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Stuart was an early riser. He always was the first person up in the morning. He liked the quiet rooms with books on the shelves, the morning light. In winter it was dark when he climbed out of bed. It was very cold as he stood in his nightshirt and did his exercises. Every morning he touched his toes ten times. His brother George always said it kept the stomach muscles firm.

After his exercises Stuart took a towel and started for the bathroom. He had to go through the long dark hall, past his mother's and father's and George s rooms. Of course, the bathroom was dark too. But there was a long string tied to the switch.  If Stuart pulled it with all his might he was able to turn on the light.

There was also a tiny rope ladder tied to the washbasin, and Stuart could climb it in order to wash his hands and face and brush his teeth. One day George promised to build Stuart a special small washbasin, only one inch high, but George always promised to build something and then forgot about it.

So every morning Stuart climbed the rope ladder to the big washbasin. He had a doll's toothbrush, a doll's soap bar, a doll's towel, and a doll's comb with which he could comb his whiskers. He carried these things in his pocket and when he reached the washbasin he took them out and put them near him. Then he turned the water on. For such a small fellow it was a difficult problem. One day he discussed it with his father.

"I can't turn the faucet on properly," he said, "because when I am doing it, my feet are
in the air."

"Yes, I know," his father answered. "That's the whole trouble. We must do something about it."

George, who liked to listen to other people's conversations, said that they must build a special board for Stuart. He took a wooden board, a hammer and some nails and started to make a terrible noise in the bathroom. But he soon became interested in something else and disappeared leaving the tools all over the floor.

"Maybe I can hit the faucet with something and in this way turn it on," said Stuart. Mr. Little gave him a very small wooden hammer, and Stuart started for the bathroom to try.

He swung his hammer three times around his head and hit the faucet. When a thin stream of water began to flow Stuart brushed his teeth and washed his face and hands. He liked it very much. And now every morning his parents and brother George, who were still asleep in their beds, could hear the loud plink, plink, plink of Stuart's hammer. It told them that it was time to get up.

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This version of Stuart Little was originally published in Moscow, in 1964.  All rights are reserved by respective copyright owners and this version must not be used in any other but private ESL study settings.  Hard or electronic copies for business purposes are prohibited.

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