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Veniamin Kaverin TALES

HOURGLASS

A new teacher has appeared at the pioneer camp. Nothing special, just an ordinary teacher! The big black beard gave him a strange look, because it was big and he was small. But it wasn't the beard!

There was one boy in this pioneer camp. His name was Petka Vorobyov. Then there was one girl there. Her name was Tanya Zabotkina. Everyone told her that she was brave, and she really liked that. In addition, she loved to look in the mirror, and although every time she found only herself there, she still looked and looked.

And Petka was a coward. They told him that he was a coward, but he replied that he was smart. And it’s true: he was smart and noticed things that others and the brave would not notice.

And then one day he noticed that the new teacher got up very kind every morning, and by the evening he became very angry.

It was amazing! In the morning you ask him for anything - he will never refuse! By lunchtime he was already quite angry, and after a dead hour he just stroked his beard and didn’t say a word. And in the evening!.. Better not approach him! His eyes flashed and he growled.

The guys took advantage of the fact that he was kind in the morning. They sat in the river for two hours, shot with a slingshot, and pulled the girls' braids. Everyone did what he liked. But after lunch - no! Everyone walked around quietly, politely, and just listened to see if “Beard,” as they called him, was growling somewhere.

The guys who loved to gossip went to him in the evening, before going to bed. But he usually put off the punishment until tomorrow, and in the morning he got up good and good. With kind eyes and a kind long black beard!

It was a mystery! But this was not the whole mystery, but only half.

And then one day, waking up early in the morning, he remembered that he had left his book in the reading room. The reading room was next to Beard’s room, and when Petka ran past, he thought: “I wonder what Beard is like in the dream?” By the way, the door to his room was not open very much, but just enough to look in. Petka walked up on tiptoe and looked in.

Do you know what he saw? The beard was standing on his head! Perhaps one would think that this was morning exercise.

Beard stood there for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bed. He sat very sad and kept sighing. And then - once! And he stood on his head again, so deftly, as if for him it was exactly the same as standing on his feet. It really was a mystery!

Petka decided that Beard had previously been a clown or an acrobat. But why should he now stand on his head, and even early in the morning, when no one is looking at him? And why did he sigh and sadly shake his head?

Petka thought and thought, and although he was very smart, he still did not understand anything. Just in case, he didn’t tell anyone that the new teacher was standing on his head - it was a secret! But then he couldn’t stand it and told Tanya.

Tanya didn’t believe it at first.

“You’re lying,” she said.

She began to laugh and secretly looked at herself in the mirror: she wondered what she was like when she laughed.

Didn't you dream about it?

It was as if I wasn’t dreaming, but actually dreaming.

But Petka gave his word of honor, and then she believed that this was not a dream.

I need to tell you that Tanya loved the new teacher very much, even though he was so strange. She even liked his beard. He often told Tanya different stories, and Tanya was ready to listen to them from morning to night.

And so the next morning - the whole house was still asleep - Petka and Tanya met at the reading room and tiptoed to Beard. But the door was closed, and they only heard Beard sigh.

But I need to tell you that the window of this room looked out onto the balcony, and if you climbed up the pole, you could see whether Beard was standing on his head or not. Petka chickened out, but Tanya climbed up. She climbed in and looked at herself in the mirror to see if she was too disheveled. Then she tiptoed to the window and gasped: Beard was standing on his head!

At this point Petka couldn’t stand it either. Although he was a coward, he was curious, and then he had to tell Tanya: “Yeah, I told you so!” So he climbed in, and they began to look out the window and whisper.

I need to tell you that this window opened inward. When Petka and Tanya leaned on it and began to whisper, it suddenly swung open. Once! - and the guys flopped right at Beard’s feet, that is, not at his feet, but at his head, because he was standing on his head. If such a story had happened in the evening or after a quiet hour, things would have been bad for Tanya and Petka! But Beard, as you know, was very kind in the mornings! So he got to his feet, only asking the guys if they were really hurt.

Petka was neither alive nor dead. And Tanya even took out a mirror to see if she had lost her bow while she was flying.

Well, guys,” Beard said sadly, “I could, of course, tell you that the doctor ordered me to stand on my head in the morning. But don't lie. Here's my story.

When I was a little boy like you, Petya, I was very impolite. Never, getting up from the table, did I say “Thank you” to my mother, and when they wished me good night, I just stuck out my tongue and laughed. I never showed up at the table on time, and they had to call me a thousand times until I finally responded. There was such dirt in my notebooks that I myself felt unpleasant. But since I was impolite, it was not worth keeping the notebooks clean. Mom said: “Politeness and accuracy!” I was impolite - therefore, sloppy.

I never knew what time it was, and the clock seemed to me the most unnecessary thing in the world. After all, even without a watch you know when you want to eat! And when you want to sleep, don’t you know without a clock?

And then one day an old woman came to visit my nanny (an old nanny lived in our house for many years).

As soon as she entered, it immediately became clear how clean and tidy she was. She had a clean scarf on her head and light-framed glasses on her nose. She held a clean stick in her hands, and in general she must have been the cleanest and neatest old woman in the world.

So she came and put the wand in the corner. She took off her glasses and put them on the table. She also took off the handkerchief and placed it on her lap.

Of course, now I would like such an old lady. But then for some reason I really didn’t like her. So when she politely said to me, “Good morning, boy!” - I stuck my tongue out at her and left.

And that's what I did, guys! I slowly returned, crawled under the table and stole the old woman’s handkerchief. Moreover, I stole her glasses from under her nose. Then I put on my glasses, tied myself with a handkerchief, crawled out from under the table and began to walk, hunched over and leaning on the old woman’s stick.

Of course it was very bad. But it seemed to me that the old woman was not so offended by me. She just asked if I was always so impolite, and instead of answering, I stuck my tongue out at her again.

“Listen, boy,” she said as she left. - I can't teach you politeness. But on the other hand, I can teach you accuracy, and from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step. Don't be afraid, I won't turn you into a wall clock, although I should, because a wall clock is the most polite and accurate thing in the world. They never talk too much and just know how to do their job. But I feel sorry for you. After all, wall clocks are always hanging on the wall, and this is boring. I’d rather turn you into an hourglass.”

Of course, if I knew who this old lady was, I would not stick my tongue out at her. It was the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy - it was not for nothing that she was wearing such a clean scarf, with such clean glasses on her nose...

