Who is the Criminal Learn English through story level 2
the first stranger
in the southwest of england there are
many long low grassy hills which have
not changed their appearance for
centuries
farmers still keep their sheep on them
and the only buildings are lonely
cottages where shepherds live
fifty years ago there was a shepherd’s
cottage on one of these hills
it was only three miles from the market
town of caster bridge
but it was unusual for travellers to
pass this way
there was no road
just two foot paths which crossed in
front of the cottage door
during the long winters
snow and rain fell heavily here which
made travelling difficult
the night of march the 28th 1825
was one of the coldest and wettest that
winter
but inside the cottage all was warm and
cheerful
shepherd fennel had invited family and
friends to drink to the health of his
youngest child a recent arrival in the
family
nineteen people were at the party
married women and single girls shepherds
and farm workers
young people talking of love
and old friends talking of the past
shepherd fennel had chosen his wife well
she was a farmer’s daughter from one of
the valleys
and when she married she brought 50
pounds with her in her pocket and kept
it there for the needs of a coming
family
she did not like to spend money
unnecessarily and had worried about the
kind of party to give that evening
at a sit still party she thought the men
will get too comfortable and drink the
house dry
but at a dancing party people get hungry
and then they’ll eat all our food
we’ll have both sitting and dancing
that’s the best way
and secretly she told the fiddler to
play for no more than 15 minutes at a
time
but when the dancing began nobody wanted
to stop
the fiddler refused to catch mrs
fennell’s eye and played on
the music got louder and louder and the
excited dancers stepped faster and
faster
mrs fennell could do nothing about it
so she sat helplessly in a corner as the
minutes became an hour
while this was happening indoors outside
in the heavy rain and darkness a figure
was climbing up the hill from caster
bridge
it was a tall thin man about 40 years
old dressed all in black and wearing
thick heavy boots
when he reached the shepherd’s cottage
the rain came down harder than ever
the man left the footpath and went up to
the door
he listened carefully
but the music inside had now stopped and
the man seemed unsure what to do
he looked around but could see no one on
the footpath behind him and no other
houses anywhere near
at last he decided to knock on the door
come in
called shepherd fennel
all eyes turned towards the stranger as
he entered the warm room he kept his hat
on low over his face
the rain is heavy friends
he said in a rich deep voice
may i come in and rest here for a while
of course stranger
replied the shepherd you’ve chosen your
moment well because we’re having a party
tonight there’s a new baby in the family
you see
i hope you and your fine wife will have
many more shepherd the man answered
smiling politely at mrs fennel
he looked quickly round the room and
seemed happy with what he saw
he took his hat off and shook the water
from his shoulders
will you have a drink with us stranger
asked fennel
he passed a mug of his wife’s homemade
mead to the newcomer who drank deeply
from it and held it out for more
i’ll take a seat in the chimney corner
if you don’t mind said the man to dry my
clothes a bit
he moved closer to the fire and began to
look very much at home
there’s only one more thing that i need
to make me happy
he added and that’s a little tobacco
i’ll fill your pipe
said the shepherd kindly
can you lend me one
you’re a smoker and you’ve no pipe said
fennel
i dropped it somewhere on the road the
man lit the pipe that fennel gave him
and seemed to want to talk no more
two
the second stranger
during this conversation the other
visitors had not taken much notice of
the stranger because they were
discussing what the fiddler should play
next
they were just getting up to start
another dance when there was a second
knock at the door
at this sound the stranger turned his
back to the door and seemed very busy
trying to light his pipe
come in
called shepard fennel a second time
in a moment another man entered he too
was a stranger
this one was very different from the
first
there was a more cheerful look about him
he was several years older with greying
hair and a full reddish face
under his long wet coat he was wearing a
dark grey suit
i must ask to rest here for a few
minutes friends
he said or i shall be wet to the skin
before i reach caster bridge
make yourself at home sir
replied fennel a little less warmly than
when welcoming the first stranger
the cottage was not large there were not
many chairs and these newcomers brought
cold wet air into the room
the second visitor took off his coat and
hat and sat down heavily at the table
which the dancers had pushed into the
chimney corner
he found himself sitting next to the
first stranger who smiled politely at
him and passed him the mug of mead
the second man took it lifted it to his
mouth
and drank without stopping
watched by mrs fennel who is not pleased
at this free drinking of her best need
at last the man in the gray suit put
down the mug with a happy sigh
that’s wonderful me shepherd
he said i haven’t tasted anything as
good as that for many years
i’m pleased you enjoy it sir
replied shepard fennel
it’s goodish mead
agreed his wife
a little coldly
