Page 7 - The Adventures of Toto- Module

The ticket collector took a close look at the tortoise, pushed it slightly
and announced that grandfather was not required to buy a ticket for it as
it did not fall in the category of a dog.

When Toto was finally accepted by Grandmother he was given a

comfortable home in the stable, where he had for a companion the

family donkey, Nana. On Toto‟s first night in the stable, Grandfather paid

him a visit to see if he was comfortable. To his surprise he found Nana,

without apparent cause, pulling at her halter and trying to keep her head

as far as possible from a bundle of hay.

Stable: building set apart and adapted for keeping horses
Halter: a strap or loop placed around the head of a horse or other
animal, used for leading or tethering it

The writer’s grandmother finally came to know of Toto’s presence in the
house. She allotted him space in the stable along with the family donkey
Nana. On the first night in the stable, grandfather visited Toto. He found
Nana restless, pulling its rope in order to stay away from the heap of
hay.

Grandfather gave Nana a slap across her haunches, and she jerked
back, dragging Toto with her. He had fastened on to her long ears with

his sharp little teeth.
Toto and Nana never became friends.

Haunches: back

Grandfather hit Nana on the back in order to stop it. Nana jumped back
with a jerk and Toto was dragged along with her

A great treat for Toto during cold winter evenings was the large bowl of

warm water given him by Grandmother for his bath. He would cunningly

test the temperature with his hand, then gradually step into the bath, first

one foot, then the other (as he had seen me doing), until he was into the

water up to his neck. Once comfortable, he would take the soap in his

hands or feet, and rub himself all over. When the water became cold, he

would get out and run as quickly as he could to the kitchen-fire in order