And so she left, and I turned into an hourglass. Of course, I didn't become a real hourglass. For example, I have a beard, but where do you see a beard on an hourglass! But I became just like a clock. I became the most accurate person in the world. And from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step.

You guys probably want to ask me: “Then why are you so sad?” Because the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy did not tell me the most important thing. She didn’t say that every morning I would have to stand on my head, because during the day the sand would pour down, but when sand pours down in an hourglass, they need to be turned upside down. She didn’t say that in the morning, when the clock is right, I will be very kind, and the closer to evening, the angrier I will become. That's why I'm so sad, guys! I don’t want to be evil at all, because in fact I am really kind. I don't really want to stand on my head every morning. At my age this is indecent and stupid. I even grew a long beard so that it would not be seen that I was so sad. But my beard doesn't help me much!

Tale by V. Kaverin

A new teacher has appeared at the pioneer camp. Nothing special, just an ordinary teacher! The big black beard gave him a strange look, because it was big and he was small. But it wasn't the beard!

There was one boy in this pioneer camp. His name was Petka Vorobyov. Then there was one girl there. Her name was Tanya Zabotkina. Everyone told her that she was brave, and she really liked that. In addition, she loved to look in the mirror, and although every time she found only herself there, she still looked and looked.

And Petka was a coward. They told him that he was a coward, but he replied that he was smart. And it’s true: he was smart and noticed things that others and the brave would not notice.

And then one day he noticed that the new teacher got up very kind every morning, and by the evening he became very angry.

It was amazing! In the morning you ask him for anything - he will never refuse! By lunchtime he was already quite angry, and after a dead hour he just stroked his beard and didn’t say a word. And in the evening!.. Better not approach him! His eyes flashed and he growled.

The guys took advantage of the fact that he was kind in the morning. They sat in the river for two hours, shot with a slingshot, and pulled the girls' braids. Everyone did what he liked. But after lunch - no! Everyone walked around quietly, politely, and just listened to see if “Beard,” as they called him, was growling somewhere. The guys who loved to gossip went to him in the evening, before going to bed. But he usually put off the punishment until tomorrow, and in the morning he got up good and good. With kind eyes and a kind long black beard!

It was a mystery! But this was not the whole mystery, but only half.

And then one day, waking up early in the morning, he remembered that he had left his book in the reading room. The reading room was next to Beard’s room, and when Petka ran past, he thought: “I wonder what Beard is like in the dream?” By the way, the door to his room was not open very much, but just enough to look in. Petka walked up on tiptoe and looked in.

Do you know what he saw? The beard was standing on his head! Perhaps one would think that this was morning exercise.

Beard stood there for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bed. He sat very sad and kept sighing. And then - once! And again on his head, so deftly, as if for him it was exactly the same as standing on his feet. It really was a mystery!

Petka decided that Beard had previously been a clown or an acrobat. But why should he now stand on his head, and even early in the morning, when no one is looking at him?

And why did he sigh and sadly shake his head?

Petka thought and thought, and although he was very smart, he still did not understand anything. Just in case, he didn’t tell anyone that the new teacher was standing on his head - it was a secret! But then he couldn’t stand it and told Tanya.

Tanya didn’t believe it at first.

“You’re lying,” she said.

She began to laugh and secretly looked at herself in the mirror: she wondered what she was like when she laughed.

Didn't you dream about it?

It was as if I wasn’t dreaming, but actually dreaming.

But Petka gave his word of honor, and then she believed that this was not a dream.

I need to tell you that Tanya loved the new teacher very much, even though he was so strange. She even liked his beard. He often told Tanya different stories, and Tanya was ready to listen to them from morning to night.

And so the next morning - the whole house was still asleep - Petka and Tanya met at the reading room and tiptoed to Beard. But the door was closed, and they only heard Beard sigh.

But I need to tell you that the window of this room looked out onto the balcony, and if you climbed up the pole, you could see whether Beard was standing on his head or not. Petka chickened out, but Tanya climbed up. She climbed in and looked at herself in the mirror to see if she was too disheveled. Then she tiptoed to the window and gasped: Beard was standing on his head!

At this point Petka couldn’t stand it either. Although he was a coward, he was curious, and then he had to tell Tanya: “Yeah, I told you so!” So he climbed in, and they began to look out the window and whisper.
Of course, they didn't know that this window opened inward. And when Petka and Tanya leaned on it and began to whisper, it suddenly swung open. Once! - and the guys flopped right at Beard’s feet, that is, not at his feet, but at his head, because he was standing on his head. If such a story had happened in the evening or after a quiet hour, things would have been bad for Tanya and Petka! But Beard, as you know,
There were good, good mornings! So he got to his feet, only asking the guys if they were really hurt.

Petka was neither alive nor dead. And Tanya even took out a mirror to see if she had lost her bow while she was flying.

Well, guys,” Beard said sadly, “I could, of course, tell you that the doctor ordered me to stand on my head in the morning. But don't lie. Here's my story.

When I was a little boy like you, Petya, I was very impolite. Never, getting up from the table, did I say “Thank you” to my mother, and when they wished me good night, I just stuck out my tongue and laughed. I never showed up at the table on time, and they had to call me a thousand times before I finally responded. There was such dirt in my notebooks that I myself felt unpleasant.
But since I was impolite, it was not worth keeping the notebooks clean. Mom said: “Politeness and accuracy!” I was impolite - therefore, sloppy.

I never knew what time it was, and the clock seemed to me the most unnecessary thing in the world. After all, even without a watch you know when you want to eat! And when you want to sleep, don’t you know without a clock?

And then one day an old woman came to visit my nanny (an old nanny lived in our house for many years).

As soon as she entered, it immediately became clear how clean and tidy she was. She had a clean scarf on her head and light-framed glasses on her nose. She held a clean stick in her hands, and in general she must have been the cleanest and neatest old woman in the world.

So she came and put the wand in the corner. She took off her glasses and put them on the table. She also took off the handkerchief and placed it on her lap.

Of course, now I would like such an old lady. But then for some reason I really didn’t like her. So when she politely said to me, “Good morning, boy!” - I stuck my tongue out at her and left.

And that's what I did, guys! I slowly returned, crawled under the table and stole the old woman’s handkerchief. Moreover, I stole her glasses from under her nose. Then I put on my glasses, tied myself with a handkerchief, crawled out from under the table and began to walk, hunched over and leaning on the old woman’s stick.

