derevyaniy02

28.06.2021 19:05 •  Английский язык

Сократить текстit was half past ten at night and janice was alone in the house waiting for her husband to come home. it was raining heavely outside and the wind was blowing. she was watching tv when the doorbell rang. “james has lost his key again,” – she thought as she opened the door. instead of her husband, though, janice saw a young woman standing there. she was wearing a long white dress under her coat, and she was holding a bouquet of pretty flowers. “excuse me,” the young woman said sweetly. “would it be all right if i used your phone to call for a taxi? ” “oh, yes, of course,” janice replied. “i’ll call one for you now.” she went to the telephone, asked the local taxi service to collect the young woman, and returned to the front door. the young woman wasn’t there, but her flowers were lying on the doormat. janice couldn’t see her anywhere, so she picked up the flowers, went inside and phoned the taxi service again to cancel the call. she sat down on the stairs, puzzled by the young woman’s mysterious disappearance. there was something familiar about the woman, but janice couldn’t think what it was. when james got home half an hour later, she was still sitting on the stairs with the flowers on her lap. "what's the matter? " he asked. "you look as if you've seen a ghost." "perhaps i have," she said jokingly. she showed james james the flowers, and told him about the strange woman. james laughed, and then went upstairs to change his clothes. as he was going past the guest room, he heard the sound of a clock ticking. "it sounds like the clok my grandparents had when i was a child," james thought, "but the stopped working twenty years ago" he went into the room and turned on the light. his grandparents were no longer alive, but many of their things were still there. james looked around and saw his grandparents' clok. it was ticking and showed the correct time. then james noticed an old photograph next to the clock. it was a picture of a young couple on their wedding day, with “15th april, 1940” written on the photograph. james took the picture and went downstairs. “i know who the young woman was”, he said softly showing the photo. janice looked at it and gasped in amazement. the bride was wearing the same dress as the young woman, and flowers she was holding in the photograph were just like the ones janise had. “my grandmother died before i met you, didn't she? ” james said. “well, that’s her in the picture – and today is 15th april. it’s her wedding anniversary”.