A True Love Learn English through story level 3
i don’t think that i’ve ever been in
love
she stopped for a minute
and then she continued
how will i know
my name is dr horatio fundabee but i am
not the kind of doctor who sees sick
people
i am called a doctor because i have
spent many many years studying
i studied history
and i now have an important job at the
british museum in london
every sunday afternoon i walk along a
path in chelsea
on the bank of the river thames
a lot of painters live in chelsea
people often think that i am a painter
i look like one and i dress like one
i have a white beard
i carry a black wooden stick and i wear
a large old hat
the hat is more than 40 years old
and i always wear it for my walks
i enjoy my walks very much there is a
lot to see and hear
boats pass on the river
birds cry noisily above it
along this bank of the river there are
some old houseboats
people buy these houseboats
because they like living on the water
they enjoy watching the passing boats
and listening to the sounds of a busy
river
they paint the boats in bright colors
one sunday afternoon
i was standing by the houseboats
looking across the river
in the deepest water in the middle of
the thames
i could see a beautiful white sailing
ship
it was called the poseidon
the back of the ship was a little
unusual
i knew that the owner of the ship was
lord struve
he was a great scientist who studied
ocean life
near the poseidon were a large ship from
south america
and a dirty spanish boat
then
i noticed one of the houseboats near the
bank
it was called the noreen
and it was very colorful
the boat was gray
but parts of it were painted in bright
colors
the door was blue
and the large wooden cover in the floor
of the front deck
was bright red
there were some steps going from the
boat to the bank of the river
these were painted blue
like the door
i saw a young girl trying to push back
the cover
she wanted to get out
and she was halfway out of the hole
but she had a problem
she saw me
she didn’t shout at me
but her mouth formed the words
i can’t open it
i hurried towards the narine it was
sitting on the bottom of the river
and i had to walk down the blue wooden
steps over the water of the thames
i went carefully along the deck of the
boat
until i reached the girl
the new red paint has dried
and i can’t open the cover
she said
wait a minute
i said
i used my stick to open it
a few minutes later
the girl climbed out onto the deck
she was about 20 years old
she was wearing old blue paint covered
trousers and a gray shirt
i thought that she looked quite
beautiful
she looked at me with big green eyes
they were the loveliest part of her face
thank you
she said
that’s all right
i replied
i was glad to help
you’re a dear man she said
do you know who you’re like
you’re like one of those
older men
who work in museums
oh
i’m sorry
that wasn’t very polite
she smiled gently
but i am an old man
i said
please don’t worry
in fact i do work at the british museum
i’m doctor horatio fundabee
oh
she said
the british museum
she was silent for a second
and then she asked
would you like to see my octopus
yes i would
i said smiling
she took me down through the blue door
into a green room
i could see a small bed
bookshelves and paintings
then i noticed two glass cases
one large
and one small
in the small case were two fish
and in the large one was the octopus
isn’t it beautiful she said
sometimes i sit and look at it for hours
does it have a name
i asked
oh i just call it octopus
she replied
and you
what’s your name i asked
after a minute she said
my name’s thetis
ah
i said
that’s the name of one of the water
people in the greek stories of long ago
thetis was the daughter of nerius and
doris
they lived at the bottom of the sea
she pulled her ear thoughtfully
my real name’s alice
she said
i call myself thetis because i’d like to
live at the bottom of the ocean
when she said this
i could understand the reason for her
green room
it was quite dark in the room
the only lights were the ones that lit
the glass cases
the paintings on the wall were in blues
and greens
and showed fish and other underwater
animals
i was sure that she was the painter
she was almost a water child herself
with her small nose
large eyes and pretty short brown hair
would you like me to sing for you
she asked
oh please do i replied
my songs called the silver swans
she said
she sat down
closed her eyes
and sang in a sweet
gentle voice
how shall i know my true love
when will my true heart speak to me
oh when the silver swans come sailing
then i will know my true love
then i will be with my true love
forever with my true
love
it was a beautiful song
but i felt that there was a sadness
behind the words
the words were wise and understanding
but i knew that the young girl in front
of me was never in love
that was lovely
i said
thetis opened her eyes
thank you
she said
who wrote it
i asked
i did
she said it’s mine
do you often write songs
i asked surprised
only when they come into my head
she replied
suddenly she moved towards me
how will i know my true love
she asked seriously
how will i know when i’m really in love
how old are you thetis
i asked
i’m 21.
