It's a easy and intersting story for English lovers to read.You would have a good time after your reading.Come on.A GERMAN STAMP
Mr Amory, a businessman
Mallet,his manservant
Mr Ramsay, a visitor to the house
The sitting-room of Amory's house in London. It is a few minutes past seven o'clock on a cold October evening in 1946.Amory is standing with his back to the fire. Mallet is busy with glasses and drinks which are standing on a stable near one of the walls.
Amory: We'll have dinner at eight o'clock, Mallet. Please, tell your wife.
Mallet: Yes, sir.
AmoryL: Your wife is sometimes a little late with the dinner, Mallet.
Mallet: I'm sorry, sir.She didn't work before the war. I wasn't a servant before I met you in the war, and my wife stayed at home and took care of me. When my dinner was late, sir, it didn't matter much.
Amory(taking a stamp from a small table):Look at this, Mallet.Can you see anything unusual about it?
Mallet: It's a stamp, sir.Is it unusual?
Amory: Very. Look at the head on it.
Mallet: Yes, sir. The head's upside down.That is rather unusual, isn't it?
Amory: it certainly is. Have you ever seen a stamp like this in your life?
Mallet: No, sir,never. Where did you get it?
Amory: At the post office.I was posting thirteen letters and I bought stamps for them. Twelve of the stamps were of the usual kind. This was the thirteen. I was just going to put it on the envelope when I noticed the head.So I kept it.
Mallet: Very wise, I'm sure,sir.
Amory: Yes. Some people will pay a lot of money for a stamp like this. Perhaps Mr Ramsay will.
Mallet: Is the gentleman who's coming to dinner tonight,sir?
Amory: He is.
Mallet: Does he know that you have the stamp, sir?
Amory: Yes. I wrote to him about it. He may give me two or three hundred pounds for this stamp. He's a rich man and he has a lot of stange stamps. So tell you wife to have dinner ready at eight o'clock. Mr Ramsay will be here soon.He's coming from Scotland, and he's on his way to Dover. He'll want a good dinner after his long journey.
Mallet: I'll tell my wife,sir.
(The sound of a taxi is heard outside the house.)
Amory: Here he is now. Rather early. Go and bring him in, and then be ready to give us drinks.
Mallet(going out of the room):Yes, sir.
(Amory moves one of the chairs nearer to the fire and put a small table near it. Mallet returns with Ramsay.)
Mallet: Mr Ramsay, sir.(Mallet goes to the drinks.)
Amory: Good evening,Ramsay.I'm very glad to see you.Come in and sit down.
Ramsay: Good evening, Amory.Thanks.(Sits down.)
Amory: Did you have a good journey?Will you have a drink?
Ramsay: Thanks. I need one.I'm glad to be out of that taxi alive.
(Mallet brings two drinks and gives them to Ramsay and Amory.)
Ramsay: Thanks.
Amory: Thank you,Mallet.(He speaks to Ramsay.)
What happened in you taxi?
(Mallet goes out of the room.)
Ramsay: The driver nearly killed me. He drove too fast.We nearly killed a man who was crossing the street.I told the driver to go slowly, but he wouldn't listen.
Amory: I'm surprised.Most of our London taxi-drivers are very careful.They're good drivers usually.
Ramsay: Yes,nearly always.But not quite always.
(Mallet returns and stands by the drinks.)
Amory: I've always found them safe enough.
Ramsay: Yes,they're often too slow for me.But once before I was driven too fast.It was many years ago.About 1939, I believe.
Amory: That's a long time ago.Why do you remember it after so many years ?
Ramsay: Because I lost something.It was very strange;very strange.I reached Victoria station and ran out to find a taxi.I wanted to go to King's Cross station to catch a train.
Amory: The other side of London.
Ramsay: Yes. I hadn't much time.I got into the taxi and driver started off at once and drove much too fast.I said nothing at first because I wanted to catch that train.But the man drove very badly,and he wasn't going the right way. I got angry.
Amory: Perhaps he knew a better way to King's Cross.
Ramsay: I don't think so.He drove along a lot of small streets that I don't know at all.He went faster ad faster.It wasn't safe.I asked him go go the right way to the station,but he didn't listen to me.He seemed to be in a very strange state of mind.He just went on and on.I was lost.I didn't remember any of the streets.
Amory: London taxi-drivers know all the small streets.Sometimes they used them to save time.The bigger streets are full of cars.Mallet, Mr Ramsay wants another drink,please.
Mallet(taking Ramsay's glass)；Yes,sir.
