The man tried to explain everything to us .... as he could

pers. On a chair, there was a very dirty old hat and a magnifying glass.
I suppose,” I said:”that there is a story about that hat which will help so another mysterious crime.”
“There is no crime,” said Sherlock Holmes laughing.”Just a strange little incident. Peterson, the door attendant, found the hat. At about 4 o’clock in the morning, he was coming back from a party when he saw a tall carrying a goose. Suddenly, two thugs appeared. One pushed the man and the other thug tried to take the goose. Peterson went to protect the man, but saying some in uniform he dropped the goose and ran away. All the attacker disappeared so Peterson was left with both the goose and old hat. There was a card with the goose saying ”For the Mrs Henry Baker” and the initials ”H.B” inside the hat but there are a lot Henry Baker in London. Peter did not know what to do with either the hat all the goose so he brought both to me on Christmas morning. I kept the hat and Peterson had the goose for his Christmas dinner.”
“So can you find any clues about the man from this old hat?”
“What can you see,Watson?”
“Well,it is an ordinary black hat.The lining is made of red silk and there is no elastic.There is some dust on it and several spots.Someone has tried to cover all of the spots with ink,But I can not see any clues.”
“Well,Watson,the hat tells us a lot about the hat’s owner.He used to be quite rich but something must have happened to him,probably with drink.His wife no longer loves him.He is middle-aged with grey hair-which he has had cut recently.He does not do much exercise and he has not got gas in his house. ”
“You must be joking Holmes.How do you know all that information?”
“Elementary,my dear Watson.”
---
After that,Holmes explained all the clues about the hat to Watson. Then Peterson came into the room carrying an enormous diamond which his wife had found inside the goose.Holmes realized that this was the famous diamond stolen from a countess when she was staying at a London hotel .Two hotel servants had been involved.One was the butler,James Horner,a plumber.Horner had been working in the countess’room when Ryder noticed that the diamond had been stolen.Since then,Horner had been in prison for several days.Sherlock Holmes decided to asvertise for the goose and hat in the newspapers,That evening a man appeared;it was Baker.Baker did not know anything about the goose.They went there and saw a man,who turned out to be Ryder,the hotel butler,asking about the goose.Holmes invited him back to his house and when Holmes mentioned the diamond Ryder confessed that he had stolen it.After Horner’s arrest,Ryder had gone to his sister’s house to hide the diamond.There had been some geese in the garden and Ryder had put the diamond into its mouth and then asked his sister for this goose for Christmas.Later,he had taken the goose away and killed it there was no diamond as he had chosen the wrong goose!Holmes had enough proof to put Ryder into prison,but he decided to let the man go.In the end,Horner was released from the prison and the diamond returned to the countess.

The question (to settle) as soon as they arrived. 3. Your report must (to divide) into two chapters. 4. Soon he (to send) to a sanatorium. 5. The book (to discuss) at the next conference.6. The composition must (to hand) in on Wednesday. 7. Yesterday he (to tell) to prepare a speech. 8, The article (to publish) last week, if I am not mistaken. 9.The lectures (to attend) by all of us. 10, A taxi (to call) fifteen minutes ago, so we are expecting it any moment. 11 The young man (to introduce) to me only a couple of hours ago, but it seems to me that I've known him for years. 12. The rule explained by the teacher at the last lesson (to undertand) by all of us. 13. The poem was so beautiful that it (to learn) by everybody. 14. I hope the invitation (to accept) by everybody. 15. The letter (to post) in half an hour. 16. It seems tc me that music (to hear) from the next room.

hated Robin and would have been very glad if any one had killed him.

The Sheriff was a very unkind man. He treated the poor Saxons very badly. He often took away all their money, and their houses and left them to starve. Sometimes, for a very little fault, he would cut off their ears or fingers. The poor people used to go into the wood, and Robin would give them food and money. Sometimes they went home again, but very often they stayed with him, and became his men.

The Sheriff knew this, so he hated Robin all the more, and he was never so happy as when he caught one of Robin's men and locked him up in prison.

But try how he might, he could not catch Robin. All the same Robin used to go [35] to Nottingham very often, but he was always so well disguised that the Sheriff never knew him. So he always escaped.

The Sheriff was too much afraid of him to go into the forest to try to take him. He knew his men were no match for Robin's. Robin's men served him and fought for him because they loved him. The Sheriff's men only served him because they feared him.

One day Robin was walking through the forest when he met a butcher.

This butcher was riding gaily along to the market at Nottingham. He was dressed in a blue linen coat, with leather belt. On either side of his strong grey pony hung a basket full of meat.

In these days as there were no trains, everything had to be sent by road. The roads were so bad that even carts could not go along them very much, for the wheels stuck in the mud. Everything was carried on horseback, in sacks or baskets called panniers.

