Part III Chapter 5 Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary by Hugh Lofting
The Window-cleaner Tells His Name
Thursday came, the day when the Doctor had said he would bring Pippinella's friend away from the hospital if he was well enough to travel. And the devoted canary had the poor Doctor out of his bed very early that morning, you may be sure. Indeed, it was barely light when John Dolittle, driving a hired wagon so as to have plenty of space to carry Pippinella's friend comfortably, set out with Matthew Mugg for Billingsgate.
On their arrival Matthew took charge of the horses at the door while the Doctor went in to see the patient.
He found the window–cleaner greatly improved and most anxious to leave and come with him. And as soon as some more forms had been filled out and signed, the sick man was helped into the wagon and they started back for Greenheath.
On the way the Doctor discovered that now the window–cleaner had recovered his memory he was most anxious to get on the trail of his lost papers again. It was quite clear, too, that whatever suspicions he had had about John Dolittle's honesty he now trusted him completely.
'And is it your intention,' the doctor asked, 'to go on with your writing as soon as you are able?'
'Why, certainly,' said the other. 'But I must first get some sort of a job by which I can earn enough money for living expenses.'
The window–cleaner was half sitting, half lying, in the covered wagon. The Doctor was seated beside him. Matthew was up in front driving.
'Humph!' murmured the Doctor. 'Er—by the way, I never learned your name. Of course, if you don't want to tell me, it is your business and you have a perfect right to keep it to yourself. But while you are with us it would be more convenient if we have some name to call you by.'
The sick man sat forward slightly to see if Matthew was listening. Then he turned to the Doctor again.
'I trust you,' he said. 'I am—or was—the Dukes of Loughborough.'
'Great heavens!' said the Doctor. 'But who then is this man who now holds the title? The day arrived in London I noticed in the papers that he was leaving town for the North.'
'That is my younger brother,' said the window–cleaner. 'When I disappeared he came into the estate and the title. They supposed I was dead—as I intended they should.'
'Well, well!' murmured the Doctor. 'Tell me, why did you do it?'
'It was impossible for me to write what I wanted to write, freely, while I was still a duke. I would have got my friends into trouble.'
'I see,' said John Dolittle. 'And have you never regretted disappearing? Have you never wished to go back to your dukedom?'
'No,' said the other firmly, 'never! I may often have been sorry that I had no money to do the things I wished. But I've never regretted the step I took.'
'I understand,' said the Doctor. 'Well, now listen: we must have some sort of a name to call you by while you are with us. Have you any preferences?'
'Call me Stephen,' said the window–cleaner.
'Very good,' said the Doctor. 'Ah, look, we're coming to Greenheath now. Matthew and Mrs Mugg have made room for you in their wagon; and you are to make yourself entirely at home. And, please, ask for anything you want.'
On their arrival at the now deserted circus enclosure the Doctor insisted on the window–cleaner going to bed at once and remaining there until he gave him permission to get up. His meals were given to him by Theodosia and he was treated like one of the family.
So great was Gub–Gub's interest in the window–cleaner that the pig sneaked around secretly to get a glimpse of him from behind Mrs Mugg's skirts when she brought his lunch to him. And after he had learned that he was a real duke he could scarcely be kept away from the neighbourhood of the Mugg's wagon.
'You know, I always suspected,' he said at supper that evening—'that he was some great person in disguise. I suppose he used to ride in a carriage and drink out of gold basins before he became a window–cleaner. Fancy giving up all that just to be able to write!'
'He gave it up for the sake of other people he would help by his writing,' said Too–Too.
'It's a good thing, Doctor,' Dab–Dab put in, 'that you are the only one who can understand animals' language. Otherwise the man's secret would be all over the country now that pig knows it.'
'How long is he going to stay with us, Doctor?' asked Jip.
'I'm not sure yet,' said John Dolittle. 'Certainly till he is well enough to get about by himself. For the present he needs constant medical attention. He has not taken care of himself at all. That's one reason why his condition is so low.'
'But after he gets well,' asked Jip, 'is he going back to the mill?'
'I haven't discussed that with him,' said the Doctor. 'He says he will need some kind of a job—just to make enough money to carry on with.'
Pippinella, who had been listening to the Doctor's family discuss her friend, came forward and said:
'I won't hear of him going to work, Doctor. I have plenty of money saved up from the opera. He took care of me, now I'm going to take care of him.'
'Well, Pippinella,' said the Doctor. 'You can put it to no better use, I'm sure. In the meantime, he shall stay with us as long as he wishes.'
Within a day or two after Steve joined the Doctor's family, John Dolittle noticed that he did not seem as contented as he might be. Not that he said anything or complained. On the contrary, he frequently spoke gratefully of how fortunate it had been for him that he made the Doctor's acquaintance. But he so often seemed wrapped in thought and moody.
'He's thinking of those papers he lost, Doctor,' said the canary one evening after supper when they were discussing Steve. 'His health is much better and he's getting stronger all the time. But that is what is making him unhappy. In the evenings he lies in bed with a pad on his knees and tries to write; but always it ends the same way. "What's the use," he mutters. "Even if I could remember the book and rewrite it word for word—which I couldn't—even then I wouldn't have the documents to prove what I say." Then he falls to mumbling and cursing the men who robbed him.'
'Humph, too bad! Too bad!' murmured the Doctor. 'I wonder if there's anything I could do. Let me see, I might go back to the mill with him. But I doubt even then if I could do much.'
'Well, try it anyway, Doctor,' Pippinella pleaded. 'You never can tell.'
'All right,' said John Dolittle. 'If he wants me to go with him we'll take a run up one day soon. I'm sure he's well enough now. We'll take Jip with us.'
Dab–Dab, who had been listening to the Doctor and Pippinella, fluttered her wings with annoyance.
'John Dolittle!' she demanded noisily. 'You said that as soon as you found Pippinella's friend we would go back to Puddleby. Well, now he's found. Why must we wait in this deserted old mud hole?'
'Dab–Dab,' said the Doctor. 'I'm just as anxious as you to get home. But neither Pippinella nor Steve will be really happy until we at least make an effort to find the missing papers. I'm sorry, Puddleby will have to wait.'
'Oh, bother!' snapped the duck. 'The trouble with you, John Dolittle, is that you never think of yourself.'
Whitey, who was curled up half asleep in the Doctor's pocket, stuck his head out and said:
'Listen who's talking, Doctor. Why, Dab–Dab spends every minute of every day doing something for others.'
'Quite so, Whitey,' said John Dolittle, smiling, 'Quite so.'
The following morning, after the Doctor had examined Steve thoroughly, he told him that he could get up now and spend part of each day in the sunshine. But the good news didn't raise the window–cleaner's spirits as it should have. He obeyed the Doctor but sat dejectedly on the wagon steps staring into space. Then the Doctor asked him if he would like to take a run up to Wendlemere in a day or so and have a look around the old mill. Steve jumped at the offer with such enthusiasm that even Dab–Dab was glad they were going to have a try at finding the lost papers.
And that is how John Dolittle came to make still another trip to Aunt Rosie's town—this time accompanied by the window–cleaner himself. Dab–Dab packed a lunch for the two men—with a bone for Jip and seed for Pippinella. They took the morning coach form Greenheath with the canary in her travelling cage and Jip under the seat at the Doctor's feet.