To maintain the atmosphere of growing fear culminating with uncontrollable terror, the given extract creates, complete the unfinished sentences so as to express either hypothesis or supposition. Account for the choice of the forms used.
The Accursed House
(after E. Gaboriau)
The Vicomte de B. was peacefully enjoying an income of 30,000 livres yearly, when unfortunately for him, his uncle died, leaving him all his wealth. But for his uncle's death, he ... (to go in for business).
The Vicomte learned that he was the owner of a house in the Rue de la Victoire. He learned also, that the building, bought for 300,000 francs, now brought in 82,000 francs a year.
"Too much, too much," thought the generous Vicomte. "My uncle was too hard. I will begin to lower my rents and my tenants will bless me."
With this excellent purpose the Vicomte sent at once for the concierge of the building.
"Bernard, my friend," said the Vicomte, "go at once and notify all your tenants that I lower their rents by one-third."
That unheard-ofword "lower" fell like a brick on Bernard's head. But he quickly recovered himself; he had heard badly: he had not understood.
Test 11. Revision Tasks
441
"Low ... er the rents!" said he. "Monsieur de Vicomte likes to joke. Monsieur, of course, means to raise the rents? If the lodgers ... (to learn of it), what ... (to think of Monsieur)? What people ... (to say in the neighbourhood)?"
"I was never more serious in my life, my friend," the Vicomte interrupted, "and I prefer, when I give an order, to be obeyed without reply. You hear me - go!"
Staggering as if he ... (to be a drunken man), Bernard went out of the house. All his ideas were upset, overthrown. Maybe he was the plaything of a dream, a ridiculous nightmare? Was he himself or something else? "Lower the rents!" repeated he. "It is not to be believed. If indeed the lodgers ...
(to complain); on the contrary, they are all good payers. Ah, if his uncle ...
(only to know), he ... (to rise from the tomb)! His nephew behaves as if he
... (to go mad)! This young man will finish badly! Who knows - after this - what he will do next? He lunched too well, perhaps, this morning." And Bernard was so pale and excited with emotion, that on seeing him enter, his wife exclaimed "Goodness! What has happened to you now?" "Absolutely nothing," said he.
"You're deceiving me, you are concealing something from me," said Madame Bernard. "Don't spare me; speak; I am strong - what did the new owner tell you? Does he think of turning us out?"
"If it... (to be) only that! But just think, he ordered me to notify all the tenants that - he lowered their rents by one-third!"She too was thunderstruck.
Next morning, Bernard, putting on his best coat, made the rounds of the 23 flats to announce his great news. Ten minutes later the house was in a commotion impossible to describe. "Why had the owner lowered his rents? What motives has this strange man?" they all wondered. For, certainly, he
... (to have grave reasons) for a step like this! An intelligent man, a man of good sense, ... (to never deprive himself) of good revenues for the simple pleasure of depriving himself. One ... (not to conduct himself) thus without being forced to by powerful or terrible circumstances. And each said to himself: "There is something behind all this! But what?"
Every tenant looked as if he ... (to try to solve) an impossible cipher. "This man ... (to commit a crime); remorse pushes him to philanthropy,"
thought one of them. "The house, perhaps, was badly built?" questioned another anxiously. "Maybe it was the roof?" suggested a tenant on the fifth floor and the gentleman on the first floor was inclined to believe that the owner intended to set fire to the house with the sole object of getting great sums from the insurance companies. From disquietude it had come to fright; from fright it quickly passed to terror.