A STORY TOO TERRIBLE TO TELL

Three tourists come on a visit to New York one day. They take a room in a large hotel. The hotel has twenty-five stories and their room is on the top floor. In the evening the three gentlemen go out for a walk along the streets of the city.

They return to the hotel about one o'clock in the morning after the theatre and a supper in the restaurant. When they come back the manager informs them that the lift is out of order. He is expecting some men to repair the lift but it is going to take a long time. So the friends decide to walk to their room.

It is a long walk and they decide to tell stories on the way to make it easier. The first man begins his story and when he finishes it, they have reached the tenth floor. The second man begins his story. It is long, interesting and funny, so when he finishes it, they have reached the eighteenth floor. There are only seven floors to go and one story to hear.

So, the third man begins his story. It is the last story and he isn't in a hurry to begin it. He is silent for a minute then he says: "My story isn't long, but it's too terrible to tell it now. We are on the nineteenth floor, but our key is downstairs. We forgot to take it with us."

1. Who comes to New York one day?

2. Where do they take a room?

3. Where do the three gentlemen go in the evening?

4. When do they return to the hotel?

5. Does the lift work?

6. Why do the friends tell stories on their way?

7. When does the third man begin his story?

8. What is the matter with the key?