For the Man Who Has Everything Read Online

For 30 years now I accept been studying my fellow-men. I do non know very much about them. I suppose it is on  the face that for the most function we gauge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the expect in the eyes, the shape of the oral fissure. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are e'er right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more than they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don't know anything about them.
These thoughts take occurred to me because I read in this forenoon'south paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very footling, but he interested me because once he gave me a nifty surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an activity. It was the more startling because both his advent and his manner gave the impression of a very different homo. He was a tiny little beau, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blueish eyes. I suppose he was about 60 when I knew him. He was e'er neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton ofttimes came downward to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days at that place, waiting for a transport, and I was introduced to him at the British Lodge. Nosotros played bridge together. He played a skillful game and a generous i. He did not talk very much, either so or later when nosotros were having drinks, simply what he said was sensible. He had a serenity, dry out humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and after, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that nosotros were both staying at the 1000 Hotel and side by side twenty-four hour period he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I recollect the main thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild bluish optics. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a human being who attracted you considering you felt in him a existent dearest for his fellows. He had charm. Merely there was aught sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that fabricated y'all similar him was that he was so pocket-sized and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would non hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Chiliad Hotel. From the windows you had an fantabulous view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. In that location were dandy liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and notwithstanding, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
"What do you lot say to a petty drink?"
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered ii drinks. Equally the male child brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
"Practise you know Turner?" said Burton every bit I nodded a greeting.
"I've met him at the club. I'thou told he'south a remittance human."
"Yes, I believe he is. We have a adept many here."
"He plays bridge well."
"They by and large do. In that location was a fellow here concluding year, a namesake of mine, who was the best span player I ever met. I suppose y'all never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself."
"No. I don't believe I remember the name."
"He was quite a remarkable histrion. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
Burton sipped his gin.
"It'south rather a funny story,", he said. "He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was e'er well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly pilus and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. At that place was no harm in him, you know, he was but wild. Of class he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he fabricated a bit more by bill of fare-playing. He won a skilful deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly lilliputian chuckle.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went bankrupt, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office 1 day and asked me for a chore. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more coin coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how former he was.
"Thirty five,' he said.
'"And what have you lot been doing before?' I asked him.
'"Well, nothing very much,' he said.
"I couldn't help laughing.
"'I'm afraid I can't practise anything for yous just now,' I said. 'Come dorsum and encounter me in another thirty-5 years, and I'll run across what I can do.'
"He didn't movement. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was downwards and out. If he couldn't get a job he'd take to commit suicide.
"I looked at him for a bit. I could run across now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than than usual and he looked fifty.
'"Well, isn't at that place anything y'all tin do except play cards?' I asked him.
"'I can swim,' he said.
"'Swim!'
"I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly reply.
"'I swam for my university.'
"'I was a pretty adept swimmer myself when I was a fellow,' I said.
"Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Exercise yous know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it one time, only I only spent a night in that location."
"Then you don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It's over iii miles and it's rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about information technology and I said to him that if he'd do it I'd give him a chore.
"I could meet he was rather taken aback.
"Y'all say you're a swimmer,' I said.
'"I'grand not in very skillful condition,' he answered.
"I didn't say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and and so he nodded.
"All right,' he said. 'When do y'all want me to do it?'
"I looked at my sentinel. It was merely after 10.
"The swim shouldn't take yous much over an 60 minutes and a quarter. I'll drive round to the creek at one-half-by twelve and meet you. I'll accept you back to the guild to dress and then we'll have lunch together.'
"Done,' he said.
"We shook easily. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I merely but managed to become to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, merely in vain."
"Did he become frightened at the last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn't. He started pond. Simply of course he'd ruined his health by drinkable. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage.' We didn't get the trunk for about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two. I was a picayune shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you offered him the job, did you know that he'd be drowned?"
He gave a fiddling mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue optics of his. He rubbed his chin with his manus.
"Well, I hadn't got a vacancy in my role at the moment."

