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--- lesson 7 Mutilated ladies |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- Why did Jane cook John's wallet? |
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Has it ever happened to you? |
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Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? |
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When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white? |
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People who live in Britain needn't despair when they made mistakes like this (and a lot of people do)! |
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Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies |
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which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their dog. |
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Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money! |
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A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiancé, John, runs a successful furniture business. |
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John had a very good day and put his wallet containing $3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. |
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Then he and Jane went horse-riding. |
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When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiancé's wallet as well. |
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Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash! |
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John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilate Ladies! |
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They examined the remains and John got all his money back. |
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'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank.^“ |
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'Last year, we paid $1.5m on 21,000 claims.'^“ |
