Hallowe'en Party / Вечеринка на Хэллоуин. Книга для чтения на английском языке

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A sudden shaft of light shot across the room from a step-ladder, placed behind a screen. It hit the right spot in the room, which was reflected in the mirror grasped in Beatrice’s excited hand.

�Oh!’ cried Beatrice. �I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him! I can see him in my mirror!’

The beam was shut off, the lights came on and a coloured photograph pasted on a card floated down from the ceiling. Beatrice danced about excitedly.

�That was him! That was him! I saw him,’ she cried. �Oh, he’s got a lovely ginger beard.

’

She rushed to Mrs Oliver, who was the nearest person.

�Do look, do look. Don’t you think he’s rather wonderful? He’s like Eddie Presweight, the pop singer. Don’t you think so?’

Mrs Oliver did think he looked like one of the faces she daily deplored having to see in her morning paper. The beard, she thought, had been an after-thought of genius.

�Where do all these things come from?’ she asked.

�Oh, Rowena gets Nicky to make them.

And his friend Desmond helps. He experiments a good deal with photography. He and a couple of pals of his made themselves up, with a great deal of hair or side-burns or beards and things. And then with the light on him and everything, of course it sends the girls wild with delight.’

�I can’t help thinking,’ said Ariadne Oliver, �that girls are really very silly nowadays.’

�Don’t you think they always were?’ asked Rowena Drake.

Mrs Oliver considered.

�I suppose you’re right,’ she admitted.

�Now then,’ cried Mrs Drake—�supper.’

Supper went off well. Rich iced cakes, savouries[21 - Rich iced cakes, savouries – Роскошные глазурованные торты, острые закуски], prawns, cheese and nut confections. The eleven-pluses stuffed themselves.

�And now,’ said Rowena, �the last one for the evening. Snapdragon. Across there, through the pantry. That’s right. Now then.

Prizes first.’

The prizes were presented, and then there was a wailing, banshee call[22 - wailing, banshee call – банши, РІ кельтском фольклоре – особая разновидность фей. Принимает различные облики: РѕС‚ уродливой старухи РґРѕ призрачной красавицы. Р?здает пронзительные вопли, предвещая чью-либо гибель].