Love for art

(adapted)

by O. Henry

Joe Larry was from the Middle West. At six he painted his first picture. At twenty he left for New York. His dream was to take lessons and become a great painter. Delia Silver lived in a pine-tree village in the South and played the piano rather promisingly. Her relatives gave her some money to go " North" and " finish".

Joe and Delia met in a studio where a number of art and music students spoke about Wagner¹, music, Rembrandt's ² works, pictures and many other things.Soon Joe and Delia got married. They lived in a very small flat, but they were happy. They loved each other. Joe was painting in the class of one great painter. His fees ³ were high. Delia was studying under a very famous pianist. They were very happy as long as their money lasted. But one day they found they had no more money to pay the teachers. Their life became hard. There were days when they had nothing to eat.

One day Delia said she had to give music lessons. A few days later she came home and told her husband that she would teach music to a general's daughter. The girl's name was Clementina ⁴. But Joe did not seem to like this idea. " Do you think I can see you work and do nothing myself? I must work, too. I may sell some of my pictures, " said Joe.

And so Delia went to the general's house to teach music to his daughter Clementina. And every morning Joe went to Central Park to paint his pictures. After a week Joe brought home 20 dollars. " Where did you get the money, Joe? " asked Delia. " Yesterday I sold one of my pictures to a gentleman from the country, " he said. " Is he going to buy some more pictures? " " Yes, he is. He asked me to paint another one for him." " Oh, Joe, how glad lam, " answered Delia.

Next week Delia came with her right hand bandaged ⁵. " What's this? " asked Joe, taking the hand tenderly. Delia began to laugh. " Oh, it's such a funny story! Clementina spilt some sauce on my hand. She was very sorry about it. But it's nothing. It doesn't hurt much. Why are you looking so, Joe? " Joe took her hand in his, looked into her eyes and asked: " What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really teach a general's daughter? Can you tell me the truth? " Delia sat looking at the floor for a while. Then she said, " I could not get any pupils but I didn't want you to give up your lessons. And I got a place ironing shirts in one big laundry. Today one of the girls burned my hand with an iron." " Why didn't you tell me about it earlier? " asked Joe. " I didn't want you to know it. But how did you guess that I did not give any music lessons? " " I suspected nothing until tonight, when I saw the bandages. I had to send these bandages upstairs for a girl in the laundry." " How did you happen to be there? " asked Delia. " You see, I work in the machine-room of the same laundry where you work."

Notes:

¹ Wagner ['va: gnǝ r] - знаменитый немецкий композитор (1813-1883)

² Rembrandt ['rembraent] - великий фламандский художник (1606-1669)

³ fee - плата за учение; гонорар доктору, юристу

⁴ Clementina [, klemǝ n'ti: nǝ ]

⁵ with her right hand bandaged - с перевязанной рукой

I. VOCABULARY

paint (v)

1. make (a picture of) smb or smth- писать красками, заниматься живописью

□ She painted her mother's and father's portraits.

2. put paint on (a surface) - красить, окрашивать

□ He is painting the kitchen blue.

dream (n) - something imagined and desired - мечта

□ It's my dream to win a Nobel Prize.

dream (v) (dreamed or dreamt [dremt]) - have a dream about smth - мечтать

□ Many people dream about living on an island

last (v) - go on; continue - продолжаться, длиться

□ The hot weather lasted until September.

last (adj) - the person or thing after all the others - последний

□ He was the last guest to leave.

last year/month/week - в прошлом году/месяце/на прошлой неделе (об­ратить внимание на отсутствие предлога в английском языке)

at (long) last - after a long time; in the end - наконец, в конце концов

□ Oh, there he is at last! pay (v) (paid) - give (money) to (someone) for smth - платить

□ He paid a lot for his computer.

pay attention to smb/ smth - обратить внимание на кого-то/что-то

□ She pays much attention to what her friends say.

spill (v) (spilt or spilled) - pour out accidentally (случайно) - проливать, раз­ливать

□ He spilt milk on the floor,

hurt (v) (hurt)

1. cause (причинять) pain or damage - ушибить, повредить

□ I hurt my hand on that broken glass.

2. feel pain - болеть, испытывать боль

□ My tooth hurts (me).

3. feel unhappy (by someone's behaviour) - обидеть, обидеться

□ He was rude and it hurt me.

burn (v) (burned or burnt)

1. the effects of fire or heat - обжечь(ся)

□ I burned my hand.

2. be on fire - гореть

□ Wet sticks (сырые палки) do not burn easily,

iron (n) - утюг

□ Yesterday I burned a hole in my dress with the iron, iron (v) - make clothes smooth - гладить

□ I was ironing all morning yesterday.

guess (v) - say smth without knowing all the facts - угадать, отгадать

□ If you don't know the answer, try to guess,

happen (v) - take place - происходить, случаться

□ What happened to Helen last night?