[00:00.00]Tobermory
[00:02.69]It was a cold，rain－washed afternoon in late August．
[00:06.67]Lady Blemley and her guests were sitting round the tea table．
[00:10.40]Everyone was listening open－mouthed to Mr Cornelius Appin．
[00:15.62]Although he was one of her guests，Lady Blemley did not know Mr Appin well．
[00:21.40]She had invited him to stay at Blemley House because she had heard that he was clever．
[00:27.59]But until teatime that day he had not done or said anything clever．
[00:32.16]He did not play tennis，or sing，or make intelligent conversation．
[00:37.55]But now Mr Appin was describing a most extraordinary discovery and the other guests were listening with deep interest．
[00:43.49]'Are you telling us that you have found a way of teaching animals to talk？'Sir Wilfrid was saying．
[00:52.60]'And our dear old Tobermory is your first successful student？'．
[00:57.13]'I have studied this problem for seventeen years，'said Mr Appin，'but I didn't have any real success until eight or nine months ago．
[01:06.21]Of course， I have studied thousands of animals，but recently I have worked only with cats．
[01:12.74]A cat，of course，is a wild animal who agrees to live with you．
[01:16.86]All cats are intelligent，but naturally some cats are more intelligent than others．
[01:33.32][01:22.71]When I met Tobemery a week ago，I realized at once that here was an extraordinarily intelligent cat，a very special cat indeed．
[01:36.52]In Tobermory，I found the student I needed．
[01:37.84]With him I have succeeded in my plan．
[01:40.14]' Nobody laughed，and nobody actually said ‘Rubbish'，al-though Clovis's lips moved silently '．
[01:48.50]And have you really taught Tobermory，'asked Miss Resker，'to say and understand short，easy words？'
[01:55.86]'My dear Miss Resker，'said Mr Appin patiently，'we teach little children and very slow，stupid adults in that way．
[02:05.70]But Tobermory is a most intelligent cat．
[02:08.44]He can speak English as well as you or I can．
[02:11.98]' This time Clovis said ‘Rubbish！'aloud．
[02:17.17]Sir Wilfrid was more polite，but it was clear that he did not believe Mr Appin's story．
[02:22.39]'Shall we bring the cat in here and hear him for ourselves？'said Lady Blemley．
[02:25.78]Sir Wilfrid went off to look for Tobermory．
[02:33.83]'Mr Appin will try to be clever，'said Miss Resker happily，'but if we watch him carefully，we shall see his lips move．
[02:41.44]' In a minute Sir Wiflrid returned， looking very excited．
[02:45.69]'It's true，you know！'he said．
[02:48.68]'I found Tobermory sleeping in the smoking-room，and called out to him to come for his tea．
[02:53.93]He lifted his head and opened one eye．
[02:56.17]I said，’Come on，Toby，don’t keep us waiting！’and he said calmly，’
[03:00.34]I’ll come when I'm ready！’I couldn’t believe my ears！'
[03:03.83]The guests all started talking at once，while Mr Appin sat silently and looked very pleased with himself indeed．
[03:12.33]Then Tobermory entered the room and calmly walked over to the tea table．
[03:19.86]The conversation stopped．
[03:22.21]No body knew what to say to a talking cat．
[03:25.89]At last Lady Blemley spoke：'Would you like some milk，Tobermory？'
[03:31.82]she asked in a high，unnatural voice．
[03:35.11]'I don't mind if I do，'answered Tobermory．
[03:38.57]Lady Blemley's hand shook with excitement and some of the milk went onto the carpet．
[03:44.77]'Oh dear！I'm so sorry，'she said．
[03:48.26]'I don't mind．
[03:49.68]It isn't my carpet，after all，'replied To－bermory．
[03:53.20]There was another silence，then Miss Resker asked politely，'Did you find it difficult to learn English，Tobermory？' ．
[04:02.20]Tobermory looked straight through her with his bright green eyes．
[04:07.65]Clearly，he did not answer questions that did not interest him．
[04:12.18]'What do you think of the intelligence of people？'asked Mavis Pellington．
[04:19.54]'Which people's intelligence？'asked Tobermory coldly．
[04:24.29]'Well，my intelligence，for example，'said Mavis with a little laugh．
[04:30.41]'You make things very uncomfortable for me，'said Tobermory，
[04:35.82]although he did not look at all uncomfortable.
[04:38.68]when Lady Blemley wanted to invite you here，Sir Wilfrid was not pleased．
[04:44.32]“Mavis Pellington is the stupidest woman I know，”he said．
[04:49.48]“That's why I want to invite her，”Lady Blemley replied．
[04:53.36]“I want her to buy my old car， and she's stupid enough to do that．
[04:58.13] 'It isn't true！'cried Lady Blemley．
[05:01.32]'Don't believe him，Mavis！'    'If it isn't true，'said Mavis coldly，
[05:07.33]'why did you say this morning that your car would be just right for me？'
[05:12.78]Major Barfield did his best to help．
[05:16.23]He tried to start a new conversation．
[05:18.33]'How are you getting on with your little black and white lady friend in the garden？'He asked Tobermory.
[05:25.29]Everybody realized at once that this was a mistake．
[05:30.48]Tobermory gave him an icy look．
[05:33.75]'We do not usually discuss these things in polite company，'he said．
[05:39.72]'But I have watched you a little since you have been in this house．
[05:43.61]I think perhaps you would not like me to discuss your lady friends.'
