TEN MILLION SERVING MEN

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 510.

AN ENGLISH TALE II

"We ___ (to be) married three years and I ___ never ___ (to take) a single step without talking it over with my husband," ___ (to say) the woman. "It ___ (to be) shameful not to obey one's husband. I ___ always ___ (to be) a very obedient wife. Isn't that so, John?" she ___ (to add) turning to her husband.
"Of course, dear," John ___ (to agree). "Then," ___(to say) the young man, - "one of the horses ___ (to be) yours. Which ___ you ___ (to prefer)?" After they ___ (to examine) both the horses closely the husband ___ (to be) the first to speak, "We ___ (to take) the white horse with grey spots. I ___ (to like) his strong legs." "Oh, no, John," the woman ___ (to interrupt) at once. "We ___ (to take) the black one."

"Of course, dear," John ___ (to agree) without hesitation. "I ___ (not to mind) taking the black one if you ___ (to like) it." "That'll do," ___ (to say) the young man. "I ___ (to make) up my mind." And he gave (to give) the woman the needle.

People ___ (to be) most curious when they ___ (to be) very young. As they ___ (to grow) older their curiosity ___ (to seem) to disappear. Why? One day I ___ (to go) to see a friend who ___ (to have) a small son of five. The moment I ___ (to take) off my coat he ___ (to start) asking me questions: "What ___ (to be) your name? Where ___ you ___ (to live)? And where ___ your father and mother ___ (to live)? Why ___ they ___ (not to live) with you?" After I ___ (to explain) practically everything about my parents, the place they ___ (to live), etc. he ___ (to remain) silent for a moment and then ___ (to attack) me again: "___ you ___ (can) a bicycle? ___ you ski (can)? ___ you ___ (can)? ___ you ___ (can) football? ___ you ___ (can) a sand castle?" My answers ___ (to seem) to disappoint the boy because I ___ (cannot) do a lot of things. But that ___ (not to prevent) him from asking another hundred questions: "___ you ever ___ (to see) a flying saucer? ___ you ever ___ (to hear) a parrot talk? ___ you ever ___ (to see) a crocodile cry? ___ you ever ___ (to travel) by raft? ___ you ever ___ (to talk) to a fireman?"

At first I ___ (to do) my best to give the most truthful and complete answers but there ___ (to seem) to be no end to it. I hardly ___ (to know) what to answer, because after each "yes" he ___ (to ask) me questions: "Where ___ you ___ (to see) it? When ___ you ___ (to see) it? What ___ it ___ (to look) like? How long ___ you ___ (to watch) it?" And after each "no" there ___ (to be) even more difficult questions: "Why ___ you ___ (not to do) it? Why ___ you ___ (not to go) there? Why ___ you ____ (not to ask) them?" His parents ___ (to seem) to be enjoying the scene greatly, but I ___ (to suspect) it ___ (not to be) because they ___ (to be) proud of their bright little boy but simply because they ___ (to enjoy) a few rare moments of peace.

At dinner I ___ (can) hardly eat anything because he ___ (to keep) bombarding me with questions. When I ___ (to be) going down the stairs there ___ (to come) the final shot: " When ___ you ___ (to come) again?"

I promptly ___ (to answer) "Never", and there ___ (to come) another "Why?" ___ you ___ (to remember) the poem by Kipling about a little girl "who ___ (to keep) ten million serving men who ___ (to get) no rest at all! One million "How", two million "Where", and seven million "whys"? But I ___ never really ___ (to think) there ___ (to be) ten million of them!