English
AtMarlow,weleftourboatbythebridge.WespentthenightattheCrownHotel.Thenextmorningwewentswimmingbeforebreakfast.
Onthewayback,Montmorencymetacat.MontmorencyandIdon’tagreeoncats.Ilikecats.Montmorencydoesn’t.WhenImeetacat,Istopandsayhello.IpetIitgently.Thecatishappy,andIamtoo.WhenMontmorencymeetsacat,thewholestreetknowsaboutit.Alotofbadwordsflythroughtheair.
AssoonasMontmorencysawthecat,hebarkedwithhappiness.Thecatwaswalkingslowlyacrossthestreet.Montmorencyranafterthecat.Butthecatdidn’trun.Hedidn’tunderstandthathislifewasindanger.
Thiscatwasbigandblack.Ithadhalfatail,halfanoseandonlyoneear.Itwasacleverstreetcat.
Montmorencyisacourageousdog,butthecoldeyesofthatcatterrifiedhim.ThecatstoppedinthemiddleoftheroadandlookedatMontmorency.
Neitherspoke,buttheconversationwasprobablylikethis:
Cat:Yes!Youwantme?CanIdoanythingforyou?
Montmorency:No,nothanks.
Cat:Ifyoureallywantsomething,pleasetellme.
Montmorency:(walkingbackwards)Oh,no,notatall.Don’tdisturbyourself.I’mafraidImadeamistake.IthoughtIknewyou.SorryIdisturbedyou.
Cat:Notatall.It’sapleasure.Areyousureyoudon’twantanythingnow?
Montmorency:(stillwalkingbackwards)No,thanks.Nothingatall,thanks.Verykindofyou.Goodmorning.
Cat:Goodmorning.
Thecatgotupandwalkedaway.Montmorencycamebackandfollowedusquietly.Hewassilentalldaylong.
Tothisday,ifyousaytheword‘Cats!’toMontmorency,he’llstopwalking.Thenhe’lllookupatyou,asiftosay:‘Pleasedon’t!’
Afterthis,wedidourshopping,returnedtotheboatandcontinuedourtripuptheriver.
AtHambledonLock,wediscoveredthatwehadnowater.Wewenttothelock-keepertoaskforsome.Georgespokeforus.Withafriendlysmileheasked,‘Maywehavesomewater,please.’
‘Certainly,’saidtheoldlock-keeper.‘Takeasmuchasyouwant,andleavetherest.’
‘Thankyouverymuch,’saidGeorge,lookingaround.‘Whereisthewater?’
‘It’swhereitalwaysis,’saidthelock-keeper.‘It’sbehindyou.’
Georgeturnedaroundandlooked.‘Idon’tseeit.’
‘What!Whereareyoureyes?’thelock-keepersaid.HetookGeorge’sarmandturnedhimaround.
‘Oh!’Georgesaid.‘Butwecan’tdrinktheriver!’
‘No,butyoucandrinksomeofit,’saidthelock-keeper.‘I’vedrunkriverwaterforthepastfifteenyears.’
‘Well,sir,Idon’tthinkyoulookveryhealthy,afterdrinkingallthatriverwater.Butthankyouanyway,’Georgesaid.
Weleftthelock-keeper’splaceandwefoundsomewateratanotherhouse.
WetowedtheboatpastHenleyandstoppednearWargraveforlunch.Weweresittinginagreenfieldneartheriver.Harriswascuttingameatpie.GeorgeandIwerewaitingwithourdishes.
‘Ineedaspoon,’saidHarris.
Thehamperwasbehindus.GeorgeandIbothturnedaroundtogetaspoon.Infiveseconds,wehadthespoon.Whenweturnedback,Harrisandthemeatpieweregone!Disappeared!
Itwasawideopenfield.Therewerenotreesnearby.Harrisdidnotfallintotheriver,becausetheriverwasfarfromus.GeorgeandIlookedallaround.Thenwelookedateachother.
‘Hashegoneuptoheaven?’Iasked.
‘Angelsdon’ttakemeatpiestoheaven,’Georgesaid.
‘You’reright!’Iagreed.
‘Thentherehasbeenanearthquake,’Georgesaid.‘I’msorryhehadthemeatpiewithhim.’
Sadly,welookedattheplacewhereHarrisandthemeatpieweresitting.Then,withhorror,wesawHarris’shead–onlyhishead.Itwasinthegrass!Hisfacewasredandfurious.
Georgewasthefirsttospeak.‘Saysomething!Areyoudeadoralive?Whereisyourbody?’
‘Oh,don’tbeanidiot!’Harrisshouted.‘Ithinkyoumadethishappen.Youtoldmetositthere.It’syourstupidjoke!Here,takethepie.’
Harrisdidn’tknowit,buthehadbeensittingnexttoabighole.Thelonggrasscoveredit.Hefellintothedeepholewithoutknowinganything.Atfirst,hethoughtthatitwastheendoftheworld.
HarrisstillthinksthatGeorgeandIplanneditall.
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