Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter One
The airhostess smiled, “Welcome aboard, Sir. Would you like a newspaper?”
“Yes, please.” Carl took the newspaper and looked at his ticket. “I am in seat five, where is that?”
“It’s near the front of plane, Sir, on the left there, by the window.”
“I see. Thank you very much.” Carl smiled back at the airhostess. “She was young and pretty, just like my daughter.” He thought.
He put his bag under his seat and sat down. His friend, Harold, sat beside him. They watched the other passengers coming onto the plane. Harold looked at his watch. “Nine Thirty P.M.,” he said, “We are on time.”
Carl agreed, “And in three hours we’ll be home.”He said, “That’s good. We’ve been away for a long time. You’ll be pleased to see your family, won’t you, Harold?”
Harold smiled, “Yes, I will. Have you seen this?” He opened his bag and took out two small planes. “These are for my sons. I always bring something back for them.”
“How old are your sons?” Carl asked.
“Five and almost seven, the older one has a birthday tomorrow. He’ll be very excited tonight then.”
“Yes, I hope he’ll get some sleep.”
The plane took off. Carl watched the lights of the airport grew smaller below them. Then the plane flew above the clouds, and he could see the moon and the stars and the night sky. He lay back in his seat and closed his eyes.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Two
Later he woke up. Harold was asleep. Carl looked at his watch. It was midnight. He called the airhostess, “Excuse me, what time do we arrive?”
“Eleven thirty P.M. local time, Sir. That’s about half an hour from now.”
“Thank you.” Carl changed the time on his watch.
“Anything else, Sir?”
“No, I don’t think so. Oh! Wait a minute! Could I have a cup of coffee, please?”
“Yes, of course, Sir!”
He watched her bring the coffee. “She looks like my daughter, too.” He thought, “And she is very young. She looks nervous, not sure what to do.”
“How long have you been at here, airhostess?” He asked.
She smiled. “Three months, Sir.” She said.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, I love it. It’s very exciting.” She smiled nervously, “Well, that’ll be, Sir.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Have a nice flight.”
He drank the coffee and started to read his newspaper. When Harold woke up, Carl showed him a page of paper. “Look, here you are.” He said. He pointed to a picture. In the middle of the picture stood Carl himself-----a short thin man with grey hair wearing a suit. Behind him on the left was Harold-----a tall strong young man like a sportsman. Both men were smiling. “That’s you and me outside the embassy,” said Carl. “We are in the news again. You can show it to you sons. You are a famous man, Harold.”
Harold laughed. “You are the famous man, Sir. Not me.” He said, “I am just a police officer, Sir. It’s my job to take care of you. That’s a photo of you, not me.”
“Perhaps, but your children think that you are a famous man, I’m sure. Here, take it and show it to them.”
“OK, thanks.” Harold smiled and put the newspaper in his coat pocket. “I think I’ll have a cup of coffee, too.” He called for the airhostess, but she did not come. Harold looked surprised.
“What’s the matter?” Carl asked.
“The airhostess.” Harold said, “She is sitting down talking to those two men.”
Carl looked upon and saw the young airhostess. She was sitting in the seat in the front of the plane with two young men. They looked worried and nervous. Suddenly one of the young men picked up a bag and walked into the pilot’s cabin. The other man and the airhostess followed him.
“That’s strange!” said Carl.
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s very strange.” said Harold. “I don’t like it at all.” He began to get out of his seat, but then stopped and sat down again. For one or two minutes, nothing happened. None of the other passengers moved or spoke. They had seen the young men, too. It became very quiet in the plane. A bell rang, and for a moment they could hear two voices arguing. Then the pilot spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. Please do not be afraid. There is a change of plan. We have to land on the another airport before we finish our journey. There is no danger. We will land in fifteen minutes. Please stay in your seats and keep calm. Thank you.” Then the airhostess came out of the cabin. She looked very different now because she had a machine gun in her hand. She stood in the front of the plane and watched the passengers carefully.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Three
“Here we are, Madam.” The big black car stopped, and a police officer opened the back door.
“Thank you.” Helen sent back a smile at him as she got out. Another police officer opened the front door of her house. Inside her house it was quiet. Her daughter was reading. She put the book down. “Hello! Mammy! You are late. You said you’ll be home by ten o’clock. I wanted to talk to you about my homework, remember?” Helen sat down. “I’m sorry, Sara. I did remember really. But I had a very busy day. Anyway, I’m home now. What’s the problem?”
“It’s this book,” said Sara, “I have to write about it at school on Friday. But I don’t understand it.”
“Alright,” said Helen, “Bring the book into the kitchen and I’ll look at it while you make me a cup of coffee.” They sat in the kitchen and talked for nearly half an hour. Then Helen looked at her watch. “OK, Sara. That’s enough for now. It’s nearly midnight and I must be up at six tomorrow. I’m going to bed. Good night!” Alone in her bedroom, she undressed and got into the big empty bed. She was very tired. She closed her eyes. And in three minutes, she was asleep. The phone rang at 12:15 a.m. Helen groaned and picked it up. “Hello! What? Who? Tell me what time it is!” She ran her hand through her hair and turned the light on. “Now? I don’t believe it! Are you sure?” The voice on the telephone explained carefully. Helen groaned again and sat up. “I hope it is serious. If it isn’t, somebody is going to be in a big trouble. Yes! Alright! Send a car in fifteen minutes then and bring me some coffee. Goodbye!” She put the phone down and got out of the bed. Outside the window she could hear a strong wind blowing.
Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in the back of her black big car, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to the chief airport police on the car telephone. It was raining heavily.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Four
Carl looked out of the plane window. It was very dark and rainy. It was a small airport with only one or two other planes. But there were three police cars near the airport building.
“I don’t understand.” He said quietly in Harold’s ear, “Why are we here?”
Harold looked worried, “Don’t ask me.” He whispered back, “Ask them!”
“No, thanks.” Carl looked at the hijackers.
The young airhostess was still standing at the front of the plane with her machine gun. One of the young men, also with the machine gun, was standing at the back of the plane. The other hijacker was in the captain’s cabin. All the passengers sat very quietly in their seats.
A bell rang, and a man’s voice spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen! Listen to me! This plane is ours now. You are our prisoners. We do not want to hurt you. But as you can see, we have our guns and we know how to shoot. So please sit quietly in your seats and do what we say. We will be here for one or two hours. The government of this country has two of our brothers in a prison near this airport. We are asking the government to bring our two brothers to this plane.         When our brothers are free, you will be free. We think this will take one or two hours, but not very long. As you know, the Prime Minister of this country is only a woman. She will do what we say. So do not worry. Just sit very still and wait for a while. Good night.”
Carl looked at Harold. “Oh dear,” he whispered, “We are in a trouble, my young friend.”
“Big trouble!” Harold agreed, “We certainly are. The government won’t set those two men free. They tried to put a bomb on a plane last year, didn’t they, Sir? They are in prison for thirty years.”
“I know.” Carl whispered, “No one could set them free, so what about us?”
“What about you, you mean.” whispered Harold, “I’m not important. Look, Sir! You better give me your passport.”
“What? Why?”
“Sh!” Harold put his hand on the old man’s arm and stopped talking.
Carl looked upon, so the young airhostess looked at them. Her machine gun was pointing at them, too. He stopped talking and looked out of the window. After a few minutes, she stopped watching them.
“Give me the passport, Sir,” Harold whispered very quietly.
Very carefully and slowly Carl took it out of his pocket and gave it to him. There was still some coffee in Carl’s cup. Very carefully Harold put the passport on his tra and poured the coffee onto it. When the passport was very wet, he tore it slowly into little pieces. He was a strong young man. Because the passport was wet, he did not make a sound. Then one by one he put the pieces of wet paper into his mouth and ate them. In ten minutes, the passport had disappeared.
“I don’t understand,” whispered Carl, “Why did you do that?”
“You’ll see,” whispered Harold, “But when they ask questions, let me answer, Sir! Ok? You say nothing!”
“OK!” Carl looked away out of the window. A large black car was just driving up to the airport building.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Five
The black car stopped outside the airport building and a police officer opened the door. Helen ___ got out and went quickly inside. Upstairs in the control room, the chief airport police inspector Holm was waiting with a soldier. Helen’s secretary-----Michael was there, too.
“Good evening, Prime Minister,” said inspector Holm, “This is Colonel, Court, of the special command section.”
“Good evening, colonel.” Helen shook hands with the soldier and looked at him. He was a thin tough-looking man about forty years old with a brown face. His hand was hard and strong.
“I hope you know your job,” she thought, “I may need you.”
She looked out of the window. There was a large plane on the tarmac about two hundred meters away. All its lights were on.
