. She got dressed as pretty and as fancy as
she could. She told her mom and dad, “I’m going back to school today.
There’s something I’ve got to do. There’s something I’ve got to find out.”
They didn’t know what she meant and they were worried, fearing the
worst, but they drove her to school. Every day for the last several weeks,
Nikki would hug and kiss her mom and dad in the car before she got
out. As unpopular as this was and even though many kids sneered and
jeered at her, she never let it stop her. Today was different. She hugged
and kissed them but as she got out of the car, she turned quietly and said,
“Mom and Dad, guess what I’m going to do today?” Her eyes were filling
up with tears but they were tears of joy and strength. Oh, yes, there was
fear of the unknown but she had a cause. They said, “What, baby?” She
said, “Today I’m going to find out who my real friends are.” And with
that she grabbed the wig off the head and she set it on the seat beside
her. She said, “They take me for who I am, Daddy or they don’t take me
at all. I don’t have much time left. I’ve got to find out who they are today.”
She started to walk, took two steps, then turned and said, “Pray for me.”
They said, “We are, baby.” And as she walked toward 600 kids, she could
hear her dad say, “That’s my girl.”

A miracle happened that day. She walked through that playground, into
that school, and not one loudmouth or bully, no one, made fun of the
little girl with all the courage.

A course in English literature Book - 7 229

Nikki has taught thousands of people that to be yourself, to use your
own God-given talent, and to stand up for what is right even in the midst
of uncertainty, pain, fear and persecution is the only true way to live.

Nikki has graduated from high school. The marriage that was never
supposed to take place happened a few years later and Nikki is the
proud mother of a little girl named Emily. Every time something that
seems impossible comes before me, I think of Nikki and I gain strength.

- Bill Sanders

Vocabulary

1. Write the meaning of each of the words given below.

a. devastating : .........................................................................

b. agonizing : .........................................................................

c. eternity : .........................................................................

d. bully : .........................................................................

e. persecution : .........................................................................

2. Write the antonyms of the words given below. unpopular
a. tough : ...................................... loss
b. regular : ...................................... easy
c. popular : ......................................
d. gain : ...................................... sorrow
e. joy : ...................................... irregular

230 A course in English literature Book - 7

Comprehension Activities

1 Fill in the blanks and complete the sentences.
a. Losing your hair as a seventh grader is a .............................................

thing.

b. The students pulled off her ..............................................

c. Nikki did not like losing ..............................................

d. A ............................................. happened when no one made fun of
Nikki.

e. Nikki gathered her ............................................. and went back to the
school.

2 Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
She had planned to stay home from school but something happened that

weekend. She heard about one boy and his story gave her the courage
to go on. The boy was seventh-grader. He was from Arkansas and even
though it wasn’t popular, he took his New Testament Bible in his shirt to
school. As the story goes, three boys approached him, grabbed the Bible
and said, “You sissy. Religion is for sissies. Prayer is for sissies. Don’t ever
again bring this Bible back to school.” He reportedly handed the Bible back
to the biggest one of the three and said, “Here see if you’ve got enough
courage to carry this around school just one day.” They said that he made
three friends.
i. What did the boy take with him to school?
ii. What did the boy do when the other boys made fun of him?
iii. What lesson did the boy teach the other boys?
3 Answer the following questions.
a. How did Nikki lose her hair?

b. Why did Nikki stop going to school?

c. What was the most devastating thing for Nikki?

d. What made her return to school?

e. What lesson did Nikki teach to thousands of people?

f. If you were in Nikki’s place, what would you do? Try to think of
something Nikki hadn’t thought of.

A course in English literature Book - 7 231

Write Long Answer

1. What made Nikki shed tears and walk to her classroom?
2. What it is like to have no one want to sit next to you?

Creative Writing

Write a paragraph about Nikki's new-found courage and inspiration

Think, Pair and Share

a. What would you do if you were Nikki? Share it with your class.
b. Write a short note on:

i. Leukaemia ii. chemotherapy

232 A course in English literature Book - 7

35 One at a Time

Before you proceed
a. Would you support someone for doing something good even when you
knew it would not make a big difference? Why?