made from our own honey of course and it
is trouble enough to make i can tell you
but we may not make any more
honey sells well and we don’t need much
mead for ourselves
oh but you can’t stop making this
cried the man in grey
he took the mug again and drank the last
drop i love mead as much as i love going
to church on sundays or giving money to
the poor
said the man by the fire who seemed to
enjoy the stranger’s little joke
the old mead of those days made with the
best honey and the freshest eggs tasted
very strong
but it did not taste as strong as it
actually was
before long the stranger in grey became
very cheerful and red in the face
he made himself comfortable in his chair
and continued the conversation
well as i say i’m on my way to
casterbridge he said
you don’t live there then
said shepard fennel
not yet although i plan to move there
soon
going to start a business perhaps
ask the shepherd
no no said his wife it is easy to see
that the gentleman is rich and doesn’t
need to work at anything
rich is not the word for me madam
replied the man in grey i have to work
and i do work
and even if i only get to casterbridge
by midnight tonight i must begin work
there at eight o’clock tomorrow morning
yes hot or cold rain or snow i must do
my day’s work tomorrow
poor man so although you look rich and
comfortable your life is harder than
ours is it
said the shepherd’s wife
well it’s the work that i have to do
that’s all
now i must leave you friends but before
i go there’s time for one more drink to
your baby’s health only the mug is empty
here’s some small mead sir offered mrs
fennel we call it small but it’s still
made from good honey
no said the stranger i prefer to
remember the taste of your best meat
thank you
of course you do
said shepherd fennel quickly
he went to the dark place under the
stairs where the best mead was kept and
filled the mug
his wife followed him and spoke
worriedly to him in a low voice
i don’t like the look of the man at all
he’s drunk enough for ten men already
don’t give him any more of the best but
he’s in our house my love and tis a
miserable wet night what’s a mugger mead
more or less
very well just this time then
she said looking sadly at the mead
but who is he and what kind of work does
he do
i don’t know i’ll ask him again
while the man in grey drank his mead
fennel asked him again about his work
but the man did not reply at once
suddenly the first stranger spoke from
his seat by the fire
anybody may know what i do
i work with wheels
and anybody may know what i do
said the man in the gray suit if they’re
clever enough to find it out
there was a short silence which the
shepherd’s wife broke by calling for a
song
the second mug of mead had made the
stranger’s face even redder and more
cheerful than before
and he offered to sing the first song
this is what he sang
my job is the strangest one honest
shepherds all
work that all the world can see
my customers i tie and i take them up so
high and send them to a far country
no one spoke except the man near the
fire who joined in the last part with a
deep musical voice
and send them to a far country
none of the people in the room
understood what the singer meant except
the man near the fire who continued
smoking and said calmly
go on stranger sing on
the man in grey drank again from his mug
and sang
there isn’t much i need honest shepherds
all to set the criminals free
a little piece of rope and a tall
hanging post and that’ll be enough for
me
now it was clear to everybody in the
room that the stranger was answering the
shepherd’s question in song
they all looked at him their eyes and
mouths wide open in horror
oh
he’s the hangman
they whispered to each other he’s come
to hang that poor clockmaker tomorrow in
casterbridge prison
the clockmaker who had no work and whose
children had no food so he stole a sheep
and now he’s going to hang for it
three
the third stranger
just then there was another knock on the
door people seemed frightened and
shepard fennel was slow to call out for
the third time the welcoming words come
in
the door was gently opened and another
stranger stood in the doorway he was a
little man with fair hair and was tidily
dressed
can you tell me the way to
he began
but stopped speaking when his eyes fell
on the stranger in grey who at that
moment started singing again
tomorrow is my working day on a
shepherd’s all
working with the little piece of rope
a sheep has lost its life and the thief
must pay the price
he’ll find some peace with god we hope
the man by the fire repeated cheerfully
in his deep voice
he’ll find some peace with god we hope
all this time the third stranger had
stood in the doorway
and now everyone turned to look at him
they saw to their surprise that his face
was white
his hands were shaking and his eyes were
fixed in horror on the man in grey
a moment later he turned and ran away
into the darkness in the rain
who can that be
our shepherd fennel
no one answered
the room was silent
although there were more than 20 people
in it and nothing could be heard except
the rain beating on the windows
the stillness was broken by a bang
it was the sound of a gun
and it came from casterbridge
what does that mean
cried several people at once
a prisoners escaped from casterbridge
prison that’s what it means
replied the man in grey jumping up from
his chair i wonder if it’s my man
it must be said the shepherd and i think
we’ve seen him
the little man who looked in at the door