Of course it was very bad. But it seemed to me that the old woman was not so offended by me. She just asked if I was always so impolite, and instead of answering, I stuck my tongue out at her again.

“Listen, boy,” she said, leaving. “I can’t teach you politeness. But I can teach you accuracy, and from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step. Don’t be afraid, I won’t turn you into a wall clock.” , although it would be worth it, because a wall clock is the most polite and accurate thing in the world. They never talk too much and just do their job. But I feel sorry for you. After all, a wall clock is always hanging on the wall, and that’s boring. I'd rather turn you into an hourglass."

Of course, if I knew who this old lady was, I would not stick my tongue out at her. It was the fairy of Politeness and Precision - it was not for nothing that she was wearing such a clean scarf, with such clean glasses on her nose...

And so she left, and I turned into an hourglass. Of course, I didn't become a real hourglass. For example, I have a beard, but where do you see a beard on an hourglass! But I became just like a clock. I became the most accurate person in the world. And from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step.

You guys probably want to ask me: "Then why are you so sad?" Because the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy did not tell me the most important thing. She didn’t say that every morning I would have to stand on my head, because during the day the sand would pour down, but when sand pours down in an hourglass, they need to be turned upside down. She didn’t say that in the morning, when the clock is right, I will be very kind, and the closer to evening, the angrier I will become. That's why I'm so sad, guys! I don’t want to be evil at all, because in fact I am really kind. I don't really want to stand on my head every morning. At my age this is indecent and stupid. I even grew a long beard so that it would not be seen that I was so sad. But my beard doesn't help me much!

Of course, the guys listened to him with great interest. Petka looked straight into his mouth, and Tanya never looked in the mirror, although it would be very interesting to know what she was like when she listened to the story about the hourglass.

“What if you find this fairy,” she asked, “and ask her to make you human again?”

Yes, this can be done, of course,” said Beard. If you really feel sorry for me.

“Very,” Tanya said. - I'm very sorry for you, honestly. Moreover, if you were a boy, like Petka... And it’s uncomfortable for the teacher to stand on his head.

Petka also said that yes, it’s a pity, and then Beard gave them the address of the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy and asked them to intercede for him.

No sooner said than done! But Petka suddenly got scared. He himself did not know whether he was polite or impolite. What if the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy wants to turn it into something?

And Tanya went to the fairy alone...

It was the cleanest room in the world! Multicolored clean rugs lay on the clean floor. The windows were washed so clean that it was impossible to even tell where the glass ended and the air began. There was a geranium on a clean windowsill, and every leaf was shining.

In one corner there was a cage with a parrot, and he looked as if he washed himself with soap every morning. And in the other there were walkers hanging. What wonderful little walkers these were! They didn’t say anything extra, just “tick-tock,” but that meant: “Do you want to know what time it is? Please.”

The fairy herself was sitting at the table and drinking black coffee.

Hello! - Tanya told her.

And she bowed as politely as she could. At the same time, she looked in the mirror to find out how she did it.

Well, Tanya,” said the fairy, “I know why you came.” But no, no! This is a very nasty boy.

“He’s not a boy for a long time,” Tanya said. - He has a long black beard.

For me he is still a boy,” said the fairy. - No, please don't ask for him! I can’t forget how he stole my glasses and handkerchief and how he mimicked me, hunched over and leaning on a stick. I hope that since then he thinks about me quite often.

Tanya thought that she needed to be very polite with this old aunt, and just in case, she bowed to her again. At the same time, she looked in the mirror again to find out how she did it.

Or maybe you would still disenchant him? - she asked. - We love him very much, especially in the mornings. If the camp found out that he had to stand on his head, they would laugh at him. I feel so sorry for him...

Oh, do you feel sorry for him? - the fairy grumbled. - That's another matter. This is the first condition for me to forgive. But can you handle the second condition?

Which one?

You have to give up what you like most in the world. - And the fairy pointed to the mirror that Tanya had just taken out of her pocket to find out what she looked like when she was talking to the fairy. “You shouldn’t look in the mirror for exactly one year and one day.”

Here's your time! Tanya did not expect this. Don't look in the mirror for a whole year?

How to be? Tomorrow there was a farewell ball at the pioneer camp, and Tanya was just about to put on a new dress, the same one that she had wanted to wear all summer.

It's very inconvenient,” she said. - For example, in the morning, when you braid your hair. What about without a mirror? After all, then I’ll be disheveled, and you yourself won’t like it.

“As you wish,” said the fairy.

Tanya thought about it.

“Of course, this is terrible. After all, to tell the truth, I look in the mirror every minute, and here hello! A whole year and even a whole day! But it’s still easier for me than poor Beard standing upside down every morning.”

“I agree,” she said. - Here is my mirror. I'll come for him in a year.

And a day later,” the fairy grumbled.

And so Tanya returned to camp. On the way, she tried not to look even into the puddles that came her way. She wasn't supposed to see herself for exactly a year and a day. Oh, that's a very long time! But since she decided, that means it will be so.

Of course, she told Petka what was going on, and no one else, because although she was brave, she was still afraid that the girls would take it and slip it in the mirror - and then everything was lost! But Petka won’t slip it.

I wonder what if you see yourself in a dream? - he asked.

Doesn't count in a dream.

What if you look in a mirror in a dream?

Doesn't count either.

She simply told Beard that the fairy would break his spell in a year and a day. He was happy, but not very happy, because he didn’t really believe it.

And so difficult days began for Tanya. While she lived in the camp, it was still possible to somehow manage without a mirror. She asked Petka:

Be my mirror!

And he looked at her and said, for example: “The parting is crooked” or “The bow is tied askew.” He even noticed things that never occurred to Tanya herself. In addition, he respected her for her strong will, although he believed that not looking in the mirror for a year was just nonsense. For example, he wouldn’t even look like two!

But then summer ended, and Tanya returned home.

What's wrong with you, Tanya? - her mother asked when she returned. - You probably ate blueberry pie?

“Oh, that’s because I didn’t see Petka before leaving,” Tanya answered.

She completely forgot that her mother knew nothing about this story. But Tanya didn’t want to tell: what if nothing worked out?

Yes, it was no joke! Day after day passed, and Tanya even forgot what she was like, but before she thought she was pretty. Now it happened that she imagined herself to be a beauty, and she herself sat with an ink blot on her forehead! And sometimes, on the contrary, she seemed to herself a real freak, but she herself was just pretty - ruddy, with a thick braid, with sparkling eyes.