“Is that the plane?” she asked.
“That’s it! Prime Minister!”
“Right, give me the facts. How many people are on it?”
Inspector Holm answered, “108 passengers, 5 crew.”
“What nationalities are they?”
“There are 29 Americans, 15 British, 2 Brazilians, 2 Indians, 1 Chinese. The others are from this country.”
“I see! There are a lot of Americans and British then,” said Helen quietly, “That means trouble.”
“Yes, Prime Minister,” said Michael, “I’m afraid their ambassadors are on their way here now.
Helen smiled at him quickly. He was a good secretary. He usually knew what she was thinking. Both American ambassador and British ambassador were difficult people. She turned back to Inspector Holm, “Tell me about the hijackers. What do they want?”
“We don’t know how many hijackers there are, Prime Minister. But they have guns, we know that. And they want three things.” Inspector Holm paused and looked down at her. He was a very tall man and he looked very important in his uniform. Helen didn’t like him much.
“Yes, well, what are three things?” she asked quickly.
“Firstly, they said we must set free their two brothers from the prison. You remember, Prime Minister? Two men tried to put a bomb on a plane last year. They are in prison near here.”
“I remember,” Helen answered softly, “They are in prison for thirty years, aren’t they?”
“I think so, something like that,” the man paused, “Secondly, they said we must refuel the plane because they want to fly to another country. Thirdly, they said we must put this all on the newspaper. It says they are fighting for freedom for their people. They are freedom fighters. They want to liberate their people.”
He gave her a sheet of paper. Helen put it on the table. She did not read it. “And what about the passengers?” she asked, “When will the hijackers set them free?”
“They said they will set most of passengers free when their brothers are on the plane. But they want 10 passengers to fly away with them. They will set them free when they arrive.”
“I see.”
“There is one another thing, Prime Minister,” Colonel Court spoke for the first time. His voice was very quiet, almost gentle. “They say we must bring the two brothers in two hours. If not, they will kill a passenger. They said this one hour ago.”
“So we have one hour left?”
That’s right! Prime Minister, just one hour. Then they will kill a first passenger.”
“I see.” Helen walked slowly to the window and stared out at the plane. It was still raining and a strong wind was blowing. She turned around. “Thank you, gentlemen! I will have to talk to them. But first I need a few minutes to think. Colonel Court and Inspector, please go to the other room. Tell the hijackers I will talk to them in five minutes. Michael, stay here.”
“But… Yes madam!”
Inspector Holm looked unhappy, but he went out slowly with the Colonel. Michael sat quietly looking at her. He knew what she was thinking. “Have you got the passenger list, Michael?”
“Yes, Prime Minister, here you are.”
She picked up the list of names and looked at it carefully. “Oh, my god! His name was near the beginning.” She dropped the list and sat down at the table and ran her hand through her hair. For long minute, she said nothing. Then she looked up. “This is going to be very difficult, isn’t it, Michael?”
“I’m afraid so, Prime Minister, very difficult indeed.”
Helen stood up and walked to the window, thinking hard. Outside in the rain, the American ambassador’s car stopped by the door.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Six
Carl looked through the window and watched the cars arrive at the airport building. There were a lot of cars now and a lot of lights in the building. Inside the plane it was hot and quiet. There was nothing to do. He remembered the other time when he had been in a plane at night with his wife and daughter. That’d been fun because they were excited and going on holiday. His daughter had always asked lots of questions in the plane. Now no one said anything at all. Carl sat and thought, and felt his face becoming wet with sweat.
“your passports, please!”
“What?” he turned suddenly. One of hijackers, a young man in a black shirt was just behind them. He had a bag in his hand        and he was taking everyone’s passports and put in a minute.
“Why?”
“Be quiet!” Harold whispered, “Let me talk, Sir, remember?”
“Your passports, please!” the young man stood by their seats.
“Here you are.” Harold gave the man his passport.
“Thank you! and his?”
“He has no passport. I am a police officer, and he is my prisoner. I am taking him to prison in my country.
“I see.” the young man looked at them both surprised, “Stand up, you!”
Carl stood up, and the young man searched his pockets, but he found nothing. He told Carl to sit down. Then he opened Harold’s passport and looked inside.
“Police, big,” he said, “Now you are our prisoner.”
Then he hit Harold in the face, looked at Carl and laughed, “And perhaps we will set him free.”
Harold said nothing. The hijacker was about at the same age as him, but not so big. The young hijacker laughed again and moved on the next seat.
“Thank you, Harold.” Carl whispered when the man was at the front of the plane, “That was very brave, but I will not let you die for me, you know.”
“Be quiet, Sir. Something is happening.” Harold whispered back.
Carl looked up. Another hijacker was standing in the door of the captain’s cabin. He was talking to the other two. He was a big strong man with black beard. He looked angry and waved his arms. Carl listened carefully. He could hear one or two words, but not many.
“nothing, nothing at all, stupid woman! She needs time, she says.” All the hijackers were angry now. They looked at the passports, and then started to walk down the aisle pointing their guns at the passengers.
Harold sat very still in his seat. “Don’t look at them.” he whispered, “Sit very still and don’t look at them.”
Suddenly the big hijacker pulled a passenger out of his seat. The passenger was a short fat man in a grey suit. He shouted angrily in a voice that sounded American. But the hijacker hit him and then pushed him to the front of the plane with his machine gun. “Turn towards the door,” he shouted, “Put your hands on the door above your head, higher! That’s it.”
The airhostess pointed her gun at the American’s back. The hijacker in the black shirts stood in the front of the plane and pointed his gun at the passengers. “Don’t move,” he shouted, “Stay in your seats and don’t look back.” Then the big bearded hijacker went back into the captain’s cabin.
The bell rang, the hijacker’s voice spoke. “Passengers, listen to me! You know we are here to set our brothers free. I have spoken to the Prime Minister of this country. I told she must bring our brothers here by two o’clock. That is plenty of time because the prison is only ten kilometers from here. She says she needs more time. But we know she is lying. We have no time. The passenger at the front of the plane is an American spy, who lives in our country. All of Americans who live in our country are spies! If our brothers are not here at two o’clock, he will die. If you try to help him, you will die, too!”
“Jesus!” Carl said quietly. He looked at his watch. The time was 1:50 a.m. He looked out of the window across the rainy tarmac to the airport building. In one of those rooms was Prime Minister. “What would she do? What could she do? Come on, honey!” he said softly, “Stop thinking! Think fast, honey! And think hard!”
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Seven
Helen Sandburg sat at the radio in the control room. Michael, Inspector Holm and Colonel Court sat behind her. They could all see the plane two hundred meters away. And they could all hear the voice of the hijacker on the radio. It was loud, excited. “Our brothers have done nothing wrong. They are innocent! They are fighters for the freedom of our people! We need them with us on this plane now!”
Helen kept her voice low and calm. “Look, I understand what you say, but those men are criminals. They are in prison. I can’t bring them here! And remember the passengers on the plane are innocent people, too, with families and children! Please set them free! We will not hurt you. We…”
The voice on the radio interrupted her. “Mrs Sandburg, I don’t want to talk anymore. It is now 1:59 a.m. Do you have our brothers here the airport?”
“No, I told you…”
“Then watch the front door of the plane! You can see it well, I hope.”
“Yes” Helen’s voice was quiet now, almost whisper.
“Then watch! There is an American spy behind it. And remember we have many American spies and many important business people on this plane. In half an hour, I will ask you again about my brothers.”
Helen stared out at the plane. Its front door was very small and far away. Colonel Court touched her arm. “Here are some binoculars, Prime Minister. You will be able to see more clearly with these.”
She did not want to look, but she had to. She had decided not to free the prisoners, so now she had to see what happened to the passengers. She picked up the binoculars and stared at the front door of the plane. The door opened slowly. There were no steps outside the door, so it was about four meters above the ground. Standing in the door was a short fat man, his hands above his head, his face was white and he looked very frightened. Then he jumped. But as he jumped, a girl came to the door and shot him. Some bullets hit him in the air, and more bullets hit him as he lay on the ground. One of his arms moved a little, and blood ran out of the side of his head to the wet tarmac. The girl continued shooting him for ten, maybe fifteen seconds. Then someone pulled her back into the plane, and the door closed.
For a long time, everyone was silent. Then Colonel Court spoke, “Inspector, why did your man shoot? That girl was in the doorway for nearly fifteen seconds! Why isn’t she dead?”
“We are police officers, not soldiers! I…”
But the Colonel interrupted him, “Prime Minister, let my men deal with this problem. They have killed a man, now they’ll kill another one in half an hour. We must attack that plane! We are commandoes. We know how to do it.”
