Tom: John Blake was trying to find out more about a certain pendant. The pendant had been stolen from a museum. With his friend, Mary Green, he went to see a collector of old things, Anthony Forset. Forset told them about the pendant. John and Mary thought he was hiding something. “We’ll find out what it is,” Mary said. They went home. At home John found a man waiting for him. It was Mr. Egg, the bookseller. Mr. Egg thought that John had stolen the pendant. He wanted to buy it from him. John said, “I didn’t steal the pendant and I’m not hiding it.” But Mr. Egg didn’t believe him. He turned nasty. He took out a knife and threatened John. “I’ll use it on you,” he said. He threatened John.
Man: Get off my cherry tree, you naughty children. Get off immediately. Otherwise, you’ll be sorry.
Child: (mocking)
Man: Spotty! Spotty! (barking) Now I’ve caught you.
Child1: Let us go!
Child2: Let us go!
Man: Let you go? Let you go? Thieves like you ought to be caught.
Child1: But you caught us.
Man: Thieves like you ought to be killed.
Child2: Killed for stealing cherries? Don’t threaten us.
Man: Thieves like you ought to be hanged on the tree that they stole the cherries from.
Child1: Hanged? You’re threatening us.
Man: Hanged. A rope round the neck and righto—pull them up the tree.
Cathy: What a blood-thirsty man! To threaten children like that! Just for stealing cherries. To talk about killing them and hanging them. To threaten in a way like that.
Tom: Well, he was only threatening them. But let’s get back to Mr. Egg who was really blood-thirsty. He threatened John with a knife.
Mr. Egg: Where is that pendant?
John: Put that knife down.
Mr. Egg: If you don’t tell me, I’ll use this knife. I’ll use it on you.
John: Are you threatening me?
Mr. Egg: I’ll cut you up.
John: If you don’t put it down, I’ll shout.
Mr. Egg: I’ll cut you into little pieces.
John: I’ll shout for help.
Mr. Egg: Where’s the pendant? Where is it?
John: I’ll shout for the police.
Mr. Egg: Show me where it is.
John: I’ll shout for my landlady.
Mr. Egg: If you don’t show me, you’ll be sorry. Show me.
Landlady: Mr. Blake!
John: Ah! Come in, Mrs. Cave. Come in. This is my landlady.
Landlady: You are making a noise.
John: I’m not making a noise. He’s making a noise. Mr. Egg.
Landlady: Oh, your friend is making a noise, is he?
John: He is not my friend.
Landlady: You know my rules. No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
John: He threatened me.
Landlady: No radios allowed after 12 o’clock.
John: He threatened me with a knife.
Landlady: No noise allowed at any time. If your friend makes a noise, he’ll have to go.
John: He’s not my friend. There’s a knife in his hand.
Landlady: Put it away. If you play with knives, you’ll get hurt. Are you putting it away?
Mr. Egg: I am putting it away.
Landlady: Do you know the time?
Mr. Egg: It’s 10 o’clock.
Landlady: No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
Mr. Egg: I’m going. I’ll see you again, Mr. Blake. Do you understand me?
John: I understand you. If I see you again, I’ll be sorry.
Tom: Well, John was lucky. Mrs. Cave, his landlady came into the room. Mrs. Cave saved John’s life. She was a very frightening woman. “No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock. No radios allowed after 12 o’clock,” she said.
Cathy: Well…
Tom: “Allow” – is that the word you are interested in? Then listen!
Child: Mummy, why can’t I go to the cinema?
Mother: Because I’ve said no. I won’t allow you to go. Little girls are not allowed to see films like that.
Child: Then let me go to Freddy’s.
Mother: No, I won’t allow you to go to Freddy’s, either.
Child: But I want to.
Mother: No, you may not go. Freddy is a naughty boy and you’re not allowed to go to Freddy’s.
Child: I don’t know what to do. May I go and play ball then?
Mother: Oh, I told you. You’re not to play ball. You broke three windows last week. (the child begins to cry) Oh, all right, all right. Look. There’s your new bicycle. Go for a ride. You may go for a ride.
Child: I can’t ride my bicycle. You haven’t taught me. I can’t go for a ride because I can’t ride my bicycle.
Mother: Now, come here. Don’t cry. Let me kiss you.
Child: No, I won’t allow you to kiss me. Naughty mummy, you may not kiss me.
Cathy: Does the word “may” have the same meaning as “to be allowed to”?
Tom: Yes, it has, although it has other meanings sometimes as well. But now we must go back to our story for a short while. Well, Mrs. Cave, John’s landlady said, “No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.” Mrs. Cave was so frightening that Mr. Egg put his knife away and left quickly. But as he left, he threatened John once again. “I’ll see you again, Mr. Blake.” Just then the telephone rang. The telephone call was for John, but he didn’t know who he was speaking to. The man didn’t say his name. He rang off without telling John his name.
Cathy: “Rang off”?
Tom: Oh, yes. He rang off.
Caller: Hullo. Can I speak to Mr. Jones?
Woman: Yes, just a moment. Richard, there’s someone on the phone.
Man: Someone on the phone for me?
Woman: Yes, he’s asking for you.
Caller: Hullo. Is that Mr. Jones speaking?
Man: Yes, speaking.
Caller: Mr. Jones, you’re a silly old fool. Goodbye.
Man: Hullo, hullo?
Woman: Who’s that?
Man: Who was that? I don’t know. He rang off. He put down the receiver. He rang off. What a silly joke.
Tom: The telephone rang in Mrs. Cave’s flat. The telephone call was for John.
(telephone ringing)
Landlady: Hullo? Yes? Mr. Blake, there’s someone on the phone.
John: Someone on the phone for me?
Landlady: He’s asking for you. You know the rules, Mr. Blake. No phone calls allowed after 10 o’clock.
John: But I’m not phoning him. He’s phoning me. (he picks up the receiver) Hullo.
Caller: Are you John Blake?
John: Yes, I’m John Blake.
Caller: There’s someone looking for you. Mr. Egg is looking for you.
John: Ha-ha-ha. Mr. Egg isn’t looking for me. Mr. Egg found me.
Caller: Ah. He found you, did he? Did he turn nasty?
John: He turned very nasty. How did he find me?
Caller: I told him.
John: You told him about me?
Caller: I told him about the pendant.
John: The pendant. Who are you?
Caller: You’re asking questions again. (rings off)
John: He rang off. Who was it? I’m asking questions again… It wasn’t Forset. It wasn’t Forset’s voice.
Landlady: You know my rules, Mr. Blake.
John: Yes, Mrs. Cave, I know the rules.
Landlady: You’re annoying me tonight.
John: “You’re annoying me!”
Landlady: No, you’re annoying me!
John: “You’re annoying me!” That’s right.
Tom: The strange telephone call was for John. But who was it? “Mr. Egg is looking for you,” the man said. “Who are you?” asked John. But the man rang off, that is, he put the phone down. John’s landlady, Mrs. Cave was very angry because of the late telephone call. “You’re annoying me,” she said to John. John remembered these words. Where had he already heard the same sentence? “You are annoying me.” Someone else had said that somewhere.
Cathy: But who? And where?
Tom: Don’t you remember? “You’re annoying me.”
Cathy: No, I don’t remember.
Tom: Well, then try to find out. But first,
EXERCISE YOUR ENGLISH.
Exercise 1
As you’ve heard, John annoyed his landlady because he didn’t obey her rules. Well, I don’t really think her rules are very important, but the verb “allow” is. So listen carefully. Example:
A: No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
B: So you don’t allow visitors after 10 o’clock?
Listen, speak, listen.
A: No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
[Your response]
B: So you don’t allow visitors after 10 o’clock?
A: No phone calls allowed after 10 o’clock.
[Your response]
B: So you don’t allow phone calls after 10 o’clock?
A: No radios allowed after 12 o’clock.
[Your response]
B: So you don’t allow radios after 12 o’clock?
A: No smoking allowed in the room.
[Your response]
B: So you don’t allow smoking in the room?
A: No parties allowed at any time.
[Your response]
B: So you don’t allow parties at any time?
A: That’s all. I can’t think up any other rules. I wouldn’t make a good landlady.
B: Never mind, just allow me to go on to the next exercise.
A: OK, go ahead.
Exercise 2
Listen to the example:
A: What is Mr. Egg talking about?
B: John didn’t understand
C: John didn’t understand what Mr. Egg was talking about.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: What is Mr. Egg talking about?
B: John didn’t understand.
[Your response]
C: John didn’t understand what Mr. Egg was talking about.
A: What is she hiding?
B: We didn’t know.
[Your response]
C: We didn’t know what she was hiding.
A: What are they looking at?
B: The attendant didn’t see.
[Your response]
C: The attendant didn’t see what they were looking at.
A: What is he looking for?
B: They didn’t care.
[Your response]
C: They didn’t care what he was looking for.
A: What is Forset wearing?
B: Mary didn’t notice.
[Your response]
C: Mary didn’t notice what Forset was wearing.
A: What is Mr. Egg offering?
B: John didn’t accept.
[Your response]
C: John didn’t accept what Mr. Egg was offering.
A: What is the landlady saying?
