Maurice’s Room Read Online Free

hall.
    He ran to the window, flung it open, and deposited the turtles on the floor. He grabbed a blanket from his bed and threw it over Patsy, who fell into a tangled heap alongside the bear. In a flash, Maurice had the bear up on its skates and on the sill. He gave it a shove, and out it went through the window, the rope trailing behind it.
    Mr. Klenk, who was sweeping the courtyard below and whistling softly to himself, heard the whir of spinning roller skates and looked up.
    â€œYe gods!” he cried. “A giant penguin!”

7. THE TRUMPET LESSON
    â€œToday you are going to start your trumpet lessons,” said Mrs. Henry. She held out a black case that reminded Maurice of a crocodile’s head. Maurice put it on his bed and opened it. The trumpet glittered. He could see his face reflected in it.
    He looked out of his window. A light rain was falling, a March rain that might be warm. It was exactly the kind of Saturday Maurice and Jacob liked to spend hunting for new things for the collection.
    â€œYou’ll have to leave very soon,” said Mrs. Henry as she started back to the kitchen to finish her cup of coffee. Maurice lifted the snake out of its cage. The snake wound itself around his wrist. It was a dull green color and quite small.
    â€œThe trouble with you is you don’t have enough interests,” he said to the snake. He put it back in its cage and pulled the chicken wire over the top. Then he put on his light jacket.
    When he got to the front door, his mother said, “Just a minute. Haven’t you forgotten something?” She was holding out the trumpet case. “And Maurice, really! It’s raining! Put on your rubbers and your heavy jacket.”
    â€œMaurice, you must learn to be more responsible,” said his father, who was standing at the other end of the hall eating a piece of whole-wheat toast.
    Maurice went back to his room, dug into his closet, and found one of his rubbers and one of Jacob’s. He wished he had been born wearing one pair of shoes and one suit of clothes.
    Jacob was waiting for him in front of the building.
    â€œDo your lessons really start today?” he asked.
    â€œYes,” said Maurice. As he had guessed, it was a warm spring rain.
    â€œWill you have to go every Saturday morning?”
    â€œFor six weeks,” said Maurice. “Then they’ll see.”
    â€œSee what?” asked Jacob.
    â€œIf I get new interests.”
    On their way to the music school where Maurice was to take his lesson, they passed a big junk yard. A sign hung over the wire fence that surrounded the yard: Auto Parts . A man wearing a hat was walking around the piles of bumpers and tires and car bodies. Now and then he would kick an old fender.
    â€œWhy don’t you wait for me in there,” Maurice suggested. “Maybe you can find something good.” The man with the hat walked into a little house not much bigger than a telephone booth. There was a small window in it. Maurice could see the man fiddling with a radio.
    â€œMaybe he’ll chase me away,” said Jacob, looking at the man.
    â€œI’ll stay for a minute,” said Maurice.
    They walked toward the rear of the lot. The man looked out of his window but didn’t seem to see them. He was chewing on a toothpick and still twisting the radio dials. Just behind the little house, Maurice and Jacob could see the long arm of a crane.
    â€œLook at that!” said Maurice, pointing to a pyramid of heaped-up car parts. Poking out of the pile were hubcaps, fenders, tires, fan belts, radiator caps, pipes, window frames, steering wheels on shafts, and at the very top, lying on a car hood, a pair of headlights that looked almost new.
    â€œWe could use those headlights,” said Maurice.
    Jacob looked back at the little house. “He won’t give them to us,” he said.
    â€œMaybe he’d make a trade,” said Maurice.
    â€œWhat could we trade?” asked