Helen was still watching the dead body of the man on the tarmac. She saw a hand move for a moment, but no, he must be dead by now. There was a pool of blood on the tarmac now around his head. He could not possibly be alive. For a moment, she did not hear the voices around her.
“In half an hour, Prime Minister.”
“Yes.” She turned towards them, “Yes, Colonel Court, bring your men here immediately. Meet me here in ten minutes with your plan. But I warn you, it must be a good one. I don’t want any more dead passengers!”
“Yes, Prime Minister, better ones.” the Colonel turned to go.
“Inspector!”
“Yes, madam!”
“I want those two prisoners brought here from the prison at once. You have twenty-five minutes, no more. Do you understand?”
“But Prime Minister, you can’t do that.” the Inspector and Colonel stared at her in surprise.
“I can, and I will.”
“But these men are dangerous criminals, terrorists. They tried to put a bomb on a plane. They are in prison for…”
“For thirty years, Colonel, I know! But they are only two men, and there are over a hundred innocent people on that plane. My job is to save their lives, and I need time to do it.”
The Inspector stood up very tall and straight in his fine uniform. “Prime Minister, I strongly advise you not to do this! You don’t understand…”
Helen interrupted him, her voice ice-cold and angry. “I understand very well indeed, Inspector! And I thank you for your advice. But I think I must make the decisions, and you must obey my orders! You now have only twenty-four minutes. Bring those prisoners here, please!”
“Yes, madam!” the Inspector and the Colonel left the room, looking very unhappy.
“Prime Minister”
“Yes, Michael!” she turned and saw that Michael was smiling quietly.
“The American and British ambassadors are here. Do you want to see them?”
She groaned and sat down suddenly. “Do I want to? Of course, I don’t! But I suppose I must talk to them because that man was an American. Send them in! They can have five minutes with me. That’s all.”
“Yes, Prime Minister” Michael picked up the telephone.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Eight
When the girl came back into the cabin, she was shaking. Her hands were shaking, and she was crying, and smoke was coming out of her gun. One of the passengers, an American, stood up and shouted at her. “You are a murderer!” he shouted, “You are dirty murdering, but…” She turned and pointed the gun at him, and fired. The man sat down in his seat, and the bullets went above the seats all along the plane and through the roof.
After ten seconds the girl stopped firing and shouted, “You shut up! You shut up and sit down! Or I’ll kill you all, all of you!”
But she was crying, too. And a young man in a black shirt put his arms around her and held her. She leaned against him crying, and he whispered something in her ear. It was then that Harold moved. He got out of his seat, bent low, and ran very fast along the aisle towards the front of the plane. The young man and girl did not see him coming, and he caught them both around their legs, and knocked them onto the floor. Harold fell on top of them, and he tried to take one of the guns, but the girl pulled his hair and the young man held his arms. Then the bearded man came out of the captain’s cabin, and hit Harold hard on the head with his gun. Harold fell on the floor and lay still.
The bearded man pointed his gun at the passengers and shouted, “Sit still!” very loud indeed.
None of the passengers had moved except Carl, and he was too slow. He stood very still in the middle of the aisle, five meters away from the bearded man’s gun. The other two hijackers were still on the floor. Carl saw the captain moved in the cabin behind the bearded man, but the young man in a black shirt saw him, too, and stood up, and pointed his gun at the captain. Both Carl and captain were too late.
“I am getting old,” Carl thought, “When I was young, I could move as fast as Harold, but now.”
Carl sat down in his seat very slowly. The bearded man watched him all the time. He pushed Harold with his foot. “Search him!” he said to the girl, “Then handcuff him to the door. He will be the next one.”
The girl pulled Harold to the door. She found some handcuffs in his pocket, and handcuffed him to the door. Then she searched his other pockets. In one of his pockets she found a newspaper. She looked at it, and saw a photo of Harold and Carl. She stood up slowly, and showed it to the bearded man. He looked at the photo, and then he looked at Carl carefully, and for a long time. Very slowly smiles appeared on the faces of the two hijackers, and they began to laugh.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Nine
Helen Sandburg stood up to welcome the American and British ambassadors. The two men were very different. The American ambassador was a short round man with a loud voice, which Helen disliked very much. He often wore open neck shirts, and he had a very hairy chest. She disliked that, too. The British ambassador, a tall thin Scotsman from Edinburgh, was always quiet, polite and well dressed. But she did not always believe what he said. Once a year ago, he had lied to her, and she could never forget that. But most of all, she disliked them because they were both military men. And their counties were much bigger than hers. They wanted military bases for their soldiers in her country, and she did not want them.
“So gentleman, what can I do for you?”
The American spoke first, “Well, man! An American passenger is dead.”
“Yes, I know. I am very sorry about that. I hope no more will die.”
“I hope so, too, man. There are twenty-eight U.S. passengers on that plane, and my government wants to keep them alive.”
“There are a hundred and seven passengers on that plane, ambassador. And my government wants them all alive.” Helen answered quietly.
But the ambassador did not listen. “So the U.S. government is going to help you, man. We have fifty U.S. Marines of the U.S. embassy. And they can be here one hour from now. And then they’ll just take that __ plane apart.”
The Scotsman smiled, “Excuse me, ambassador. Perhaps one hour from now will be too late. One man is already dead. But, perhaps you do know this plan, Prime Minister. But this week six S.A.S soldiers are visiting the British embassy. They are waiting outside my car now. These men know a lot about hijackers, much more than the U.S. Marines, or probably own soldiers’ plane, Prime Minister. They know exactly what to do. So…”
“Now, just a moment!” the American interrupted, “the U.S. Marines…”
“Gentlemen!” Helen’s clear hard voice stopped them, “There is no time to argue. Firstly, I didn’t know about the S.A.S soldiers in the British embassy, and I am very surprised about it, very surprised indeed, ambassador! Secondly, I do not think it is a good idea to attack the plane with a hundred and seven passengers in it, and take it apart, as you say. I want these people to live, not die! So I thank you for your ideas. But this small country is ours, not yours. We will manage this problem in our own way with our own people! Thank you very much! Now you must excuse me, I am very busy!”
At the door, the Scotsman turned back. “Prime Minister, I know you want to save lives.” he said, “I understand that, but these hijackers must not go free. My government does not want that! No government in the world wants that!”
“I know that, ambassador.” Helen answered quietly, “I know that very well.”
As they went out, the phone rang. Michael picked it up. Helen sat down at the table and watched him. His face was very serious. He wrote it on a piece of paper, and then put the phone down. For a moment, he did not look at her.
“What is it, Michael? Tell me!”
“It was a radio message from the plane, Prime Minister.”
“Well, what did they say? Didn’t they want to talk to me?”
“No, Prime Minister! Just a message!”
It says, “We love our brothers! We hope the Prime Minister loves her husband! He is on the plane just behind the door.”
For a long moment, she stared at Michael. She did not speak. The picture of the American passenger appeared in her mind. She saw him jumping out of the door, and the girl shooting him, shooting him for ten, maybe for fifteen long seconds.
“I’m sorry, Prime Minister.” said Michael softly.
“What? Yes, so am I. I thought perhaps… perhaps the hijackers did not know Carl was my husband. But now they do know.”
She ran her hand through her hair, and then looked at her watch. But her hand was shaking so much that she could not tell the time. The phone rang again. Michael picked it up,
“Colonel Court was outside, Prime Minister.” he watched her waiting for an answer, “I’ll tell him to wait, shall I?”
She put her hands ___ on the table, and stood up. “Yes, yes, Michael. Tell him to wait two minutes, that’s all.” She walked to the window and stared out at the plane. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass. And for two minutes, she did not move. Then she turned around, and smiled at Michael. “Let’s just hope Colonel Court’s plan is a good one, shall we? Show him in!”
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Ten
In the plane, Carl and Harold sat on the floor by the door. They were handcuffed together with Harold’s handcuffs. The girl hijacker stood watching with her gun. The bearded man was in the captain’s cabin, and the young man in a black shirt was watching the other passengers. Harold touched his head with his hand. There was blood in his hair.
“How do you feel, my young friend?” Carl asked.
“It hurts.” Harold answered, “And I can’t see well.
“This man needs a doctor!” Carl said to the young girl angrily.
She laughed, “Uh, that’s your wife’s problem, not mine!” she said, “If our brothers come, he will get a doctor. If they don’t, he won’t need one.” She pointed her gun at Harold’s head and laughed again. She wasn’t at all nervous now.
Carl felt angry. He was angry with the hijackers, and he was angry with himself, because he had not moved fast to help Harold. It was good to be angry. When he was angry, he did not feel so afraid. “How old are you?” he asked the girl.