she answered
have you been in love
i said
no
she replied
i don’t think that i’ve ever been in
love
she stopped for a minute and then she
continued
how will i know
who will tell me when i am
you’re so old and wise
can’t you help me
she looked pale and unhappy
i thought carefully before i answered
her questions
at last i replied
when he’s ill and ugly and you can still
love him
then you can be sure
when he is ill and ugly
she said to herself quietly
she sat there thinking
then suddenly she remembered that i was
there
oh i’m sorry i’m being rude
she said
would you like some tea dr fundabee
i’d love some
thank you
i replied
she disappeared for two or three minutes
i looked round the room again
at last she returned carrying the tea
things
she poured out the tea
as she lifted her cup to her mouth she
said again
when he is ill and ugly
oh thank you dr fundabee
she smiled at me
we talked for about half an hour
she told me about her mother and father
they also lived in london
but she wanted to live alone on this
houseboat
she loved it
because it was on the water
she had an evening job but she did not
tell me what it was
suddenly
i began to feel quite ill
i wasn’t sure why
but before i could decide
fetus asked
would you like to go out on deck
there was not much room at the back of
the boat but it was enough for the two
of us
then i saw with surprise that there was
water all around the boat now
four dirty white swans went past us
their feathers were dirty with oil from
the river and their eyes looked very
unfriendly
fetus looked at them
i said smiling
perhaps they’re the silver swans in your
song
perhaps you’re going to meet your true
love
she only said
these swans are a dirty gray silver
then a small wooden boat came up to us
there was a tall strong man in the boat
he looked about 35 years old
he was wearing a blue sailing shirt
and dark blue trousers
he had black hair
a beard
and bright blue eyes
hello
he shouted
and his white teeth shone against his
dark beard
have you some cotton to mend my trousers
i caught them on a piece of wood
yes of course
this is called back
if you climb up here i’ll mend them for
you
the sailor laughed
i’ll do it
i can’t tell you where they’re caught
he said
oh i understand
this said smiling
then she went to find the cotton
when she returned she put it carefully
in a piece of cloth
then she threw the cloth into the boat
the sailor caught it
clever child
he said thanks very much
i’ll be quick
he moved the boat away
and then tied it up next to another boat
we watched as he mended his trousers
with his back towards us
while we stood there
a large boat went past
the noreen started to go up and down in
the water
i suddenly felt very sick
thetis saw my face
oh you poor man
she cried
i forget that moving boats sometimes
make people ill
come with me
i’ve got a bottle of medicine
it will still make you better
she helped me down into the green room
and sat me in a chair
i was feeling very ill now
she went to a small cupboard
and got a small brown bottle from it
she poured something from it into a
spoon and gave it to me
they discovered this medicine during the
second world war
she said
some of the sailors suffered badly in
storms or when the sea was rough
you’ll feel fine in a few minutes
just sit there quietly
she went out on deck
i heard her shout to the man in the boat
hello again
what’s your name
[Applause]
hadley
richard hadley
he called back
what’s yours
i’ve heard that name before
i thought
but i can’t remember where
fetus
she replied
there was silence for a minute
then he said
oh that’s the name of the daughter of
nerius and doris in the old greek
stories
they lived at the bottom of the sea
he was silent
again then i heard him call
where’s your father
he isn’t my father
thetis said
he’s an old man who’s visiting me
he’s feeling sick so i’ve given him some
medicine
i heard the laugh in the sailor’s voice
as he shouted
what
sick
on that old houseboat
it’s like dry land on there
another boat passed and the noreen
suddenly moved up and down again
but the medicine was beginning to work
it isn’t an old boat
fetus said seriously
it’s my home
and it does move up and down a lot
sometimes
you need a strong stomach
oh yes i’m sure that you do
he said
but i knew from his voice that he didn’t
really believe her
really it’s true
she continued
perhaps even you’ll get sick one day
the sailor laughed loudly
who me
listen child i’ve sailed every ocean and
sea in the world and in all sorts of
