Carol Of the Bells

What is International Women’s Day?

The 8th of March 

Let's read and find out ;)

Something You need to know about ZNO
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Important information about English Exam 2018.
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Education in U.K.

For those who are interested!

 

Let me remind you the main Topics for your Exam compositions.

EXAMINATION TOPICS (9^th Form):

1. About myself
2. Appearance and character
3. My Family. Family relations.
4. My flat \ house. The house (flat) you live in.
5. My free time activities, entertainment
6. Celebrations. Describing a party.
7. Your interests and hobbies
8. Books in my life
9. Your plans for the future
10.  My school
11.  Your favourite subject (English Lesson)
12.  Learning foreign languages
13.  Getting Education
14.  Ukraine (geographical position)
15.  Kyiv
16.  Kharkiv
17.  Travelling round Ukraine
18.  Climate of Ukraine
19.  Travelling
20.  English-speaking countries
21.  The U.K.
22. Climate of the U.K.
23.  London
24.  Sights of the U.K.
25.  British and Ukrainian holidays
26.  Shopping
27.  Famous people (writer, sportsman, actor, singer etc.)
28.  Sports
29.  Environment protection
30.  Modern technologies

MUST WRITE & LEARN
Write a composition for your Exam. You can use this Topic as an example:

My Favourite Book

Nowadays it's almost impossible to imagine our life and to become an educated person without books. Most of the books are to be read just once, others can be read plenty of times. And each time you find something new and useful as you turn the same pages of your favourite books. I am fond of books about adventures and great people, detective stories and science fiction. I enjoy reading them when I have spare time.

As for me, good science fiction and fantasy develop imagination, logical thinking, broaden one's outlook.

The same could be said in favour of detective stories. They reveal details of everyday life in this or that particular country that are of the greatest interest for a curious reader. The masterpieces of this genre by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and others, show the depths of psychological analysis, the insight into the human nature.

My favourite book is "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I first discovered these stories when I was about twelve and I've loved them ever since. They're brilliantly written, full of bizarre crimes and they've got a terrific Victorian atmosphere.

When you read them you really feel like you've been carried back to nineteenth-century London.

All the twentieth century detectives like Miss Marple and Inspector Morse seem really boring compared to Sherlock Holmes.

That's where Conan Doyle, really makes you believe that Holmes is unique — a genius with amazing mental powers.

Normally I only read detective stories once. I mean, why read them again when you know what happens in the end?

With the Sherlock Holmes stories, though, it’s different.

Each time I re-read them I discover more and more to enjoy.

As an old saying goes, man cannot live on bread alone. Books are the source of knowledge and the means of self-perfection. Sometimes it is difficult to solve some problems in life. I think that books can help us. Books must be our friends during all our life.

 

MUST LEARN!

British and Ukrainian Holidays

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. But there are also international holidays which are celebrated in all countries world-wide. They are: Christmas, New Year, Easter and St. Valentine’s day.

Christmas comes but once a year. Christmas is a traditional family reunion day. On this day, many people attend a church service, they celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, open their presents and eat a Christmas dinner. In Britain it is celebrated on December 25^th while in Ukraine Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January. For British people Christmas is the most important public holiday of the year. It combines the custom of giving gifts with the tradition of spending this day with the family. Every year a huge Christmas tree, the gift of the Norwegian people, decorates Trafalgar square.

New Year is a public holiday but it is not marked with any particular custom in Britain, yet it has a joyful celebration in Ukraine. People stay awake until after midnight on December 31st to watch the Old Year go and the New Year come. Many parties are given on this night. Theatres, night clubs and streets are full of people young and old.

Easter is one of the most important Christian holiday. It is traditionally associated with Easter eggs and with the coming of spring, and most churches are specially decorated with flowers for the service held on Easter Day. There is a popular belief that wearing three new things on Easter will bring good luck.

St. Valentine’s day is not the official holiday in most countries. February 14 is the day of lovers. Boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours, and even the office staff exchange greetings of affection. Valentine’s day is a whirl of hearts, candies and good wishes in the form of bright, lacy, colorful cards, with loving emblems and amorous doggerel, saying: «Be my Valentine».

There are also some special holidays which are usually celebrated in a particular country. Let’s start with the traditional British holiday Pancake day. But people don’t eat only pancakes this day, they run with them. In many towns in England pancake races are held every year. These races are run by housewives.