[05:48.51]The Major's face became very red，and all the other guests began to look worried and uncomfortable．
[05:55.99]What was Tobermory going to say next？
[05:58.85]'Would you like to go down to the kitchen now，Tobermory，'asked Lady Blemley politely，'and see if the cook has got your dinner ready？'
[06:08.15]'No，thank you，'saidTobermory．
[06:12.45]'I 've only just had my tea．
[06:14.52]I don’t want to make myself sick．
[06:17.18]''Cats have nine lives，you know，'said Sir Wilfrid with a laugh．
[06:22.71]'Possibly，'answered Tobermory．
[06:25.82]'But only one stomach．
[06:28.16]'Lady Blemley！'cried Mrs Cornett，'Don't send that cat to the kitchen.
[06:33.00]He will talk about us to the cook！'   Everyone was very worried now．
[06:37.31]They remembered uncomfortably that Tobermory moved freely all over the house and gardens，
[06:43.79]at all hours of the day and night. He could look into any of the bedrooms if he wanted to．
[06:49.93]What had he seen？What had he heard？Nobody’s secrets were safe now.
[06:55.75]'Oh，why did I come here？'cried Agnes Resker，who could never stay silent for long．
[07:02.89]'You know very well why you came here，'said Tobermory immediately．
[07:07.91]'You came for the food，of course．
[07:11.15]I heard you talking to Mrs Cornett in the garden．
[07:14.38]You said that the Blemleys were terribly boring people，but they had an excel-lent cook．
[07:20.49]' You mustn't believe him！'cried Agnes．
[07:23.47]'I never said that，did I，Mrs Cornett？'
[07:26.14]'Later，Mrs Cornett repeated your words to Bertie vanTahn，'said Tobermory．
[07:32.40]'She said，“That Resker woman will go anywhere for four good meals a day，”
[07:37.84]and Bertie said—'    Just then Tobermory looked out of the window and saw the doctor’s big yellow cat crossing the garden．
[07:46.53]Immediately he disappeared through the open window．
[07:50.80]Everyone started talking at once，and Mr Appin found himself in a storm of angry questions．
[07:57.14]'You must stop this at once，'everyone said to him.' What will happen if Tobermory teaches other cats to talk？
[08:05.10]We shall never have a moment's peace！'
[08:08.84]'It's possible that he has taught the gardener's cat，'replied Mr Appin thoughtfully，'but I don’t believe he has had time to teach any other cats．
[08:19.49]' Then，'said Mrs Cornett，'although Tobermory is a valuable cat，he and the gardener's cat must die．
[08:28.42]Don't you agree，Lady Blemley？'    'You're right，'said Lady Blemley sadly.
[08:34.73]'My husband and I love Tobermory—well，we did before this afternoon—but now，of course，he must die as soon as possible．
[08:42.83]''We will poison his dinner，'said Sir Wilfrid，'and I will kill the gardener's cat myself．
[08:49.43]The gardener won't like it，but I'll say it has some kind of disease—'
[08:53.41]'But what about my discovery？'cried Mr Appin．
[08:58.58]'What about all my years of work？Are you going to destroy my only successful student？'
[09:04.50]You can go and teach the cows on the farm，'said Mrs Cornett coldly，'or the elephants at the zoo．
[09:13.15]Elephants are very intelligent，they tell me，and elephants don't hide behind chairs or under beds and listen to people's conversations．
[09:21.38]'Mr Appin knew when he was beaten．
[09:25.15]Dinner that evening was not a success．
[09:28.27]Sir Wilfrid had had a difficult time with the gardener's cat and later with the gardener．
[09:34.28]Agnes Resker refused to eat anything，while Mavis Pellington ate her meal in silence．
[09:41.67]Everyone was waiting for Tobermory．
[09:45.17]A plate of poisoned fish stood ready for him in the dining－room，but he did not come home．
[09:52.48]Nobody talked much，and nobody laughed．
[09:56.20]It was a most uncomfortable meal．
[09:58.56]After dinner the Blemleys and their guests sat in the smoking－room．
[10:03.88]Everyone was quiet and worried and nobody wanted to play cards．
[10:09.29]At eleven o'clock the cook and the housekeeper went to bed．
[10:13.71]They left the kitchen window open for Tobermory as usual，but he did not come．
[10:19.57]At two o'clock Clovis spoke：    'He won't come home tonight．
[10:26.70]He's probably in the newspaper office selling them his story．
[10:29.70]They'll love it．
[10:31.10]The story will be the excitementof the year．
[10:33.60]'   After that everyone went to bed，but nobody slept．
[10:38.93]In the morning Tobermory had still not come home．
[10:43.11]Breakfast was another quiet，uncomfortable meal．
[10:47.65]Then，half－way through the coffee，the gardener brought in Tobermory's blood-stained body．
[10:53.93]'Look at his claws！'cried Clovis．
[10:58.53]'He's been fighting！'And there，on Tobermory's claws，was the yellow hair of the doctor's cat．
[11:05.81]By lunchtime most of the guests had left Blemley House．
[11:10.65]Lady Blemley began to feel better．
[11:13.68]She took out her pen and paper and wrote a very angry letter to the doctor about the death of her valuable cat．
[11:21.70]Tobermory was Mr Appin's only successful student．
[11:26.53]A few weeks after Tobermory's death an elephant escaped from the Dresden Zoo and killed an English visitor．
[11:36.30]The zoo keeper said that the elephant had always been a calm and gentle animal before．
[11:41.96]But suddenly it seemed to be－come very angry with the English visitor，who was talking to it．
[11:47.85]The dead man's name was reported in the newspapers as Oppin，but his first name was Cornelius．
[11:55.57]'If Appin was trying to teach the poor elephant to speak German，'said Clovis，'I'm not surprised it killed him．