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The Ghosts Escape
CHAPTER 7
The Ghosts Escape
They hadn't left the safety of the big old house together for m years and Hepzibah felt lost. She looked at her brother as they walked and saw great excitement on his face. The weather was terrible and there were very few people around. Therefore, Hepzibah and Clifford didn't attract much attention as they went to the train station. Certainly, no one could guess the secret that they were carrying with them. As they walked, Hepzibah asked herself, "Am I awake?"
They got to the train station and got on a train without any problems. They sat down and Hepzibah whispered in her brother's ear, "Clifford! Is this a dream?"
"A dream, Hepzibah!" he repeated, almost laughing in her face. "Oh, I've never been more awake!"
As the train moved on, through one village after another, they looked at the world around them. They watched the people inside the train too — some sat reading quietly, some children were eating sweets and a group of girls was throwing a ball from one side of the train to the other. Clifford was excited by all the activity — it was life itself! But Hepzibah was worried.
"You're not happy, Hepzibah," said Clifford. "You're thinking about that gloomy old house and cousin Jaffrey. But now we're free! We're out in the world, in the middle of life. Let's be happy."
When they were in the big old house, Hepzibah had looked after her brother but now Clifford was in charge.
The conductor1 passed by and Clifford gave him some money.
"Where are you going?" asked the conductor.
"We'll go as far as the train will take us. We're riding for pleasure," said Clifford. The new experience gave him energy and life, and he started talking to the people on the train.
"Clifford, please be quiet. People will think you're mad," whispered his sister.
"You be quiet," replied Clifford. "I'm not mad and for the first time in thirty years 1 can express my thoughts and I willl"
When the train reached a small station they got off and started walking around. ^WS~
Judge Pyncheon remained in the House of the Seven Gables. He was dead, but his eyes remained open. He held his pocket-watch in his left hand. It wasn't possible to see the time but the watch continued to move — you could hear it. He had an appointment with his doctor that day because he had not been
1.   conductor : (here) person who sells tickets.
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A The House of the Seven Gables
CHAPTER 7
feeling weli. And that evening he had a meeting with some of the other important men of the town because he wanted to become governor.
The next morning Mr Venner woke up early and went to the shop on Pyncheon Street, but it was closed. Another woman came to the shop hoping to find Hepzibah.
"Good morning, Mr Venner," said Holgrave, looking out of the window of one of the gables.
"I'm glad to see you, Mr Holgrave," replied Mr Venner. "There's a strange, lonely air around this house today. Where is everyone?"
"I don't know," said Holgrave. "it's is very strange."
Several adults and children stood outside the old house asking about Hepzibah and the judge. Where were they? During the morning other people came to the shop looking for Hepzibah. The baker came to deliver the bread and the butcher brought some meat which he had chosen especially for Clifford. But they found the shop closed. The organ grinder came down Pyncheon Street followed by the sound of his music and a lot of children. They stopped outside the house, wondering where its inhabitants were.
Half an hour after the organ grinder had left Phoebe arrived. She tried to open the front door.
"No, Phoebe!" screamed Ned Higgins, the schoolboy. "Don't go in! There's something bad in there. Don't go in!"
Phoebe went to the back door but she was afraid. She knocked and it suddenly opened, but she did not see anyone.
"It's probably Hepzibah," she thought.
It was dark inside the house and she felt a hand take hers.
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M The House of the Seven Gables
"This isn't Hepzibah's hand!" Phoebe thought. She turned around and saw Holgrave. The daguerreotypist looked paler than usual. He smiled at her.
"Where are Hepzibah and Clifford?" she asked. "Something terrible has happened!"
"No, no, Phoebe!" said Holgrave. "Listen to me. Do you remember this?"
He showed her the daguerreotype of Judge Pyncheon which he had once shown her.
"It's Judge Pyncheon," said Phoebe.
"And here is the same face that I took half an hour ago," said Holgrave showing her another miniature.
"But this is death," she said. "Judge Pyncheon is dead!"
"Yes, and he is sitting in the living room of this house," Holgrave said. "Clifford and Hepzibah have disappeared and I don't know anything else."
The young girl was frightened.
"Why haven't you opened the doors and asked if there are witnesses?"2 she asked.
"We must think about what's best for Clifford. He and Hepzibah made the mistake of running away. Poor Clifford, the police will suspect him."
