A Triumph of Surgery – Summary, Questions & Answers for Class 10 Footprint English

"A Triumph of Surgery summary and explanation for Class 10 English"

I was very worried about Tricki this time. As I drove by, I saw him waddling on the street with his owner, Mrs. Pumphrey, and couldn’t believe my eyes! Tricki had become so fat he looked like a big, fluffy sausage with tiny legs sticking out. His eyes were watery and red, and his tongue hung out of his mouth as if he was too tired to pull it back in.

Mrs. Pumphrey hurried to explain, “Oh, Mr. Herriot, Tricki has been so tired and lifeless lately. He seemed to have no energy at all. I thought he wasn’t eating enough, so I started giving him some extra treats—just a little malt, cod liver oil, and a bowl of Horlicks at night to help him sleep. Nothing much, really.” I raised an eyebrow. “And what about the sweet things? Did you stop giving him those like I asked?”

Mrs. Pumphrey looked a bit guilty. “I tried, Mr. Herriot, I really did. But he looked so sad and weak, I couldn’t say no. He loves cream cakes and chocolates, you know. I just can’t bear to see him upset.” I looked down at poor Tricki again. That was the problem! Tricki loved food too much. He would never say no to anything edible, and now he was paying the price. I could only imagine all the treats Mrs Pumphrey hadn’t mentioned. “What about exercise? Is he getting enough?”

“Well,” she said hesitantly, “he goes on short walks with me, as you can see. But Hodgkin, our gardener, has been unwell, so there hasn’t been any ring-throwing games lately.” I sighed. Poor Tricki wasn’t just overfed—he wasn’t getting enough exercise either. It was no wonder he looked so unhealthy!

Tricki Goes to Hospital

I tried to sound serious as I spoke to Mrs Pumphrey. “You must cut down Tricki’s food and give him more exercise. If you don’t, he’ll get very ill. You have to be strong and put him on a strict diet.” Mrs Pumphrey looked worried and said, “Oh, I will try, Mr Herriot. But it’s so hard, so very hard.” She walked away with Tricki, looking like she was ready to start his new routine.

I watched them go. Tricki was wobbling along in his fancy little tweed coat. He even had a collection of coats for all kinds of weather! But he looked so weak and tired. I was sure Mrs Pumphrey would call me soon. And she did, just a few days later. She sounded very upset. “Tricki isn’t eating anything, Mr Herriot! He won’t even touch his favourite treats. He’s been sick, and all he does is lie on the rug, panting. He doesn’t even want to go for walks!” I already knew what needed to be done. “The only way to help Tricki is to take him to the hospital for a while,” I told her.

Mrs Pumphrey gasped. “Oh no! He’ll be so sad without me. He might even die if he doesn’t see me every day!” But I was firm. Tricki was very ill, and this was the only way to help him. Without wasting time, I wrapped Tricki in a blanket and carried him to my car. Mrs Pumphrey cried and begged, but I had to do what was best for Tricki. The maids rushed in with Tricki’s things—his beds, cushions, toys, bowls, and even his little coats. There was too much to fit in my car, so I drove away with just Tricki. As I left, Mrs Pumphrey threw some of his coats through the car window.

Looking in the mirror, I saw everyone in tears as I drove away. Poor Tricki sat beside me, breathing heavily. I gave him a gentle pat, and he managed to wag his tail just a little.

“Don’t worry, little friend,” I said softly. “I think I know how to make you better.”

Questions and Answers

Q 1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Mrs Pumphrey is worried about Tricky because he is unwell. He has refused to eat and he is vomiting. She thinks he is suffering from a serious health problem such as malnutrition.

Q 2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Mrs Pumphrey gives Tricki extra snacks like malt, cod liver oil, and Horlicks, along with sweets like cream cakes and chocolates. She doesn’t exercise him, but overfeeding makes Tricki fatter, lazier, and worse.

Q 3• Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

‘I’ refers to the narrator, Mr James Herriot, a veterinary doctor.

Q4. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

No, the narrator is not as rich as Mrs Pumphrey. He is surprised by how much she spends on Tricki, sending expensive things for the dog that he cannot afford for himself.

Q 5. How does he treat the dog?

James Herriot treats Tricki like an overweight, lazy dog. He gives him very little food at first and watches him carefully. Slowly, he increases the food and lets Tricki play to make him healthy.