But all this is nothing compared to what happened at the Palace of Pioneers.

In the city where Tanya lived, the Palace of Pioneers was supposed to open. It was a superb palace! In one room there was a captain's bridge, and you could shout into a bullhorn: "Stop! Reverse!" In the wardroom the guys played chess, and in the workshops they learned to make toys - not just any toys, but real ones.

The toy maker in a black round cap told the children: “This is so” or “This is not so.” In the hall of mirrors there were mirrored walls and, wherever you looked, everything was made of mirrored glass - tables, chairs and even nails on which paintings hung in mirrored frames. Mirrors were reflected in mirrors - and the hall seemed endless.

The guys had been waiting for this day for a whole year, many had to perform and show their art. The violinists would not leave their violins for hours at a time, so even their parents had to stuff their ears with cotton from time to time. The artists walked around smeared with paints. The dancers practiced from morning to evening, and Tanya was among them.

How she prepared for this day! She ironed the ribbons that were braided into the braids eight times - she still wanted them to remain as smooth in the braids as on the ironing board. The dance that Tanya had to perform, she danced every night in her sleep.

And then the solemn day came. The violinists took up their violins for the last time, and the parents took the cotton wool out of their ears to listen to their minuets and waltzes. Tanya danced her dance for the last time. It's time! And everyone ran to the Palace of Pioneers.

Who did Tanya meet at the entrance? Petka.

Of course she told him:

Be my mirror!

He examined her from all sides and said that everything was fine, only her nose was like a potato. But Tanya was so worried that he didn’t get it.

Beard was also here. The opening was scheduled for twelve o'clock in the morning, and therefore he was still kind. He was seated in the first row, because it is impossible to seat a man with such a long, beautiful beard in the second or third. He sat and waited impatiently for Tanya to speak.

And so the violinists performed their waltzes and minuets, and the artists showed how wonderfully they could draw, and the Chief Manager came running with a big blue bow on his chest and shouted:

Tanya! Tanya! On stage! - the guys shouted.

Now Tanya will dance,” Beard said with pleasure. - But where is she?

In fact, where is she? In the darkest corner she sat and cried, covering her face with her hands.

“I won’t dance,” she told the Chief Manager. I didn't know that I would have to dance in a hall of mirrors.

What nonsense! - said the Chief Manager. - It’s very beautiful! You will see yourself in a hundred mirrors at once. Don't you like it?

For the first time in my life I meet such a girl!

Tanya, you promised - that means you should! - the guys said.

This was absolutely true: she promised, which means she should. And she couldn’t explain to anyone what the matter was, only Petka! But Petka was standing on the
captain's bridge and spoke into a bullhorn: “Stop! Reverse!”

Okay,” Tanya said, “I’ll dance.”

She was in a light white dress, so light, clean and white that the fairy of Politeness and Precision, who loved cleanliness so much, would have been pleased with it.

Beautiful girl! They agreed on this as soon as she appeared on stage. “However, let’s see,” everyone said to themselves, “how she will dance.”

Of course, she danced very well, especially when she could spin in one place, or bow, crouch, or beautifully spread her arms. But
strange: when she had to run across the stage, she stopped halfway and suddenly turned back. She danced as if the stage was completely
small, but I must tell you that the stage was very large and high, as it should be in the Palace of Pioneers.

“Yes, not bad,” they all said. - But, unfortunately, not very, not very! She dances uncertainly. It's like she's afraid of something!

And only Beard thought that Tanya danced beautifully. “Yes, but look how strangely she stretches out her arms in front of her when she runs across the stage,” they objected to him. - She's afraid of falling. No, this girl will probably never learn to dance well.

These words seemed to reach Tanya. She rushed across the stage - after all, there were many of her friends and acquaintances in the hall of mirrors and she really wanted them to see how well she could dance. She was no longer afraid of anything, at least no one could tell that she was afraid of anything anymore.

And in the entire huge hall of mirrors, only one person understood everything! How worried he was about Tanya! It was Petka.

"That's it, girl!" - he said to himself and decided that he would definitely need to become as brave as Tanya.

“Oh, if only this dance would end soon!” - he thought, but the music kept playing, and since the music was playing, Tanya, of course, had to dance.

And she danced more and more boldly. She ran closer and closer to the very edge of the stage, and each time Petka’s heart sank.

“Well, the music, end,” he said to himself, but the music did not end.

Well, my dear, hurry up,” he kept saying, but the music just kept playing and playing.

Look, this girl dances beautifully! - everyone said.

Yeah, I told you so! - said Beard.

Meanwhile, Tanya, spinning and spinning, was getting closer and closer to the very edge of the stage.

Oh! And she fell.

You cannot imagine what a commotion there was in the hall when, still spinning in the air, she fell from the stage! Everyone got scared, screamed, rushed to her and got even more scared when they saw that she was lying with her eyes closed.

Beard knelt before her in despair. He was afraid that she had died.

Doctors, doctors! - he shouted.

But, of course, Petka shouted louder.

She danced with her eyes closed! - he shouted. - She promised not to look in the mirror for exactly a year and a day, but only six months have passed! It doesn't matter that her eyes are closed! She will open them in the next room!

Absolutely right! In the next room, Tanya opened her eyes.

“Oh, how bad I danced,” she said.

And everyone laughed because she danced beautifully. Perhaps this could be the end of the tale of the Hourglass. No, you can't! Because the next day the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy herself came to visit Tanya.

She came in a clean scarf, and on her nose were glasses with light frames. She put her wand in the corner, and took off her glasses and put them on the table

Well, hello, Tanya! - she said. And Tanya bowed to her as politely as she could.

At the same time, she thought: “I wonder how I did this?”

“You have fulfilled your promise, Tanya,” the fairy told her. - Although only six months and half a day have passed, you behaved well during these half a day and six months. Well, I'll have to break the spell on this nasty boy.

“Thank you, Aunt Fairy,” Tanya said.

Yes, we’ll have to disenchant him,” the fairy repeated with regret, “although he behaved very badly then.” I hope he has learned something since then.

Oh yeah! - Tanya said. - Since then he has become very polite and neat. And then, he is no longer a boy. He is such a respectable uncle, with a long black beard!

“For me, he’s still a boy,” the fairy objected. - Okay, have it your way. Here's your mirror. Take him! And remember that you shouldn’t look in the mirror too often.

