"stoker-dracula-168" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stoker Bram)

"'Maybe it's you,'says I, for I did not like the airs as he give
'isself. He didn't git angry, as I 'oped he would, but he smiled a
kind of insolent smile, with a mouth full of white sharp teeth. 'Oh
no, they wouldn't like me,' 'e says.

"'Ow yes, they would,' says I, a-imitatin' of him. 'They always
likes a bone or two to clean their teeth on about tea-time, which
you 'as a bagful.'

"Well, it was a odd thing, but when the animiles see us a-talkin'
they lay down, and when I went over to Bersicker he let me stroke
his ears same as ever. That there man kem over, and blessed but if
he didn't put in his hand and stroke the old wolfs ears too!

"'Tyke care,' says I. 'Bersicker is quick.'

"'Never mind,' he says. 'I'm used to 'em!'

"'Are you in the business yourself?' I says, tyking off my 'at,
for a man what trades in wolves, anceterer, is a good friend to
keeper.

"'No.' says he, 'not exactly in the business, but I 'ave made pets
of several.' And with that he lifts his 'at as perlite as a lord,
and walks away. Old Bersicker kep' a-lookin' arter' 'im till 'e was
out of sight, and then went and lay down in a corner, and wouldn't
come hout the 'ole hevening. Well, larst night, so soon as the moon
was hup, the wolves here all began a-'owling. There warn't nothing for
them to 'owl at. There warn't no one near, except some one that was
evidently a-callin' a dog somewheres out back of the gardings in the
Park road. Once or twice I went out to see that all was right, and
it was, and then the 'owling stopped. Just before twelve o'clock I
just took a look round afore turnin' in, an, bust me, but when I kem
opposite to old Bersicker's cage I see the rails broken and twisted
about and the cage empty. And that's all I know for certing."

"Did any one else see anything?"

"One of our gard'ners was a-comin' 'ome about that time from a
'armony, when he sees a big grey dog comin' out through the garding
'edges. At least, so he says; but I don't give much for it myself, for
if he did 'e never said a word about it to his missis when 'e got
'ome, and it was only after the escape of the wolf was made known, and
we had been up all night- a-huntin' of the Park for Bersicker, that he
remembered seein' anything. My own belief was that the 'armony 'ad got
into his 'ead."

"Now, Mr. Bilder, can you account in any way for the escape of the
wolf?"