Page 91 - Viva Real English 4 : Ebook

13 The Wonderful Tea-Kettle

A long time ago in Japan there was an old priest who lived in a temple and was
very devout. He was also very poor. He cooked his own rice, boiled his own tea,
swept his own floor, and lived frugally as an honest priest should do.

One day the kettle in which he boiled water for his tea broke and he did not know
what to do, as he had no money to buy a new one. But the next morning, behold! a
shiny brass tea-kettle was sitting outside his door.

The priest was overjoyed. He built a fire in the square fireplace in the middle of
the floor. A rope and chain to hold the rice-pot and tea-kettle hung down from
the ceiling. Soon the fire blazed merrily. At the side of the fireplace, on the floor,
was his tray filled with tiny teacups, a pewter tea-caddy, a bamboo tea-stirrer, and

a little dipper. The priest swept the ashes off the edges of the hearth with a little

devout : very religious merrily : (here) brightly

frugally : in a simple way pewter : a grey metal
behold : see tea-caddy : a small box to keep tea

overjoyed : very happy leaves
dipper : a cup-like container
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