Ralph and Percy

ISBN-13: 9781505437720 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 142 str.

Helen Elrington

Opis

While Ralph and Percy's parents are abroad, they stay with a poor widow, Mrs. Cassidy, and her two daughters. The young boys find their new surroundings dull and are annoyed with the youngest daughter, the prying Rosa. The other daughter, Eva, is an invalid, who due to her illness is confined to her room. Ralph and Percy, mainly concerned with having a good a time themselves, pay no attention to the sick girl and do their best to spend as little time as possible with the prying Rosa. Counting off the days to their return home, the boys are crestfallen when a letter arrives from their parents. Their father has fallen ill, and the boys will have to spend Christmas with the Cassidys. Trying to relieve their boredom, and to avoid Rosa who is afraid of all four-legged creatures, the boys take the family dog for a walk. This ends in disaster when the dog escapes and causes havoc. When there is a football match at a nearby College, the boys see the opportunity for having a good time. Their joy, however, turns to anger, when they are lumbered with Rosa, who has decided to accompany them. While the game is in progress they give Rosa the slip, but when it is time to go home, they can't find her. After unsuccessfully searching for Rosa, they return home to break the bad news to Mrs. Cassidy. She tells them not to say a word to Eva, while she goes to the police. Rosa is brought home by the boys' cousin Hubert, a hard-working curate, who found the girl outside the home of one of his parishioners. The girl hurt her ankle and has taken terrible fright. So much so, that she faints while Cousin Hubert is upstairs visiting Eva. Percy screams for Cousin Hubert, thus alerting Eva to the situation, and causing her illness to worsen. The boys aren't blamed for anything they have done, and continue in their selfish ways, grumbling about their dull surroundings and having to spend Christmas with people they do not like. One day, when out walking, they meet their Cousin Hubert. The boys complain to him, and the curate listens to their grievances. When they are finished, he tells them about the suffering of the Cassidy family, opening their eyes to their selfish ways. Thinking about what their cousin has told them, Ralph and Percy decide to try to be unselfish. With their changed attitudes the boys find life much more enjoyable, and start to like being at the Cassidys. As a surprise Mrs. Cassidy decided to organize a modest Christmas party. But a great test comes, when a letter arrives stating that one of the boys is to spend a lavish, enjoyable Christmas with their uncle. It's up to the boys to decide who is to go? Ralph or Percy? The remaining boy, with his brother gone, only has the Christmas party to look forward to. As he resigns himself to his situation something happens which threatens to spoil everything. The boy has to make a decision that will teach him the most wonderful life lesson he'll ever learn.

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