Читать книгу Mary Poppins / Мэри Поппинс. Книга для чтения на английском языке - Памела Трэверс, П. Л. Трэверс - Страница 3

Miss Lark lived in the next house.

The house was very big and beautiful, and in the garden Miss Lark had two gates. One gate was for her friends and relations. And the other gate was for the Baker, the Butcher and the Milkman.

One day the Baker made a mistake and came through the gate which was for Miss Lark’s friends and relations. And Miss Lark was very angry.

All day long Jane and Michael could hear Miss Lark’s voice. Her voice was very loud. And the children always heard:

“Andrew, where are you?” or

“Andrew, you mustn’t go out without your overcoat!” or

“Andrew, come to Mother!”

And if you didn’t know, you could think that Andrew was a little boy. And Jane thought that Miss Lark thought that Andrew was a little boy. But Andrew wasn’t a little boy. He was a dog – a little dog which looked like a fur collar33.

Andrew lived like a king. He slept on a silk cushion in Miss Lark’s room; he ate cream every day; he had four overcoats in different colours. Every day he had things which people usually have only on birthdays. And when Andrew himself had a birthday, he had a big cake.

People did not like Andrew and laughed at him. And when Miss Lark bought him two pairs of small boots, people came to their gates to look at him and laugh.

“He is stupid,” said Michael one day when the children were looking at Andrew through the fence between their garden and Miss Lark’s garden.

“How do you know?” asked Jane.

“I know because Daddy called him stupid this morning,” said Michael.

“He is not stupid,” said Mary Poppins.

And Mary Poppins was right. Andrew wasn’t stupid, and you will very soon see it.

You must not think that he did not love Miss Lark. He loved her, because she was always very kind to him and took good care of him. But he did not like his life. He did not want to wear overcoats and boots. He wanted to be a common dog34. And he always chose common dogs for his friends35. And so he often sat at the gate of the garden and looked out into the street. And when he saw a common dog, he always liked to talk to him.

Miss Lark did not like it. And when she saw that Andrew was sitting at the gate and talking to a common dog, she called:

“Andrew, Andrew, come home, my darling! Don’t talk to these terrible street dogs!”

And Miss Lark never allowed Andrew to go out of the garden into the street. You could see him in the street or in the park only with Miss Lark.

Imagine, then, the surprise of Jane and Michael, when they saw Andrew one day in the park without Miss Lark. He was running very quickly and looked very serious.

“Hi, Andrew! Where is your overcoat?” cried Michael.

Andrew stopped and looked at the children. Then he turned to Mary Poppins and barked.

“Yap-yap!” said Andrew several times very quickly.

“Let me see36,” said Mary Poppins. “I think it’s the first turning on your right37 and the second house on the left.”

“Yap-yap,” said Andrew several times very quickly again.

“No – not a garden. Only a back yard,” said Mary Poppins. “The gate is usually open.”

Andrew barked again.

“I don’t know,” said Mary Poppins. “But I think so. He usually goes home at tea-time.”

Andrew barked again and ran away.

Jane’s and Michael’s eyes were round with surprise.

“What did he say?” they asked together.

“Nothing special,’’ said Mary Poppins.

“No,” said Michael. “I think he asked you where somebody lived.”

“Well, if you know, why do you ask me,” said Mary Poppins and sniffed.

“Oh, Michael,” said Jane. “She will never tell us if you talk like that. Mary Poppins, please, tell us what Andrew was saying to you. Please!”

“Ask him. He knows – Mr. Know-All!” said Mary Poppins and sniffed again.

“Oh no, I don’t know, Mary Poppins,” said Michael. “Please tell us.”

“It is half-past three. Tea-time,” said Mary Poppins. And they turned and went home.

When they were near their house, they suddenly heard loud cries coming from Miss Lark’s house38. They looked and saw that Miss Lark was running about in her garden and crying: “Andrew, Andrew! Where are you? Oh, he is lost39! I must send for the Police. I must see the Prime Minister! Andrew is lost! Dear me40, dear me!”

“Poor Miss Lark!” said Jane.

At that moment Michael looked down the street and – saw Andrew!

“Look, look, Miss Lark!” he cried. “There’s Andrew! Look, he is walking along the street!”

“Where? Where? Show me!” cried Miss Lark and ran up to the gate.

And indeed, she saw Andrew. He was walking slowly along the street. And near Andrew they saw a common dog. Andrew and the common dog were walking together.

“Oh, how glad I am,” said Miss Lark.

They were all standing and looking, and Andrew and the common dog were coming nearer and nearer the gate of Miss Lark’s garden.

“Oh, that terrible dog,” said Miss Lark, looking at Andrew’s companion. “Shoo! Shoo! Go home!” she cried to the common dog.

But the common dog came up to the gate and sat down on the ground. He scratched his right ear with his left leg41 and yawned.

“Go away! Go home! Shoo!” said Miss Lark again in an angry voice. “And you, Andrew, go home this minute! For shame!42 Went into the street alone, and without your overcoat! I am angry with you.”

Andrew barked, but did not move.

“Do you understand, Andrew?’’ said Miss Lark. “Go home at once!”

Andrew barked again.

“He says,” said Mary Poppins, “that he won’t go home.”

Miss Lark turned and looked at her in great surprise.

“How do you know what my dog says, may I ask,” she said. “Of course, he will go home.”

Andrew shook his head43 and barked.

“He won’t,” said Mary Poppins. “He will go home only if his friend goes, too.”

“Nonsense!” said Miss Lark. “This terrible dog will never go into my garden.”

Andrew barked two or three times.

“He says he is quite serious,” said Mary Poppins. “And he says that if you don’t allow his friend to go into your house and live with him, he will go away and live with his friend.”

“Oh, Andrew, you can’t – you can’t, really! After all that I have done for you!’’ Miss Lark was ready to cry.

Andrew barked and turned away. The other dog got up.

“Oh, he is really going away!” cried Miss Lark. “I see it!” She cried a little into her handkerchief, then she said:

“All right, Andrew. It will be as you say. This – this common dog can stay with us. But of course, he will sleep in the coal-cellar.”

Andrew barked again.

“He says, madam,” said Mary Poppins, “that he does not agree. His friend must have a silk cushion and sleep in you room, too. Or Andrew himself will sleep in the coal-cellar with his friend.”

“Andrew, how can you?” cried Miss Lark. “I shall never agree to it.”

Andrew got up and prepared to go.

“Oh, he is leaving me!” cried Miss Lark. “All right, Andrew, very well. It will be as you wish. Oh, what a terrible dog! Oh, how can you, Andrew? What is he saying now?” she asked Mary Poppins, because Andrew was barking again.

“He says that he will never wear overcoats or boots – that is his last word,” said Mary Poppins.

“All right. Let’s go,” said Miss Lark with tears in her eyes. And she and the dogs went into the house.

“So you see, he isn’t stupid at all44,” said Jane, when they were going upstairs to Tea.

“Yes,” said Michael, “that’s right. He isn’t stupid. But how did Mary Poppins know it? What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” said Jane. “And I think she will never, never tell us…”

EXERCISES

1. Practice the pronunciation of the following words.

2. Agree or disagree.

1. The house was very big and beautiful, and in the garden Miss Lark had two gates.

2. Andrew was a little boy.

3. People did not like Andrew and laughed at him.

4. When Miss Lark bought him two pairs of small boots, people went and bought boots for their dogs, too.