THEOPENWINDOWCHAPTERONE

ANervousMan

Framton Nuttel was very tired and nervous. The doctors told him heneededarestandsaidheshouldgosomewherepeaceful.Sohedecidedtospendsometimeinthecountry.

'Iknowwhatyouare like,Framton,'hissister said. 'Whenyougo to thecountry,youwillstayallalone.That'snotgoodforyou.Youshouldnotstayallalone.Youshouldmeetsomenicepeople.Iwasinthatpartofthecountryfouryearsago.Imetsomenicepeople.Iwillwriteyousomelettersofintroduction,andyoucanmeetthem.'

'Iamnotsure that isagood idea,'objectedFramton. 'MaybeIshouldn't.Afterall,Idon'tknowanyofthosepeople.'

'Takemyadvice,'repliedFramton'ssister.'Itwillbegoodforyou.'SoFramtonwenttothecountrywithhissister'slettersofintroduction.The

first person he visited was Mrs Sappleton. He knocked at the door of MrsSappleton's house and ayounggirl about fifteenyearsoldopened thedoor. ItwasMrsSappleton'sniece.HernamewasVera.

'Myauntwillbedowninamoment,MrNuttel,'saidthegirl,wholookedverymatureandintelligent.'Whileyouarewaiting,Iwilltrytoentertainyou.Ihopeyoudon'tmind.'

'Oh,Iwillbehappytotalkwithyou,'repliedFramton.Hedidnotwanttooffendthegirl.Buthewonderedifgoingtomeetnewpeoplewasreallygoodforhishealth. Infact,hefeltquitenervous,andhehopedthatMrsSappletonwasnice.

'Do you know many of the people round here?' asked Mrs Sappleton'snieceafterafewminutesofsilence.

'No,'repliedFramton,'Idon'tknowanybodyaroundhere.Mysisterstayedherefouryearsagoandshegavemesomelettersofintroductiontosomeofthepeoplehere.'

Framton felt more and more nervous, and he was more and moreconvincedthatitwasabadidea.Heneededrest,notnewfriends.

'Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?' continued theconfidentyounglady.

'Iknowonlyhernameandaddress,'admittedFramton.HewaswonderingwhetherMrs Sappleton's husbandwas alive or dead. Looking at the room, hethoughtthatamanmustlivethere.

'Myaunt's great tragedyhappened exactly threeyears ago,' said thegirl.'Thatwasafteryoursisterwashere.'

'Your aunt's tragedy?' asked Framton. He thought the country was verypeaceful.Hecouldnotimagineatragedythere.

'YouprobablywonderwhywekeepthatwindowopenonacoolOctoberevening,' said Vera. In fact, behind Framton's chair there was a large Frenchwindowthatopenedontoalawn.

'Itisverywarmforthistimeoftheyear.'saidFramton.'Butisthatwindowconnectedwiththetragedy?'

'Exactlythreeyearsagomyaunt'shusbandandhertwoyoungerbrotherswentoutthroughthatwindow.Theyweregoinghunting.Theynevercameback.Whiletheyweregoingtotheirfavouritehuntingspot,theyfellintoabog.Thatparticularsummeritrainedalot.Thebogwasnormallysafe,butaftertherainitbecame very dangerous. Their bodies were never found. That is the mosthorriblepartofthestory.'

Untilthismoment,theyounggirlhadseemedverycalm.Nowsheseemedalittlefrightenedandhervoicetrembledasshecontinuedthestory.

'Mypoorauntthinksthatherdeadhusbandandbrotherswillreturnsomeday, togetherwith thedog thatwentwith them.She thinks that theywillwalkintothehousethroughthatFrenchwindowastheyalwaysdidbeforetheydied.Thatiswhythatwindowbehindyouiskeptopenuntildark.Mypooraunt!Shehasoftentoldmeeverydetailofthatterribleday!Herhusbandcarriedawhiteraincoatoverhisarm.Heryoungestbrotherwassingingthesong'Bertie,whydoyoubound?'Hesangthissongtomakefunofher.Sometimes,MrNuttel,Ihavethe strange feeling that they will return, that they will walk in through thatwindow.It'shorrible,reallyhorrible!'

Shestoppedtellinghimhersadstory.Framtonwashappywhentheauntcamebackintotheroom.

'Ihopemynieceisentertainingyou,MrNuttel,'MrsSappletonsaid.

'Sheisveryinteresting,'saidFramtonnervously.

CHAPTERTWO

MentalExcitement

'Ihopeyoudon'tmindtheopenwindow,'saidMrsSappletonquickly.'Myhusband andmy brotherswill be back fromhunting soon.They always comeintothehousethroughthatwindow.

Todaytheywenttothebogstohuntforsnipe.WhentheycomehomeIamsuretheywillmakeamessofeverything.Youknowwhatmenarelike!'

MrsSappletoncontinuedtotalkabouthunting.ShetoldFramtonthattherewerenotmanysnipesthatyear.Shesaidthatshehopedtherewouldbealotofducks inNovember.ToFramton itwasall completelyhorrible.Whilehe trieddesperately to change the topic of conversation, he was conscious that MrsSappletononlygavehimpartofherattention.Shecontinued to lookpasthimoutthewindow.

'Obviously she's looking for her dead husband and brothers,' Framtonthought.'Whataterribletimetovisither,today,theanniversaryoftheirdeath.'

Tochangethetopicofconversationhestartedtalkingabouthisbadhealth.'Thedoctors,'hesaid, 'toldme to rest. I shouldavoidmentalexcitement,

and I shouldavoidallphysicalactivity.Theydidnot,however, tellmewhat Ishouldeat.'

'Oh?Thatisveryinteresting,'saidMrsSappleton,whowasobviouslynotreally interested at all. In fact, she almost yawned. Then she became veryinterested-butnotinwhatFramtonwassaying.

'Here they are!' she cried. 'They are just in time for tea. Look, they arecoveredwithmuduptotheireyes!'

