Ответьте на вопросы по сказке «A string of beads»:
1) Why did the writer's heart sink when Laura said that she wanted to tell him a story?
2) What was only soup that Laura liked? Why did the writer refuse the soup?
3) Why did the Livingstones invite their governess to dinner?
4) What could Count Borcelli do? Why was he so special?
5) What attracted the Count in Miss Robinson, the governess?
6) Why did the governess flush when she heard that the string of pearls she was wearing was worth fifty thousand pounds?
7) What sort of stories did the writer call «as old as the hills»?
8) What extraordinary thing happened then?
9) Why did everybody at table start speaking about Miss Robinson's arrest?
10) What did Miss Robinson throw on the table after she returned?
11) What mistake had the assistant at Jarrot's made?
12) With her own string of pearls Laura received from the jeweler's a cheque for three hundred pounds as a compensation, didn't she?
13) Why did this money turn out to be the ruin of her, in Laura's opinion?
14) Where did she decide to go on her holiday?
15) Did she return to the Livingstones? Why?
16) Who did she meet in Deauville?
17) What end would Laura herself have written to the story? Why did the writer find her ending «dull»?

Answers to the questions on “A String of Beads” by W. Somerset Maugham

1. Why did the writer's heart sink when Laura said that she wanted to tell him a story?

The writer's heart sank because he was afraid that Laura would tell him a long and boring story. As a professional writer, he was probably tired of people telling him stories which they thought he could use in his work. He would have preferred to talk about something else. He was also sceptical about true stories, because he believed that invented stories could be more interesting and convincing than real ones.

2. What was the only soup that Laura liked? Why did the writer refuse the soup?

The only soup Laura really liked was borsch (borscht), especially when it was served with a large amount of cream. The writer refused to eat the soup because he thought it was fattening. Laura was also worried about her figure, so she decided not to have any soup either.

3. Why did the Livingstones invite their governess to dinner?

The Livingstones invited their governess, Miss Robinson, to dinner because one of their guests had cancelled at the last moment. As a result, there would have been thirteen people at the table. Since thirteen was considered an unlucky number, they invited Miss Robinson to make the number of guests fourteen.

4. What could Count Borselli do? Why was he so special?

Count Borselli was a famous expert on precious stones. He knew more about pearls, diamonds and other jewels than almost anyone else in the world. He could recognize genuine pearls and estimate their value simply by looking at them. That was why his opinion was highly respected by the other guests.

5. What attracted the Count in Miss Robinson, the governess?

Count Borselli was attracted by the beautiful string of pearls Miss Robinson was wearing. Although she was only a governess and was dressed in one of Mrs. Livingstone's old dresses, her necklace looked extremely valuable. The Count immediately noticed its extraordinary quality and declared that it was worth fifty thousand pounds.

6. Why did the governess flush when she heard that the string of pearls she was wearing was worth fifty thousand pounds?

Miss Robinson flushed because she was surprised and embarrassed by the Count's words. She had bought her necklace for only fifteen shillings and believed that the pearls were imitation. She could hardly imagine that they might be worth fifty thousand pounds. Besides, all the guests suddenly turned their attention to her, which made her feel uncomfortable.

7. What sort of stories did the writer call “as old as the hills”?

The writer referred to stories about married women who secretly owned expensive real pearls but told their husbands that the necklaces were cheap imitations. Such stories were very old and familiar, so the writer considered them unoriginal. He used the expression “as old as the hills” to emphasize that this kind of story had been told many times before.

8. What extraordinary thing happened then?

An extraordinary thing happened when the butler approached Miss Robinson and whispered something in her ear. He told her that two men were waiting in the hall and wanted to speak to her immediately. Miss Robinson became pale and looked frightened. She asked Mrs. Livingstone for permission to leave the table and went out to meet the strangers.

9. Why did everybody at the table start speaking about Miss Robinson's arrest?

Everybody started speaking about Miss Robinson's possible arrest because they suspected that the expensive pearls might have been stolen. It seemed impossible that an ordinary governess could honestly own a necklace worth fifty thousand pounds. When two mysterious men suddenly appeared and asked to see her, the guests thought they might be policemen who had come to arrest her. Laura even suggested that Miss Robinson might be connected with a gang of international criminals.

10. What did Miss Robinson throw on the table after she returned?

When Miss Robinson returned to the dining room, she threw a string of pearls onto the table. Count Borselli examined them and immediately said that they were imitation pearls. He also noticed that they were not the same pearls she had been wearing earlier. Miss Robinson smiled and explained that these were her own beads, which she had bought for fifteen shillings.

11. What mistake had the assistant at Jarrot's made?

The assistant at Jarrot's Stores had accidentally mixed up two necklaces. Miss Robinson had taken her cheap imitation pearls to the shop because the clasp was loose. At the same time, another customer had left a very valuable string of real pearls to be restrung. The assistant mistakenly gave Miss Robinson the real pearls, worth fifty thousand pounds, instead of her own inexpensive necklace. The shop later discovered the mistake and sent two men to recover the valuable pearls.

12. With her own string of pearls Laura received from the jeweller's a cheque for three hundred pounds as compensation, didn't she?

No, she didn't. It was Miss Robinson, not Laura, who received the cheque. The representatives of Jarrot's Stores returned Miss Robinson's original imitation pearls and gave her a cheque for three hundred pounds as compensation for the mistake. Although the shop was not legally obliged to pay her anything, it decided to make this generous gesture. Miss Robinson was extremely happy because three hundred pounds was a large sum of money for a governess.

13. Why did this money turn out to be the ruin of her, in Laura's opinion?

In Laura's opinion, the money ruined Miss Robinson because it comple