Paddington Here and Now Read Online Free PDF Page A

they often had their elevenses sitting in deck chairs on the pavement outside the shop, discussing problems of the day in peace and quiet before the crowds arrived.
    Paddington couldn’t help but notice his friend usually had a faraway look in his eyes whenever he spoke of his native Hungary.
    “When I was a boy,” Mr. Gruber would say, “people used to dance the night away to the sound of balalaikas. That doesn’t seem to happen anymore.”
    Having been born in Darkest Peru, Paddington had no idea what a balalaika was, let alone what it sounded like, but with Mr. Gruber’s help he did learn to play a tune called “Chopsticks” on an ancient piano at the back of the shop.
    It wasn’t easy, because having paws meant he often played several notes at the same time, but Mr. Gruber said anyone with half an ear for music would recognize it at once.
    “Music is a wonderful thing, Mr. Brown,” he was wont to say. “‘Chopsticks’ may not be top of what is known as the Pops, but if you are able to play it on the piano you will always be in demand at parties.”
    On cloudy days, when there was a chill in the air, they made a habit of retiring to an old horsehair sofa at the back of the shop, and it was on just such a morning, soon after his adventure with the shopping basket on wheels, that Paddington arrived rather earlier than usual and found to his surprise that Mr. Gruber had acquired a new piano.
    It was standing in almost exactly the same spot as the old one had been: near the stove where hisfriend made the cocoa.
    There was no sign of Mr. Gruber, which was most unusual, so to pass the time Paddington decided to have a go at playing what had become known as “his tune,” when something very strange happened.
    As he raised his paws to play the opening notes, the keys began going up and down all by themselves!

    He had hardly finished rubbing his eyes in order to make sure he wasn’t dreaming when he had yet another surprise. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Gruber crawl out from underneath a nearby table.
    “Oh, dear,” said Paddington, “I hope I haven’t broken your new piano.”
    Mr. Gruber laughed. “Have no fear of that, Mr. Brown,” he said. “It is what is known as a player piano, and it works by electricity. You don’t see many around these days. I’ve just been plugging it in to make sure it works properly.”
    “I don’t think I have ever seen a piano that plays a tune all by itself before,” said Paddington. “We didn’t have anything like that in Darkest Peru. But then, we didn’t have electricity either,” he added sadly.
    While Mr. Gruber set about making the cocoa, Paddington took a closer look at the keyboard. It really was uncanny the way the keys went up and down in time to the music, and he tried following their movement with his paws without actually touching them. In the beginning he found it washard to keep up with them, but after several goes it really began to look as though he was actually playing the tune.
    “Look, Mr. Gruber,” he called. “I can even do it cross paws!”
    “I should watch out,” warned his friend, looking up from the saucepan. “It’s the ‘Tritsch Tratsch Polka.’ You will need to sit very tight.”
    But it was too late. Even as Mr. Gruber spoke, the music reached a crescendo and Paddington suddenly found himself lying on the floor with his legs in the air.

    Mr. Gruber ran to switch the machine off. “I’m afraid it’s a case of trying to run before you can walk, Mr. Brown,” he said, helping Paddington to his feet. “I think perhaps you should try starting with something a little slower. I will see what I can find.”
    Opening the lid of a long cardboard box, he produced a roll of paper on a spindle, and unwinding it slightly, he held it up for Paddington to see.
    Although he didn’t say so, Paddington felt disappointed. It looked rather as if the moths had been at it.
    “It seems to have a lot of holes in it,” he