The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle [32]
the Doctor? The Hermit would have hanged if it hadn't been for the Doctor. Speech! Speech!--The Doctor!"
And a man came running up to us and said,
"The people are calling for you, Sir."
"I'm very sorry," said the Doctor, "but I'm in a hurry."
"The crowd won't be denied, Sir," said the man. "They want you to make a speech in the marketplace."
"Beg them to excuse me," said the Doctor--"with my compliments. I have an appointment at my house--a very important one which I may not break. Tell Luke to make a speech. Come along, Stubbins, this way."
"Oh Lord!" he muttered as we got out into the open air and found another crowd waiting for him at the side door. "Let's go up that alleyway--to the left. Quick!--Run!"
We took to our heels, darted through a couple of side streets and just managed to get away from the crowd.
It was not till we had gained the Oxenthorpe Road that we dared to slow down to a walk and take our breath. And even when we reached the Doctor's gate and turned to look backwards towards the town, the faint murmur of many voices still reached us on the evening wind.
"They're still clamoring for you," I said. "Listen!"
The murmur suddenly swelled up into a low distant roar; and although it was a mile and half away you could distinctly hear the words,
"Three cheers for Luke the Hermit: Hooray!--Three cheers for his dog: Hooray!--Three cheers for his wife: Hooray!--Three cheers for the Doctor: Hooray! Hooray! HOO-R-A-Y!"
THE NINTH CHAPTER
THE PURPLE BIRD-OF-PARADISE
POLYNESIA was waiting for us in the front porch. She looked full of some important news.
"Doctor," said she, "the Purple Bird-of-Paradise has arrived!"
"At last!" said the Doctor. "I had begun to fear some accident had befallen her. And how is Miranda?"
From the excited way in which the Doctor fumbled his key into the lock I guessed that we were not geing to get our tea right away, even now.
"Oh, she seemed all right when she arrived," said Polynesia--"tired from her long journey of course but otherwise all right. But what DO you think? That mischief-making sparrow, Cheapside, insulted her as soon as she came into the garden. When I arrived on the scene she was in tears and was all for turning round and going straight back to Brazil to-night. I had the hardest work persuading her to wait till you came. She's in the study. I shut Cheapside in one of your book-cases and told him I'd tell you exactly what had happened the moment you got home."
The Doctor frowned, then walked silently and quickly to the study.
Here we found the candles lit; for the daylight was nearly gone. Dab-Dab was standing on the floor mounting guard over one of the glass-fronted book-cases in which Cheapside had been imprisoned. The noisy little sparrow was still fluttering angrily behind the glass when we came in.
In the centre of the big table, perched on the ink-stand, stood the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. She had a deep violet-colored breast, scarlet wings and a long, long sweeping tail of gold. She was unimaginably beautiful but looked dreadfully tired. Already she had her head under her wing; and she swayed gently from side to side on top of the ink-stand like a bird that has flown long and far.
"Sh!" said Dab-Dab. "Miranda is asleep. I've got this little imp Cheapside in here. Listen, Doctor: for Heaven's sake send that sparrow away before he does any more mischief. He's nothing but a vulgar little nuisance. We've had a perfectly awful time trying to get Miranda to stay. Shall I serve your tea in here, or will you come into the kitchen when you're ready?"
"We'll come into the kitchen, Dab-Dab," said the Doctor. "Let Cheapside out before you go, please."
Dab-Dab opened the bookcase-door and Cheapside strutted out trying hard not to look guilty.
"Cheapside," said the Doctor sternly, "what did you say to Miranda when she arrived?"
"I didn't say nothing, Doc, straight I didn't. That is, nothing much. I was picking up crumbs off the gravel path when she comes swanking into
And a man came running up to us and said,
"The people are calling for you, Sir."
"I'm very sorry," said the Doctor, "but I'm in a hurry."
"The crowd won't be denied, Sir," said the man. "They want you to make a speech in the marketplace."
"Beg them to excuse me," said the Doctor--"with my compliments. I have an appointment at my house--a very important one which I may not break. Tell Luke to make a speech. Come along, Stubbins, this way."
"Oh Lord!" he muttered as we got out into the open air and found another crowd waiting for him at the side door. "Let's go up that alleyway--to the left. Quick!--Run!"
We took to our heels, darted through a couple of side streets and just managed to get away from the crowd.
It was not till we had gained the Oxenthorpe Road that we dared to slow down to a walk and take our breath. And even when we reached the Doctor's gate and turned to look backwards towards the town, the faint murmur of many voices still reached us on the evening wind.
"They're still clamoring for you," I said. "Listen!"
The murmur suddenly swelled up into a low distant roar; and although it was a mile and half away you could distinctly hear the words,
"Three cheers for Luke the Hermit: Hooray!--Three cheers for his dog: Hooray!--Three cheers for his wife: Hooray!--Three cheers for the Doctor: Hooray! Hooray! HOO-R-A-Y!"
THE NINTH CHAPTER
THE PURPLE BIRD-OF-PARADISE
POLYNESIA was waiting for us in the front porch. She looked full of some important news.
"Doctor," said she, "the Purple Bird-of-Paradise has arrived!"
"At last!" said the Doctor. "I had begun to fear some accident had befallen her. And how is Miranda?"
From the excited way in which the Doctor fumbled his key into the lock I guessed that we were not geing to get our tea right away, even now.
"Oh, she seemed all right when she arrived," said Polynesia--"tired from her long journey of course but otherwise all right. But what DO you think? That mischief-making sparrow, Cheapside, insulted her as soon as she came into the garden. When I arrived on the scene she was in tears and was all for turning round and going straight back to Brazil to-night. I had the hardest work persuading her to wait till you came. She's in the study. I shut Cheapside in one of your book-cases and told him I'd tell you exactly what had happened the moment you got home."
The Doctor frowned, then walked silently and quickly to the study.
Here we found the candles lit; for the daylight was nearly gone. Dab-Dab was standing on the floor mounting guard over one of the glass-fronted book-cases in which Cheapside had been imprisoned. The noisy little sparrow was still fluttering angrily behind the glass when we came in.
In the centre of the big table, perched on the ink-stand, stood the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. She had a deep violet-colored breast, scarlet wings and a long, long sweeping tail of gold. She was unimaginably beautiful but looked dreadfully tired. Already she had her head under her wing; and she swayed gently from side to side on top of the ink-stand like a bird that has flown long and far.
"Sh!" said Dab-Dab. "Miranda is asleep. I've got this little imp Cheapside in here. Listen, Doctor: for Heaven's sake send that sparrow away before he does any more mischief. He's nothing but a vulgar little nuisance. We've had a perfectly awful time trying to get Miranda to stay. Shall I serve your tea in here, or will you come into the kitchen when you're ready?"
"We'll come into the kitchen, Dab-Dab," said the Doctor. "Let Cheapside out before you go, please."
Dab-Dab opened the bookcase-door and Cheapside strutted out trying hard not to look guilty.
"Cheapside," said the Doctor sternly, "what did you say to Miranda when she arrived?"
"I didn't say nothing, Doc, straight I didn't. That is, nothing much. I was picking up crumbs off the gravel path when she comes swanking into