Framtonshiveredand lookedatVera.His lookseemed to say, 'Oh, I amreallysorryforyourpooraunt!'Butthegirlwaslookingoutthewindow,andshelookedhorrified.Framtonbecameterrified.Heturnedaroundandlookedoutthewindowtoo.

Itwas almostdark, butFramtoncould see threemenwalking across thelawn towards thewindow.They all carried guns.One of the threemen had awhite raincoat over his arm. Therewas also a small dog. They did not say aword.Whentheywerenearthewindowoneofthembegantosing,'Bertie,why

doyoubound?'Framtonjumpedupfromhischair.Hepickeduphiscoat,andranoutof

thehouse,totheroadandwasneverseenagain.'Hereweare,mydear,'saidthemanwhowascarryingthewhiteraincoat

overhisarm.'I'msorrywearealittlemuddy.Whowasthatmanwhoranaway?''Averystrangeman.HisnameisFramtonNuttel,'saidMrsSappleton.'He

onlywanted to talkabouthisbadhealth,and thenheranawaywithoutsayinggoodbyeandwithoutapologising,asifhehadseenaghost.'

'I thinkheranawaybecausehesawthedog,'saidMrsSappleton'sniececalmly.'Hetoldmethathewasveryafraidofdogs.WhenhewasinIndiamanyyearsago,hewasattackedbyapackofwilddogs.Heranintoacemetery,andhad to spend the night in a newly dug grave. The dogs growled and snarledabove him for the entire night. So you can understandwhy he is so afraid ofdogs.'

InventingfantasticstorieswasVera'sspeciality.

THEPENANCECHAPTERONE

TheBeast

OctavianRuttlewasanactive,friendlyperson.Helikedpeopleanditwasimportanttohimthatpeoplelikedhim.Forexample, therewerethreechildrenwholivedinthehousenexttohis.Octavianthoughtthatheshouldknowtheirnames, their birthdays and their favourite toys. But he only knew that theirparentslivedinIndia,andthattheylivedwiththeirauntanduncle.Occasionally,Octavian saw that the three children were looking down from the wall thatdividedthetwoproperties.Theyneversaidanything;theyjustwatchedcarefullyeverythinghedid.

Octavianwasafarmer.Hehadpigs,chickens,andotheranimals.OnedayOctavianlookedinthechickencoopandfoundsomebloodandfeathers.Someanimal had killed one of his chickens. More and more chickens were killed.Octavianlookedcarefullyfortheanimalthatwaskillinghischickens.

Onedayhesawacatwalkingaround thecoop.Hewassure that thecatwas the killer. Unfortunately, the cat belonged to the three children.Octavianwenttothechildren'shouse,andexplainedhisproblemtotheiruncle.Theuncleagreedthatthecathadtobekilled.'Thechildrenwillbeupsetbutyoudon'thavetotellthem,'wastheuncle'slastwordonthematter.

The next day,Octavianwaited for the cat.When it arrived he shot at itwith his hunting rifle - and missed it. The cat tried desperately to escape.Octavianshotagainandmisseditagain.Thenthecatranoutintoafieldwherethere was a large oak tree. It climbed up the tree and now it was trapped.Octavianwalkeduptothetree,pointedhisrifleatthecat,andshot.Thistimehedidnotmissand thedeadcat fell to theground.Octavian told thegardener toburyitneartheoaktree.

Octavian felt very bad about killing the cat but he had to do it: it waskillinghischickens.Hewalkedslowlybacktohishouse.Andashewalkednearthewallhelookedupandsawthatthethreechildrenwerestaringathim.Theyhad seen everything! Now they were looking at Octavian. Their expressionsshowedhowmuchtheyhatedhim.

'Iamsorry,butIhadtodoit,'saidOctaviansincerely.

'Beast!'wastheanswerthethreechildrengavewithgreatintensity.Hesawthatitwasimpossibletoexplainthesituationtothechildrenatthat

moment.Hedecidedtowaitafewdaysbeforehetriedtomakepeacewiththem.Two days later he went to the sweet-shop and asked for a large box of

chocolates.Hedidn'twantthefirsttwoboxesthattheshopkeepershowedhim;one had a picture of a cat on the cover, and the other had a picture of somechickens. Finally the shopkeeper brought him a box decorated with flowers.Octaviansenttheboxtothechildrenandlaterreceivedanotesayingthattheyhadreceivedthepresent.

Thenextdayhefeltmuchbetterwhenhewenttolookathischickencoopsandpigsties.Hesawthatthethreechildrenwerelookingdownfromthewall,buttheywerenotlookingathim.ThenOctaviannoticedthathereandthereinthegrasswerepiecesofchocolateandtheirshinywrappers.Itlookedlikeagreedychild'sparadise.

Thechildrenhadthrownhispresentsbackathim.

CHAPTERTWO

Un-Beast

Octavian felt evenworsewhenhe foundmore blood and feathers in thecoop.Apparently, the catwas innocent; someother animalwas the real killer.Thecathadprobablycomenearthecooplookingforrats.Thechildrenlearnedfrom the servants that the real killer was not their cat, and one dayOctavianfoundapieceofpaperonwhichwaswritten:'Beast.Ratseatenyourchickens.'Now more than ever he wished to find some way to make peace with thechildren.

Onedayhehad an inspiration.His two-year-olddaughterOlivia usuallyspentacoupleofhourswithhimwhilehernursemaidatelunch.Aboutthesametime the children appeared on thewall.OctavianwalkedwithOlivia near thewallandhesawthatthechildrenseemedveryinterested.

'MyOlivia,'thoughtOctavian,'willbeabletosucceedwhereIhavefailed.'HebroughtOliviaalargeyellowdahlia.Thenhelookedupatthechildren

onthewallandasked,'Doyoulikeflowers?'Theynoddedtheirheadssolemnly.'Whichdoyoulikebest?'heasked.'Thosewithallthecolours,overthere,'answeredthechildren,pointingtoa

groupofsweetpeasattheotherendofthegarden.Octavianranhappilytogettheflowersforthechildren.Hepulleduplotsandlotsofflowersofalldifferentcolours,andthenhereturnedtothewalltogivethemtothechildren.Buttherewasnooneon thewall.Thechildrenhadgone,and,what ismore,Oliviahadgonetoo.

