Dr. Herbert Benjamin
“Oh, it’s all right,” said Henry. “A few wrinkles
more or less on a pickle don’t make much difference!
But it’s pretty crowded in here! If you all will excuse me
a minute I think I’ll just take a quiet stroll down the
hall.”
Everybody was silent.
“Is something wrong?” asked Henry.
“You tell him,” Carl the Carrot said to Constance
the Clock.
“Well, Henry, you just can’t go outside the
kitchen,” said Constance.
“Why not?” asked Henry.
“It’s against the rules,” Constance answered.
“What rules?” asked Henry.
“Just the rules,” Constance said. “No one of us has ever
taken a trip outside the kitchen like that, just by himself.
It’s just not done! We don’t
belong
out there. We just
belong in the
kitchen
. Aren’t you happy here?”
Constance’s words reminded Henry of what
Momma and Poppa Pickle had said, to him.
“Oh yes!” said, Henry. “I like it here very much!
But you see I’m going to see the world!”
Everybody was silent again.
Henry looked into his pack and pulled out some
Persuasion.
“Everything is okay!” he said to the club in a very
persuasive voice. “It’s really
all right
for me to leave the
kitchen. Dirk, would you be a good fellow and open up
— just a little — so I could slip through? Be a nice fellow
member, and open just a little bit!”
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