"Clifford?" asked Phoebe.
"Perhaps you don't know the whole story," said Holgrave. "Clifford went to prison for thirty years because he was accused of his uncle's death. But Clifford didn't murder him and he didn't murder Judge Pyncheon. You see, Old Colonel Pyncheon,
2.   witnesses : people who are present when something happens.
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CHAPTER 7
A
The House of the Seven Gables
Clifford's uncle and Judge Pyncheon all died in the same way because they all had the same problem: a bad heart! That was Maule's curse."
"Then Clifford is innocent!" cried Phoebe. "We must tell everyone. Let's open the doors and tell our neighbors the truth."
"You're right, Phoebe," said Holgrave, but he did not move. He looked at Phoebe lovingly and said, "The presence of a dead man in this house threw a great black shadow over everything. The world looked evil and unfriendly, and my past life seemed dark and lonely. My future seemed sad and hopeless. But then you came into the house this morning and brought warmth and hope. Dear Phoebe, I love you."
"How... how can you love a simple girl like me?" asked Phoebe, looking at Holgrave.
"You are my only happiness," answered Holgrave. "Do you love me, Phoebe?"
"Look into my heart," said Phoebe. "You know f love you." At that moment everything was beautiful and hopeful for the two young people.
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The text and beyond
ILL
FCE %J Comprehension check
For questions 1-7, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
1 Hepzibah and Clifford weren't noticed by many people because A      the streets were very dark.
B Q they walked very quickly. C Q they walked in total silence. D [ ) the streets were fairly empty.
2 Hepzibah and Clifford hadn't bought their tickets at the ticket office because they
A Q had forgotten to do so.
B Q didn't have enough money.
C Q hadn't decided where they were traveling to.
D Q were hiding from other people.
3 After a long period of time Clifford felt A [_2 he could finally be himself.
B \^\ angry with Hepzibah.
C Q the need to travel.
D Q he could be open about his madness.
4 The morning after Clifford and Hepzibah left the house
A [] Mr Venner went to see Holgrave. ^ B Q some people were looking for Hepzibah and the judge. C       the customers bought bread and meat from the shop. D Q Holgrave opened the shop.
5 Who told Phoebe about the judge's death? A LI Mr Venner
B Holgrave C Q Ned Higgins D Q Hepzibah
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A      C      T       I V
E *S
6 How had Judge Pyncheon died? A n Clifford had killed him.
B Q He had fallen off the chair and bumped his head.
C [_] He had had a heart attack.
D [] He had been murdered by someone.
7 What did Holgrave reveal to Phoebe? A £J That Clifford had a bad heart. B Q That he had called the police.
C Q That Judge Pyncheon had murdered old Colonel Pyncheon. D Q That his future happiness depended on her.
Q Vocabulary
A   Find ten words from Chapter Seven in the word square.
s	B	E	A	E	N	E	R	G	Y
X	I	T	W	F	P	Q	E	S	VV
0	1	C	A	S	R	P	L	G	E
L	N	K	K	B	F	E	W	L	A
o	N	Y	E	D	E	A	T	H	T
N	O	V	N	R	T	D	R	N	H
E	C	P	L	E	A	S	U	R	E
L	E	S	1	A	B	G	T	X	R
Y	N	B	T	M	C	Y	H	A	F
P	T	W	A	R	M	T	H	C	D
B   Now write ten sentences using each word once.
Q Speaking
Work in pairs. Act out Hepzibah and Clifford's conversation on the train.
Student A: You are Hepzibah. Student B: You are Clifford.
			
			
MM		T	1 V
ray!
E S
Q Characters
Which of the characters from Chapter Seven (A-E) did the following things (1-8)?
A Clifford   B Phoebe   C MrVenner   D Hepzibah   E Holgrave Who...
1 Q discovered the judge's body?
2 Q spoke to strangers?
3 \_j found the back door to the house unlocked?
4 [ ] thought she was dreaming?
5 [_J was in love with Phoebe?
6 [ ] said "I'm not mad..."
7 Q discovered the truth about Clifford?
8 arrived at the shop early in the morning?
T: GRADE 7
Q Speaking: village and city life
The morning after Hepzibah and Clifford leave the House of the Seven Gables, people immediately notice that they and Judge Pyncheon are missing. The people of the town start talking and trying to understand what has happened. Do you think that this behavior is typical of a village or a city? Why? Now talk about the following questions with another student.