With these words, the fairy returned her mirror to Tanya and disappeared.

And Tanya was left alone with her mirror.

Well, let's see, she told herself. The same Tanya was looking at her from the mirror, but now she was decisive and serious, as befits a girl who knows how to keep her word.

Current page: 1 (book has 15 pages in total)

Veniamin Kaverin TALES

HOURGLASS

A new teacher has appeared at the pioneer camp. Nothing special, just an ordinary teacher! The big black beard gave him a strange look, because it was big and he was small. But it wasn't the beard!

There was one boy in this pioneer camp. His name was Petka Vorobyov. Then there was one girl there. Her name was Tanya Zabotkina. Everyone told her that she was brave, and she really liked that. In addition, she loved to look in the mirror, and although every time she found only herself there, she still looked and looked.

And Petka was a coward. They told him that he was a coward, but he replied that he was smart. And it’s true: he was smart and noticed things that others and the brave would not notice.

And then one day he noticed that the new teacher got up very kind every morning, and by the evening he became very angry.

It was amazing! In the morning you ask him for anything - he will never refuse! By lunchtime he was already quite angry, and after a dead hour he just stroked his beard and didn’t say a word. And in the evening!.. Better not approach him! His eyes flashed and he growled.

The guys took advantage of the fact that he was kind in the morning. They sat in the river for two hours, shot with a slingshot, and pulled the girls' braids. Everyone did what he liked. But after lunch - no! Everyone walked around quietly, politely, and just listened to see if “Beard,” as they called him, was growling somewhere.

The guys who loved to gossip went to him in the evening, before going to bed. But he usually put off the punishment until tomorrow, and in the morning he got up good and good. With kind eyes and a kind long black beard!

It was a mystery! But this was not the whole mystery, but only half.

And then one day, waking up early in the morning, he remembered that he had left his book in the reading room. The reading room was next to Beard’s room, and when Petka ran past, he thought: “I wonder what Beard is like in the dream?” By the way, the door to his room was not open very much, but just enough to look in. Petka walked up on tiptoe and looked in.

Do you know what he saw? The beard was standing on his head! Perhaps one would think that this was morning exercise.

Beard stood there for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bed. He sat very sad and kept sighing. And then - once! And he stood on his head again, so deftly, as if for him it was exactly the same as standing on his feet. It really was a mystery!

Petka decided that Beard had previously been a clown or an acrobat. But why should he now stand on his head, and even early in the morning, when no one is looking at him? And why did he sigh and sadly shake his head?

Petka thought and thought, and although he was very smart, he still did not understand anything. Just in case, he didn’t tell anyone that the new teacher was standing on his head - it was a secret! But then he couldn’t stand it and told Tanya.

Tanya didn’t believe it at first.

“You’re lying,” she said.

She began to laugh and secretly looked at herself in the mirror: she wondered what she was like when she laughed.

– Didn’t you dream about it?

“It’s like I wasn’t dreaming, but actually I was dreaming.”

But Petka gave his word of honor, and then she believed that this was not a dream.

I need to tell you that Tanya loved the new teacher very much, even though he was so strange. She even liked his beard. He often told Tanya different stories, and Tanya was ready to listen to them from morning to night.

And so the next morning - the whole house was still asleep - Petka and Tanya met at the reading room and tiptoed to Beard. But the door was closed, and they only heard Beard sigh.

But I need to tell you that the window of this room looked out onto the balcony, and if you climbed up the pole, you could see whether Beard was standing on his head or not. Petka chickened out, but Tanya climbed up. She climbed in and looked at herself in the mirror to see if she was too disheveled. Then she tiptoed to the window and gasped: Beard was standing on his head!

At this point Petka couldn’t stand it either. Although he was a coward, he was curious, and then he had to tell Tanya: “Yeah, I told you so!” So he climbed in, and they began to look out the window and whisper.

I need to tell you that this window opened inward. When Petka and Tanya leaned on it and began to whisper, it suddenly swung open. Once! - and the guys flopped right at Beard’s feet, that is, not at his feet, but at his head, because he was standing on his head. If such a story had happened in the evening or after a quiet hour, things would have been bad for Tanya and Petka! But Beard, as you know, was very kind in the mornings! So he got to his feet, only asking the guys if they were really hurt.

Petka was neither alive nor dead. And Tanya even took out a mirror to see if she had lost her bow while she was flying.

“Well, guys,” said Beard sadly, “I could, of course, tell you that the doctor ordered me to stand on my head in the morning.” But don't lie. Here's my story.

When I was a little boy like you, Petya, I was very impolite. Never, getting up from the table, did I say “Thank you” to my mother, and when they wished me good night, I just stuck out my tongue and laughed. I never showed up at the table on time, and they had to call me a thousand times before I finally responded. There was such dirt in my notebooks that I myself felt unpleasant. But since I was impolite, it was not worth keeping the notebooks clean. Mom said: “Politeness and accuracy!” I was impolite - therefore, sloppy.

I never knew what time it was, and the clock seemed to me the most unnecessary thing in the world. After all, even without a watch you know when you want to eat! And when you want to sleep, don’t you know without a clock?

And then one day an old woman came to visit my nanny (an old nanny lived in our house for many years).

As soon as she entered, it immediately became clear how clean and tidy she was. She had a clean scarf on her head and light-framed glasses on her nose. She held a clean stick in her hands, and in general she must have been the cleanest and neatest old woman in the world.

So she came and put the wand in the corner. She took off her glasses and put them on the table. She also took off the handkerchief and placed it on her lap.

Of course, now I would like such an old lady. But then for some reason I really didn’t like her. So when she politely said to me, “Good morning, boy!” – I stuck my tongue out at her and left.

And that's what I did, guys! I slowly returned, crawled under the table and stole the old woman’s handkerchief. Moreover, I stole her glasses from under her nose. Then I put on my glasses, tied myself with a handkerchief, crawled out from under the table and began to walk, hunched over and leaning on the old woman’s stick.

Of course it was very bad. But it seemed to me that the old woman was not so offended by me. She just asked if I was always so impolite, and instead of answering, I stuck my tongue out at her again.

“Listen, boy,” she said as she left. “I can’t teach you politeness.” But on the other hand, I can teach you accuracy, and from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step. Don't be afraid, I won't turn you into a wall clock, although I should, because a wall clock is the most polite and accurate thing in the world. They never talk too much and just know how to do their job. But I feel sorry for you. After all, wall clocks are always hanging on the wall, and this is boring. I’d rather turn you into an hourglass.”