Ramsay: Thanks.My driver took me far out of my way.Then,in a small street somewhere,he stopped the taxi and looked out of his window.I told him to go on.I didn't want to miss my train.But he got out.
（Mallet drops Ramsay's glass on the floor.)（When I read that,I know there will be something intersting to happen...）
Amory(looking round at Mallet): Must you do things like that, Mallet?Bring Mr Ramsay another glass.
Mallet(quietly):Yes, sir.I'm sorry.
Ramsay: The taxi-driver left me in the taxi and ran into a doorway near a shop.
(Mallet listens with a troubled face.)
Amory(surprised): Left you in the taxi?
Ramsay: Yes, he did just that.I got out to look for another taxi,but of course there weren't any there.The driver was away for about two minutes and then he came out of the doorway again.I got back into the taxi,but the driver ran into the shop.I waited. What else could I do?But then he came back to the taxi.(Mallet gives Ramsay a drink.)Thanks.
Amory: Where has that man gone now?What happened next?
Ramsay: The driver took me as fast as he could to King's Cross sation.
Amory: Did you catch your train?
Ramsay: Yes,I just caught it. I've often wanted to meet that driver again.I lost a stamp that day.Perhaps, I left it in the taxi.
Amory: What kind of stamp?
Ramsay: It was a German stamp and it was still on its envelope.The postmark was clear.The date was clear too: July 1st.Those stamps were sold for the first time on July 1st,and so I was very sorry to lose that envelope.I've often tried to find another like it, but there aren't many in the world.The German post offices didn't sell any more stamps like that after about a week.There was something wrong with the name of the country on them.
Amory: How did you get the stamp?
Ramsay: I brought it. It cost quite a lot of money.And now those stamps cost even more.(Mallet returns with an envelope in his had.He gives it to Ramsay.)
Mallet: Is this yours,sir?
Ramsay（looking at the envelope）:Mine? Oh, look at this!Well, well, well!Where did you get this?Yes,it's mine.It's the lost stamp.I can't believe it!How did you get it?The same envelope！The same German writing!Who gave you this?
Mallet(quietly):You left it in the taxi.I was the taxi-driver.
Amory and Ramsay(together):You?!
Amllet: Yes, sir. I drove a taxi before the war.
Amory: Do you mean that you are the driver who left Mr Ramsay in a taxi and ran into a shop?
Mallet(in a low voice):Yes,sir.
Amory: But why did you do that?Tell us.There must be a reason.Taxi-drivers don't usually do things like that.
Mallet: My wife was ill,sir.She was in bed and she was alone.
Amory: Why didn't you stay with her?
Mallet: I had to get some money,sir, with my taxi.We needed money.I went to Victoria station and Mr Ramsay got into my taxi.I didn't know him then,of course.He wanted to go King's Cross.I took him along those small streets so that I could see my wife's bedroom window.
Ramsay: Why?
Mallet: She was alone in her room, in bed.When she wanted me, she turned her light on.When it wasn't turned on, she wasn't very ill.That was our plan, sir.
Ramsay: I see. And on that day...
Mallet: When I stopped the taxi on that day and looked up at the window of her room, I saw the light. It was turned on,sir.You could just see it from the side of the street.
Amory：So you knew that she needed help.
Mallet: Yes, sir.I ran into the house to see her.She was very bad. I thought that she was dying.
Ramsay: But after you came back, you ran into the shop.Why did you do that?
Malelt: There was a telephone in the shop. I telephoned to the doctor.Then I ran back to the taxi and took you to King's Cross.
Ramsay: I see;I see.Yes, I understand now.But I was rather angry at the time.I said a lot of unkind things to you.I'm sorry.
Mallet: It didn't matter,sir. You wanted to catch your train and you didn't know about my wife's illness.
Ramsay: Well, I'm very glad to have this stamp again.Thank you very much.Why did you keep it?
Mallet: I knew that it was yours,sir,but I didn't know your name or your address.The address on the envelope isn't English.It's a place in Germany.Once I nearly posted it to Germany, but ,to tell you the truth,I didn't want to spend money on a stamp.Then the war started and I went to fight.When I came home again last year.I found the envelop in a book.I never did anything more about it.But when I heard your story,sir, I remebered it;and there it is.
Ramsay: Well, I'm very glad.Thank you very much again.I'm glad that I came to see you, Amory.This is a great day for me.Did your wife get better,Mallet ?
Mallet: Yes, thank you,sir. She got better, but the doctor was glad that I telephoned.She's getting your dinner ready now.I'll just go and see her now.It's five minutes to eight.I'll serve dinner in five minutes,sir.(He goes out.)
