ORTH a cunpdips GRADED-READERS-LEVEL-2 Scanned with CamScannerThe picture was always a part of my life. When I was a little boy, more than fifty years ago, | visited my grandmother on Sundays. Her house was very near the sea. We lived in an old fishing village in Cornwall, in the south-west of England, and the sound of the sea was all round us. While my grandmother and my mother were talking, I always walked round the little sitting room, and looked at all the things there. The room was small and dark, with a square window. The window looked out onto the garden. My grandmother wasn’t rich, but the room was clean and warm. A fire burned in the fireplace in winter, and I loved the moving, flames. ~ Above the fireplace there was a shelf. My grandmother put her special things there, a big clock, a silver mirror, a bright blue teapot and two brown and white china dogs, The dogs looked down at me kindly. Scanned with CamScannerBut my favourite thing in the room was the picture. It was on the wall in a corner near the fireplace. It was very dark there and I had to stand very near the picture, before I could see it clearly. Itwas like the room, small and square and brown, and I thought it was very old, like my grandmother. It was a picture of an old lady. She was wearing an old-fashioned red dress. She hada round, kind face, and she was wearing a little white hat on her head. In my imagination she was saying, ‘Don’t worry, Peter, I’m your friend, and I understand you.’ When | was very small, I was happy when I saw the old lady’s face. When I was older, about ten or eleven, I often visited my grandmother. Our house was quiet. My father was dead, and my mother had a little shop. She had to work there all day. She had to earn money for us both. I loved my grandmother and often talked to her about her life when she was young. One day I asked her about the picture, ‘Granny, who is the lady in the picture? Was she in your family? She looks like you.’ Grandmother smiled. ‘No, Peter,’ she said, ‘I don’t know her. The picture was your grandfather's and he got it from his father. Nobody kiiows anything about it. | don’t think it's a very special picture, but I like it. Inever feel alone, because the old lady is my friend. | talk to her sometimes—but don’t tell anybody!’ Those times with my grandmother were happy ones for me. We talked all the time, and I ate some of her special chocolate cakes. My mother and I didn’t have much time together. She worked very hard. In the morning when I got up, I found my breakfast on the table. My mother was already working in the shop. In the evening, when I came home from school, we had our evening meal together. We talked a little about‘our day. After the meal | had to do my homework, and we both went to bed early. I was an only child. [ had friends at school, but | 4 Scanned with CamScannerdidn’t often ask them to come to. my house because we lived outside the village. Most of the time I was alone. But I wasn’t unhappy. I liked reading, and sometimes I listened to the big brown radio on the kitchen table. Then I could escape in my imagination from my boring, quiet life and travel round the world. I could climb mountains, visit Australia, and live with the Eskimos in Canada. ‘When I leave school,’ I told my grandmother, ‘I’m going to sail round the world and make a lot of money. Then you and mother can have a good holiday.’ Grandmother always smiled at these dreams. Scanned with CamScannerScanned with CamScannerWhen I was seventeen, my grandmother died. Suddenly there was nobody to talk to, nobody to listen to my exciting plans. I missed my best friend. For a long time my life was empty, and my mother missed her badly, too. We had to sell my grandmother’s things. Two men came and took everything away. Just before they came, my mother said to me, ‘Peter, you can take one thing from Granny’s house. You can choose anything.’ I went to the dark house, and looked round the little room. The dogs watched me from the shelf above the fireplace. Were they saying, ‘Take us’? I loved the clock, and the beautiful blue teapot. But I had to take the little picture of the old lady, because when I looked at her, I thought of my grandmother. I took the picture carefully from the wall. It was small, but heavy, and the frame was made of wood, with old bits of gold on it. Icarried the picture home and put it up on my wall. The old lady smiled down at me, and I felt she was happy with me. I didn’t tell anybody but I felt that my grandmother was there and sometimes I talked to her about my problems and my plans. The years after that went quickly. I left school and gota job in an office. It wasn’t very interesting, but I was happy. Now! could give my mother some money. Then, suddenly, it was that terrible summer of 1939. The war began, and everywhere people had worried faces. One day I gota letter. I had to go to the Navy office the next day. That evening Mother and I sat quietly in the sitting room. She smiled at me. ‘Be careful, Peter,’ she said, ‘and come back soon.’ I put my hand on hers for a moment. ‘Don’t worry, Mother, ’I said. ‘I’m going to send you postcards from a lot of exciting places! But what about you? Don’t work too hard!’ f Scanned with CamScannerEarly the next morning she kissed me before she went to the shop. I didn’t see her again for months. Iliked my life in the Navy. After a few months] gota job as an officer on a big ship. Sometimes it was dangerous work, but itwas also very exciting. The most interesting thing for me was travel. We travelled all over the world. We visited islands, cities and new countries, and the world got bigger and more exciting all the time. I often wrote letters and postcards to my mother. When we stopped at a port, I usually found a letter from her. ‘Life here is hard for everybody,’ she wrote, ‘and I’m in the shop from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. But we’re lucky here. It’s worse for the people in the cities. | often think about you, my dear Peter. I hope you're all right.’ On the ship I had a very good friend, Frank. He came from Malta, and he often talked to me about his parents, his brothers, and all his cousins. He was a big, happy man. He often sang songs and played the guitar. Sometimes we sat quietly and talked for hours about the war and our plans for the future. One day our ship arrived in Valletta, the port of Malta. Frank was very happy. I went with him and visited his cousins. His uncle had a café in Sliema, near Valletta. He was a big, friendly man. ‘Welcome, Peter,’ he said. ‘You are one of our family now, and you must see all of our beautiful island.’ We all sat in the sun outside the café with our cold drinks and I was very happy. I looked at the blue sea and the busy people, and I forgot the war for a short time. While we were sitting there, a young woman came towards us. When she saw Frank, she ran and kissed him. ‘Frank!’ she said. ‘It’s wonderful to see you!” Frank kissed her. ‘Maria, this is my friend Peter,’ he said. He looked at me. ‘Peter, this is my cousin, Maria.’ She was wearing a red dress. It was the colour of flames in Scanned with CamScannerScanned with CamScannerthe fire. She held out her hand to me. ‘Peter,’ she said, ‘have a wonderful time in Malta.’ She smiled, and we all smiled, because she was so beautiful. She sat down with us, and asked Frank a lot of questions about the Navy and the war. They talked, and I watched Maria —her dark hair, her eyes, the way she moved her hands when she was talking. I was in love. From that moment Maria was the most important person in my life. We were together for ten days. We ate in little restaurants beside the sea. We listened to music in the clubs and bars. We walked over the island. We looked at the flowers, the horses and the people. Every day I learned more about her; and she had dreams for the future. ‘I’m going to be a doctor, Peter,’ she said, ‘to help people. And J want to travel round the world.’ Ikissed her. ‘When this war finishes,’ I said, ‘we’re going to travel together.’ We couldn’t forget the war. After nine days I had to go back to my ship. On my last afternoon Frank drove us up to the hills near Luga, and Maria and I walked together for an hour. It was spring. The sun was shining, and the hills were bright with flowers. But we didn’t see the colours round us. We sat quietly together. Maria looked at me. Her face was angry. ‘I hate war!” she said. ‘Why do people fight, Peter? You don’t want to fight, do you?’ Theld her hand. ‘I don’t want to — but I have to. But don’t worry. I’m going to come back after the war. And then...” I couldn’t say any more, Maria said quietly, ‘People change . . . Are we going to be different after the war?’ ‘Oh, Maria, I don’t know,’ I said, ‘but I’m going to come back. We can always be together.’ Maria didn’t answer. | looked at her; her eyes were full of love. I thought about the 10 Scanned with CamScannereyes of the old lady in the picture. We didn’t say anything after that. We just sat together and vague the sky and the sea. The next day I went back to my ship. 1 Scanned with CamScannerFor many months our ship was in the centre of the war. One terrible day Frank died, and a lot of other people on the ship. Iwas lucky —I didn’t die, but I was in hospital for six months. In Malta life was difficult, too. A lot of people died there. I didn’t hear from Maria. Perhaps she . . . but I couldn’t think about that. I wanted to write to her, but in hospital I couldn’t. Then I was afraid. The war finished, and I left the Navy. I lived with my mother in Cornwall, but I was not happy. One day Mother said, “Peter, you must go back to Malta. You’re thinking about Maria all the time, I know.’ That night I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about Malta— about Maria. The next morning I knew. Mother was right. Only Maria was important in my life, and I had to find her again. I bought a boat ticket to Malta, and in a week I was in Valletta. When I arrived, it was very late. I couldn’t visit her. I stayed in a hotel near the sea, and the next day I got a bus to her father’s café in Sliema. It was winter in Malta now. There were no flowers on the hills, the sea was grey, and there was a cold wind. The café was there, but it was empty. There was no glass in the windows. There were no doors. ‘What happened here during the war?’ | thought. I was cold in my thin coat. Where was she? How could I find her? I went back to Valletta, and I walked slowly through the streets of the town. I stopped outside a big hotel in the town centre. There was a party, with music and dancing. People were singing and laughing. I was cold, and I went into the hotel for a cup of coffee. I was sitting in the hotel restaurant when I heard a shout. The people from the party were running into the street, and a lot of cars were stopping noisily outside the hotel. They had lots of flowers on them. I stood up and looked out of the window, and I saw— my 12 Scanned with CamScannerbeautiful Maria ... with a young man. She was wearing a long dress, and she had some flowers in her hand. The young man was wearing an expensive suit, and he had a flower, too. I knew immediately . . . this big party was for Maria, and she was married to the young man. Isat in the restaurant until it was quiet again. All the people went away. Then I walked slowly back to the port. A boat was going to England the next day. I sat in a café by the sea; I couldn’t read, or write, or think about anything. ‘I’ve lost Maria!’ I thought. ‘Why am I still alive?” Scanned with CamScannerSix weeks later | moved out of my mother’s house into.a little room. It was small and cheap, and I took only a few of my things with me—a chair, my radio, and my grandmother’s picture. I often sat in the evenings and talked to the little old lady with the quiet face and the red dress. She was my friend, and she knew my secrets. After some time I got a boring job in a boring office. I had a little money for food, and some money for my room. I often visited my mother and gave her some money. She was old now, and tired, but she had to work in the shop because she needed the money. One day a man in my office stopped next to my desk. ‘Do you want to buy a lottery ticket?’ he asked. ‘A lot of people need new houses after the war. The money from the lottery is going to help them.’ He smiled. ‘Maybe this is the lucky number and you can win a lot of money.’ I bought a ticket, and after that he was very friendly. I visited him and his family at his house. He talked a lot about pictures. His brother had an important shop in London and he knew a lot about famous painters. One day he came to my room to have a cup of coffee. He looked at my little room, and immediately he saw my old lady. He went very close to her, and looked at her carefully for a long time. Then he said, ‘Where did that picture come from? I think it’s something special.’ The next day he brought his brother. They took the picture away and after a lot of tests the brother came back. He was very excited, ‘Your picture is by Rembrandt!’ he told me. ‘You can sell it and get thousands of pounds!’ For two days I sat in my room and looked at the old lady: She smiled quietly at me, and I thought she was saying, ‘You must do the best thing. I am your friend.’ Ididn’t want to sell her. I couldn't. She was the best thing it my life, She was a part of my life from the beginning, and ! 14 Scanned with CamScannerneeded her more than I needed the money. But then I thought, ‘With the money I can help my mother. I can buy her a house, she can leave the shop, and she can have a holiday.’ The next day I knew the answer. I had to sell the picture. ‘I can ask my friend’s brother,’ I thought. ‘He can sell the picture for me.’ I went to the office, and when I saw my friend, I went over to him. But before I could speak, my friend laughed and took my hand. ‘Well, here’s the lucky man!’ he said, and the other people in the office all laughed and clapped their hands. ‘You’ve won the lottery,’ he said, ‘and a cheque for £20,000 is coming in the post!” Scanned with CamScannerThat evening when I went back to my room, the old lady looked happier. And behind the front door was a letter from Malta. It said: The next day I flew to Malta. 