The Greyhound
After H.Griffiths
Chapter 8
Those five weeks during the months of July and August were the happiest because Jamie
was with Silver all the time. Every morning he got up with a smile on his face.
“I’m going to have all day with Silver. We’ll have a wonderful time!” he thought.
They went to the park together and sometimes they even went by bus to the country. But
that was only when Jamie and Cora began to earn money to keep Silver.
Their first idea was to collect waste paper. They stopped at almost every door in every
street and asked for old newspapers and magazines. After four or five hours they usually
collected enough paper to earn five shillings and even more. It was not easy to carry so
much paper but at that time they had no other way to get money.
Days and weeks passed. Jamie was happier than ever before in his life. Silver was happy,
too. He did not have to wait for the boy any longer. Jamie came every morning and was with
Silver until evening. Silver stayed alone only at night. “Good night, Silver, see you
tomorrow,” said Jamie, before he left. After a long walk Silver usually was very tired
and as soon as Jamie left the cellar he fell asleep and was dead to the world all night.
One afternoon Jamie and Silver were going to the park and met Manny. The two boys were
enemies and often fought when they met. When Manny saw Silver, he was much surprised. He
did not know that Jamie had such a wonderful dog. Manny tried to be friendly with Jamie
and said: “Hello, Vincent! Is that your dog?”
Jamie stopped. He did not expect that Manny could be so friendly with him. Manny looked at
Silver with delight.
“Is that your dog?” asked Manny again.
“Yes. So what?” said Jamie and looked at Manny with suspicion.
“It’s a wonderful dog! I always wanted a dog but my dad won’t let me have one,”
said Manny with a great feeling, “he says dogs only make the place dirty. What’s his
name?”
“His name’s Silver Light of Falling Star,” answered Jamie proudly, “I call him
Silver.”
Jamie realized that they were not enemies any longer. More than that, they both shared an
unpleasant situation. They both wanted to have a dog but Manny’s father did not let him
to have one and Jamie’s mother did not either. Jamie and Manny were comrades in
misfortune.
“Where are you going?” asked Manny.
“To the park,” answered Jamie.
“Can I come with you?” said Manny. “I’ve always wanted to go for a walk with a
dog.”
Jamie agreed and they went together. So their friendship began.
When they reached the park, Manny asked Jamie:
“Can I pat your dog? Can I have the string in my hand? Please, Jamie. I won’t hurt
him.”
Jamie did not like anyone to pat the dog or to take the dog’s string, but Manny liked
Silver very much and Jamie did not want to annoy him. And besides, Jamie could not refuse
his new friend. He let Manny hold Silver and Jamie and Manny both were happy.
Then they sat in the sun and talked. Jamie told Manny everything about Silver. He told him
how Silver was a secret from everybody and how much he needed to earn money for the dog.
Only Jamie didn’t say anything about Hilliard. He never spoke about that five-pound note
to anybody. He didn’t want anybody to know about it.
“So you want to earn some money?” said Manny when Jamie finished Silver’s story.
“I have to earn money,” said Jamie. “Silver must eat two times a day.”
“Well,” said Manny, “please come to Victoria Coach Station if you want to earn
money.”
“Victoria Station?” asked Jamie.
“Yes, Victoria Coach Station. I’ll tell you what we must do. We wait for a coach. The
people who come off it usually have a lot of things with them and we can help them carry
their things. Most people agree. I often earn about ten shillings a day.
Jamie was surprised. “Is that so? That’s a good idea. I think it’s easy. Let’s go
there tomorrow morning,” he said.
“It’s easy, but you must try to avoid the porters. They do not like anyone taking away
their money,” warned Manny, “I’m sure you’ll earn enough money to keep the dog.”
So it was settled. Tomorrow morning they were going to meet on the road to Victoria Coach
Station at ten o’clock. In the evening Jamie told Cora about his plan and they decided
to go to the station together.
The next day Jamie, Cora and Silver met Manny on the road to the station. It did not take
them more than half an hour to get there. Soon they saw a bus with many people on it
coming to the station.
Manny said: “It’s good that you have brought Silver with you. People love dogs and
they will give you more money if you tell them that you’re doing it to buy some food for
the dog.”
There was an old woman with a big case and a lot of small things. Jamie and Cora offered
her their help. Cora took a few things and Jamie took the case. It was not easy for Jamie
to carry such a big case. He walked slower than the old woman and Cora. The case was so
heavy that Jamie was about to leave it but he remembered Silver and went on to carry it.
They worked hard all the day and stopped working only when it began to rain. As soon as
they came back to the cellar Jamie counted his money. There was enough money to buy the
dog’s food for three days. “If I go to the station every day, I may save five pounds
and give the money back to Hilliard,” thought Jamie.
He was in a good mood. He came home and his mother met him at the door. He was smiling and
his eyes were shining with joy. His mother was very glad to see her son with the look of
pleasure on his face.
Now Jamie and Silver went to Victoria Coach Station every morning. He was not strong
enough for such work and was very tired at the end of the day. But he needed money and had
no choice.
