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Lesson 24 A skeleton in the cupboard 家丑 We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or familyhas some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years. TheEnglish language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.The terrible secret is called a skeleton in the cupboard. At some dramaticmoment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation isruined. The readers hair stands on end when he reads in the final pages of thenovel that the heroine, a dear old lady who had always been so kind toeverybody, had, in her youth, poisoned every one of her five husbands. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction. To varyingdegrees, we all have secrets which we do not want even our closest friends tolearn, but few of us have skeletons in the cupboard. The only person I know whohas a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of thefact. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor,however, he became a successful writer of detective stories. I once spent anuncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house. George showed meto the guest-room which, he said, was rarely used. He told me to unpack mythings and then come down to dinner. After I had stacked my shirts andunderclothes in two empty drawers, I decided to hang one of the two suits I hadbrought with me in the cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and then stood infront of it petrified. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes. The suddenmovement of the door made it sway slightly and it gave me the impression thatit was about to leap out at me. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tellGeorge. This was worse than a terrible secret this was a real skeleton! But George was unsympathetic. Oh, that, he saidwith a smile as if he were talking about an old friend. ThatsSebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. | 