Downinthemeadow,thethreechildrenwerepushingago-cartveryfasttowards thepigsties; itwasOlivia'sgo-cartandshewason it.Octavianstaredfor amoment at the rapidlymovinggroup, and then started to runafter them.Whenhearrivedat thepigstieshe saw thechildrenclimbingon the roofwithOlivia.TheywereoldbuildingsandcouldnotsupportOctavian'sweight.

'Whatareyougoingtodowithher?'heshouted.Itwasobviousfromtheexpressionontheirfacesthattheyweregoingtodosomethingbad.

'We are going to cook her over a fire,' said one of the boys who hadobviouslyreadEnglishhistory.

'Throwherdownand thepigswilleatallofherexcept thepalmsofherhands,'saidtheotherboy,whohadobviouslyreadBiblicalhistory.

ThelastproposalalarmedOctavianthemost.Hehadheardofcaseswherepigshadeatensmallchildren.

'Youwouldn'tdosuchahorriblethingtomylittleOlivia?'heshouted.'Youkilledourlittlecat,'repliedthechildren.'I'mverysorrythatIdid,'saidOctavian.'WewillbeverysorrywhenwekillOlivia,'saidthegirl, 'butwecan'tbe

sorryuntilwehavekilledher.'BeforeOctaviancouldthinkofananswertothischild-logic,hesawOlivia

fall from the roof into themuck below.Hewent quickly over thewall of thepigsty to rescuehisdaughterbut foundhimself trapped in themuck.Hecouldhardlymove.AtfirstOliviawasalmosthappytobe in theslipperymuck.Butwhenshebegantosinksherealisedthatshewasnotatallhappy,andshebegantocry.Octavianbattledwiththemuck,buthecouldnotmove.

'I can't reachher in time,'he shouted. 'She'lldie in themuck.Won'tyouhelpher?'

'Noonehelpedourcat,'thechildrenremindedhim.'I'll do anything to show you that I am really and truly sorry,' cried

Octavian.'Willyoustandwearingonlyyourwhiteshirtbythecat'sgrave?''Yes,'screamedOctavian.'Holdingacandle?'askedoneoftheboys.'Andsaying,'I'mamiserableBeast'?'askedthegirl.'Yes,yes!'answeredOctavian.'Foralong,longtime?'askedthegirl.'Forhalfanhour,'saidOctaviananxiously.HehadreadthataGermanking

had done penance by standing outside in only his shirt for five days and fivenights at Christmas-time. Fortunately, the children had not read any Germanhistoryandhalfanhourseemedlikeenoughtimetothem.TheythrewdownaladderandOctavianwasabletosaveOlivia.

That evening hewent to the oak treewhere the catwas buried.Hewaswearingonlyashirt.Inonehandhehadacandle,andintheotherhandhehadawatch. He stood there for half an hour saying, 'I'm a miserable Beast. I'm amiserableBeast.I'mamiserableBeast.'Hewassurethatthethreechildrenwerewatchinghim.

The next morning Octavian was very happy when he found a piece ofpapernexttothewall,onwhichwaswrittenthemessage'Un-Beast.'

MORLVERACHAPTERONE

TheAdventuress

The Olympic Toy Emporium had a large shop window in an importantWest End street. No one called it the more familiar and exciting name oftoyshop. Its toys were incredible but not toys that children really liked. Forexample, the animal toys looked like scientific models and not friendlycompanionstotaketobed.

Oneofthedollsinthewindowlookedlikeamodelinafashionmagazine.Sheworeaskirtandleopard-skinaccessories.

Unlikeamodel inafashionmagazine, thisdollhada terribleexpressionon her face. She seemed to have a really horrible character and you couldimaginehundredsofstoriesaboutherinwhichshehadunworthyambitionsandagreatdesireformoney.

Asamatteroffact,twopoorchildren,Emmeline,agedtenandBert,agedseven,hadstoppedontheirwaytoStJames'sPark.Theydidnotlikehermuchbecause shewas richand theywerepoor, andbecause shehad sucha terribleexpressiononherface.Emmelinegavethedollaterriblereputation;shegotherideasfromtheconversationsofhermother'sfriendsaboutromanticnovels.

'Sheisabadone,'declaredEmmeline,'andherhusbandhatesher.''Hehitsheralot,'saidBertwithenthusiasm.'No,hedoesn't,becausehe'sdead.Shepoisonedhimslowlysothatnoone

wouldknow.Nowshewants tomarrya lordwith lotsandlotsofmoney.He'salreadygotawife,butshe'sgoingtopoisonhertoo.'

'She'sabadone,'saidBertwithgrowinghostility.'Her mother hates her,' continued Emmeline, 'because she's so sarcastic.

She'sgreedytoo.Ifthereisfishfordinner,sheeatsherownshareandherlittlegirl'ssharetoo,andherlittlegirlisdelicate.'

'Shehada littleboyonce,' saidBert, 'but shepushedhim into thewaterwhennobodywaslooking.'

'No,shedidn't,'saidEmmeline,'shesenthimawaytolivewithsomepoor

people,andtheytreathimverybadly.''What'shername?'askedBert,thinkingthatsuchaninterestingpersonality

shouldhaveaname.'Her name?' said Emmeline, thinking hard. 'Her name isMorlvera.' She

thoughtthisseemedlikethenameofanadventuressinafilm.'Shehasn'tpaidfortheclothessheiswearing,andshewillneverpayfor

them;shethinksthattherichlordwillpayforthem,buthewon't.Hehasalreadygivenherlotsofjewels.'

'Hewon'tpayfortheclothes,'saidBertwithconviction.Itseemsthatthereisalimittotheweakgoodnatureofarichlord.

CHAPTERTWO

Revenge

At thatmoment,amotorcarwithservantsdroveup to theemporium.Alargeladyandasulkylittleboysteppedout.Hewaswearingaverywhitesailorsuit.

'Now Victor,' said the lady, 'come and buy a nice doll for your cousinBertha.Shegaveyouabeautifulboxofsoldiersonyourbirthday,andyoumustgiveherapresentonhers.'