16 Scanned with CamScannerExercises 1 Read through the story quickly and find this information. SwwmudTDAnaone The colour of the old lady’s dress in the picture. The place where Peter’s mother worked. Peter's age when his grandmother died. The year when the war began. The name of Peter’s friend in the Navy. The country Peter’s friend came from. The colour of Maria’s dress. The number of days Peter and Maria were together. The number of months Peter was in hospital. The amount of money Peter won in the lottery. 2 Are these sentences true ( V) or false (x)? we w = RWNHe Sermud snr Naw Peter’s grandmother lived in the north-east of England. The picture was of Peter’s grandmother. Peter’s grandmother sometimes talked to the old lady in the picture. Peter went into the Navy in 1939. Peter never wrote to his mother during the war. Maria wanted to stay in Malta all her life. Maria’s cousin died in the war. Peter’s picture was by a very famous painter. Peter sold the picture for £20,000. Maria’s father saw Peter in Malta when Peter went there after the war. Complete the spaces in these sentences. The picture was Peter’s ..... thing in his grandmother’s room. The old lady in the picture was wearing an ..... red dress. Peter was an..... child, Peter's mother was very busy, and most of the time Peter was The..... of the picture was made of wood. Frank and Peter visited Frank’s ..... in Malta. Maria said, ‘Have a..... time in Malta. Scanned with CamScanner8 Maria’s face was ..... when she talked to Peter about the war. job ina ..... office. 9 Peter gota 10 Inher letter Maria said, ‘I..... you! When can you come?’ 4 Comprehension questions Where was the picture in Peter's grandmother's room? What was the little old lady in the picture wearing? Why didn’t Peter’s grandmother feel alone? Why did Peter like the radio? What did Peter talk about to the old lady in the picture? What was Peter’s job in the war? Where did he travel with the ship? 1 2 3 4 5 Why did Peter want the picture from his grandmother's house? 6 7 8 9 Did Frank like music? 10 What was Maria wearing when Peter first saw her? 11 Where did Peter first see Maria? 12 What did Peter and Maria do together in Malta? 13 When Frank died, what happened to Peter? 14 When Peter saw the party in the hotel, he was sure about something. What was he sure about? 15 What did Peter do after the war? 16 Why was the brother of the man from the office excited about Peter’s picture? 17 Why didn’t Peter sell the picture? 18 Who was the young man with Maria at the party in Valletta? 19 How did Maria know Peter was alive after the war? 20 What did Peter do the morning after he won the lottery? 5 Discussion questions Describe the picture. 1 2. Do you think Peter had a good life when he was young? Why? 3 Why do you think the picture was important to him? 4 Why did he think Maria was married when he saw her at the party? 5 What do you think happened when Peter got to Malta at the end of the story? Scanned with CamScannerGlossary beginning: the start believe: think that something is true (not a lie) bright: opposite of ‘dark’; bright colours are easy to see boring: not interesting cake: something sweet to eat; a cooked mixture of flour, eggs, butter, etc cheque: a piece of paper froma bank with an amount of money and somebody’s name written on it china: pottery; cups and plates are made of china clap: hit the hands together to make a noise cousin: a child of your mother’s or father’s brother or sister earn: get money by working excited: a (good) strong feeling; you feel excited when something exciting happens to you fireplace: the place in a room where a fire can burn flame: red or yellow burning gas; when a fire burns, you see flames frame: the piece of wood or metal round a picture homework: school work that you have to do at home imagination: making pictures in your head of things and people that you cannot see lottery: a kind of competition; people buy numbered tickets and some of them win prizes or money mirror: a piece of glass; you can see yourself in a mirror Navy: all the fighting ships ofa country and the people that work on them noisily: with a lot of noise; not quietly old-fashioned: not modern; of a kind that was usual a long time ago only child: a child with no brothers or sisters painter: a person who makes pictures with colours; Rembrandt was a famous painter from Holland parents: mother and father part: a piece; anything that belongs to something bigger port: a city or town by the sea where ships can stop shelf: a piece of wood or metal on a wall for books and other things unhappy: opposite of ‘happy’; sad 19 Scanned with CamScanner