1. At first I got on famously finding the right pigeonholes, checking Ted's list and putting the letters in ..........

bounds

bundles

bonds

bounded

2. After about two hours of this my internal battery started to get low and I found myself losing ..........

patients

patents

patters

patience

3. It was at this stage that Ted came in quickly ......... me to finish and get on the road.

demanding

taking

giving

encouraging

4. The post office in this country district didn't use vans because of the ..........

costing

monies

expense

expenses

5. I had to ......... do with a bicycle that looked as though it had been hit several times.

try

make

end

take

6. Once out in the open air I experienced a violent ......... but soon the sun came out.

wet

raining

rains

shower

7. The shouts of joy coming from some houses as I put the mail through the letter ......... made up for the discomfort and.

space

line

box

opening

8. I was beginning to feel like a ......... Father Christmas.

sort

real

type

kind

9. I then came to number 56 that Ted had ......... me about. They had a ferocious dog.

warned

threatened

indicated

shown

10. The only way to ......... with this one, Ted recommended, was to rush at the door, shove the letters through the door and go away as quickly as possible.

tackle

manage

handle

deal

11. I did just that but in my ......... I dropped a small packet that fell into a puddle.

hurry

haste

speed

hasting

12. I didn't have the courage to make another assault on the house. Instead I took it home to ......... it out.

make

do

try

dry

13. I knew if I told Ted he would talk a lot about being strictly against the rules but I was convinced it didn't ..........

concern

affect

matter

worry

14. In my kitchen I looked at the address and saw the recipient was a Master Richard. I was ashamed of my .........

coward

cowardice

cowardly

cowards

15. and thought I was depriving a young child of his Christmas present from some loving ..........

relative

related

reality

relatively

16. I rubbed the package with a towel and went quickly again to number 56 hurrying down the path in the true ......... of the season,

sense

ghost

taste

spirit

17. clutching the precious bundle in my hand I ......... it through the letter box

gave

took

thrust

turned

18. expecting to hear a happy ......... of surprise from young Richard. As I hurried away

yelp

sound

noise

din

19. to the sound of the ......... dog, I knocked by accident the garden gate just in time to hear a voice shouting:

braying

breathing

barking

hooting

20. Master Richard! When will that woman realise I'm over fifty and can't ......... knitted socks!

hate

dislike

sit

stand