1

2
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 Among all Enid Ely ton's wonderful stories, the ones
from the famous original Holiday Book were special
favourites. Here is a collection of them presented
afresh to delight a new generation of children.

This book may only be exported for sale in the following territories by the appointed sole agents:
AUSTRALIA—Ponsford,Newman & Benson, Ltd. NEW ZEALAND—Whitcombe & Tombs, Ltd,
AFRICA—Purnell & Sons (S.A.) (Pty) Ltd.

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 LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LTD,
Copyright ©1958
by Enid Blyton as to the text herein and
by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.
as to the artwork herein

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MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PURNELL
AND SONS, LTD., PAULTON (SOMERSET) AND LONDON

7
 Contents

The Tale of Bubble and Squeak 10

The Mouse that Lost His Whiskers 18

The Greedy Little Sparrow 27

The Funny Old Dragon 31

A Novel Easter Card 35

The Christmas Tree Pig 38

Little Mr. Woffles 42

Stars for the Christmas Tree 53

Mr. Snifty's Dustbin 56

Let's Make Some Lanterns for Xmas! 60

Oh, Mister Crosspatch! 61

How Clever You Are 66

The Bit of Magic Paper 67

Conker Furniture 71

The Magic Sweet Shop .... 72

Beware of the Snake 82

Can You do These? 83

They Don't Believe in Fairies 84

Tig, the Brownie Robber 89

The Rat, the Dormouse and the Robin . 95

The Poor Old Teddy 99

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 CONTENTS

Good Gracious, Bruiny 106

Tents for the Toy Soldiers 110

Billy's Little Boats 111

The Magic Shell 116

The Goblin Looking-Glass 119

Chocolate Nuts 135

Pinkity's Party Frock 136

The Tale of Chuckle and Pip 140

A Little Weather Girl 147

The Tale of Mr. Busybody 148

Riddle-Me-Ree 159

The Top That Ran Away 160

Joey's Lost Key 165

Shadows on the Wall . 170

A Frieze of Christmas Trees 171

9
 BUBBLE and Squeak, the brownies, lived in No-no Village, Their
cottage was all by itself, right at the very end, so the two brownies did
just what they liked, and nobody said they were not to.
They were cunning little creatures, the two of them, up to all
sorts of tricks. They used to drive Dame Tuffles's hen into the hedge
and keep her there till she laid an egg for them. They sometimes
pulled the biggest branch of Mister Yum's apple-tree right down over
the wall and picked off all the apples they could reach, as fast as they
could. Oh, they were full of tricks, and loved
to get something for nothing!
But one day they went too far, and
were well punished, as you will hear. It all
began as they were coming home from
market one afternoon, going over Bumblebee
Common, singing at the tops of their voices.
" Sh! " said Bubble, as they came near
a very lonely little cottage. " Here's Wizard
Once-a-Day's house. Go quietly, or he'll
come out and chase us."
So they went very quietly indeed, and
as they went they heard a loud sound of
hissing and cackling. They knew what that
was!
" It's Once-a-Day's Geese," said
Squeak. "He has the finest in the kingdom,
Bubble.

10
 My, they must lay him enough eggs to give him fried, boiled, and
scrambled eggs three times a day! '
" No, he has them once a day, made into a big egg-pudding," said
Bubble. " A goose egg is very big, Squeak—big enough to make a whole
meal for both of us. If only we had a goose! It would be fun to have goose-
egg each day."
“Sh! " said Squeak. " I can hear Once-a-Day talking. Let's peep
through the hedge and see who he's talking to."
So they peeped through a hole in the hedge—but they could not see
who the wizard was talking to—because he wasn't talking to anyone. He
was talking to himself.
" I haven't enough geese," he was saying. " I need three more,
because I sold two to Witch Google the other day, and one to Mister Yum.
I must make some more."
" Did you hear that? " whispered Bubble to Squeak, in excitement. "
He said ' make some more! * We shall see how he makes them if we keep
quiet! '
So they kept as quiet as could be and watched—and they saw a most
extraordinary sight.
In Wizard Once-a-Day's garden grew some very fine gooseberry
bushes. Once-a-Day went to a bush and looked at it. He picked a fat green
gooseberry from it, and then another. He picked a third gooseberry from
another bush. Now he had three. He put them down on the ground and
drew a chalk circle round them.
** Now, where's my pot of moonlight dew ? " he said. He went
indoors and brought out a yellow pot of shining dew that he had collected
in the moonlight. He splashed a few drops over the three green
gooseberries.
Then he danced round solemnly, holding up his long cloak as he
went, his tall hat nodding on his big head. He sang a song that the watching
brownies knew was magic:

" Gooseberries green, gooseberries round,

Gooseberries lying upon the ground,
I don't want your berries, so go away, please,
But leave me, yes, leave me, your cackling geese!”

As he finished singing this queer song, the gooseberries began to

swell. They turned a grey-white colour. They grew feathers. They grew

11
legs. They grew a head on a long neck! Lo and behold, there were no green
berries in the circle, but three fine grey geese, cackling loudly! The
gooseberries had disappeared—the geese were there. The two brownies
opened their mouths wide in astonishment and nearly fell through the hole
in the hedge. So that was how Wizard Once-a-Day got his flock of
beautiful geese! No wonder they all had rather green tails—that must be
the remains of the gooseberries!
Once-a-Day slipped a loop of string round the neck of each goose
and led them to the field where the others were feeding. As soon as they
saw them they cackled loudly in delight, and ran to meet them.
" Well! " whispered Bubble to Squeak. " What a way to make geese!

12
 I know now why gooseberries have their funny name. They have
goose-magic in them. Fancy that! '
Once-a-Day heard Bubble whispering, and he called out in a furious
voice: " Who's there? I'll turn you into a pair of slippers and wear you to
bed each night! '
" Ooooh! " squealed the brownies, and raced off as fast as ever they
could. They didn't stop till they got home.
Now the next day Bubble went out alone. He didn't tell Squeak
where he was going, and Squeak wondered why. In an hour's time Bubble
came back, holding something in his hand, his face red with excitement.
“
What's the matter, Bubble? " asked Squeak. " You look as if you are
ready to burst! '
" See! " said Bubble, and he held out his hand to Squeak. In it lay a
big green gooseberry.
“
Bubble! You don't mean to say you've stolen one of Once-a-day's
gooseberries! " cried Squeak.
“
Well, seeing that we know how to make geese from gooseberries, I
didn't see why I shouldn't have a try," said Bubble boldly, “Come on,
Squeak. We'll soon have a goose of our own now! Hurrah!”:
“
Goose-egg for breakfast each day! " sang Squeak.
“Boiled, fried, or scrambled! " sang Bubble, throwing the gooseberry
up into the air and catching it again.
“
Don't do that," said Squeak in alarm. " It might roll down the sink
or something."
" All right," said Bubble. " Now where shall we make the goose,
Squeak? In the kitchen here, I think. We don't want to let any one see what
we are doing. We must say that we bought the goose at market, if any one
asks us where we got it."
" But suppose it has greeny feathers in its tail, like Once-a-Day's,"
said Squeak. cc Every one will know."
" We'll cut its tail feathers off," said Bubble. " Where's the chalk,
Squeak? And we want some of our moonlight dew,"
" They are in the drawer," said Squeak, and he got them out. e The
chalk is rather small, but it will just do. Now—I'll draw the circle here."
He drew a nice big circle on the kitchen floor. Bubble put his green

13
gooseberry in the middle, and splashed it with dew. " I took the gooseberry
off Once-a-Day's biggest bush," he said. " He was out shopping, Now we'd
better dance round and sing the magic song, Squeak." So they danced
solemnly round the chalk ring, singing loudly:

" Gooseberry green, gooseberry round,

Gooseberry lying upon the ground,
I don't want your berry, so go away, please,
And leave me, yes, leave me, one of your geese!”

They had to alter the last line a little bit, but it didn't seem to matter— for,
as they stopped singing, a strange change came over the gooseberry. It
turned a grey-white. It grew feathers. It grew legs. It grew a head on a long
neck! Lo and behold, the berry vanished and a big grey goose was there
instead. How marvellous!
" Oooh! Look at that! " cried the two brownies, jumping up and
down in excitement. " A goose of our own! A fine grey goose!”

14
 " Ss-ss-ss-ss! Cackle, cackle, cackle! " said the goose and walked out
of the chalk circle. It went up to Squeak and pecked him hard on the leg.
" Oooh! Don't! " said Squeak, and rubbed his leg. " I say, Bubble, we
forgot to have a loop of string ready to put round the goose's neck.
Where is there a piece? "
" I'll get it," said Bubble. " Ow! Get away, goose! Don't peck me in
the back like that! Ow! "
The goose had given Bubble a few hard pecks. " Ss-ss-ss-ss, cackle,
cackle, cackle! " it said.
Bubble ran to the string-tin, and got out a big piece of string. He
made one end into a loop and went to the goose.
But the goose wasn't going to have string round its neck! No, no— it
was going to have a fine time on its own! It pecked Bubble's hand so hard
that Bubble dropped the string and began to cry.
The goose waddled into the larder and had a look round. There was a
meat-pie there. The goose took a
good peck at it, and liked the taste
very much. Before the brownies
knew what was happening, the pie
went down the goose's throat and
it cackled in delight. That tasted
good! It looked round for
something else.
"Bubble! Look! The goose is
eating all our food! " shouted
Squeak. " Stop it, stop it! "
" Stop it yourself," wept
Bubble, holding his pecked hand. "
It is a perfectly horrid goose." The
goose ate three apples, a jam tart, a
cherry cake, and two lettuces.
Then it pecked a big hole in a loaf
of bread.
" Come out, come out! "
shouted Squeak, smacking the
goose with a broom.

15
 The goose took the broom in its strong beak and cracked the handle
in half!
" Oooh! There's our best broom gone! " said Bubble in dismay. '''
Ow! It's pecked me on the nose, it's pecked me on the nose! '
" Shoo it outside! " said Squeak. " It's the nastiest bird I ever saw. I
wish we hadn't made it now."
" Shoo, shoo, shoo! " shouted Bubble. But the goose wouldn't be
shooed! It wandered round the kitchen and pecked at everything it saw. It
pecked down the pretty blue curtains. It pecked holes in the carpet. It
pecked at a coat of Bubble's which was hanging on a chair, and tore a
sleeve right out!
" Oh! You wicked creature! " yelled Bubble in dismay. " That's my
Sunday coat. Look what you've done ! '
" Ss-ss-ss-ss! " hissed the goose. " Cackle, cackle, cackle! ' It was
having a fine time.
" Bubble, we can't keep this goose if it's going to behave like this,"
said Squeak in despair. " Do help me to shoo it outside."
So the two brownies tried to shoo the bird out again—but all it did
was to peck sharply at them, and very soon it seemed as if the goose were
shooing the brownies, and not the brownies shooing the goose! They ran
out of doors. The goose followed them, pecking away at their legs and
back. They ran down the path and out into the road, crying.
" Shut the gate, Squeak, shut the gate! " yelled Bubble. So Squeak
banged the gate.
" Now you just stay there, you horrid bird," said Squeak. " We are
going to find some one to fetch you away. We won't keep you! We'll sell
you! "
;
' Ss-ss-ss-ss, cackle, cackle, cackle! " said the goose, sounding just
as if it were laughing at the brownies. It flew to the top of the gate, flapped
its great wings, and then flew down into the road. It hurried after the
brownies.
" Oooh! It's after us! " cried Bubble. " Run, Squeak, run! "
Well, that goose chased them up the hill. It chased them over the
common—and it drove them right into Wizard Once-a-Day's garden! And
there was Once-a-Day, grinning all over his clever face!
" I was waiting for you," he said to the frightened brownies. " I saw

16
 you steal that gooseberry, Bubble. I hadn't
gone to market as you thought. I knew if you
made a magic goose you wouldn't be able to
manage it, and it would bring you back to me!
Well, have you had a nice time with the goose? ':
" No," wept the two brownies. " We are
very sorry we used one of your magic
gooseberries, Once-a-Day. We hope you won't
punish us."
" Oh no," said Once-a-Day, " I don't mind a
bit. You can go home—but take your goose with
you! '
" Take the goose! " cried Bubble. " Oh no,
Once-a-Day, don't make us take the goose! It
pecks us to pieces! '
" Well, I don't want a goose that somebody
else has made," said Once-a-Day.
" Please, please have it," begged the
brownies, falling down on their knees. " Oh,
please, Once-a-Day."
" Now just listen to me, Bubble and
Squeak," said the wizard, suddenly very stern. " I know all about you
two cunning little creatures and your tricks. I'll keep the goose—but if I
hear that you have been sly or mean or dishonest in ANY way—I'll send
the goose down to your cottage. Do you understand? ':
' Y-y-yes," stammered the brownies, going very red indeed.
"Then go," said Once-a-Day, " and I'll keep the goose, just as long as
you keep your promise! If you forget it I'll forget the goose—and it will
come running down to peck your fat legs! "
Off went the two sorry little brownies—and so far as I know the
goose hasn't been back to their cottage, so I expect they must be remem-
bering to keep their promise. I didn't know there was such goose-magic in
gooseberries, did you? But I'm glad I know why they have such a funny
name!

17
 THERE was once a most inquisitive little mouse called Woffles. He
poked his sharp nose into everything, and knew everyone's business. He
had a long thin tail, and the finest whiskers of his family. They spread out
on each side of his face and gave him a very knowing look indeed.
Woffles was proud of his whiskers. He twitched them about when he
spoke, and everyone noticed them and said: " Oh, Woffles, how fine your
whiskers are! ' Then he felt pleased.
One night Woffles looked out of his window and saw a bright light in
the garden next door. Mr. Tailer, a large vole, lived there. Woffles won-
dered what he could be doing in the garden so late at night, and he felt very
curious. He really must go and see!
Mr. Tailer was simply lighting a bonfire to burn his rubbish, that was
all. He had turned out a lot of old boxes and papers and he wanted to burn
them. The bonfire wouldn't light properly, for it had been raining and the
pile of rubbish was wet—so Mr. Tailer went indoors to get some paraffin
to throw on the heap. Then it would flare up and soon burn away.
Woffles crept out of his back door, climbed over the fence and ran to
the rubbish-heap, where he could see a little flame trying to lick up the
rubbish.
"I wonder what old Mr. Tailer is burning!" thought Woffles to himself.
" Perhaps there is a box here that would do to keep my firewood in."

18
 He began to scrape about
busily in the pile, and he didn't hear
Mr. Tailer coming back with a tin of
paraffin. Mr. Tailer threw some
paraffin on the heap, the little flame
caught it and it all flared up in a rush,
startling Woffles almost out of his
wits!
He rushed off, jumped over the
fence and ran indoors, very much
frightened. And then he had another
dreadful shock—for when he looked at himself in the glass, oh dear me!
His beautiful long whiskers had all been burnt off when the fire flamed up!
Woffles stared at himself in horror.
" My whiskers! " he said, in a frightened whisper. " My beautiful,
beautiful whiskers! They are gone! Oh, how dreadful I look! Oh, what will
people say! How they will laugh at me! Oh, why did I poke my nose into
old Tailer's rubbish-heap? What a terrible thing to happen to me! "
Poor Woffles didn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his
small bed and wondered what to do. At last he made up his mind that he
would tie up his face in a handkerchief, to hide that he had lost his
whiskers, and then he would see if he couldn't get some from somebody.
Perhaps Dame Longnose could get him some. She was very clever indeed.
So the next day everyone was most astonished to see Woffles with
his face tied up in a handkerchief. They felt sure he had the tooth-ache and
they were very sorry for him.
" Poor Woffles! " said Mrs. Rabbit. " Come along to my burrow to-
night when my husband is at home. He will pull out any tooth that is
aching."
" Oh, no thank you! " said Woffles, and ran off in a hurry. He didn't
want people to start pulling his teeth out! It was quite bad enough to have
lost his whiskers without losing his teeth too!
He thought he would go and visit Dame Longnose. So he packed up
a bag and off he went. That night he arrived at the Dame's cottage and she
let him in, surprised to see the little mouse so late at night.

19
 " Dame Longnose, I've lost my whiskers," said Woffles. " Could you
get me some new ones ? "
" I might take a few from my cat," said Dame Longnose. " But you'll
have to work for me for a week if you want new whiskers."
" Very well," said Woffles, with a sigh. He felt sure that Dame Long-
nose would work him very hard indeed. And she did\ He had to be up early
every morning and light the fire. Then he had to clean the cottage, and
when that was done he had to go and chop firewood for an hour. All the
time he tried to keep out of the way of the old dame's cat, who lay dozing
in a warm basket by the fire. Luckily for Woffles the dame fed her cat very
well indeed and he was not very much interested in mice.
One night, when Woffles was sleeping peacefully under the mangle
in the scullery, he heard the cat hissing and spitting at Dame Longnose.
Then he heard a smack, and then more hissing and spitting. He trembled
and wondered what the matter was.
It was the old dame asking her cat for some of his fine whiskers for
Woffles the mouse. Woffles
had done a week's work and the
witch meant to pay him the next
day by giving him six of her cat's
big white whiskers. But the cat was
angry about it and hissed and spat
whenever the old dame cut one off
—though he could well spare a few
for he had a most magnificent set
ttK of whiskers, really far too
thick.
The old woman took the six
whiskers and put them into a box,
ready for the morning. Then she
went to her bed, lay down, and
soon began to snore. The cat felt
very angry.
" To think that my fine whis-
kers should go to a miserable little
mouse! " he raged, as he walked up
and down the kitchen like a

20
 tiger. "I won't have it! No, I won't! Where is that mouse? I'll go and
tell him what I think of him! '
He went into the scullery and smelt the mouse under the mangle. He
put a paw there and tried to get the frightened mouse out. " Oho! So it's
you that my mistress has taken my whiskers for! " hissed the cat. “You
nasty, creeping little creature! How dare you come here and ask for my
whiskers? "
" I d-d-d-didn't," said the mouse, trembling. '* Dame Longnose
offered them to me for a week's work."
" Well, as soon as I see you wearing my whiskers, I shall eat you
up," said the cat, fiercely. " I shall get my whiskers back that way! Ho ho!
What a joke! All right, mouse, you may wear my whiskers to-morrow—
but remember—I shall have you for my dinner, as sure as I can lap milk! '
With that the cat went back to the kitchen, feeling pleased with him-
self. As for Woffles he was in a terrible way. He wanted those whiskers—
but he didn't want to be the cat's dinner! Oh no, that would be dreadful.
" I'd better run away whilst I've got the chance," thought poor
Woffles. " I daren't stay here now. The cat is so angry because I'm to have
some of his whiskers. Well, I must just go without them, that's all! '
He waited until he thought the cat was fast asleep, then he went to
the door, slipped under it and ran for his life. His face was still tied up in
his handkerchief, for he had not untied it all the week. He still felt so
ashamed of not having any whiskers.
He took his little bag with him, but he didn't want to go home.
People would be so surprised to see him with his face still tied up. He hid
in a ditch until the morning came and then he set out on his way again.
Presently he met a hedgehog, who shouted good morning to him.
" Where are you going? " he asked.
" I want to buy some new whiskers somewhere," said Woffles. " Do
you know where I can get some ? "
" Well, why not try a toy-shop? " said the prickly hedgehog. *' You
know, toy rabbits, cats and dogs all have whiskers, so I daresay if you went
to a toy-shop you could get some fine ones there quite cheaply."
" Oh thank you! That's a splendid idea! " said Woffles gratefully,
wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. He hurried on until he came
to a small village and then he looked for a toy-shop. He found one

21
 and went inside. The doorbell
rang and a queer little gnome
popped up above the counter.
" What do you want? " he
asked.
" Have you any whiskers for
sale? " asked Woffles. " I've lost
mine and I want some new ones."
" Certainly! " said the gnome,
and he took down a box from a
shelf. " Come and look! I've all
kinds, all colours and all lengths!"
Woffles was delighted. He sat
on a chair by the counter and
looked eagerly at the box. What
wonderful whiskers there were
there! Long stiff black ones, bright
red ones, small soft white ones,
deep blue ones—oh, every kind you
can imagine!
" How much are they? " asked Woffles, feeling for his small purse.
" Sixpence a set," said the gnome.
" Oh dear! How expensive! " sighed Woffles, who only had six
pennies in his purse, and didn't want to part with all his money at once. "
Well, I suppose I must have a set. Here is the money."
He put his six brown pennies down on the counter and the gnome
took them at once. " Which set of whiskers will you have? " he asked.
" I think—I think I'll have those nice long, bright red ones! " said
Woffles, thinking how grand he would look with such bright whiskers. The
gnome took them out of the box and put them on the counter. Then he put
away the box and took down from another shelf a round work-basket. He
took up a big darning needle and threaded one of the whiskers through the
eye-hole. Woffles looked at him in alarm.
" What is the needle for? " he asked.
' To sew on your whiskers, of course! " said the gnome, impatiently.
" What do you think? I always sew on these whiskers for my customers.

22
 They can't do it themselves. I sewed on two sets yesterday—one on a
toy cat and the other set on a velvet lion. They looked fine, I can tell you!
Now, take off that handkerchief you've got wound round your head, and I'll
just sew these whiskers on neatly for you/'
" B-b-b-b-but it will hurt m-m-m-me! " said Woffles, in a fright. "
Can't you stick them on! '
" No good at all," said the gnome. " Stuck-on whiskers always come
off. Sewing is the only thing for whiskers. Please hurry up and take off that
handkerchief. I'm busy to-day! '
" No," said Woffles, firmly. " No. I'm not going to have that great
needle sticking into me, sewing on those whiskers. Give me back my
money, please. I won't buy whiskers that have to be sewn on."
" You certainly won't have your money back! " said the gnome
crossly. '' What, after all the trouble I've taken, you say you're not going to
have those lovely whiskers. I never heard of such a thing! Come along now
—I'm ready to sew on the whiskers at once! '
He suddenly came round the counter and made a dash at Woffles.