She did not answer. “I ask you a question.” he said, “How old are you? eighteen? nineteen? You are not old really, are you? You are just a child!”
The girl’s face went red. “I’m twenty!” she said angrily, “I’m not a child!”
“You look like a child.” Carl said, “You are only two years older than my daughter. Why are you doing this?”
The girl laughed. She didn’t look at his eyes. “Why? You don’t understand.”
“I don’t think you understand what you are doing.” Carl said, “None of the people in this plane have hurt you! We are all innocent! The man you killed! He wasn’t a spy! He was just an American business man! You have never seen any of us before! Why do you want to kill us?”
The girl looked worried and angry. She pointed the gun straight at Carl’s head. “I don’t want to kill you.” she said, “I want your government, your wife to set our brothers free.”
“Yes, I know.” said Carl carefully. He watched the gun and the girl’s face, but he was not really afraid because he was still angry. He argued with the girl as though he was arguing with his daughter. “But remember what your brothers did! They tried to put a bomb on a plane! They wanted to kill innocent people like us! Why?”
“You are not innocent.” said the girl, “No one is innocent. People like you and your wife, and that American, you have money and power, and you take it from my people, from us! Do you know how I lived when I was a child? Ten people in one room with no bath, no water, nothing! My parents had no jobs, no passports, no country, nothing! We lived in a town with ten thousand others. But ten kilometers away, there were rich people like you with big beautiful houses, fine cars, fine clothes! They were all innocent people like you! I tell you no one is innocent!” She was shouting now and nearly crying. There were tears in her eyes.
Carl and Harold watched the gun carefully. “Poor girl” Carl thought, “Poor little murderers”
The bearded man came out of the captain’s cabin, put his hand on the girl’s arm. “Stop it, little flower!” he said, “Don’t talk to them. That’s not your job.” Then he hit Carl in the face. “Keep your mouth shut!” he said, “Think about your wife instead. Do you see the time? I think she has forgotten you!”
Carl groaned and held his mouth with his hand. There was blood in his mouth, and one of his teeth was broken. Then he looked at his watch. It was 2:23. Seven minutes left. Then the half hour was over. “I’m sorry, my friend.” he whispered to Harold, “You try fighting, I try talking, but it didn’t work. I think this may be our last journey.”
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Eleven
Helen Sandburg decided that she liked Colonel Court. He spoke clearly. He explained his ideas carefully, and she listened what he said. He did not try to be difficult because she was a woman. Best of all, they had made plan together. “A good plan,” she thought, “It could really work, perhaps.” She looked at her watch. 2:23 “Right, Colonel, get your men ready. I’ll send the first prisoner down to you when they’ll arrive. But where are they? Michael, have they arrived yet?”
“No, Prime Minister, not yet”
“Then where the hell are they? Can you get Inspector Holm on the car radio?”
“They are trying, Prime Minister.” Michael spoke to the telephone.
Colonel Court left the room, and Helen walked upon and down slowly watching the clock. 2:24 2:25 2:26
“They’ve gotten in, Prime Minister. He says, he says one of the cars has had an accident in the rain. He thinks he’ll be here in ten minutes.” Michael looked up. There was no smile on his face at all now.
“Ten minutes? What’s he driving? A police car or a bicycle?” Helen bent her face on the table. “We’ve got four minutes left. OK! I want to talk to the hijackers. Get them on the radio.”
She sat down at the table while Michael called the plane. Colonel Court came in and stood behind her. A voice came on the radio. “Well, Mrs Sandburg, where are our brothers?”
“They are coming!” said Helen, “They’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“That is too late. I gave you half an hour. Your husband will die in four minutes.” Helen pressed her hands flat on the table, so hard that the ends of her fingers went white. “Please don’t do that.” she said.
“I am sorry, Mrs Sandburg, but if my brothers are not here in four minutes, your husband will die.”
“Don’t you want to see your brothers?” she asked quickly, “I promise you if you kill my husband, you’ll never see them again!”
There was a pause while no one spoke. Then the radio answered. “Four minutes, Mrs Sandburg”
Helen spoke clearly, slowly and loudly. She filled her voice with all the anger she had in her body. “Listen, you murderer! I need ten minutes to get your brothers to this airport. Then I’ll send them to the plane. But if you kill my husband or anyone else, then I promise you your brothers will die on the tarmac in front of that plane. Is that what you want? Or will you wait ten minutes?”
There was another longer pause. Helen stared out into the night. She did not see anything.
“All right, ten more minutes”
“Thank you! Now there is one more thing. The passengers! What about them? You must set them free before I send your brothers to the plane.”
The voice on the radio laughed. “Because you are a woman, do you think all men are stupid like your husband? Send me our brothers, then refuel the plane, and then I will send you the passengers.”
“No!” answered Helen. She looked at Colonel Court. “This is how we will do it. I will send you one of your brothers, and then you must send me the passengers. When we have all the passengers, then we will refuel the plane and send you the other brother.
The voice laughed again. “Do you think you are buying cheap fish from a child in a market? Send us one brother then, and we will send you one hundred passengers. Refuel the plane and send us the other brother, and we will send you the other passengers. But the pilot and your husband must come with us to another country. We will set them free later.”
Helen looked at Colonel Court. There was the beginning of a smile on her face. She could see that he agreed with her. She waited for a moment longer to worry the hijacker. “Isn’t it agreed, woman? Or do I kill your husband now?”
“I agree! I will send your first brother to you in ten minutes.”
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Twelve
Carl fell his broken tooth with his tongue. The door of the captain’s cabin was open, and he could see the bearded hijacker sitting inside. He had a long nose and dark hair. His eyes looked green from the light of the instruments in the dark cabin. He held his gun near his mouth, and touched it gently with his lips as he waited. Carl had heard half the conservation. Eight of the minutes had gone. Now he could do nothing. He felt afraid. He could feel his hand in the handcuff shaking. Harold felt, too, and held Carl’s hand with his own. “Don’t worry, Mr Sandburg.” Harold whispered, “We’ll get out of here.”
“Perhaps” Carl answered, “and perhaps not, but I don’t want these murderers to go free.”
“Sh!” Harold whispered.
Carl looked up and saw the girl watching them. Then suddenly the bearded man shouted, “They’re coming, look! Get ready!”
The girl went into the captain’s cabin. Harold and Carl stood up and looked through the window. They saw three men pushing some steps across the tarmac. The men put the steps outside the plane door, and then went back again. Then two more men came out of the building. They were wearing bright yellow coats because of the rain. One man walked towards the plane.
“Come away from the door! Quick!” The girl unlocked handcuffs and pushed Harold and Carl back to their seats. Then she started to open the door.
“Wait! Turn the lights out, and step back from the door.” said the bearded man, “They will try to shoot us in the light from the door.”
The door opened, and the man in yellow coat came into the plane. He was thin with very short hair. The girl shut the door and the lights came on, and the man shut his eyes in the bright light. The girl and the bearded man put their arms around him laughing, “Free! You are free now, brother. And the other one, is he safe? Came into the cabin. Let’s talk!”
Carl and Harold watched sadly, “So now she will give them what they want because of me.” said Carl quietly, “We will be safe. The day will be free to bomb another plane because of me.” He held his head in his hands.
“Wait! Mr Sandburg” said Harold. “Your wife isn’t stupid, you know? This game has not ended yet. Sit still and be ready!”
The other passengers sat quietly waiting to be free.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Thirteen
Helen Sandburg sat by the control room window staring at the plane. “Come on!” she said, “Why is that door shut? Where are the passengers?”
“The hijackers won’t set them free.” said inspector Holm, “I told you, Prime Minister, this is a serious mistake.”
“Be quiet, man.” said Colonel Court, “I think we’ve got something on the radio.”
Beside him, a soldier was turning the controls of a small army radio. Suddenly the voices of one of the hijackers and prisoner came into the room. “So how many soldiers are there in that airport building, my brother?”
“I didn’t see any soldiers and police.”
“That’s strange. No soldiers at all?”
“I did not see any, brother.”
“Very strange, but these are not military people. They do not have many soldiers. Perhaps the woman will do what she says that?”
“What’s happening, Colonel?” Helen asked, “those of hijackers’ voices, how can we hear them?”
The Colonel laughed, “Well, madam! You can see it’s raining, can’t you? We didn’t want our poor prisoner to get wet, so we gave him a nice yellow raincoat you see. But it was an expensive raincoat, because one of its buttons is a small radio transmitter. So now we can hear everything they say and we know where they are on the plane.
Helen smiled, “Good idea, Colonel, I hope it helps.”
“Prime Minister” Michael interrupted, “They are coming!”
