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