[originaltext]W: Jim, thank goodness you’ve arrived. The class presentation sta

W: Jim, thank goodness you’ve arrived. The class presentation started half an hour ago and I was just beginning to panic.
M: I am sorry I’m late, Ellen. This morning has been a real mess. I didn’t think I was going to make it here at all.
W: Why are you late? Our whole presentation depends on those graphs you are holding.
M: Yes, I know. I’ll tell you about it later. First, let’s see how we are doing for time. Two groups are still ahead of us, aren’t they? The presentation is on the rights of the consumer and the analysis of the stock market. That means I’ve got about twenty minutes to thaw out.
W: You do look cold. What happened?
M: I’ve been standing outside in Arctic temperatures for over an hour waiting for a bus.
W: Over an hour. But I thought your apartment was only a ten-minute bus ride to campus.
M: Under normal conditions. But the bus was delayed because of the weather and when I stepped into a drugstore to call home for a ride, the bus went by. As luck would have it, there was no one at home, so I had to wait another forty-five minutes for the next bus.
W: That’s Murphy’s Law, isn’t it? What was it he said, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Well, we still get twenty minutes to gather our wits together.
M: We’d better stop talking. People are turning around and looking at me.