Диалоги на английском языке с переводом (уровень Intermediate). № 89. Тема: Помощь в режиме реального времени в библиотечном обслуживании. Продолжение.

(1) Both thieves returned the goods they had stolen. T / F /
(2) Neither theft had been noticed. T / F /
(3) Both thieves regret their actions. T / F /
(4) Neither thief has been caught. T / F /
(5) One thief underestimated the value of the goods. T / F /
(6) Both owners are angry with the thief. T / F /

A
A thief with a conscience mailed back a gold wedding ring and earrings to the jeweller's where he or she stole them 35 years ago. A letter to Harman Jeweller's accompanied the traditional woman's wedding band, size 7, and a pair of pearl earrings with gold posts, tiny diamonds and dangling pearls.

'Enclosed are two items that I stole from you in 1968. I'm very sorry and I should not have taken your property,' it said. 'The pieces belong to you NOT me. I was wrong and I want to apologise for my actions.' Owner Donald Harman said the letter that arrived on Tuesday did not have a signature. The only telltale sign was a Barnsley, Yorkshire, postmark.

It was the first time Harman could remember stolen items being returned voluntarily. 'It's rather unusual,' Harman said. 'What must have gone through the person's mind after so long?'

The package provided few clues. 'Even though the 18-carat gold ring was highly polished, it had obviously been worn,' he said. However, the earrings, on close examination, appear to be a brand the store has never actually carried. After going through the shop's records, including lost or missing items, Harman is now convinced that they had never actually sold the earrings. 'Perhaps after all these years the thief got confused and returned the goods to the wrong shop.'

B
A man whose coin collection was stolen 20 years ago has received a £400 money order from the remorseful thief, who wrote in an anonymous letter that he was sorry for his youthful misdeeds. Victor Callan, 73, of Chester, said he didn't even know the coin collection was stolen, but was pleasantly surprised to receive the letter after so many years.

'I think it's a message from God that not everyone is bad,' Callan said last week. 'There are good people, and there are people that have made mistakes and feel the need to atone.'

The letter-writer wrote that he felt guilty about stealing the coins, which he found in Callan's garage when nobody was home.

'I have grown up to be a good father and churchgoing man,' the person wrote. 'I know this money will never undo the pain I caused you, but I truly hope it will restore a small piece of your faith in humanity.'

Callan, a retired grandfather of five, said he had thought he simply hid the coins so well that he couldn't find them. He said the collection of coins was almost certainly worth less than £400.