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Tobermory |
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It was a cold, rain washed afternoon in late August |
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Lady Blemley and her guests were sitting round the tea table |
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Everyone was listening open mouthed to Mr Cornelius Appin |
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Although he was one of her guests, Lady Blemley did not know Mr Appin well |
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She had invited him to stay at Blemley House because she had heard that he was clever |
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But until teatime that day he had not done or said anything clever |
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He did not play tennis, or sing, or make intelligent conversation |
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But now Mr Appin was describing a most extraordinary discovery and the other guests were listening with deep interest |
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' Are you telling us that you have found a way of teaching animals to talk?' Sir Wilfrid was saying |
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' And our dear old Tobermory is your first successful student?' |
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' I have studied this problem for seventeen years,' said Mr Appin,' but I didn' t have any real success until eight or nine months ago |
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Of course, I have studied thousands of animals, but recently I have worked only with cats |
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A cat, of course, is a wild animal who agrees to live with you |
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All cats are intelligent, but naturally some cats are more intelligent than others |
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When I met Tobemery a week ago, I realized at once that here was an extraordinarily intelligent cat, a very special cat indeed |
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In Tobermory, I found the student I needed |
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With him I have succeeded in my plan |
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' Nobody laughed, and nobody actually said ' Rubbish', although Clovis' s lips moved silently ' |
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And have you really taught Tobermory,' asked Miss Resker,' to say and understand short, easy words?' |
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' My dear Miss Resker,' said Mr Appin patiently,' we teach little children and very slow, stupid adults in that way |
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But Tobermory is a most intelligent cat |
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He can speak English as well as you or I can |
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' This time Clovis said ' Rubbish!' aloud |
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Sir Wilfrid was more polite, but it was clear that he did not believe Mr Appin' s story |
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' Shall we bring the cat in here and hear him for ourselves?' said Lady Blemley |
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Sir Wilfrid went off to look for Tobermory |
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' Mr Appin will try to be clever,' said Miss Resker happily,' but if we watch him carefully, we shall see his lips move |
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' In a minute Sir Wiflrid returned, looking very excited |
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' It' s true, you know!' he said |
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' I found Tobermory sleeping in the smokingroom, and called out to him to come for his tea |
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He lifted his head and opened one eye |
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I said,' Come on, Toby, don' t keep us waiting!' and he said calmly,' |
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I' ll come when I' m ready!' I couldn' t believe my ears!' |
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The guests all started talking at once, while Mr Appin sat silently and looked very pleased with himself indeed |
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Then Tobermory entered the room and calmly walked over to the tea table |
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The conversation stopped |
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No body knew what to say to a talking cat |
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At last Lady Blemley spoke:' Would you like some milk, Tobermory?' |
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she asked in a high, unnatural voice |
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' I don' t mind if I do,' answered Tobermory |
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Lady Blemley' s hand shook with excitement and some of the milk went onto the carpet |
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' Oh dear! I' m so sorry,' she said |
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' I don' t mind |
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It isn' t my carpet, after all,' replied To bermory |
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There was another silence, then Miss Resker asked politely,' Did you find it difficult to learn English, Tobermory?' |
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Tobermory looked straight through her with his bright green eyes |
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Clearly, he did not answer questions that did not interest him |
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' What do you think of the intelligence of people?' asked Mavis Pellington |
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' Which people' s intelligence?' asked Tobermory coldly |
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' Well, my intelligence, for example,' said Mavis with a little laugh |
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' You make things very uncomfortable for me,' said Tobermory, |
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although he did not look at all uncomfortable. |
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when Lady Blemley wanted to invite you here, Sir Wilfrid was not pleased |
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" Mavis Pellington is the stupidest woman I know," he said |
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" That' s why I want to invite her," Lady Blemley replied |
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" I want her to buy my old car, and she' s stupid enough to do that |
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' It isn' t true!' cried Lady Blemley |
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' Don' t believe him, Mavis!' ' If it isn' t true,' said Mavis coldly, |
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' why did you say this morning that your car would be just right for me?' |
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Major Barfield did his best to help |
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He tried to start a new conversation |
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' How are you getting on with your little black and white lady friend in the garden?' He asked Tobermory. |
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Everybody realized at once that this was a mistake |
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Tobermory gave him an icy look |
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' We do not usually discuss these things in polite company,' he said |
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' But I have watched you a little since you have been in this house |
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I think perhaps you would not like me to discuss your lady friends.' |
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The Major' s face became very red, and all the other guests began to look worried and uncomfortable |
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What was Tobermory going to say next? |
