Черная курица, или Подземные жители / The Black Hen - [6]

"Oh! These are not real trees," he said. "But they are very nice."

"This is moss," said the Minister. "But it is taller and thicker than in your forests. The King bought this moss far from here. He gave a lot of money for it."

From the garden they went into the King's zoo. Here Alyosha saw wild animals in gold cages.

"Oh, there's a rat in the cage over there! It's funny," thought the boy. But he didn't say that to the Minister.

After the walk Alyosha and his friend came back for supper. In the big hall the boy saw a table with cakes and fruit on gold plates. There were gold bottles and glasses there too.

"Eat what you like," said the Minister, "but you can't take anything with you."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," said Alyosha. "Please, tell me about your people," asked Alyosha.

"We live under your school. Nobody knows about us because we don't go out now. Many years ago we often went out. People could see us then. Now we always stay under the ground. Many of your people can't keep a secret. When somebody says a word about us, we go away at once. We go far, far away. It's always a problem to leave our things and go somewhere with all our children and animals. Do you understand me? You saved my life, Alyosha. I asked the King to let me take you here. You know how we live. We don't want to go away from this place. We like it here. So please don't tell anybody about us."

"I promise to keep your secret," said Alyosha. "But tell me, dear Blacky, why are you a hen? And why are you so afraid of the old Dutch ladies?"

Blacky started saying something, but Alyosha's sleepy eyes closed. He woke up in the morning in his bed.

Helpful Words & Notes

What do I ask for? — Что бы мне попросить?

hemp seed — конопляное семечко.

Let's = Let us — Давай.

over there — вон там.

I'm not hungry — мне не хочется есть.

keep a secret — хранить тайну.

Exercises

1 Match the two parts of the sentences.

1) Alyosha wanted

2) The King wanted

3) Alyosha asked Blacky

4) Alyosha promised

a) to keep Blacky's secret.

b) to know his homework without learning it.

c) to thank Alyosha for saving his minister.

d) to take him to the garden and to the zoo.

2 Complete the sentences.

1) A little boy brought a gold plate with ___.

a) an apple seed

b) a gold key

c) a hemp seed

2) The Minister and Alyosha went to ___ first.

a) the garden

b) the zoo

c) the library

3) Alyosha saw ___ in a gold cage.

a) a horse

b) two rats

c) a rat

3 Fill in the words.

1) I want to know my ___ without reading it.

2) You can always get good ___ without studying.

3) Thank you for the ___, sir.

4) The King bought this ___ far from here. He gave a lot of ___ for it.

5) Many of your people can't keep a ___.

6) It's always a ___ to leave our things and go somewhere with all our children and animals.

4 Complete the chart.

5 Explain why:

1) the King called Alyosha a lazy boy.

2) Alyosha didn't have anything for supper with Blacky.

3) Blacky asked Alyosha to keep their secret.

6 Imagine that you are Minister Blacky. Say:

a) why you are a hen;

b) why you are afraid of the old Dutch ladies.

Chapter 6

Alyosha didn't know what to think. He remembered Blacky and the Minister, the King and the knights, the Dutch ladies and the zoo very well.

"Was it a dream? Did it really happen?" he thought.

Then the boy thought about the hemp seed. He took his coat. The seed was in the pocket.

"Let's see how the King keeps his word," he thought. "Lessons start tomorrow, but I still don't know my History lesson. The headmaster told me to learn four pages from the book."

The boys came back to school after the holidays. The second lesson that day was History. It was the headmaster's lesson. Alyosha was afraid to look at the headmaster. He put his hand in his pocket. The hemp seed was there. At last the headmaster said:

"Now we're going to listen to Alyosha. Alyosha, please say your lesson."

Alyosha came up to the headmaster and opened his mouth. He didn't know his homework. But at that moment he started talking. He said his lesson without any mistakes.

"Very well," said the headmaster.

But Alyosha was not happy.

"I didn't learn that," he thought. "I don't like it at all."

Alyosha became the best pupil at once. He got only very good marks. He always knew his homework without studying. He never made any mistakes in his tests. All this time Alyosha didn't see Blacky. At first he called her in the evening. But she didn't come to see him.

"I know she is busy. She's the minister," he thought.

Then he remembered her only from time to time.

Soon all St. Petersburg knew about a very clever boy. The inspector of schools came to Alyosha's school four times to listen to him. The headmaster was happy. His school was famous now. Many mothers and fathers asked him to take their children.

At first Alyosha's gift made him sad. But then he started thinking a lot of himself. "I am better and cleverer than the other children," he thought. And he showed it to the other boys. He was no longer a good and kind boy. He became proud and naughty.

One day a voice inside him said:

"Don't be so bad, Alyosha! Yes, you have this gift. But you are not better than the other children."