第2章 Thewinmningticket

Jason Williams came home and sat down on his bed.He was twenty-two years old.He lived with his father and mother in three small rooms at the top of a tall building.Every day he went out,but he did not go to work.Jason stole''things.Sometimes he stole things from shops or cars;and sometimes he stole money from old people like Emma Carter.Today he was angry.

I took that old woman''s bag,''he thought.‘What did I get?Two pounds²,seventy-four pence,and a lottery ticket!And it was an old,cheap bag too.’

Jason knew about lottery tickets.He bought five tickets every weekend.He put Emma''s lottery ticket in his pocket and forgot about it.Then he went out for a drink.

At the hospital a nurse put Emma to bed in a room with five other women.There was a television in the room,and at eight o''clock everybody watched the lottery.For a minute Emma watched too,but she felt very tired and soon she closed her eyes and slept.So she did not hear the winning numbers for that week''s lottery …

On Sunday at twelve o''clock Jason got out of bed and made some tea.Then he opened his father''s newspaper and found the winning lottery numbers:5,12,23,24,38,41.He checked his five lottery tickets.No good!''he said.

Then he remembered the old woman''s ticket and checked those numbers too:5,12,23,24,38,41.He checked them three times.Six winning numbers!

T''m a winner!’he said.He kissed the ticket.Then he ran into the living-room and kissed his mother.

‘Here,what''s the matter,Jason?’said Lily Williams.Jason sometimes hit her,but he did not usually kiss her.Her cigarette fell out of her mouth.''The lottery!I''m this week''s winner,Mum!Look -six winning numbers.I''m rich!''

Jason''s father came into the living-room.‘What''s all this noise?”he said.

''Joe,Joe!?said Lily.''Jason''s got six winning numbers in the lottery.We''re rich!?''

'' Wrong!”said Jason.T''m rich!''

Hus mother and father began to speak at the