23
 The mouse was frightened and
jumped off the stool at once. When
he saw the big needle shining in the
gnome's horny hand he gave a shriek
and fled out of the door. He ran until
he had no breath left and then he hid
himself under a bush.
" I've left all my six pennies
behind! " he wept. "And I've still got
no whiskers. Oh, what an unfortunate
creature I am!"
Someone passing by heard him
crying and stopped to peep under the
bush. It was an old witch. She had
kindly eyes and a smiling mouth, for she was a good witch. She was sorry
to see such a heartbroken little mouse.
Woffles told her all his troubles. She listened very kindly, and then
she patted his small head.
" Come home with me and help me with my spells for two weeks,"
she said. " Then I will make you some fine whiskers and put them on by
magic so that they won't hurt a bit."
Woffles was delighted. He went happily home with the witch and
was soon busily helping her with her spells. How he worked! He chanted
magic songs. He stood inside hundreds of magic chalk circles whilst the
witch made spells. He stirred magic potions until his paws ached and felt
as if they would drop off. He hunted for magic herbs from morning till
night and grew quite thin with all his hard work.
When the end of the two weeks came the witch smiled at him. " You
have done well, Woffles," she said. " Now I will make your new whiskers
for you. Come and see me."
Woffles watched her. First she poured a little moonlight into a cup.
Then she took a peacock's feather and cut tiny pieces off it. She put them
into the cup too. Then she asked a spider to spin webs across the cup. After
that she turned the whole thing upside down, chanted a few queer magic
words and turned the cup the right way up. The web, the moonlight and the
bits of feather were all gone. Inside the cup was a set of wonderful blue
whiskers, just the right size for Woffles!

24
 " Take off your handkerchief and let me put them on for you," said the
witch. " It won't hurt a bit."
Joyfully Woffles unwound his handkerchief and turned his little brown
face to the witch. She stared at him. Then she stared even harder. Then she
began to laugh. Woffles couldn't understand it. What was the joke?
" Oh Woffles! " said the witch.
" You don't want any whiskers after all! Go and look at yourself in the
glass."
He ran to the glass on the wall and peered in—and to his great
astonishment he saw that he had a very fine set of whiskers indeed—just
like his old ones! He stared and stared—where had they come from?

25
 " Oh Woffles, you silly little mouse, your burnt-off whiskers have
grown again! " said the witch and she laughed till she cried. ' To think
you've worked for a week for old Dame Longnose, and given that toyshop
gnome six pennies, and worked for me for a fortnight for new whiskers—
and all the time you didn't need them because you had a lovely new set
growing under your handkerchief. Ho ho ho! '
Woffles was glad, and yet he was sorry. What a lot of work he had
done for nothing! How people would laugh when they heard about his
whiskers! What a foolish fellow he had been!
" It's no use my giving you these whiskers now," said the witch,
throwing them into the fire. :' But let me give you a piece of advice instead,
Woffles. Don't go poking that sharp little nose of yours into other people's
business! Then your fine new whiskers will be safe! "
" Thank you," said Woffles, humbly, and he ran off home with his
bag. Everyone was delighted to see him again—but he didn't say a word
about his adventures. No—he was much too ashamed of himself.
" I'll keep my nose to myself in future! " he said to himself—and, as
he has still got his very fine whiskers, I expect he has kept his word!

26
 The Greedy Little Sparrow
FEATHERS was a greedy little brown sparrow who was always first on the bird-
table and last to go. How he loved the soaked dog-biscuits, the potatoes in their
jackets, and the scrapings of milk pudding that Hilda and Fred put out every
morning!
He wished he could keep all the other birds away from the table so that he
might have even more to eat. But how could he do that ?
" I know! " he said at last. " I'll say that the black cat is about. Then the
others will be careful and I shall be able to eat all I want to."
So the next morning, when Hilda and Fred put food on their bird-table,
Feathers began to chirrup loudly to the others.
"Be careful! Be careful! Chirrup! Chirrup! The cat's about! Chirrup! She's
hiding under a bush! I saw her! Chirrup 5 She is waiting for us to go on the bird-
table and then she will POUNCE! Chirrup! "
All the birds heard this warning cry and stayed quietly in the bushes and on
the gutter. Every one was afraid of the cat. No one wanted to be caught by Nigger,
whose sharp claws could strike down even a big bird like Glossy the blackbird.
" I'll fly down to the bird-table and see if Nigger is anywhere about still! "
chirruped Feathers, very soon. " Keep where you are, everybody! I'll fly down! "
He flew down—and in a trice was pecking hard at the bread-crumbs there. "
Chirrup! " he called to the others. " Be careful! I think I can see the cat under the
lilac bush! I'll tell you when she goes! '

27
 Feathers had another good peck at the food, pretending to keep a
watch for the cat every new and again. The other birds watched him
hungrily—but not one ventured to fly down. They were dreadfully afraid
of Nigger the cat.
Then the starling, who had been sitting on the chimney-top warming
his toes, suddenly gave a splutter. " Why! There's Nigger in the next-door
garden! She can't be hiding under the lilac bush! '
Sure enough, when the birds looked, there was Nigger peacefully
lying in the next garden, asleep in the sun. One by one the birds flew down
to the table and were soon enjoying a good meal. But Feathers had taken
all the best titbits, you may be sure.
The next day Feathers went on with his trick. As soon as Hilda and
Fred had filled the bird-table with scraps, and the birds had flown down to
them, Feathers, who was sitting on the gutter, gave a loud chirrup.
" Chirrup! Chirrup! Fly away quickly! I can see a tabby-cat round by
that tub! He's watching you all! He's going to pounce! Chirrup! '
With a flutter of wings and squawks of fright all the sparrows, chaf-
finches, starlings, and thrushes flew off
the bird-table. Some went to the
bushes, some flew to the roof, and
others were so frightened that they
flew to the fields. Feathers was
pleased. He flew down to the bird-table
at once and called to the others:
" I'll keep my eye on that tabby-
cat! I can see him from here! I'll tell
you when he's gone! Oh, you bad cat, I
can see you, yes, I can see you!
Chirrup, chirrup." " Isn't Feathers
brave? " said a little chaffinch with a
bright pink chest.
" He's wonderful the way he sees
any hiding cat," said a cock-Sparrow.

28
 " And it's very plucky of him to wait on the table and tell us when the
cat is gone," said a gleaming starling. " That cat might easily pounce on
him."
Feathers heard what everyone was saying and he chirruped in delight
to himself. He was doing something very mean—and here were the others
praising him and thinking him such a fine, brave fellow.
" I'm clever, I am," thought Feathers. " They're all stupid. I'm the
only clever one. See how easily I am tricking them! I keep them all away
from the food till I've taken the best."
He pecked away busily, pretending to keep an eye on the cat all the
time. Then, when he had eaten all the best scraps, he chirruped to the
others: " You can come down to the table safely now, for the cat has gone.
I saw him slink away. He's afraid of me \ '
The birds flew down and fed. They were very polite to Feathers, for
they all thought he was a charming and helpful fellow.
The next day Feathers spied some cake-crumbs in the next-door-but-
one-garden. He loved these, for they were sweet. The children had eaten
their tea in the garden and had left a great many cake-crumbs about.
Feathers was pleased.
" Nobody else seems to have seen them," said Feathers to himself. "
That's lucky. I shan't share them with anyone. I'll just fly down and get
them."
As he was about to fly down, a small hen-sparrow chirruped to him
from the roof:

29
 " Feathers! Feathers! Be care-
ful! There is a big Persian cat in the
garden! Don't go down for those cake-
crumbs! '
" Oho! " said Feathers to him-
self, with a quick look round. " So
there is another sparrow who is
playing my trick and pretending there
are cats about so that she can get the
crumbs herself! No, no, little hen-
sparrow—you can't trick me like that.
I'm too clever."
He flew down to the crumbs
and began to peck them up. The little
-^hen-sparrow on the roof hopped up
and down in the greatest •excitement
and fear. " Feathers! The cat is there!
Come back, come back! Eat the
crumbs later when the cat is gone! '
Feathers took no notice. He
went on pecking up the crumbs, which
were really delicious. That little hen-
sparrow could be as clever as she liked
—be wasn't going to take any notice.
But the hen-sparrow was not
being clever—she was being kind. The cat really was there! And suddenly poor
Feathers knew it, for there came a soft rustle—and the Persian cat pounced on the
greedy little sparrow.
It would have been the end of Feathers if the little hen-sparrow on the roof
hadn't made such a noise. Lucy, the little girl that the cat belonged to, heard the
noise and came running out. She made the cat let Feathers go— and he flew off
with a broken leg and no feathers in his tail.
Poor Feathers! It was a dreadful punishment for greediness and
untruthfulness. He thought he was so clever—but he wasn't even clever enough to
know that it is foolish to be greedy and to tell untruths.
If you see a little sparrow with a rather short tail and one limping foot, have
a look at him. It's sure to be Feathers.

30
 The Funny Old Dragon
ONE wintry morning James had the biggest surprise of his life! He
was going across
the field-path on a. misty day when he heard something snorting in
the field over the hedge.
" I wonder what it is," he said, and he peeped to see. And, good
gracious me, in the next field was a dragon! Yes, a dragon, just like you
see in a story-book, with a long spiky tail and four clawed feet!
James was so astonished that he stared and stared and stared. The
dragon saw him and nodded to him.
" Good-day," he said, in a mournful voice. " I'm looking for work.
Can you tell me of any? ':
" Well," said James, still more surprised to hear the dragon's strange,
husky voice. " I'm afraid I don't know of any work a dragon can do. How
did you come here? I didn't know there were any dragons at all nowadays."
" There shouldn't be, really," said the dragon. " But somehow I grew,
though I know I'm dreadfully out of date and useless. Nobody wants a
dragon nowadays, not even to fight with. So I left the place where I lived
and came out to look for work. I'm very unhappy, really."
James squeezed through the hedge. He was sorry for the dragon, who
had very large, soft brown eyes. He took a good look at him.
" Well, I should think you'd better keep yourself hidden," he said. "
It's not likely anyone would be frightened of you nowadays, but you might
be caught and put into the Zoo in a great big cage, like the lions and tigers
and bears—and you might not like that! '

31
 " Oh no, I shouldn't! " said the dragon in alarm. " Couldn't you take
me home with you and let me be your pet? I've a very sweet, loving nature,
really."
" No, I don't think my mother would like a dragon on the rug in front
of the fire," said James. " In fact, I'm sure she wouldn't. And Daddy would
say you smelt."
" Smelt! " said the dragon, offended. " Do I smell? What do I smell
of? "
" You smell of smoke," said James, sniffing.
" Ah, that's because I can breathe out fire and smoke just like the old
dragons could in the fairy-tales! " said the dragon. " Watch! "
James watched. The dragon breathed out a lot of smoke from his
nose and mouth, and a long red flame spurted out too. The dragon looked
proudly at James.
" What do you think of that ? " he said. " A good trick, isn't it? "
" My goodness! " said James, " you'd be useful to Daddy when he
lights bonfires! A puff of your flame and smoke and any bonfire would go
well! I wish I could do that! '
"Listen, boy! " said the dragon excitedly. "Couldn't I help with
people's bonfires? I could hide in a chimney in the daytime somewhere,
and then my breath coming out at the top would look like chimney smoke
—but at night I could creep out and go all round puffing at people's bon-
fires and making them burn well. I should love that. That would be a real
good piece of work for me to do! '
" Well, if I let you do that, will you teach me how to breathe out fire
and smoke just like you do? " asked James longingly.
:
' Of course! " said the dragon. So they shook hands solemnly, and
James managed to take the dragon to his house by the side-door, get him
into the study, and stuff him up the chimney without anyone seeing.
The dragon was long, but not fat, so he was quite all right in the
chimney. His breath shot out at the top, and no one thought it was anything
else but ordinary chimney smoke.
That night James gave him a tug and he slid neatly down and slipped
out into the garden. He went to the bonfire that James's Daddy had tried to
light. There had been a shower of rain and the bonfire was almost out.
" Puff! Fffffffff! Puff!" went the dragon busily, blowing out smoke

32
 and flames. The bonfire flared up at once and the rubbish began to
burn merrily. The dragon laughed and so did James. This was fun!
" Where's the next bonfire? " asked the dragon. " I don't feel useless
and out of date any more, James. I am enjoying myself! '
Well, the old dragon got everybody's bonfire burning very well
indeed, and James knew that all the gardeners and Daddies would be
simply delighted the next day. And he would be the only one that knew the
secret! James felt rather grand.
" Teach me how to breathe fire and smoke, please, dragon," he said.
“You promised you would." So the dragon gave him his first lesson. My
goodness, it was most exciting, I can tell you! James was able to breathe
out just a little bit of blue smoke at the end of his first lesson.
" Hoo! " said James, " won't I make the boys stare at school! My
word, no one will dare to be rude to me or punch me when I can breathe
out fire and smoke! I shall have fun! "

33
 The dragon went back to his chimney after that and James crept into
bed. Every night they went out together, and soon they were very fond of
one another indeed. The dragon was the kindest-hearted creature, very fond
of a joke, and James did wish he could build him a large kennel and have
him for a pet. But somehow he felt sure people wouldn't like it.
“ I'm very happy now," the dragon told James. " I have good work to
do—and I have a friend. That is all I want. Be sure to let me know, dear
James, whenever any of your friends want their bonfires kept burning in
the night, and you may be sure I will go and do what I can for them."
So if your Daddy can't get his bonfire to burn well, send me a card
for James, and I'm sure he'll arrange things for you. And if you meet a boy
who can breathe fire and smoke out of his mouth and nose, you'll know
who he is—it will be James, the only boy in the kingdom who keeps a
dragon up the chimney!

34
 A Novel Easter Card

HAVE you any little brothers or sisters you would like to make this
Easter card for? Make it for one of them, and they will love it.
Get some cardboard and cut it as I have shown you in Picture!. Now
we want the plank for the seesaw. That is easy. Just cut a strip of stiff
coloured paper or thin cardboard, and
fasten it to your Picture i cardboard
stand, with a paper fastener. Mother
will show you how to do that if you
don't know how to.
Now we have the stand and the
seesaw as you will see in Picture 2.
We will have an Easter rabbit
and an Easter chicken having a seesaw,
shall we? Draw and cut out a little
yellow chick and a small rabbit. Paste
them on the ends of your seesaw
plank. Now you can move the plank up
and down, and the rabbit and the
chicken will have a seesaw! What a
lovely Easter card!

You can make Christmas cards

like this, too, of course, with little
Father Christmases on each end. Your
friends will like them very much.

35
36
37
 ONCE there was a sugar pig who was hung up on a Christmas-tree, with a
great many other toys and ornaments. He was quite happy there until the little black
doll next to him began to talk.
" Hallo, there, sugar pig! You'd better be careful when the candles are
lighted on this tree. That one just below you will melt you, as sure as anything! '
The sugar pig looked down below him in alarm. Sure enough, there was a
green candle just beneath him. Goodness, he would certainly melt when that was
lighted!
It was a horrid thought for the little sugar pig. He spoke anxiously to the
black doll. " Can you reach up and untie the bit of string that binds me to this
branch? I must get away from this candle."
The black doll could just reach, and very soon the sugar pig was free. He
slipped down from branch to branch until he came to the floor. His legs were stiff,
but he soon managed to make them run.
" I shall run right away from this horrid place," said the sugar pig to himself.
So he ran out of the room. But almost at once he met the big tabby-cat who lived in
the house, and she shot after him.
“
Come here, pink mouse! " she mewed. " I'd like to have you for dinner!"

38
 The sugar pig fled into a
mouse-hole, and when he was sure
he was safe he poked his pink snout
out in a rage. " Hie, you cat! " he
squeaked, " I'm a pig, not a mouse.
I'm a pink sugar pig!"
" Better still!" said the cat,
and tried to scoop him from the
hole with her paw. " I love sugar
animals! '
The sugar pig ran down the
hole and soon came to a bigger hole
leading into the kitchen. He fl
peeped out. No one was about. He
ran out and looked for a safe place
to hide.
But just then Bobby, the
brown dog, came sniffing into the
kitchen. He had smelt that sugar
pig, and had come to find him. He
soon saw him and scampered after him.
" Come here, pink mouse! I'll have you for my dinner! '
The sugar pig ran out of the door in a fright. The wind banged the
door after him and shut the dog into the kitchen. The pig was safe! How
pleased he was!

" The big world seems just as dangerous as the Christmas-tree! " he
said to himself as he wandered down the garden path. " Oh! Ooooh!
Eeeeeee! "
No wonder he squealed! A big blackbird had spied him running
down the path and had come to peck him, thinking he was a large pink
caterpillar!
" Come here, pink caterpillar! I'd like you for my dinner! " said the
blackbird. "Peck, peck!"
He dug two sugary bits out of the poor sugar pig and liked them very
much. If the sugar pig hadn't run under the hen-house, he would have been
pecked to bits!
But, dear me, that is what very nearly did happen to him the minute

39
 after! For the hens Found him
under their house, and how they
chased him to peck him!
" Come here, pink spider! '
they clucked. " We'd like you for
our dinner! "

" I'm not a spider, nor a cater-

pillar, nor a mouse! " squealed the
sugar pig. " Leave me alone. I'm
just a little sugar pig! "
He ran out of the hen-yard
and hurried down a path. And there
something nearly ran him over! It
was a small girl on a tricycle.
When she saw
the pink pig
lying on his side, all the breath knocked out of
his fat sugary body, she was most surprised.
She got off her tricycle and picked him up.
" Why, it's a pink sugar pig," she said. " How did
you come to be here, sugar pig? ':
" Oh, I escaped from a very dangerous
place, little girl," panted the sugar pig. " And first
a cat wanted me for her dinner, and I escaped
down a mouse-hole. Then a dog wanted to eat
me, and I ran into the yard. Then a blackbird
wanted to gobble me up, and I hid under the hen-
house—and then the hens tried to peck me to
bits. Oh, I tell you I've had a very dangerous and
worrying time."
" Poor little sugar pig," said the little girl. "
I should think you would like to be put into some
safe place, wouldn't you? "
" Yes, I would," said the pink pig.

40
 " Well, I'll take you indoors to my mother," said the little girl. " She will
know what to do with you."
So she took the sugar pig indoors and told her mother all about him.
" What a queer story! " said Mother. " I know a very safe place to put him,
so don't worry, darling." She picked up the little sugar pig and took him into
another room. And there stood the big Christmas-tree.
" I'll put him on this tree," said Mother. " He will be quite safe there." So
she tied him to a branch with a bit of string and left him.
And will you believe it, when the pink sugar pig looked around him, he
saw the little black doll nearby and the green candle just below him!
" Ho, ho! " said the black doll. " So you've come back again, have you!
Well, well, well! "
But the sugar pig needn't worry! Nobody will let the candles burn the
toys, and he will be quite safe. He had had all his adventures for nothing.
" I'm back where I started!" squealed the sugar pig. " But here I'm staying
now, so don't you say another word to me, black doll! '
And there he is still, unless the children have had the Christmas-tree.
Where do you suppose he will be if they have had it?

41
 Little Mr. Woffles
BESSIE and Tom were playing ball as they went along through the
wood. They had been to take some eggs to Mrs. Brown, and now they
were going home to dinner. They threw the ball from one to the other,
and tried to see how many times they could catch it without dropping.
Suddenly Bessie threw rather a high ball and it hit a tree-trunk,
bounced up in the air, fell against a branch and disappeared into the
middle of the tree.
" Bother! " cried Tom. " Now it's fallen down a hollow tree. You
are a silly, Bessie!
" Sorry! " said Bessie. " But can't you climb up and get the ball,
Tom? I expect it's quite easy to reach if you can climb up to that first
branch there."
Tom climbed up, but the branch swung down and he was afraid
it would break with his heavy weight.