Soon Jamie’s work as a porter came to an end. There was a policeman in front of the door
of the station. He looked at Jamie harshly. When Jamie came to a man from the coach and
offered his help the policeman said only one word: “Don’t!”
Jamie was afraid. He understood that it was not a laughing matter and the policeman was
not a person to play with. Jamie never went to Victorian Coach Station again.
It was September now. The summer holidays were over. Red, brown and yellow leaves fell
from the trees in the park. It was autumn. The sun very rarely appeared. There were often
grey clouds in the sky. When it rained and the wind was strong Silver was cold and looked
sad. In the summer Silver forgot how dark and cold the cellar was. He was with Jamie all
the days. But now Jamie went to school and Silver had to wait for his master for a several
long hours.
“I met Silver six months ago,” thought Jamie on his way to school. “It was spring
then and it was already warm. Day by day it is getting colder and colder. I must think of
a warm coat for Silver. I’ve seen dogs in warm coats. But it may coast a lot of money.
I’ve got some money to buy food for him and I can’t buy anything else. And those five
pounds…”
One morning Jamie came into the classroom and found a page from a note-book on his desk.
It said: “When are you going to give me back my money?”
“I need every shilling of my money to buy food for Silver. I have only two pounds ten
shillings. It’s enough for a few weeks. I can’t give the money to Hilliard. I’ll ask
him to wait.
But where can I get money?” thought Jamie. He was about to burst into tears.
He thought about the note all the lessons. At lunchtime he was in the schoolyard. He was
not going to have lunch. He wanted to save the lunch money for the dog. Hilliard and his
friends came up to him. Hilliard was so angry with Jamie and looked at him with hate that
Jamie felt tingles down his spine.
Hilliard spoke first. “Well?” he said.
“I’m sorry, Hilliard,” said Jamie slowly. “I haven’t got the money yet. Can you
wait a little?”
Hilliard laughed. “Do you hear that, boys? He wants me to wait a little. Not a bad
idea!”
He laughed again and his friends began to laugh too.
“I think he’s trying to make a fool of you, boy,” said one of Hilliard’s friends.
“Don’t let him make a fool of you!”
“I’m not going to do that. It’s not the first time that you have asked me to wait
for my money. I shan’t wait another day. I want my money now. Come on, Vincent, where is
the money?” said Hilliard angrily. “I have waited long enough.”
“But I haven’t got the money,” said Jamie.
“Then you must get it,” said Hilliard and smiled.
“But how?” asked Jamie.
Hilliard liked to play a cat-and-mouse game with Jamie. He looked at Jamie with a cunning
smile and said: “Do you remember one day I told you that you could do something for
me?”
“Yes,” said Jamie but he did not really want to do anything for Hilliard.
“Well, keep you word now,” said Hilliard.
“What must I do?” asked Jamie.
“It won’t be difficult for you. We’ll meet near the school at eight tomorrow night.
I’ll tell you everything. Is that all right?” said Hilliard cunningly.
“It must be a cunning trick!” thought Jamie. He was so upset that he could not say a
word for some time. At last he said: “Okay, I’ll come.” There was nothing else he
could say. He could only agree.
All next day Jamie thought about Hilliard: “What does he want me to do?” He felt
really guilty, because he knew that Hilliard and his friends were going to do something
wrong. Jamie had to take part in their dirty business and he had no choice. It was so
awful!
They met in the schoolyard and went to the street where there were warehouses. The sky was
dark and there was no moon or stars. They were travelling in total darkness when Hilliard
commanded the boys to stop.
“What do you want me to do?” asked Jamie.
“It’s not much. All that you have to do is to open the window. So easy! To open a
window and a door,” replied Hilliard.
“What window must I open?” said Jamie.
“I’ll show you the window,” said Hilliard.
The four boys came up to one of the warehouse. Its windows were high up in the walls. The
window was so small that only a thin boy could get through it. It was such a clever idea
to make Jamie get through the window. Jamie was very thin and he could easily to get
inside.
“Well, come on,” said Hilliard. “You get in through that window. It’s open,”
gave the order Hilliard. The two boys put Jamie on Hilliard’s shoulders. Then Jamie got
up to the window.
“When you are in the building you’ll find a door. Open it and we’ll come in,” said
Hilliard.
Jamie did what Hilliard told him to do. It was a cold night but Jamie was hot. “What a
bad thing I am doing,” he thought. “I’ve never done anything so bad before. But
I’m doing it only for Silver.”
It was not easy to find the door because it was very dark in the warehouse. He found it at
last and opened it.
“Go home now, Vincent,” said Hilliard. They went in one after the other. Jamie left
the warehouse and ran home. It was raining heavily and the strong wind was blowing but
Jamie ran home as fast as his legs could carry him.
“It’s terrible! What a bad thing I’ve done!” thought Jamie. He understood now that
his sister was right. She called Hilliard “a bad boy”. They said that Hilliard was a
thief but Jamie did not believe it. Now he was sure that it was true: “He is a thief!”
When Jamie came home his mother met him at the door.
