介绍:
CHAPTER14 Dr.Dorian
The next day was Saturday. Fern stood at the kitchen sink drying the breakfastdishes as her
mother washed them. Mrs. Arable worked silently. She hoped Fern would go outand play with other
children, instead of heading for the Zuckermans’ barn to sit and watch animals.
"Charlotteis the best storyteller I ever heard," said Fern, poking her dish towelinto a cereal
bowl.
"Fern,"said her mother sternly, "you must not invent things. You know spidersdon’t tell stories.
Spiders can’t talk."
"Charlottecan," replied Fern. "She doesn’t talk very loud, but she talks."
"What kind of story did she tell?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"Well," began Fern, "she told us about a cousin of hers whocaught a fish in her web. Don’t you
think that’s fascinating?"
"Fern,dear, how would a fish get in a spider’s web?" said Mrs. Arable. "Youknow it couldn’t
happen. You’re making this up."
"Oh,it happened all right," replied Fern. "Charlotte never fibs. Thiscousin of hers built a web
across a stream. One day she was hanging around on the web and a tiny fishleaped into the air and
got tangled in the web. The fish was caught by one fin, Mother; its tail waswildly thrashing and
shining in the sun. Can’t you just see the web, sagging dangerously under theweight of the fish?
Charlotte’s cousin kept slipping in, dodging out, and she was beatenmercilessly over the head by the
wildly thrashing fish, dancing in, dancing out, throwing …"
"Fern!"snapped her mother. "Stop it! Stop inventing these wild tales!"
"I’m not inventing," said Fern. "I’m just telling you thefacts."
"What finally happened?" asked her mother, whose curiosity began toget the better of her.
"Charlotte’s cousin won. She wrapped the fish up, then she ate him whenshe got good and ready.
Spiders have to eat, the same as the rest of us."
"Yes,I suppose they do," said Mrs. Arable, vaguely.
"Charlotte has another cousin who is a balloonist. She stands on her head,lets out a lot of line,
and is carried aloft on the wind. Mother, wouldn’t you simply love to dothat?"
"Yes,I would, come to think of it," replied Mrs. Arable. "But Fern,darling, I wish you would
play outdoors today instead of going to Uncle Homer’s barn. Find some of yourplaymates and do
something nice outdoors. You’re spending too much time in that barn - it isn’tgood for you to be
alone so much."
"Alone?"said Fern. "Alone? My best friends are in the barn cellar. It is a verysociable place.
Not at all lonely."
Ferndisappeared after a while, walking down the road toward Zuckermans’. Her motherdusted
the sitting room. As she worked she kept thinking about Fern. It didn’t seemnatural for a little girl to
be so interested in animals. Finally Mrs. Arable made up her mind she would paya call on old
Doctor Dorian and ask his advice. She got in the car and drove to his office inthe village.
Dr.Dorian had a thick beard. He was glad to see Mrs. Arable and gave her acomfortable chair.
"It’sabout Fern," she explained. "Fern spends entirely too much time inthe Zuckermans’ barn. It
doesn’t seem normal. She sits on a milk stool in a corner of the barn cellar,near the pigpen, and
watches animals, hour after hour. She just sits and listens."
Dr.Dorian leaned back and closed his eyes.
"How enchanting!" he said. "It must be real nice and quiet downthere. Homer has some sheep,
hasn’t he?"
"Yes,"said Mrs. Arable. "But it all started with that pig we let Fern raise on abottle. She calls
him Wilbur. Homer bought the pig, and ever since it left our place Fern hasbeen going to her uncle’s
to be near it."
"I’vebeen hearing things about that pig," said Dr. Dorian, opening his eyes."They say he’s quite
a pig."
"Haveyou heard about the words that appeared in the spider’s web?" asked Mrs.Arable
nervously.
"Yes,"replied the doctor.
"Well, do you understand it?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"Understand what?"
"Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider’s web?"
"Oh, no," said Dr. Dorian. "I don’t understand it. But for thatmatter I don’t understand how a
spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared,everyone said they were a
miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."
"What’smiraculous about a spider’s web?" said Mrs. Arable. "I don’t see whyyou say a web is
amiracle - it’s just a web."
"Evertry to spin one?" asked Dr. Dorian.
Mrs. Arable shifted uneasily in her chair. "No," she replied."But I can crochet a doily and I can
knit a sock."
"Sure,"said the doctor. "But somebody taught you, didn’t they?"
"My mother taught me."
"Well, who taught a spider? A young spider knows how to spin a web withoutany instructions
from anybody. Don’t you regard that as a miracle?"
"Isuppose so," said Mrs. Arable. "I never looked at it that way before.Still, I don’t understand
how those words got into the web. I don’t understand it, and I don’t like whatI can’t understand."
"Noneof us do," said Dr. Dorian, sighing. "I’m a doctor. Doctors are supposedto understand
everything. But I don’t understand everything, and I don’t intend to let itworry me."
Mrs.Arable fidgeted. "Fern says the animals talk to each other. Dr. Dorian, doyou believe
animals talk?"
"Inever heard one say anything," he replied. "But that proves nothing.It is quite possible that an
animal has spoken civilly to me and that I didn’t catch the remark because Iwasn’t paying attention.
Children pay better attention than grownups. If Fern says that the animals inZuckerman’s barn talk,
I’m quite ready to believe her. Perhaps if people talked less, animals wouldtalk more. People are
incessant talkers - I can give you my word on that."
"Well,I feel better about Fern," said Mrs. Arable.
"Youdon’t think I need worry about her?"
"Does she look well?" asked the doctor.
"Oh, yes."
"Appetite good?"
"Oh, yes, she’s always hungry."
"Sleep well at night?"
"Oh, yes."
"Then don’t worry," said the doctor.
"Do you think she’ll ever start thinking about something besides pigs andsheep and geese and
spiders?"
"Howold is Fern?"
"She’s eight."
"Well," said Dr. Dorian, "I think she will always love animals.But I doubt that she spends her
entire life in Homer Zuckerman’s barn cellar. How about boys - does she knowany boys?"
"Sheknows Henry Fussy," said Mrs. Arable brightly.
Dr. Dorian closed his eyes again and went into deep thought.
"Henry Fussy," he mumbled. "Hmm. Remarkable. Well, I don’t thinkyou have anything to worry
about. Let Fern associate with her friends in the barn if she wants to. I wouldsay, offhand, that
spiders and pigs were fully as interesting as Henry Fussy. Yet I predict thatthe day will come when
even Henry will drop some chance remark that catches Fern’s attention. It’samazing how children
change from year to year. How’s Avery?" he asked, opening his eyes wide.
"Oh,Avery," chuckled Mrs. Arable. "Avery is always fine. Of course, hegets into poison ivy and
gets stung by wasps and bees and brings frogs and snakes home and breakseverything he lays his
hands on. He’s fine."
"Good!"said the doctor.
Mrs. Arable said goodbye and thanked Dr. Dorian very much for his advice. Shefelt greatly
relieved.
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