It happened in 1921, one year before I joined the Indian Police. I had just passed out of the Police College in England and had not been placed very high in the list. I never was much (0) ..... at examinations, you know. One day an advertisement in The Times (1) ..... my attention. It said something about 'young man wanted for unusual work. Must have cool head.' Well, (2) ..... was only three years after the war and there were (3) ..... of young men who could probably do whatever it was. But I sat down and wrote to the paper and two days later I had a note asking me (4) ..... at one of London's best hotels in Piccadilly and ask (5) ..... Mijnheer Van Lutjens. Well, I put on my best suit and (6) ..... at eleven o'clock I knocked at the door of room 169. Van Lutjens was, of course, a Dutchman, and a very pleasant Dutchman. Small, round; you know, the kind of fellow, with no angles at all but with small bright eyes. He offered me a smoke and (7) ..... to talk business at once. It sounded easy (8) ..... . Van Lutjens was one of Amsterdam's leading diamond merchants. An American group of diamond buyers (9) ..... asked him to come over to New York with the famous Rozelles ear-rings. He explained that (10) ..... were two valuable diamonds, perfectly matched, which he had some time before obtained from a member of one of Central Europe's royal families in Paris. He was going to sail in the Berengaria two days (11) ..... and he wanted someone to watch over the ear-rings. It sounded rather dull and I didn't understand why it (12) ..... a 'cool head', as the advertisement said. But the money he offered me was generous, and so I accepted.
A
B
C
D
0
more
better
good
well
1
gathered
paid
collected
attracted
2
I
there
it
these
3
many
plenty
lot
several
4
calling
call
calls
to call
5
for
about
from
of
6
exactly
shortly
sharply
directly
7
had started
was starting
started
has started
8
also
enough
very
quite
9
had
have
were
has
10
any
where
some
they
11
past
later
over
before
12
needs
has needed
will need
needed