6
TEXT 1. LOST IN THE POST
A. Philips
Ainsley, a post-office sorter, turned the envelope over
and over in his hands. The letter was addressed to his wife
and had an Australian stamp.
Ainsley knew that the sender was Dicky Soames, his
wife's cousin. It was the second letter Ainsley received
after Dicky's departure. The first letter had come six
months before, he did not read it and threw it into the fire.
No man ever had less reason for jealousy than Ainsley. His wife was
frank as the day, a splendid housekeeper, a very good mother to their
two children. He knew that Dicky Soames had been fond of Adela and
the fact that Dicky Soames had years back gone away to join his and
Adela's uncle made no difference to him. He was afraid that some day
Dicky would return and take Adela from him.
Ainsley did not take the letter when he was at work
as his fellow-
workers could see him do it. So when the working hours were over he
went out of the post-office together with his fellow workers, then he
returned to take the letter addressed to his wife. As the door of the post-
office was locked, he had to get in through a window. When he was
getting out of the window the postmaster saw him. He got angry and
dismissed Ainsley. So another man was hired and Ainsley became
unemployed. Their life became hard, they had to borrow money from
their friends.
Several months had passed. One afternoon when Ainsley came
home he saw the familiar face of Dicky Soames. "So he had turned up,"
Ainsley thought to himself.
Dicky Soames said he was delighted to see Ainsley. I
have missed
all of you so much," he added with a friendly smile. Ainsley looked at
his wife. "Uncle Tom has died," she explained, "and Dicky has come
into his money". "Congratulation," said Ainsley, "you are lucky."
Adela turned to Dicky. "Tell Arthur the rest," she said quietly.
"Well, you see," said Dicky, "Uncle Tom had something over sixty
thousand and he wished Adela to have half. But he got angry with you
because Adela never answered the two letters I wrote to her for him.
Then he changed his will and left her money to hospitals. I asked him
not to do it, but he wouldn't listen to me!" Ainsley turned pale. "So those
two letters were
worth reading after all," he thought to himself. For some
7
time everybody kept silence. Then Dicky Soames broke the silence, "It's
strange about those two letters. I've often wondered why you didn't
answer them?" Adela got up, came up to her husband and said, taking
him by the hand. "The letters were evidently lost." At that moment
Ainsley realized that she knew everything.
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: