Tom: John Blake was trying to find out what had happened to a pendant that had been stolen from a museum. At last with his friend, Mary Green, he found the man who had got the pendant. He was Anthony Forset, a collector of old things. He was trying to leave the country. John and Mary followed him to a railway station, where the next train to London was being announced.
Cathy: You didn’t say anything about trains being announced last time, when we were at the station.
Tom: Oh, didn’t I? Well, d’you know, what? Let’s go back to the railway station and see what I forgot last time.
Cathy: All right. I think you first ought to explain the sentence: “The next train was being announced.”
Tom: Listen.
Railway announcer: The next arrival at platform 2 will be the London train. The next arrival at platform 2 will be the London train. The next arrival at platform 2 will be the London train.
Tom: That is the loudspeaker. The woman speaking through the loudspeaker is the announcer. She announces the arrivals and departures of the trains. She announces which platform your trains will arrive at or depart from.
Cathy: I’m afraid I would never find my train. Loudspeakers at railway stations and airports are terrible. I can’t even understand them in Hungarian.
Tom: Yes, they’re really hard to understand, aren’t they? But there’s another way to find your train. Go and look at the train and platform indicator.
Cathy: What’s that?
Tom: It’s a big board that shows you the arrival and departure of trains and the number of the platform.
Cathy: I see. Tom, I’m terribly thirsty.
Tom: Well, let’s get to the Refreshment Room then. You can have something to drink or eat there.
Cathy: Good idea. But do you really want to carry that heavy bag with you all the time?
Tom: Well, not really. I’ve got all the papers of “The Missing Jewel” in this bag. Fifty lessons. It’s very heavy. We can leave it in the Left Luggage Office. It’s over there, where you can see all those cases and bags on the selves.
Clerk: Just this bag, sir?
Tom: Yes, I want to leave this bag.
Clerk: Here is the number. Thank you, sir.
Tom: And now, come on, Cathy, let’s go to the Refreshment Room.
Cathy: I think I’ll have an orange juice.
Tom: An orange juice and a coffee, please.
Tom: Cathy, we ought to look for Forset, perhaps he’s hiding in the Refreshment Room, or in the Waiting Room.
Cathy: Oh, don’t frighten me. I’m afraid of Forset. We had better let John and Mary look for him.
Tom: I thought you were braver. But all right, listen.
Railway announcer: The next arrival at platform 2 will be the London train. Platform 2 for the London train. London only, platform 2.
John: This is platform 2.
Mary: And the next train will be going to London. If Forset gets to London, we’ll never find him.
John: We’ll find him before the train comes.
Mary: But where is he?
John: Perhaps he is hiding in the Waiting Room.
Mary: Oh, I’ve looked in the Waiting Room, it was empty. Everyone’s waiting on the platform.
John: We haven’t looked in the Refreshment Room. Perhaps he’s waiting in the Refreshment Room.
Mary: Let’s look. Here is the Refreshment Room.
John: Can you see through the window?
Mary: There’s a man at the counter. He’s standing with his back to us.
John: Yes, he’s drinking a glass of milk.
Mary: Is that Forset?
John: He’s turning. It is Forset.
Mary: He’s smiling.
John: He won’t smile much longer. We’ve got him. Come on.
Tom: The loudspeaker announced the next train to London. “If Forset gets to London, we’ll never find him,” Mary said. “Where is he?” John said. “I’ve looked in the Waiting Room, it was empty. Perhaps he’s waiting in the Refreshment Room.” So they looked and found Forset there. He was standing at the counter – the long table at which you are served in Refreshment Rooms, bars and shops. He was standing with his back to them. They couldn’t see his face. They could only see his back. Then suddenly he turned. Now they could see his face. He was smiling. “He won’t smile much longer,” John said.
Cathy: I can imagine. He won’t smile any longer if John and Mary catch him.
Tom: No, he will not smile any longer.
Cathy: So, he won’t smile any more, will he?
Tom: Certainly not. He will smile no more.
Cathy: By the way, do they catch him?
Tom: Oh, you will find out very soon. There’s only one lesson of our series left, so, by the end of the next lesson you’ll know everything.
Cathy: Oh, how sad. Then we won’t listen to “The Missing Jewel” much longer.
Tom: No. One lesson, and then we’ll no longer listen to “The Missing Jewel”.
Cathy: We won’t listen to it any longer.
Tom: No, we won’t listen to it any more.
Cathy: So, we will listen to “The Missing Jewel” no more. It’s a great pity.
Tom: Yes, but at last you’ll hear the end of our story. Well, John said, “He won’t smile much longer.” But he spoke too soon, because Forset disappeared. He tricked them and went through another door and disappeared. Mary noticed it. She said, “He went through that door. Where does it lead?”
Woman1: Well, Florence, this is the hall.
Woman2: What a lot of doors. Where does this one on the left lead to?
Woman1: This door leads to the sitting room. Those ones on the other side to the bedrooms. And this is the kitchen door, and the one on the right over there leads to the bathroom.
Woman2: I would lose my way in this flat.
Woman1: Don’t worry, I’ll lead the way.
Man1: Hey, excuse me. Where does this road lead to?
Man2: It leads to the town.
Man1: Oh, blast! I should be going in exactly the opposite direction.
Woman: Jimmy, you don’t work at all, you don’t do anything but go to the cinema and drink with your friends. What will this way of life lead to?
Teenager: It would lead to Heaven, Mum.
Woman1: What’s the matter with you?
Woman2: I had a quarrel with Robert.
Woman1: Darling, since the day he led you to the altar, I’ve been telling you that you mustn’t quarrel with him. Quarrels lead nowhere.
Woman2: But I can’t help it. One word leads to another.
Woman1: You’re a silly thing. You could lead your husband by the nose but you quarrel instead. He’s so easily led. Let him have his way sometimes. That’ll lead to peace between you, you’ll see.
Cathy: Well, not a bad philosophy for a happy marriage. But where did the door lead, Tom? The door which Forset disappeared through?
Tom: It led to platform 1. John and Mary followed him to platform 1. They couldn’t see him. There were a lot of wooden boxes there, boxes made of wood. “Is he standing behind them?” Mary asked.
John: He’s turning. It is Forset.
Mary: He’s smiling.
John: He won’t smile much longer. We’ve got him. Come on.
Mary: But—oh, he’s tricked us. He went through that door. Where does it lead?
John: It leads to the other platform, to platform 1. Follow him.
Mary: He’s hiding again.
John: Look at those wooden boxes. If a man stood behind those, he’d be hidden.
Mary: Is he standing behind them?
John: I’ll go and look.
Mary: John, be careful, he’s got a gun.
John: Come out, Forset. I know you’re there. The London train is coming but you’re not catching it. You’re coming with us instead. You’re clever, Forset, but you’re not clever enough. We caught you. If you don’t come out, I’ll fetch you out.
Mary: John, look out! The cases… he’s pushing the cases over. John!
John: Aaaah…
Tom: John said to Forset, “The London train is coming but you’re not catching it. You’re coming with us instead.” But Forset pushed the heavy boxes on top of John, came out behind them and said to Mary, “You thought you had caught me, didn’t you? But I’ve caught you. Two mice in one trap.”
Woman1: There’s a mouse in the kitchen.
Woman2: Put a trap in there for the night. If you put a piece of cheese or bacon in the trap, you’ll catch the mouse by the morning.
Woman1: Oh, I’ve already done that.
Woman2: And what happened?
Woman1: The mouse ate the cheese out of the trap and walked away happily.
Tom: Well, Forset pushed the heavy boxes on top of John. Then he talked to Mary.
Forset: Heh-heh, heh-heh, he’ll fetch me out, really? He’s not very clever, your friend.
Mary: Oh, help me, he’s hurt.
Forset: I hope he’s dead. Those cases are very heavy.
Mary: Pull them away!
Forset: You thought you’d caught me, didn’t you? But I’ve caught you. Two mice in one trap. One mouse is dead under those cases, and the other mouse will be dead in a minute.
Mary: What do you mean? What’re you doing?
Tom: Well, Forset said, “Two mice in a trap. One mouse is dead under those cases, and the other mouse will be dead in a minute.”
Cathy: Dreadful! Did he mean Mary?
Tom: Yes, of course he did.
Cathy: And what did he do with her?
Tom: I won’t tell you now. We have to leave John and Mary in this dangerous situation for a while, because now it’s time for you to exercise your English. A lot of exercises lead to good English, you know. So now,
EXERCISE YOUR ENGLISH.
Exercise 1
Listen to the example:
A: He’s hiding among the wooden boxes.
B: He won’t hide there much longer.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: He’s hiding among the wooden boxes.
[Your response]
B: He won’t hide there much longer.
A: He’s waiting for her.
[Your response]
B: He won’t wait for her much longer.
A: He’s smiling at us.
[Your response]
B: He won’t smile at us much longer.
A: He’s playing tricks with us.
[Your response]
B: He won’t play tricks with us much longer.
A: He’s running after her.
[Your response]
B: He won’t run after her much longer.
A: She’s watching us.
[Your response]
B: She won’t watch us much longer.
