The Third Man's Story G3p02

 The Third Man's Story

One evening three men arrived at a New York hotel, where they had booked rooms. It was their first visit to New York and they had visited many interesting places before they came to the hotel. Now they were very tired.

"The rooms which you have booked are on the 43rd floor," said the porter, "but I'm sorry to tell you that the lift is out of order. If the hotel weren't full up, I'd give you rooms on the first floor. So you must use the stairs."

The men, who were not very young, were sad about this, but there was nothing they could do.

They agreed to tell some stories on the way up the stairs. It would make things easier.

The first man began to tell a story. It was very long and when he had finished, they had reached the 14th floor. The second man's story lasted until they had climbed up the 31st floor.

The third man, whose turn it was now to tell his story, suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?" asked his two friends. "Can't you think of a story?"

"Oh, yes," he answered, "I can! But if I tell you my story, you won't like it."

"We shan't go a step further if you refuse to tell us your story," said the other two.

The third man sighed. "All right, then. The story which I'll tell you is very short and very sad. It's the saddest one you've ever heard today. We have left the keys of our rooms downstairs with the porter."

1. Where and when did the story happen? On which floor had the three men booked rooms?

2. How many times had they been to New York city? Why were they very tired when they came to the hotel?

3. What did the porter tell them when they went to get their keys to their rooms? How did they feel then?

4. What did they decide to do to make things easier on the way up the stairs?

5. Which floor had they reached when the first man finished his story? Which floor had they climbed up when the second man finished his story?

6. Why did the third man suddenly stop when it was his turn to tell a story? Was his story long and interesting?

7. Did the other two men like his story? Why?