New Concept English II - 92 (03/29/09)

Asking for trouble

It must have been about two in the morning when I returned home. I tried to wake up my wife by ringing the doorbell, but she was fast asleep, so I got a ladder from the shed in the garden, put it against the wall, and began climbing towards the bedroom window. I was almost there when a sarcastic voice below said, \'I don\'t think the windows need cleaning at this time of the night.\' I looked down and nearly fell off the ladder when I saw a policeman. I immediately regretted answering in the way I did, but I said, \'I enjoy cleaning windows at night.\'

\'So do I,\' answered the policeman in the same tone. \'Excuse my interrupting you. I hate to interrupt a man when he\'s busy working, but would you mind coming with me to the station?\'

\'Well, I\'d prefer to stay here,\' I said. \'You see. I\'ve forgotten my key.\'

\'Your what?\' he called.

\'My key,\' I shouted.

Fortunately, the shouting woke up my wife who opened the window just as the policeman had started to climb towards me.