Of course, if I knew who this old lady was, I would not stick my tongue out at her. It was the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy - it was not for nothing that she was wearing such a clean scarf, with such clean glasses on her nose...

And so she left, and I turned into an hourglass. Of course, I didn't become a real hourglass. For example, I have a beard, but where do you see a beard on an hourglass! But I became just like a clock. I became the most accurate person in the world. And from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step.

You guys probably want to ask me: “Then why are you so sad?” Because the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy did not tell me the most important thing. She didn’t say that every morning I would have to stand on my head, because during the day the sand would pour down, but when sand pours down in an hourglass, they need to be turned upside down. She didn’t say that in the morning, when the clock is right, I will be very kind, and the closer to evening, the angrier I will become. That's why I'm so sad, guys! I don’t want to be evil at all, because in fact I am really kind. I don't really want to stand on my head every morning. At my age this is indecent and stupid. I even grew a long beard so that it would not be seen that I was so sad. But my beard doesn't help me much!

Of course, the guys listened to him with great interest. Petka looked straight into his mouth, and Tanya never looked in the mirror, although it would be very interesting to know what she was like when she listened to the story about the hourglass.

“What if you find this fairy,” she asked, “and ask her to make you human again?”

“Yes, this can be done, of course,” said Beard. If you really feel sorry for me.

“Very,” said Tanya. – I’m very sorry for you, honestly. Moreover, if you were a boy, like Petka... And it’s uncomfortable for the teacher to stand on his head.

Petka also said that yes, it’s a pity, and then Beard gave them the address of the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy and asked them to intercede for him.

No sooner said than done! But Petka suddenly got scared. He himself did not know whether he was polite or impolite. What if the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy wants to turn it into something?

And Tanya went to the fairy alone...

It was the cleanest room in the world! Multicolored clean rugs lay on the clean floor. The windows were washed so clean that it was impossible to even tell where the glass ended and the air began. There was a geranium on a clean windowsill, and every leaf was shining.

In one corner there was a cage with a parrot, and he looked as if he washed himself with soap every morning. And in the other there were walkers hanging. What wonderful little walkers these were! They didn’t say anything extra, just “tick-tock,” but that meant: “Do you want to know what time it is? Please".

The fairy herself was sitting at the table and drinking black coffee.

- Hello! – Tanya told her.

And she bowed as politely as she could. At the same time, she looked in the mirror to find out how she did it.

“Well, Tanya,” said the fairy, “I know why you came.” But no, no! This is a very nasty boy.

“He’s not a boy for a long time,” Tanya said. - He has a long black beard.

“For me he is still a boy,” said the fairy. - No, please don’t ask for him! I can’t forget how he stole my glasses and handkerchief and how he mimicked me, hunched over and leaning on a stick. I hope that since then he thinks about me quite often.

Tanya thought that she needed to be very polite with this old aunt, and just in case, she bowed to her again. At the same time, she looked in the mirror again to find out how she did it.

- Or maybe you could still disenchant him? - she asked. “We love him very much, especially in the mornings.” If the camp found out that he had to stand on his head, they would laugh at him. I feel so sorry for him...

- Oh, do you feel sorry for him? – the fairy grumbled. - That's another matter. This is the first condition for me to forgive. But can you handle the second condition?

- Which one?

“You have to give up what you like most in the world.” And the fairy pointed to the mirror that Tanya had just taken out of her pocket to find out what she looked like when she was talking to the fairy. “You shouldn’t look in the mirror for exactly one year and one day.”

Here's your time! Tanya did not expect this. Don't look in the mirror for a whole year? How to be? Tomorrow there was a farewell ball at the pioneer camp, and Tanya was just about to put on a new dress, the same one that she had wanted to wear all summer.

“It’s very inconvenient,” she said. – For example, in the morning when you braid your hair. What about without a mirror? After all, then I’ll be disheveled, and you yourself won’t like it.

“As you wish,” said the fairy.

Tanya thought about it.

“Of course it's terrible. Because, to tell the truth, I look in the mirror every minute, but here hello! A whole year and even a whole day! But it’s still easier for me than for poor Beard to stand upside down every morning.”

“I agree,” she said. - Here is my mirror. I'll come for him in a year.

“And every other day,” the fairy grumbled.

And so Tanya returned to camp. On the way, she tried not to look even into the puddles that came her way. She wasn't supposed to see herself for exactly a year and a day. Oh, that's a very long time! But since she decided, that means it will be so.

Of course, she told Petka what was going on, and no one else, because although she was brave, she was still afraid that the girls would take it and slip it in the mirror - and then everything was lost! But Petka won’t slip it.

– I wonder, what if you see yourself in a dream? - he asked.

– In a dream it doesn’t count.

– What if you look in the mirror in your sleep?

- Doesn't count either.

She simply told Beard that the fairy would break his spell in a year and a day. He was happy, but not very happy, because he didn’t really believe it.

And so difficult days began for Tanya. While she lived in the camp, it was still possible to somehow manage without a mirror. She asked Petka:

- Be my mirror!

And he looked at her and said, for example: “The parting is crooked” or “The bow is tied askew.” He even noticed things that never occurred to Tanya herself. In addition, he respected her for her strong will, although he believed that not looking in the mirror for a year was just nonsense. For example, he wouldn’t even look like two!

But then summer ended, and Tanya returned home.

– What’s wrong with you, Tanya? – her mother asked when she returned. -You probably ate blueberry pie?

“Oh, that’s because I didn’t see Petka before leaving,” Tanya answered.

She completely forgot that her mother knew nothing about this story. But Tanya didn’t want to tell: what if nothing worked out?

Yes, it was no joke! Day after day passed, and Tanya even forgot what she was like, but before she thought she was pretty. Now it happened that she imagined herself to be a beauty, and she herself sat with an ink blot on her forehead! And sometimes, on the contrary, she seemed to herself a real freak, but she herself was just pretty - ruddy, with a thick braid, with sparkling eyes.

But all this is nothing compared to what happened at the Palace of Pioneers.

In the city where Tanya lived, the Palace of Pioneers was supposed to open. It was a superb palace! In one room there was a captain's bridge, and you could shout into a bullhorn: “Stop! Reverse!" In the wardroom, the guys played chess, and in the workshops they learned to make toys - not just any toys, but real ones. The toy maker in a black round cap told the children: “This is so” or “This is not so.” In the hall of mirrors there were mirrored walls and, wherever you looked, everything was made of mirrored glass - tables, chairs and even nails on which paintings hung in mirrored frames. Mirrors were reflected in mirrors - and the hall seemed endless.