The butcher rode gaily along, whistling [36] as he went. Suddenly Robin stepped from under the trees and stopped him.

"What have you there, my man?" he asked.

"Butcher meat," replied the man. "Fine prime beef and mutton for Nottingham Market. Do you want to buy some?"

"Yes, I do," said Robin. "I'll buy it all and your pony too. How much do you want for it? I should like to go to Nottingham and see what kind of butcher I will make."

So the butcher sold his pony and all his meat to Robin. Then Robin changed clothes with him. He put on the butcher's blue clothes and leather belt, and the butcher went off in Robin's suit of Lincoln green, feeling very grand indeed.

Then Robin mounted his pony and off he went to Nottingham to sell his meat at the market.

When he arrived he found the whole town in a bustle. In those days there were very few shops, so every one used to go to market to buy and sell. The country people brought butter and eggs and honey to sell. With the money they got they bought platters [37] and mugs, pots and pans, or whatever they wanted, and took it back to the country with them.

All sorts of people came to buy: fine ladies and poor women, rich knights and gentlemen, and humble workers, every one pushing and crowding together. Robin found it quite difficult to drive his pony through the crowd to the corner of the market place where the butchers had their stalls.

He got there at last, however, laid out his meat, and began to cry with the best of them.

"Prime meat, ladies. Come and buy. Cheapest meat in all the market, ladies. Come buy, come buy. Twopence a pound, ladies. Twopence a pound. Come buy. Come buy."

"What!" said every one, "beef at twopence a pound! I never heard of such a thing. Why it is generally tenpence."

You see Robin knew nothing at all about selling meat, as he never bought any. He and his men used to live on what they shot in the forest.

[38] When it became known that there was a new butcher, who was selling his meat for twopence a pound, every one came crowding round his stall eager to buy. All the other butchers stood idle until Robin had no more beef and mutton left to sell.

As these butchers had nothing to do, they began to talk among themselves and say, "Who is this man? He has never been here before."

"Do you think he has stolen the meat?"

"Perhaps his father has just died and left him a business."

"Well, his money won't last long at this rate."

"The sooner he loses it all, the better for us. We will never be able to sell anything as long as he comes here giving away beef at twopence a pound."

"It is perfectly ridiculous," said one old man, who seemed to be the chief butcher. "These fifty years have I come and gone to Nottingham market, and I have never seen the like of it—never. He is ruining the trade, that's what he is doing.

[39] They stood at their stalls sulky and cross, while all their customers crowded round Robin.

Shouts of laughter came from his corner, for he was not only selling beef and mutton, but making jokes about it all the time.

"I tell you what," said the old butcher, "it is no use standing here doing nothing. We had better go talk to him, and find out, if we can, who he is. We must ask him to come and have dinner with us and the Sheriff in the town-hall to-day." For on market days the butchers used to have dinner altogether in the town-hall, after market was over, and the Sheriff used to come and have dinner with them.

"So, the butchers stepped up to jolly Robin,

Acquainted with him for to be;

Come, butcher, one said, we be all of one trade,

Come, will you dine with me?"

"Thank you," said Robin. "I should like [40] nothing better. I have had a busy morning and am very hungry and thirsty."

"Come along, then," said the butchers.

The old man led the way with Robin, and the others followed two by two.

As they walked along, the old butcher began asking Robin questions, to try and find out something about him.

"You have not been here before?" he said.

"Have I not?" replied Robin.

"I have not seen you, at least."

"Have you not?"

"You are new to the business?"

"Am I?"

"Well, you seem to be," said the old butcher, getting rather cross.

"Do I?" replied Robin laughing.

At last they came to the town-hall, and though they had talked all the time the old butcher had got nothing out of Robin, and was not a bit wiser.

(ask) … (help) …. (a, the) … man. I remembered that my friend (tell) ….. me of this man before. He had a very weak heart. I wondered if he wanted me (do) something (for, to) ….. him. "I (be)….. thankful to you if you (find) …..me a job that not (require) ….. (any, some) …. physical effort," he explained. The next day I (ring) …to a kind theatrical manager and asked if he had any work for an invalid. "If he (manage)….(stand) (for, during) .fifteen minutes, I (take) …him. He (act) …in the last scene in a play we (stage) now." (At, on) the first performance of the play I (see) … him standing near the front of the stage with a spear in his hand and looking very happy and proud. Some time later I learned from my friend, the doctor, that the man with the weak heart (fall) … in love (to, with) …a dancer and asked her to become his wife. (A, the)… woman (fall)…in love (to, with) … him too and one day she visited the doctor to find out about the man's health. She (make)… him (tell) her all the truth and fainted when the doctor told her that the man (die) … very soon. A month later while I (return) . from the party, I (meet) … my friend. He said that woman (write) … a letter to the man with a weak heart. Next day he (find) … dead in his room. It was joy that killed him because she (agree) … to become his wife.