In Ukraine we celebrate Women’s day on the 8th of March. On this day men are supposed to do everything about the house and cook all the meals.

In Britain traditions play more important part in the life of the people than in some other countries. English are proud of their traditions and treasure them. The English are a nation of stay-at-homes “There is no place like home” they say. The Englishman is never tired to say «My house is my castle». As for Ukraine it is the country of beauty and to my mind, the main traits of the real Ukrainian character are hospitality, «open heart», «golden hands», we are a very talented nation with our own traditions and customs.

Every country has its own traditions, customs, beliefs and national holidays. I think it is very important to follow special traditions and celebrate different holidays because they unite people.

MUST LEARN!

Kharkiv

My native city is Kharkov. It is quite an old city. It was found about 350 years ago. The city is situated on the plateau surrounded by the Kharkiv and the Lopan rivers. According to the popular legend the city is named after Cossack Kharko. Kharkiv is the historical capital of Slobidska Ukraine.

Today Kharkiv is the second largest city in the country. About 1.6 million people live here.

With the foundation of Kharkiv University in 1805 the city became an important educational and cultural centre of Ukraine. Such famous people as Kvitka-Osnovianenko, Hulack-Artemovsky, Kostomarov, Repin lived and worked in Kharkiv.

Kharkiv is one of the largest industrial, cultural and scientific centres of Ukraine. There are many plants and factories, schools and higher educational establishments, research institutes here. There is the Scientific Library, the Historical and Natural Science Museums and the Museum of Fine Arts in Kharkiv. The city supports a circus and six professional theatres.

Kharkiv is very beautiful, especially in spring. There are over 2500 streets and 26 squares in the city. The largest parks are Gorky Park, Shevchenko Garden with the Zoo, Artem Park, the Forest Park and some others. The city has got a large number of monuments. The most prominent of them is the one to T. Shevchenko built in 1935.

My favourite place is Gorky Park. There you can escape from the noise of the city streets and enjoy the freshness of air under the canopy of park trees. Gorky Park, is very popular with children. There they can go rollerblading or ride a horse, or take photos with a monkey. There are a lot of differ­ent attractions here. Adults can have a rest in one of the cosy cafes or watch a movie in the «Park» cinema. For sport-fanciers there are tennis-courts, a swimming pool and a stadium.

Sumskaya street is the main street of our city. The most treasured pieces of architecture have been preserved here. Old houses are combined with modern buildings there.

I’m proud to be a Kharkovite. All my life is closely con­nected with this city. I’m happy to live here as I really love this city and I’ll never change it for any other place.

MUST LEARN!

Kyiv

I'm from Ukraine. The capital of our country is Kyiv. It is one of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Europe. The city is located in the north central part of the country on the picturesque banks of the Dnipro river, the longest river in Ukraine. Its population is about three million people.   

Kyiv is about 1.500 years old. Therefore there are many places of historic interest in it. Among them are the Kiyivo-Pecherska Lavra, the Golden Gate, St. Sophia's Cathedral and the monuments to Prince Volodimir, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, and T.G.Shevchenko.

Kyiv is a large political, industrial, scientific centre. The higher body of state power of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, is seated here. The city has well-developed industry. There are many research institutes in Kyiv and the Academy of Sciences is located here. There are a lot of libraries in our capital. They have millions of books, magazines, and newspapers.

Kyiv is the centre of cultural life of Ukraine. Fans of theatre, cinema, music, painting and other arts can find many interesting things here. There are lots of museums in Kyiv: the Museum of Ukrainian Arts, the Historic Museum, the Taras Shevchenko Museum, the Lesya Ukrainka Museum, the museum of M. Bulgakov and others.

Kreshchatik is the central street of the capital. It is one of the finest streets of the city. There are many beautiful buildings and some of the best shops in Kreshchatik.

As for me I have been to Kyiv and I advise you to visit our capital and enjoy its beauty.

Extra Lessons! Be Ready for Your Exam!

On Monday, January, 4th, 2016 at 11.00. you are welcome to take 3rd Extra Lesson!