The guys had been waiting for this day for a whole year, many had to perform and show their art. The violinists would not leave their violins for hours at a time, so even their parents had to stuff their ears with cotton from time to time. The artists walked around smeared with paints. The dancers practiced from morning to evening, and Tanya was among them.

How she prepared for this day! She ironed the ribbons that were braided into the braids eight times - she still wanted them to remain as smooth in the braids as on the ironing board. The dance that Tanya had to perform, she danced every night in her sleep.

And then the solemn day came. The violinists took up their violins for the last time, and the parents took the cotton wool out of their ears to listen to their minuets and waltzes. Tanya danced her dance for the last time. It's time! And everyone ran to the Palace of Pioneers.

Who did Tanya meet at the entrance? Petka.

Of course she told him:

- Be my mirror!

He examined her from all sides and said that everything was fine, only her nose was like a potato. But Tanya was so worried that he didn’t get it.

Beard was also here. The opening was scheduled for twelve o'clock in the morning, and therefore he was still kind. He was seated in the first row, because it is impossible to seat a man with such a long, beautiful beard in the second or third. He sat and waited impatiently for Tanya to speak.

And so the violinists performed their waltzes and minuets, and the artists showed how wonderfully they could draw, and the Chief Manager came running with a big blue bow on his chest and shouted:

- Tanya! Tanya! On stage! - the guys shouted.

“Tanya will dance now,” Beard said with pleasure. - But where is she?

In fact, where is she? In the darkest corner she sat and cried, covering her face with her hands.

“I won’t dance,” she told the Chief Manager. I didn't know that I would have to dance in a hall of mirrors.

- What nonsense! - said the Chief Manager. - It’s very beautiful! You will see yourself in a hundred mirrors at once. Don't you like it? For the first time in my life I meet such a girl!

– Tanya, you promised, so you must! - the guys said.

This was absolutely true: she promised, which means she should. And she couldn’t explain to anyone what the matter was, only Petka! But Petka at that time stood on the captain’s bridge and spoke into a megaphone: “Stop! Reverse!".

“Okay,” Tanya said, “I’ll dance.”

She was in a light white dress, so light, clean and white that the fairy of Politeness and Precision, who loved cleanliness so much, would have been pleased with it.

Beautiful girl! They agreed on this as soon as she appeared on stage. “However, let’s see,” everyone said to themselves, “how she will dance.”

Of course, she danced very well, especially when she could spin in one place, or bow, crouch, or beautifully spread her arms. But it’s strange: when she had to run across the stage, she stopped halfway and suddenly turned back. She danced as if the stage was very small, but I must tell you that the stage was very large and high, as it should be in the Palace of Pioneers.

“Yes, not bad,” they all said. – But, unfortunately, not very, not very! She dances uncertainly. It's like she's afraid of something!

And only Beard thought that Tanya danced beautifully.

“Yes, but look how strangely she stretches out her arms in front of her when she runs across the stage,” they objected to him. - She's afraid of falling. No, this girl will probably never learn to dance well.

These words seemed to reach Tanya. She rushed across the stage - after all, there were many of her friends and acquaintances in the hall of mirrors and she really wanted them to see how well she could dance. She was no longer afraid of anything, at least no one could tell that she was afraid of anything anymore.

And in the entire huge hall of mirrors, only one person understood everything! How worried he was about Tanya! It was Petka.

“That’s it, girl!” - he said to himself and decided that he would definitely need to become as brave as Tanya.

“Oh, if only this dance would end soon!” – he thought, but the music kept playing, and since the music was playing, Tanya, of course, had to dance.

And she danced more and more boldly. She ran closer and closer to the very edge of the stage, and each time Petka’s heart sank.

“Well, the music, end,” he said to himself, but the music did not end. “Well, my dear, hurry up,” he kept saying, but the music just kept playing.

- Look, this girl dances beautifully! - everyone said.

- Yeah, I told you! - said Beard.

Meanwhile, Tanya, spinning and spinning, was getting closer and closer to the very edge of the stage. Oh! And she fell.

You cannot imagine what a commotion there was in the hall when, still spinning in the air, she fell from the stage! Everyone got scared, screamed, rushed to her and got even more scared when they saw that she was lying with her eyes closed. Beard knelt before her in despair. He was afraid that she had died.

- Doctors, doctors! - he shouted.

But Petka, of course, shouted loudest of all.

– She danced with her eyes closed! - he shouted. – She promised not to look in the mirror for exactly a year and a day, but only six months have passed! It doesn't matter that her eyes are closed! She will open them in the next room!

Absolutely right! In the next room, Tanya opened her eyes.

“Oh, how bad I danced,” she said.

And everyone laughed because she danced beautifully. Perhaps this could be the end of the tale of the Hourglass. No, you can't! Because the next day the fairy of Politeness and Accuracy herself came to visit Tanya.

She came in a clean scarf, and on her nose were glasses with light frames. She put her wand in the corner, and took off her glasses and put them on the table

- Well, hello, Tanya! - she said.

And Tanya bowed to her as politely as she could.

At the same time, she thought: “I wonder how I did this?”

“You fulfilled your promise, Tanya,” the fairy told her. “Although only six months and half a day have passed, you behaved well during these half a day and six months.” Well, I'll have to break the spell on this nasty boy.

“Thank you, Aunt Fairy,” Tanya said.

“Yes, we’ll have to disenchant him,” the fairy repeated with regret, “although he behaved very badly then.” I hope he has learned something since then.

- Oh yeah! – Tanya said. “Since then he has become very polite and neat.” And then, he is no longer a boy. He is such a respectable uncle, with a long black beard!

“For me he’s still a boy,” the fairy objected. - Okay, have it your way. Here's your mirror. Take him! And remember that you shouldn’t look in the mirror too often.

With these words, the fairy returned her mirror to Tanya and disappeared.

And Tanya was left alone with her mirror.

“Well, let’s see,” she said to herself. The same Tanya was looking at her from the mirror, but now she was decisive and serious, as befits a girl who knows how to keep her word.