42
 " I'm much lighter than you! " called Bessie. " Come down, Tom,
and let me climb up! I'm good at climbing."
So down Tom came and pushed Bessie up on the branch. She swung
herself up it and came to the tree-trunk. She looked down and saw that the
tree was hollow inside. The ball rested on a little ledge of bark just inside
the tree. Bessie was sure she could reach it. She swung her legs down into
the middle of the tree, and groped about for the ball.
Then, to her great surprise, she heard a cross voice say: " Who's this?
What are you kicking me on the head for? ':
Bessie was so astonished that she lost her balance and fell right into
the tree. Tom saw her fall and cried out to her.
" Bessie! Have you hurt yourself? "
But there was no answer. No answer at all! Tom was frightened and
shouted again,
" Bessie! Are you hurt? "
Nobody answered. Tom listened, and the only thing he thought he
heard was something that sounded rather like a far-away chuckle. But who
could be laughing?
" I must climb up and see what has happened to Bessie," he thought.
So up he went. He climbed carefully along the branch, hoping it wouldn't
break. It held him and he came to the hollow trunk. He peeped down,
expecting to see Bessie there—but the tree was empty! Nobody was there
at all.
" Well, what's happened? " said Tom, in astonishment and alarm. "
Bessie slipped down there—and now she's gone! There's no way out of the
tree except above, and I know she didn't climb up again. Wherever can she
be? *
There was nothing for it but to climb down into the hollow tree
himself. It was a big tree, and there was plenty of room inside it. Tom
slipped down and felt round it. To his great surprise he found a little bench
set all round the tree! Then he saw a tiny cupboard high up, and found a
little flap against the trunk, which, when set up, made a tiny table!
" Goodness! " said Tom, in surprise. " Someone has been using this
tree as a house to live in! I wonder who it was! And have they taken Bessie
away? If they have, I must follow her and rescue her. But where can she
have gone? ':
He looked everywhere in the tree but he couldn't find a door of any

43
 sort. At last he looked down at his feet. There he saw what might- be
a little trap-door. He pulled at it and it opened up. Below he saw a flight of
steps going down into the earth.
" Well! " said Tom, more and more astonished. " Of all the strange
things! I'll go down."
So down he went into the darkness. He had to feel his way along, for
it really was pitch dark. Then he suddenly remembered that he had his little
torch in his pocket, so he took it out and switched it on. Good! Now he
could see where he was going!
The steps went down for a long way. Then at last he came to level
ground. The passage was narrow and winding. Soon it opened out and then
came to a stop before two doors. Each door had a brass plate on it and by
the light of his torch Tom read the names.
One brass plate shone very brightly, and the name on it said " Mr.
WOFFLES." The other plate was not quite so shiny, and said " Mr.
GREENEYES GOBLIN."

44
 Tom knocked at the door belonging to Mr. Woffles. A voice cried
out at once.
"Go away! Not to-day thank you! No lettuces wanted. No radishes
required! "
" I'm not selling anything! " called Tom.
" Then go away! " said the voice.
So Tom knocked at the next door, Mr. Greeneyes the Goblin's door.
No answer came. He knocked again. Still no answer. Tom opened the door
a little way and peeped inside. Nobody was there at all. There was a small
round room inside, very untidy. A lamp hung from the ceiling and gave a
dim light.
Suddenly Tom saw something blue on the floor and he picked it up
at once. He knew what it was—Bessie's little handkerchief! It had blue
butterflies worked all over it. So Bessie had been in Mr. Greeneyes
Goblin's room! But where was she now? There was no door out of the
room except the one that Tom had come in by. Where could Bessie be?
" Well, perhaps Bessie and Greeneyes the Goblin are in Mr. Woffles'
room," he thought at last. " That's about the only place they can be! '
So he knocked once more on Mr. Woffles' door.
" Not to-day thank you! " came the voice again.
But Tom was not going to be put off any longer. He flung open the
door and marched in. He quite expected to see two or three goblins there,
holding Bessie prisoner, so he marched in with a fierce glare, and stamped
his feet loudly.
" Ooh! Ooh! " squeaked a voice and Tom saw something dive under
a little bed standing in the corner of the room. He darted to the bed and
caught hold of a leg. He pulled out the owner—and to his great surprise
found that he was holding a small, shivering brown rabbit, whose nose
woffled up and down in terror.
The rabbit was dressed in blue trousers and a yellow coat and on his
nose were very big glasses that shook as his nose woffled. He was very,
very frightened.
" Ooh! " he kept saying. " Ooh! "
"Why, it's a rabbit! " said Tom, astonished. " Where's Mr. Woffles? "
" Ooh! " shivered the rabbit. " Ooh! I'm M-M-Mr. W-W-Woffles.
Let me go. I haven't done any harm."

45
 " I won't hurt you," said Tom, who was a kind-hearted boy, and very
fond of rabbits. " I just want to know if you have seen Greeneyes and my
sister."
" Ooh! " said the rabbit, with a squeak, sitting down in a small rock-
ing chair. "I haven't seen Greeneyes to-day, and I don't want to. Nasty, bad-
tempered creature! What do you want him for? Are you a friend of his ? "
" No," said Tom. " But I'm sure he's gone off with my sister Bessie,
and I want to rescue her."
" Well, I heard someone shouting out ' Help! ' next door," said Mr.
Woffles, taking off his spectacles and rubbing them well. " I expect he's
taken her to help his wife mind all their children. He's got fifteen boys and
girls, all green-eyed little goblins like himself, and his wife is always
asking him to get a nursemaid for her, but he can't. So I expect he's taken
your sister."
" But there's nobody next door at all," said Tom puzzled. " Anyway,

I shouldn't have thought fifteen children could have got into that little room! "

46
 " Oh, that's only his office where he does his work," said Mr.
Woffles. " He lives at the rainbow's end, a long way from here."
" How can I get there? " asked Tom.
" You can't get there if you don't know the way," said Mr. Woffles.
" Nobody can."
" But I must go there! " cried Tom. " Poor Bessie! I can't bear to
think of her alone and frightened among all those goblin children."
" Well, how will you get there? " asked the rabbit. " There's only one
person knows the way, and that's Mother Simple, who lives on Puff Hill."
" Would you take me to her? " asked Tom.
" Certainly, certainly," said Mr. Woffles, suddenly beaming all over
his furry little face. " I'd be delighted. Come on."
He pressed a green knob on the wall of his room- and a hole
appeared. Tom peeped down it. It looked steep, slippery and dark, and was
certainly not big enough to stand in.
" Have I got to crawl down there? " he asked.
" No, no! that's the slippery slide to the foot of Puff Hill," said Mr.
Woffles. " Come on. Pick up a mat from the floor and we'll slide down. It's
great fun if you don't knock your head against the roof."
Mr. Woffles picked up a mat from the floor, put it inside the hole, sat
on it and gave himself a push off. Away he went down into the darkness,
and Tom heard him saying " Ooooooooo! " as he went.
Then it was Tom's turn. He put his mat into the hole and sat down on
it. He pushed off and down he sped, faster and faster. He did hope he
wouldn't bang his head against the roof!
Here and there small candles shone in candlesticks that stuck out
from the wall. The slippery slide went down and down, faster and faster,
and Tom quite lost his breath! Then at last his mat began to slow down and
came to a stop just behind Mr. Woffles, who was getting off his mat. Tom's
feet stuck into him as his mat stopped.
“
Careful, careful! " said the rabbit, hopping off quickly. " Come on—
up this passage! '
Up they went and came to a door. The rabbit opened it and Tom saw

47
 that they were at the bottom of a hill. Nearby stood a row of big birch
brooms. Mr. Woffles went up to them and took one. He sat astride it.
" Come along! "' he called to Tom. " It's too hot to walk all the way
up Puff Hill. We'll fly! "
He smacked his broomstick and it rose up in the air. Tom took one
and did the same thing. Up he flew, and held on to his broomstick in
delight. But the ride was short, for they were soon at the top of the hill.
There Tom saw a small cottage, set in a very flowery garden. In it was an
old woman, watering her roses.
" Good morning, Mother Simple! " cried Mr. Woffles, landing just
beside her.
" Lawks-a-mussy, how you made me jump! " said Mother Simple, "
What do you want now, you mischievous little rabbit? ':
" Which is the way to the rainbow's end? " asked Mr. Woffles.
" Find the beginning of it, climb up, and slide down the other side,**
answered Mother Simple.
" Well, where's the beginning? " asked Mr. Woffles.
" Use your eyes! " said Mother Simple, and she pointed her watering
can to the left.
Tom and the rabbit looked, and they saw the shining arch of a
rainbow halfway down the other side of Puff Hill. They rushed down to it,
afraid it would disappear. When they got there Tom saw that steps were cut
in the shimmering rainbow. He felt sure they would not hold him, for the
rainbow looked such a delicate thing—but to his surprise he found that
although his feet shook the rainbow, it held him quite safely.
He and Mr. Woffles climbed up and up till they got to the top of the
rainbow. They were very high up, and Mother Simple's cottage looked
small and far-away when they looked down.
" Now for another slide! " said Mr. Woffles, and he sat down on the
rainbow. "Whoooooooooosh! " Away he went at a terrific speed. Tom slid
down after him. It was great fun. Bump! The two of them reached the
bottom and went head-over-heels at once!
They sat up and looked round. Tom saw a curious house in the dis-
tance, all higgledy-piggledy, looking as if it might fall down at any
moment. Playing round it was a crowd of little goblin children, all sizes,

48
 with bright green eyes and yellow shining hair. With them was—
yes, really—Bessie! Tom was delighted to see her again.
" Bessie, Bessie! "hecalled. " Cometome! I've come to rescue you!"
" Sh! You silly stupid boy! " said Mr. Woffles, fiercely. " Why did
you shout like that? You've warned the goblin and his wife that we're here
now. They'll rush off with Bessie before we can get there! '
And sure enough, that is just what they did! As soon as they heard
Tom's shouts, Mr. Greeneyes and his wife came rushing out of the house.
They caught hold of Bessie, whistled to the children who ran up at once,
and all of them bundled into a funny old car standing nearby. It was shaped
like a swan in front, and Tom wondered however the goblin could see to
guide it, for the swan's neck rose up just in front of the steering wheel!
Clatter-clatter-clank! Off went the car, and Tom and the rabbit were
left to stare at it.
' Now what can we do? " groaned Tom.
" Come on! Let's catch a train! " said the rabbit, clutching his arm. " I
can hear one coming."
" But where are the railway lines? " asked Tom, in surprise.
" There aren't any," said Mr. Woffles, impatiently. " Look, here
comes the train! '
Tom looked, and to his amazement he saw a large wooden engine
coming along, dragging behind it a row of red trucks. In the trucks were all
kinds of little folk and animals. The last truck was empty and Mr.

49
 Woffles ran to it with Tom close behind. They clambered in and sat
down.
The engine-driver looked round, and shouted to Mr. Woffles.
" Where do you want to go? "
" Follow Mr. Greeneyes! " yelled back the rabbit.
" Right! " said the engine-driver at once and drove his engine fast
after the clanking car of the goblin, which was now far away in the
distance.
" But what about all the other passengers? " asked Tom. " Don't they
want to go somewhere else? *
" Oh no," said Mr. Woffles. " They are only out for a ride. They
never know where the train will go to."
Things seemed very queer to Tom, and he hoped he would soon be
able to get Bessie and take her safely back home. The train went on and on,
bumping about over the stones, and shaking everybody up thoroughly. It
went faster than the goblin's car and soon everyone began to get excited.
" We're catching them up ! " they cried to Tom, and a small pixie
was so excited that he tumbled right out of his truck. The engine-driver
wouldn't wait for him to get in again, so he was left behind crying bitterly.
" We're catching them up! " yelled the engine-driver, and he made
his engine give a most piercing whistle.
" Oh look, the goblin is driving straight into that lake! " suddenly
cried Tom, in alarm, as he watched the car in front rushing straight towards
a big blue lake. " Oh, dear! Just look at that! They'll all be drowned! "
But they weren't, for the swan-shaped motor-car simply swam along
beautifully, and the goblin yelled and made rude faces at them.
To Tom's surprise, the engine-driver turned his engine towards the
lake and ran straight into it! But as the train was wooden, the engine and
the trucks floated very well, and nobody seemed to mind at all! Over the
lake they went, trying to catch up the swan-shaped car. It was really very
exciting.
Suddenly the swan-car spread out large white wings and flew up in
the air! Then everyone in the train began to groan, for the engine had no
wings. But a small pixie in the next truck but one climbed hurriedly into
Tom's truck and took two pairs of wings out of her bag.
" Let me fix them on you and the rabbit," she said. " They are quite
strong. You can fly after the swan then."

50
 In a trice Tom had wings on his back and so had the rabbit. Mr.
Woffles was so pleased. He had never had wings before. He spread them
and up in the air he went, as light as a feather. Tom followed him, crying
out in delight as his wings beat through the air. It was a wonderful feeling.
The goblin in the flying swan had no idea that Tom and Mr. Woffles
were flying after him. He didn't see them until Tom's head appeared over
the edge of the swan. Then he gave a shout of rage and nearly fell out. Tom
grabbed Bessie by the hand and took her out of her seat. He held her in his
arms and flew away with her as fast as he could. Mr. Woffles held on to
her feet in case she was too heavy. She was so surprised.
The goblin reached out after them, and overturned the swan! Then
out all the goblins fell, Mr. Greeneyes, Mrs. Greeneyes, and all the fifteen

51
 children. Splash S They fell into the big lake below, and Mr. Woffles
chuckled.
" That's the first bath they've had for a year! " he said. " Do them
good! Look at their swan-car, too—it's gone flying on without them! It will
probably fly to the moon and never come back again. They've lost it!"
" Oh, Tom, I'm so glad you've rescued me," said Bessie. " There was
a horrid goblin in that hollow tree, and he took me away to a little room.
He made a door come in the wall, and dragged me through it. He made the
door vanish afterwards so that if you came after me you wouldn't know
where I'd gone. He said I was to be nursemaid to his horrid, bad-tempered
little children! But I knew you would rescue me! '
" Of course! " said Tom. " But I say, Bessie, you are getting heavy.
I'd better fly down to the ground, or you might drop."
So down he flew—and when he sat down for a rest and looked
round, he saw a most peculiar thing! He was sitting in the field just outside
his garden! They were home!
" Isn't that strange! " said Tom, surprised. " I say, what's happening
to my wings? "
His wings gently pulled themselves from his back and flew into the
air alone. Tom turned to Mr. Woffles to tell him, but just then a dog began
to bark not far off. Mr. Woffles turned pale and his nose winked up and
down.
" A dog! " he said, in a frightened voice. " I must go! Come and see
me again some time, Tom! '
Off he went, and popped down a rabbit-hole in a twinkling.
" Goodbye and thank you for your help !" shouted Tom. " I'll call on
you again soon."
The two children went home and told their mother all about it. She
was so surprised to hear of such strange adventures, and promised to go
with them to the hollow tree. But do you know, when they climbed down
into the hollow tree again, the trap-door leading to the passage had gone!
The bench round the tree, the tiny cupboard and the table had gone too. It
was just like an ordinary tree.
" So we shall never be able to see dear little Mr. Woffles again! "
said Tom. " What a pity! "
But they may do—you never know!

52
 Stars for the Christmas Tree
WOULD you like to make some five-pointed stars to hang on the Christmas
Tree, or to decorate the nursery or school room? I'll tell you how to do it.
You will have to look very carefully indeed at the pictures. Fold a piece of
coloured paper in half, as in Picture 1. Use coloured paper if you can. Silver or
gold paper will make lovely stars if you can get some.
Now fold the paper as I have drawn for you in Picture 2. Can you manage
that? Do you see the bit I have marked with a little star? You must now fold that
bit backwards, so that your paper looks like Picture 3. Done that? Good! Now
fold the right-hand piece back, so that you get the shape in Picture 4. Notice the
two points at the top. They will help you to see that you have the right shape.
Now for the five-pointed star! Get your scissors. Cut across your paper
where I have drawn the dotted line (Picture 5). Your paper is now in half. Take
the bottom half and unfold it—and there is your silver or gold five-pointed star
(Picture 6). Isn't it pretty?
If you can't fold the paper right at first, go on trying. You'll get the star in
the end.

53
54
55
 Mr. Snifty's Dustbin
MISTER SNIFTY was a surly old goblin who gave everybody a very bad time. He
was the head of Greenapple Village—and how strict and stern he was!
If any child was late for school he had to take his Saturday penny to Mister
Snifty. If any one was out too late at night, Mister Snifty went round to their house
and locked the door—then the poor brownie or gnome or fairy had to sleep in the
front garden. Really, he was a dreadfully strict person, and all the people of
Greenapple Village groaned and wished they could make nice, plump, smiling
Mister Jolly their chief.
But they didn't dare to try and do this because of Mister Snifty's magic
dustbin. This was a most extraordinary thing. It was about the size of a small round
table, not so big as an ordinary dustbin, and was bright green. But the strange thing
about it was this—that whatever was put into that dustbin disappeared at once!
So the dustman didn't have to collect the rubbish from Mister Snifty's house,
because there never was any. As soon as he put an old newspaper into the dustbin it
was gone for good. And all his broken bottles, old tins, potato peel, and other
rubbish disappeared in just the same way. It was marvellous. It was always empty
because everything disappeared in it.
Now you wouldn't think that any one would be afraid of a magic dustbin,
would you? But the people of Greenapple were, and for a very good reason too.

56
 It was little Dame Smiler who told the story of how she had seen
Snifty use the dustbin for something quite wrong.
" I was peeping over the wall," she said, " and I saw that old pixie
tramp, who sells ferns, knocking at Snifty's door. Snifty told him to go
away—and when he wouldn't go, I saw Snifty take hold of him and his
ferns and pop him into the dustbin! And when I went to look into the
dustbin when Snifty was out that afternoon, I couldn't see the old tramp
there at all. He had gone, like all the rubbish."
Well, you can guess that the Greenapple folk thought twice, then,
about offending Snifty. Nobody wanted to be put into his dustbin. So they
all were very careful, and didn't say a word to make Snifty think they were
really very tired of him.
One day Chiddlewinks the pixie sent out invitations to a party—and he
sent one to Snifty too. People thought that was silly—for a party with
Snifty looking on was no fun at all. Why, he always had to win musical
chairs and blow out the candles on the cake and everything!

57
 ' You are silly, Chiddlewinks," said every one crossly. But Chiddle-
winks didn't say a word. He just smiled a most peculiar smile.
The day of the party came. Chiddlewinks borrowed twelve chairs
from his friends and some cups and saucers, for he hadn't enough of his
own. It was to be a very grand party.
Red-Cheeks, Chiddlewinks' friend, popped in and out of the cottage,
carrying cups and saucers and chairs and making himself very useful. And
very often Chiddlewinks and Red-Cheeks would whisper together and then
laugh loudly.
For they had a Plan. It was a very daring Plan indeed. The night
before the party Red-Cheeks was to paint his own dustbin, which was
about as large as Snifty's, a bright green colour. And he was to steal into
Snifty's garden and exchange the two dustbins.
" I don't expect Snifty will notice that your dustbin isn't magic," said
Chiddlewinks. " Because he just takes off the lid, throws his rubbish in
without looking and puts the lid on again! '
What were they going to do with Snifty's dustbin? Ah, that was the
daring Plan!
" I shall cover the top and the sides with red velvet," said Chiddle-
winks, " so that the dustbin will look very grand indeed—like a very smart
stool! And I shall put the dustbin, looking like a stool, at the head of the
table, Red-Cheeks, and you will pretend thatj0# are going to sit there. That
will make Snifty very angry, for he always thinks he should sit at the head
of everything. He will push you away and sit on the red stool himself—and
he'll fall into the dustbin and disappear."
" Well, don't you go and put the lid on before you cover the stool,"
said Red-Cheeks. " My, what a joke! '
The party began. Every one stared in surprise at the fine red velvet
stool that was at the head of the table. Nobody had seen it before and they
wondered if Chiddlewinks had bought it. Red-Cheeks was very fussy and
hustled people to the tea-table, saying, " Now take your seats. Chiddle-
winks is just going to pour out tea."
Snifty was there, of course, looking extra grand in a blue silk suit
with buttons down the back and front. He frowned at Red-Cheeks, and then
he saw that the little fellow was actually going to put himself at the head of
the table—on that grand red velvet stool! That was too ranch for Snifty.

58
 51

He pushed Red-Cheeks so hard that he fell over. " Make way for
me," he said in his Grossest voice. " I think this is my seat! '
" It is, it is! " squealed Red-Cheeks in delight as he saw Snifty sitting
down hard on the red velvet cloth that was spread over the top of the
dustbin.
The velvet gave way beneath Snifty's weight—it fell into the dustbin
— and Snifty fell with it, clutcliing at the table as he went. He fell right
inside it and Red-Cheeks pushed his legs in to make sure!
Then, before their eyes, the folk of Greenapple Village saw their
surly, strict chief disappear, just as he had made the old tramp disappear
before. He was gone!
How they yelled and cheered!—and it wasn't long before Mister
Jolly was made chief, and as he was as nice as his name, Greenapple
Village was soon very happy and contented indeed.
As for old Snifty, goodness knows where he went to! Anyway, he's
gone to all his old bottles and peel and tins—and the old tramp too. So he'll
have plenty of company, won't he?

59
 Let's Make Some
Lantern's for Xmas!
How can we make one? I'll tell you!
Get a piece of coloured paper, and make it
9 inches wide and 12 inches long by
measuring it and then cutting it the right
size.
Now fold it as I have shown you in
Picture A. Done that? Now cut up from
the folded edge in strips about \ inch wide.
Look at Picture B to see what I mean.
Now you have cut the paper.
Straighten it out. Bend it round and paste
the edges together, and lo and behold you
have a pretty little coloured lantern, like
the one shown in Picture C. You can
make the handle by pasting a strip of
paper to the top.
Now make one of another shape.
Look at Picture D and fold the paper like
that. Cut the strips as before. Do you see
the little extra fold, which gives the
second lantern (Picture E) its pretty
middle bit?
You can easily make these little
lanterns for Christmas decorations. Hang
them on a string, and see how pretty they
all look together!