Helen looked through the window. The door of the plane was open and people walked coming downstairs one after another. Some of them started to run towards the airport building, and few knelt down on the tarmac. “What are they doing?” Helen asked.
“Praying , perhaps” said Michael, “To thank God they are alive.”
Police and doctors came out of the building to help the passengers. Helen stood and watched through the binoculars. She did not see Carl.
“ninety-nine, a hundred, that’s it then.” said Colonel Court. The plane door closed. “Now we move on to the next step of our plan. Goodbye, Prime Minister.”
Helen turned and saw the Colonel was putting on white clothes on the top of his army uniform. He put several grenades in the coat pocket and machine gun into a long pocket inside his coat. He smiled at her. “I must help my men refuel the plane.”
“May God go with you, Colonel!” she said.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Fourteen
The lights in the plane went out again. There were only eleven left in it now, Carl Sandburg and Harold, four crew and five Americans. They sat together in the middle of the plane. The girl and the young man in a black shirt watched them. Through the window, Carl saw the fuel tanker drive towards the plane. It stopped, and five men in white clothes got out. The pilot went to the front of plane to work the controls, and the men started to refuel the plane. Then he saw another man in a yellow raincoat come out of the airport building. The bearded man started to talk very excitedly, “Is it him? Yes, it is! Our leader! My brother and sister, we have done it! Now I must welcome him at the door. You brother, watch the pilot in the cabin! You sister, watch the passengers!”
Carl Sandburg watched the man in the yellow coat walk nearer. He could only see one man at the back of the plane refueling it. He saw the others were under the plane somewhere. But he did not know where. Harold put his hand on Carl’s arm. Carl looked at him. Harold did not speak, but he was looking at the girl very carefully. As the door opened, and the man with the yellow coat came in, the girl turned to look. Through the window, Carl saw a man in a white coat run out from under the plane, with something that looked like a grenade in his hand. Two other men in white ran out behind him. The man’s arm went up, and he threw the grenade through the open door. There was a very loud bang at the front of the plane, and the flash of the white lights ___ Carl’s eyes. Almost immediately, there was even louder bang bang, and two more flashes of white light. Carl could not move. The noise was so loud and the lights so bright that he sat still as a stone. He saw the girl hijacker and the bearded man standing quite still, too, with their guns in their hands and their mouth open. Then a man in white ran through the door with a gun in his hand. He shot the girl and the bearded man before they could move. The hijacker in a black shirt came out of the captain’s cabin behind the man in white, but two other men came through the door and shot him, too. The two prisoners in their yellow raincoats tried to get to the door, but the men in white knocked them to the floor and handcuffed their hands behind their backs.
Carl looked down. The girl was lying on the floor of the aisle beside him. He saw her hand move towards her machine gun, but one of the soldiers in white run down the aisle, and shot her again through her head. Another soldier put her away by her legs, and her long hair left blood along the floor.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物3级>劫机.Skyjack!>
Chapter Fifteen
Helen Sandburg heard the bangs, too. And when she saw the white light, she saw the plane was burning. For about half a minute, there was nothing but loud bangs and white flashes, and then there was nothing. There were no lights at all in the plane, and no sounds, either. She turned to Michael, “Can’t you get them on the radio?”
“I am trying, Prime Minister, but I think it’s broken.”
She walked to the door, “I am going out.”
Inspector Holm stood in front of her, “You must not do that, Prime Minister. We don’t know what’s happened.”
“That’s why I am going.” she said, “I’m going to find out. I don’t care what happens to me.”
He was a big man, but he was afraid of her. She walked straight past him and down the steps. In the departure launch, there was a crowd of passengers waiting to get on other planes, and also a lot of doctors, police and newspaper journalists. She walked straight past them all, and out on the tarmac. It was dark and cold, and the wind blew rain into her face. When she was about fifty meters away from the building, she heard some people behind her, but she did not stop.
The door of the plane opened, and the man in white came out. He had a gun in his hand, and he came backwards down the steps. After him came two men in yellow raincoats with their hands behind their backs, and then two other men in white with guns.
Two police officers came after her, “Wait! Prime Minister!” they said, “Please stop, it’s dangerous!”
“Not now” she said, “It’s not dangerous anymore.”
She walked on through the rain without stopping, and the young police officer walked beside her. They were afraid to touch her, and they did not know what to do. Some journalists ran after them.
Two men in blue came out of the plane, the pilot and co-pilot. Then some men in suits, she was quite near the plane now, and there were quite a lot of newspaper photographers around her now, but she did not stop walking. A big young man came out of the plane with a short thin grey-head one, Harold and Carl.
Helen could see that Carl’s face was very white. There was blood in his mouth, but he could walk alright.
Carl saw her coming, a small strong figure walking through the rain, with a crowd of police and photographers around her. “Harold, my friend” he said, “I think we are in the news again. You are going to have another photo to show your little son on his birthday.”
Carl and Helen Sandburg met at the bottom of the steps in the darkness, in the rain. And Carl was right. There was a photo of it in every newspaper in the world the next day.
(The End)
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物4级>华盛顿广场.washington.square>
Chapter One: Poor Catherine
In the first half of the nineteen century, there lived in New York a very successful doctor. His success was for two reasons. He was without doubt a good doctor, intelligent and honest, but he also knew how to please his patients. He gave long careful explanations about the illness, and always gave them some medicine to take. Indeed, his patients were fond of saying that they had the best doctor in the country.
By the time he was fifty, Dr. Austin Sloper, was quite a famous person in New York. His conversation was clever and amusing, and no fashionable party in the city was complete without him. He was also lucky. In 1820, at the age of 27, he had married for love a very charming girl, who had a fortune of 10,000 dollars a year. For about five years, Dr. Sloper was a very happy husband. He continued to work as a doctor and each year became more experienced and more successful.
Some of the experience, however, was very unwelcome. His first child, a little boy of great promise, died at the three years of age. Neither the mother’s love nor the father’s medicine could save him. Two years later, Mrs. Sloper had a second child, a little girl. This disappointed the doctor, who had wished for another son to take the place of the first, but there was worse news to come. A week after the child was born, the young mother fell ill, and before another week had passed, she was dead.
For a man whose profession was to keep people alive, Austin Sloper had certainly done badly in his own family. But the only person who blamed Dr. Sloper was Dr. Sloper himself. He felt that had failed, and he carried this private blame for the rest of his life.
He still had his little girl, whom he named Catherine after her poor mother. She grew up a strong and healthy child, and her father knew he would not lose her.
When the child was about ten years old, the doctor invited his sister, Mrs. Lavinia Penniman, to stay with him. He had two sisters, and both of them had married early in life. The younger one, Mrs. Almond, was the wife of a rich man and the mother of a large family. Elizabeth Almond was a comfortable and reasonable woman, and Dr. Sloper preferred her to his sister Lavinia. However, Lavinia’s husband had died at the age of 37, leaving his wife without children or fortune. And so, Dr. Sloper invited his sister to stay while she looked for rooms to rent. No one really knew if Mrs. Penniman ever looked for rooms, but it is certain that she never found them.
After six months, the doctor accepted the fact that his sister was never going to leave. Mrs. Penniman told everyone except her brother that she was Catherine’s teacher. Dr. Sloper guessed that this was her explanation and he found the idea laughable, since he did not think his sister was very intelligent. In fact, he did not have a good opinion of woman at all. The only woman he had ever admired had been his wife. He was always extremely polite to Lavinia, but he had no interest in her opinions or conservation. He only spoke to her to inform her of his wishes for Catherine.
Once when the girl was about twelve years old, he said to his sister. “Try to make a clever woman out of her, Lavinia. I should like her to be a clever woman.”
Mrs. Penniman looked at him. “My dear Austin” she said, “Do you think it is better to be clever than to be good?”
“Good for what?” asked the doctor, “You are good for nothing unless you are clever. Of course, I wish Catherine to be good, but it will not make her a better person to be a fool.”
Mrs. Penniman was a tall, thin, fair woman, she was romantic and her brother knew that she loved little secrets and mysteries.
“When Catherine was about 17,” he said to himself, “Lavinia will try and persuade her that some young man with a mustache is in love with her. It would be quite untrue. No young man with or without a mustache will ever be in love with Catherine.”
Catherine was strong and healthy, but she did not have any of her mother’s beauty or her father’s cleverness. In fact there was very little that was interest about her at all. She was large and well-built with brown hair, a round face and small quiet eyes. The more generous friends of Dr. Sloper’s noticed that she was well-behaved and polite. Others thought she was just dull. But Catherine was not someone that people spent much time talking about. She was extremely fond of her father and very much afraid of him. She wanted to please him more than anything in the world. But although Dr. Sloper was usually kind to Catherine, he was very disappointed in her. He wanted to be proud of his daughter, but there was nothing to be proud in poor Catherine. She was not elegant or pretty or charming like her mother, and by the age of 18, Mrs. Penniman had still not made her a clever woman.