New words
native : a person born in a particular place or country
hurling : throwing with great force

One at a Time

A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset.
As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he
grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking
something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he
kept hurling things out into the ocean.
What was the local native doing?
As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was
picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and one at a
time, he was throwing them back into the water.
Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said, “Good
evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing.”
Why was the friend puzzled?

A course in English literature Book - 7 233

“I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see its low tide right
now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If
I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of
oxygen.”

“I understand,” my friend replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish
on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too
many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of
beaches all up and down this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possibly
make a difference?”
The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish
and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, “Made a difference to
that one!”
-Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen

Vocabulary

1. Write the meaning of there words.

deserted, hurling, approached, noticed, puzzled

Comprehension Activities

1 Read the situations given below and answer the questions.
a. You just bought sweets at the shop. You open up the wrapper and

start to eat them. You look for a dustbin to throw the wrappers but
don’t find one. What would you do?
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
.
b. There is a pond near your village which is very popular. Many people

234 A course in English literature Book - 7

come here every day to feed the fish and you also go there with your
friend. You see a polythene bag floating towards you. What would
you do?
.....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
c. You have learned in your class that burning plastic is harmful for
the environment. You see your father cleaning the garden. He
has collected all the wastes – dry leaves, papers, plastic bags and
wrappers – in one place to burn them. What would you do?
.....................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
1 Answer the following questions.
a. Where was the friend walking?
b. What was the other man doing?
c. Why was the other man doing it?
d. What did the friend say to the other man?
e. Why did the friend think that the man could not make a difference?
f. Have you ever made a difference in somebody’s life with a little
effort? Discuss.

Write Long Answer

1. What do you think the man meant when he said, “Made a difference
to that one!”

2. Why did the local native throw the Star Fish back into the sea?

Think, Pair and Share

Imagine you were the friend who met the man throwing starfish into the sea.
What would you have done or said?

Projects Work

Write about one thing that you can do for the society to make a difference.

A course in English literature Book - 7 235

36 Puppies for Sale

Before you proceed
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ What does this quote mean? Share with
your class.

New words

limp : to walk slowly and with difficulty because of having an
brace injured or painful leg or foot

: something that connects, fastens, strengthens or supports

Puppies for Sale

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies
for Sale”. Signs like that have a way of attracting small children and
sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “How
much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

What did the sign read?

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5000.”

The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I
have Rs. 20,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lucky,

236 A course in English literature Book - 7

who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls
of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the
little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s
wrong with that little dog?”

The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the
little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would
always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited.
“That is the little puppy that I want to buy.”

The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you
really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s
eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me.
That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll
pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you Rs. 20 now, and Rs. 5 a month until
I have him paid for.”

Why did the little boy get upset?

The store owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this dog. He

A course in English literature Book - 7 237

is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the
other puppies.”

To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pants’ leg to
reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal
brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I
don’t run so well myself and the little puppy will need someone who
understands!”

-Dan Clark

Vocabulary

1. Find the following words in the word puzzle given below.

OWNER ENOUGH LIMP BRACE TWISTED

TW I S T E DU

AS D F G N J B

LI M P L O K R

QW E R T U O A

CV B N M G P C

XZ A S D H Q E

OW N E R B H J

238 A course in English literature Book - 7

2. Refer to a dictionary and find the synonyms of the words given below.
considerably countered lame reveal crippled

Comprehension Activities
1 Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements and correct the false ones.
a. The little boy had enough money to buy a puppy.
b. The store owner wanted to give the little dog for free.

c. The little dog could not run and jump like other puppies.
d. The little boy thought he would understand the little

dog’s problem.
e. The little boy was injured.

2 Answer the following questions.
a. Why do people keep sign boards in front of their shops?
b. What was wrong with the little dog?
c. Which puppy did the little boy want to buy and why?
d. Who couldn’t run?
e. What is the moral of the story?

Write Long Answer

1. At the end of the story the little boy says, “Well, I don’t run so well
myself and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”
What did he mean by that? Explain.

Think, Pair and Share

What do you think – would it be easy for the little boy to look after the puppy?
Discuss.

A course in English literature Book - 7 239

Project Activity

Draw a picture of a puppy and colour it.