Оглавление
Thomas Hardy. The Three Strangers and Other Stories
THE THREE STRANGERS. and Other Stories
The first stranger
1. The first stranger
2. The second stranger
3. The third stranger
What the Shepherd Saw. A Story of Four Moonlight Nights
1. First night
2. Second night
3. Third night
4. Fourth night
A Moment of Madness
1. A wedding is arranged
2. A chance meeting
3. Baptista gets married
4. The honeymoon
5. Secrets discovered
GLOSSARY
ACTIVITIES. Before Reading
ACTIVITIES. While Reading
ACTIVITIES. After Reading
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY
Отрывок из книги
In the south-west of England there are many long, low, grassy hills, which have not changed their appearance for centuries. Farmers still keep their sheep on them, and the only buildings are lonely cottages, where shepherds live.
Fifty years ago there was a shepherd’s cottage on one of these hills. It was only three miles from the market town of Casterbridge, but it was unusual for travellers to pass this way. There was no road, just two footpaths which crossed in front of the cottage door. During the long winters, snow and rain fell heavily here, which made travelling difficult.
.....
The night of March 28th, 1825, was one of the coldest and wettest that winter, but inside the cottage all was warm and cheerful. Shepherd Fennel had invited family and friends to drink to the health of his youngest child, a recent arrival in the family. Nineteen people were at the party: married women and single girls, shepherds and farm workers, young people talking of love, and old friends talking of the past.
Shepherd Fennel had chosen his wife well. She was a farmer’s daughter from one of the valleys, and when she married, she brought fifty pounds with her in her pocket – and kept it there, for the needs of a coming family. She did not like to spend money unnecessarily, and had worried about the kind of party to give that evening. ‘At a sit-still party,’ she thought, ‘the men’ll get too comfortable and drink the house dry. But at a dancing-party people get hungry and then they’ll eat all our food! We’ll have both sitting and
.....