60
 MISTER CROSSPATCH was, as usual, in a bad temper. He stamped in at the
park-gates with his newspaper, and looked for an empty seat.
" Of course! There isn't one! There never is! " said Mister Cross-
patch, frowning. " I'll go to that one over there. It has only one man sitting
on it."
So he went to the seat by the tulips. But he didn't see the brilliant
tulips standing in rows in the bright sun. No, Mister Crosspatch never
noticed things like that! He unfolded his newspaper.
There was a little old man on the other end of the seat, enjoying the
sunshine and the tulips. Beside him was a paper parcel, and it was easy to
see that it had sandwiches in it, and perhaps a cake or two. A small brown
dog sat on the ground below the seat.
Mister Crosspatch took out a bar of chocolate and began to crunch it.
The dog smelt the chocolate and got up. He went to Mister Crosspatch and
put his nose into the man's hand. Mister Crosspatch jerked it away at once.
" Go away! " he shouted.
" Go away! Take your nasty cold nose away! "
The dog growled, and lay down. Crosspatch turned to the little old
man at the other end of the seat and snapped at him. " Look after that dog
of yours! " he said. " I don't want him sniffing round me."
" But he's . . ." began the old man in a mild sort of voice.
" No excuse, please! " said Crosspatch. " Dogs are a nuisance
anyhow,

61
 and even more so when people don't look after them. Not a word
more, please! I want to read! '
The old man looked at the tulips and said no more. The dog saw that
Crosspatch had dropped a bit of chocolate under the seat and he got up to
get it. He licked it up.
" Look at that! " cried Crosspatch in a rage. " Licked up that bit of
chocolate before I could pick it up! ':
" Well, it's a bad thing to eat things picked up from the ground," said
the old man. " Probably the dog thought you had dropped the bit there for
him."
" I tell you, I won't have your dog worrying me like this! " roared
Crosspatch.
" Well, he's "... began the old man again, but Crosspatch wouldn't
hear a word.
" I told you not to make excuses before," he said. " I never listen to
excuses. Go away, dog! Shoo! '
The dog didn't like Crosspatch. He growled. Crosspatch looked
down at him.
"What's the matter with him?
" he said. " He's no right to come
sniffing after my chocolate like
this. Hasn't he had any breakfast?"
" I really don't know! " said
the old man.
"There!" cried Crosspatch. "
You don't even know if he's had
breakfast! You've no right to keep
a dog and starve it. No wonder he
comes for my chocolate! Go away,
dog! I say, go away—and stop
growling at me! ' The dog didn't
like Cross-patch's loud voice. "
Grrrrrr! " he growled, and showed
his teeth. " I declare, this dog of
yours

62
 is positively dangerous! " cried Crosspatch. " Take him away and
give him some breakfast before he takes a bite out of somebody's leg! "
" Oh, do be quiet," said the old man.
" Ha! I like that! " said Crosspatch, and he lost his temper altogether.
He caught up the parcel of dinner and threw it at the dog. " I'll teach you to
starve your dog! He can have your dinner! That'll make you sit up! "
The dog darted at the dinner, tore the paper off at once with his sharp
teeth and, before the old man could stop him, had gulped it all down! The
dinner was gone.
" You shouldn't do a thing like that," said the old man.
" Bah! " said Crosspatch, thoroughly enjoying himself. " You're a
poor sort of creature anyway, letting me throw your dinner to the dog! I'd
have thrown anyone out of the park-gates if they'd done that to me! Go
away, dog, I tell you! Go away! What's he coming again for? Go, go, go,
you tiresome dog! '
" Well, you've just thrown him a very good dinner," said the old man.
" Perhaps he thinks you'll give him another."
The dog sniffed eagerly at Mister Crosspatch, and he hit it. It
growled at him and Crosspatch became frightened. " Take your dog away,"
he said. " Go on, take it away. Take it right out of the park. If you don't, I'll
complain to the park-keeper, and then you'll get into trouble."
" Well, complain to him now," said the old man. " Here he comes."
And sure enough, along came the big park-keeper, tall and burly in
his uniform. Mister Crosspatch called him.

63
 " Hie! " he said. " I want to make a complaint about this man and his
dog."
" It isn't my dog," said the old man. " I kept trying to tell you but you
wouldn't listen."
" Then whose dog is it? " cried Crosspatch angrily.
" It's mine," said the park-keeper. " I had to go and pick up a child
who had hurt its knee. I left my dog here to guard my dinner, which I left
on the seat."
" Your dinner? " said Mister Crosspatch in a small voice.
"Yes, MY DINNER!' said the park-keeper in a large voice. " Where
is it? "
" He threw it to your dog," said the old man.

64
 " Whatever for?” roared the keeper.
Mister Crosspatch turned pale.
' The old m-m-man said he d-d-didn't know if the d-d-dog had had b-
b-breakfast," said Crosspatch. " So I gave him the dinner-packet. I thought
it was the old m-m-man's dinner."
:<
Oh! You thought a poor old man wouldn't dare to make a fuss
about his dinner! " said the keeper angrily. " And how could he know if my
dog had had breakfast ? He doesn't live in my dog's kennel, does he ? And
why should anybody's dinner be thrown to a dog? "
"I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry! " stammered Mister Crosspatch, feeling very
frightened.
" Oh, you're going to feel much sorrier! " said the park-keeper. " I
know people like you! Losing their tempers with people older or weaker
than themselves, shouting at frightened children and old men! Ha! You
won't do it again in a hurry! Give me a shilling, please. I shall have to buy
myself a new dinner."
Crosspatch paid out a shilling at once.

65
 " And now, out of my park you go! " roared the keeper. " And
mind you behave yourself when you come into it next time! "
He took hold of Crosspatch, jerked him up from the seat, and ran
him to the park-gates. Out went Crosspatch on his nose, and the little
dog stood over him and barked in delight. The keeper laughed—and
as for the little old man on the seat, well, he hadn't been so amused for
a very long time.
" He'll be careful how he behaves next time," said the keeper. "
Throwing my dinner to the dog indeed! I'll be on the watch for him
next time! ' But Mister Crosspatch won't ever go to that park again.
He's much too frightened!

How Clever You Are

HERE is a little number-trick, which will
puzzle people and make them think you are very
clever indeed. Begin by saying something
ridiculous. " I am a marvellous thought-reader!
Did you know that? " " No! What do you mean?
" " Well, I can tell you any number you think of! "
" Tell me then."
"All right. Think of a number! Have you
thought of one? Good. Now multiply it by 3. Done
it? Good. Now add one. Now multiply by 3 again. Now add the
number you first thought of. Done that? "
" Yes, I've done it."
" Now tell me the number you have got to, and I will tell you the
number you first thought of! '
Then your friend will tell you his total number, which will
always end in three. Take off the 3, and the number left is the one he
thought of. Marvellous!
Say he thought of the number 5 ; Multiply by 3, which makes
15; Add one, which makes 16; Multiply again by 3, making 48 ; Add
the number first thought of (5) making 53. Strike off the 3, and you
have 5 which is the number he thought of! Try it out and see how right
you are every time. Always strike off the right-hand number, and the
number that is left is the one first thought of.

66
 ONCE upon a time a bit of paper blew into Gobby's garden. Gobby
was a pixie, and he ran to pick up the paper, for he didn't like rubbish in his
garden.
But it wasn't rubbish. It was a page of notepaper, with writing on it.
" Good gracious! " said Gobby. " It's Witch Heyho's writing! I'll read
it."
Now Gobby should not have read it. He should have taken it straight
back to Witch Heyho, who was writing busily in her garden a little way
away. But Gobby was very curious to see what was written on the bit of
paper, so he read it all.
And he found it was a spell to make something grow. There should
have been two pages to the spell, but Gobby thought the one page told him
quite enough to use the magic. It was to make something black grow well.
" Now let's see," thought Gobby, frowning till his eyes were almost
shut. " Something black—why, that must be black currants of course!
Witch Heyho has plenty of black-currant bushes in her garden, and she
wants them to have lots of fruit this year. Aha! This is part of the spell she
has written here! What fun! Now I can make black currants grow too."
He read the bit of paper again. " To make them grow big and black in
crowds, get a pint of soot, a pint of moonlit dew, and stir up together with a
peacock's feather," he read. " Add six petals of a wallflower, and the shine
off a black stone. Say the four magic words, 'Quilla, coona, dalla, ho,' as
quickly as you can, five times. Now choose the place where you want the
magic to grow, and paint it carefully with the mixture."

67
 Gobby rubbed his hands in excitement. Ah, he would make crowds
of black currants grow—he would have black-currant pie every day! How
lovely!
He wondered where to grow them. " I'd better not grow them in the
garden," he thought. " If I do, Witch Heyho will see me. I'd better grow
them indoors. I can easily pick some sprays of black-currant bush, and
paint them with the magic indoors. Then the black currants will grow on
the sprays, and I can pick them and make them into beautiful pies! '
Gobby thought he would tell his friend Peterkin about the spell he
had found. Peterkin would help him to make the pastry for the pies.
So he took the paper to Peterkin, and told him all about how he had
found it flying into his garden.
" But how do you know this spell will make black currants? '* said
Peterkin, in surprise. " It doesn't say so. It just says, * To make them grow
big and black in crowds' but it doesn't say what/'
" Ah, but I happen to know that Witch Heyho is very fond of black-
currant pie," said Gobby impatiently. " And I'm sure she was writing out
this spell to make the fruit grow well on her bushes. Will you come along
and help me to make the pastry for our pies now? Then we'll grow the
black currants, and use them whilst they are nice and fresh and juicy. A
good black-currant tart is a perfectly delicious meal to have."
Peterkin put on his hat and went back with Gobby to his house.
Gobby picked twenty sprays of black-currant bush from his garden. He set
them in twenty little jars of water in the kitchen. Then he began to make
the spell.
' There's some soot we can have out of the kitchen chimney," he said,
" and I've plenty of moonlit dew. Now for the six wallflower petals. Go
and see if you can find some on that late wallflower at the bottom of the
garden, Peterkin. And you might bring in a nice shiny black stone with you
too."
Peterkin went out and soon came back with some velvety wallflower
petals and a large black stone. Very solemnly and carefully the two made
the magic mixture, and stirred it with the peacock's feather that Gobby
always kept handy for the making of spells. He scraped the shine off the
black stone and it fell into the black mixture and made it fizz like sherbert.
It was very queer.

68
 “Quilla, coona, dalla, ho! " chanted Gobby, as he stirred and stirred. "
Quilla, coona, dalla, ho!
When the spell was finished, Gobby and Peterkin painted the black-
currant sprays with it in great glee. " The currants will take a little time to
grow," said Gobby. " We will make the pastry for the pies whilst we are
waiting.
But, you know, that spell wasn't meant to make black currants, but
black beetles! Fancy that! So it wasn't long before nice large shiny black
beetles began to grow on the black-currant sprays. They didn't stay there
very long though—they ran down the stalks and hurried about the kitchen
floor, looking for something to eat.
Suddenly Gobby saw them. Now Gobby, like a great many people,
was afraid of black beetles, though they could do him no harm. So he gave
a loud yell, and almost scared Peterkin out of his skin.
" Ooooh! Ow! Look! What are all these beetles in here for? "
Peterkin wasn't afraid of beetles, and he looked at them in astonish-
ment. " How queer! " he said. " I didn't know you had beetles in your
kitchen, Gobby."

69
 " I haven't! " squealed Gobby. " Where are they coming from—oh,
where are they coming from? ':
Peterkin looked—and saw that they were streaming down the stalks
of the black-currant sprays in dozens. He began to look scared.
"Gobby! Look! They are growing on those sprays! I don't believe
that was a spell for black currants after all—I believe it was for black
beetles. Oh, goodness, whatever shall we do? ':
Gobby stared in horror, and saw that what Peterkin had said was
right. He had grown black beetles instead of black currants! How dreadful!
"Oh, take those sprays into the garden, quick, and burn them!" he
begged Peterkin. But Peterkin wouldn't touch them. He suddenly opened
the door and ran home. He didn't like being mixed up with strange spells
that went wrong. You never knew what might happen next.
Gobby began to cry. He rushed out and went to Witch Heyho's. He
told her what had happened, and begged her to make a spell to get rid of all
the black beetles.
At first Witch Heyho looked stern when she heard how Gobby had
picked up her bit of magic paper and had read it and used it—but then, as
she caught sight of the black beetles wandering out of Gobby's kitchen
door into the garden, she began to laugh.
" Oh dear, dear me! " she laughed; " what a shock for you to get
black beetles instead of black currants! Never mind, Gobby, I won't punish
you—but I really don't in the least know how to stop the spell. You'll just
have to put up with the beetles."
And that was all the comfort poor Gobby got from the witch. But she
told him that hedgehogs love a good meal of beetles, so he is going to buy
one from the pet-shop, and keep him in the kitchen. Then perhaps he won't
have them eating the food out of the larder, and sleeping in his bed, and
crawling into his shoes. Poor Gobby!
It's always best to make sure of a spell before you use it—so do be
careful of magic, won't you, just in case you make a mistake like Gobby!

70
 Make a stool first. How easy! Just a flat conker, with three pins stuck
underneath—but it stands quite well! We don't need the wool for that,
unless you like to twist wool round each leg to make them look nice.
Now for a chair. We will have another flat conker, and stick in four
pins for legs, and three at the back. Now the wool comes in. Wind it in and
out of the three pins to make a pretty back to the chair.
Now we will make a " wicker " chair. Put in the pins as before, but
wind the wool round the four legs as well. That makes a very fine " wicker
" chair indeed. You will have to twist the wool round each leg as well as
passing it round the four of them, or it will slip up and down too much.
Can you make an arm-chair? Think it out yourself! You just want
shorter pins for the arms, don't you? See what nice ones you can make.

71
 BETTY and Robin were going over Breezy Hill for a walk when they
saw a narrow path that they had never seen before.
" Hallo! " said Robin, in surprise. " Where does that path go to? I've
never been along it."
" Perhaps it's just a rabbit-path," said Betty. " There are lots of
rabbits on Breezy Hill."
" No, it isn't a rabbit-path," said Robin. " It's too wide for that. Let's
go down it and see where it leads to, shall we, Betty? ':
So off they went down the funny little green path, and that was the
beginning of their strange adventures!
When they had gone some way they came to what looked like a tiny
village—just three or four cottages set closely on the hillside with two little
shops in the middle. One of these was a sweet-shop.
It was a funny little shop with a small window of thick glass, and
behind the panes were tall, thin bottles of brightly-coloured sweets.
" A sweet-shop," said Betty, surprised. " I didn't know there was one
on this hill, did you, Robin? ':
" No," said Robin, puzzled. " It's a funny place, Betty. There doesn't
seem to be anybody about—and yet I feel as if people are peeping at us
from behind curtains. But whenever I look, there's nobody! '
Betty looked all round. There was nobody anywhere. The doors of
the cottages were shut, and not a sound was to be heard. It was a strange
little place.

72
 Betty pressed her nose to the sweet-shop window and looked at the
bottles of sweets. She began to read the labels on them. Then she cried out
in surprise.
" Robin! These are very queer sweets! Just read what they are! "
Robin looked at the labels, and certainly the names of the sweets in
that sweet-shop were very strange. A bottle of blue sweets was labelled
Giant-sweets, and a bottle of pink ones was called Dwarf-sweets. Another
bottle had the label Invisible-sweets.
" You know, this must be a magic shop," said Betty, excited. " Let's
go in and buy some of the sweets! I've got a penny and so have you."
So they pushed open the door, which had a little tinkling bell, and
went inside the dark shop. At first they thought there was nobody there,
"and then they saw behind the counter a small nobbly-looking man with a
pair of large spectacles on his long nose. He had a strange tuft of hair
growing straight up from his head and two long, pointed ears. He was
sitting by himself reading a brightly coloured newspaper.
When the bell rang he looked up. He didn't seem at all surprised to
see the children.
" What do you want this morning? " he asked, folding up his news-
paper neatly.
" Could we have a pennyworth of mixed sweets each? " asked Robin,
eagerly. " They look such funny sweets."
" There's nothing funny about them at all," said the shopman,
twitching his pointed ears like a dog. " They're quite ordinary."
He took five bottles from the window and emptied some sweets into
his scales. Betty looked at the labels on the bottles so that she would know
which of the sweets were which. She saw that a Giant-sweet, a Dwarf-
sweet, an Invisible-sweet, and two others, one a Spiky-sweet and the other
a Home-again-sweet, were put into the scales. She felt very much excited.
Each of them was handed a bag of these sweets by the shopman. He
took their pennies and put them into a tin box. Then he picked up his
newspaper and began to read it again.
" Shut the door when you go out," he said.
They ran out and shut the door carefully behind them. Then they
stopped outside to look at their very strange sweets. They didn't like to eat
them in case anything queer happened to them.

73
 " Shall we go back into the shop and ask the man there to tell us what
will happen if we eat these sweets? " said Robin. Betty nodded—so back
they went.
" What will happen if we eat these sweets? " asked Betty, putting her
head in at the door.
" Try, and see! " answered the shopman, without looking up from his
queer newspaper. " Shut the door, please."
The children didn't like to ask him any more so they went outside
again. They walked up the little crooked street, talking hard about their
strange sweets. They didn't look where they were going, and they were
surprised when they came to a big white gate that was placed right across
the road so that they could go no further.
" This is stranger and stranger," said Robin puzzled. " I've never seen
that village before, and now here is a gate across the road that I've never
seen before either."

74
 " We've never been this way," said Betty. " What shall we do? Climb
over the gate? We are nearly at the top of the hill,"
" Yes, let's," said Robin. So over the gate they climbed. They walked
on down a lane lined on each side by great hedges of hawthorn, whose
blossoms were as thick as snow. It was lovely.
They came to the top of the hill and looked down. To their great
surprise they saw quite a town on the other side!
" How queer! " said Betty. " There has never been anything on the
other side of this hill before. Now there are houses and shops everywhere!"
, They went on down the hill towards the town, and soon came to some
most peculiar-looking people. They were very round, and their arms were
very long indeed. Their faces were as red as tomatoes and they all wore big
white ruffs round their necks, which made their faces seem redder than
ever.
Some of them were riding in small motor-cars, rather like toy-motors
but with hoods like sun-shades instead of proper hoods. Betty and Robin
stared in astonishment.
They stood in the middle of the road and looked about at the queer
folk. A motor-car with a bright yellow hood came along at a tremendous
pace, Robin jumped to one side, but Betty was just too late and the little
car ran into her. To her great amazement it exploded like an air-balloon
and flew up into the air in a hundred pieces! She wasn't hurt at all, but
simply fell over into the road.
The little round man in the car shot up in the air and down again. He
landed with a bump by Betty and he was cross!
" You silly, stupid, foolish, ridiculous girl! " he cried. " Why didn't
you get out of my way? Look what you've done to my car. It's gone pop!"
" Well," said Betty, getting up and dusting herself. " I'm sorry about
it, but you had no right to come along at such a dreadful pace. You didn't
even hoot."
" You horrid, nasty, rude, selfish girl! " cried the man, looking as if
he was going to smack Betty. But Robin was not going to have his sister
spoken to like that, so he pushed the man away and spoke sharply to him.
" Now then, now then! Don't speak to Betty like that! Haven't you
any manners? You might have hurt her very much running into her like
that! It's a good thing your car has gone pop because you won't be able to
drive like that again for a little while! '

75
 The little round man went quite purple with rage. He took a trumpet from
his pocket and blew loudly on it. " Tan-tara! Tan-tara! '
At once a whole crowd of the funny-looking people came running up and
took hold of Betty and Robin.
" Take them to prison! " shouted the man whose motor-car had exploded.
" Give them nothing but bread and water for sixty days! '
Robin was very angry but he could do nothing against so many, and he
and Betty were marched off to a big yellow building and locked up in a tiny cell
together. Robin banged on the door but it was no use. It was locked and bolted
on the outside.
" Look here, Betty! " said Robin, suddenly. " Let's eat one of these sweets
each. Perhaps something will happen to help us then! "
So they each picked from their bags a blue sweet and put it into their
mouths. And before they had half-eaten them a very curious thing happened !
They began to grow taller. Yes, and fatter, too! In fact they were soon giant-like,
and their heads touched the cell ceiling.
“
I say! Those must have been the sweets out of the Giant-sweet

76
 bottle! " said Robin, in excitement. He kicked at the cell-door and it
nearly broke, for his feet were now very big.
" Stop that! " cried an angry voice outside. " If you kick your door
again, prisoners, I shall come in and smack you both! '
" Ho! " said Robin, pleased. " I shall certainly kick it again! Then
when it's opened, Betty, well walk out and give everyone a shock! '
" Bang, bang, bang! " he kicked the door hard again. At once it was
unbolted and unlocked and a very angry keeper came in. But when he saw
Betty and Robin both as tall as the ceiling, nearly filling up the whole cell,
his red face turned pale and he fled for his life!
" Now we'll go out," said Robin, and he and Betty somehow
managed to squeeze themselves out of the door! They walked out of the
prison, seeing everyone run in fear before them. How they laughed to see
the astonishment on the red faces of the townsfolk, who now looked very
small indeed to the children.
They went down the street, frightening everyone they met, and soon
came to cross-roads. There was a signpost there, and on one arm was
printed " To Giantland."
" Goodness! " said Betty. " How exciting! We are giants now, Robin,
so do let's take this road to Giantland. It would be fun to see some giants."
So they took the road to Giantland, feeling more and more excited.
After half-an-hour's walk they came to some enormous trees and knew that
they were coming near to Giantland. They were soon there after that —but
dear me, the giants were far bigger than the children had guessed they
would be! Although Robin and Betty were much bigger than they were
usually, they were still very small compared with the giants!
A very large giant with eyes like dinner-plates saw them first. He
gaped at them in surprise and then called to his friends, in a voice like
thunder.
"HIE! LOOK HERE! HERE ARE SOME QUEER
CHILDREN!"
In a trice the children were surrounded by a dozen enormous giants.
They didn't like it at all. One of the giants poked his finger into Robin's
chest.
" He's real," he said, in a booming voice. " He's not a doll."

