# ■ 2 At home

Hi，Dad．Your supper's in the kitchen．'

John's sixteen-year-old daughter，Christine，was sitting at the table doing her homework．His son Andrew，who was thirteen，was watching television．

Thanks，Christine，'John said．'I'm sorry I'm late．Is everything OK？'

Fine，thanks．'Christine gave him a quick smile，then con-tinued with her work．John got his food from the kitchen．Fried fish and chips．The food was dry and didn't taste very good．But he didn't say anything about that．John was not a good cook himself and his children were no better．His wife had been a good cook，he remembered．

John tried to eat the terrible supper and looked around the small，miserable flat．The furniture was twenty years old，the wallpaper and carpets were cheap and dirty．The rooms were all small，and he could see no trees or gardens from the win-dows—just the lights from hundreds of other flats．And there were books，clothes，and newspapers on the floor．

Once，when his wife had been alive， he had had a fine house．A beautiful big house in the country，with a large gar-den．They had had lots of new furniture，two cars，expensive holidays—everything they needed．He had had a good job；they hadn't needed to think about money．And then he had started the boat-building company，and his luck had ended．

When Rachel had died，John had been terribly unhappy—much too unhappy to think about business．A few months later his company had closed，and he had lost all his money．John had had to sell his beautiful house in the country，and move to this miserable flat．

And for the last two years， he hadn't had a job at all．He was a poor man，and an unlucky one， too．He had tried for lots of jobs，and got none of them．There were too many bright young biologists．But now that was all going to change．He looked at his daughter and smiled．

Did you have a good day at school，Christine？'he asked her．

Oh，all right，I suppose，'she said．She didn't look very happy．'I've got a letter for you．'

She pushed the letter across the table，and he opened it．It was from her school．One of the teachers was taking the chil-dren on a skiing holiday to the mountains in Switzerland．It cost ￡ 400 for ten days．Parents who wanted their children to go had to send the money to the school before February 25th．

John's smile grew bigger．'Do you want to go on this holi-day，Christine？'he asked．

She looked at him strangely．'Of course I do， Dad，'she said．'But I can't，can I？We haven't got ￡ 400．'

No，I suppose not．'He looked at her carefully through his thick glasses．She was a clever，strong girl—good at her schoolwork，good at sports．But she had never been skiing；John hadn't had enough money．

Are your friends going？'he asked her．

Some of them，yes．Miranda，Jane， Nigel—the rich ones，you know．But they often go skiing；it's easy for them．I know I can't go， Dad．Throw the letter away．'

John looked at her，and felt his heart beating quickly．'No，don't do that，Christine，'he said．'Perhaps you can go，if you want to．Why not？'

Christine laughed．'What's happened， Dad？Have you robbed a bank or something？'

John stood up．He went into the kitchen and got himself a drink．'No，'he said，when he came back．'But something interesting happened today．Put your homework away，Chris-tine—and turn that TV off，Andrew．I've got something to tell you．'

Oh，not now，Dad！'said Andrew．'This is an exciting story．'

John smiled．'I've got an exciting story，too，Andrew．Come and listen．'

John Duncan's children lived in an old，untidy flat， they had no money，and they often ate awful food．Bux they could still talk to their father．So Andrew turned off the TV，and sat down in a big armchair beside his father and Christine．

The story didn't sound very exciting at first．'I went to a factory today，'John said．'That paint factory by the river．No，wait，Andrew．Paint factories can be very exciting．They gave me a job there．I'm going to have my own office， a big car，lots of money—in fact， we're going to be rich…！'

■ 2 在家中

“喂，爸爸。你的晚餐在廚房裡。”

約翰16歲的女兒克里斯汀正坐在桌旁做功課。他13歲的兒子安德魯正在看電視。

“謝謝你，克里斯汀，”約翰說。“很抱歉，我回來晚了，你一切都好嗎？”

“好，謝謝。”克里斯汀朝他匆匆一笑，又繼續做作業。約翰從廚房端出食物——炸魚和薯條。食物很乾，不怎麼好吃，但是他什麼也沒說。約翰自己不善於烹飪，他的孩子們更不行。他回想起他的太太曾是很好的廚師。

約翰努力吃下這難嚥的晚餐，環視著這又小又簡陋的公寓。傢俱是20年前買的，壁紙和地毯既廉價又髒。所有的房間都很小，從窗口往外看去見不到樹林或花園，只有從數百家別的公寓裡透出的燈光。地上到處扔著書、衣服和報紙。

以前他太太活著的時候，他有一座很好的房子，一座坐落在鄉村，有很大花園的漂亮的大房子。他們曾有很多嶄新的傢俱、兩部汽車、奢侈的假期——應有盡有。他有一份滿意的工作，他們不用考慮錢。然後他創辦了造船公司，接著他的運氣結束了。

雷切爾死後，約翰一直很憂鬱，太憂鬱以至於無心考慮生意。幾個月以後他的公司關閉了，他失去了所有的錢。約翰不得不賣掉鄉村房子，搬進這簡陋的公寓。

在過去的兩年中他根本沒有工作。他是一個貧窮的人，也是一個倒黴的人，他試找了許多工作，但沒有得到一份工作。智慧、年輕的生物學家太多了。但是現在這一切都將發生變化。他微笑著望著他女兒。

“今天你在學校過得愉快嗎，克里斯汀？”他問她。

“噢，我想還行，”她說。她看上去並不很高興。“我有一封給你的信。”

她把信從桌上推過來，他打開信。信來自她的學校。有個老師要帶學生們到瑞士的山上去滑雪度假。10天的費用是400英鎊。想讓自己的孩子去的家長得在2月25日前把錢交到學校。

約翰的笑容更加燦爛了。“克里斯汀，你想參加這次度假嗎？”他問。

她奇怪地望著他。“我當然想，爸爸。”她說，“但是我不能去，對吧？我們沒有400英鎊。”

“是的，我估計不能。”他透過厚厚的眼鏡小心地看著她。她是一個聰明堅強的女孩，她功課、體育都很好。但是她從來沒有滑過雪，因為約翰沒有足夠的錢。

“你的朋友們去嗎？”他問她。

“有些人去，那些較富的同學，如米蘭達、珍妮、奈傑爾。他們經常去滑雪，這對他們來說很容易。我知道我不能去，爸爸。把信扔掉吧。”

約翰望著她，感到心跳加快。“不，別這樣做，克里斯汀，”他說，“也許你能夠去，如果你想去。為什麼不能呢？”

克里斯汀笑了。“發生什麼事了，爸爸？難道你搶了銀行或什麼？”

約翰站起身，走進廚房為自己倒了一杯飲料。“沒有，”他回來時說，“但是，今天發生了有趣的事情。克里斯汀，先把你的作業放一下，安德魯，把那電視關上，我有事要告訴你們。”

“哦，等一下關，爸爸，”安德魯說，“這是一個精彩的故事。”

約翰笑著說：“我也有一個精彩的故事，安德魯，過來聽聽。”

約翰·鄧肯的孩子們住在一間舊式雜亂的公寓裡，他們沒有錢，經常吃糟糕的食品。但是他們仍願跟他們的父親交談。所以安德魯關掉電視，坐在他的父親和克里斯汀旁邊的一張大沙發裡。

故事一開始聽起來並不很精彩。約翰說：“今天我去了一個工廠。河邊的那家油漆廠。不，等一下，安德魯。油漆廠會是很精彩。他們給了我一份工作。我將有自己的辦公室、一輛大型汽車、很多錢。真的，我們要富起來了。”