'Berthaisafatlittlefool,'saidthelittleboyloudly.'Victor,' said his mother, 'you shouldn't say such things. Bertha is not a

fool,andsheisnotfat.Youmustcomeinandchooseadollforher.'Theythenwalkedintotheshop.'He is in a bad temper,' exclaimed Emmeline. However, she and Bert

believedhimwhenhesaidthathiscousinwasfatandfoolish.'Iwanttoseesomedolls,'saidthemothertotheshopassistant. 'It'sfora

girlofeleven.''Afatlittlegirlofeleven,'addedVictor.'Victor,ifyousaysuchrudethingsaboutyourcousin,youwillgotobed

themomentwegethome,withouttea.''Thisisoneofthenewestdolls,'saidtheassistant,takingMorlveraoutof

the shopwindow. 'Youwon't find anything newer anywhere. It's an exclusivedesign.'

'Look!'whisperedEmmelineoutside.'TheyhavetakenMorlvera.'She was both excited and a little sad. She really wanted to look at

Morlveraalittlelonger.'Sheisprobablygoingawayinacarriagetomarrytherichlord,'saidBert.'She'suptonogood,'saidEmmelineseriously.Insidetheshop,Victorandhismotherboughtthedoll.'It's abeautifuldoll, andBerthawillbeveryhappywith it,' saidVictor's

mother.

'Oh,verywell,' saidVictor sulkily, 'butwedon'thave towait forhim towrap it.Wecan take itdirectly toBertha'shouseso that Idon'thave towrite,'FordearBertha,withVictor'slove'onapieceofpaper.'

'Verywell,'saidthemother,'wecangotoBertha'shouseonthewayhome.Youmustwishherhappybirthdayandgiveherthedoll.'

'ButIwon'tletthelittlebeastkissme,'saidVictor.Hismothersaidnothingbecause,intheend,Victorhadnotactedsobadly.

Whenhewanted,hecouldbeterriblynaughty.EmmelineandBertwerejustwalkingawayfromthewindow,whenVictor

cameoutholdingMorlvera.Sheseemedtohavealookoftriumphonherface.As for Victor, he had a peaceful look on his face now. He seemed to haveacceptedhisdefeat.

Hismother got into themotor car and gave directions to the driver, andVictorgotinbesideher,holdingtheelegantlydresseddoll.

Thedriverstartedmovingthecarbackalittlebitinordertoturnaround.Very secretly, very gently, very mercilessly, Victor threw the doll over hisshoulderanditfelljustbehindoneofthewheels.

Thecarwentoverthedollandmadeacrunchingsoundasitbroke.Thenthe carmoved forwardmaking another crunching sound.Themotor car droveaway, andBert andEmmeline lookedwith scared delight at themess of dirtyclothes, sawdust and leopard skin,whichwas all that remained of the hatefulMorlvera.Theycheeredhappilyandranawayfromthesceneofthetragedy.

Later thatafternoon inSt James'sPark,Emmelinesaidseriously toBert,'I'vebeenthinking.Doyouknowwhohewas?Hewasthelittleboythatshehadsentawaytolivewithpoorpeople.Hecamebackanddidthattoher.'

SREDNIVASHTARCHAPTERONE

Forhisgood

Conradin was ten years old. He lived withMrs De Ropp, who was hiscousinandguardian.OnedayMrsDeRoppcalledadoctorbecauseConradinwasalwayssick.Thedoctorcameandexaminedhim.

'Thisboywillonlyliveanotherfiveyears,'saidthedoctor.'Iagree,'saidMrsDeRopp;'heissuchanilllittleboy.'Thedoctor'sopinionwasn'timportanttoConradin,butMrsDeRopp'swas

very important. She represented that large part of Conradin's world that wasunpleasant, necessary and real. The other, smaller part of his world wasrepresentedbyhisimagination-hisonlydefenseagainstMrsDeRopp.

'Oneday,'thoughtConradin,'I'mcertainthatI'lllosethiswaragainsther.Tomorrowwillbeliketoday:I'lltakemymedicineatnineo'clock,Iwon'tplayinthegarden,I'llgotobedatseveno'clock.EverydayI'lldothesethings,and,in the end, I'll die.'For themoment, however,Conradin continued to fighthisbattle,withimaginationashisonlyweapon.

MrsDeRoppdidnotadmittoherselfthatshedislikedConradin;butshewasprobablyawarethatshetookpleasureinstoppinghimfromplaying-'forhisgood'.Conradinhatedherbuthewasabletohidethishate.HeenjoyedhisfewpleasuresverymuchbecauseheknewthatMrsDeRoppdidnotapprove.

Therewasagardenbehindthehouse,butConradinneverplayedthere.HeknewthatoneofthewindowsofthehousewouldopenandhewouldhearMrsDeRopp shout, 'Conradin, come and take yourmedicine!' or 'Conradin, comeinsidenow.It'stoocold.Doyouwanttogetill?'SoConradinwenttoashedinafar corner of the garden. This shed was his place of refuge; it was in part acathedralandinpartaplayroom.Conradin'simaginationhadfilledtheshedwithhundredsofinterestingphantoms,buttherewerealsotworeallivingcreatures.Oneofthesewasahen,towhichConradingaveallofhisaffection-hehadnooneelse.Andinthebackoftheshedtherewasalargehutch.Thiswasthehomeof a large polecat-ferret. Conradinwas terribly afraid of this beastwith sharpteeth,but itwashismost treasuredpossession. Itwas alsohis secret from theWoman,whichwas his own private name forMrsDeRopp.And one day he

inventedafantasticnamefor thebeast-SredniVashtar,anditbecamehisgodand religion.TheWoman also had her religion, and she tookConradin to herchurch once a week. But theWoman's religion was not his. Every ThursdayConradinworshippedhisgod.Hebrought it red flowers and red fruit becauseSredniVashtarwasanimpatientgodthatwouldnotliketheslow,boringritualsoftheWoman'sreligion.Andonspecialfestivalshebroughtnutmegtohisgod,anditwasessentialthatthenutmegwasstolenfromthekitchenoftheWoman.Thesefestivalswerenotregular; theywereheldtocelebratesomethingspecialthat happened. For example, onceMrs De Ropp had a horrible toothache forthree days and Conradin celebrated for three days. He almost believed thatSredniVashtarhadcausedtheWoman'sterriblepain.