And here is "Be Ready for Your Exam! Part 2" if you wish to practise at home:

4. Choose the correct Item to complete the sentences.

1. I always have / do my lunch prepared by my father.

2. David had / made his new computer repaired (by a technician).

3. Don’t worry, we’ll have / make our beds made by the maid.

4. Mary couldn't / can’t have her trip arranged last week.

5. I must / can’t have the windows at the office cleaned.

6. I’m having / doing a new security system installed in my office.

7. Jenny is being / having her car serviced at the moment.

8. Richard has not had / has not been the piano fixed yet.

9. I was having /was making the leak in the bathroom fixed when you phoned me.

10. Do you always have / get your clothes dry-cleaned?

5. Put the verbs Into the correct form of Passive Voice.

1. The music  must______ (turn down) by 12 o’clock at the latest.

2. Your free gift _____ (send) to you in the next few days.

3. I wish I ______ (teach) how to use a computer when I was at school.

4. Human bones________ (find) by archaeologists yesterday.

5. My car _________ (repair) at the moment, so I can't give you a lift.

6. New York ______ (say) to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

6. Choose the correct item.

Today we take many inventions for granted but one of the most useful ones is the ‘not so (1 ) ______ ’ supermarket trolley. Before the 1930s women shoppers went into grocery stores with their own baskets. ( 2 ) ______ , they would only buy a few things because their baskets wouldn’t (3) ______ much.

Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma ( 4 ) ______ this and decided that he had to think of a way to encourage people to buy more, especially since business was not (5 )_____very well.

He took a folding chair, (6 )_____ wheels to the legs and placed two baskets on top. He put the trolleys near the door and waited to see his customers’ ( 7 ) ______ . He was very disappointed. No one (8) _____ any notice. Nevertheless, being a very determined man, he didn’t give up. He hired people to push them around the store filled with groceries.

Customers were offered one to try out and his success story began.

1  A critical   B significant   C meaningful   D serious

2  A Furthermore   B In particular   C However   D Apart from that

3  A put   B keep   C hold   D take

4  A noticed   B watched  C regarded   D viewed

5  A making   B running   C doing   D heading

6  A included   B added   C combined   D accompanied

7  A replies   B remarks   C reports   D reactions

8  A took   B got   C made   D hid

7. Complete the sentences with for or since.

1. Olena has been a teacher ---------- 1993.

2. Nancy has been learning French______ September.

3. Mary has been cleaning this room ____ two hours.

4. She has been doing homework______ 17.00.

5. I have been working here ______ the last two years.

6. Taras has been repairing his car _____ 9.00.

7. Granny has been cooking______ two hours.

8. I haven’t seen her ______ we were schoolchildren.

8. Complete the sentences with prepositions at, on, In.

1. I get up ______ 7 o’clock every day.

2 . I was born ______ 22 June.

3. Mary likes to travel_______ summer.

4. My father reads the newspaper______ the morning.

5. We are going to the picnic____ the weekend.

6. My sister is _____home now, but I’m _______ work.

7. My friend was born _____ 1997.

8. I will be back _____ ten minutes.

9. We have English lessons______ Monday and  _______ Wednesday.

10. They are busy ______ the moment. 

Extra Lessons! Be Ready for Your Exam!
Today was the 1st Extra Lesson at 11.00.
On Tuesday, December, 29, 2015 at 11.00. you are welcome to take another Extra Lesson!

And here is "Be Ready for Your Exam! Part 1" if you wish to practise at home:

1. Read the text and decide if the statements are True or False.

The grandmother didn’t want to go to Florida. She wanted to visit some of her family in east Tennessee and she was seizing every chance to change Bailey’s mind. Bailey was her son she lived with, her only son. He was sitting on the edge of his chair at the table, bent over the orange sports section of the Journal. “Now look here, Bailey,” she said, “see here, read this,” and she stood with one hand on her thin hip and the other rattling the newspaper at his bald head...

Bailey didn’t look up from his reading so she wheeled around then and faced the children’s mother; a young woman in slacks, whose face was broad and innocent as a cabbage and was tied with a green handkerchief that had two points on the top like rabbit’s ears. She was sitting on the sofa, feeding the baby apricots out of a jar.

“The children have been to Florida before,” the old lady said. “You all ought to take them somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be abroad. They have never been to east Tennessee."

The children’s mother didn’t seem to hear her but the eight-year-old boy, John Wesley, a stocky child with glasses, said, “If you don’t want to go to Florida, why don’t you stay at home?" He and the little girl, June Star, were reading the funny papers on the floor.