just now and shook like a leaf when he
saw ye and heard your song
his face was as white as a sheet said
the fiddler his hand shook like an old
man’s
said a farm worker
his heart seemed as heavy as stone
said mrs fennell
true
said the man by the fire his face was
white his hand shook and he ran like the
wind it’s all true
we were all wondering what made him run
off like that said one of the women and
now tis explained
is there a policeman here asked the
hangman
one of the men came slowly forward
pushed by his friends
i’m one of the king’s officers sir he
said
then take some of these men at once
follow the criminal and bring him back
here he hasn’t gone far i’m sure
i will sir i will when i’ve got my
uniform i’ll go home and put it on and
come back here immediately
uniform never mind about your uniform
the man will be far away by that time
but i must have my uniform there’s the
king’s name on it in gold
i can’t arrest a man without my uniform
on
i’m a kingsman myself said the man in
grey coldly and i order you to find and
arrest this man at once
now then all the men in the house must
come with us are you ready
the man left the cottage to start their
search and the women ran upstairs to see
the new baby who had begun to cry loudly
but the living room did not stay empty
for long
a few minutes later the first stranger
came quietly back into the house he cut
himself a large piece of cake and drank
another mug of mead
he was still eating when another man
came in just as quietly
it was the man in grey
oh
you here said the hangman smiling i
thought you had gone to help look for
the prisoner
and i thought you had gone too replied
the other
well i felt that there were enough
people without me said the man in grey
helping himself to the mede
i felt the same as you these shepherd
people can easily find the man because
they know this hilly country they’ll
have him ready for me by the morning and
it’ll be no trouble to me at all
yes they’ll find him we’ll save
ourselves all that trouble
true true
well i’m going to cast a bridge are you
going the same way we could walk
together
no i’m sorry to say i’m going the other
way
and after finishing their meet the two
men shook hands warmly said goodbye to
each other and went their different ways
out on the hills the shepherd and his
friends were getting cold and wet in
their search for the prisoner they had
no luck at all
until they reached the top of a hill
where a single tree stood
suddenly they saw the man who they were
looking for standing next to the tree
your money or your life
cried the policeman loudly no no
whispered the shepherd that’s what
robbers say not good honest people like
us
well i must say something mustn’t i you
don’t realize how difficult it is to
remember what to say
the little man now seemed to notice them
for the first time
well travellers did i hear you speak to
me he asked
you did replied the policeman we arrest
you for not waiting in castlebridge
prison for your hanging tomorrow
the little man did not seem at all
afraid and to everyone’s surprise agreed
with great politeness to go back to the
shepherds cottage
when they arrived there they discovered
that two officers from caster bridge
prison and a judge who lived nearby were
waiting for them
gentlemen
said the policeman i’ve brought back
your prisoner here he is
but this is not our man cried one of the
prison officers
what said the judge haven’t you got the
right man
but then who can this man be
asked the policeman
i don’t know
said the prison officer but our prisoner
is very different he’s tall and thin
with a deep musical voice
that was the stranger who sat by the
fire cried fennel
the little man now spoke to the judge
for the first time
sir he said i must explain
i’ve done nothing wrong
my only crime is that the prisoner is my
brother
today i was on my way to visit him in
casterbridge prison for the last time
when i got lost in the dark
i stopped here to ask the way and when i
opened the door
i saw my brother sitting by the fire
right next to him was the hangman who’d
come to take his life
my brother looked at me
and i knew he meant
don’t tell them who i am or i’ll die
i was too frightened to do anything
except turn and run away
and do you know where your brother is
now
no sir i haven’t seen him since i left
the cottage
and what’s his job he’s a clock maker
sir he said he worked with wheels
said shepard fennel he meant the wheels
of clocks and watches i suppose
well we must let this poor man go said
the judge clearly it’s his brother who
is the wanted man
and so the little man left the cottage
with a sad slow step
the next morning men were out on the
hills again searching for the clever
thief
but the shepherds and farm workers did
not look very carefully
they did not think the man should hang
just for stealing a sheep
and they liked the wonderful coolness
that he showed when sitting next to the
hangman at the shepherd’s party
so the prisoner was never found
and the man in grey never did his
morning’s work in casterbridge nor ever
met again the friendly stranger who had
sung the hangman’s song with him by the
shepherd’s fire
the grass has long been green on the
graves of shepard fennel and his wife
and the baby whose health was drunk that
night is now an old lady
but the arrival of the three strangers
at the shepherds cottage and all that
happened afterwards
is a story as well known as ever
in the hills and valleys around caster
bridge
you