“How are you feeling, Jamie?” she asked.
“Not bad,” answered Jamie gloomily.
Cora went out of her room and saw Jamie’s gloomy face asked so quietly that their mother
could hardly hear her: “What has happened? Is Silver okay?”
“Nothing has happened with the dog. He is fast asleep,” said Jamie and went to the
kitchen for his evening milk. Mrs. Vincent looked at her son attentively and said: “You
look rather pale. Jamie, are you feeling well?”
“I’m well, Mum. The weather is terrible and it’s cold and windy. I’m chilled to
the bone,” answered Jamie and tried to smile.
“Then a cup of hot milk should warm you up,” said Mrs. Vincent.
Two hours later he was in bed but he could not sleep. He had such an awful secret and he
could tell nobody about it. First of all it was not easy for him to have secrets from his
mother. Day after day he told lies because he wanted to keep Silver in secret. And now
this! To help a thief! It was much worse than all the other things.
“Why did I take that money from Hilliard?” thought Jamie. “Of course I had to have
money for Silver and his food. But now I have to help a thief. He may make me do it again
and again. He will make me help him many times, I’m sure. Yes, he will. When will it
end?” Jamie thought and thought but he could hardly find a way out.
…was dead to the world all night. …крепко спал всю ночь (как убитый).
…were comrades in misfortune. …были друзьями по несчастью.
…felt tingles down his spine. …почувствовал, как мурашки побежали по спине.
“I’m chilled to the bone,”… “Я промерз до костей,”…
ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES
I. Comprehension Task
Here are the answers. What are the questions?
1. ______________________________________ “Yes. So what?”
2. ______________________________________ “His name’s Silver Light of Falling Star.”
3. ______________________________________ “I have to earn money.” “Silver must eat two times a day.”
4. ______________________________________ “But I haven’t got the money.”
5. ______________________________________ “It won’t be difficult for you.”
6. ______________________________________ “It’s not much. All that you have to do is to open the window. So easy! To open a window and a door.”
7. ______________________________________ “I’ll show you the window.”
8. ______________________________________ “Not bad.”
9. ______________________________________ “Nothing has happened with the dog. He is fast asleep.”
10. ______________________________________ “I’m well, Mum. The weather is terrible and it’s cold and windy. I’m chilled to the bone.”
II. Grammar
Negative verb + anybody (anyone, anything) = Positive verb + nobody (no one,
nothing)
Rewrite the sentences.
Example:
1. There was nobody in the room.
2. She did not hear anything.
There was not anybody in the room.
She heard nothing.
1. Jamie did not like anyone to pat the dog or to take the dog’s string. _______________________________________
2. He wanted nobody to know about it. _______________________________________
3. “They do not like anyone taking away their money,” warned Manny. _______________________________________
4. Only Jamie didn’t say anything about Hilliard. _______________________________________
5. I’ve got some money to buy food for him and I can’t buy anything else. _______________________________________
6. “Yes,” said Jamie but he did not really want to do anything for Hilliard. _______________________________________
7. There was nothing else he could say. _______________________________________
III. Pronunciation Task
A vowel + “r” can sound different. Put the following words in the correct column. Use your dictionary to check the pronunciation. Practice saying these words.
Morning, park, hurt, order, star, part, first, dirty, person, hard, porter, warn, warm, her, word, work, world, dark, schoolyard, burst, worse, surprise, misfortune.
[a:] ____________ |
[o:] ____________ |
[з:] ____________ |
IV. Vocabulary. So or such? These words make the meaning of the adjectives stronger. Put in so or such
1. He did not know that Jamie had _____ a wonderful dog.
2. He did not expect that Manny could be _____ friendly with him.
3. It was not easy for Jamie to carry _____ a big case.
4. The case was _____ heavy that Jamie was about to leave it but he remembered Silver and went on to carry it.
5. Hilliard was _____ angry with Jamie and looked at him with hate that Jamie felt tingles down his spine.
6. It was _____ awful!
7. It was _____ a clever idea to make Jamie get through the window.
8. He had _____ an awful secret and he could tell nobody about it.
Answers: 1. such; 2. so; 3. such; 4. so; 5. so; 6. so; 7. such; 8. such
V. Speaking. When we would like to know about people’s character we usually
ask: “What is he/she like?” What can you say about Hilliard, Jamie and Manny? What
were they like?
The adjectives below will help you to express your opinions. Read chapter two again to get
more facts about the boys.
Modest, patient, kind, polite, sociable, lazy, rude, selfish, careless, greedy, stubborn, boastful, honesty (dishonesty), jolly, proud, friendly, well-bred, fond of fighting, tearful, clever, cunning, cowardly, brave, quarrelsome, just, responsible, understanding, reliable (unreliable), pleasant (to deal with), helpful, etc.
Now answer the following questions and then ask your friend.
1. What features do you like (dislike) in people?
2. What can you say about yourself? / Have you got any shortcomings? / What are your good features?
3. Are you fond of quarrelling or fighting?
4. What do you like best about your friend?
5. What have you got in common with the boys from the book?