Introduction
In exchange for her brother Armand’s life, Marguerite, Lady Blakeney, is reluctantly playing the spy at a society ball. Citizen Chauvelin, of the French Revolutionary government’s secret police, wants her to find out what she can about the mysterious ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ who has been rescuing prisoners from the guillotine.
“YOU have news for me?” he said.
“I contrived — no matter how — to detect Sir Andrew Ffoulkes in the very act of burning a paper at one of these candles. That paper I succeeded in holding between my fingers for the space of two minutes, and to cast my eyes on it for that of ten seconds.”
“Time enough to learn its contents?” asked Chauvelin, quietly.
She nodded. Then continued in the same even, mechanical tone of voice —
“In the corner of the paper there was the usual rough device of a small star-shaped flower. Above it I read two lines, everything else was scorched and blackened by the flame.”
“And what were the two lines?”
Her throat seemed suddenly to have contracted. For an instant she felt that she could not speak the words, which might send a brave man to his death.
“One was, ‘I start myself tomorrow,’” she said quietly, “the other — ‘If you wish to speak to me, I shall be in the supper-room at one o’clock precisely.’”
Précis
Hoping to save her brother from the guillotine, Marguerite St Just, now Lady Blakeney, agrees to help the French secret police discover the identity of the ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’. She artfully intercepts a communication that suggests the Pimpernel will meet his confederates in Lord Grenville’s supper-room at one o’clock that morning, and reluctantly informs Chauvelin. (54 / 60 words)
Hoping to save her brother from the guillotine, Marguerite St Just, now Lady Blakeney, agrees to help the French secret police discover the identity of the ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’. She artfully intercepts a communication that suggests the Pimpernel will meet his confederates in Lord Grenville’s supper-room at one o’clock that morning, and reluctantly informs Chauvelin.
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Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, just, not, otherwise, since, until, whereas, whether.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
How did Marguerite find out about the Pimpernel’s assignation?
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.
The ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ saved prisoners from the guillotine. No one knew his identity. Chauvelin asked Marguerite to discover it.