weather
and i haven’t been sick yet
i heard fetus say
there’s always a first time
would you like to try
tell me when it gets really rough
he said
i heard his boat touch against the
noreen as he continued
you’re not as young as i thought
i’m sorry that i called you a child
perhaps i’ll try your boat sometime
well thanks again for the cotton
at last i began to feel better
when i went up on deck
fetus was looking out across the
she was watching the sailor as he went
out towards the lovely white ship
oh
she said
you’re better
yes
i said
good
she said
that medicine always works
then she added
he said some very unkind things didn’t
he
i started to say
he
but wasn’t he beautiful
she continued dreamily
he’s very ill isn’t he dr fundabee
and i love him even more than when he’s
well
i did not see my friend for some weeks
then on a rainy sunday
as i walked past the houseboats
somebody called my name
dr thunderbee
dr thunderbee
i turned round
fetus was running up the steps from the
noreen
she ran to me and said
dr thunderbee
what shall i do
my octopus has eaten one of his arms
i replied
they often do that when people keep them
even when they feed them very well
oh
she said
thanks for telling me that
i feel much better now
she turned and went back to her boat
as she reached the deck
i called out to her
did your sailor ever come back
yes
she answered and disappeared into the
boat
a few days later a friend asked me to go
and see a play with him
it was called the unwanted and it was at
wyndham’s theater in london
there’s a young woman in it
alice adams
my friend said
she’s very good they say
one day she’ll be a great actress
when the play started
i couldn’t believe my eyes
the young actress was thetis
i remembered then that her real name was
alice
so this was her evening job
it was a sad play
thetis played a young girl who falls in
love with an older man
[Music]
in the end he leaves her
and she kills herself
thetis played the part with deep feeling
and
understanding it seemed to me almost
that she was the poor girl
i cried for her at the end of the play
the next sunday i visited her on her
boat
there was now another glass case in her
room
there were two large fish in it
she was sitting in front of the case
watching them
she got up to get the brown bottle
the boat was not moving much
but she gave me some of the medicine and
i drank it
my dear
i said
why didn’t you tell me who you were i
was at wyndham’s last week
i did tell you
she said
this is the person that i am here
this is the person that i really want to
be
you played the part very well
i said
i cried at the end
how can you put so much feeling into the
pot night after night
how can you show all that pain and
unhappiness if you have never been in
love
she thought for a minute
then replied
that’s the other side of me
i just do it
she saw me looking at the glass case
he gave them to me
she said
the sailor i said
yes she said
where did he get them
i asked
from the bottom of the river
she answered
did he
how
i asked
he went down and looked for them
she replied
now i remember who richard hadley is
i thought to myself
does she know
and will her heart break like the heart
of the girl in the play
is he in love with you
i asked
he laughs at me and says unkind things
she said
does that mean that he’s in love
and you
i asked
are you in love with him
i don’t know
she cried
i don’t know i don’t know
oh dr fundabee i hate being young
she put her head on my shoulder and
started to cry
i tried to find the words to make her
better
the next sunday i went for my usual walk
it was very windy and the river was
rough
when i saw the noreen she was moving
from side to side
thinking of this i hurried towards the
boat
her room was small and the glass cases
were not safe in bad weather
i noticed that the blue door was open
so i quickly went down the steps
when i reached the last step
i heard a deep cry
from fetus’s room
i was afraid for her
and i hurried in
richard hadley was lying on the bed
he was very sick
thetis was sitting on the side of the
bed holding his head in one of her arms
his skin was a gray color
and his face was pale
at first i thought that he was dying
then the boat moved suddenly
i understood then why he was like this
fetus
i cried
the medicine quickly
where is it
oh
cried the unhappy man
go away both of you and leave me to die
alone
i love him
thesis said
happily holding his poor head in her
arms
oh now i know that i love him