Unfortunately,theWomannoticedthathespentalotoftimeintheshed.'Itisnotgoodforhimtobethereallthetime.Iamgoingtotellthegardenertotakeaway his hen. Then there will be no reason for him to go to the shed,' shethought.

CHAPTERTWO

Teast

The next day at breakfast Mrs De Ropp turned to Conradin and said,'Yesterdaythegardenertookyourhenawayandsoldit.'

She waited for him to say something, to become angry; then she couldexplain why the chicken was taken away 'for his good'. But Conradin saidnothing.

PerhapsMrsDeRoppfeltalittleguiltybecauseatteathatafternoontherewastoastonthetable.NormallyConradinwasnotpermittedtoeat toast,eventhoughitwashisfavouritefood.Thistime,however,hedidnoteatthetoast.

'Ithoughtyoulikedtoast,'shesaid.'Sometimes,'saidConradin.Intheshedthateveninghechangedhismannerofworshippingtheferret.

Beforethis,hehadonlypraisedhisgod;nowheaskeditforafavour.'Doonethingforme,SredniVashtar.'The thing was not specified. But Sredni Vashtar was a god, and so he

knew. Conradin looked at the place where the chicken had lived and almostcried.Thenhewentbacktotheworldhehated.

AndeverynightinthedarknessofhisbedroomandeveryeveningintheshedConradinsaidthesamething:'Doonethingforme,SredniVashtar.'

MrsDeRoppsawthatConradincontinuedtogototheshed;onedayshedecidedtoseewhy.

'Whatdoyoukeepinthathutch?'sheasked.'Ithinkyouhavesomeguineapigs.Iwilltellthegardenertotakethemaway.'

ThewomanthenwenttoConradin'sbedroomtofindthekeytothehutch.When she found it she went directly to the hutch to complete her discovery.FromawindowofthediningroomConradincouldseethedooroftheshed.HesawthattheWomanentered.Heimaginedthatshewasopeningthedoorofthesacredhutchand trying to seewhatwashidden inside.Perhaps shewouldputherhand inside.Conradin saidhisprayer for the last time.Butheknewasheprayedthathedidnotreallybelievethatthepolecat-ferretwasagod.

'I'msure thatshewillcomeout inaminute,'Conradin thought, 'with thehutchinherhand.Shewillhaveasmileonherface.Ihatehersmile!Thenshewillcall thegardenerandtellhimto takeawaymywonderfulgod,whoisnotevenarealgod.Shewillwinbecauseshealwayswins,andIwillgrowsickerandsicker.Andshewillberightandthedoctorwillberight.AndIwilldie.'

Conradinbegantosingloudlytohisgod:

SredniVashtarwent forth,His thoughtswere red thoughts and his teethwerewhite.Hisenemiescalledforpeace,buthebroughtthemdeath.

SredniVashtartheBeautiful.

Andthenhestoppedsingingandwentnearthewindow.Hecouldseethatthedooroftheshedwasstillopen.Timewentveryslowly,oneminute,twominutes,threeminutes...,butitwent.Hewatchedthebirdsinthegarden.Theyflewinlittlegroupsfromtreetotree.Hecountedthem,one,two,three,four,five...,andthenhecountedthemagain.Amaidcameinwiththetablefortea,andstillConradinwatched.Minutesweremovingandtherewashopeforthefirsttime.Perhapsvictorywasnear.Hestartedsingingagain,'SredniVashtarwentforth,Histhoughtswereredthoughtsand...'Andthenhesawwhathewantedtosee:thelongyellow-and-brownbeastcameoutfromtheshedintothebrightsunlight.Itsfurwasdarkwithblood.Conradinfellonhisknees.Thegreatpolecat-ferretwenttoasmallstreaminthegarden.Itdrank,crossedalittlebridge,andthenvanished.

'Teaisready,'saidthemaid.'WhereisMrsDeRopp?''Shewentdowntotheshedahalfanhourago,'saidConradin.Themaid

left the room to call Mrs De Ropp. When she had gone Conradin opened adrawer,pulledoutatoastingfork,andstartedtotoastapieceofbread.Whilehewastoastingthebreadandputtingenormousquantitiesofdeliciousbutteronit,he listened to the noises that came from downstairs. He heard the maidscreaming,peoplerunninginandout,and,finally,heheardmencarryingsomeheavyobjectintothehouse.

Then he heard themaid say, 'Whowill tell the boy the terrible news. Ican't. Oh it's just too horrible.' And while the servants debated the matter,Conradinmadehimselfanotherpieceoftoast.

TOBERMORYCHAPTERONE

AGreatDiscovery

Lady Blemley knew that her house-party was going to be difficult toorganisebecauseitwouldcontinueforseveraldaysandtheguestswouldhavetosleepinherlargehouse.Shealwaystriedtoinviteguestswhoweretalentedandentertaining.Somepeoplewereinvitedbecausetheyweregoodatplayingcards,othersbecausetheyweregoodatacting,andothersbecausetheyweregoodatplayingthepiano.Afterall, itwasdifficult toentertainguestsforthreeorfourdays. To this particular house-party Lady Blemley invited Cornelius Appin.Peoplesaidthathewasclever;and,infact,Corneliusseemedlikethenameofacleverman.Butwhenhewasat thepartyLadyBlemleycouldnotunderstandwhypeoplethoughthewasclever.Hesaidverylittle.

Oneafternoonitwasrainingandalltheguestswereinthelivingroom.CorneliusAppinsaid,'Ihavemadethemostimportantscientificdiscovery

in thehistoryof theworld. Ihaveworkedon thisparticularproblemformanyyears.'

'What is this fantasticdiscovery?'askedSirWilfrid,anotheroneofLadyBlemley'sguests.