Q 6. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Mr Herriot feels like keeping Tricki forever because he is enjoying the tasty food and drinks sent for Tricki. He doesn’t want to lose the fresh eggs, wine, and brandy coming daily.

Q 7. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Mrs Pumphrey thinks Tricki’s recovery is a big success because he was very sick. She believed he might not get better and needed urgent care. Recovering without medicine felt like a great achievement to her.

PART 2

Tricky's Time at the Surgery

When Tricki arrived at the surgery, the other dogs ran up to me, barking and wagging their tails. Tricki just looked at them with tired eyes. When I put him down, he lay still on the carpet. The dogs sniffed him for a few seconds but found him boring and walked away.

I made a cosy bed for Tricki in a warm box near the other dogs. For two days, I gave him only water and no food. On the second day, he started looking around with a little interest. By the third day, he whimpered when he heard the other dogs playing outside.

When I opened the door, Tricki walked out slowly. Joe, the greyhound, and the other dogs surrounded him, sniffing and rolling him over to check him out. Then they ran off to the garden, and Tricki followed, waddling slightly because of his extra fat. At feeding time, I watched the dogs rush to their bowls, gobbling up their food quickly. Tricki just wandered around, licking the empty bowls. The next day, I added a bowl for him, and I was happy to see him join the others, pushing his way to eat.

Tricki’s health improved quickly. He didn’t need any medicine—just good food, water, and lots of fun. He played with the other dogs, got knocked over, and even joined in chasing rats at night. For the first time, Tricki was having the time of his life!

Meanwhile, Mrs Pumphrey kept calling me to check on Tricki. She worried about things like his cushions and coats, but I assured her he was getting better. The word "convalescing" (getting stronger) made her very happy.

Mrs Pumphrey started sending fresh eggs to build Tricki’s strength. My colleagues and I enjoyed these eggs for breakfast. Then bottles of wine arrived, meant to "enrich Tricki’s blood." Lunch became fancy with wine before and during meals. Thanks to all the love, play, and care, Tricki was soon back to being a happy, healthy little dog!

Tricki Goes Home

We couldn’t believe it when Mrs Pumphrey sent Brandy to help Tricki "get stronger." For a few nights, we enjoyed the fancy drink. Our days became very cosy with extra eggs in the morning, wine at lunch, and brandy by the fire at night.

It was tempting to keep Tricki as a guest forever, but I knew Mrs Pumphrey missed him a lot. After two weeks, I called her to say Tricki was healthy and ready to go home. Soon, a big shiny car stopped outside the surgery. The chauffeur opened the door, and I saw Mrs Pumphrey inside, looking worried. “Is Tricki really better, Mr Herriot?” she asked nervously. “He’s perfectly fine,” I said. “Stay in the car—I’ll bring him to you.”

I went to the garden, where a group of dogs was running and playing. In the middle of them was Tricki, looking strong and happy, his tail wagging and ears flapping as he bounded around. In just two weeks, Tricki had turned into a slim, fit little dog.

I carried him to the front of the house, but as soon as he saw Mrs Pumphrey, he leapt from my arms and jumped into her lap. She squealed in surprise as Tricki licked her face and barked happily. While they hugged, I helped the chauffeur load Tricki’s beds, toys, cushions, coats, and bowls into the car. None of these had been used!

As the car drove away, Mrs Pumphrey leaned out of the window, tears of happiness in her eyes. “Oh, Mr Herriot,” she said, “how can I ever thank you? This is truly a triumph of surgery!”

Talk about it Questions and Answers

Q 1. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?

The narrator, a kind and wise vet, treats Tricki carefully. He cures him with proper food and exercise instead of unnecessary surgery. He convinces Mrs Pumphrey tactfully and later informs her to take Tricki back, showing his honesty.

Q 2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Tricki was happy to return home because he loved Mrs Pumphrey and his comfortable life. He had no friends at home like at the hospital but was excited to see her. Hopefully, Mrs Pumphrey will now follow the vet's advice.

Q 3. Do you think this is a real-life episode or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?

The story seems both real and made up. Rich people may overfeed pets out of love or give them fancy clothes. But it’s unusual for a vet to lie to save an animal or eat food sent for a pet.

Q 4. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have treated Tricki with the same care and love as Mr James Herriot. However, I would have been stricter with Mrs Pumphrey about Tricki’s diet and avoided consuming the eggs, wine, and brandy meant for Tricki.