The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle | Page 7

whom I could still hear stumping round the house somewhere,
grunting indignantly because I had come to the front door. Then she
asked me in a whisper if I would have a bun and a glass of milk. And I
said, "Yes, please." After I had eaten the bun and milk, I thanked the
Colonel's wife and came away. Then I thought that before I went home
I would go and see if the Doctor had come back yet. I had been to his
house once already that morning. But I thought I'd just like to go and
take another look. My squirrel wasn't getting any better and I was
beginning to be worried about him.
So I turned into the Oxenthorpe Road and started off towards the
Doctor's house. On the way I noticed that the sky was clouding over
and that it looked as though it might rain.
I reached the gate and found it still locked. I felt very discouraged. I
had been coming here every day for a week now. The dog, Jip, came to
the gate and wagged his tail as usual, and then sat down and watched
me closely to see that I didn't get in.
I began to fear that my squirrel would die before the Doctor came back.
I turned away sadly, went down the steps on to the road and turned
towards home again.
I wondered if it were supper-time yet. Of course I had no watch of my
own, but I noticed a gentleman coming towards me down the road; and
when he got nearer I saw it was the Colonel out for a walk. He was all
wrapped up in smart overcoats and mufflers and bright-colored gloves.
It was not a very cold day but he had so many clothes on he looked like
a pillow inside a roll of blankets. I asked him if he would please tell me
the time.
He stopped, grunted and glared down at me--his red face growing
redder still; and when he spoke it sounded like the cork coming out of a
gingerbeer-bottle.

"Do you imagine for one moment," he spluttered, "that I am going to
get myself all unbuttoned just to tell a little boy like you THE TIME!"
And he went stumping down the street, grunting harder than ever.
I stood still a moment looking after him and wondering how old I
would have to be, to have him go to the trouble of getting his watch out.
And then, all of a sudden, the rain came down in torrents.
I have never seen it rain so hard. It got dark, almost like night. The
wind began to blow; the thunder rolled; the lightning flashed, and in a
moment the gutters of the road were flowing like a river. There was no
place handy to take shelter, so I put my head down against the driving
wind and started to run towards home.
I hadn't gone very far when my head bumped into something soft and I
sat down suddenly on the pavement. I looked up to see whom I had run
into. And there in front of me, sitting on the wet pavement like myself,
was a little round man with a very kind face. He wore a shabby high hat
and in his hand he had a small black bag.
"I'm very sorry," I said. "I had my head down and I didn't see you
coming."
To my great surprise, instead of getting angry at being knocked down,
the little man began to laugh.
"You know this reminds me," he said, "of a time once when I was in
India. I ran full tilt into a woman in a thunderstorm. But she was
carrying a pitcher of molasses on her head and I had treacle in my hair
for weeks afterwards--the flies followed me everywhere. I didn't hurt
you, did I?"
"No," I said. "I'm all right."
"It was just as much my fault as it was yours, you know," said the little
man. "I had my head down too--but look here, we mustn't sit talking
like this. You must be soaked. I know I am. How far have you got to
go?"

"My home is on the other side of the town," I said, as we picked
ourselves up.
"My Goodness, but that was a wet pavement!" said he. "And I declare
it's coming down worse than ever. Come along to my house and get
dried. A storm like this can't last."
He took hold of my hand and we started running back down the road
together. As we ran I began to wonder who this funny little man could
be, and where he lived. I was a perfect stranger to him, and yet he was
taking me to his