'Ihavetaughtanimalshowtospeakourlanguage,'explainedCornelius.'Do you have an example of your work here?' asked Sir Wilfrid, who

obviouslydidnotbelieveCornelius.'Yes,Ido.LadyBlemley'scat,Tobermory.Tobermoryismybeststudent,'

answeredCornelius.'How can we possibly believe,' continued Sir Wilfrid, 'that you have

discoveredhowtoteachanimalstotalk?''Well,' explained Cornelius, 'I have worked on this problem for many

years. I have experimented with thousands and thousands of animals. SevenmonthsagoIbegantoworkwithcats.Catsaretheperfectanimalsformywork:theylivewithusbuttheyarestilllikewildanimals.Andtherearecatswhoaremore intelligent than other cats. Tobermory is one of these intelligent cats: infact,heisaSuper-cat.HeisthefirstanimalthatIhavetaughttospeakperfectly.'

AlltheguestslookedatCornelius.Nobodysaidaword.Theythoughthewascrazy,oraliar.

Finally,afteraminuteor two,MissReskersaid, 'Iunderstand.Youhavetaught Tobermory to say and understand very simple sentences like 'Go!' or'Come!'That'sveryinteresting.'

'No,no,'saidCorneliuspatiently,Tittlechildrenlearnshortsentencesfirst.But Tobermory is a very intelligent animal. I taught him to speak Englishperfectlyandcompletely.HisEnglishisasgoodasyourEnglish.'

NoweverybodywassurethatCorneliuswasaliar.'I think we should see the cat and then we can judge for ourselves,'

suggestedLadyBlemley.SirWilfridlefttheroomandwenttolookforthecat.Everyonebeganto

think thatCorneliuswas a good ventriloquist.Theywaited for this interestingshowofventriloquismtobegin.

Aminutelater,SirWilfridcamebackintheroom.Hisfacewaswhite.Hewasobviouslyveryexcited.

'It'strue!It'strue!'heshouted.Theotherguestscouldsee thatSirWilfridwas telling the truthand they

askedhimwhathadhappened.'Well,IfoundTobermorysleepingonachairinthesmoking-room.Itold

him to come to the living room immediately. He opened his eyes slowly andlookedatme.

'Thenhesaid,'I'llcomewhenIwantto.Now,goaway!'Ialmostfainted!'

CHAPTERTWO

SomeTerribleDiscoveries

Now everybody believed Cornelius. They began to ask him lots ofquestions.Cornelius smiled.Hewasveryhappywithhis first success.At thatmoment,when everybodywas askingCornelius questions, Tobermorywalkedintotheroom.Noneoftheguestssaidaword.Theyfeltembarrassedinfrontofatalkingcat.

Finally,thehostess-LadyBlemley-saidnervously,'Wouldyoulikesomemilk,Tobermory?'

'Yes,I'malittlethirsty,'saidthecatindifferently.Everyone in the roomwas shocked.AndLadyBlemley's hand shook as

shepouredTobermorysomemilk.'I'msorry,but I've spiltmostof themilkon thecarpet,' apologisedLady

Blemley.'Idon'tcare,'respondedTobermory,'it'snotmycarpet.'The room was silent for another minute. Then Miss Resker asked

Tobermoryifitwasdifficulttolearntospeak.ThecatlookedatMissReskerforaminute. Then he looked out thewindow. It was obvious that he consideredMissResker'squestionridiculous.

'What do you think of human intelligence?' asked Mavis Pellingtonstupidly.

'Human intelligence in general, or do you want to know about someparticularperson?'askedTobermory.

'Uh...well...myintelligence.Whatdoyouthinkofmyintelligence?'askedMaviswithanervouslaugh.

'Well,youputmeinanembarrassingposition,'saidTobermory.Buthedidnot look embarrassed. 'Anyway, I'll answer you.WhenLadyBlemley told SirWilfridthatshewantedtoinviteyoutothispartyhesaid, 'MavisPellingtonisthe stupidest woman in the world.Why are you inviting her?' Lady Blemleyreplied, 'SirWilfrid,Iaminvitingherbecausesheisstupid.IhavethisoldcarthatIwanttosellandMavisPellingtonistheonlypersonstupidenoughtobuyit.''

Lady Blemley, of course, said that Tobermory was a liar. But MavisPellingtondidnotbelieveher:thatmorningshehadboughtLadyBlemley'soldcar.

MajorBarfieldtriedtochangethesubject.He said, 'Tobermory, do you want to tell us about your girlfriend, the

stripedcatthatlivesnearthestable?'Everyoneimmediatelyunderstoodthathehadmadeaterriblemistake.'It isnotpolite to askpeople about their loveaffairs.' repliedTobermory

coldly. 'Doyouwantme to talkaboutwhat Ihave seenduring thisparty? I'msure that youwouldn't like that,would you?' Therewas amoment of generalpanic.Almost all theguestshad someprivate love affair.Theyall thought, 'IfTobermorysayswhathehasseen,I'llbeintrouble.'

Tobermory'sdinnerwasintwohours,butLadyBlemleysaid,'Tobermory,whydon'tyouaskthecookifyourdinnerisready?'

'Thanks,'respondedTobermory,'butIhavejusthadtea.Idon'twanttodieofindigestion.'

'Cats have nine lives, Tobermory,' said Sir Wilfrid, trying to be funny.'Possibly,'wastheanswer,'butonlyoneliver.'

'LadyBlemley,areyougoing topermit thiscat to talkaboutuswith theservants?'saidMrsCornett,anotherguest.

The panic was general. Everyone remembered that Tobermory oftenwalked outside their windows. It was obvious that he had seen and heardeverything that happened in their bedrooms. Some guests became white withfear. Others, like Odo Finsberry, who was studying to be a minister of theChurch,ranoutoftheroom.

Allthegueststhought,'IfTobermorytellseverythingheknows,therewillbeterriblescandals.'

Finally,AgnesResker said dramatically, 'Whydid I come to this house-party?'