* slacks - штани

1. The children had already gone to Florida.

2. Bailey was reading the sports section.

3. The grandmother wanted to visit her friends.

4. The grandmother had only one son.

5. The mother  fed the child apples.

6. The children’s mother was big and interesting like a cabbage.

7. The grandmother was excited to go to Florida.

8. John Wesley was eight years old.

9. June Star is the grandmother’s granddaughter.

10. John Wesley is very thin.

2. Add a suitable question tag to each sentence.

E x a m p l e : They helped you, didn’t they?

1. He lived there ,__________ ?

2. You don’t like sugar,__________ ?

3. She has finished the work ,__________ ?

4. She is too young, __________ ?

5. They didn’t see you, _______ ?

6. It fell down, _______?

7. You can help him, _______ ?

8. They aren’t learning English, ________ ?

9. He won’t come home, _______?

10. We liked coffee,__________ ?

11. You weren’t there,_________?

12. She couldn’t do it , _________?

3. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous tense forms.

1. ‘I______ (to change) my job.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I ____  (not to like) the hours.’

2. ‘Look – I _____ (to find) some information.’ ‘Where _____  (to find) you _____ it?’

3. Michael _____ already ( to lose) his new watch.

4. The company _____ (to lose) a lot of money last year.

5. _____ Alex _____ (to speak) to the teacher yet?

6. It __________ (to snow) since Friday.

7. You can have the book. I _______(to flnish) it.

8. I _________ (to study) physics for 5 years.

 

MUST LEARN
 New interesting topic for you, my dear Students!
Print it, read it, work on it and then learn :)

Hobbies

Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting.

Hobbies are divided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things.

The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball.

Gardening is one of the oldest of man’s hobbies. It is a well-known fact that the English are very fond of gardening and growing flowers, especially roses.

Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. It is a relatively new hobby but it is becoming more and more popular.

Making things includes drawing, painting, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill. Some hobbyists write music or play musical instruments. President Bill Clinton, for example, plays the saxophone.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, CDs, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. People with a lot of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects.

No matter what kind of hobby a person had, he always has an opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

 

MUST LEARN
Topic "Modern Technologies in Our Life"

Modern Technologies in Our Life

It goes without saying that life was much more difficult before technology had developed as much as it has now. When it took two weeks for a letter to reach Australia, you couldn't keep in touch with people easily. Or just travelling from your home to another town a few kilometers away could take hours. And if you didn't live in a big city, you didn't have much information because there was no television or the Internet.
   People can hardly imagine their lives without modern technologies nowadays. It is almost impossible to go out without a mobile phone or an MP3 player, for example. These devices have become an important part of our life. Moreover, almost every day either a new technology is being invented or an old one is being improved. To stay up-to-date people keep buying newer items. Soon our houses and work places will look like electronic stores.

Technology is all around us. First of all, we need it for work. All modern offices are equipped with computers, scanners, printers, and other useful machines. One of the most important devices today is the wi-fi modem as it provides the Internet. Secondly, technologies surround us at home, in cars and everywhere. It includes TVs, radios, refrigerators, vacuum-cleaners, washing machines, CD-players, e-books, cameras, etc. Perhaps, the most important thing about technological progress is that it allows us to do things which would be impossible without it. For example, we can communicate with friends from other countries with the help of computers. We can even see them and have a live conversation.

However, we must admit, that our technological progress has its drawbacks. For example, cars pollute our atmosphere. There is a lot of radiation from TVs, computers, mobiles and other electronic devices. Moreover, technology makes us lazy! Many teenagers would rather spend their free time in front of their computer than meet their friends. As a result, they don't have enough exercise and are getting fat. That's not healthy at all!

There are many people who are against new technologies. In my opinion, technological progress has made our lives more interesting and bright. Thanks to computers and Internet I find more educational resources. Such electronic items as vacuum-cleaner, washing machine, microwave, dish washer, blender and some others have made my mum’s life easier. So I’m sure that new technologies are for the better.
     As for me, I'm a fan of modern technology. Now with computers and e-mail we never have to lose contact with anyone. We can travel from one place to another quickly and safely. What is more, because of television, everyone has information about the world around them. I can't imagine my life without technology. Of course, we've got things like a TV, a video player, a computer and different kitchen appliances such as a microwave oven and a dishwasher. But most of all I enjoy my new mobile because now I can always stay in touch. I never go out without it! I use it all the time and send about twenty text messages every day! To sum up, I want to say that technology has definitely made our lives easier and we couldn't live without it!