Over the years, however, Dr. Sloper got used to his disappointment. “I accept nothing from her,” he said to himself, “If she gives me a surprise, I will be happy; if she doesn’t, I shall not lose anything.”
At this time, it did not seem possible that Catherine would ever surprise anyone. She was always very quiet, saying so little in conservation that she seemed almost stupid. But she was silent because she was shy, uncomfortably painfully shy. In fact, she was a very gentle, sensitive girl.
Slowly Catherine realized that she was changing from a girl to a young lady. She began wearing very expensive clothes in very bright colors, rather too bright for Dr. Sloper.
When she was 20, she bought a red and gold evening dress and did not seem to realize that it made her look ten years older. Dr. Sloper preferred simple elegant things, and it annoyed him to think that his child was both ugly and badly dressed, though he kept this opinion private. It must be added that Catherine was accepted to become a very rich woman. She had already inherited some money from her mother, but the doctor had been making 20,000 dollars a year by his profession and saving half of it. One day, this growing fortune would pass to Catherine.
In 1835, Dr. Sloper moved his family to a more fashionable address. He built himself a handsome, modern house in Washington Square, which was just around the corner from Fifth Avenue. Across the road from the house, in the centre of the square, was a pretty garden, which was open to everyone, though few people ever used it.
Mrs. Almond lived further out of the city in a house that was almost in the country. She had nine children and Catherine went with Mrs. Penniman to see her cousins every week. The little Almond’s were now growing up. The boys had been sent off to college or to work in offices, while the girls looked for suitable husbands. When Mrs. Almond gave a party for her younger daughter Marian, who had become engaged to a promising young man, Catherine naturally was invited. At this time, she was 21 years old, and Mrs. Almond’s party was the beginning of something very important.
原文是本人自己听写出来的，如有错误，请务必指出，谢谢支持！

Bryan1984

首页>听力教程>书虫牛津英语有声读物4级>华盛顿广场.washington.square>
Chapter Two: A Handsome Young Man
Not long after the dancing had begun at the party, Marian Almond came up to introduce Catherine to a tall young man. She told Catherine that the young man very much wanted to meet her, that he was a cousin of Arthur Townsend, the man she was engaged to. Catherine always felt uncomfortable when meeting new people.
The young man, Mr. Morris Townsend was very handsome, and when Marian went away, Catherine stood in front of him, not knowing what to say. But before she could get embarrassed, Mr. Townsend began to talk to her with an easy smile. “What I don’t like for party! What a charming house! What an interesting family! What a pretty girl your cousin is!” Mr. Townsend looked straight into Catherine’s eyes.
She answered nothing. She only listened and looked at him.
He went on to say many other things in the same comfortable and natural way. Catherine, though silent, was not embarrassed. It seemed right that such a handsome should talk, and she should simply look at him.
The music which had been silent for a while suddenly began again. He smiled and asked to dance. Catherine gave no answer. She simply let him put his arms around her, and in a moment they were dancing around the room. When they paused, she felt she was red. And then for some moments, she stopped looking at him.
“Dose dancing make you dizzy?” he asked in a kind voice.
Catherine looked up at him, “Yes” She murmured, though she did not know why. Dancing had never made her dizzy.
“Then we will sit and talk?” said Mr. Townsend, “I will find a good place to sit.” He found a good place, a charming place, a little sofa in a corner that seemed meant for two persons. “We will talk.” the young man had said. But he still did all the talking. Catherine sat with her eyes fixed on him, smiling and thinking him very clever. She had never seen anyone so handsome before. He told her that he was a distant cousin of Arthur Townsend, and Arthur had brought him to introduce him to the family.
In fact, he was a stranger in New York. He had not been there for many years. He had been traveling around the world, living in many strange places, and had only back a month or two before. New York was very pleasant, but he felt lonely.
“People forget you.” he said, smiling at Catherine. It seemed to Catherine that no one who had seen him would ever forget him, but she kept this thought to herself.
They sat there for some time. He was very amusing, and Catherine had never heard anyone speak as well as he did, not even an actor in a theatre. And Mr. Townsend was not like an actor, he seemed so sincere, so natural.
Then Marian Almond came pushing through the crowd of dancers. She gave a little cry, which made Catherine blush, when she saw the young people still together. She told Mr. Townsend that her mother had been waiting for half an hour to introduce him to somebody. “We shall meet again!” he said to Catherine as he left her.
Her cousin took Catherine by the arm. “And what do you think of Morris?” she asked.
“Oh. Nothing particular” Catherine answered, hiding what she really felt for the first time in her life.
“Oh! I must tell him that.” cried Marian, “It will do him good. He is so terribly considered.”
“Considered?” said Catherine, staring at her cousin.
“So Arthur says, and Arthur knows about him.”
“Oh, don’t tell him.” said Catherine.
“Don’t tell him that? I have told him that many times.”
Half an hour later, Catherine saw her aunt Penniman sit by a window with Morris Townsend. She already knew the name very well. Standing in front of her, he was saying clever things, and Mrs. Penniman was smiling. Catherine moved away quickly. She did not want him to turn around and see her, but she was glad he was talking to Mrs. Penniman, because it seemed to keep him near to her.
In the carriage as they drove home, Catherine was very quiet, and Dr. Sloper talked with her sister. “Who was that young man you spent so much time with?” he asked, “He seemed very interested in you.”
“He was not interested in me.” said Mrs. Penniman, “He talked to me about Catherine.”
“Oh, aunt Penniman” Catherine murmured.
“He is very handsome and very clever.” her aunt went on, “He spoke in a, in a very charming way.”
The doctor smiled. “He is in love with Catherine then?”
“Oh, father” murmured the girl, thankful it was dark in the carriage.
“I don’t know that, but he admired her dress.”
Admiring the dress instead of the person might not seem very enthusiastic, but Catherine did not think this. She was deeply pleased.
Her father looked with a little cool smile at her expensive red and gold dress. “You see,” he said, “he thinks you have 80,000 dollars a year.”
“I don’t believe he thinks so that” said Mrs. Penniman, “He is too fine a gentleman.”
“He must be extremely fine not to think of that.”
“Well, he is.” Catherine cried before she knew it.
“I thought you had gone to sleep.” he father answered, “The hour has come.” He added to himself. “Lavinia is going to arrange a romance for Catherine.”
A few days after Mrs. Almond’s party, Morris Townsend and his cousin called at Washington Square. Catherine and her aunt were sitting together by the fire in the parlor. Arthur Townsend sat and talked to Catherine while his companion sat next to Mrs. Penniman. Catherine, usually so easy to please, tonight found Arthur rather uninteresting. She kept looking over at the other side of the room while Morris Townsend was deep in conversation with her aunt. Every few minutes, he looked over at Catherine and smiled, and she wished that she was sitting near to him. Arthur seemed to notice that Catherine was interested in his companion. “My cousin asked me to bring him.” he explained, “He seemed to want very much to come. I told him I wanted to ask you first, but he said that Mrs. Penniman had invited him.”
“We are very glad to see him.” said Catherine. She wished to talk more about him, but she did not know what to say. “I never saw him before.” she went on.
Arthur Townsend stared. “But he told me he walked with you for over half an hour the other night.”
“I mean before the other night. That was the first time.”
“Oh! He has been away from New York. He has been all around the world.”
“My aunt likes him very much.” said Catherine.
“Most people like him. He’s so brilliant, though I know some people who say my cousin is too clever.”
Catherine listened with extreme interest. “If Morris Townsend had a fault, it would naturally be that one.” she thought.
After a moment she asked, “Now that he has come back, will he stay here always?”
“If he can find something to do.” said Arthur, “He is looking around for some kind of employment or business, but he can find anything.”
“I am very sorry.” said Catherine
“Oh, he doesn’t mind.” Arthur said, “He isn’t in a hurry.”
Catherine thought about this, then asked, “Won’t his father take him into his business, his office?”
“He hasn’t got a father. He has only got a sister.” said Arthur Townsend, and he looked across at his cousin, and began to laugh, “Morris, we are talking about you.”
Morris paused in his conversation with Mrs. Penniman, and stared with a little smile. Then he stood up, “I am afraid I was not talking about you.” he said to Catherine’s companion, “Though I can’t pretend Miss. Sloper’s name did not enter our conversation.”
Catherine though that this was a wonderfully clever thing to say, but she was embarrassed by it, and she also got up. Morris Townsend stood looking at her, smiling. He put out his hand to say goodbye. He was going, and though he had not said anything to her. She was still glad that she had seen him.