Tobermoryhadtheanswer:'I know why you came. Yesterday you said to Mrs Cornett that Lady

Blemley'spartieswereveryboringbutthefoodwasdelicious.Youtoldherthatyoucameforthegoodfood.Infact,yousaidthateveryonecameforthefood.'

'Thatisnottrue.Youarealiar!MrsCornett,tellthetruth.DidIsaythat?Tellthe...'

'Then Mrs Cornett told Bertie van Tahnn what you said,' continuedTobermory, 'and he said thatAgnesReskerwent anywhere she could get freefood,andthen...'

Fortunatelyfortheguests,atthatmomentTobermorystoppedhisstory.Hehadseenhisenemy,abigyellow tomcat.He jumpedout thewindow,and ranafterit.

AlltheguestslookedatCorneliusangrily.Hehadcausedallthistrouble.'Do you think Tobermory will teach other cats to talk?' they asked

Cornelius.'It'spossible,'repliedCornelius.'Maybehehastaughthisgirlfriend,thecat

thatlivesinthestables.ButIdon'tthinkhehastaughtanyothercats.Atleast,notyet.'

'LadyBlemley,'saidMrsCornett, 'IknowthatyouandyourhusbandlikeTobermoryverymuch,butheandhisfriendthestablecatmustbekilled.'

'Ihavenotenjoyedthislasthalfhoureither,'saidLadyBlemley.'Yes,itistruethatmyhusbandandIlikeTobermoryverymuch.Well,welikedhimbeforehelearnedtotalk,andtelloursecrets.Anyway,Iagreethathemustbekilledassoonaspossible.'

'Wecanputpoisoninhisfood,'saidSirWilfrid,'andIwillgoanddrownthestablecat.'

'What about my great discovery?' Cornelius said with great emotion. 'Ihaveworkedformanyyears!'

'Whydon'tyougotothezoo,'saidMrsCornett,'andteachtheelephantstotalk.Elephantsareveryintelligentanimals,buttheydonothideunderyourchairandtheydonotsitoutsideyourbedroomwindow!'

CorneliustriedtopersuadethemnottokillTobermoryanddestroyallhisscientificwork.Noonelistenedtohim.Infact,manyofthegueststhoughtthatpoisonshouldbeputinCornelius'sfood.

Thatnightatdinneralltheguestswerequiet.LadyBlemleytriedtocreateconversation. But no one talked. They were all watching Tobermory's bowl.Insidethebowlwassomedeliciousmeatandpoison.ButTobermorystilldidnot

comeback.After dinner, still no Tobermory. The servants came and announced that

thewindowof thekitchenwasopenasusual forTobermory.Nineo'clock,noTobermory.Teno'clock,noTobermory.Ateleveno'clockoneoftheguestsgotuptogotobed.Beforeleavingtheroomhesaid, 'Tobermoryprobablywenttothelocalnewspapertotelleverythinghehasseenandheardduringthishouse-party.Goodnight!'

Itwasnotagoodnight.Thenextmorningalltheguestsaskedtheservantsthesamequestion,and

theservantsgavethegueststhesameanswer:'No,Tobermoryhasnotreturned.'Breakfast was even more depressing than dinner the night before. But,

before itwas over, the gardenerwalked into the roomwithTobermory's deadbody.

'Hisenemy,thebigtomcat,killedhim,'explainedthegardener.TobermorywasCorneliusAppin'sfirstandonlysuccessfulstudent.Afew

weekslaterLadyBlemleyreadinthenewspaperthatanelephantintheDresdenZoological Garden had killed an Englishman. The newspaper said that theelephantwas usually gentle and calm, but that theEnglishmanhad apparentlyprovokedit.ThenameoftheEnglishmanwasC.Appin.'

As one of Lady Blemley's guests said, 'If he was trying to teach thatelephantGermanirregularverbs,hedeservedtodie.'

THEINTERLOPERSCHAPTERONE

Enemies

OnewinternightamanstoodinaforestintheCarpathianMountains.Hewas carrying a rifle and it seemed that hewaswaiting and listening for somewildanimal.ButUlrichvonGradwitzwaslookingforahumanenemy.

Ulrichhada lotof land.This landwas fullofalldifferentkindsofwildanimals,buthealwaysguardedcarefullyoneparticularareaofthisland.Itwasmountainous and notmany animals lived there. Sowhy didUlrich guard thislandsocarefully?

Manyyears agoUlrich's grandfather and aneighbour,HeinrichZnaeym,had both wanted the same portion of land. They went to court and Ulrich'sgrandfatherwonthecase.HeinrichZnaeym,however,didnotacceptthecourt'sdecision; he continued to hunt on the land. The two families began fighting.UlrichandHeinrichZnaeym'sgrandson,Georg,hatedeachotherpassionately.Whentheywereboystheywantedtokilleachother.Nowtheyweremen,andtheyeachwantedtheothertosuffer.

ThisnightUlrichandhisforestguardswereoutlookingforGeorgandhismen. Itwas a stormynight and thewindwas strong.Ulrich sawdeer runningfromthecontestedareaofland.Normally,duringastormdeerstayinoneplace,soheknewthathisenemywasnear.

Hetoldhisguardstowaitatthetopofahillandwalkedoffintothewoodsand down the hill by himself.He listened carefully for the sound of branchesbreaking.

'Ihope,'hesaidtohimself,'IwillmeetGeorgZnaeymtonightmantoman.IfIkillhimhere,noonewilleverknow.'

At thatmoment,asUlrichwalkedaround the trunkofagigantic tree,hecamefacetofacewithGeorgZnaeym.

Theenemiesstaredateachotherforalong,silentmoment.Eachmanhadarifleinhishand,eachmanhadhateinhisheart,andeachmanhadmurderinhisthoughts.Butitisdifficultforacivilisedmantoshoothisneighbourincoldblood. They had to say something. At this moment, however, the wind blew

particularly hard and therewas a crash: a gigantic tree fell on top of the twomen.UlrichvonGradwitzcouldnotmove.Onearmwasprobablybrokenandtheotherarmwaspartlyunderthetrunk.Hislegswereunderalargebranch.Hisfacewasbadlycut,andhehadtoblinkseveraltimestomovethebloodfromhiseyes.

