Back to: CBSE Class 7 English Summary & Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Written by Axel Munthe, this chapter tells the story of a loyal bear. The Bear was a pet of a lady who lived in the old-manor house. It was an obedient and amicable pet. But a certain misunderstanding caused the lady to scold her pet.
Summary
The owner of the old manor-house once found a weak and hungry bear in the forest. She brought the bear home with the help of the cook of the house. They fed him well and the bear became her favourite pet. The bear lived happily and grew into a strong, big animal. Though he was big and powerful, the bear never harmed any of the other animals.
The dogs and horses loved him and even the children enjoyed playing with the bear. Because he had been trained to eat vegetables and fruits, he never attacked anyone. His mistress adored him and taught him to behave well and obey her commands. If his mistress forbade him to do a certain thing, he never did it again.
This was why he did not eat the juicy apples by plucking them from the tree and waited for the ripened ones to fall off the tree themselves. Because of his good behaviour, he was left unchained during the day. He was only tied with a chain at nights and on Sundays when his mistress when away from the house. On one such Sunday, the lady of the manor-house went to visit her sister who lived on the other side of the forest.
She chained the bear and promised him the reward of an apple on her return. On her way through the jungle, the lady was shocked to see the bear following her. She was more enraged to see that he did not have his new collar. Angered by the animal’s disobedience, she stuck him with her parasol and scolded him severely. The bear went back on the path he had emerged from.
Conclusion
Back to home, the lady scolded the bear harshly and decreed that he would be chained for two days as his punishment. Hearing her, the old cook intervened and defended the bear who had been sitting outside his kennel the whole day like an angel. It was then that the lady realised her mistake. She had met a wild bear and the misunderstanding had caused her to scold the loyal and obedient bear.
