Page 64 - English Reader - 7

it came nearer he crawled out from under the bench, hugged it with all his might, and used his teeth
on it like a mortal weapon…

‘Aiyo! Something has bitten me,’ went forth an agonised, thundering cry, followed by a heavy tumbling
and falling amidst furniture. In a moment Father, cook, and a servant came in, carrying light.
And all three of them fell on the burglar who lay amidst the furniture with a bleeding ankle…

Congratulations were showered on Swami next day. His classmates looked at him with respect, and
his teacher patted his back. The headmaster said that he was a true scout. Swami had bitten into
the flesh of one of the most notorious house-breakers of the district and the police were grateful to
him for it.

The inspector said, ‘Why don’t you join the police when you are grown up?’
Swami said for the sake of politeness, ‘Certainly, yes,’ though he had quite made up his mind to be
an engine driver, a railway guard, or a bus conductor later in life.

When returned home, Father asked, ‘Where is the boy?’
‘He is asleep.’

‘Already!’
’He didn’t have a wink of sleep the whole of last night,’ said his mother.

‘Where is he sleeping?’

‘In his usual place,’ Mother said casually. ‘He went to bed at seven-thirty.’
‘Sleeping beside his Granny again!’ Father said. “No wonder he wanted to sleep before I could return
home—clever boy!’

Mother lost her temper. ‘You let him sleep where he likes. You needn’t risk his life again…’ Father
mumbled as he went in to change, ‘All right, mollycoddle and spoil him as much as you like. Only
don’t blame me afterwards…’

Swami, following the whole conversation from under the blanket, felt tremendously relieved to hear
that his father was giving him up.

— R.K. Narayan

Word Meanings
1. sneered : spoke in scornful manner 2. proposition : proposal
3. mumbled : muttered 4. enthusiasm : zeal

5. tenacity : firmness 6. gesticulations : gestures
7. apparition : ghost 8. slunk : walked stealthily

9. cultivate : develop 10. chum : friend
11. rustle : noise of leaves 12. vague : uncertain
13. crouched : stooped 14. mortal : deadly
15. mollycoddle : pamper

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