Скотный двор
Chapter 10
Withoutsayinganything,shetuggedgentlyathismaneandledhimroundtotheendofthebigbarn,wheretheSevenCommandmentswerewritten. Foraminuteortwotheystoodgazingatthetattedwallwithitswhitelettering.
"Mysightisfailing,"shesaidfinally. "EvenwhenIwasyoungIcouldnothavereadwhatwaswrittenthere. Butitappearstomethatthatwalllooksdifferent. AretheSevenCommandmentsthesameastheyusedtobe,Benjamin?"
ForonceBenjaminconsentedtobreakhisrule,andhereadouttoherwhatwaswrittenonthewall. TherewasnothingtherenowexceptasingleCommandment. Itran:
ALLANIMALSAREEQUAL
BUTSOMEANIMALSAREMOREEQUALTHANOTHERS
Afterthatitdidnotseemstrangewhennextdaythepigswhoweresupervisingtheworkofthefarmallcarriedwhipsintheirtrotters. Itdidnotseemstrangetolearnthatthepigshadboughtthemselvesawirelessset,werearrangingtoinstallatelephone,andhadtakenoutsubscriptionsto‘JohnBull’,‘Tit-Bits’,andthe‘DailyMirror’. ItdidnotseemstrangewhenNapoleonwasseenstrollinginthefarmhousegardenwithapipeinhismouth—no,notevenwhenthepigstookMr.Jones’sclothesoutofthewardrobesandputthemon,Napoleonhimselfappearinginablackcoat,ratcatcherbreeches,andleatherleggings,whilehisfavouritesowappearedinthewateredsilkdresswhichMrs.JoneshadbeenusedtowearingonSundays.
Aweeklater,intheafternoon,anumberofdog-cartsdroveuptothefarm. Adeputationofneighbouringfarmershadbeeninvitedtomakeatourofinspection.