“CHAUVELIN,” she said at last desperately, “I must know what has happened.”
“What has happened, dear lady?” he said, with affected surprise. “Where? When?”
“You are torturing me, Chauvelin. I have helped you to-night … surely I have the right to know. What happened in the dining-room at one o’clock just now?”
She spoke in a whisper, trusting that in the general hubbub of the crowd her words would remain unheeded by all, save the man at her side.
“Quiet and peace reigned supreme, fair lady; at that hour I was asleep in one corner of one sofa and Sir Percy Blakeney in another.”
“Nobody came into the room at all?”
“Nobody.”
“Then we have failed, you and I?”
“Yes! we have failed — perhaps …”
“But Armand?” she pleaded.
“Ah! Armand St. Just’s chances hang on a thread … pray heaven, dear lady, that that thread may not snap.”
Précis
Chauvelin waits in Lord Grenville’s dining-room for the ‘Scarlet Pimpernal’ to appear. However, no one turns up at the appointed hour; Chauvelin is alone, except for a sleeping Sir Percy Blakeney. Marguerite begs for Chauvelin’s assurance that her brother might yet be saved, but he relishes keeping her in fear and doubt. (52 / 60 words)
Chauvelin waits in Lord Grenville’s dining-room for the ‘Scarlet Pimpernal’ to appear. However, no one turns up at the appointed hour; Chauvelin is alone, except for a sleeping Sir Percy Blakeney. Marguerite begs for Chauvelin’s assurance that her brother might yet be saved, but he relishes keeping her in fear and doubt.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 45 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, besides, just, or, ought, until, whether, who.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Detect. Nobody. Peace.
2 Might. My. Whisper.
3 News. Very. Yes.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
clns (6+1)
clans. cleans. cleanse. clones. colonies. colons.
colonise.
