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Chapter 2 The Card |
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So next day, at seven o'clock, |
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I came to the shop in a cab. |
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There were not very many people in the road, |
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because it was early in the morning. |
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In November it is dark at seven o'clock in the morning, |
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and I could not see the shop very well. |
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I waited five minutes. A postman walked past. |
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Then the door of the shop opened, |
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and the creature, Merrick , came out. |
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I could not see his face or his body. |
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He had an enormous black hat on his head, like a big box. |
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A grey cloth came down from the hat, in front of his face. |
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There was a hole in the cloth in front of his eyes. |
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He could see out of the hole but I could not see in. |
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He wore a long black coat, too. |
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The coat began at his neck, and ended at his feet, |
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so I could not see his arms, his body, or his legs. |
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On his feet he wore big shoes, like old bags. |
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He had a stick in his left hand, |
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and he walked very slowly. |
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I opened the door of the cab, and got out. |
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'Good morning, Mr Merrick, 'I said. 'Can you get in?' |
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'Elpmyupasteps, 'he said. |
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'I'm sorry, 'I said. 'I don't understand. ' |
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For a minute he stood by the door of the cab and said nothing. |
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Then he hit the cab with his stick. |
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'STEPS! 'he said loudly. 'Help me up the steps! ' |
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Then I understood. |
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There were three steps up into the cab, |
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and he could not get up them. |
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'Yes, I see. I'm sorry, 'I said. 'Let me help you. ' |
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I took his left hand and began to help him. |
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My right hand was behind his back. |
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I felt very strange. |
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His left hand was like a young woman's, |
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but his back under the coat, was horrible. |
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I could feel the bags of old skin on his back under the coat. |
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He put one enormous foot on the first step, |
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and then he stopped. |
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After a minute, he moved his second foot slowly. |
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Then he stopped and waited again. |
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'Hello, sir. Can I help you?' |
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I looked behind me. It was the postman. |
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And behind him, I could see three young boys. |
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One of the boys laughed. |
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The postman smiled. 'Is the gentleman ill?'he asked. |
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I thought quickly. 'Yes. But this is a lady, not a gentleman. |
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I'm a doctor, and she's ill. |
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Take her hand, so I can help her better. ' |
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The postman took Merrick's left hand, |
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and I helped him with two hands from behind. |
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Slowly, very slowly, Merrick went up the steps and into the cab. |
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One boy was very near the cab. |
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He called to his friends. |
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'Come and see this, boys! A fat lady in a black coat! |
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And look at that enormous hat! ' |
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The boys laughed. |
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They were very near the cab too, now. |
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I closed the door quickly. |
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'Thank you, 'I said to the postman. |
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'That's all right, sir, 'he said. 'She's a strange lady, sir, isn't she?' |
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'She's ill, that's all, 'I said quickly. |
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'We're going to the hospital. |
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Goodbye, and thank you. ' |
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The cab drove down the road to the hospital. |
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I locked at Merrick. 'That was difficult, wasn't it?'I said. |
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At first he said nothing, but then he spoke. |
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His voice was very strange, |
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but I listened to him carefully, |
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and I could understand him. |
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'The steps were very difficult, 'he said. |
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'But most things are difficult for me. ' |
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'Yes, 'I said. ' Nothing is easy for you, is it?' |
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'No, 'he said. He was very quiet for a minute. |
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Then he said, 'Who are you, sir?' |
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'Who am I?Oh, I'm sorry, My name is Dr Treves. Here, this is my card. ' |
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I gave him a card with my name on. |
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Then I thought, 'That was no good. |
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This man can't read. ' |
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But Merrick took the card and looked at it very carefully. |
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Then he put it in his trousers pocket. |
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I did not talk to him very much at the hospital. |
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I looked at his head and arms and legs and body very carefully. |
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Then I wrote the important things about him in a little book. |
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A nurse helped me. |
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Merrick looked at her sometimes, |
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but she did not smile at him or talk to him. |
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I think she was afraid of him. |
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I think Merrick was afraid too, |
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because he was very quiet. |
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At four o'clock I took him back to the shop in a cab. |
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The next day I looked in the shop window again, |
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but the picture was not there. |