he’s very ill isn’t he dr thunderbee
and i love him even more than when he’s
well
i went to the cupboard where thetis kept
the brown bottle of medicine
it was locked
i looked at this
she looked sad
he refuses to say that he’ll marry me
she said
then she added looking down at him
i don’t mind being a poor sailor’s wife
when you sail away
i’ll come with you
we can sail round the world together
i almost laughed at her words
thetis had no idea about a sailor’s life
and she had no idea who richard hadley
was
the unhappy weak man cried out
all right all right i’ll marry you i’ll
do anything if you’ll just go away
please leave me to die
i was beginning to feel very ill myself
so i cried
fetus you cold-hearted girl
give me the key now
how can you leave him to suffer
how can you do this to the man that you
love
she untied a piece of blue cloth from
around her neck
the key was on it
she looked at the floor as she gave it
to me
i knew that she was sorry now
as i opened the cupboard
i heard her say quietly
he sailed on every ocean and sea in all
sorts of weather
i took some of the medicine
then i gave some to the great ocean
scientist
richard hadley
lord struve
thetis looked at me
will you come to our wedding dr fundabee
she asked
i was still feeling sick
and i was not happy with her
so i replied if he marries you after
this suffering he’s crazy
lord struve probably suddenly felt
better because he sat up he said
i’m glad that you said that dr fundabee
promises don’t mean anything when they
are made in ill health
but you wanted to come on to the noreen
in this weather
she said sadly
the color was returning to his face
i came for a good reason
i love you
and i wanted to tell you that
he said
so why didn’t you tell me
thetis asked simply
for a minute
he did not know what to say
then he said suddenly
because i felt ill
now listen thetis
if you’re going to marry me
you must know two things
you must know who i am
you must know what i do
they don’t matter
thetis replied i love you
i was feeling better so i said
and your acting
lord struve looked at me in surprise
who’s acting
he asked
this is alice adams i cried she’s been
in the play the unwanted at wyndham’s
for the last two years
he looked at her
this child
he said
she is a child isn’t she
thetis moved her head in a silent yes
but i said
she’s england’s best young actress and
she’s 21.
he stood up
yes
he cried i remember reading something a
long time ago
i’ve just come back from the galapagos
he continued
i haven’t heard anything about england
for nearly two years
thetis jumped up and ran to him
oh please take me there
she said in an excited voice
all my life i’ve wanted to go to the
galapagos
can sailors take their wives with them
when they go
lord struve cried
i’m not a sailor fetus
i’m a
he stopped
he found it difficult to say
i’m a lord
he started again
i’m a kind of ocean scientist
i do a lot of my work underwater
but you’re
acting before he could finish
thetis said
it doesn’t matter
i never wanted to be an actress
i only do it for the money
i can buy octopuses and live on the
noreen
do you know what a good octopus costs
lord struve held both her arms
thetis can you be serious for a minute
do you really mean that you’ll give all
that away for me
of course
she replied
more than anything in the world i would
like to walk with you on the bottom of
the ocean near the galapagos because
she stopped for a minute thinking
because
i’m sure that i love you
dr thunderbee showed me that
for another minute
lord struve held her two arms
while he looked up with a very happy
look on his face
he seemed unable to believe what he was
hearing
and so the song of the silver swans came
true
thetis the water child
married her lord of the sea
richard hadley
i still walk along by the river thames
but i don’t enjoy the walk as much as
before
lord struve his wife and her octopus
have gone away to a beautiful island in
the pacific ocean
there they work together with the
wonderful undersea plants and animals
around them
a family have bought the noreen
and they have painted her a dark brown
color
they have changed the name to the nelson
after one of the greatest british
sailors
sir horatio nelson
i pass her every sunday and a washing
line goes from the back of the boat to
the front
it is filled with washing
the clothes of small children
and i think as i go past
do they have strong stomachs like thetis
or did she give them the name of that
wonderful medicine in the brown bottle
you