77
 " Of course I'm not a doll! " shouted Robin, crossly. " Don't poke me
like that! '
It amused the giants to see how cross Robin was, and they poked him
again with their big, bony fingers. Robin felt sure he would be bruised all
over.
" Aren't they nasty, unkind creatures," said Betty, almost crying, for
she didn't like the great giants with their enormous eyes and teeth like
piano-keys. " Can't we escape, Robin! '
:
' How can we? " said Robin, trying to push away a finger that came
to tickle him. " Oh, Betty, I know! Let's eat another sweet! '
In a great hurry the children took out their sweet-bags and ate a pink

78
 sweet each. In an instant they felt themselves growing smaller and
smaller —smaller and smaller.
The giants seemed to grow bigger and BIGGER and BIGGER. Soon
they were so big that they seemed like mountains! The children were tinier
than sparrows to the giants—tinier than lady-birds even!
" Quick! " said Betty, catching hold of Robin's hand. "Quick! Let's
go somewhere safe before their great feet tread on us! '
There was a large hole in the ground not far from them and Betty and
Robin ran to it. It seemed like a dark tunnel to them, but really it was a
worm-hole! The children were now so small that even a worm-hole was
enormous to them.
Down the tunnel they went, and suddenly came to a thing that looked
like a large snake. It was a worm that squeezed itself against the tunnel
side most politely so that they might go past. They ran on, rather
frightened. A great beetle hurried by them, treading heavily on Betty's toes.
It was all rather alarming.
" I wish we could get out of here," said Robin, after a time. " Oh
look, Betty! There's a tiny pin-hole of light far ahead of us. That must be
where the worm-hole ends. Come on! '
On they went and at last came out into a wonderful place of sunshine
and green grass. Nobody was about at all, but not far away were some
great red and brown animals.
" They must be giant cows," said Betty, looking at them. " I hope
they won't eat us! '
The cows saw the two small children and walked over to them. One
cow put her head down to nibble at them. Robin ran away and pulled Betty
with him. The giant cows followed, very curious about these little creatures
in their field of grass.
Betty was afraid she would be gobbled up by one of the enormous
cows. She ran from buttercup to buttercup trying to hide. Then she noticed
that, as the cows ate the grass, they left out the prickly thistles and would
not touch them. And a good idea came into her head.
" Robin! Let's eat one of the Spiky-sweets," she cried. " I know
which they are—the yellow ones! I don't know what will happen to us, but
if we grow prickles the cows won't eat us. They will think we are a kind of
thistle! "

79
 So they each took a yellow
sweet and ate it. Then they looked
at one another in surprise—for at
once dozens of spikes and prickles
grew out all over them! They were
as prickly as thistles and holly
leaves! The cows soon left them
alone then, and went off to another
part of the field in disgust.
Betty and Robin ran down a
very big rabbit-hole, and frightened
a family of rabbits very much
indeed as they went. They ran on
until they came to where the hole
led up to the open air again and
then out they rushed into the sun-
shine.
They were on a green
hillside, and nearby was a notice
which said: " Broomstick Hill.
Trespassers will be turned into Snails." ”Ooh!” said betty, alarmed. Look at
that notice! '
But they hardly had time to read the notice again before there came a
whirring in the air, and to the children's enormous surprise about a hundred
witches came flying through the sky on long broom-sticks, darkening the
sunshine as they gathered together like black clouds. Then down to the
green hillside they flew together.
And, of course, the very first thing their sharp eyes saw was Betty,
her black hair flying in the wind, and her prickles all round her! Robin had
hidden behind a bush, but Betty was so surprised to see the witches that
she hadn't even thought of hiding!
Just as the witches came rushing over towards them Robin pulled
Betty down beside him. " Get out your sweet-bag and eat a sweet! " he
whispered. " We've got two left. Eat the purple one and we'll see what
happens! '
" Where are those trespassing children! " cried the witches. " We

80
 will turn them into snails! How dare they come to our hillside and
listen to all we say! '
Betty and Robin popped their purple sweets hurriedly into t; mouths.
They looked at one another—and to their great astonishment they couldn't
see each other. At first they didn't know what had happened, and then they
guessed—the sweets had made them invisible!
Betty put out her hand and tried to find Robin. She felt him and t<:
his hand in hers. He was rather prickly but she didn't mind. She dragged
him down the hillside and then looked back at the witches. They were
hunting in astonishment all around the bush where they had seen Betty.
" There is no one here! " they cried. " Where have they gone? '
By this time Betty and Robin were at the bottom of the hill. They
could not see one another but they held hands very firmly in case they lost
each other.
" I'm tired of this adventure," said Betty, at last. " Are you, Robin?
We always seem to be chased by something—giants, or cows, or witches.
Goodness knows what it will be next time! Let's go home."
" But we don't know the way," said Robin, looking all round. ''"' I'm
hungry and I'd love to go home. I wish I did know the way! '
" Let's eat the last sweet and see what happens," said Betty, feeling
for her sweet bag. " We've eaten all but the Home-again sweets, and maybe
they will take us home! '
So they put a red sweet into their mouths. Before they had finished
eating it they could see one another—and all their prickles had gone! They
were so pleased, for they were both tired of being so very prickly! They
waited to see what else would happen. Would a big wind come and take
them home? Or would their legs walk them safely back? What would
happen?
Nothing happened at all. They just sat there at the bottom of the hill
and waited in the sunshine. But still nothing happened. It was very queer.
Wouldn't the Home-again sweets take them back home? If not, how could
they get home? They were quite sure they would never be able to find their
way!
And then Betty began to look around her. She saw a big birch tree
that she seemed to know. She noticed a house not far off. She heard a milk-
cart clattering along a road a little distance away—and she suddenly
jumped up with a cry of delight.

81
 " Robin! We are home! This is the hill just outside our own garden! That's our
house over there! There's the milkman's cart, look! Why we're home and didn't
know it! However could we have got here! I'm sure the hill outside our garden isn't
really a witch's hill."
They were most astonished, but it was quite true—they mre home again, for
they were just outside their garden, and they could even hear their gardener
whistling a tune to himself as he hoed the garden beds!
" Well, how surprising!" said Robin, standing up. " We're safely back after a
lot of queer adventures. Let's go and tell mother. Perhaps she'll come with us and
see that funny magic sweet-shop."
OS they went, and that evening they took their mother up the hillside to find
the sweet-shop. They followed the little path—but alas, it did not lead to any sweet-
shop; only to a great many rabbit-holes!
" It's just a rabbit-path! " said mother. " You must have dreamed it all, my
dears! '
But they really didn't you know!

82
83
 ONCE upon a time there were nine little elves who lived in a small
mushroom house on the edge of Cuckoo Wood. It was a fine house, and
suited the elves well.
But one day a most annoying thing happened—a farmer came that
way, saw the large mushroom, and picked it! He put it into his coat-pocket,
with fairies and all in it—though he didn't know they were there, of course.
The elves had a terrible shock. They squeezed out of the door of the
mushroom house, and found themselves in the dark pocket. They found
their way to the opening of the pocket and peeped out. In a trice they had
spread their cobwebby wings and had flown to the ground.
'"' My goodness! " said Goldie-wings, " that was a narrow escape! ' '
We've lost our lovely house! ' said Gossamer, beginning to cry.
" It will be cooked," said Tippytoe.
" Never mind," said Twinkles. " We'll find another."
:
' But we haven't any furniture now," said Tiptap.
They flew over the fields till they came to where a family of rabbits
was nibbling the grass.
:
' Good morning! " said Goldie-wings. " I suppose you couldn't tell us
of any good house to be sold? Ours has just been picked by a farmer, and
will be cooked. So we want another."
:
' No," said the father-rabbit, thinking so hard that his ears went
crooked. " No—I don't know of any."

84
 " I do, though! " said one of the little rabbits. " You know our cousin,
who lives in the hutch in the garden over there, don't you? Well, he told me
about a beautiful little house, with windows and doors and furniture and
everything, in the children's nursery there. Why don't the fairies see if that
is for sale? "
" That's a good idea," said Gossamer. " But wait a minute! It would
never do for the children or any one to see us. Why, we might be caught
and put in a cage or something! "
" Oh, you needn't be afraid of that," said the father-rabbit at once. "
The nursery belongs to Jonathan and Lucy, two children who don't believe
in fairies. So you'll be quite safe, because, as you know perfectly well,
people who don't believe in fairies can't see them even if they are under
their noses."
" Oh, that's good," said Tiptap. " Come along, you others—we'll go
and find this lovely house."
The nine elves all trooped off, and soon came to the house. They
knew which was the nursery window because it had bars across. Up they
flew, and stood on the window-sill
to peep in. Nobody was in the nursery at
all.
The window was open at the bottom.
The elves slipped in and flew down to the
nursery floor. They looked round. Where
was this wonderful house that the rabbits
had told them about?
" There it is! Over there in the
corner! " squealed Goldie-wings in
delight. So it was—a beautiful dolls' house
with a blue front door, a tiny brass
knocker, a letter-box, nice casement
windows, and blue curtains! Marvellous!
The nine elves ran up to it,
squeaking with joy.
" I wonder if any one lives

85
 here," said Twinkles, and she knocked at the door. The elves heard
footsteps coming and the door opened. A little doll, not much bigger than
themselves, looked at them in astonishment.
:
' Oh," said Tiptap, " we thought perhaps this house was empty."
;
' No, I live here," said the small doll, who was dressed like a little
girl. " But it's terribly lonely living here all by myself. I was surprised to
hear someone knocking at my door."
"We really came to see if the house was for sale," said Goldie-wings.
" Our house was picked to-day—it was a large mushroom, you see—so we
are looking for another."
" This house isn't for sale," said the tiny doll. " It belongs to Jonathan
and Lucy, two children. But do come in. I'd love you to live with me, if
only you think there is enough room."
All the elves went in at the little door. They shouted with joy to see
the beautiful rooms and dainty furniture everywhere. There were three
bedrooms, a drawing-room with a piano, a dining-room, and a fine kitchen
with a little stove.
" It's perfect—it's perfect! " cried the elves. " There are quite enough
beds for us, for there are two beds in each room—that's six. We can get
two in a bed easily, so there are more than enough beds, counting one for
you too, little doll."
" My name is Belinda," said the doll. " Do come and live here. Think
of the fun we can have together—the cookings on the stove—the games of
snap and snakes and ladders in the evening when the children are in bed—
the fun we'll have cleaning the house together—the parties we'll give to all
the toys! '
" We'll come! " said the elves, and they solemnly shook hands with
Belinda, whose eyes were shining with joy.
" You needn't be afraid of being seen," said Belinda, " because,
although there are two children here, they don't believe in fairies. Isn't that
lucky! They can't see you if they don't believe in you, as you know."
Well, it didn't take long for the nine elves to settle down in the dolls'
house with Belinda. The fun they had choosing and making their little
beds! They opened every drawer in the chests and chose which one each of
them would have. They tried cooking toffee on the tiny kitchen stove, and
it smelt so good that the golliwog, the teddy-bear, and the clockwork

86
 mouse all came knocking at the front door to see if they might have a
taste.
Belinda was very happy. She had been so lonely before, but now she
had company all day and all night. The elves were always about, going in
and out, knocking at the front door, cooking, making beds, cleaning,
having a party, or playing tricks on one another.
At first Belinda had been half afraid the two children would see the
elves, when they had come into the nursery to play. Belinda had sat down
stiffly in her chair as soon as Jonathan had come in, and when Lucy
opened the door of the dolls' house and looked in, she had seen Belinda
sitting still just as usual.
But she didn't see the nine elves busy about the house. She didn't

87
 see Goldie-wings scrubbing the kitchen floor. She didn't see
Gossamer playing the piano in the little drawing-room. She didn't see
Twinkles and Tiptap having a game of hide and seek in the bedrooms.
Ah, but Lucy was astonished at some things she saw! She couldn't
think who had been polishing the stove till it shone. She couldn't think who
had washed the curtains at the windows. She couldn't think who had set the
little clock going on the wall. It was all most mysterious.
And then one day someone came to tea. It was a friend of Lucy's,
called Mirabel. She believed in fairies—and as soon as Lucy opened the
front of the dolls' house, Mirabel saw the elves!
" Oh! " she cried. " Fairies! You've got fairies living in your dolls'
house with Belinda! Look! "
But even as Lucy tried to see them, they hid themselves away, and
soon not even Mirabel could see them either. They had slipped out of the
back door and had popped into the bookshelf behind, hiding themselves
among the books.
"You are a story-teller, Mirabel! " said Lucy. "I'll believe there are
fairies there if you catch one for me and show me one. I don't believe in
fairies at all."
" Well, it's no good my catching you one then, for you wouldn't see it
if I did," said Mirabel, and she didn't say a single word more, though she
couldn't help wondering where the nine little elves had gone.
They are all living in the dolls' house still, and Belinda doesn't know
what she would do without them now. As for Jonathan and Lucy, they
haven't seen one of them and they never will; but if you happen to go and
play with Lucy, open her dolls' house and peep inside. You will be
surprised to see those tiny, bright-eyed elves!

88
 Tig, the Brownie Robber
THERE was once a robber brownie called Tig. He was big and fat and
vain, and he had twenty servant brownies who followed him everywhere.
Tig was a rogue. He and his twenty little servants would creep up to a
village in the night, surround it, and then, with loud shouts and yells,
frighten all the people so that they came rushing out of their homes. Then
the brownies would run into the open doors and steal anything they could
lay their hands on.
Everybody was afraid of them.
One of the servants always carried a large trunk, full of Tig's
beautiful coats. Tig wore all kinds of colours, and his coats were sewn with
silver and gold, and set with precious stones. He was very proud of them
indeed.
Now one day, as Tig and his servants passed quietly through a wood
on their way to a village they meant to surprise that night, they were seen
by a small pixie whose name was Shrimpy, because he was so little. He
heard the sound of quiet tramping, and looked out of the hole of the tree in
which he was living. How excited he was to see the robbers!
" If anyone catches those robbers they get a sack of gold! " thought
Shrimpy with joy. " Now, I am a clever pixie. Maybe if I follow the
robbers I shall learn their ways and find some way of catching them all!"
So he jumped out of his tree and began to follow the robbers. But he
hadn't gone very far, creeping behind trees and watching them, before Tig
caught sight of him. Tig had very sharp eyes in his round fat face, and they
didn't miss anything.

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 " Oho! " he said in a large voice. " Catch that pixie, servants. He is
following us! "
And in a trice Shrimpy was caught and taken before the robber thief.
" What shall we do with him? " said one of the servants. " Shall we throw
him into the lake? ';
" Or tie him to the topmost branch of a tree? " said another. Shrimpy
didn't like the sound of this at all. " Please let me join your band," he said,
thinking that he could easily escape at any time. " I will do any work you
like."
" Ho ho! " laughed Tig. " What! A shrimp like you do work for us!
What work could you do? ':
" I am very strong," said Shrimpy.
" Well, if he's so strong, let him carry your trunk of coats, Master! "
said the brownie whose job it was to carry the trunk on his shoulder all
day. He was getting very tired of it.
" Very well," said Tig, with a big grin all over his fat face. " You shall join
our band, and carry my trunk,
Shrimpy."
So poor Shrimpy had to put the
heavy trunk on his small shoulder
and carry it about all that day. Dear
me, it was heavy! He didn't like it at
all, and he wished he hadn't tried to
interfere with the robbers. " Never
mind," thought Shrimpy, his quick
little brain working hard. " Maybe I
can find some way to catch the
robbers yet. Oh, if only I could!"
It was cold weather. In the
daytime the brownies were warm, but
at night they shivered and shook. Tig
was all right because he just put on a
few of his extra coats, and was as
warm as toast. But the servants had
no extra coats, And in a trice
Shrimpy was caught. and they felt
very cold indeed.

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 That night was really freezing. Tig gave orders that his servants were
to camp under the trees, and he would march on a little way ahead to a
cottage he knew. A friend of his lived there, and he meant to have supper
with him.
" I'll be back in the morning," he told his men. " Shrimpy, you come
with me. I may want to change my coat to-night, when I see my friend, so
you must carry my trunk. And if there is any message to give my men, you
shall go back with it."
Shrimpy groaned. Oh dear! He had so hoped that he could find a hole
in a tree and sleep there, warm and comfortable that night. Now he had to
carry that horrid trunk through the wood for miles!
He put it on his shoulder and followed Tig. How glad he was when
the master brownie came to the cottage and was welcomed by his friend!
" I shan't want any of my coats after all," said Tig, with a grin. " I
knew I shouldn't. But I thought it would do you good to carry that trunk a
bit longer! '
And with that the unkind brownie slammed the door and left
Shrimpy outside with the trunk.
" All that way to go back with this hateful trunk! " groaned poor
Shrimpy. " Oh, it's too bad! I could have been resting all this long time.
How I hate Tig! "
He put the trunk on his shoulder and staggered back through the
wood with it, thinking how horrid Tig was, and how he wished he could
punish him. And slowly a plan came into his quick little mind.
He was so pleased with it that he almost danced for joy, though the
trunk felt heavier than ever. At last he got back to the camp. He called to
the men.
* There is a message from the master! "
" What is it? " cried the men, gathering round him, shivering, for
their fire did not give out much heat.
' You are to warm yourselves by digging a big pit to-night," said
Shrimpy. " It is to be a trap for an enemy, and must be finished quickly,
before the daylight comes. If it is finished well, Tig says you may each
have a coat of his to keep you warm to-night. I will button them round you.
Now, work hard! "

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 Grumbling loudly the tired servants took spades from out their bags
and began to dig a big pit. When it was finished they were certainly very
warm. Shrimpy was busy whilst they were digging. He was unpacking the
trunk.
Inside there were a great many coats, all made very large indeed to
fit Tig, who really was an enormous brownie. Shrimpy got each one out,
and felt his way to young trees that stood here and there in the wood. He
carefully put a coat round each slender tree, but did not button it up.
" Is the pit finished? " he asked at last. " Good! Now, I have taken the
coats out and got them ready for you to put on. You had better put them on
back to front and then the cold wind will not blow down your chests. You
can have your backs against a tree."
He took the first brownie and led him to a tree round which he had
put one of Tig's big coats. He made the servant slip his arms into the
sleeves back to front—and then, very quickly, Shrimpy buttoned the coat
up tightly down the back—round the tree-trunk! And there was the servant
buttoned to the tree so that he couldn't possibly get away, for he could not
reach to undo the buttons!

92
 One by one Shrimpy buttoned up the tired brownies. It was dark, so
they did not see what Shrimpy was doing. One or two of them grumbled
because the tree felt so hard and uncomfortable at their back—but they
were so very tired that they fell asleep even though they were so uncom-
fortable.
Shrimpy was simply delighted. He had fastened all the servants to
the trees! They couldn't undo the coats! They could only yell for help—and
that was just what he wanted them to do! Aha! Wait for the morning, Tig,
and see what happens to you!
As soon as daylight came creeping through the trees, little Shrimpy
ran to the pit that the servants had dug the night before. It was very deep,
and the sides were very straight. Shrimpy gathered armfuls of bracken and
pulled sticks and twigs from the bushes. He strewed them over the pit
opening so that it could not be seen.
Then he hid himself in a hole of a tree and waited to see what would
happen.
As soon as the servants awoke they tried to free themselves from the
trees they were buttoned to—but they could not. They struggled and
shouted, they tried to reach the buttons at the back of the tree, but it was no
use at all. The coats were strong and big, and held them prisoner.
Shrimpy looked out of his tree and giggled. The servants saw him
and shouted at him angrily;
" Come and set us free! Come and unbutton us! "
But Shrimpy laughed and shook his head.
" You wait till Tig comes! " roared the angry brownies. *' He will
untie us, and catch you and punish you! This is a very silly trick to play!"
Just then Shrimpy heard Tig coming along singing loudly. " Here
comes robber brownie Tig,
Fat and plump and round and big! ': sang Tig, very pleased after his
good warm night and fine hot breakfast.
" Master! Master! Help us! " yelled his servants. " Shrimpy has
buttoned us to the trees in your coats and we can't get away! '
Tig stopped singing and glared through the trees. He could just see
his servants there, neatly buttoned up to the trunks! He gave a roar and
rushed towards theme

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 Shrimpy appeared round the
trunk of a tree and grinned at him.
" You wicked little thing! " cried
Tig, and tore after Shrimpy.
Shrimpy ran to where the pit was
hidden beneath bracken and twigs.
He leapt lightly over it, but Tig did
not know the pit was there, and he
fell heavily into it—plonk!
He roared again and got up.
But the pit was so deep and steep
that he couldn't get out! There he
was, caught in the hole his
servants had dug—and there were
his servants, crying and howling
because their master had
disappeared into the pit and
couldn't rescue them!
Shrimpy laughed with joy,
and then set off to the nearest town. Very soon he was back with fifty
pixies, fairies, and elves. How they laughed to see the twenty brownies
buttoned up in big coats to tree-trunks, and Tig stamping round the deep
pit, trying in vain to get out!
" You are the cleverest little pixie in the world! '' they said to
Shrimpy, as they unbuttoned each brownie and tied him up with rope. "
You shall have a sack of gold for your clever night's work! "
He did—and with it he bought himself a large toadstool, with three
windows in the top and a door in the stem. He bought himself cobweb
curtains from the big spider under the hedge, and got the fairy carpenter to
make him some lovely furniture.
" I shan't have to live in a hole in a tree any more!" he said joyfully. "
I am very grand now. I shall get a wife as small as myself, and we will live
in our toadstool house together and have a fine time! "
As for Tig and the brownies, they were sent off to the moon for one
hundred years, so they won't worry anyone for a long, long time!

