Reading
Murder in a Czech Country House
Ms. Muddle as an amateur detective
My recent weekend in the country was just like a detective story. On my second day in an old house that now takes paying guests, I took charge of a murder investigation.
The setting was perfect. The house was in the country by a lake near a forest at the edge of the mountains. It was at 4:30 in the afternoon of a summer's day. The swans were on the lake, the fish were in the lake, the birds were in the trees and white, fluffy clouds were floating around the sun in the blue sky. The only problem was that I had not seen our host and hostess for two hours. They had been invisible since two p.m.
Naturally I did what is done in all the best detective stories. I assembled the other guests in the library and took charge of the investigation. I stood in the centre of the room. The other guests sat in chairs or stood by the windows.
"Our host has murdered our hostess.” I announced. "Or perhaps our hostess has murdered our host. I am not sure which. You must help me solve the mystery.”
"I saw him on the refrigerator at 1:15,” a helpful guest reported.
"You mean in the refrigerator. Wonderful,” I said. "She killed him and hid the corpse in the refrigerator.”
"No, no, no,” he replied, "I mean on the refrigerator. He was repairing the top.”
A lady guest broke in to say that she thought our hostess could have been killed with her husband by an old sword on display in the drawing room.
"You mean she was killed by her husband with the sword,” I reasoned.
"Perfect.”
"No way,” the lady replied. "I mean I think she and her husband were killed together while they stood beside the sword. I saw them there at 1:30.”
My investigation might still have been successful if it had not been abruptly ended by the unexpected arrival of my corpse and my murderer.
"What is going on here?” demanded our host. "How can I sleep in a house with so much noise? Can't a man have a couple of beers and a nap anymore?”
Even the best of detectives can't succeed every time, so I plan to continue investigating any murders I run across. However, I won't be investigating them in this specific house by the lake near the forest at the edge of the mountains. Our hostess told me I am not welcome there anymore. They will have to manage their murders without me.
Questions
Choose the best explanations…
- In the phrase "killed with her husband”, with means:
- In the phrase "killed with the sword”, with can be expressed as:
- "The swans are on the lake and the fish are in the lake” means:
- "The clouds were floating around the sun in the sky” means:
- The difference between "in the box” and "on the box” is:
Are the following statements about the article correct?
1. Ms. Muddle stayed at the house. She slept there.
2. None of the guests actually reports anything suspicious.
3. Guests standing by the windows stood near them.
4. Ms. Muddle correctly understands what other guests say.
5. The country house is in the middle of a plain.