The Story of Dr Dolittle / История доктора Дулиттла. 5 класс - стр. 3

“But he has promised me,” the Doctor answered, “that he will not bite any one. He doesn’t like the circus; and I haven’t the money to send him back to Africa where he comes from. Don’t be so fussy.”

“I tell you I WILL NOT have him around,” said Sarah. “He eats the linoleum. If you don’t send him away this minute I’ll – I’ll go and get married!”

“All right,” said the Doctor, “go and get married. It can’t be helped.[3]”

So Sarah Dolittle packed up her things and went off; and the Doctor was left all alone with his animal family. And very soon he became very poor. But the Doctor didn’t worry at all.

“Money is a nuisance,” he said.

Soon the animals began to worry. And one evening when the Doctor was asleep in his chair before the kitchen-fire they began talking. And the owl, Too-Too, who was good at arithmetic, figured it out that there was only money enough left to live one week – if they each had one meal a day and no more. Then the parrot said, “I think we all should do the housework ourselves.” So the monkey, Chee-Chee cooked; the dog swept the floors; the duck made the beds; the owl, Too-Too, kept the accounts, and the pig worked in the garden. They made Polynesia, the parrot, housekeeper because she was the oldest. And the house was very tidy and clean. But still they needed money. So the animals made a vegetable and flower stall outside the garden-gate and sold radishes and roses to the people that passed by along the road.

But the snow came earlier than usual that year; and although the old lame horse brought a lot of wood from the forest outside the town, so they could have a big fire in the kitchen, most of the vegetables in the garden were gone, and the rest under snow; and many of the animals were really hungry.

That winter was a very cold one. And one night in December, when they were all round the warm fire in the kitchen, and the Doctor was reading aloud to them, the owl, Too-Too, suddenly said, “Sh! What’s that noise outside?” They all listened; and they heard the sound of someone running. Then the door opened and the monkey, Chee-Chee, ran in.

“Doctor!” he cried, “I’ve just had a message from my cousin in Africa. There is a terrible sickness among the monkeys out there. They are all catching it – and they are dying. They have heard of you, and beg you to come to Africa to stop the sickness.”

“Who brought the message?” asked the Doctor. He took off his glasses and laid down his book.

“A swallow,” said Chee-Chee. “She is outside.”

“Bring her in by the fire,” said the Doctor.

So the swallow arrived, she was cold; and although she was a little afraid at first, she soon got warmed up[4] and began to talk. Then the Doctor said, “I need to go to Africa. But we haven’t enough money to buy the tickets. Perhaps if I go down to the seaside I will borrow a boat that will take us to Africa. I knew a seaman once who brought his baby to me with measles. Maybe he’ll lend us his boat – the baby got well.[5]”

So early the next morning the Doctor went down to the seashore. And when he came back, he told the animals that the sailor was going to lend them the boat. Then the crocodile and the monkey and the parrot were very glad and began to sing, because they were going to see Africa, their real home. And the Doctor said, “I will only be able to take you three – with Jip the dog, Dab-Dab the duck, Gub-Gub the pig and the owl, Too-Too. The rest of the animals will go back and live in the fields where they were born until we come home again.”