Reading Club Pre-Intermediate: Home by S. Maugham

HOME

by S. Maugham

The farm lay in a hollow among the Somersetshire hills, an old-fashioned stone house, surrounded by barns and outhouses. Over the doorway the date when it was built had been carved, 1673, and the house, grey and weather-beaten, looked as much a part of the landscape as the trees that surrounded it. An avenue of splendid elms led from the road to the garden. The people who lived here were as stolid, sturdy and unpretentious as the house. Their only boast was that ever since the house was built from father to son they had been  born and died in it. For three hundred years they had farmed the surrounding land.
George Meadows was now a man of fifty, and his wife was a year or two younger. They were both fine, upstanding people in the prime of life; and their children, two sons and three girls, were handsome and strong. I have never seen a more united family. They were merry, industrious and kindly. Their life was patriarchal. They were happy and they deserved their happiness.
But the master of the house was not George Meadows; it was his mother. She was a woman of seventy, tall, upright and dignified, with grey hair, and though her face was much wrinkled, her eyes were bright and shrewd. Her word was law in the house and on the farm; but she had humor, and if her rule was despotic it was also kindly. People laughed at her jokes and repeated them.
One day Mrs. George stopped me on my way home. She was all in a flutter. (Her mother-in-law was the only Mrs. Meadows we knew: George's wife was only known as Mrs. George.)
"Who do you think is coming here today?" she asked me. "Uncle George Meadows. You know, the one that was in China."
"Why, I thought he was dead."
"We all thought he was dead."
I had heard the story of Uncle George Meadows a dozen times, and it had amused me because it was like an old ballad: it was touching to come across it in real life. For Uncle George Meadows and Tom had both courted Mrs. Meadows when she was Emily Green, fifty years and more ago, and when she married Tom, George had gone away to sea.
They heard of him on the China coast. For twenty years now and then he sent them presents; then there was no more news of him. When Tom Meadows died his widow wrote and told him, but received no answer, and at last they came to the conclusion that he must be dead. But two or three days ago to their astonishment they had received a letter from the matron of the sailors' home at Portsmouth saying that for the last ten years George Meadows, crippled with rheumatism, had been living there and feeling that he had not much longer to live, wanted to see once more the house in which he was born. Albert Meadows, his great nephew, had gone over to Portsmouth in the car to fetch him and he was to arrive that afternoon.
"Just fancy," said Mrs. George, "he's not been here for more than fifty years. He's never even seen my George, who's fifty-one next birthday."
"And what does Mrs. Meadows think of it?" I asked.
"Well, you know what she is. She sits there and smiles to herself. All she says is, 'He was a good-looking young fellow when he left, but not so steady as his brother.' That's why she chose my George's father. 'But he's probably quietened down by now,' she says."
Mrs. George asked me to look in and see him. With the simplicity of a country woman who had never been further from her home than London, she thought that because we had both been in China we must have something in common. Of course I went to see him. I found the whole family assembled when I arrived; they were sitting in the great old kitchen, with its stone floor, Mrs. Meadows in her usual chair by the fire, very upright, and I was amused to see that she had put on her best silk dress, while her son and his wife sat at the table with their children. On the other side of the fireplace sat an old man. He was very thin and his skin hung on his bones like an old suit much too large for him; his face was wrinkled and yellow and he had lost nearly all his teeth.
I shook hands with him.
"Well, I'm glad to see you've got here safely, Mr. Meadows," I said.
"Captain," he corrected.
"He walked here," Albert, his great nephew, told me. "When he got to the gate he made me stop the car and said he wanted to walk."
"And mind you, I've not been out of my bed for two years. They carried me down and put me in the car. I thought I'd never walk again, but when I saw those elm-trees, I felt I could walk. I walked down that drive fifty-two years ago when I went away and now I've walked back again."
"Silly, I call it," said Mrs. Meadows.
"It's done me good. I feel better and stronger than I have felt for ten years. I’ll see you out yet, Emily!"
"Don't be too sure," she answered.
I suppose no one had called Mrs. Meadows by her first name for a generation. It gave me a little shock, as though the old man were taking a liberty with her. She looked at him with a shrewd smile in her eyes and he, talking to her, grinned with his toothless gums. It was strange to look at them, these two old people who had not seen one another for half a century, and to think that all that long time ago he had loved her and she had loved another. I wondered if they remembered what they had felt then and what they had said to one another. I wondered if it seemed to him strange now that because of that old woman he had left the home of his fathers, and lived an exile's life.
"Have you ever been married, Captain Meadows?" I asked.
"Not me," he answered with a grin. "I know too much about women for that."
"That's what you say," retorted Mrs. Meadows. "If the truth was known I shouldn't be surprised to hear that you had half-a-dozen black wives in your day."
"They're not black in China, Emily, you ought to know better than that, they’re yellow."
"Perhaps that's why you've got so yellow yourself. When I saw you, I said to myself, why, he's got jaundice."
"I said I'd never marry anyone but you, Emily, and I never have."
He said it very simply, as a man might say, "I said I'd walk twenty miles and I've done it." There was a trace of satisfaction in his speech.
"Well, you might have regretted it if you had," she answered.
I talked a little with the old man about China.
"There's not a port in China that I don't know better than you know your coat pocket. Where a ship can go I've been. I could keep you sitting here all day long for six months and not tell you half the things I've seen in my day."
"Well, one thing you've not done, George, as far as I can see," said Mrs. Meadows, the smile still in her blue eyes, "and that's to make a fortune."
"I am not a man to save money. Make it and spend it; that's my motto. But one thing I can say for myself: if I had the chance of going through my life again, I'd take it. And not many men can say that."
"No, indeed," I said.
I looked at him with admiration and respect. He was a toothless, crippled, penniless old man, but he had made a success of his life, for he had enjoyed it. When I left him he asked me to come and see him again next day. If I was interested in China he would tell me all the stories I wanted to hear.
Next morning I thought I would go and ask if the old man would like to see me. I walked down the beautiful avenue of elm-trees and when I came to the garden saw Mrs. Meadows picking flowers. I said good morning and she raised herself. She had a huge armful of white flowers. I glanced at the house and I saw that the blinds were drawn: I was surprised, for Mrs. Meadows liked the sunshine.
"Time enough to live in the dark when you're buried," she always said.
"How's Captain Meadows?" I asked her.
"He always was a harum-scarum fellow," she answered. "When Lizzie brought him a cup of tea this morning she found he was dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes. Died in his sleep. I was just picking these flowers to put in the room. Well, I'm glad he died in that old house. It always means a lot to the Meadows to do that."
They had had a good deal of difficulty in persuading him to go to bed. He had talked to them of all the things that had happened to him in his long life. He was happy to be back in his old home. He was proud that he had walked up the drive without assistance, and he boasted that he would live for another twenty years. But fate had been kind: death had written the full stop in the right place.
Mrs. Meadows smelt the white flowers that she held in her arms.
"Well, I'm glad he came back," she said. "After I married Tom Meadows and George went away, the fact is I was never quite sure that I'd married the right one."