1 Do you live in a city or a village?
2 Do you like living there? Why/why not?
3 Do you know the people who work in the shops, cafes and'** restaurants in the place where you live?
4 What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a village or a city?
^ Discussion
What do you think is going to happen next?
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A Short History
of Photography
How did it all start?
The word photography comes from the Greek words that mean drawing or zvriting with light. Photography is a method of producing pictures as a result of a chemical reaction that occurs when light hits a specially-prepared surface.
Modern photography is the result of several technical discoveries. In 1826 the French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce was the first person to produce a permanent photographic image and this photograph still exists today. The process took eight hours! He worked with Louis Daguerre and together they experimented with different kinds of chemicals in order to find the best photographic procedure.
After Niepce's death in 1833 Daguerre continued experimenting and in 1837 he developed the daguerreotype photograph; he took the first photograph of a person in 1839.
The world was immediately excited about Daguerre's new method of photography. Early photographs were called "mirrors with a memory". People liked having their photo taken and photographic portraits were much less expensive than painted portraits and they took less time to create.
Samuel Morse, an American artist and inventor, met Daguerre in Paris in 1839, and then introduced daguerreotype photography to the United States where people were immediately enthusiastic about it. In the early 1850s the English photographer Frederick Scott Archer invented the collodion, or wet-plate process, where glass was used
_
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The first ever photographic image View from the Window ofLe Gras by Joseph Nicephore Niepce (1826).
for the negatives.1 This process produced much better photographs and glass negatives lasted for a long time, so it was possible to produce many paper prints from one glass negative.
The beginning of modern photography
In 1884 George Eastman of New York introduced roll film for the first time, and it quickly replaced the glass plate. Finally photographers did not have to carry heavy boxes of glass plates and toxic chemicals with them. Roll film was the first step towarcfs the invention of the motion picture film. Eastman then designed a camera to use roll film: the Kodak camera. He began selling it in 1888 at $25 with this slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest". After eight years only one hundred cameras had been sold, so Eastman
1.   negatives : (here) images first produced when you take a photograph and from which the final photographs are produced.
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The first Kodak camera (1888).
decided to create a camera for the masses.2 He introduced the Kodak Brownie in 1900 at the price of just $1 and it was a great success.
Initially all photography was in black and white, but in 1935 Kodak introduced the first modern color film. Today most people use color film but many professional photographers still prefer black and white. In 1990 Kodak introduced the first commercial digital camera that used an electronic sensor instead of film. With this type of camera pictures are saved on a memory card and not on film, and memory cards can hold hundreds of pictures. Most digital cameras are small, light, easy to use and to carry around and have become best sellers on the market. However, many professional photographers still prefer the results of film to those of digital cameras.
Q Comprehension check
Answer the following questions.
1 What did Niepce and Daguerre do?
2 Who invented the collodion and why was it important?
3 What replaced glass plates?
4 Who introduced the first camera to use roll film and what was it called?
5 How does a digital camera save pictures?
2. masses : (here) ordinary people all over the world.
Before you read
fcCjEL Q Fill in the gaps
Read the text below. For each question, mark the letter next to the correct word — A, B, C or D.
Phoebe and Holgrave (1)............in the room until they heard a noise.
"Someone's at the door" whispered Phoebe.
"it's (2)............the police," said Holgrave. "They've probably heard
about Judge Pyncheon's visit and Clifford and Hepzibah's (3).............
Let's go and open the door."
But to their (4)............, before they had left the room they heard
footsteps in the house, and then a voice, "Thank God, my brother, we're home!"
It was Hepzibah and Clifford, (5)............had returned home. When
Hepzibah saw Phoebe she started crying.
"it's our little Phoebe and Holgrave, too!" Clifford said, smiling
(6).............
The police and the doctors who later (7)............the case agreed that
the judge had died of a heart attack. Therefore, Clifford was not
(8).............The people talked about his death for many days, and both
good and bad things were said. Interestingly, the people discovered much more about the judge, his personality and his life, now that he was dead.
1	A stopped	B remained	C went	D left
2	A probably	B must be	C might	D possible
3	A disappeared	B death	C disappearance	D. discover
4	A wonder	B sadness	C surprise	D horror
5	A who	B whose	C which	D who's
6	A happy	B also	C sadly	D happily
7	A investigated	B read	C watched	D saw
8	A innocent	B suspected	C murdered	D murder
PlSt      Now listen to the first part of Chapter Eight and check your answers.