B: They didn’t remember.
[Your response]
C: They didn’t remember what the landlady was saying.
A: What are they listening to?
B: They didn’t know.
[Your response]
C: They didn’t know what they were listening to.
Exercise 3
Listen to the example:
A: Please sit down.
B: I won’t sit down if you don’t mind.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: Please sit down.
[Your response]
B: I won’t sit down if you don’t mind.
A: Please come in.
[Your response]
B: I won’t come in if you don’t mind.
A: Please wait for him.
[Your response]
B: I won’t wait for him if you don’t mind.
A: Please phone her.
[Your response]
B: I won’t phone her if you don’t mind.
A: Please ask him.
[Your response]
B: I won’t ask him if you don’t mind.
A: Please switch on the radio.
[Your response]
B: I won’t switch it on if you don’t mind.
Exercise 4
Listen to the example:
A: Phone Mary.
B: I won’t phone her.
A: Well, if you don’t phone her, then I will.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: Phone Mary.
B: I won’t phone her.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t phone her, then I will.
A: Call the police.
B: I won’t call them.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t call them, then I will.
A: Send him away.
B: I won’t send him away.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t send him away, then I will.
A: Stop that noise.
B: I won’t stop it.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t stop it, then I will.
A: Let them in.
B: I won’t let them in.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t let them in, then I will.
A: Ask the landlady.
B: I won’t ask her.
[Your response]
A: Well, if you don’t ask her, then I will.
Tom: Now, here is our story once again. Mr. Egg is in John’s room. He wants the pendant, and he’s threatening John with a knife.
Mr. Egg: Where is that pendant?
John: Put that knife down.
Mr. Egg: If you don’t tell me, I’ll use this knife. I’ll use it on you.
John: Are you threatening me?
Mr. Egg: I’ll cut you up.
John: If you don’t put it down, I’ll shout.
Mr. Egg: I’ll cut you into little pieces.
John: I’ll shout for help.
Mr. Egg: Where’s the pendant? Where is it?
John: I’ll shout for the police.
Mr. Egg: Show me where it is.
John: I’ll shout for my landlady.
Mr. Egg: If you don’t show me, you’ll be sorry. Show me.
Landlady: Mr. Blake!
John: Ah! Come in, Mrs. Cave. Come in. This is my landlady.
Landlady: You are making a noise.
John: I’m not making a noise. He’s making a noise. Mr. Egg.
Landlady: Oh, your friend is making the noise, is he?
John: He is not my friend.
Landlady: You know my rules. No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
John: He threatened me.
Landlady: No radios allowed after 12 o’clock.
John: He threatened me with a knife.
Landlady: No noise allowed at any time. If your friend makes a noise, he’ll have to go.
John: He’s not my friend. There’s a knife in his hand.
Landlady: Put it away. If you play with knives, you’ll get hurt. Are you putting it away?
Mr. Egg: I am putting it away.
Landlady: Do you know the time?
Mr. Egg: It’s 10 o’clock.
Landlady: No visitors allowed after 10 o’clock.
Mr. Egg: I’m going. I’ll see you again, Mr. Blake. Do you understand me?
John: I understand you. If I see you again, I’ll be sorry.
(telephone ringing)
Landlady: Hullo? Yes? Mr. Blake, there’s someone on the phone.
John: Someone on the phone for me?
Landlady: He’s asking for you. You know the rules, Mr. Blake. No phone calls allowed after 10 o’clock.
John: But I’m not phoning him. He’s phoning me. (he picks up the receiver) Hullo.
Caller: Are you John Blake?
John: Yes, I’m John Blake.
Caller: There’s someone looking for you. Mr. Egg is looking for you.
John: Ha-ha-ha. Mr. Egg isn’t looking for me. Mr. Egg found me.
Caller: Ah. He found you, did he? Did he turn nasty?
John: He turned very nasty. How did he find me?
Caller: I told him.
John: You told him about me?
Caller: I told him about the pendant.
John: The pendant. Who are you?
Caller: You’re asking questions again. (rings off)
John: He rang off. Who was it? I’m asking questions again… It wasn’t Forset. It wasn’t Forset’s voice.
Landlady: You know my rules, Mr. Blake.
John: Yes, Mrs. Cave, I know the rules.
Landlady: You’re annoying me tonight.
John: “You’re annoying me!”
Landlady: No, you’re annoying me!
John: “You’re annoying me!” That’s right. “You are annoying me.” It was the man in the museum. It was the man with the scar.
Landlady: Who is the man with the scar?
John: The man with the scar? Why, he is— he is— Yes, indeed. Who is the man with the scar?
(theme music)