Chapter Seven
A Bit of a Big-head
AUGUST 26th: Jenius escaped a horribel Death!
Jenius had no intention of escaping again. He had had the fright of his life and, for a little while, his parents were spared their son’s bragging and they could enjoy some early nights.
But before long he forgot, and his natural cockiness returned, particularly when he at last mastered the most difficult trick of the exercises that Judy set him. This was the ending to the trick called ‘Trust’.
Not only had he to balance a piece of biscuit on the end of his nose, but then, when Judy said, ‘Paid for!’ he had to toss up the food with a jerk of his head and catch it in his mouth.
Jenius never tired of telling his mother and father how easy this trick was.
‘Mind you,’ he said, ‘I’m the only guinea pig in the world who can do it, I’m sure of that.’
‘Very nice, dear,’ said Molly absently.
‘Pride,’ muttered Joe darkly, ‘comes before a fall.’
SEPTEMBER 3rd: Jenius has quite recovered. Tomorrow is the last day of the Hollidays and I am going to give him a Test. I am going the to make him do all the things he has been taut and he has got to do them correcktly and I shall give him marks for his performants in each one.
SEPTEMBER 4th: Jenius lived up to his name! He performed perfictly and got Full Marks and I am going to ask my teacher if I can take him to school and show them how briliantly I have trained him. I’m the only person in the World who could have done it, I’m sure of that.
Jenius, it must be said, was not the only one who had become a bit of a big head, and by the end of the first day back at school everyone in the class was fed up with hearing how clever both he and Judy were. Before long Judy’s teacher too had had enough.
‘Judy,’ she said. ‘You don’t really expect us to believe all this, do you?’
‘Yes,’ said Judy. ‘It’s true.’
‘Well, I’ll tell you what. You bring this amazing animal of yours into school and then you can show us all these tricks that you say he can do.’
At once everyone wanted to get in on the act and bring their pet to school.
‘… my gerbil?’
‘… my hamster?’
‘… my budgie?’
Until the teacher said: ‘All right. We’ll have a Pets’ Day. You can each bring a pet into school, provided you bring it in a cage or a box – we don’t want anything too big, mind – no Shetland ponies or Great Danes. Who knows, Judy, someone else may have a clever animal too.’
Judy laughed. ‘Not as clever as Jenius,’ she said scornfully. ‘Not possibly. You just wait and see.’