Exercises
Pre-reading Tasks

1. Home is the place where one lives, especially with one’s family. What is home to you? Do you know any proverbs about home? Write them down, if you do.

2. Practice the pronunciation of the words from the story. When in doubt check the transcription in the dictionary.

Somersetshire, landscape, avenue, unpretentious, Meadows, handsome, patriarchal, shrewd, dozen, Emily, matron, Portsmouth, rheumatism, nephew, quieten, assemble, century, jaundice, motto, harum-scarum, persuade.

Vocabulary and Grammar Tasks

1. Find in the story the English for:

трудолюбивый, заслуживать чего-либо, хозяин дома, проницательный, ухаживать за кем-либо, стать моряком, прийти к заключению, сходить (съездить) за кем-либо, уравновешенный, иметь что-либо общее, успокаиваться, пойти кому-либо на пользу, ухмыляться, сожалеть о чем-либо, насколько я понимаю, нажить состояние, копить деньги, интересоваться чем-либо, уговаривать кого-либо, хвастаться.

2. Use one of the words or word combinations in an appropriate form to fill each gap.

to go to sea
to have smth in common
as far as I can see
to deserve
to come to the conclusion
to grin
to boast
to court

1. They were happy and they ______ their happiness.
2. When Emily Green married Tom, George ______.
3. At last they ______ that he must be dead.
4. She thought that because we had both been in China we must ______.
5. He, talking to her, ______ with his toothless gums.
6. Well, one thing you haven’t done, George, ______, and that’s to make a fortune.
7. He ______ that he would live for another twenty years.
8. George Meadows and Tom ______ Mrs. Meadows when she was Emily Green. 

3. Say the opposite of:

lazy
dull
unbalanced
to do smb harm
to go broke
to spend money 

4. Choose the right words and use it in an appropriate form.

landlady
the master of the house
a hostess 

1. He owned his ______ a month’s rent.
2. As Mrs. Hill was away, Jane, the eldest daughter, acted as ______ at the dinner party.
3. But the ______ was George’s mother. 

to court
to take care of

4. George Meadows and Tom both ______ Mrs. Meadows when she was Emily Green.
5. The officers ______ Loise as though they were all her husbands. 

to be interested
to wonder

6. He will ______ to know what the old man has seen in his life.
7. I ______ if they remembered what they had felt then and what they had said to one another. 

to persuade
to convince 

8. They had a good deal of difficulty in ______ him to go to bed.
9. The old man’s words ______ him that he had made a success of his life. 

