The Borrowers
by Mary Norton
illustrated by Diana Stanley
The
Borrowers
Week of
Chapter 18:
Now that the Borrowers have been discovered, the boy suggests that they move to the dollhouse upstairs for the night since no one ever looks at it. Homily wants to move into the dollhouse permanently, but Pod insists that would not work for the dollhouse is located high up on a shelf near the ceiling and there is no way for him to get up and down to borrow and get food and water. There is talk about emigrating to a badger set. Arrietty is rather excited by that thought, but Homily, of course, is not. She has thoughts of all manner of unpleasant things: having to eat caterpillars, trying to light a fire of sticks, how will she cook in the rain. However, when the boy offers to take needed supplies for their convenience, she agrees to go.
The boy will carry the Borrowers upstairs in a clothespin bag to spend the night in the dollhouse, but Homily, after being tossed around inside the bag, demands to be let out. After a talking to, she agrees to try again. All of a sudden Pod says sharply, “Listen.” Then, in a flash they were gone. The boy called their names but then froze as he heard the scullery door creak open. He has been discovered by Mrs. Driver. She, of course, believes him to be a thief and in league with the crafty, nasty creatures under the floorboards. He is going to jail. He tries to explain to her about Borrowers and who they are and what they do, but she will have none of that. As she is dragging him back to his room he offers to move the Borrowers away, but Mrs. Driver threatens that she is saving that job for the rat-catcher and Crampfurl’s old cat. She pushes the boy into the schoolroom and locks the door. The boy, cold, crept into bed and cried himself to sleep.
DISCUSSION:
How kind and caring
the boy is to take such care of Pod, Homily and Arrietty.
He really is a sweet boy, and I’m glad he at
least has some “friends’ in that mausoleum.
He would probably take them anywhere they wanted to go if it
were
possible. I wish I knew what his name
was.
Homily is in a
tailspin. What will befall them in their
new home?
I’m surprised Mrs.
Driver went back to the kitchen after discovering “hundreds of
mice” under the
floor. I’m sure she didn’t
suspect the
boy at that point, although she’s pretty crafty.
She probably thought she would catch someone
in the act. Maybe the old lady . . .