The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories 20 страница

The Open Window

Mr. Nuttel, a young gentleman, came to live in the country. The doctors said a quiet place like that and complete rest could help cure his nerves. He didn’t know anyone round there and was too shy to make new acquaintances. That’s why his sister gave him letters of introduction to some nice people she knew.

One of the letters was to Mrs. Sappleton. When Mr. Nuttel visited her, Mrs Sappleton was busy and he was asked to wait for several minutes. The servant invited Mr. Nuttel into a room. There Mr. Nuttel met Mrs. Sappleton’s niece, a very self-confident young lady of fifteen. The young gentleman was very shy and he didn’t know how to start the conversation. The young lady broke the silence and asked him what he knew about her aunt. Mr. Nuttel knew nothing except Mrs. Sappleton’s name and address.

Mr. Nuttel looked around. There was something about the room that told him there were other people living in the house. So he was wondering if Mrs. Sappleton was married. Suddenly the girl got sad and told a story of Mrs. Sappleton’s tragedy. Mr. Nuttel was greatly surprised because his sister hadn’t told him anything about it. The tragedy was very unusual for that peaceful place.

The girl pointed at the French window, which opened on to the lawn and said that Mrs. Sappleton always kept it open. Mr. Nuttel stated that it was natural to keep the window open because the weather was quite warm. But the girl sighed and explained that her poor aunt always kept the window open in the evenings because she was waiting for her husband and sons to return. Three years ago they had gone hunting and never came back. The story caught Mr. Nuttel’s imagination deeply. He felt very upset.

He felt a little better only when Mrs. Sappleton finally appeared in the room. She apologized for being late and asked if he minded the open window. She said her husband and sons would soon be home from hunting. They always came in that way. Then, she continued talking cheerfully about hunting ducks. But Mr. Nuttel felt terrible.

He made an attempt to change the topic and told her about the reasons why he had come to the country. But Mrs. Sappleton didn’t seem to notice. She was constantly looking at the open window. Mr. Nuttel felt uncomfortable. He understood that he had chosen the wrong moment to visit her. Suddenly Mrs. Sappleton cried happily pointing at the window, “Here they are at last, just in time for tea!” Three male figures were walking across the lawn towards the window. They carried guns and a dog followed them.

Shocked and afraid, Mr. Nuttel grabbed his stick and hat and rushed out of the house. Mrs. Sappleton was extremely surprised at the extraordinary man who had left the house so quickly without a word. Her niece suggested that it was because of the dog. She said that Mr. Nuttel had been afraid of them since childhood – once, a dog had seriously bitten him. This was enough to make the young man lose his nerve. The young lady was so good at making up stories!

Joseph Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling is considered to be one of the greatest English writers. He was born in 1865, in Bombay, India. At the time of his birth, his parents were recent arrivals in India. They had come to India with plans to start a new life. The family lived quite well. His father, an artist, was the head of the Department of Architectural Sculpture at the School of Art. For young Kipling, India was a wonderful and happy place.

However, at the age of 6, Kipling's life changed greatly. He was sent to England to receive a formal British education. These were hard years for Kipling. The boy suffered from strict school discipline, his classmates’ insults and bullying. His only comfort was books: he enjoyed reading. By the age of 11, Kipling was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Fortunately, Kipling’s mother placed him in a new school. There, Kipling found friends and discovered his talent for writing, eventually becoming the editor of the school newspaper.

In 1882, Kipling was told by his parents that they didn't have enough money to send him to college, and he returned to India. It was a powerful moment in the young writer's life. He found a job with a local newspaper. Kipling's experience as a reporter formed the backbone for lots of his stories. Later, his collection of 40 short stories called Plain Tales from the Hills gained wide popularity in England.

Seven years later, Kipling returned to England in the hope of becoming a famous writer. In London, he met Wolcott Balestier, an American publisher who became one of Kipling's great friends and supporters. Later, Kipling happily married Wolcott’s sister, Carrie.

As a writer, Kipling flourished. His portfolio contained gems like The Jungle Book, The Naulahka: A Story of the West and East and The Second Jungle Book. Kipling loved children and understood them very well. His tales fascinated boys and girls all over the world.

Kipling travelled a lot, but in 1902 he returned to Great Britain with his wife and children. The Kiplings bought a large estate in Sussex and many of his most famous books were written there. One of them was Just So Stories. The book's name had, in fact, come from his daughter, who asked her father to repeat each tale several times, or "just so," as she often said.

In 1907 he was the first English writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was international recognition of his talent.

In 1914, the First World War began and Kipling was a passionate supporter of the fight against Germany. He even encouraged his son John to join the army though John had a serious problem with his eyesight. Kipling and his son were very close. Unfortunately, in October of 1915, John was killed in France. Kipling, feeling guilty about persuading his son to become a soldier, was terribly depressed.

Due to these sad circumstances, for the last twenty years of his life Kipling did not write any more of his wonderful children's tales.

David Livingstone

David Livingstone was an explorer, missionary, and anti-slavery fighter. He became a great hero of the 19^th century for his discoveries in Africa.

David Livingstone was born in 1813 in Scotland, and grew up with several brothers and sisters in a single room in a gloomy building for the workers of a cotton factory. To support his family, he started working at the cotton mill as a child. The work was dull and monotonous, but it taught him patience and sympathy with those who worked hard. Though he had twelve-hour working days, David studied at school during the evenings and weekends. Later, he started studying medicine in Glasgow and completed his medical studies in 1840 in London.

In the official role of a ‘medical missionary’, he set off for Africa, arriving in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1841.

Exploring Africa, Livingstone went north and walked across the Kalahari Desert. He came upon Lake Ngami and, later, the Zambezi River. Livingstone was the first European to see the famous Zambezi falls, which he renamed Victoria Falls, after Queen Victoria.

Livingstone was the first medical missionary to enter southern and central Africa, and he was the first European to meet local tribes. He won their trust as a friendly person and an experienced doctor. He had so many patients among the native people that he had to limit his treatment only to those with serious illnesses.

David Livingstone made two more expeditions to Africa. By 1856, he was one of the first Europeans to cross the African continent from west to east. His motto, which was later written on the base of the statue to him at Victoria Falls, was ‘Christianity, Commerce and Civilization.’ He deeply believed that the navigation of the Zambezi River, as a commercial route into the centre of the continent, would help people achieve these goals. Livingstone also tried to find the source of the Nile River. He never did, but discovered lots of facts about the four great African lakes.

Livingstone’s African expeditions brought him fame as one of the leading explorers of the 19^th century. However, according to historians, one of Livingstone's greatest achievements was also promoting antislavery ideas. His books told people about the cruelties and horrors slaves had to suffer.

For several years there were no letters from Livingstone and it was decided in London that the explorer was lost. The two main British newspapers sent the journalist, Henry Stanley, to Africa to find David Livingstone. Stanley found the explorer in late 1871, and upon seeing him, said the now well-known words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

Livingstone refused to leave his beloved Africa and spent the last years of his life almost cut off from the outside world. He died in 1873. Later, his body was transported to London and buried in Westminster Abbey.