3.Shall I tell everyone about your little romances?" The Major looked very worried. So did most of the lady guests. What would Tobermory say next? Would you like to go and see if Cook has got your dinner ready?' suggested Lady Blemley quickly. Thank you,' said Tobermory, but it's still two hours before my dinner-time. I've just had my tea. I don't want to die of indigestion.' 'Adelaide!' said Miss Resker to Lady Blemley. Do you want that cat to go and gossip about us to the servants?"'My dear Miss Resker,' said Mr Appin patiently,

"Tobermory is a cat of extraordinary intelligence. He can

speak English perfectly.' 'Let's bring him in and see for ourselves,' suggested Lady Blemley. Sir Wilfred went to look for Tobermory. Everyone waited. A few minutes later, Sir Wilfred came back. His eyes were big with excitement. 'It's true!' he said. I found Tobermory and called out for him to come for his tea. He didn't move, so I said, "Come on, Tobermory, hurry up."The newspapers said that the Englishman must have been teasing it. His name was reported in some newspapers as Appin, and in some newspapers as Eppelin.Tobermory

by H.H. Munro (1870-1916)

Lady Adelaide Blemley and her husband, Sir Wilfred, had invited some guests to stay at their house in the country."That's not true.' 'But, Adelaide, you told me this morning,' said Mavis, 'that your car would be perfect for me.' Major Barfield, another of the guests, tried to change the conversation. 'How's your little romance with the cat up at the stables?""Tobermory may be a great pet,' said Mrs Cornett, 'but both he and the stable cat must be destroyed as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll agree, Adelaide.' You don't suppose I've enjoyed the last fifteen minutes, do you?"cried Mr Appin What about all my years of research and experimenpi

You can go and experiment on the cows at the farm, said Mrs Cornett, 'or the elephants at the zoo.One of the gardeners had just discovered it. Tobermory had bite marks on his throat and there were bits of yellow fur on his claws.Tobermory

I'm afraid I've spilt a lot of the milk, she said in an apologetic voice.An elephant in Dresden Zoo in Germany broke loose and killed an Englishman.They were staring in astonishment at a man called Mr Cornelius Appin.Lady Blemley poured out some milk into a saucer."Well, it's your carpet, not mine,' said Tobermory. The group continued to be silent. Then Miss Resker said

very slowly, as if she were speaking to a small child, Was the human language difficult to learn?"asked Mavis Pellington, a middle-aged lady, in a weak voice.I've been noticing your H. H. Manve

behaviour since you've arrived here.cried Agnes Resker in embarrassment.a fight with the Rectory cat,' said H. H. Munro

Most of the guests left by lunchtime.Tobermory had been Mr Appin's only successful pupil.'Perhaps he was trying to teach the poor elephant German grammar,' said Lady Blemley.Mr Appin sat silently, listening to the discussion going on around him.asked Agnes Resker in a dramatic voice.Tobermory replied immediately.We can put poison into his food at dinner,' said Sir Wilfred, 'and I will go and drown the stable cat myself.And they don't go creeping around our

Our Appin looked disappointed.Sir Wilfred had had a difficult time with the stable cat and the coachman.A plate of poisoned fish had been prepared in the kitchen, ready for Tobermory.The servants went to bed but the guests stayed up, waiting for Tobermory.She had even written a nasty letter to the Rectory about the loss of her beloved Tobermory.A few weeks later, an article appeared in the newspapers.But his first name was reported as Cornelius.The afternoon was cold and grey, so everybody had stayed indoors.But they weren't bored.Mr Appin was a quiet, ordinary kind of man.Nobody had really believed Mr Appin.But now everyone believed Sir Wilfred.All the guests started talking loudly.Suddenly Tobermory entered the room.He walked softly across the carpet to the tea-table.He didn't take any notice of anybody.'Will you have some milk, Tobermory?''All right,' said Tobermory.The guests shivered with excitement.But her hand was shaking so much that she spilt some of the milk onto the carpet.Tobermory looked at her for a moment and then looked

away.He stared into the distance.At once, everyone realised the Major had made a terrible mistake.'One does not discuss these matters in public,' said Tobermory in a very cold voice.Tobermory often walked on this balcony.He liked to watch the pigeons.'It's not true!'said Lady Blemley.she asked.3.