27.The Midnight Visitor
27. The Midnight Visitor
Content ■Cultural Background Warm-up Activity Analysis and Explanation ■ Exercises Question for Consideration
Content ◼ Cultural Background ◼ Warm-up Activity ◼ Analysis and Explanation ◼ Exercises ◼ Question for Consideration
Text Fowler didn't believe Ausable was a secret agent because of Ausable's unromantic appearance.Then something happened at midnight which changed Fowler's view. 1.Ausable did not fit the description of any secret agent Fowler had ever read about.Following him down the musty corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room,Fowler felt disappointed.It was a small room,on the sixth and top floor,and scarcely a setting for a romantic figure. 2.Ausable was for one thing fat.Very fat.And then there was his accent.Though he spoke French and German passably,he had never altogether lost the New England accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago
Text Fowler didn’t believe Ausable was a secret agent because of Ausable’s unromantic appearance. Then something happened at midnight which changed Fowler’s view. 1. Ausable did not fit the description of any secret agent Fowler had ever read about. Following him down the musty corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt disappointed. It was a small room, on the sixth and top floor, and scarcely a setting for a romantic figure. 2. Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then there was his accent. Though he spoke French and German passably, he had never altogether lost the New England accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago
3."You are disappointed."Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. "You were told that I was a secret agent,a spy dealing in espionage danger.You wished to meet me because you are a writer, younger and romantic.You expected mysterious figures in the night,the crack of pistols,drugs in the wine." 4."Instead,you have spent a dull evening in a French music hall with a sloppy fat man who,instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties,gets only an ordinary telephone call making an appointment in his room.You have been bored!"The fat man chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door of his room and stood aside to let his frustrated guest enter
3. “You are disappointed.” Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. “You were told that I was a secret agent, a spy dealing in espionage danger.You wished to meet me because you are a writer, younger and romantic.You expected mysterious figures in the night, the crack of pistols, drugs in the wine. ” 4. “Instead, you have spent a dull evening in a French music hall with a sloppy fat man who, instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties, gets only an ordinary telephone call making an appointment in his room. You have been bored! ”The fat man chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door of his room and stood aside to let his frustrated guest enter
5."You are disillusioned,"Ausable told him.But take cheer,my young friend.Presently you will see a paper,a quite important paper for which several men and women have risked their lives. come to me in the next-to-last step of its journey into official hands. Some day soon that paper may well affect the course of history.In that thought is drama,is there not?"As he spoke,Ausable closed the door behind him.Then he switched on the light. 6.And as the light came on,Fowler had his first authentic thrill of the day.For halfway across the room,a small automatic pistol in his hand.stood a man
5. “You are disillusioned,”Ausable told him. ‘‘But take cheer,my young friend. Presently you will see a paper, a quite important paper for which several men and women have risked their lives, come to me in the next-to-last step of its journey into official hands. Some day soon that paper may well affect the course of history. In that thought is drama, is there not? ” As he spoke, Ausable closed the door behind him. Then he switched on the light. 6. And as the light came on, Fowler had his first authentic thrill of the day. For halfway across the room, a small automatic pistol in his hand, stood a man