“I would tell her what you have said when you go.” said Mrs. Penniman with a little laugh.
Catherine blushed. She felt they were almost laughing at her. “What in the world had this beautiful young man said?” she saw that he was looking at her kindly.
“I have not talked with you.” he said, “And that was what I came for, but it would be a good reason for coming another time. I am not afraid what your aunt will say when I go.”
After the two young men had left, Catherine, who was still blushing, gave Mrs. Penniman a serious look. “What did you say you will tell me?” she asked.
Mrs. Penniman smiled and nodded a little, “It’s a great secret, my dear child. But he is coming here to court you!”
Catherine was serious still. “Is that what he told you?”
“He didn’t say so exactly. He left me to guess it. I am good at guessing.” Mrs. Penniman gave her niece a little soft kiss, “You must be very nice to him.”
Catherine stared. She was amazed. “I don’t understand you.” she said, “she doesn’t know me.”
“Oh, yes, he does. He knows you more than you think. I have told him all about you.”
“Oh, aunt Penniman” said Catherine in a frightened voice, “He is a stranger. We don’t know him.”
“My dear Catherine, you know very well that you admire him.”
“Oh, aunt Penniman” said Catherine again. Perhaps she did admire him, though this did not seem to her a thing to talk about. But she could not believe that this brilliant stranger wished to court her, only a romantic woman like her aunt would believe that.
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Bryan1984

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Chapter Three: Who is Morris Townsend
Half an hour after the two young men had left, Dr. Sloper came into the parlor. “Mr. Morris Townsend has just been here, Austin.” Mrs. Penniman told her brother, “What a pity you missed him.”
“Who in the world is Mr. Morris Townsend?”
“The gentleman at Elizabeth’s party who likes Catherine so much.” said Mrs. Penniman
“Oh! His name is Morris Townsend, isn’t it?” the doctor said. He looked at Catherine, “And did he come here to ask you to marry him?”
“Oh, father!” murmured Catherine, turning away.
“I hope he won’t do that without your permission.” said Mrs. Penniman
“My dear, he seems to have yours.” her brother answered, “The next time he comes, you should call me. He might like to see me.”
Morris Townsend came again five days later, but Dr. Sloper was not at home at the time. Catherine was with her aunt when a servant announced the young man’s name. Mrs. Penniman sent her niece into the parlor alone. “This time is for you, for you only.” she said.
So Catherine saw Mr. Townsend alone, sitting with him in the front parlor for more than an hour. He seemed more at home this time, making himself very comfortable, and looking around with interests at the room and the furniture. His talk was light, easy and friendly. “Tell me about yourself.” he said to her with his charming smile.
Catherine had very little to tell, but she told him of her love of music and the theatre, and how she did not really enjoy reading. Morris Townsend agreed with her that books were boring. He had been two places that people had written about and they were not at all as they had been described. He had also seen all the famous actors in London and Paris, but the actors would always like the writers. They were never true to real life. He liked everything to be natural. Suddenly he stopped, looking at Catherine with his smile. “That’s what I like you for. You are so natural.” he said, “You see, I am natural myself.” He went on to talk about his great love of music and singing. “I sing a little myself.” he added, “Someday I will show you, not today, but some other time.” And then he got up to go. He had perhaps talked more about himself than about Catherine, but the truth was that Catherine had not noticed. She was thinking about only some other time had delightful sound. It seemed to suggest many more meetings in the future.
Catherine felt it was her duty to tell her father that Morris Townsend had called again, thought it made her feel ashamed and uncomfortable. She announced the fact very suddenly as soon as the doctor came into the house, and then immediately tried to leave the room. Her father stopped her just as she reached the door. “Well, my dear, did he ask you to marry him today?” the doctor said.
Catherine had no answer ready. She wanted to be amused as her father was amused, but she also wanted to be a little shy so that he would not ask the question again. She did not like it. It made her unhappy. “Perhaps he will do it next time.” she said with a little laugh, and she quickly got out of the room.
The doctor stood staring. He wondered whether his daughter was serious, and decided to find out more about this handsome young man.
The next time he saw his sister Elizabeth, he asked her about Morris Townsend. “Lavinia has already been to ask me about him.” Mrs. Almond said.
“What did you tell her?” the doctor asked.
“What I tell you that I know very little of him.”
“How disappointing Lavinia” said the doctor, “She would like him to have some romantic secret in his past. I hear that he is a distant cousin of Arthur Townsend.”
“Yes, it seems that there are Tonwsend’s and Tonwsend’s, some rather better than others. Arthur’s mother knows very little about him. Only some story that he has been wild in the past. I know his sister a little. Her name is Mrs. Montgomery. She is a widow with five children and not much money.”
“What is his profession?” asked the doctor.
“He hasn’t got any. He is looking for something. I believe he was once in the Nevi.”
“Once, and what is his age?”
“More than thirty, I think. Arthur told me that he inherited a little money, which is perhaps why he left the Nevi, and he spent it all in a few years. He traveled all over the world, lived in the foreign countries, amused himself. He has recently come back to America. He told Arthur that he now wants to start his life seriously.”
“Is he serious about Catherine then?”
“I don’t see why you are surprised?” said Mrs. Almond, “It seems to me that you have never been fair to Catherine. You must remember that she will one day have 30,000 dollars a year.”
The doctor looked at his sister for a moment. “I see that you remember it.”
Mrs. Almond blushed. “I don’t mean that is the only good thing about her. I simply mean that it is important. You seem to think that nobody will ever want to marry her.
“Why should I think different, Elizabeth?” the doctor said, “How many young men have come courting Catherine even with her expected fortune? None! Which is why Lavinia is so charmed that there is now a lover in the house. It is the first time.
“I think young men are rather afraid of Catherine.” said the doctor’s wise sister, “She seems older than they are. She is so large and she dresses so richly. And older more experienced men would recognize all the good things in her character, and would find her delightful.”
“And Mr. Townsend, what are his reasons for courting Catherine? Is he sincere in liking her?”
“It is very possible that he is sincere. Lavinia is sure of it.”
Dr. Sloper thought for a moment. “If he does not work, what are his means?”
“I have no idea. He lives with his sister and her children on second avenue.”
“A widow with five children? Do you mean he lives upon her?”
Mrs. Almond looked at her brother a little impatiently. “Why not ask Mrs. Montgomery yourself?” she said.
“Perhaps I will.” said the doctor.
Dr. Sloper was more amused than annoyed by the idea of Mr. Townsend courting his daughter. He was quite willing to believe the best of the young man, and if he was a sincere honest man. It did not matter if he was poor, since Catherine had no need of a rich husband. “The next time he comes,” he told Mrs. Penniman, “You must invite to dinner.” Mrs. Penniman was happy to pass on her brother’s invitation, which Morris Townsend accepted.
And the dinner was arranged. Two or three people were invited as well. And although Dr. Sloper told very little to the young man during the meal, he watched him carefully. At the end of the meal, when the ladies had gone up to the parlor, leaving the men to their drinking, the doctor gave him some wine and asked him several questions. Morris Townsend was happy to talk, and the doctor sat quietly, watching his bright handsome face. “He is clever, a good talker and very self-confident.” Catherine’s father thought, “And he dresses very well, but I don’t think I like him.” The doctor, however, kept his thoughts to himself.
Later when the men joined the ladies in the parlor, Morris Townsend went over to Catherine, who was standing before the fire in her red evening dress. “Your father doesn’t like me.” said the young man.
“I don’t see how you know.” said Catherine, blushing.
“I can feel these things. You ask him, and you will see.”
“I would rather not ask him, if there is any danger of his saying what you think.”
Morris gave her a little sad smile. “So you will allow him to say things against me, and not tell him he is wrong?”
“I never argue with him,” said Catherine, “and he won’t say anything against you. He doesn’t know you enough.”
Morris Townsend gave a loud laugh, and Catherine began to blush again. “I shall never talk about you.” she said.
“That is very well, but I would prefer you to say that it doesn’t matter what your father thinks.”
“But it would matter. I couldn’t say that!” the girl cried.
He stared at her, smiling a little. And just for a moment there was an impatient look in those fine eyes, but he spoke softly and sadly, “Then I must try to make him like me.
The next time the doctor visited Mrs. Almond. He told her that he had now met Morris Townsend. “He is certainly a fine looking young man.” he said.
“But what do you think of him as a father?” Mrs. Almond asked, “Lavinia tells me that Catherine is in love.”
“Well, she must stop being in love. He is not a gentleman. He is extremely charming, and completely insincere.”
“You have decided very quickly.” said Mrs. Almond.
