“A little town called Puddleby-on-the-Marsh”[Frontispiece]
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“And she never came to see him any more”[3]
“He could see as well as ever”[14]
“They came at once to his house on the edge of the town”[15]
“They used to sit in chairs on the lawn”[19]
“‘All right,’ said the Doctor, ‘go and get married’”[23]
“One evening when the Doctor was asleep in his chair”[24]
“‘I felt sure there was twopence left’”[31]
“And the voyage began”[35]
“‘We must have run into Africa’”[41]
“‘I got into it because I did not want to be drowned’”[44]
“And Queen Ermintrude was asleep”[48]
“‘Who’s that?’”[52]
“Cheering and waving leaves and swinging out of the branches to greet him”[61]
“John Dolittle was the last to cross”[65]
“He made all the monkeys who were still well come and be vaccinated”[68]
“‘ME, the King of Beasts, to wait on a lot of dirty monkeys?’”[70]
“Then the Grand Gorilla got up”[76]
“‘Lord save us!’ cried the duck. ‘How does it make up its mind?’”[85]
“He began reading the fairy-stories to himself”[96]
“Crying bitterly and waving till the ship was out of sight”[109]
“‘They are surely the pirates of Barbary’”[114]
“‘And you have heard that rats always leave a sinking ship?’”[119]
“‘Look here, Ben Ali—’”[127]
“‘Sh!—Listen!—I do believe there’s someone in there!’”[136]
“‘You stupid piece of warm bacon!’”[153]
“‘Doctor!’ he cried. ‘I’ve got it!’”[160]
“And she kissed the Doctor many times”[170]
“The Doctor sat in a chair in front”[176]
“He began running round the garden like a crazy thing”[178]

THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE


THE STORY OF
DOCTOR DOLITTLE

THE FIRST CHAPTER
PUDDLEBY

ONCE upon a time, many years ago—when our grandfathers were little children—there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle—John Dolittle, M.D. “M.D.” means that he was a proper doctor and knew a whole lot.