AlmostnexttohimlayGeorgZnaeym,aliveandfightingtomove.Ulrichcouldseethathewasinalmostthesamecondition.

Ulrichwasbothhappy tobe alive andangry at his situation.Georgwasalmostblindfromthebloodthatflowedintohiseyesfromcutsonhisforehead.Hestoppedmovingforamomenttolisten,andthenhelaughedangrily.

'Soyouweren'tkilled,'saidGeorg,'butyou'recaughtanyway.That'sveryfunny:UlrichvonGradwitzcaughtinhisstolenforest.Nowthatisrealjustice!'

Andhelaughedagainangrilyandironically.'I'm caught in my own forest,' replied Ulrich. 'When my men come to

releaseme,you'llbesorrythatyouwerecaughtpoachinghereinmyforest.'Georgwassilentforamoment;thenheansweredquietly.'Are you sure that yourmenwill find you first? I havemen, too, in the

forest tonight. They're near, and they'll findme first.When they pullme out,perhaps,byaccidentofcourse, they'llpush the trunkon topofyou.Yourmenwillfindyoudeadunderthistree.Then,becauseIamagentleman,Ishallsendmycondolencestoyourfamily.'

'That's agood idea,' saidUlrichangrilyand ironically. 'I toldmymen tofollowmeafter tenminutes.Sevenof thosetenminuteshavegonebyalready,and when they come I'll remember your idea! Only I can't decently sendcondolencestoyourfamily:afterall,youwerepoachingonmyland.'

'Good,'growledGeorg, 'good.Weshall fight to thedeath, justyouand Iand our guards, with no interlopers. Death and damnation to you,Ulrich vonGradwitz.'

'Thesametoyou,GeorgZnaeym,forest-thief,poacher.'Butbothmenknewthat itwasaquestionofchancewhichman'sguards

wouldcomefirst.

CHAPTERTWO

Friends

Now the two men had stopped trying to get free. Ulrich tried with hispartially free arm to pull out his wine-flask. After a few minutes he finallysucceeded. Then after another few minutes he succeeded in pulling off thestopper.Hedrankalittle.Itwastrulywonderful.Inthiscoldweatherthewinewarmedhisbody.Thenhe lookedwithpityatGeorg,whowasfightingnot toscreaminpain.

'Can you reach the flask if I throw it to you?' Ulrich asked suddenly.'There'sgoodwineinitandthere'snoreasonwhyweshouldsuffer.Letusdrink,eveniftonightoneofusdies.'

'No, I can't see anything because I have dried blood on my eyes,' saidGeorg.'AndinanycaseIdon'tdrinkwinewithanenemy.'Ulrichwassilentfora few minutes, listening to the sound of the wind. An idea was graduallyformulating inhisbrain.This ideagrewclearerevery timehe lookedatGeorgfighting against his pain. In the pain thatUlrichwas feeling the old hatewasbeginningtodie.

'Neighbour,' Ulrich said, 'you can do what you want if your men comefirst.Itwasafairagreement.ButI'vechangedmymind.Ifmymencomefirst,theywillhelpyoufirst,as thoughyouweremyguest.Wehave foughtallourlivesoverthisstupidportionofforest.Tonightlyingherethinking,Ihavecometo the conclusion that we have been fools. What is so important about thisportionofforest?Neighbour,ifyouhelpmeendthisfight,I'llaskyoutobemyfriend.'

GeorgZnaeymwassilentforalongtime.Ulrichbegantothinkthathehadfaintedbecauseofthepain.ThenGeorgspokeslowly.

'Everyonewould be shocked ifwe rode into town together.Nobody canrememberaZnaeymandavonGradwitz talking toeachotheras friends.Andtherewillbepeaceamongtheforestguardsandtheirfamiliesifweendthefighttonight.And ifwe choose tomakepeace amongour families, there is noonewhowillinterfere,nointerlopersfromoutside.YoucouldcometomyhouseatChristmasandIcouldcometoyourcastleonotherholidays.Iwouldneverhuntonyourland,ifyoudidn'tinviteme;andyoucouldcomeandhuntducksinmy

marshes. There is nobody around here who can stop us if we want to makepeace.IhavealwaysthoughtthatIwantedtohateyou.ButIchangedmymindwhen you offered me your wine-flask. Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be yourfriend.'

Then they were both silent. They were thinking about the wonderfulchanges this new peace would bring. In the cold, dark forest, with the windblowing, theywaitedfor thehelpthatwouldfreebothof them.Andeachmanwantedhismentocomefirst,sothathecouldbethefirsttohelphisnewfriend.

ThenthewindstoppedforamomentandUlrichspoke.'Let'sshoutforhelp,'hesaid.'Nowthatthewindhasstopped,theymight

hearus.''It will be difficult in this forest,' replied Georg, 'but let's try. Together,

then.'Thetwomenshoutedtogetherforhelp.'Togetheragain,'saidUlrichafewminuteslater.'Iheardsomethingthattime,Ithink,'saidUlrich.'Ionlyheardthewind,'saidGeorg.There was silence again for a few minutes, and then Ulrich shouted

joyfully.'Icanseepeoplecomingthroughtheforest.'Bothmenshoutedagain.'Theycanhearus!They'vestopped.Nowthey'veseenus.They'rerunning

downthehilltowardus,'criedUlrich.'Howmanyarethere?'askedGeorgwhocouldnotseebecauseofthedried

bloodonhiseyes.'Ican'tseedistinctly,'saidUlrich;'nineorten.''Then they're your men,' said Georg. 'I only had seven men with me

tonight.''Theyarerunningquickly.Whatbravemen!saidUlrichgladly.'Are they your men?' asked Georg. 'Are they your men?' he repeated

impatientlyasUlrichdidnotanswer.

'No,'saidUlrichwithalaugh.Butitwastheidioticlaughofamanwhoisveryafraid.

'Who are they?' askedGeorge quickly, trying to seewhat the othermanwouldhavepreferrednottosee.

'Wolves.'

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