5.         A         Which of the verb tenses in the sentences below is used to describe:

a) an action in a period of time up to the present?
b) an action in the past, in a period which is finished?
c) recent events that have results in the present? 

1. And mind you, I’ve not been out of my bed for two years.
2. They carried me down and put me in the car.
3. But when I saw those elm-trees, I felt I could walk.
4. I walked down the drive fifty-two years ago when I went away and now I’ve walked back again.
5. It’s done me good.
6. I feel better and stronger than I have felt for ten years. 

B         Use the verbs in brackets in the Past Simple or the Present Perfect.

1. - They are not black in China, they are yellow.
- Perhaps, that’s why you (to get) so yellow yourself. When I (to see) you I (to say) to myself, why, he (to get) jaundice.

2. Just fancy, he (not to be) here for more than fifty years. He (to see) never my George, who is fifty-one next birthday.

3. He (to be) a good-looking young fellow when he (to leave) but not so steady as his brother. But he probably (to quieten) down by now.

4. - I’m glad to see you (to get) here safely, Mr. Meadows.
- He (to walk) here when he (to get) to the gate, he (to make) me stop the car and (to say) he (to want) to walk.

6.         A         Match the italicized modal verbs below to these meanings:

a) possibility
b) general advice
c) certainty
d) an expected action 

1. You ought to know better than that, Emily, they are yellow.
2. Well, you might have regretted if you had married.
3. He was to arrive that afternoon.
4. At last they came to the conclusion that he must be dead. 

B         Choose the right modal verb (must, may, ought to, to be) and use it in an appropriate form.

1)    They ______ have remembered what they had felt then.
2)    He was sure he ______ see the house where he was born.
3)    His great nephew ______ fetch him in his car.
4)    Mrs. Meadows thought he ______ have had a dozen black wives in his day.
5)    They never doubted they ______ respect the master of the house Mrs. Meadows.
6)    The author ______ see the old man the next morning.
7)    She thought because we had both been in China we ______ have something in common.
8)    “He ______ have quietened down by now”, she says.
9)    He said it very simply, as a man ______ say, “I said I’d walk twenty miles and I’ve done it”.
10) He ______ have enjoyed his life. 

Ask “do you think” questions as in the example:

Example: What do you think is coming here today?

1)    They deserved their happiness. (general)
2)    Mrs. Meadows was the master of the house. (Who?)
3)    They remembered what they had said to one another. (What?)
4)    He didn’t make a fortune. (Why?)
5)    For the last ten years he had been living in the sailor’s home. (Where?)
6)    He would tell all the stories I wanted to hear. (What?)
7)    Fate was kind to him. (general)
8)    “I’m glad he came back”, she said. (Why?) 

Reading Comprehension and Discussion Tasks

1. Answer the following questions:

1)    What was the farm like?
2)    What kind of people lived in the house and farmed the land? What was their only boast?
3)    Who was the master of the house? What did she look like? What was she like?
4)    What was the story of George Meadows? Why had he gone to sea? How had he spent fifty years of his exile’s life?
5)    Why had the matron of the sailor’s home written to them? How did Mrs. Meadows take the news?
6)    What did the author see when he came to see them?
7)    What did the old man look like?
8)    How had he got to the house? Why was he proud he could walk?
9)    Why was it strange to look at the old people, Emily Meadows and George Meadows?
10) Why had the old man never married?
11) Why hadn’t he made a fortune?
12) Why did the author look at the old man with admiration and respect?
13) What did the author see when he came the next morning?
14) Why does the author say fate was kind to the old man?
15) What was Mrs. Meadows never quite sure of?                                                                                                            

2. Match the adjectives on the left with the nouns on the right according to the story. Say which character of the story each word combination refers to.

3. Tell the story of Captain George Meadows according to the outline below:

1)    The old man and his home.
2)    The old man and Emily Meadows.
3)    The old man and his exile’s life.
4)    The old man back home. 

4. Discuss the following:

1)    Why does the author call the life of the Meadows patriarchal? What kind of life is patriarchal to you?
2)    Why do you think they were a happy family? What makes a family happy?
3)    Why do you think George Meadows had gone to sea?
4)    Do you think he was a one-woman man? What do you think there was about Emily Meadows that he would never marry anyone but her?
5)    Why had he never visited them during his exile’s life?
6)    Make guesses about the things he had seen in his day.
7)    “Fate was kind to him”. What do you think the author means?
8)    Why do you think Mrs. Meadows was never quite sure that she’d married the right brother?
9)    What is your main impression of the story?
10) Read out the proverbs you wrote down in the pre-reading task. Do you remember the proverbs:

East or West – home is best.
There is no place like home?

Comment on the proverbs with reference to the story.