samphire

samphire = une christe-marine (un végétal)

a bunch of = un bouquet de

a cliff = une falaise

a path = un chemin

a steeple = un clocher

a stick = un bâton

an allowance = une somme allouée

he gripped the soil = il s'agrippa au sol

he nodded = acquiesça-t-il

her chin = son menton

her eyes focused on = elle fixa ses yeux sur

pickles = petits légumes macérés

rubber toys = des jouets en caoutchouc

scaffolding = échafaudage

the edge = le bord

the pier = la jetée, l'embarcadère

to climb = gravir

to faint = s'évanouir

to gasp = haleter, suffoquer

to plead = supplier, implorer, plaider

to stare at = regarder fixement

he leaned over

they were standing

he crouched

she stepped a little closer

he straightened suddenly

he brushed against her

I almost trod on your foot

she knelt and crawled to the edge

she writhed away

He said, wagging his finger

he began to fondle her

he dropped her at once

he put the stick on his shoulder

they began to climb

he began to crouch over, turned from her

he was reaching down with his left arm

she pushed him

she thrust at him

he rose, swaying out

he had fallen off a cliff all right

she turned her dying face to the ground

General comprehension

An alternative title could be: Cliff-hanger / Till death do us part / Preserve wild life

The two protagonists' names are :

The action takes place at a ski-resort / a seaside-resort / at the beach / on a high cliff

The two newly-weds have just got married, they're on a business trip / on their honeymoon / on holiday

All the events occur on 2 consecutive days / weeks / months.

Lacey is a(n) despicable / hateful / generous / loving / talkative / insufferable / hen-pecked / authoritative person.

Molly is a(n) submissive / meek / passive / aggressive / obedient / reserved / unpredictable / bad-tempered person.

Pick out three sentences which prove that Molly has a fear of heights.

Choose the correct explanation

"She could not have spoken it if it had been for her life" (p123) =

She was too terrified to speak / she had been unable to speak all her life

"It was worth it, wasn't it?" (p123) =

It wasn't any better than before / he was glad he had made the effort

"wagging his finger to show he was not quite in earnest" (p124) =

He pointed his finger to show he meant it / he pretended he was only joking

"whispering in his secret night-voice, Tss-tss-tss" (p124)

He always uses the same trick to send her to sleep / he intends to be more intimate with her

"He was in high spirits" (p124) =

He was on the highest cliff / he was exhilarated

"a joke about the shop being a house of ill-fume' (p124) =

This sounds like ill-fame (malfamée) / the smoke in the place makes him sick

"he looked at the sticks but he didn't find one for his money" (p124) =

He couldn't afford these prices / the sticks were too cheap

"The man nodded" (p125) =

He couldn't care less / he was interested in what Lacey told him

"They had better go without tea tomorrow to make it up" (p125) =

They would have to make tea themselves / they wouldn't have tea so as to save money

"He had made her look over" (p126) =

He had compelled her to lean over the edge / he forced her to look up

"He had no fear of heights" (p126) =

He was not afraid of falling / he was not frightened by

"The stick scrabbled furiously for a purchase on the cliff" (p126) =

He tried to cling to the cliff with his stick / he had purchased the stick to climb this very cliff

Compare and contrast the narrative techniques used in these excerpts from page 123.

"He laughed, excited by the wind, and put his hand on her shoulder."

"Hey, look out, "he said, "I almost trod on your foot"

"He (..) said that "she was coming along very well"

He had been quite right insisting, hadn't he?"