język angielski - rozumienie tekstów pisanych poziom podstawowy

Sebastian got off the train. He was back in London but this time there would be no car to pick him up. The last person he wanted to see was his uncle. The last time they’d met they had a terrible argument. He had no idea where he would spend the night.

As he made his way through the crowd, someone bumped into him, nearly making him fall over. He turned and saw a young man hurrying away – he hadn’t even apologized. Sebastian walked out of the station and into a street full of Victorian terraced houses. Several of them had bed-and-breakfast signs in their windows. He selected the one with the brightest polished door knocker and the cleanest windows.

A woman wearing a floral housecoat answered his knock, and gave her prospective guest a welcoming smile. Most landladies would be surprised to find someone in school uniform standing on their doorsteps, but she was used to having all kinds of guests, so she gave him her usual warm welcome, hoping he would stay.

‘Come in,’ she said. ‘Are you looking for accommodation, sir?’

‘Yes,’ said Sebastian, surprised to be called ‘sir’. ‘I need a room for the night, and wondered how much you charge.’

‘One pound for a week.’

‘I only need a room for one night,’ said Sebastian. He realized he would have to search for cheaper accommodation in the morning if he intended to stay in London longer.

‘Of course,’ she said as she picked up his suitcase. ‘My name’s Mrs Tibbet.’ When she reached the first floor, she added, ‘I’ll be putting you in number seven. It’s at the back of the house, so you won’t be woken by the morning traffic.’

Mrs Tibbet unlocked the door to room seven and stood aside to allow her guest to enter. ‘You’ll find the bathroom at the end of the corridor,’ Mrs Tibbet said before he could ask. ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ he said, ‘I’ll take it for a week.’

She took a key out of her housecoat, but before she handed it over, she said, ‘That will be one pound, paid at once.’ She waited with the key in her hand.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Sebastian. He reached into his trouser pocket, only to find it was empty. He tried another pocket, and then another, but there was no sign of his money. He finally fell to his knees, opened his suitcase, and began searching among his clothes in panic. Then he remembered the young man who had bumped into him in the street and realized what had happened.