Exercises

1. The title of the story is the beginning of the proverb 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'. Why practice you call up the writer doesn`t give the catastrophe of the proverb?

2. Find in the story the English for:

Судить о человеке, делать вывод, озадачивать (ставить в тупик), приходить на ум, быть способным на что-то, морщинистый, повышать голос, и мухи не обидеть, помахать рукой, тезка, потягивать джин, быть высокого мнения о ком-либо, посмеиваться, в состоянии отчаяния, совершить самоубийство, измученный, течение, ошеломленный, пожелать удачи, тщетно (зря), подорвать здоровье, утонуть.

3. Fill the gaps with these words or word combinations in an appropriate form:

• To draw conclusions
• In vain
• To moving ridge one`s manus
• To sip
• A electric current
• To shrug one`south shoulders
• To be capable of
• Wrinkled
• To commit suicide
• To be drowned

i. Nosotros _____________ from the shape of the jaw, the expect in the eye, the shape of the rima oris.
2. I should never have believed that he __________ such an activity.
three. He was a tiny, little swain, very slender, with white pilus, a red face much ______________ and blue eyes.
4. A homo passed along the street exterior and seeing me _____________.
5. Burton _________ his gin.
half-dozen. If he couldn`t get a chore he`d have to _____________.
7. The __________ circular the beacon were more than he could manage.
8. I ____________ when people tell me that their impressions of a person are always correct.
9. I waited for him there but _________.
10. When you offered him a job did yous know that he __________?

4. Supplant the italicized words/ word combinations with a synonym:

• To judge
• A namesake of
• To heighten i`s voice
• Puzzled
• To call back a lot of
• To ruin one`s health
• To occur
• Down and out

ane. We often form an opinion well-nigh a person by his looks.
two. These thoughts came to my listen considering I read in this morning`s newspaper almost Edward Burton`due south death.
3. Y'all could non imagine that he could speak in a higher tone in anger.
4. There was a fellow there last year whose proper name was as well Edward.
5. Women thought highly of him.
6. He was unemployed and without money.
7. I could see he was rather taken ashamed.
eight. But of course he undermined his health by drink.

Give-and-take points

Answer the post-obit questions:

1) What thoughts occurred to the author when he read in a newspaper near Mr. Burton`south death?
2) Why did Mr. Burton interest the author?
iii) Where did the author make Mr. Burton`s associate?
iv) What did the author know most Mr. Burton?
5) What attracted the author in Mr. Burton?
half dozen) When and where did he tell the author the story of his namesake?
seven) What kind of man was immature Burton?
viii) Why did he once come up to Mr. Burton?
ix) What was the situation he found himself in?
10) What thought did of a sudden Mr. Burton have when his namesake said he had swum for the university?
11) Why was young Burton taken back?
12) Why was young Burton drowned?
13) What was the author`s reaction to the story?
14) Why did Mr. Burton say he offered his namesake a job?

Talk over the following:

i. Why would the author never have believed that Mr. Burton was capable of such an actionif he had not heard the story from his own lips? Do you think that the first impressions of a person are always right?

Comment on the following proverb (with referrence to the story):

Appearences are deceitful.

2. Brand guesses about immature Burton`s 35 years of life. Why had he never done anything in his life?

three. Is there whatever prove in the story that Mr.Burton was non that kind and gentle? Why did he hope his namesake a job if the latter swam round the beacon? Did he know he would be drowned? Why did he come up to the creek?

4. Why did Mr.Burton tell the writer the story? Why did he say it was rather a funny story? Why did he give a little mild chuckle when the author asked him if he had known that the guy would be drowned?

five.What is the story well-nigh below the surface of the narrative? Explicate the title of the story. What could accept naturally expected of 'a friend in demand' in that situation? What would you have told Mr.Burton if you lot had been his listener?

6. What is you main impression of the story?

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Source: https://lingvistov.ru/blog/reading-club/reading-club-pre-intermediate-a-friend-in-need-by-s-maugham/

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