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' Would you like to go down to the kitchen now, Tobermory,' asked Lady Blemley politely,' and see if the cook has got your dinner ready?' |
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' No, thank you,' saidTobermory |
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' I ' ve only just had my tea |
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I don' t want to make myself sick |
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'' Cats have nine lives, you know,' said Sir Wilfrid with a laugh |
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' Possibly,' answered Tobermory |
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' But only one stomach |
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' Lady Blemley!' cried Mrs Cornett,' Don' t send that cat to the kitchen. |
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He will talk about us to the cook!' Everyone was very worried now |
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They remembered uncomfortably that Tobermory moved freely all over the house and gardens, |
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at all hours of the day and night. He could look into any of the bedrooms if he wanted to |
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What had he seen? What had he heard? Nobody' s secrets were safe now. |
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' Oh, why did I come here?' cried Agnes Resker, who could never stay silent for long |
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' You know very well why you came here,' said Tobermory immediately |
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' You came for the food, of course |
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I heard you talking to Mrs Cornett in the garden |
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You said that the Blemleys were terribly boring people, but they had an excellent cook |
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' You mustn' t believe him!' cried Agnes |
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' I never said that, did I, Mrs Cornett?' |
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' Later, Mrs Cornett repeated your words to Bertie vanTahn,' said Tobermory |
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' She said," That Resker woman will go anywhere for four good meals a day," |
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and Bertie said' Just then Tobermory looked out of the window and saw the doctor' s big yellow cat crossing the garden |
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Immediately he disappeared through the open window |
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Everyone started talking at once, and Mr Appin found himself in a storm of angry questions |
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' You must stop this at once,' everyone said to him.' What will happen if Tobermory teaches other cats to talk? |
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We shall never have a moment' s peace!' |
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' It' s possible that he has taught the gardener' s cat,' replied Mr Appin thoughtfully,' but I don' t believe he has had time to teach any other cats |
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' Then,' said Mrs Cornett,' although Tobermory is a valuable cat, he and the gardener' s cat must die |
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Don' t you agree, Lady Blemley?' ' You' re right,' said Lady Blemley sadly. |
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' My husband and I love Tobermory well, we did before this afternoon but now, of course, he must die as soon as possible |
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'' We will poison his dinner,' said Sir Wilfrid,' and I will kill the gardener' s cat myself |
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The gardener won' t like it, but I' ll say it has some kind of disease' |
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' But what about my discovery?' cried Mr Appin |
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' What about all my years of work? Are you going to destroy my only successful student?' |
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You can go and teach the cows on the farm,' said Mrs Cornett coldly,' or the elephants at the zoo |
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Elephants are very intelligent, they tell me, and elephants don' t hide behind chairs or under beds and listen to people' s conversations |
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' Mr Appin knew when he was beaten |
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Dinner that evening was not a success |
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Sir Wilfrid had had a difficult time with the gardener' s cat and later with the gardener |
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Agnes Resker refused to eat anything, while Mavis Pellington ate her meal in silence |
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Everyone was waiting for Tobermory |
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A plate of poisoned fish stood ready for him in the dining room, but he did not come home |
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Nobody talked much, and nobody laughed |
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It was a most uncomfortable meal |
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After dinner the Blemleys and their guests sat in the smoking room |
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Everyone was quiet and worried and nobody wanted to play cards |
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At eleven o' clock the cook and the housekeeper went to bed |
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They left the kitchen window open for Tobermory as usual, but he did not come |
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At two o' clock Clovis spoke: ' He won' t come home tonight |
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He' s probably in the newspaper office selling them his story |
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They' ll love it |
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The story will be the excitementof the year |
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' After that everyone went to bed, but nobody slept |
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In the morning Tobermory had still not come home |
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Breakfast was another quiet, uncomfortable meal |
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Then, half way through the coffee, the gardener brought in Tobermory' s bloodstained body |
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' Look at his claws!' cried Clovis |
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' He' s been fighting!' And there, on Tobermory' s claws, was the yellow hair of the doctor' s cat |
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By lunchtime most of the guests had left Blemley House |
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Lady Blemley began to feel better |
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She took out her pen and paper and wrote a very angry letter to the doctor about the death of her valuable cat |
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Tobermory was Mr Appin' s only successful student |
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A few weeks after Tobermory' s death an elephant escaped from the Dresden Zoo and killed an English visitor |
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The zoo keeper said that the elephant had always been a calm and gentle animal before |
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But suddenly it seemed to be come very angry with the English visitor, who was talking to it |
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The dead man' s name was reported in the newspapers as Oppin, but his first name was Cornelius |
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' If Appin was trying to teach the poor elephant to speak German,' said Clovis,' I' m not surprised it killed him |