(LONG QUESTION.)
This lesson has five letters. The first two are business letters while the last three are personal letters. In the first letter, a gentleman from Karachi, Mr. Qureshi writes to the Manager Montrose Hotel, London and asks for the reservation of a single room from 6th February. He also asks about the easiest way to travel from the airport to the hotel.
The second letter is from the Manager Montrose Hotel written to Mr. Qureshi in which he informs him about the reservation. He also informs that he can get a taxi from the airport to the Hotel but it will be cheaper to come in the airport bus to the South terminal and from there hire a taxi.
In the third letter Mr. Qureshi tells his family about his stay with the Browns family. He also urges his son Saleem to exchange letters with the son of Brown’s family David in order to improve his English.
The fourth letter is written to David by Saleem. Saleem explains David how the Eid-ul-Fitre is celebrated. He tells that this Eid follows thirty days of fasting. On the Eid day, they put on new clothes have a special breakfast and go to the pologround for congregational prayers. After embracing each other, they return home where they eat delicious dishes and exchange presents. Then they meet their relatives. In the end of the letter Saleem asks David to describe in his letter how they celebrate Christmas and Easter.
The fifth letter is written to Saleem by David. David tells that Christmas is the most important religious festival. It is celebrated on 25th December. There is a particular song on that day. Shops are decorated. The people send cards and presents to each other. Houses are decorated with Christmas tree. The children get presents in the stockings hung on their bed. There are special dishes on that day. The weather is cold and damp.
The other important religious festival is Easter. It starts from Friday and ends on Monday. David also tells that they go to the seaside on Easter usually but this time they would not go there. They would prefer to go to the riverside or to stay at home. In the end David informs Saleem that his father would visit them again before he leaves for home next week.
7- THE WOLVES OF CERNOGRATZ.
LONG QUESTION.
Conrad was a rich merchant. He bought an old castle. His sister Baroness lived with him. One day he asked his sister if there were legends attached to the castle. She replied in positive and explained that there was a legend that when anyone died in the castle all the dogs in the village and wolves in the forest howled. A tree also broke in the park. However she refuted it saying that when the old mother-in-law died late year, nothing happened. At this the old governess said that the real story was that when any member of the Cernogratz family died then all those things took place. When asked how did she know it she replied that she herself was a Cernogratz. She had learnt it from her father. The Baroness gets annoyed at hearing this. She thinks that the governess has insulted them. When she had gone both the Baron and the Baroness showed their disbelief at what the governess had told. They decided to turn her out after the festival of New Year.
Now it happened so that she fell seriously ill before the Christmas. It was one of the last evenings of the year, the Baron and the Baroness sat round the fire discussing the old governess. Suddenly their small lap dog Wappi jumped down from the cushion and crept under the sofa. It was shivering with fear. At that very moment they also heard the howling of wolves. They also heard the dogs barking angrily. The Baroness stood up and went to the room where the old Governess was counting the last moments of her life. Despite of severe cold the window of her room was opened. The Baroness rushed forward to close it but the governess s strictly forbade her. She said that she wanted to listen to her family music before death. The Baroness returned to her guests and informed them that the old woman was going to die. They suddenly heard the sound of a tree falling in the park. They sent for the doctor but she expired before his arrival.
The story is not true. The rational explanation of all these strange events is that the wolves howled because of cold and the tree broke because of heavy snow fall in that season.