Of course, you guys want to know what Beard is doing now? The fairy cast a spell on him, so that now he no longer looks at all like an hourglass - neither inside nor outside. He no longer stands on his head in the morning. But in the evenings he is still sometimes angry, and when they ask him: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so angry? - he politely replies: “Don’t worry, please, it’s a habit.”

Veniamin Kaverin TALES

HOURGLASS

A new teacher has appeared at the pioneer camp. Nothing special, just an ordinary teacher! The big black beard gave him a strange look, because it was big and he was small. But it wasn't the beard!

There was one boy in this pioneer camp. His name was Petka Vorobyov. Then there was one girl there. Her name was Tanya Zabotkina. Everyone told her that she was brave, and she really liked that. In addition, she loved to look in the mirror, and although every time she found only herself there, she still looked and looked.

And Petka was a coward. They told him that he was a coward, but he replied that he was smart. And it’s true: he was smart and noticed things that others and the brave would not notice.

And then one day he noticed that the new teacher got up very kind every morning, and by the evening he became very angry.

It was amazing! In the morning you ask him for anything - he will never refuse! By lunchtime he was already quite angry, and after a dead hour he just stroked his beard and didn’t say a word. And in the evening!.. Better not approach him! His eyes flashed and he growled.

The guys took advantage of the fact that he was kind in the morning. They sat in the river for two hours, shot with a slingshot, and pulled the girls' braids. Everyone did what he liked. But after lunch - no! Everyone walked around quietly, politely, and just listened to see if “Beard,” as they called him, was growling somewhere.

The guys who loved to gossip went to him in the evening, before going to bed. But he usually put off the punishment until tomorrow, and in the morning he got up good and good. With kind eyes and a kind long black beard!

It was a mystery! But this was not the whole mystery, but only half.

And then one day, waking up early in the morning, he remembered that he had left his book in the reading room. The reading room was next to Beard’s room, and when Petka ran past, he thought: “I wonder what Beard is like in the dream?” By the way, the door to his room was not open very much, but just enough to look in. Petka walked up on tiptoe and looked in.

Do you know what he saw? The beard was standing on his head! Perhaps one would think that this was morning exercise.

Beard stood there for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bed. He sat very sad and kept sighing. And then - once! And he stood on his head again, so deftly, as if for him it was exactly the same as standing on his feet. It really was a mystery!

Petka decided that Beard had previously been a clown or an acrobat. But why should he now stand on his head, and even early in the morning, when no one is looking at him? And why did he sigh and sadly shake his head?

Petka thought and thought, and although he was very smart, he still did not understand anything. Just in case, he didn’t tell anyone that the new teacher was standing on his head - it was a secret! But then he couldn’t stand it and told Tanya.

Tanya didn’t believe it at first.

“You’re lying,” she said.

She began to laugh and secretly looked at herself in the mirror: she wondered what she was like when she laughed.

Didn't you dream about it?

It was as if I wasn’t dreaming, but actually dreaming.

But Petka gave his word of honor, and then she believed that this was not a dream.

I need to tell you that Tanya loved the new teacher very much, even though he was so strange. She even liked his beard. He often told Tanya different stories, and Tanya was ready to listen to them from morning to night.

And so the next morning - the whole house was still asleep - Petka and Tanya met at the reading room and tiptoed to Beard. But the door was closed, and they only heard Beard sigh.

But I need to tell you that the window of this room looked out onto the balcony, and if you climbed up the pole, you could see whether Beard was standing on his head or not. Petka chickened out, but Tanya climbed up. She climbed in and looked at herself in the mirror to see if she was too disheveled. Then she tiptoed to the window and gasped: Beard was standing on his head!

At this point Petka couldn’t stand it either. Although he was a coward, he was curious, and then he had to tell Tanya: “Yeah, I told you so!” So he climbed in, and they began to look out the window and whisper.

I need to tell you that this window opened inward. When Petka and Tanya leaned on it and began to whisper, it suddenly swung open. Once! - and the guys flopped right at Beard’s feet, that is, not at his feet, but at his head, because he was standing on his head. If such a story had happened in the evening or after a quiet hour, things would have been bad for Tanya and Petka! But Beard, as you know, was very kind in the mornings! So he got to his feet, only asking the guys if they were really hurt.

Petka was neither alive nor dead. And Tanya even took out a mirror to see if she had lost her bow while she was flying.

Well, guys,” Beard said sadly, “I could, of course, tell you that the doctor ordered me to stand on my head in the morning. But don't lie. Here's my story.

When I was a little boy like you, Petya, I was very impolite. Never, getting up from the table, did I say “Thank you” to my mother, and when they wished me good night, I just stuck out my tongue and laughed. I never showed up at the table on time, and they had to call me a thousand times until I finally responded. There was such dirt in my notebooks that I myself felt unpleasant. But since I was impolite, it was not worth keeping the notebooks clean. Mom said: “Politeness and accuracy!” I was impolite - therefore, sloppy.

I never knew what time it was, and the clock seemed to me the most unnecessary thing in the world. After all, even without a watch you know when you want to eat! And when you want to sleep, don’t you know without a clock?

And then one day an old woman came to visit my nanny (an old nanny lived in our house for many years).

As soon as she entered, it immediately became clear how clean and tidy she was. She had a clean scarf on her head and light-framed glasses on her nose. She held a clean stick in her hands, and in general she must have been the cleanest and neatest old woman in the world.

So she came and put the wand in the corner. She took off her glasses and put them on the table. She also took off the handkerchief and placed it on her lap.

Of course, now I would like such an old lady. But then for some reason I really didn’t like her. So when she politely said to me, “Good morning, boy!” - I stuck my tongue out at her and left.

And that's what I did, guys! I slowly returned, crawled under the table and stole the old woman’s handkerchief. Moreover, I stole her glasses from under her nose. Then I put on my glasses, tied myself with a handkerchief, crawled out from under the table and began to walk, hunched over and leaning on the old woman’s stick.

Of course it was very bad. But it seemed to me that the old woman was not so offended by me. She just asked if I was always so impolite, and instead of answering, I stuck my tongue out at her again.

“Listen, boy,” she said as she left. - I can't teach you politeness. But on the other hand, I can teach you accuracy, and from accuracy to politeness, as you know, there is only one step. Don't be afraid, I won't turn you into a wall clock, although I should, because a wall clock is the most polite and accurate thing in the world. They never talk too much and just know how to do their job. But I feel sorry for you. After all, wall clocks are always hanging on the wall, and this is boring. I’d rather turn you into an hourglass.”