A: He’s listening to “The Missing Jewel”.
[Your response]
B: He won’t listen to it much longer.
Exercise 2
Listen to the example:
A: He won’t smile much longer. John and Mary will catch him.
B: He won’t smile any longer if John and Mary catch him.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: He won’t smile much longer. John and Mary will catch him.
[Your response]
B: He won’t smile any longer if John and Mary catch him.
A: He won’t threaten us much longer. The police will arrest him.
[Your response]
B: He won’t threaten us any longer if the police arrest him.
A: She won’t cry much longer. Her friend will help her.
[Your response]
B: She won’t cry any longer if her friend helps her.
A: They won’t play at detectives much longer. Forset will kill them.
[Your response]
B: They won’t play at detectives any longer if Forset kills them.
A: He won’t follow us much longer. We’ll disappear in the crowd.
[Your response]
B: He won’t follow us any longer if we disappear in the crowd.
A: She won’t work much longer. She’ll go to school.
[Your response]
B: She won’t work any longer if she goes to school.
A: She won’t quarrel much longer. The guests will arrive.
[Your response]
B: She won’t quarrel any longer if the guests arrive.
A: They won’t stay here much longer. They’ll buy a flat of their own.
[Your response]
B: They won’t stay here any longer if they buy a flat of their own.
A: They won’t search for the pendant much longer. They’ll find it.
[Your response]
B: They won’t search for the pendant any longer if they find it.
Exercise 3
Listen to the example:
A: They’ve caught him, haven’t they?
B: Everyone thought they’d caught him, but they haven’t.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: They’ve caught him, haven’t they?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought they’d caught him, but they haven’t.
A: You have tricked them, haven’t you?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought I’d tricked them, but I haven’t.
A: He has escaped, hasn’t he?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought he’d escaped, but he hasn’t.
A: They’ve quarrelled, haven’t they?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought they’d quarrelled, but they haven’t.
A: She’s threatened them, hasn’t she?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought she’d threatened them, but she hasn’t.
A: He’s gone to school, hasn’t he?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought he’d gone to school, but he hasn’t.
A: They’ve found the pendant, haven’t they?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought they’d found the pendant, but they haven’t.
A: You’ve worked a lot, haven’t you?
[Your response]
B: Everyone thought I’d worked a lot, but I haven’t.
Tom: And now, listen to the story once again. John and Mary followed Forset to the station. They were trying to stop him leaving the country with the pendant and the diamonds.
Railway announcer: The next arrival at platform 2 will be the London train. Platform 2 for the London train. London only, platform 2.
John: This is platform 2.
Mary: And the next train will be going to London. If Forset gets to London, we’ll never find him.
John: We’ll find him before the train comes.
Mary: But where is he?
John: Perhaps he is hiding in the Waiting Room.
Mary: Oh, I’ve looked in the Waiting Room, it was empty. Everyone’s waiting on the platform.
John: We haven’t looked in the Refreshment Room. Perhaps he’s waiting in the Refreshment Room.
Mary: Let’s look. Here is the Refreshment Room.
John: Can you see through the window?
Mary: There’s a man at the counter. He’s standing with his back to us.
John: Yes, he’s drinking a glass of milk.
Mary: Is that Forset?
John: He’s turning. It is Forset.
Mary: He’s smiling.
John: He won’t smile much longer. We’ve got him. Come on.
Mary: But—oh, he’s tricked us. He went through that door. Where does it lead?
John: It leads to the other platform, to platform 1. Follow him.
Mary: He’s hiding again.
John: Look at those wooden boxes. If a man stood behind those, he’d be hidden.
Mary: Is he standing behind them?
John: I’ll go and look.
Mary: John, be careful, he’s got a gun.
John: Come out, Forset. I know you’re there. The London train is coming but you’re not catching it. You’re coming with us instead. You’re clever, Forset, but you’re not clever enough. We caught you. If you don’t come out, I’ll fetch you out.
Mary: John, look out! The cases… he’s pushing the cases over. John!
John: Aaaah…
Forset: Heh-heh, heh-heh, he’ll fetch me out, really? He’s not very clever, your friend.
Mary: Oh, help me, he’s hurt.
Forset: I hope he’s dead. Those cases are very heavy.
Mary: Pull them away!
Forset: You thought you’d caught me, didn’t you? But I’ve caught you. Two mice in one trap. One mouse is dead under those cases, and the other mouse will be dead in a minute.
Mary: What do you mean? What’re you doing?
Forset: You’ll see…
Mary: Let me go!
Forset: The signals have changed to green, the train’s coming in, and you’re going to fall underneath it.
(theme music)