The Complete Adventures of Curious George (34 page)

But George was too excited to listen. He wheeled around the corner and down the ramp to the floor below, where some men were busy pushing lunch carts, and a lot of doctors and nurses were showing the mayor around.

George tried to stop, but it was too late. WHAM!—the go-cart landed right in the middle of everything. Lunch carts tumbled. Spinach and scrambled eggs and strawberry jam were all over the floor. People fell over each other, and George was thrown out of the go-cart and landed right in the mayor's arms.

What a mess it was!

"You broke all my dishes!" someone cried.

"He ruined the go-cart!" complained another.

"What will the mayor think of it?" whispered someone else. And so it went.

Suddenly everybody looked up and listened. From above came happy laughter—and there stood Betsy, laughing, laughing, laughing. Then the children joined in, then the mayor started laughing, and finally everybody just laughed and laughed. Everybody, that is, except George.

Betsy came running down the ramp, threw her arms around George, and kissed him. "Don't be sad, George," she said. "The whole thing was SO funny! I never laughed so much in my life. I'm so glad you were in the hospital with me."

Now the director of the hospital spoke: "I am sorry this happened, Mr. Mayor," he said, "but I think we'll just clean up the mess and be done with it."

"George," he went on, "you've made a terrible mess. But you also made our sad little Betsy happy again, and that is more than any of us has done.

"And now I see your friend has just come to take you home. So, goodbye George, and take good care of yourself."

The children crowded around the windows waving goodbye when George and the man with the yellow hat were finally leaving the hospital.

As the car was turning into the driveway Nurse Carol came running after them. "Here's a little package with something that belongs to you, George," she called. "But don't open it before you are home!"

George was curious—well, who would not be? The moment he reached home he ripped the paper off, tore open the box—and THERE

was the piece of the puzzle that had caused all the trouble!

"How nice of the doctor to save it for us!" said the man with the yellow hat. "And NOW we can finish the puzzle."