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 The Rat, The Dormouse and The Robin
THERE was once a wicked rat who went about causing sadness and misery,
and thought himself the cleverest animal in the world.
But he got caught in a trap! It was a cage-trap, and had an opening at one
end. Inside the trap was a strong-smelling kipper. The rat sniffed round the trap
and could not see how it might catch him. " If I go in at that door I can also go
out of it," he thought to himself. " So here goes! I'll eat that kipper up in no
time."
He slipped in at the open end—but no sooner did he pull at the kipper
than the hook it was on jerked a little rod, and the rod neatly shut a door down at
the open end! The rat was caught! He flashed round in a moment to try and get
out—but it was too late.
He ran round and round the cage like a mad thing. To think that he, the
cleverest rat in all the world, should be caught in a silly cage like this! He made
such a noise that he woke up a dormouse who was sleeping in a hole near by.
" What's the matter? " asked the dormouse in astonishment, staring at the
angry rat running round his cage.
" Matter enough! " said the rat. " Here am I in this cage and cannot get
out! And oh, dormouse, my wife is ill, and my little ones are hungry. It is a sad,
sad thing."
Now the rat had long ago run away from his wife, and he had eaten his
own little ones. But he hoped to make the dormouse feel so sorry for

95
 him that he would open the cage. The dormouse was a kind-hearted little
creature, and almost wept to hear the rat's story.
" If only I knew the way to free you, I would do so," said the dormouse. "
I do feel so sorry for your hungry little ones."
" You are very kind," said the rat, grinning to himself. " If you would just
lift up that rod there, I think I could force open the gate myself."
" Well," said the dormouse doubtfully, " if I do set you free, rat, will you
promise not to catch me? You have eaten dormice before, I know."
" Never, never! " cried the untruthful rat. " I would not touch such a kind
little thing as you, dormouse. Just lift up the rod, there's a good creature."
The dormouse believed the rat and lifted up the rod. The door swung free
and the rat pushed it open. In a trice he pounced on the frightened dormouse and
held him fast.
" A good dinner for me! " he squealed. The dormouse squeaked and
struggled, but it was no use. The wicked rat held him tightly.
" You are a cruel, hateful creature," cried the dormouse. " You show no
kindness even to one who saved your life. Help! Help! '
The dormouse had a friend, a black-eyed robin. He was in the bushes and
he flew down when he heard his friend squeaking. " Tirry-lee! " he cried to the
rat. " What are you doing? "
The rat looked up and grinned. " Ah," he said, " I've been very-clever,
robin. I was caught in that trap—but now I'm out, as you see, and I've caught the
dormouse, who let me out of the trap."
" Wait, wait! " said the robin, as if puzzled. " I can't follow all that. You
say the dormouse was in the trap, and you . . ."
" No, I was in the trap, and the dormouse came along..." said the rat.
" I see—and so you opened the cage and let out the dormouse," sang the
robin.
The rat frowned angrily. " Can't you listen to what people say to you,
robin? I said I was in the trap. . . ."
" I was in the trap," repeated the robin.
" No, no, not you, I," squealed the rat.
" And you came along and let me out and then caught the dormouse!"
sang the robin merrily. " I see, I see, I see! '

96
 “You don't see at all! " cried the rat. " You weren't in the trap at all,
and you know you weren't. And how could I let you out if I was in the
trap? "
" Well, if you were not in the trap, who was then? " asked the robin
slyly.
The rat grew angrier and angrier. " As you are so foolish, robin, I will
show you what happened! " he said. " Now, hold the dormouse for me a
moment. That's right. Now see—I was in the trap like this . . . and ..."
Click! The robin leant forward and jerked the rod. The door fell shut.
The rat flashed round at once. The robin nodded his head at him. " Go on,
go on," he said. " You were in the trap—and the door shut.. . what
happened next? "
" The dormouse came along and opened the trap," said the rat. " I'll
show you—now where's that dormouse? You said you would hold him for
me."
" No, I didn't," said the robin, flicking his tail cheekily.

97
 " I can't show you if the dormouse doesn't come," said the rat in a
rage, and he shook the cage with his paws. " You come and lift up this rod
as the dormouse did, and I'll show you how I got out."
' Yes—and you would show me how you caught the poor dormouse
—and you would catch me instead! " carolled the robin. " No thank you,
dear, clever rat! '
And off went the robin to visit his friend the dormouse, to tell him
what had happened. How the two friends chuckled when they thought of
the rat in the trap once more!
He stayed there till the next day, and then the farmer found him. That
was the end of Mister Rat, and nobody was sorry. Cruelty and wickedness
are no use in the world, are they!

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 THERE was once a poor old teddy bear who belonged to a little girl called
Joan. She didn't treat him very well, for she had pulled out an eye, and made one of
his arms loose. She often left him out in the rain, so he looked very dirty, and
always had a cold.
The other toys thought him a dirty, sniffy old creature, and they wouldn't let
him live in the toy cupboard with them.
" No, get away, Teddy," said the big doll, pushing him out. "We shall catch
your cold."
So the teddy meekly sat by the window alone and wished he had a
handkerchief. The baby doll had one in her pocket, but he knew she wouldn't lend it
to him.
Now one autumn day Joan took her toys out into the garden and sat them on
the seat. She played school with them, and pretended that the teddy was very
naughty indeed.
" You are the only toy that is not listening to your lessons! " she said to him.
" You are very naughty. Go into the corner."
So the teddy had to stand down and turn his face to the bushes in the corner.
He didn't really mind much, because, you see, he knew it was pretending. But what
he did mind a great deal was being forgotten afterwards!
When the time came for Joan to take in her toys she forgot all about the
teddy. She gathered up the toys on the seat, and took them indoors into the warmth
and brightness of the nursery. But poor old Teddy was

99
 left standing out there in the dark
and cold. He was very lonely and
miserable.
He stood there until he was
almost frozen. The frost came and
pinched his toes. He shivered and
shook, and began to sneeze. "A-tishoo!
A-tishoo! " Nobody was about.
Nobody heard him. He shook himself,
and walked about to get warm. It was
very dark, and as he only had one eye
to see with, he kept bumping into
things. So altogether he was very
miserable. He did wish he could meet
a kind-hearted fairy, but as Joan didn't
believe in fairies, there were none in
her garden at all.
It was the dog's kennel.
Teddy wandered about, and at
last bumped into something hard and wooden. It was the dog's kennel!
Sandy was inside, keeping himself warm in the straw. He woke up when
he heard Teddy bumping into his kennel, and growled. Teddy trembled,
and kept quite still.
Sandy ran out and sniffed around. He found the teddy and smelt him
all over. He was puzzled.
" You are not a real animal," he said. " Are you a toy? If you are,
why are you not in the nursery? Why are you wandering about alone like
this in the garden?"
"lama, toy," said the teddy. " I belong to Joan, but she left me out
when she took the others in. I was so cold that I was walking about to get
myself warm. I'm sorry I woke you up."
" Oh, so you belong to Joan, do you? " said Sandy. " Well, so do I,
and I don't like it. Do you know, she sometimes forgets to give me fresh
water in the morning? And look at my water now! Frozen hard! She won't
notice in the morning that my water is frozen, and maybe I'll have nothing
to drink to-morrow. Sometimes she forgets to give me biscuits,

100
 too, and often I don't get off my chain in the morning for a run if
she's playing with her toys, and doesn't want to bother to take me for a
walk."
" A-tishoo! " said the bear. " I'm very sorry to hear what you ... a-
tishoo, a-tishoo —what you have to ... a-tishoo! Do excuse me, I can't seem
to stop sneezing, a-tishoo! '
" What a dreadful cold you have," said Sandy. " Come into my
kennel and get warm."
" Oh, thank you so much," said the teddy gratefully. He crept into the
kennel and snuggled down in the straw. How warm it was! He cuddled up
against Sandy. The dog liked it. It was
nice to feel the teddy's little body
snuggling into him.
" When I'm warm I'll fetch you some
fresh water from the tap, if you like," said
Teddy. " I know where the garden tap is,
and I can just reach it."
" That's very good of you," said
Sandy. " But don't bother to-night; I'm not
at all thirsty."
Teddy fell asleep. He slept
peacefully, for he was warm and cosy.
Sandy slept too. Neither of them awoke
until the morning. Then Teddy sat up,
rubbed his one eye, and looked around
him in surprise. Wherever was he?
" Oh, of course, I'm in Sandy's
kennel! " he said to himself. " And how
much better my cold is! This warm kennel
has almost sent it away."
" Hallo, Teddy! " said Sandy. " So you are still there! I wondered if I
had dreamt you."
" No, it was real," said Teddy. '' Well, Sandy, thank you very much
for letting me sleep with you. I suppose I'd better go back into the garden
now and hope that Joan will remember me, and fetch me in."

101
 " I don't see why you should go back to Joan at all," said Sandy. "
Why not live with me here, in my kennel? There is plenty of room for both
of us. I could keep you warm and play with you, and you could fetch me
water or biscuits if Joan forgets them."
" Yes, and I could undo your chain at night so that you could go for a
run, if Joan doesn't take you out for a walk each day! " said the teddy, in
excitement. " I could help you a lot, Sandy! '
" Well, let's do it then," said Sandy, giving the bear a lick on his
nose. " I'd love to have you living with me. You're a nice little bear. Joan
can't want you or love you if she leaves you out in the garden. She can just
go without you! '

So the bear stayed in the kennel and didn't go out into the garden at
all. Joan didn't remember him, so no one looked for him. When night
came, the bear made his way out of the kennel, and said, " Sandy, Joan
didn't give you fresh water, so I am going to get
you some. You must be very thirsty. This has
been frozen all day. You have had nothing to
drink."
The teddy took a stone and cracked the
ice in the drinking bowl. Then he emptied it all
out and carried the bowl to the tap. It was heavy
for him, but he managed it. He turned on the
tap, and let some water run into the bowl. Then
he turned off the tap and carried the bowl back
carefully to the kennel. How glad Sandy was to
have a good long drink! He had plenty of
biscuits and a bone, for Joan had remembered
those; but she hadn't taken him for a run, and he
was longing to stretch his legs.
" I'll undo your chain now," said Teddy.
He found it hard to undo at first, for he didn't
know how to, but at last he managed it, and off
went Sandy into the night, racing round and
round the garden in delight. It was good to
stretch his legs when he had been still all day!
Sandy raced back to the kennel. " Get on

102
 my back, and I'll give you a ride," he said. So the teddy climbed up, and held
on tightly to Sandy's collar. Off they went, the bear grunting in delight. He had
never in his life had such an exciting time before!
The two slept together peacefully. Teddy cuddled between Sandy's front
paws, and Sandy rested his head on the bear's chest. They were very good friends
indeed.
Joan did look for Teddy, but she couldn't find him! She didn't think of
looking in Sandy's kennel, of course! And anyway, Sandy said he would lie on top
of Teddy and hide him if Joan did think of peeping in!
They still live together, and Teddy gives Sandy biscuits and water when Joan
forgets, and undoes his chain every night. As for Teddy, he never has a cold now,
and he is as happy as can be because somebody loves him and wants him. I'd love
to see him peeping out of Sandy's kennel, wouldn't you? He hopes you won't tell
Joan his secret if you know her!

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http://rapidshare.com/files/451162011/Blyton_Enid_66_Aventures_Original.doc

106
 Jack stared hard at the little men. He knew quite well they were fairy
folk and he was most excited. He pulled Bruiny's string and Bruiny
growled. " Urrrrrrrrr! "
" Good gracious! " said the two brownies, and they jumped round at
once. " A bear! " they cried. " A fine strong bear! We'll ride after the
gnome on him! '
" But he's only a toy one," said Jack. ' “He has to be pushed. He
won't go by himself."
" Oh, yes, he will, if we rub a little magic ointment on his legs," said
the first brownie. " Will you lend him to us for a little while? J:
'* Yes, if I can come too," said Jack.
" All right," said the brownies. " There is room for all of us on the
bear's back. We are small."
One of them took a jar of ointment from his pocket and rubbed it on
Bruiny's legs. At once Bruiny waggled his legs and jumped right off his
four big wheels! There he stood, quite alive, his little brown head shaking
in delight, and his ears twitching.
" Come on! " said Bruiny, in a growly voice. " I'll catch the thief for
you. Urrrrrrrrr! "
Jack got on his back. He was so excited. The brownies got on too,
one in front of Jack and one behind.

" Gee up! " cried the front one.

And Bruiny geed up! My
goodness, how he galloped along! It was
the first time he had ever used his legs
properly—and didn't he enjoy it! Jack
had to hold on quite tightly in case he
fell off.
" Good gracious, Bruiny! " he
shouted. " I never thought you'd come
alive—and what a pace you can go! '
In a few minutes they saw the
gnome pedalling along on his bicycle in
front of them. " UrrrrrRRRRR! "
growled Bruiny, in his loudest voice.
The gnome heard the noise and
looked back. When he saw the bear, and
Jack with

107
 the Brownies, he nearly fell off in surprise. He gave a shout and
pedalled on even faster than before.
On they all went, and on, Bruiny galloping like a horse, and growling
' Urrrr! " every now and again. Soon they
were just behind the gnome.
Bruiny snapped at the bicycle wheel.
The gnome gave a scream and pedalled on
faster than ever. He turned into a field-path.
Brainy went after him. Down the path cycled the
gnome at top speed, but, oh, my goodness me,
that path only led to the river!
The gnome couldn't stop in time. He cycled
straight into the water, splash! He dropped the
bag of gold just as he fell. The bicycle went into
the river too.
Bruiny pulled up just in time. Jack nearly
shot over his head into the water too, but he
caught hold of the string that made Bruiny growl,
and just saved himself.

108
 " Urrrrrrrr! " said Bruiny. The two
brownies scrambled off and picked up
their bag of gold. They looked at the
gnome in the water.
" He can swim all right," they said.
" My word, this is a good punishment for
him! He will be wet through, and he will
lose his bicycle! Serve him right, the
wicked little robber! "
" Urrrrrrr! " said Bruiny. " Serve
him right! "
Off they went on Bruiny's back
again, but not so fast. When they got to
the lane Jack was very sorry. It had been
such a thrilling adventure.
" Must Bruiny go back on his
wheels again ?" he asked, like him alive."
" Well, if he stays alive some one
will take him to live at the Zoo, as sure as
his name's Bruiny! " said one of the brownies. " But listen, Jack— you've been
very kind to lend him to us—so we'll do something for
you. When you are alone, rub some of our ointment on
to his legs, and he'll come alive just for you, for a little
while."
" Oh, thank you! " said Jack, taking the jar of
ointment in delight. " That will be lovely."
Bruiny climbed back to his wheels. He became
still. He was only a toy again—but there was a twinkle
in his eye that hadn't been there before. Ah, Bruiny
knew he was to come alive many a time again!
And he does—but only when Jack is quite alone
in the nursery, or out in the wood. It must be fun to
have a bear like that, mustn't it?

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110
 ONCE upon a time, not so very long ago, a crowd of little brownies
had to leave their home hurriedly.
They lived in Bluebell Wood, and one day it was sold to a builder.
Alas for the brownies and the rabbits, the birds and the little mice—they all
had to leave when the trees were chopped down, and the wood made ready
for houses to be built all over it!
The birds flew to another wood. The rabbits fled to the hillside a mile
away. The little mice held a meeting, and decided to hide somewhere till
the houses were built, and then become house-mice and live on food in the
larders of the houses.
The brownies, too, held a meeting. They were very tiny folk, these
brownies, so small that you could easily hold six in your hand together.
They were small enough to use a violet leaf for an umbrella, so you can
guess how tiny they were.
" We will go to our cousins, who live in the Wishing Wood," said the
chief brownie, Chippy. " I know the way quite well. You go through the
wood—down the lane—across the river—and up the hill. On the other side
is the Wishing Wood. It is a big place and there will be plenty of room for
us to live there with our cousins."
So one night they set off. They ran through their own spoilt wood.
They went down the lane, which seemed simply enormous to them. Then
they came to the river.

111
 But here they had to stop in dismay. They hadn't thought at all how
they were to cross it! Now what were they to do?
" We haven't wings, so we can't fly," said Chippy.
" And there are no boats about," said Tiggy.
" Not even a leaf or two we could use as a raft," said Snippy.
" What shall we do? " said every one together. " We must get across
to-night! "
A rabbit popped his head out of a nearby hole. " What's the matter? ':
he said.
" Oh, can you help us? " asked the brownies, and they told the rabbit
their trouble,
" No, I can't help you," said the rabbit, shaking his whiskery head. "
But I know a very, very kind little boy called Billy, who lives in that house
over there. He is very clever and he might help you. He once got me out of
a trap. Go and knock at his window. He'll wake and do his best for you."
It was moonlight and the brownies could see the window that the
rabbit pointed to. It had bars across, for it was a nursery window. They
thanked the rabbit and ran to the garden hedge, crept through it and ran to
the house. They climbed up the thick ivy, and stood on Billy's window-sill.
By the moonlight that shone into the room they could quite well see Billy,
fast asleep in his small bed.
Chippy tapped at the window. Billy stirred. Chippy tapped again.
Billy sat up, wide awake. When he saw the brownies at the window he was
too astonished to speak. Then he jumped out of bed and ran to let them in.
" Oh! " he said. " You dear little tiny creatures! I've always longed to
see the little folk—and now I really have. I do hope I'm awake and not
dreaming! '
" Oh, you're awake all right," said Chippy. " Listen, Billy! A rabbit
told us you were clever and kind. Do you think you could help us? ':
" I can try," said Billy, at once. ' What do you want me to do? ':
" Well," said Chippy, " we have to leave our home and we want to
get to Wishing Wood, which is across the river and over the hill. We
haven't wings to fly over the river, and we haven't boats. Could you tell us
how to get across, please, Billy? ':

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 Billy thought hard for a moment. " Let me see," he said. " It's no use
lending you my ship—it's far too big. And I've lost the oars of my little
boat. And paper boats would soak with water and sink half-way across.
Oh! I know! I know! I've thought of just the right thing for you! "
" What? What? " cried the brownies excitedly.
" 111 make you walnut-shell boats! " said Billy. " They'll be just the
right sise for you. One of you will go nicely into each. They float beauti-
fully—and I can make you tiny sails so that the wind will blow you
across!"
Billy ran downstairs. He had counted the brownies and there were

113
 eleven of them. He took six walnuts from the dish of nuts on the
dining-room sideboard.
He ran upstairs again. He carefully slit each walnut into its two half-
shells and took out the nut. He and the brownies chewed the nuts between
them as Billy worked.
:
' Now, there you are! " said Billy, when he had the six shells empty,
standing neatly in their halves. ' Twelve little boats! Good! Now I'll make
the masts and the sails."
He got out a box in which he kept all sorts of odds and ends. In it
were a lot of dead matches. Billy was not allowed to touch proper matches,
only ones that had already been struck, but he had quite a lot of these.
He took a dead match and made holes in a small piece of white paper
so that he could slip the bit of paper on the match for a sail! The match was
the mast, you see. When he had got the sail nicely fixed, he looked for his
tube of seccotine.
" What's that? " asked the brownies in surprise, as they saw Billy
squeezing a tiny, sticky sort of worm out of the tube on to the end of the
match.
" It's seccotine—sticky stuff that sticks things together," said Billy. "
This drop of seccotine will stick the end of the match to the bottom of the
walnut shell, you see, brownies—and then you will have a nice straight
mast, with a dear little sail to catch the wind! '
The brownies were simply amazed to see Billy making them the dear
little walnut-shell boats. Billy was so quick and so clever!
He stuck the match into the bottom of a shell. He arranged the bit of
paper for a sail. The boat was ready!
" One boat done," he said. " Now for the next! "
As soon as the brownies saw how the boats were made, they began to
help. Tiggy got in a bit of a mess with the seccotine, which stuck to his
hands, and then everything seemed to stick to him! Poor Tiggy!
It was not long before there were twelve boats finished. '' You only
need eleven," said Billy, " but it would be quite a good idea to let the
twelfth boat carry your bits of luggage. I can tie it on to one of the other
boats."
Soon Billy and the brownies were creeping quietly down the garden

114
 to the river. Billy carried all the boats on a tiny tray, for fear of
spoiling them. When he came to the river, he set the tray down on the
ground.
He launched one tiny boat, and it bobbed up and down beautifully on
the ripples. The wind pulled at the tiny sail. Billy carefully put a brownie in
the boat, and away it went, bobbing merrily over the river. Then another
boat followed it—and another—and another—till the whole fleet was
sailing away, looking perfectly lovely on the moonlit water.
The last but one had the twelfth luggage boat tied to the back of it.
The two little boats bobbed safely away, the brownie in the first one
waving good-bye. Billy stood and watched his fleet of walnut-shell boats
sailing across to the other side, the wind blowing hard on the little paper
sails. Not one boat sank.
" I do feel proud and pleased," said Billy to himself. " I've really
done something to-night. I'll go to Wishing Wood some day and see if I
can find those brownies again! '
He hasn't been yet, but I expect he will go soon. Would you like to
make a fleet of walnut-shell boats like Billy? You can, easily. Sail them in
the bath and they will look fine!

