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| [00:01.56] | Chapter 2 The Card |
| [00:06.40] | So next day, at seven o'clock, |
| [00:10.15] | I came to the shop in a cab. |
| [00:13.44] | There were not very many people in the road, |
| [00:16.33] | because it was early in the morning. |
| [00:19.19] | In November it is dark at seven o'clock in the morning, |
| [00:23.24] | and I could not see the shop very well. |
| [00:26.29] | I waited five minutes. A postman walked past. |
| [00:31.22] | Then the door of the shop opened, |
| [00:33.55] | and the creature, Merrick , came out. |
| [00:37.56] | I could not see his face or his body. |
| [00:40.90] | He had an enormous black hat on his head, like a big box. |
| [00:46.07] | A grey cloth came down from the hat, in front of his face. |
| [00:51.77] | There was a hole in the cloth in front of his eyes. |
| [00:56.24] | He could see out of the hole but I could not see in. |
| [01:01.17] | He wore a long black coat, too. |
| [01:04.56] | The coat began at his neck, and ended at his feet, |
| [01:08.67] | so I could not see his arms, his body, or his legs. |
| [01:13.66] | On his feet he wore big shoes, like old bags. |
| [01:18.68] | He had a stick in his left hand, |
| [01:20.91] | and he walked very slowly. |
| [01:23.97] | I opened the door of the cab, and got out. |
| [01:27.88] | 'Good morning, Mr Merrick, 'I said. 'Can you get in?' |
| [01:33.37] | 'Elpmyupasteps, 'he said. |
| [01:37.76] | 'I'm sorry, 'I said. 'I don't understand. ' |
| [01:43.18] | For a minute he stood by the door of the cab and said nothing. |
| [01:48.68] | Then he hit the cab with his stick. |
| [01:51.69] | 'STEPS! 'he said loudly. 'Help me up the steps! ' |
| [01:59.55] | Then I understood. |
| [02:02.60] | There were three steps up into the cab, |
| [02:05.78] | and he could not get up them. |
| [02:08.32] | 'Yes, I see. I'm sorry, 'I said. 'Let me help you. ' |
| [02:16.14] | I took his left hand and began to help him. |
| [02:20.16] | My right hand was behind his back. |
| [02:23.84] | I felt very strange. |
| [02:26.54] | His left hand was like a young woman's, |
| [02:29.93] | but his back under the coat, was horrible. |
| [02:33.89] | I could feel the bags of old skin on his back under the coat. |
| [02:39.64] | He put one enormous foot on the first step, |
| [02:43.25] | and then he stopped. |
| [02:45.66] | After a minute, he moved his second foot slowly. |
| [02:50.04] | Then he stopped and waited again. |
| [02:53.91] | 'Hello, sir. Can I help you?' |
| [02:58.18] | I looked behind me. It was the postman. |
| [03:02.08] | And behind him, I could see three young boys. |
| [03:06.66] | One of the boys laughed. |
| [03:09.45] | The postman smiled. 'Is the gentleman ill?'he asked. |
| [03:16.09] | I thought quickly. 'Yes. But this is a lady, not a gentleman. |
| [03:23.50] | I'm a doctor, and she's ill. |
| [03:26.76] | Take her hand, so I can help her better. ' |
| [03:31.14] | The postman took Merrick's left hand, |
| [03:35.55] | and I helped him with two hands from behind. |
| [03:39.42] | Slowly, very slowly, Merrick went up the steps and into the cab. |
| [03:47.43] | One boy was very near the cab. |
| [03:50.66] | He called to his friends. |
| [03:53.70] | 'Come and see this, boys! A fat lady in a black coat! |
| [03:59.15] | And look at that enormous hat! ' |
| [04:02.11] | The boys laughed. |
| [04:04.39] | They were very near the cab too, now. |
| [04:07.74] | I closed the door quickly. |
| [04:10.63] | 'Thank you, 'I said to the postman. |
| [04:13.87] | 'That's all right, sir, 'he said. 'She's a strange lady, sir, isn't she?' |
| [04:20.77] | 'She's ill, that's all, 'I said quickly. |
| [04:25.08] | 'We're going to the hospital. |
| [04:27.17] | Goodbye, and thank you. ' |
| [04:31.37] | The cab drove down the road to the hospital. |
| [04:35.89] | I locked at Merrick. 'That was difficult, wasn't it?'I said. |
| [04:42.47] | At first he said nothing, but then he spoke. |
| [04:47.29] | His voice was very strange, |
| [04:50.07] | but I listened to him carefully, |
| [04:52.25] | and I could understand him. |
| [04:55.30] | 'The steps were very difficult, 'he said. |
| [05:00.80] | 'But most things are difficult for me. ' |
| [05:05.73] | 'Yes, 'I said. ' Nothing is easy for you, is it?' |
| [05:11.23] | 'No, 'he said. He was very quiet for a minute. |
| [05:18.04] | Then he said, 'Who are you, sir?' |
| [05:23.87] | 'Who am I?Oh, I'm sorry, My name is Dr Treves. Here, this is my card. ' |
| [05:36.54] | I gave him a card with my name on. |
| [05:40.25] | Then I thought, 'That was no good. |
| [05:44.00] | This man can't read. ' |
| [05:46.69] | But Merrick took the card and looked at it very carefully. |
| [05:52.66] | Then he put it in his trousers pocket. |
| [05:57.63] | I did not talk to him very much at the hospital. |
| [06:01.43] | I looked at his head and arms and legs and body very carefully. |
| [06:08.68] | Then I wrote the important things about him in a little book. |
| [06:13.52] | A nurse helped me. |
| [06:16.56] | Merrick looked at her sometimes, |
| [06:19.55] | but she did not smile at him or talk to him. |
| [06:23.51] | I think she was afraid of him. |
| [06:26.31] | I think Merrick was afraid too, |
| [06:29.15] | because he was very quiet. |
| [06:32.90] | At four o'clock I took him back to the shop in a cab. |
| [06:38.26] | The next day I looked in the shop window again, |
| [06:42.42] | but the picture was not there. |
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