Читать онлайн «Paddington Here and Now»

Автор Bond Michael

First published in hardback in Great Britain by

HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2008

This edition published in 2018

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF.

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as the author of the work.

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Source ISBN: 9780007269419

eBook Edition June 2008 ISBN: 9780007281916

Version: 2018-05-23

Contents

PARKING PROBLEMS

“MY SHOPPING BASKET on wheels has been towed away!” exclaimed Paddington hotly.

He gazed at the spot where he had left it before going into the cut-price grocers in the Portobello Market. In all the years he had lived in London such a thing had never happened to him before and he could hardly believe his eyes.

But if he thought staring at the empty space was going to make it reappear he was doomed to disappointment.

“It’s coming to something if a young bear gent can’t leave ’is shopping basket unattended for five minutes while ’e’s going about ’is business,” said one of the stallholders, who normally supplied Paddington with vegetables when he was out shopping for the Brown family. “I don’t know what the world’s coming to. ”

“There’s no give and take any more,” agreed a man at the next stall. “It’s all take and no give. They’ll be towing us away next, you mark my words. ”

“You should have left a note on it saying ‘Back in five minutes’,” said a third one.