!DOCTYPE html> html> head lang=”en-US”> title>The Dormouse and the Doctor by A. A. Milne/title> /div> h1 class=”pageTitle”>The Dormouse and the Doctor/h1> div class=”entry-content clearfix”> h2 class=”author”>by A. A. Milne/h2> div id=”content”> p>There once was a Dormouse who lived in a bedbr /> Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),br /> And all the day long he’d a wonderful viewbr /> Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue)./p> p>A Doctor came hurrying round, and he said:br /> “Tut-tut, I am sorry to find you in bed.br /> Just say ‘Ninety-nine’ while I look at your chest….br /> Don’t you find that chrysanthemums answer the best?”/p> p>The Dormouse looked round at the view and repliedbr /> (When he’d said “Ninety-nine”) that he’d tried and he’d tried,br /> And much the most answering things that he knewbr /> Were geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue)./p> p>The Doctor stood frowning and shaking his head,br /> And he took up his shiny silk hat as he said:br /> “What the patient requires is a change,” and he wentbr /> To see some chrysanthemum people in Kent./p> p>The Dormouse lay there, and he gazed at the viewbr /> Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue),br /> And he knew there was nothing he wanted insteadbr /> Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red)./p> p>The Doctor came back and, to show what he meant,br /> He had brought some chrysanthemum cuttings from Kent.br /> “Now these,” he remarked, “give a much better viewbr /> Than geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).”/p> p>They took out their spades and they dug up the bedbr /> Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),br /> And they planted chrysanthemums (yellow and white).br /> “And now,” said the Doctor, “we’ll soon have you right.”/p> p>The Dormouse looked out, and he said with a sigh:br /> “I suppose all these people know better than I.br /> It was silly, perhaps, but I did like the viewbr /> Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).”/p> p>The Doctor came round and examined his chest,br /> And ordered him Nourishment, Tonics, and Rest.br /> “How very effective,” he said, as he shookbr /> The thermometer, “all these chrysanthemums look!”/p> p>The Dormouse turned over to shut out the sightbr /> Of the endless chrysanthemums (yellow and white).br /> “How lovely,” he thought, “to be back in a bedbr /> Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red.)”/p> p>The Doctor said, “Tut! It’s another attack!”br /> And ordered him Milk and Massage-of-the-back,br /> And Freedom-from-worry and Drives-in-a-car,br /> And murmured, “How sweet your chrysanthemums are!”/p> p>The Dormouse lay there with his paws to his eyes,br /> And imagined himself such a pleasant surprise:br /> “I’ll pretend the chrysanthemums turn to a bedbr /> Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red)!”/p> p>The Doctor next morning was rubbing his hands,br /> And saying, “There’s nobody quite understandsbr /> These cases as I do! The cure has begun!br /> How fresh the chrysanthemums look in the sun!”/p> p>The Dormouse lay happy, his eyes were so tightbr /> He could see no chrysanthemums, yellow or white.br /> And all that he felt at the back of his headbr /> Were delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red)./p> p>And that is the reason (Aunt Emily said)br /> If a Dormouse gets in a chrysanthemum bed,br /> You will find (so Aunt Emily says) that he liesbr /> Fast asleep on his front with his paws to his eyes./p>/div> p>br /> br> /body> /html>
