The Complete Adventures of Curious George (13 page)

George was alone this morning, looking at a picture book, when the doorbell rang.

It was the mailman.

"Here is a letter for you," he said. "Put it on your friend's desk. He'll read it to you when he comes home."

George was curious. It was not often that somebody

wrote him. Too bad he could not read the letter—but maybe he could write one himself! In the top drawer of the desk there was paper

and ink and a fountain pen. George sat down on the floor and began to write—but the pen was dry.

It needed ink; George would have to fill it. He got a funnel from the kitchen and started pouring ink...

But instead of going into the pen the ink spilled all over and made a big blue puddle on the floor. It was an awful mess.

Quickly George got the blotter from the desk, but that was no help, the puddle grew bigger all the time. George had to think of something else. Why, soap and water, that's what you clean up with! From the kitchen shelf he got a big box of soap powder and poured all the powder over the ink.

Then he pulled the garden hose through the window, opened the tap and sprayed water on the powder.

Bubbles began to form, and then some lather,

and more lather
and more lather
AND MORE LATHER.

In no time the whole room was full of lather, so full, indeed, that George had to escape in a hurry...