“Not at all! I have been studying people for a lifetime, and quite able to make a judgment in a single evening.”
“Very possibly you are right. But the thing is for Catherine to see it.”
“I will give her a pair of glasses.” said the doctor.
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Bryan1984

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Chapter Four: Morris Townsend looks for a position
If it were true that Catherine was in love, she was certainly very quiet about it. She had told Morris Townsend that she would not mention him to her father, and so she said nothing about Morris’s continuous visits. It was only polite of course from Morris to visit after the dinner at Washington Square, and only natural for him to continue visiting. These visits had quickly become the most important thing in Catherine’s life. She was very happy. She did not yet know what the future would bring, and she was too modest to expect anything. She was just grateful for the present---the sound of his voice, the words he spoke to her, the expression of his face.
Dr. Slope suspected Morris Townsend’s visits and noticed how quiet Catherine had become. “What is going on in this house?” he asked his sister.
“Going on, Austin?” said Mrs. Penniman.
“Why haven’t you told me that Mr. Morris Townsend is coming to this house four or five times a week? I am away all day and I see nothing.”
Mrs. Penniman thought for a moment. “Dear Austin,” she said at last, “I can not tell a secret.”
“Whose secret? Catherine’s? Mr. Townsend’s? If it is his, I think it is extremely foolish of you to have secrets with young men. You don’t know where they will leave you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” said Mrs. Penniman, “I take a great interest in Mr. Townsend. I don’t hide that, but that is all.”
“It is quite enough, and what do you find so interesting about Mr. Townsend, his good looks?”
“His misfortunes, Austin, I can not tell you his story, but he would tell it to you himself, if he thought you would listen to him kindly.”
The doctor gave a laugh, “I shall ask him very kindly to leave Catherine alone.”
“Catherine probably says kind things to him since that.”
“Has she said that she loved him? Do you mean that?”
Mrs. Penniman stared at the floor. “She doesn’t talk to me about him. I think she is very happy. That is all I can say.”
“Townsend wants to marry her, is that what you mean?”
“He admires Catherine greatly.” said Mrs. Penniman, “And he says the most charming things about her.”
“And these misfortunes that you refused to tell me about, did they make him poor?”
“It is a long story.” said Mrs. Penniman, “And all I can say is that he has been wild in the past, but he has paid for it.”
The doctor smoked his cigar in silence, then said, “I am told he lives with his sister and does nothing for himself.”
“He is looking very seriously for a position.” said Mrs. Penniman, “He hopes everyday to find one.”
“Exactly! He is looking for it here, over there in the front parlor---the position of husband of a weak woman with a large fortune. That will suit him perfectly.
Mrs. Penniman got up and looked at her brother a little angrily. “My dear Austin,” she said, “You are making a great mistake if you think Catherine is a weak woman.” And with this she walked away.

Bryan1984

The family in Washington Square spent every Sunday evening at Mrs. Almond’s house. On the Sunday after his conversation with Mrs. Penniman, Dr. Sloper went off to another room to talk to his brother-in -law about business. He came back later to find that Morris Townsend had arrived and was sitting on the sofa beside Catherine. There were several friends of the family present and it was easy for the two young people to sit and talk privately. The doctor saw at once however that his daughter was painfully conscious that he was watching her. She sat very still with her eyes down, blushing deeply. Dr. Sloper felt so sorry for her that he turned his eyes away. “Poor Catherine,” he thought, “it must be very nice for her to have a beautiful young man court her. Perhaps I should give him another chance.”
A little later when Morris Townsend was standing alone, the doctor crossed the room towards him. The young man looked at him with a little smile. “He is amazingly conceited.” thought the doctor. Then he said, “I am told that you are looking for a position.”
“Yes, I should like some work,” Morris Townsend replied, “but I fear that I have no special talents.”
“You are too modest.” said the doctor, “I know nothing of you except what I see, but I see by your face you are extremely intelligent.”
“Ah…” Townsend said, “I don’t know what to answer when you said that. You advise me then not to give up hope?”
The question seemed to have a double meaning, and the doctor looked at him for a moment before he answered. “No young man should ever give up hope. If he does not succeed in one thing, he can try another.”
Morris Townsend stared down at his shoes. “Were you kindly suggesting a position for me?” he then asked, looking up and smiling.
This annoyed the doctor and he paused for a moment. Then he said, “I sometimes hear a possibility. How would you feel for example about leaving New York?”
“I am afraid I could not do that. I must find my fortune in this city. You see,” added Morris Townsend, “I have responsibilities here. I have a sister who depends on me.”
“Finer feeling is very important,” said Dr. Sloper, “I often think there is not enough of it in our city. I think I have heard of your sister.”
“It is possible, but I doubt it, she lives so very quietly.”
“As quietly, you mean?” the doctor went on with a short laugh, “has a lady may do with several small children?”
“I help with my little nephews and nieces.” said Morris Townsend, “I am their teacher.”
“That is very good, but it is not a career.”
“It won’t make my fortune.” agreed the young man.
Later in the evening, the doctor spoke to Mrs. Almond. “I should like to see his sister.” he said, “Mrs. Montgomery, Mr. Townsend tells me he teaches her children.”
“I will try and arrange it for you.” said Mrs. Almond, “I must say he doesn’t look in the least like a school teacher.”
And when Morris Townsend spoke to Catherine later, he did not sound like a school teacher, either. “Will you meet me somewhere tomorrow?” he murmured, “I have something particular to say to you, very particular.”
“Can’t you come to the house? Can’t you say it there?” Catherine asked, lifting her frightened eyes.
Townsend shook his head sadly. “I can not enter your doors again. Your father has insulted me.”
“Insulted you?”
“He dislikes me because I am poor.”
“Oh, you are wrong. You misunderstood him.” said Catherine, getting up from her chair.
“He laughed at me for having no position. I took it quietly only because he belongs to you.”
“I don’t know what he thinks.” said Catherine, “I am sure he means to be kind. You must not be too proud.”
“I will be proud only of you, my dearest.” said Morris, and Catherine blushed, “Will you meet me tomorrow evening in the garden in the square? It is very quiet there. No one will see us.”
Catherine hesitated. Young ladies do not go out alone in the evenings to meet young men in the gardens. “I am not, not very brave.” she said.
“Ah, then, if you are afraid, what shall we do?”
She hesitated again, then at last said, “You must come to the house. I am not afraid of that.”
“I would rather meet in the square.” the young man said, “You know how empty it is often. No one will see us.”
“I don’t care who sees us, but leave me now.”
He left her. He had got what he wanted. Catherine met the young man next day in the place she had chosen, among the elegant furniture of the New York parlor. Mrs. Penniman, as usual, left the two young people alone to enjoy their romantic meeting.
“We must decide what to do.” said Morris. He had already on earlier visits told Catherine that he loved her. He had put his arm around her, and taking kisses, which had made her heart beat very fast. She felt deeply wonderfully happy, but she was also confused, and a little frightened, after Morris had kissed her on his last visit. She had begged him to go away, to let her think. She felt his kisses on her lips for a long time afterwards, and she could not think clearly at all. What would she do if as she feared her father told her that he did not like Morris Townsend?
Today, however, when Morris spoke about deciding something, she felt that it was the truth, and said simply, “We must do our duty. We must speak to my father. I will do it tonight. You must do it tomorrow.”
“It is very good of you to do it first.” Morris answered. “The young man, the happy lover usually does that.”
“You must promise me to be gentle with my father.”
“I shall try,” Morris promised, “but do you know what your father will say? He will tell you I want your money.”
“Oh!” murmured Catherine softly, “How wrong he is!”
Morris gave her a fond little kiss.
“I shall tell him that he is wrong.” said Catherine.
“He will argue with you.”
Catherine looked at her lover for a minute, and then she said, “I shall persuade him, but I am glad we shall be rich.”
Morris turned away. “No, it’s a misfortune.” he said, “It is from that that our problems will come.”
“If it is the worst misfortune, we are not so unhappy. I will persuade him, and after that, we shall be very glad we have money.”
Morris listened to these sensible words in silence. “You must speak for me on this. I can not do it myself.”
Catherine, too, was silent for a while. She looked at Morris who was staring out of the window. “Morris,” she said suddenly, “are you very sure you love me?”
He turned around and came to her at once. “My own dearest, can you doubt it?”
“I have only known it five days,” she said, “but now it seems to me something I could not live without.”
“You will never need to try.” he gave a gentle laugh, then he added, “There is something you must tell me, too.”
Catherine had closed her eyes, and kept them closed.
“You must tell me,” Morris went on, “that if your father is against me, you will still be faithful.”
Catherine opened her eyes and stared at him. She could give no better promise than what he read there.
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