Читать книгу Boxen: Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia - Клайв Льюис, Клайв Стейплз Льюис, Walter Hooper - Страница 7

Sir Peter Mouse one night felt a nasty pain in the upper part of his tail, and on waking up began to wonder what it was. ‘At last,’ he said to himself, ‘It was only a bad night-mare.’

However he found his tail mystereousely missing. ‘This is odd,’ said he. ‘I must have had it cut off with-out noticing.’ Next night he (in his sleep) witnessed a soreness at his nose. And in the morning what do you think? His whiskers were gone. ‘Dear me!!’ said Peter, ‘This is bad.’ The next night it snowed.

At 12 o’clock, in his sleep, Peter felt something hurting his ear. When he got up in the morning he found to his surprise that his left ear was cut off. ‘Funny,’ said Peter Mouse, and went out of the room.

Now Peter never spent money if he could help it, and as he was a detective he did not get another to do it for him. He went out into the snow and as he was walking down to his gate he saw paw prints. Mice often see that, but just behind the feet there was a little mark in the snow like this.

‘A funny tail mark that is,’ said Peter to himself. ‘That mouse must have had his tail cut off like me. That is what I call a clue!’ (I think you would too.)

Peter next went to Pip Castle for some clients were generly waiting for him. On his way home Sir Peter saw a large mouse with out a tail!! Peter did not go back to his house but followed the stranger for some distance, and then measured his foot-mark and made a picture of it.

Next night Sir Peter put a dummy of wood in his bed and he him-self sat up all night and watched from the garret window. Before doing so he set a ‘non-killing’ mouse-trap, it was like a small man-trap.

After watching for some time he saw a mouse coming twards the house. As soon as Mr No-Tail came near he got caught in the trap. ‘Come and help me!’ cried No-Tail as soon as he saw Peter at the window. Peter Mouse came out and let him go, then he asked No-Tail to stay the night with him. He took No-Tail in and gave him some beer then Peter led him up-stairs and gave him a bed, and as he slept went down to the polease office. Then he got No-Tail ‘run in’.