The Canterville Ghost

Chapter 1

Lord Canterville wants to sell his big house. The American Minister Mr. Otis wants to buy his big house.

“Mr. Otis, I should tell you that there is a ghost¹ in the house,” says Lord Canterville.

“That’s ok, I don’t believe in² ghosts,” says Mr. Otis and buys the house.

Mr. Otis has a wife, a son, a daughter of fifteen and twins³.

All the family go into the house when suddenly, Mrs. Otis sees something red on the floor.

The housekeeper⁴ says, “It is blood⁵. The blood of the wife who was killed by her husband. It is very famous and many tourists love it.”

But the eldest son takes Stain Remover⁶ and cleans the blood.

Suddenly there is lightning⁷ in the room, and the housekeeper faints⁸.

“What a bad weather!” says Mr. Otis. “I think there are so many people in this village, there’s not enough good weather⁹ for all of them.”

The next morning the family come to have breakfast, and again they see blood on the floor. The eldest son takes his Stain Remover and cleans the blood, but the next morning the blood is here again.

At night Mr. Otis hears some noise outside his bedroom. He goes out and sees a ghost with red eyes and long grey hair. The ghost wears old clothes and has chains¹⁰.

“My dear sir,” says Mr. Otis, “take this oil¹¹ for your chains, please. They are very loud¹².”

Mr. Otis puts the oil and goes back into his room to sleep.

The Canterville ghost gets surprised and very angry. He goes down the hall when a big pillow¹³ flies near his head. It’s the twins! The ghost is very angry. He is a ghost! The Canterville ghost! These Americans should be afraid¹⁴ of him!

Now the blood becomes different colour every morning: orange, pink, purple and even green one morning. The family think it’s funny, but the little girl Virginia is very sad.

Suddenly they hear some noise and the father and the twins run to the noise. The children shoot¹⁵ the ghost with their toy gun and the father with the real gun. The ghost shouts and runs into another room. Mrs. Otis is there and she gives the ghost a bottle of medicine.

“I think you have problems with your health, this medicine will help you,” she says and the ghosts flies away angrily.

Exercise 1. Put the words into the blank spaces.

shoot chains believe pillow blood twins

1) Every morning the family of Mr. Otis find ______ on the floor in the kitchen.

2) Mr. Otis doesn't ______ in ghosts.

3) The ghost goes down the hall when a pig _______ flies near his head.

4) Mr. Otis has a wife, an eldest son, a daughter and two ________.

5) The children ________ the ghost with their toy gun.

6) The ghost is very loud because he wears metal _______.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.