A poor young man gives his last coin to a beggar — and gets a surprise.
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These are the new words for the story. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (poor) · 2 = B (a beggar) · 3 = F (kind) · 4 = E (a coin)
5 = A (an artist) · 6 = G (a model) · 7 = C (rich) · 8 = H (a present)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Hughie Erskine was a very nice young man. Everybody liked him. He was good-looking and kind, and he had many friends. But he had one big problem: he had no money. He tried to work in business, but he lost his money. He tried to sell tea, then wine, but that did not work. In the end, Hughie was poor.
Hughie was in love with a girl called Laura. Laura loved him too. But her father, an old army Colonel, said, "You can marry Laura when you have ten thousand pounds. Not before." Ten thousand pounds! For Hughie, that was an impossible sum of money. He was one of the poorest young men in London, and one of the saddest.
One morning, Hughie went to see his good friend Alan Trevor. Alan was an artist. He was older than Hughie and richer than Hughie, and he painted very good pictures. Alan liked Hughie very much because Hughie was young, kind and full of charm.
1. What was Hughie's big problem?
2. What did Laura's father say Hughie needed before he could marry Laura?
1. He was very nice and kind, but he had no money. He tried business and selling things, but he stayed poor.
2. Ten thousand pounds. That was an impossible sum of money for Hughie.
In Alan's studio, Hughie saw an old man. The man stood in the corner. He was a model for a picture. He looked very poor. His clothes were old and torn. His face was tired and sad. He held out an old hat, like a beggar. It was a wonderful, sad picture.
"What a great model!" said Hughie. "Yes," said Alan. "A real beggar is not easy to find. He is perfect for the picture." "Poor old man," said Hughie. "He looks so sad."
Then Alan went out of the room for a minute. The old man sat down to rest. He looked so tired and so poor that Hughie felt sorry for him. Hughie looked in his pockets. He had only one gold coin — a sovereign — and a few small coins. "He needs this more than I do," thought Hughie. He gave the gold coin to the old man. "Thank you, sir," said the old man. "Thank you." Now Hughie had almost no money, but he felt happy.
1. Who was the old man in the studio, and why was he there?
2. What did Hughie give the old man?
1. He looked like a poor old beggar. He was a model — he stood still so Alan could paint his picture.
2. His last gold coin (a sovereign). Hughie felt sorry for him and wanted to help.
That evening, Hughie met Alan again. "Did you finish the picture?" asked Hughie. "Yes," said Alan. "And the old model likes you very much. I told him all about you and Laura." "You told a beggar about me?" said Hughie. He was not happy. "Alan, you are a strange man!"
Alan smiled. "My dear Hughie," he said, "that old man is not a beggar. He is Baron Hausberg. He is one of the richest men in Europe! He has a big house in every city. He wanted me to paint him as a poor man, for fun." Hughie's face went white. "What?" he said. "I gave a gold coin to one of the richest men in Europe!" He felt very embarrassed. He wanted to hide.
But the next morning, a man came to Hughie's door with a small box. Inside the box there was a letter. It said: "A wedding present for Hughie and his bride, from an old beggar." And with the letter was a cheque for ten thousand pounds! The Baron was not angry. He was happy. Hughie was kind to a poor old man, and now Hughie could marry Laura. It was the best present of his life.
1. Who was the old "beggar" really?
2. What present did the Baron send to Hughie, and why?
1. He was Baron Hausberg, one of the richest men in Europe. He posed as a poor beggar for the picture, for fun.
2. A cheque for ten thousand pounds, as a wedding present. He was happy because Hughie was kind to him when he thought he was poor.
This story compares people. Hughie is poorer than the Baron. The Baron is richer than Hughie. We use comparatives to compare two things.
Write the comparative of the adjective in brackets. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. The Baron was (rich) than Hughie.
2. Hughie was (poor) than the Baron.
3. Alan was (old) than Hughie.
4. After the present, Hughie was (happy) than before.
1. richer (short adjective + -er)
2. poorer (short adjective + -er)
3. older (short adjective + -er)
4. happier (happy → happi + er)
Write the comparative. Be careful: some are longer adjectives, and two are special words.
1. This story is (good) than the last one. (special word)
2. The Baron was (famous) than Hughie. (longer adjective)
3. Giving your last coin is (kind) than giving money you don't need. (short adjective)
1. better (good → better)
2. more famous (longer adjective → more + adjective)
3. kinder (short adjective + -er)
Fill each gap with the comparative of the adjective in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.
Hughie was much (poor) than his friend Alan. The old model looked (sad) than anyone in the room. But the model was really (rich) than everybody! In the end, Hughie was (happy) than ever.
poorer · sadder · richer · happier
Remember: short adjective + -er (poorer, sadder, richer); adjective ending in -y → -ier (happy → happier).
This is a happy little story with a big surprise at the end. But it also asks a real question: why do we treat rich people and poor people differently?
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of The Model Millionaire in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a poor young man, Hughie, in love with Laura → he needs ten thousand pounds → he sees an old beggar in his friend's studio → he gives the beggar his last gold coin → the beggar is really a rich Baron → the Baron sends him ten thousand pounds.
Try to use comparatives (richer than, poorer than, kinder than) and some of the key words (poor, beggar, kind, coin, artist, model, rich, present).
Hughie gave his last coin to a poor man. Do you think this was a good thing to do? When do you help other people? Is it easy or hard to give money away? Why?
Tell a story of your own — a time when someone or something was different from how it looked at first. Use comparatives to compare things.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: