"Pat Murphy - Menagerie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Murphy Pat)

Lady Dustan was disappointed to see that George Paxton stood apart from the
other young people, making no effort to attract the ladies' attention away from
Mr.' Gordon.. How could he remain so shy and standoffish when Lydia was so
lively and amiable? She did not understand the man.

As she watched him, her gaze was drawn to the object of his attention: the bull
elephant. The great beast was following the female closely as she trotted around
the enclosure, keeping his enormous head close by her rump. When the female
paused in a comer of the enclosure, he proceeded to sniff her in a most
disconcerting manner, running his trunk between the smaller elephant's hind legs
repeatedly, then pausing to trumpet loudly. At the same moment that Mary looked
up, Lady Dustan noticed that the bull elephant seemed to have sprouted an
additional leg.

"The strawberries are lovely," Mary was saying. Then she stopped, her mouth
slightly ajar, as she stared at the bull elephant.

Lady Dustan could not avert her eyes from the elephant's prodigious member, an
enormous shaft of flesh that twisted and curled like a snake. "I'm feeling a bit
faint from the heat," Lady Dustan said. Her throat felt tight and her voice had
a choked quality, but she managed to force out the words. "I believe the sun has
been too much for me."

Sir Radford, who had been directing his attention to a thick slice of pigeon
pie, glanced up with a frown. "The heat{ In this cool shade?" Then following her
gaze, he exclaimed in surprise.

For a time, all was in confusion, the strawberries forgotten. Lady Dustan called
to the young women to accompany her to the house, as Sir Radford exclaimed about
what a rare opportunity this was to observe the mating habits of the elephant, a
sight never witnessed in the wild. William Gordon was unperturbed, gazing
placidly at the elephant in pursuit of his lady love, but Lady Dustan observed a
hot blush color George Paxton's face. As men crowded toward the fence of the
elephant enclosure, the lady elephant retreated, hurrying away from the bull.

Like the lady elephant, Lady Dustan believed that retreat was the best option.
"Come along all of you," she said. "Lydia, Mary, Selina -- let us return to the
house."

Giggling like a schoolgirl, Lydia gathered her things. Mary continued to gaze at
the elephants, more fascinated than perturbed, until Lady Dustan shooed her and
her sister in the direction of the house. Lady Dustan walked with Selina,
casting a glance over her shoulder at the men and the bull elephant. As they
started away, the bull elephant reared up, placing his forelegs on the lady
elephant's back. She shuddered beneath his weight, but stood her ground.
"Oh, Lord!" Lady Dustan breathed, an involuntary exclamation. She could feel the
heat of blood rising in her cheeks as she turned away, taking Selina's arm and
leading her toward the house. The blaring trumpeting of the bull elephant echoed
through the garden, a noisy reminder of what went on behind them.