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

IT’S MY FAVOURITE HOLIDAY, BECAUSE EACH OF US CAN BE WHATEVER WE WANT THIS DAY AND HAVE FUN ANY WAY WE LIKE!

 

WHAT HALLOWEEN PARTY GOES WITHOUT A SCARY STOTRY!?

Here is a horror story which is simple for reading & understanding, and also easy to retell to scare your friends!

John Charrington’s Wedding No one ever thought that May Forster would marry John Charrington, but he thought differently, and when John Charrington wanted something, he usually got it. He asked her to marry him before he went to university. She laughed and refused him. He asked her again when he came home. Again she laughed and again she refused. He asked her a third time and she laughed at him more than ever. John was not the only man who wanted to marry her. She was the most beautiful girl in our village and we were all in love with her. So none of us was pleased when John suddenly invited us to his wedding. ‘Your wedding?’ ‘You don’t mean it?’ ‘Who’s the lucky lady? When is it?’ John Charrington waited a moment before he replied. ‘Miss Forster and I will be married in September,’ he said calmly. ‘No, no, she’s refused you again,’ said someone. ‘She always refuses you, John, remember?’ Everyone laughed. ‘No, I can see it’s true,’ I said, looking at his face. ‘How did you do it, John?’ ‘The best luck in the world,’ he said. ‘And I never stopped asking her.’ And that was all he would say. The strange thing was that May Forster seemed to be in love with him, too. Perhaps she had been in love with him all the time? Oh, I’ll never understand women. We were all asked to the wedding, and I was going to be best man. Everyone was talking about it and everyone asked the question, ‘Does she really love him?’ At first, in the early days of summer, I asked that question myself, but after one evening in August, I never asked it again. I was going home past the church. Our church is on a hill and the grass around it is very thick and soft, so I made no sound as I walked. It was there that I saw them. May was sitting on a low gravestone with her face turned towards the evening sun, and the look on her face ended for ever any question about her love for John Charrington. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her. John was lying at her feet, and it was his voice that broke the silence of the golden August evening. ‘My dear, my dear, I know that I would come back from the dead if you wanted me!’ I understood now, and continued quickly on my way. The wedding was planned for early in September. Two days before that I had to go up to London on business. As I was standing in the station, waiting for the train, I saw John Charrington and May Forster. They were walking up and down, looking into each other’s eyes. Of course, I didn’t speak to them, and when the train came in, I got on and found myself a seat. If John was travelling alone, hoped he would come and talk to me. And he did. ‘Hello there,’ he said, as he came into my carriage. ‘That’s lucky. The journey won’t be boring now.’ ‘Where are you going?’ I asked. ‘To see old Branbridge, my uncle,’ he answered, as he turned to say a last goodbye to May through the window. ‘Oh, I wish you wouldn’t go, John,’ she said in a low, serious voice. ‘I feel sure something will happen.’ ‘Do you think I’ll let anything happen to me, when the day after tomorrow is our wedding day?’ ‘Don’t go,’ she asked him again. He took her hand in his. ‘I must, May. The old man’s been very good to me, and now he’s dying. I must go and see him, but I’ll come home in good time for the wedding.’ ‘You’re sure?’ she said as the train began to move. ‘Nothing will keep me away,’ he replied. When he could no longer see her, he sat down and explained that his uncle was dying at home in Peasmarsh and had asked for him. He felt that he had to go. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow,’ he said, ‘or, if not, the day after. That’s plenty of time.’ ‘And suppose Mr Branbridge dies?’ ‘Alive or dead I’ll be married on Thursday!’ John said, opening his newspaper. John left the train at Peasmarsh station and I watched him walk away. I went on to London where I spent the night. When I arrived home the next afternoon, my sister said: ‘Where’s John Charrington?’ ‘Isn’t he back?’ I asked. I was sure he would be at home. ‘No, Geoffrey. He has not returned, and, what is more, he won’t. There’ll be no wedding tomorrow.’ My sister always thinks badly of other people, which makes me very angry. ‘Don’t be stupid! Of course there’ll be a wedding,’ I said. But I was not so sure when late that night John Charrington had still not returned. The next morning the sun was shining in a clear blue sky. There was a note for me from John and when I went up to the Forsters’ house, I found he had written to May too. ‘Mr Branbridge asked him to stay another night,’ she said. ‘John’s so kind, he couldn’t refuse, but I wish he hadn’t stayed.’ ‘Well, he’s asked me to meet him at the station at three o’clock, and come straight on to the church,’ I said. I was at the station at half-past two. I was a little angry with John. It didn’t seem right to arrive at the church straight from the train to marry that beautiful girl. But when the three o’clock train came in and went out again without leaving any passengers, I was more than angry. There was no other train for thirty-five minutes. ‘If we really hurry,’ I thought, ‘we should just get to the church in time. But what a stupid man to miss that first train!’ That thirty-five minutes seemed like a year as I waited. I grew more and more angry with John Charrington. The train was late, of course – and John Charrington wasn’t on it. I jumped into the carriage which was waiting outside the station. ‘Drive to the church!’ I said. I was now more worried than angry. Where could he be? Was he ill? But he was never ill. Perhaps he’d had an accident. Yes, that was it. Something terrible had happened, I was sure of it. And I was going to have to tell his bride . . . It was five to four when I reached the church. I jumped from the carriage and ran past the crowd of villagers waiting outside the church. I saw our gardener up at the front, by the door. ‘Are they all still waiting, Tom?’ I asked. ‘Waiting, sir? No, no, the wedding’s nearly finished.’ ‘Finished! Then Mr Charrington has come?’ ‘Yes, sir. He was here on time, all right. But, sir,’ Tom looked around him, then spoke quietly in my ear, ‘I’ve never seen Mr Charrington like this before. I think he’s been drinking. His clothes were all dirty, and his face was as white as a sheet. People are saying all kinds of things, sir, but I think it’s the drink. He looked like a ghost, and he went straight in without a word to any of us.’ The villagers were talking in whispers, and getting ready to throw their handfuls of rice over the newly married pair. Then they appeared at the church door – John Charrington and his bride. Tom was right. John Charrington was not himself. His coat was dirty, his hair untidy, and his face was deathly pale. But no paler than the face of his wife, which was as white as her wedding dress and the flowers in her hand. As they left the church, the bell-ringers began to pull. And then came – not the happy music of wedding bells – but the long, slow, deep sound of the death bell. Horror filled every heart in the crowd. How could the bellringers make so terrible a mistake? But the ringers themselves ran in fear from the church, and refused to go back in. The bride’s hands were shaking, and there were grey shadows around her mouth. Her husband held her arm and walked with her through the crowd of villagers, waiting with their handfuls of rice. But the handfuls were never thrown, and the wedding bells never rang. In a silence deeper than the silence of death, John Charrington and his bride got into their carriage, closed the door, and drove away. At once people began to talk, full of surprise and anger and horror at what they had seen. I drove back to the house with Mr Forster, May’s father. ‘Why did I let my daughter marry him?’ old Forster said. ‘To come to the wedding like that! I’d like to hit him in the face for doing that!’ He put his head out of the carriage window. ‘Drive as fast as you can!’ he shouted. The driver obeyed. We passed the wedding carriage without looking at it, and reached home before it. We stood at the door, in the burning afternoon sun, and a minute later the wedding carriage arrived. When it stopped in front of the steps, Mr Forster and I ran down. ‘Good Heavens, the carriage is empty! But—’ I pulled the door open at once, and this is what I saw . . . There was no John Charrington, and all we could see of May, his wife, was something white, lying half on the floor of the carriage and half on the seat. ‘I came straight here,’ the driver said, as May’s father lifted her out, ‘and no one got out of the carriage.’ We carried her into the house in her wedding dress – and then I saw her face. How can I ever forget it? White, white, and in her eyes more fear and horror than I have ever seen on any living face. And her hair, her beautiful golden hair, was as white as snow. As we stood there, her father and I, unable to move or speak, a boy came up to the house with a message. I took it from him and opened it. Mr Charrington was thrown from his horse on his way to the station at half past one. He was killed immediately. And he was married to May Forster at the church at half past three, with half the village watching. ‘Alive or dead, I’ll be married on Thursday!’ What had happened in that carriage on the way home? No one knows – no one will ever know. Before a week was over, they laid May Charrington beside her husband, under the soft green grass by the little church where they used to meet as lovers. And that was the way John Charrington was married.