Читать книгу Anne of Green Gables. Аня из Зелёных Мезонинов. Адаптированная книга на английском - Люси Мод Монтгомери, Kate Harper - Страница 2

Matthew Cuthbert and his slow horse were going down the road to the train station. He needed to pick a boy from there.

He came to the station but there was no train. He thought he came too early. He looked around and tried to find a sign9 of any boy. However, there was a girl. She sat there waiting for something or somebody. Matthew walked past her to the officer.

“Excuse me, when is the five-thirty train going to arrive?” asked Matthew.

“The five-thirty train was here and went away half an hour ago,” the officer answered. “But there is a passenger for you from the train – a little girl.”

“But I came here for a boy,” said Matthew.

“But I came here for a boy,” said Matthew.

The officer whistled10. “A mistake. Mrs. Spencer came off the train with that girl and said you and sister were adopting11 her from a children’s home.”

A girl was about eleven years old, she was wearing an ugly yellow dress and a grey hat. Under the hat she had two thick braids12 of red hair. Her face was small and white, she also had freckles13. Her eyes were green or grey in different moods14.

Matthew came to her.

“Are you Mr. Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables?” the girl asked. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come. I imagined15 all the bad things that could happen to you. I was going to climb the cherry16 tree and sleep there.”

Matthew took her thin17 hand. He couldn’t tell the child that there was a mistake and that he didn’t come for a girl. He decided to take her home and let Marilla tell her everything.

“I am sorry I was late,” he said shyly18. “Come along. The horse is over there. Give me your bag.”

“Oh, I can carry19 it,” said the girl cheerfully20. “It isn’t heavy21. I’ve got all my belongings22 in here.”

The girl really liked to talk.

“I like imagining23 things about people,” she said. “But there’s not much place for imagination24 in a children’s home. Now I am wearing this ugly yellow dress, but I imagine I’m wearing a beautiful blue dress instead, and a wonderful hat with flowers. Oh, you see this plum25 trees?” the girl asked. “What do they make you think of?”

“Well, I dunno26,” said Matthew.

“Of white dresses and weddings27 of course!” said the girl. “And you see these red flowers alongside the road? Why are they red?”

“Well, I dunno.”

“We will need to find this out one day,” said the girl. “There are so many things in the world I want to know about, but people can’t know everything. There won’t be place for imagination then.”

Matthew liked the girl already. He liked when people loved talking and didn’t expect28 him to talk too.

“I’m afraid I talk too much,” said the girl “Mrs. Spencer always told me I talked too much.”

“Oh, you can talk as much as you like,” said Matthew.

“What would you like to be, if you could choose? Beautiful as an angel, very clever or to be the kindest person?” she asked Matthew.

“Well, I… I don’t know.”

“I can’t choose either29,” said the girl.

“We are almost here. That’s Green Gables over that hill,” said Matthew.

The girl took her old bag and went to the house after Matthew.

Exercise: What are these words?

to answer

to whistle

cheerfully

imagination

freckles