The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle | Page 9

there, craning
her neck round the bend of the landing, hopping down the stairs on one
leg, came a spotless white duck. And in her right foot she carried a
lighted candle!

THE FOURTH CHAPTER

THE WIFF-WAFF
WHEN at last I could look around me I found that the hall was indeed
simply full of animals. It seemed to me that almost every kind of
creature from the countryside must be there: a pigeon, a white rat, an
owl, a badger, a jackdaw--there was even a small pig, just in from the
rainy garden, carefully wiping his feet on the mat while the light from
the candle glistened on his wet pink back.
The Doctor took the candlestick from the duck and turned to me.
"Look here," he said: "you must get those wet clothes off--by the way,
what is your name?"
"Tommy Stubbins," I said.
"Oh, are you the son of Jacob Stubbins, the shoemaker?"
"Yes," I said.
"Excellent bootmaker, your father," said the Doctor. "You see these?"
and he held up his right foot to show me the enormous boots he was
wearing. "Your father made me those boots four years ago, and I've
been wearing them ever since--perfectly wonderful boots--Well now,
look here, Stubbins. You 've got to change those wet things and quick.
Wait a moment till I get some more candles lit, and then we'll go
upstairs and find some dry clothes. You'll have to wear an old suit of
mine till we can get yours dry again by the kitchen-fire."
So presently when more candles had been lighted round different parts
of the house, we went upstairs; and when we had come into a bedroom
the Doctor opened a big wardrobe and took out two suits of old clothes.
These we put on. Then we carried our wet ones down to the kitchen and
started a fire in the big chimney. The coat of the Doctor's which I was
wearing was so large for me that I kept treading on my own coat-tails
while I was helping to fetch the wood up from the cellar. But very soon
we had a huge big fire blazing up the chimney and we hung our wet
clothes around on chairs.

"Now let's cook some supper," said the Doctor.--"You'll stay and have
supper with me, Stubbins, of course?"
Already I was beginning to be very fond of this funny little man who
called me "Stubbins," instead of "Tommy" or "little lad" (I did so hate
to be called "little lad"!) This man seemed to begin right away treating
me as though I were a grown-up friend of his. And when he asked me
to stop and have supper with him I felt terribly proud and happy. But I
suddenly remembered that I had not told my mother that I would be out
late. So very sadly I answered,
"Thank you very much. I would like to stay, but I am afraid that my
mother will begin to worry and wonder where I am if I don't get back."
"Oh, but my dear Stubbins," said the Doctor, throwing another log of
wood on the fire, "your clothes aren't dry yet. You'll have to wait for
them, won't you? By the time they are ready to put on we will have
supper cooked and eaten--Did you see where I put my bag?"
"I think it is still in the hall," I said. "I'll go and see."
I found the bag near the front door. It was made of black leather and
looked very, very old. One of its latches was broken and it was tied up
round the middle with a piece of string.
"Thank you," said the Doctor when I brought it to him.
"Was that bag all the luggage you had for your voyage?" I asked.
"Yes," said the Doctor, as he undid the piece of string. "I don't believe
in a lot of baggage. It's such a nuisance. Life's too short to fuss with it.
And it isn't really necessary, you know--Where DID I put those
sausages?"
The Doctor was feeling about inside the bag. First he brought out a loaf
of new bread. Next came a glass jar with a curious metal top to it. He
held this up to the light very carefully before he set it down upon the
table; and I could see that there was some strange little water-creature

swimming about inside. At last the Doctor brought out a pound of
sausages.
"Now," he said, "all we want is a frying-pan."
We went into the scullery and there we found some pots and pans
hanging against the wall. The Doctor took down the frying-pan. It was
quite rusty on the inside.
"Dear me, just look at that!" said he. "That's the worst of being