Bring out the contradiction in the last exchange between the author and the Portuguese ambassador ‘In concrete terms,’ I asked at last, ‘what did she do?’ ‘Nothing,’ he said, with a certain disenchantment. ‘She dreamed.’

Now complete the columns below and mark the syllable that receives primary stress.

Identify instances in the story in which you find streaks of insanity in people other than Hagberd. What implications do they suggest?

Pick out one or two other examples of allusion from the story and comment briefly on the comparison made.

Tao Ying was very careful about spending money. What were her reasons for refusing the compensation offered by the temple officials?

What kind of life had Harry lived after he left home?

Why did Bessie sometimes show signs of irritation and disgust?

There is always a gap between what we really are and what we wish to appear to be to others.

What is the consistency one finds in the old man’s madness?

What made Tao Ying decide whether to buy a ticket or not when she rode a bus alone?

How effectively does the narrative technique adopted in this story illustrate ‘unity of thought’?