115
 The Magic Shell
JESSIE and Norman had spent a whole month by the sea—and, deal
me, how they had loved it. They had paddled and bathed and dug and
fished—but now it was all over.
The children were sad. They sat on a sand-castle for the last time,
and Jessie was almost in tears.
" I do love the sea so much," she said. " I don't want to go home."
" Nor do I," said Norman. " I wish we could take a bit of it back with
us! "
" I'd like to take the sound of the waves back with me," said Jessie. "
I do so love that soft, sighing, singing noise they make, Norman. It's a real
seaside sound."
" Let's find a big bit of seaweed to take back," said Norman, getting
up. " And some shells too, to play with."
" I don't want to," said Jessie. " If I could take the sound of the waves
I'd go and look for that. But you can't take that home with you."
" Well, just come and help me then," said Norman. " If we can find a
long piece of seaweed we can hang it up outside our bedroom window—
and if it is dry it means good weather, and if it is damp it means bad
weather. It will be fun to keep feeling it to see! '
So the two children began to hunt about for seaweed and shells. Soon
their buckets were full of pretty shells that shone brightly when they were
wet. Then Jessie found a very long piece of seaweed.

116
 " It's like a mermaid's ribbon!
" she said, holding it up. It's as tall
as I am! This will be a lovely bit to
take home."
Just then Norman gave a
shout. " Jessie! Look at this enor-
mous shell in the rock-pool here!
Come and help me to get it. It is
wedged under a rock."

The two children tugged at

the shell—and out it came. It was
indeed a big one—very curly and
long, with a big opening at the end.
" Oh, this is lovely! " said
Jessie. " We'll put it on the nursery
mantelpiece when we get home. It
is a real treasure. If I give you my
seaweed will you give me this shell,
Norman? "
" All right," said Norman. So
Jessie took the shell and he carried the long ribbon of seaweed. They went
home, where Mummy was busy packing.
" Oh, dear me, I haven't room for anything else! " she said, when she
saw them. " You will have to carry your shells and your seaweed in your
pails."
So the two children carried their treasures home themselves. When
they got home at last, Norman hung the seaweed outside the bedroom
window and Jessie stood the big shell on the nursery mantelpiece. It looked
lovely.
The children did miss the sea. " It seems so strange not to hear it
outside the window all day and night," said Jessie. " If only I could hear it
again! I am so afraid of forgetting the lovely noise the sea makes."
She looked so very miserable that Mother laughed. "Good gracious!
" she said. " What a long face! Well, you brought plenty of sea-treasures
home with you. Play with those."

117
 " But what I most wanted to bring was the sound of the sea," said
Jessie. " I couldn't bring that."
" Well, that is just what you have brought," said Mother suddenly, and
she took the big shell down from the mantelpiece. " You have brought the
song of the sea back in this shell—listen! '
She put it to Jessie's ear—and do you know, inside that shell she could
hear the sound of the far-away sea! Wasn't it marvellous! She heard the
little waves sighing and the big ones singing. How delighted she was!
:e
Oh, Mummy, Mummy! " she shouted. " The sound of the sea is
inside my shell! Oh, how lovely! Oh, it's like magic! Now I shall be happy
because I can hear the sea whenever I want to."
Wasn't it strange that the shell sang the song of the sea? Would you
like to hear it too? Then find someone who has a big shell, and ask if you
can put it to your ear. What a surprise you will get! You will hear the sea
inside the shell, murmuring and sighing, far, far away.
It's like magic, isn't it!

118
 The Goblin Looking-Glass
IT was a very wet day and Micky and Pam couldn't go out to play in
the garden. They were cross about it because they wanted to dig in their
sand-pit. They stood at the window and grumbled.
" It's no use being cross, my dears," said Nurse. " Get your bricks or
your books and amuse yourselves. I am going down to help Mummy to
make a new dress for Pam, so be good whilst I am gone."
Nurse took her work-basket and went downstairs. The children were
left alone. They turned away from the window and stared round the
nursery.
" I don't want to play with bricks," said Micky. " And I'm tired of all
my books. I wish something exciting would happen."
" Nothing lovely ever happens! " sighed Pam. " You read of such
glorious adventures in books—but nothing ever really happens to children
like us”.
" There isn't even anything very exciting in the nursery," said Micky.
" We haven't a gramophone like Peter has. And we haven't a nice clock-
work railway like Jack's. There's nothing nice in our nursery at all."
" No, nothing—except the big looking-glass," said Pam, pointing to a
full-length mirror hung on the wall. The children liked this very much
because they could see all of themselves in it, from top to toe. Round the
mirror was carved a most exciting pattern of fruits, flowers and tiny little

119
 goblin-like creatures peeping out from the flowers. It really was a
lovely looking-glass.
Pam and Micky liked to look into it and see their nursery reflected
there, the other way round. Micky looked at the mirror on that wet, rainy
morning, and an idea came into his head.
" I wonder if there is anything magic about that mirror," he said,
going over to it. ' You know, it's very, very old, Pam. Let's look carefully at
all those little goblins carved round it and see if we think there's any magic
about them."
So the two children looked carefully at each goblin, and rubbed each
one to see if anything happened. But nothing did. Micky was disappointed.
He leaned against the mirror and looked into it at the nursery reflected
there.
And then he saw a most queer and curious thing. He saw standing in
the mirror-nursery a little, carved chair, just by the fire-place—but when he
looked back into the real nursery there was no chair at all!
" Pam! Pam! Look here! " he cried, excitedly. " Look into the mirror.
Do you see that funny carved chair, standing by the fire-place? Well, it's in
the mirror, but it isn't in our nursery! What do you think of that! "
Pam looked. Sure enough, it was just as Micky had said. A small
carved chair stood in the looking-glass—but it wasn't in the real nursery at
all. It was only in the looking-glass. It was carved like the mirror itself, and
seemed to match it perfectly. Whose was it? Who sat there? And why was
it in the looking-glass but not in the nursery itself?
" Pam, Pam! Something exciting has happened at last!" cried Micky.
He pressed his face against the glass to try and see further into the mirror—
and suddenly he gave a great cry of surprise and fell right through the
mirror into the reflection beyond!
Pam stared in astonishment. There was Micky on the other side of
the mirror, staring at her, too surprised to speak. Then she heard his voice,
sounding rather far away.
"Pam! I'm the other side of the mirror! Take my hand and come too.
We'll have a real adventure! "
Pam stretched out her hand and took Micky's. He gave her a pull and
she passed right through the looking-glass and stood beside Micky. They

120
 looked back at their nursery—and as they looked, they saw the door
open and Nurse come in.
" Don't let her see us," whispered Micky. " It would spoil everything.
Quick, hide! "
He ran out of the door in the mirror with Pam. They expected to find
themselves on the broad, sunny landing that lay outside their own nursery
door—but the looking-glass house was different. Instead of a wide landing
there was a narrow, dark passage. Micky stopped.
" This is funny," he said. " It's quite different from our house. I
wonder where we really are, now."
Pam felt a bit frightened and wanted to go back, but Micky wouldn't

121
122
123
 let her. No, this was an
adventure, and he wanted to go on
with it.
" There's nothing to be
afraid of," he said. " I’ll look after
you,"
He took Pam along the dark
passage and came at last to stairs
going up and down. They were
queer stairs, going in a spiral, and
the children wondered whether to
go up them or down them. They
decided to go up them.
So up they went and came at
last to a big, grey door set with
orange nails. They pushed it open
and looked inside. And they saw a
very strange sight!
A small goblin-like man,
with funny, pointy ears, sat
hunched up in a corner by a big fire-place, leaning over a large red book.
LOOKING-GLASS
Tears were running down his cheeks and made a big pool at his feet.
The children stared at him in surprise.
" What's the matter? " asked Micky, at last. The goblin jumped so
much with fright that his book nearly fell into the fire. He snatched it out
and sat down again on his stool, holding his hand to his beating heart.
" Oh! " he said. " Oh! What a fright you gave me! I thought you were
Bom, the big goblin. How in the world did you get here? "
" Oh, never mind that," said Micky. " We are here that's all. What
were you crying for? "
" Look at this book," said the goblin, beginning to cry again. " It's a
book of recipes. I've got to make some special lemonade for Bom, and I
can't read very well, so I just simply can't find out how to make it! There
are such long words here—and Bom will whip me and stand me in a corner
all night if I haven't got the lemonade ready when he comes back."
"I'll read it for you! " said Micky. He took the book and read out
loud.

124
 " Enchanted Lemonade. To
Make—Take the juice of five
lemons that have grown best in
moonlight. Take some yellow
honey from the bumble-bee that
visits the night-shade on Friday
evening. Take a spoonful of blue
sugar. Stir with a Kingfisher's
feather. Say five enchanted words
over the mixture."
" Oh, thank you! " cried the
small goblin, delighted. " Now I
know exactly what to do. Oh, you
really are kind and clever. I'll
make the lemonade at once! "
He took five strange-looking, silvery lemons from a dish in a cup-
board. Then he found a tiny flute in one of his pockets and blew on it. In a
moment or two a very large bumble-bee flew in at the open window. The
goblin spoke to it in a curious humming voice, and the bee flew out. It
came back in a few minutes with a small jar of yellow honey, which the
goblin took from it with a smile. Then out flew the bee again.
Micky and Pam watched in amazement. The goblin shook some blue
sugar from a bag into a silver spoon and mixed it with the juice of the
lemons and the honey. Then he took a bright blue feather from a jar and
stirred the mixture, muttering over it the strangest words that the children
had ever heard.
" There! It's made! " said the goblin, happily, putting the bowl of
lemonade on the window-sill. " Thanks to you, little boy! But, tell me—
what are you doing here in Bom's house? Does he know you are here?
:
"No," said Micky. " I didn't even know it was Bom's house. We
came through the mirror in our nursery, and found everything quite
different."
" You came through the mirror! " cried the little goblin, in fright.
"Oh, be careful, then! It's years and years since anyone did that. It's a sort
of trap, you know. Bom always hopes someone will fall through that magic
mirror one day, and then he finds them and makes them his servants for a
hundred years. They are allowed to go back then, but, of course, they are
old and so they never want to. They always end up as goblins, like me."

125
 Micky and Pam listened in astonishment and dismay. They wanted
an adventure, but not a horrid one.
" Where is Bom? " asked Micky. " Perhaps we can get back to our
nursery before he sees us."
" I don't think you can," said the goblin. " I believe I can hear him
coming now. Quick, take these—they may help you sometime or other. Go
and hide behind that couch. Maybe Bom won't see you then."
Micky took what the goblin pressed into his hand and then dragged
Pam behind the couch. It was only just in time. The door opened and
through it came a magnificent goblin, dressed in a cloak of pure gold and a
tunic of silver with sapphire buttons. His hat, which he hadn't bothered to
take off, had a wonderful curling feather in it, and his long, pointed ears
stuck out below it.
" Ho, Tumpy! " said Bom, in a loud voice. " Have you made that
lemonade? Where is it? "
Tumpy, the little goblin, ran to the window-sill and fetched the bowl

126
 of lemonade. To the children's surprise Bom raised It to his lips and
drank it all off at one gulp.
" That's good," he said. " Very good."
Then he stood and sniffed the air as if he could smell something.
" Tumpy," he said, in an angry voice. " You have had visitors. Where
arc they? "
Tumpy was very frightened but he wasn't going to give the children
away. He shook his head and taking up a broom, began to sweep the floor.
But Bom took him up in his big hand and shook him so hard that Micky
and Pam were sure they could hear his teeth rattling together.
Micky was not going to let anyone be hurt for him. So he stepped
boldly out from behind the couch with Pam.
" Stop shaking Tumpy," he said. " We are not really his visitors. We
didn't come to see him."
Bom dropped Tumpy in surprise, and stared at the two children.
" Did you come to see met then? " he asked. " Oh, perhaps you are
the two children of the Wizard Broody? He told me he was sending them
out travelling, and that they might perhaps call and see me."
" Perhaps we are, and perhaps we aren't," said Micky, grandly. " We
shall not tell you our names."
Bom looked at them sharply.
" Well, if you are, you can do two or three things for me," he said. "
I've a silver canary that won't sing. If you are the Wizard's children, you
can easily make it sing for me. Then I've a sack of stones I can't turn into
gold, no matter how I try. You can do that for me, too. Then I've a candle
that won't light. You must make it light for me, If you can do those things I
shall know you are the wizard's children and you shall go in safety. But—if
you cannot do them, then who will you be? Perhaps children that have
come through the goblin mirror! Aha! '
Micky put on a bold face, and hoped that Pam would try not to cry.
He meant to go back to the mirror room as soon as he had a chance, and
climb through the looking-glass into his own nursery.
" I'll try to do what you want," he said. " Take us to the canary."
Bom marched to the door, and the children went after him. Micky
looked behind him at the little goblin Tumpy, and saw that he was pointing
and signalling to him. Micky knew why, It was to remind

127
 him that Tumpy had given
him something. He patted his
pocket to show Tumpy he
remembered, and then followed
the big goblin down the curly
stairs.
Bom took them to a little
room. There was only one thing in
it and that was a big golden cage
with a silver canary in it. The little
bird sat glumly on its perch, and
its bright eyes looked at Bom and
the children when they came in.
" This is the canary," said Bom. " He won't sing. Let me see you
make him open his mouth and trill sweetly."
" Oh, no, we cannot let you see our magic," said Micky, much to
Pam's surprise. " You must leave us alone, and come back in half an hour.
We cannot do magic with a goblin looking on."
" Very well," said Bom, and he left the room. Micky was delighted.
He waited until the goblin was gone and then he ran to the door.
" We can easily escape before he comes back," he whispered to Pam.
But alas! The door was locked on the outside. The children were prisoners.
Pam began to cry, but Micky wasted no time. He felt in his pocket to
see what the little goblin Tumpy had given him. He took the things out.
There was a red feather, very tiny. A shining golden button—and a very
small key. That was all.
" Well, I don't know what use these are going to be," said Micky,
dolefully. " A feather, a button and a key! '
" Sh! " said Pam, suddenly. " Can you hear something? " Micky
stood still and listened. He heard a whispering coming through the keyhole
of the locked door. It must be Tumpy.
" Stroke the canary with the red feather! " said the whispering voice.
" Stroke the canary with the red feather! "
Micky at once took the feather and stuck it between the bars of the
golden cage. He began to stroke the canary with the red feather. He did it
until he was quite tired, and then he asked Pam to take a turn too. So she

128
 stroked the canary for a long time. But he didn't make a movement,
and he didn't sing a note. It was disappointing.
" That horrid big goblin will be back again soon," sighed Micky, still
stroking the canary. " Oh, I wonder if this is any use."
Just as he said that the canary gave a tiny chirruping noise. Then it
suddenly took the red feather in its beak and tucked it into the silvery
feathers that grew from its throat. Micky watched in surprise.
The canary hopped up and down in its cage. Then it opened its
mouth and began to sing. How it sang! It was the loudest song the children
had ever heard! The door burst open and in came Bom, looking very
surprised and pleased.
" Well, well, I didn't think you'd do that so quickly! " he cried. " The
Wizard Broody must have taught you a great deal of magic! Now come
and change my sack of stones into gold for me! Ho ho! You shall have a
great feast and two big precious stones for yourselves when your tasks are
finished! '
The children left the singing canary and once more followed Bom,
this time into a curious little room hung round with black curtains,
embroidered with goldfish. In the middle was a big sack. Bom pulled it
open at the neck. It was full of stones.
" Here you are," he said. " Change these into gold for me. I'll go
away again if you don't like me to watch you."

129
 He went out and banged the door. Once more Micky ran to it and
tried it—but no, it was fast locked. He stared in despair at the sack. Then
he looked behind all the curtains to see if there was a door or window, but
there wasn't. The only light came from a great lantern hung from the low
ceiling.
" Micky! There's that whispering again! " said Pam, in a low voice.
Micky rushed to the door and listened. Once more a tiny whisper came
through the keyhole. " Put the shiny button in the sack. Put the shiny
button in the sack."
" It must be Tumpy again," said Micky, gladly. " What a good thing
we were able to help him make that magic lemonade, Pam! '
He took the golden button from his pocket and slipped it in the sack.
It fell down between the stones and disappeared. Micky watched to see
what would happen, quite expecting the stones to turn at once to gold. But
they didn't.
The children watched and watched them—but they still remained
grey stones. They were afraid Bom would come back—and goodness me,
just

130
 as they were thinking he surely must be back soon, they heard the
door opening. It was Bom!
Micky shut the sack quickly, hoping that he and Pam could slip out
of the door before Bom could see the stones had not changed to gold. But
the wily Bom had locked the door behind him!
He pulled open the sack—and to the children's great amazement they
saw that the stones had changed to shining gold after all! There they were,
yellow and bright. They must just have changed as the goblin came into the
room.
" Smart children! " said Bom, pleased. " Clever children! I didn't
think you'd be able to do that! I shall write and tell your father you are very
clever indeed. Now come and light the candle that won't light! Then you
shah1 have a grand feast, and go home with two fine emeralds in your
pockets! '
Micky and Pam followed him to yet another room, this time set with
many sunny windows. On a pink table was a tall golden candlestick and in
it stood a pink candle.
" This is a witch's candle," said Bom. " If only I could light it, it
would burn for ever. Light it for me. I will leave you alone for a while."
Out he went and locked the door behind him. Micky ran to listen to
any whispering that might come—but oh dear me, Bom must have come
back and caught poor Tumpy at the key-hole, for hardly had the
whispering

131
 begun than there came the sound of an angry voice, and several
sharp slaps. Then somebody began to cry and was hustled away.
" That was poor old Tumpy, I expect," said Micky. " Now we shan't
know how to light that witch-candle! Well, I've only got one thing left, and
that's a little key. I'll see if I can do anything with that."
He took it out and ran it up and down the candle. Then he struck a
match from a box lying nearby and tried to light the candle. But no, it
wouldn't light. Micky did everything he could think of, but it wasn't a bit of
good. Nothing would make that strange pink candle come alight. Pam was
looking out of one of the windows. Not one of them would open, but she
was looking out to see what lay beyond. There was a wonderful garden set
with big, brilliant flowers, and flying about were the brightest, strangest
birds she had ever seen. Pam stared as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
Then she saw something else.
" Micky! " she called. " Come
here! Look at these two queer children
coming up the path to the house."
Micky looked. Certainly the
children were queer. They both had on
pointed hats, and long, sweeping
cloaks on which were embroidered
moons, suns and stars. They carried
long, golden sticks in their hands.
" Goodness! ' cried Micky,
suddenly. " They must be the Wizard's
children—the ones he mistook us for!
Now what are we going to do! Bom
will soon know we are not the right
children, and he will be very angry!
Oh dear, whatever shall we do! *
Pam looked wildly round the
room—and suddenly her eyes caught
sight of a very small door, not more
than eighteen inches high, set at the
foot of one of the walls.

132
 "Look Micky! " she cried. "There's a tiny door over there! Do you
think we might perhaps open it and squeeze through? *
Micky looked—and in a moment he was down on his knees trying to
open it. But it was locked! He groaned.
" Try that tiny key you've got! " whispered Pam, in excitement. "It
might fit! "
Micky tried it, with trembling hands. It fitted! He turned it in the lock
and pushed open the door. And at that very moment there came an angry
voice outside the room, and the children heard the big door opening.
" I'll punish them! " cried Bom's voice. " Telling me they were
Wizard children when they weren't! I'll make them my servants for a
hundred years! Ho ho! '
Micky pushed Pam through the tiny door and then squeezed hur-
riedly through it himself, just as Bom rushed into the room. The angry
goblin saw them going through the little door and he rushed over to them.
But he was far too big to get through it himself!
" I'll go round the other way and catch you! " he roared.
The children found themselves in a low passage. They stumbled
along —and suddenly Micky felt a little hand in his, and a voice spoke to
him.
" Don't be afraid, it's only me, Tumpy! I've come to guide you to the
looking-glass room. If we're quick we shall get there before Bom does."

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 Micky was so glad to have Tumpy! He hurried along with him, Pam
following close behind. Down long twisty passages they went, in and out
of funny little rooms, upstairs and downstairs and once through a dim, dark
cellar. It was terribly exciting.
At last Tumpy pushed them into a room that seemed very familiar.
Yes, it was the looking-glass room at last! It was just like their nursery.
Over on the wall was the long mirror.
" Quick! Quick! He's coming! " cried Tumpy, and the two children
heard the sound of hurried footsteps and a loud, angry voice. Micky rushed
to the mirror and leapt through it. He helped Pam through, and then
suddenly thought of dragging the little goblin Tumpy through too. It
seemed such a shame to leave him behind to the cross and unkind Bom. So
he went through as well!
Micky looked round. He was in his own, proper nursery. How glad
he was! So was Pam. Micky looked into the glass. He saw Bom the big
goblin suddenly appear there, shaking his fist at them. Then he faded away,
and Micky could see nothing but the reflection of his own nursery. Not
even the funny little goblin chair was there now.
Tumpy heard footsteps outside the nursery door and he jumped out
of the window. :' I'll come back again to-night! " he whispered.
Nurse came into the room, smiling.
" Well, have you been good children? " she asked.
" Oh yes," said Micky. " We've had a lovely time! "
" That's splendid," said Nurse. " Well, it's stopped raining, so you can
go out. Go and get your rubber boots."
They went, and when they were in the dark hall-cupboard, putting on
their boots, Micky spoke to Pam in a low voice.
" Did it really happen, Pam? Or did we imagine it? Did we go
through that looking-glass? "
" Yes, rather! " said Pam. " Anyway, Tumpy came back with us. You
can ask him if it was true or not, when he comes to see us to-night! What
an adventure we've had!
And now they are waiting to see Tumpy again. I wish I could see him
too!