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The Portrait
CHAPTER 8
The Portrait
Phoebe and Holgrave remained in the room until they heard a noise.
"Someone's at the door," whispered Phoebe.
"It's probably the police," said Holgrave. "They've probably heard about Judge Pyncheon's visit and Clifford and Hepzibah's disappearance. Let's go and open the door."
But to their surprise, before they had left the room they heard footsteps in the house, and then a voice, "Thank God, my brother, we're home!"
It was Hepzibah and Clifford, who had returned home. When Hepzibah saw Phoebe she started crying.
"It's our little Phoebe and Holgrave, too!" Clifford said, smiling happily.
The police and the doctors who later investigated the case agreed that the judge had died of a heart attack. Therefore, Clifford was not suspected. The people talked about his death for many days, and both good and bad things were said. Interestingly, the people discovered much more about the judge, his personality and his life, now that he was dead,
However, the murder of Judge Pyncheon's uncle more than thirty years earlier was still not clear. It seemed as though somebody had been into his apartment and stolen some money and other valuable articles. They had also found a bloody handprint on the old man's bed sheet. Clifford had spent thirty years in prison for this murder, but was he guilty? Mystery still surrounded the death or murder of Clifford's uncle. Holgrave was able to find out more about the case.
During his youth Judge Pyncheon had been a wild man. His uncle, who had always liked him in the past, began to dislike him. One night young Jaffrey Pyncheon did something terrible. He went to his uncle's room and started looking in his private drawers. Suddenly his old uncle appeared, and was shocked and frightened by what he saw. He had a heart attack and fell to the floor. As he fell, he hit his head on the corner of a table and died.
The cruel young man did not try to help his old unc'leT He continued looking until he found a recent will1 in favor of Clifford. He destroyed that will and found an older one in his favor. To save himself, Jaffrey accused Clifford of the uncle's murder. So young Clifford was sent to prison for thirty years, and Jaffrey became a famous judge.
1.   will : a document that expresses a person's last wishes concerning his money and property.
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By now it was late in life for Clifford and he couldn't change what had happened. But after Judge Pyncheon's death he felt free and he was clearly happy. All of the Judge's money and property belonged to Clifford and Hepzibah.
"Well, Jaffrey's country house is ours now," said Hepzibah. "Let's all go to live there."
Everyone agreed that this was an excellent idea. As they sat in the living room discussing their plans, Clifford said, "That portrait! How I hate it. It seems to hold a secret, a secret from my childhood that I can't remember."
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"Perhaps l remember it," said Holgrave. "You see, there is a secret mechanism 2 behind the portrait."
"That's it!" exclaimed Clifford. "It's a secret mechanism."
Holgrave touched the secret mechanism on the back of the portrait and it moved to one side. There was a small hiding place in the wall and the secret map and land deed were hidden there.
Holgrave examined the old Indian map and the land deed. Everyone was amazed. "This is what the Pyncheons have wanted for centuries and now they're worth nothing'." said Holgrave.
2.  mechanism : a piece of machinery.
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The House of the Seven Gables
"Poor cousin Jaffrey!" exclaimed Hepzibah. "He died thinking that Clifford had discovered his uncle's money."
"How did you know this secret?" asked Phoebe.
"My dear Phoebe, my last name is Maule!" replied Holgrave. "Yes, I'm a descendant of Matthew Maule the wizard. But I'm not a wizard. The son of poor Matthew Maule was one of the men who built this house. He made the secret hiding place behind the portrait and hid the map and deed there. He was sure no one would find it."
A handsome green carriage stopped in front of the old house. The group of happy people were chatting and laughing together. Clifford and Hepzibah turned around and looked for the last time at their family house without any emotion. Several children had come to see the unusual sight. Hepzibah recognized Ned Higgins, her first customer, and gave him a handful of silver coins. Then they got into the carriage and drove away to their new home in the country. The long feud 3 between the Pyncheons and the Maules had finally ended thanks to Holgrave and Phoebe's love.
As the carriage drove off, two men looked at each other and one said, "Well, what do you think of that? Hepzibah opened a cent shop a few months ago and now she's rich!"
"Very good business." said the other man.
3.   feud : a long-time quarrel between two people or groups.
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