large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_11_selous_64kb_66
large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_11_selous_64kb
English
12918
And he didn't think it was such a very grand thing to have a retinue like that. AND HE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS SUCH A VERY GRAND THING TO HAVE A RETINUE LIKE THAT
 owl, “I have been forgetting that I am a wise owl, and that you are only a little boy who doesn’t know long words. A retinue is an _entourage_, you know, and”— “But I don’t know what that word means either,” said Tommy Smith (and, indeed, he thought it was rather a more difficult one than the other). “Oh dear,” said the owl, “I am forgetting again. Why, when there are a lot of little birds, who fly round you and twitter whenever you come out and show yourself, that is what I call having a retinue or an _entourage_; and, depend upon it, it is a very grand thing to have. The more birds there are to twitter about you, the grander bird _you_ are. But it doesn’t so much matter _what_ they twitter, and as for what they _think_, you had better know nothing at all about _that_.” It was all very well for the owl to talk in this very wise way, but Tommy Smith felt sure that the little birds didn’t like him at all, and only flew round him to annoy him when he happened to come out in the daytime. T WHAT IS A RETINUE ASKED TOMMY SMITH OH DEAR SAID THE OWL I HAVE BEEN FORGETTING THAT I AM A WISE OWL AND THAT YOU ARE ONLY A LITTLE BOY WHO DOESN'T KNOW LONG WORDS A RETINUE IS AN ENTRAGE YOU KNOW AND BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS EITHER SAID TOMMY SMITH AND INDEED HE THOUGHT IT WAS RATHER A MORE DIFFICULT ONE THAN THE OTHER OH DEAR SAID THE OWL I AM FORGETTING AGAIN WHY WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF LITTLE BIRDS WHO FLY ROUND YOU AND TWITTER WHENEVER YOU COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELF THAT IS WHAT I CALL HAVING A RETINUE OR AN ANTRAGE AND DEPEND UPON IT IT IS A VERY GRAND THING TO HAVE THE MORE BIRDS THERE ARE TO TWITTER ABOUT YOU THE GRANDER BIRD YOU ARE BUT IT DOESN'T SO MUCH MATTER WHAT THEY TWITTER AND AS FOR WHAT THEY THINK YOU HAD BETTER KNOW NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THAT IT WAS ALL VERY WELL FOR THE OWL TO TALK IN THIS VERY WISE WAY BUT TOMMY SMITH FELT SURE THAT THE LITTLE BIRDS DIDN'T LIKE HIM AT ALL AND ONLY FLEW ROUND HIM TO ANNOY HIM WHEN HE HAPPENED TO COME OUT IN THE DAYTIME
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