134
135
 Pinkity's Party Frock
PINKITY was a pixie who loved to go to parties. She went to the rabbits'
patties, and to the mouse picnics. She loved going to the fairies' parties, and dear
me, what a treat it was to go to a party at the palace.
Pinkity lived in Jenny's garden—but Jenny didn't know! Pinkity had a tiny
house under the old lilac bush. All the mice knew it well and so did the two
rabbits who lived at the end of the garden. One of the hens knew it too, for she
had gone under the bush to lay an egg. But Jenny didn't know, though she had
played round the bush a dozen times a day!
Jenny played with her doll Rosebud. She loved her very much, for
Rosebud was a pretty, cuddlesome doll, whose eyes shut to go to sleep, and who
could say " Ma-ma " in a very baby-like voice. Rosebud had two lots of dresses
—a pink silk one with a white sash, and a blue cotton one for mornings.
Pinkity often used to watch Jenny playing with Rosebud. One day, as
Pinkity was peeping through the leaves at Jenny, the postman came with a letter
for the pixie. The postman was a little mouse. Pinkity took the letter in
excitement.
" I hope it's a party invitation! " she cried. And it was! It was from the
Fairy Goldywings, and the party was to be the next day, Monday, a picnic party
on Breezy Hill.
" Oh, what fun! " cried Pinkity. " I shall make myself a dress and hat of
pink rose-petals. I shall look fine! "
That night she went to collect the pink rose-petals from Jenny's

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 garden. She came across old Shellyback, Jenny's tortoise, lying
asleep in the grass. Pinkity laughed.
" I shall use you for a stool to sit on! " she said. So she sat down on
the tortoise's back, and began to make her pink frock and hat. First she
made the hat and fitted it on her head. Really, it looked very pretty, all
made of silky petals. Then she began to make the frock.
She worked till dawn, and then she had to go and fetch some more
pink thread from her little house. So she dropped the little frock lightly on
to the ground by the tortoise and ran off.
When she came back, whatever do you think had happened? Why,
the old tortoise had awakened, and put his head out of his shell. He had
seen the rose-petal frock—and had begun to eat it up!
You see, rose-petals were a great treat to him. He loved a feast of
them and didn't often get them. So when he saw the rose-petal frock, he
began to gobble it up in delight!
Well, poor Pinkity sat down and cried and cried when she saw what
was happening! " You horrid unkind thing! " she sobbed. " Here I've spent
all night long making my new frock—and you eat it in about two minutes! '
" Sorry! " said Shellyback. " I didn't know it was a frock. I thought it
was just rose-petals and I'm very fond of them."
" It's Monday morning now and there won't be time to make myself a
frock again," sobbed Pinkity. " I shan't be able to go to the picnic this
afternoon! ':
" I'm very sorry," said Shellyback again. He did wish he could do
something!
Pinkity slipped back to her house under the bush, still crying. Shelly-
back pulled at the grass and waited for Jenny to come out to play.
When she came out she looked very important. It was Monday—and
she was going to have a washing-day just like Mother! She had washed
Rosebud's pink silk frock, and her white petticoat and vest, and had washed
her pram-cover and pillow-case too. Now Mother had put her up a little
clothes line in the garden to hang the things on to dry!
The tortoise watched Jenny pegging up all the clothes. He wished he
could tell her about Pinkity, but he had only a hiss for a voice and Jenny
wouldn't understand.

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 Jenny went indoors then to get her hat and coat for a walk. Shelly-
back watched the clothes flying on the line and went on eating.
The wind blew hard. It blew the little clothes on the little line and it
blew Mother's big clothes on the big line. It blew so hard that it blew the
pink silk frock off the line altogether, and it flew off and wrapped itself
round the tortoise's head!
He was surprised! He put his head into his shell at once. Then he
poked it out again to see what it was that had dropped on him.
It was Rosebud's best pink silk frock—and the tortoise stared at it in
excitement. Just the thing for Pinkity to wear at the picnic! If only it would
fit her!
Shellyback picked the frock up in his mouth and crawled under the
lilac bush with it. Pinkity was there, still crying. How she stared when she
saw the tortoise bringing the pink silk frock!
"Oh! Oh! Where did you get it from?" she cried. "What a beautiful
dress—and I believe it will just fit me—and will match my new rose-petal
bonnet beautifully." She slipped the frock over her head and

138
 tied the white sash round.
How sweet she looked!
:
' Oh, thank you! " she said to
Shellyback, kissing his little blunt
nose. " I'll wear it to the picnic! '
She ironed it out, and then put it on
for the picnic with her pretty pink
bonnet. Off she went, as happy as
could be—and how every one
admired her in her pretty silk frock!
Poor Jenny was upset when
she came in from her walk and
found the pink silk frock had been
blown off the line. She hunted and
hunted for it—but, of course, she
couldn't find it! Then it was her turn
to weep!
The tortoise heard her crying
and soon knew why. How un-
comfortable he felt! First he had
eaten Pinkity's rose-petal frock and made her cry—and now he had taken
away Jenny's doll's frock and made her cry. He went to the lilac bush and
waited for Pinkity to come home.
When she came he told her how upset Jenny was. " Oh dear! " said
Pinkity, " what a shame! Well, I'll soon wash and iron this frock, Shelly-
back, and then I'll give it back to Jenny for Rosebud. And I'll give her my
rose-petal bonnet too. It should fit the doll nicely."
So that evening Pinkity washed and ironed the pink frock, and then
packed it up in a little box, with the pink bonnet too. She flew up to the
nursery window, slipped in at the top, and left the box on the table.
When Jenny found it and opened it the next morning, she could
hardly believe her eyes! " Oh, look! " she said, " here's my doll's frock
back—and a lovely rose-petal bonnet too! It will just fit Rosebud."
So it did, and she wears it every time she goes out. Jenny would so
love to know who made it. Shellyback has told her heaps of times, but she
doesn't understand his hisses. I wish I could tell her, don't you?

139
 CHUCKLE and Pip were two small pixies with pointed ears, twinkling
eyes, and merry voices. They made sunshades, umbrellas, and parachutes,
and were really very clever.
They had a shop just outside the King's palace walls, and they made
the prettiest frilly sunshades, the gayest umbrellas, and the strongest para-
chutes that ever were seen. The tiny money-spiders bought the parachutes
and used them when they wanted to leave their homes and go somewhere
else. They swung the parachute into the air,
caught hold of it, and away they floated on the
wind.
The fairies bought the sunshades and the
umbrellas—but trade was very bad at the
moment. The sun had not really been strong
enough for sunshades, the spiders were quite
content to stay at home, and there had been no
rain for weeks.
" We haven't sold a single umbrella, sun-
shade or parachute for ages," said Chuckle
gloomily.
"I know! " said Pip. "I really don't know
what we are going to do about it. If only the sun
would shine all day long we could sell our stock
of sunshades—or if only it would rain we could
sell our umbrellas! '
"There's a party at the palace to-morrow,"
said Chuckle. " That means that every one will
pass our shop. Just suppose it poured

140
 with rain, Pip, when every one was going by in their best! "What a
lot of umbrellas we should sell! '
Pip sat and thought. Yes—if only it would rain! If only they could
make it rain! An idea came into his head—a very naughty one. He laughed.
" Chuckle, I've got a plan! " he said. " What about me climbing that
big tree by the palace gate—with two or three watering-cans full of water!"
" Are you mad, Pip? " asked Chuckle, puzzled.
" No," said Pip. " Don't you see the idea, Chuckle? As people go by
in their best party-frocks I'll water them with my watering-can—and they'll
think it's raining and go off in a great hurry to buy an umbrella from you!
" Oooooh! That is a fine idea! " said naughty Chuckle, and he
laughed till he cried. " Can't I be the one to sit in the tree and water people,
Pip? ':
" No," said Pip firmly. '' It's my idea and I shall do the watering.
We'll put the cans of water up the tree to-night when no one is looking."
" But how can we climb a tree with a can of water in our hand?” said
Chuckle.
" We shan't," said Pip. “I shall climb up the tree, and let down a rope.
You will tie the watering-can carefully to the rope and I will haul it up and
put it safely on that big broad branch on the west side of the tree."
" You are clever at ideas, Pip," said Chuckle. " I'm longing for to-
night! "
Well, that night the two naughty pixies carried out their plan. Pip
climbed the tree and let down the rope. Chuckle tied a full watering-can on
to it. Pip hauled it up and hid it safely. Then he let down the rope again. He
hauled up two big watering-cans, one small one, and three hot-water cans
as well, which he said he could use to fill the watering-cans with when
they were empty. Naughty Pip!
They went to bed. The next day was cloudy with no sun. But the
clouds were too high for rain. Pip chuckled when he thought of how he
was going to make rainy weather for all the palace guests that afternoon!
Chuckle put out all his prettiest umbrellas. Pip climbed the tree at
three o'clock and waited patiently for the first person to come along.
It was Dame Thump, in her very best blue silk dress with the red
bows. Just as she walked beneath the tree Pip tipped up one of his
watering-cans.

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 “
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter! ' The water splashed down on Dame
Thump. What a state she was in!
:
' Oh, my best frock! Oh, it will be spoilt before I get to the palace!
Now who would have thought it would rain like this! If only I had an
umbrella! " she said. Then she remembered that Chuckle's shop was just
nearby, and she hurried to buy a blue umbrella to match her frock. Chuckle
was delighted.
Pip laughed so much that he nearly fell out of the tree. He just
managed to save himself in time to give Dame Thump a gentle splashing
as she passed by with her new um-
brella held over her head.
Then came Mr. and Mrs.
Spink with all their four children.
They were very smart indeed. Mr.
Spink had on a yellow silk suit with
hat and feather to match. Mrs.
Spink had on a frock as bright as
the sun. All the children were
dressed alike in red frocks and
tunics.
Pip grinned. He tipped up his
watering-can. First he watered Mr.
Spink and his yellow hat. Then he
watered Mrs. Spink and her glitter-
ing frock. Then he watered all the
little Spinks, who cried out in
dismay.
" Mother! Father! It's
raining on our new dresses! Didn't
you bring an umbrella? ':
" No," said Mr, Spink, looking up at the sky. " Dear, dear! Well, I
think it's stopping now. Let's stand under this tree, dears,-and we shall keep
dry." But it was no place to stand if they wanted to keep dry! Pip nearly
burst himself with trying not to laugh, and he at once emptied a whole
canful over the Spink family!
:
' Oh, the rain is simply pouring down! " said poor Mrs. Spink. ' It's
even soaking through the tree. Look! There is an umbrella shop,

142
 Mr. Spink. We must certainly buy umbrellas, or we shall be soaked
through before we arrive, and we don't want the dear King to think we are
a family of drowned rats! '
They hurried to Chuckle's shop. They bought one big umbrella to
share between Mr. and Mrs. Spink, and four tiny umbrellas, one for each
child. Then they set off happily to the palace, holding them over their
heads.
Pip laughed loudly, and Chuckle poked his head out of the shop-door
and laughed too. Then he caught sight of two or three more people coming
along. " Sh! " he said. "Here are Fairy Trip, Pixie Tiptoe, and Brownie
Longbeard."
Well, as soon as they passed under Pip's tree, Trip, Tiptoe, and
Longbeard got a good watering. How disgusted they were!
" Raining! " said Longbeard, shaking the drops out of his beautiful
silvery beard. " What bad luck! "
" And I left my umbrella at home! " said Fairy Trip.

143
 " I shall be soaked! " said Tiptoe, who had on a very thin dress of
spider's thread.
" What shall we do? " said Longbeard. Pip helped them to think by
watering them again. They caught sight of Chuckle's shop. " Look! He
sells umbrellas! " they cried. " Let's get some! We'll be all right then! "
Off they went and bought three expensive umbrellas. Then they set
off to the palace once more, rather puzzled because the rain seemed to have
completely stopped!
Pip was having a glorious time. He could hardly sit still in his hiding-
place, he was so excited. To think that his idea was acting so well!
Other guests came along and Pip watered them all. As every one was
in best clothes they all rushed to get umbrellas. Soon Chuckle hadn't a
single umbrella left and he began to sell his sunshades as umbrellas. He
was doing very well indeed—though his customers were rather puzzled by
his giggles! But as his name was Chuckle, they thought he couldn't help
giggling a bit.
Now when every one arrived at the palace, complete with umbrellas,
complaining of the rain, the King was most astonished.
" Raining! " he said. " Impossible! "
" Not at all impossible, Your Majesty! " said Longbeard. " Look at
my beard. It's soaked! '
" But I made a special bit of magic to-day to keep the rain off," said
the King. " It can't possibly rain to-day."

144
 " Well, Your Majesty, it did" said Fairy Trip. " Just as we came to
the gate it poured down! '
" Yes—by that big tree," said Mr. Spink. " We had to go and buy
umbrellas."
" It was raining as we passed under that tree too," said some one else.
" And it started just as I got there too," said Dame Thump. " But it
didn't seem to be raining anywhere else."
The King looked more and more surprised. " Well," he said, " this is
astonishing. First of all, I say that it could not rain to-day, because I made a
spell against rain. And then you say that it only rained under that

145
 tree—when, as every one knows, it rains all around if it rains at all,
not just in one small place! This is puzzling! I must inquire into it! '
The King sent the Lord High Chamberlain down to see into the
matter. The Chamberlain, who was a very rich and grand man, most
beautifully dressed in cloth of gold, stepped down the palace drive to the
gate. Then he walked haughtily to the big tree that stood by the gate.
Pip was still there. He saw the Lord High Chamberlain and grinned.
My goodness, if only he could make him buy an umbrella or a sunshade—
he would buy the finest one in the whole shop!
He tipped up a watering-can—pitter-patter, down went the water!
The Chamberlain was most astonished and annoyed. Could it be raining
after all? He looked up at the tree.
And he saw Pip's naughty,
cheeky face peeping there! He knew at
once what had been happening. He
commanded the frightened pixie to
come down and he fetched Chuckle
too. Holding them by their big pointed
ears he took them back to the palace
with him.
' These pixies watered every one
who passed by, so that they would go
and buy umbrellas," said the Lord
High Chamberlain in an awful voice.
" Is that so? " said the King, also
in a very stern voice. " Then I make a
law in future that nobody in the whole
of Fairyland shall buy anything from
these two bad pixies. You may go,
pixies."
They went, crying bitterly. They
knew that they would have hard work
to make a living now, for nobody would buy from them. Poor Pip and
Chuckle!
But they soon found a job with the dandelions, who were very good
to them. Do you know what they do? Guess! Yes—they make those
beautiful little parachutes that are fitted to every dandelion-seed! Find a
dandelion-clock and take the seeds into your hand. You will see that you
have dozens of little parachutes there, made of the finest hair. Blow them
into the air and see how well they fly!

146
147
 MISTER BUSYBODY lived in a small cottage called Bo-Peep in the very
middle of Dreamy Village. He liked living in the middle of the village very
much because then he could see all that was going on.
What a busybody he was! He poked his nose into everything, gave
advice where it wasn't wanted, and knew everybody's secrets before
anyone else did. People became very tired of him but Mister Busybody
couldn't stop poking his nose into things—it was such a habit with him.
But one day something happened that stopped Mister Busybody for
always. Ah, that was a funny joke, and the folk of Dreamy Village still
laugh about it when they tell the story. This is what happened on that long-
ago morning in the quiet village of Dreamy.
Just opposite Mister Busybody's house was a small field, and now
and 'again a fair came to set up swings and roundabouts there. Sometimes a
gypsy came, who could tell fortunes. Sometimes a passing wizard put up
his tent there for the night, and did magic tricks for the little folk to marvel
at.
Now one night there came to this little field Old Man Jog-About,
quite a famous magician, who spent his time jogging about the country on
his little white donkey, showing folks for a penny or two the marvellous
things he had found on his travels. He set up his yellow and blue tent and
then sent out notices to say that he had with him the famous red and green
shoes belonging to the old witch Oddmedodd. Now these shoes were very
strange. As soon as anyone put them on they at once ran off with the
person whose feet were inside them! Many a time had the old witch
Oddmedodd tried this trick on people she wanted to get rid of.
No one knew how Old Man Jog-About had got the shoes, but every-
one wanted to see them and touch them. Nobody would dare to try them

148
 on, of course, but it would be most exciting to see the magic shoes
that had run away with so many people.
So that evening scores of the little folk went to Old Man Jog-About's
tent, and paid a penny to see the wonderful shoes. Jog-About's servant,
little Pipkin, soon had his bag full of pennies, and grinned in delight at his
master.
Mister Busybody paid his penny like the rest and heard it clink into
Pipkin's leather bag. He gaped at the famous shoes, bright red and yellow,
laced with green thongs. They were pointed shoes, with no heels, and
looked rather small. Mister Busybody touched them and felt how soft, yet
strong, the leather was.

149
 To think that they had once belonged to the old bad witch,
Oddmedodd! Dear, dear, dear!
Mister Busybody went back home that night and dreamed all about
the shoes. He got up the next morning still thinking about them, and he
wondered where Old Man Jog-About kept them when he wasn't showing
them to people.
" He ought to keep them somewhere safe," thought Busybody. " He
ought to have a big wooden box for them with a fine fat key. I don't expect
he has, though! Folk are very stupid. I shouldn't be a bit surprised if he
keeps them in an ordinary shoe-bag! Yes, and one day they'll be stolen! "
Busybody sat down to his breakfast, quite worried about where Jog-
About kept the magic shoes. He got up from his porridge and treacle
halfway through his breakfast and went to peep through the curtains at the
field opposite, where the old magician had his tent.
Pipkin, the little servant, was outside the tent, cleaning the buttons on
his tunic and whistling loudly.
"Dear dear!' said Busybody, "what a way to clean buttons I Doesn't
even take his tunic off! Fancy Old Man Jog-About having a servant as lazy
as that. And goodness me—what's he doing now ? *
Mister Busybody stared through the curtains and gaped in astonish-
ment—for Pipkin was cleaning a pair of red and yellow shoes with a dirty
old duster.

150
 “Why—why! He's actually cleaning those magic shoes with a
dreadfully dirty duster! " said Busybody, in great surprise and disgust. " I
shall go and tell Old Man Jog-About what I have seen. Really, he should
dismiss a dirty, lazy servant like that and find a new one. Now I should do
very well indeed to go about the country with him and take the pennies
from the people. I am clean, I am hardworking, I am . . ."
But dear me, it would take too long to tell all the wonderful things
that Busybody thought he was! He went back to his breakfast, but he didn't
finish it. He grew quite excited at the thought of being Old Man Jog-
About's servant. How grand it would be to travel with a famous magician!
How pleased he would be with a fine fellow like Busybody, and perhaps he
would share all the money with him—then Busybody would indeed be
rich, a thing he had never been in all his life.
He couldn't wait to finish his breakfast. He clapped his pointed red
hat on his head and hurried out of his front door. He crossed the road and
saw that Pipkin was no longer in front of the tent. From inside came the
sound of snores. Old Man Jog-About was still sound asleep. What was
Pipkin doing?
Mister Busybody felt quite sure that the little servant was doing
something wrong. He heard him whistling softly behind the tent, and he
crept round to peep at him.
And oh, my goodness, what a shock Mister Busybody got! For
Pipkin was putting on the magic shoes! Yes, before Busybody's very eyes
he was slipping on a pair of bright red and yellow shoes, laced with green
thongs!
" He's going to steal them! " thought Busybody with horror. "There!
Didn't I think he was a good-for-nothing servant! Just as Old Man Jog-
About is peacefully asleep off goes Pipkin the servant—and I'm sure he'll
take all the money too! '
Sure enough, just at that very moment there came the sound of
chinking and clinking, and Busybody saw the little servant tying the leather
bag of money to the belt at his waist.
Busybody stared as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Pipkin took up a
stick and set off round the tent, going at a good pace, whistling as he went.
Busybody wondered what to do. Should he go after Pipkin? Should he
wake up Jog-About? He would do both!

151
 So he ran into the tent, leapt on to Old Man Jog-About's bed, shook
him, and bawled loudly into his ear:
"THIEVES! ROBBERS! WAKE UP! "
Old Man Jog-About woke with a fearful jump and sat up in bed, his
night-cap falling off his big white-haired head. He stared at Busybody in
the greatest surprise.
" Get off my bed," he said, angrily. " What's the matter? Hie, Pipkin,
Pipkin, come and throw this fellow out! '
" Pipkin's gone," said Busybody. " Ha, he's a bad fellow, that servant
of yours—dirty, lazy, dishonest—and now he's gone off with the magic
shoes and all your money! '
" Stuff and nonsense! " said Old Man Jog-About, putting on his
night-cap again and glaring at Busybody.
" I tell you it's true! " said Busybody. " I saw him with my own eyes,
the rascal! He's gone off down the road, and I'm going after him! I'll soon
bring back your money for you, and the shoes too! I'm a fine fellow, I am!"
" Fiddlesticks and rubbish! "
said Old Man Jog-About, and he
looked so fierce that Busybody
was quite alarmed for a moment.
" Now don't you get upset,"
said Busybody pushing Jog-About
back on his bed. " I'll see to every-
thing! "
Busybody ran to the door,
turned back to nod and smile at
Jog-About and then set off down
the street. Jog-About leapt out of
bed and went to the opening of his
tent. He shouted after Busybody.
:
' Come back, you
interfering fellow! Pipkin's all
right! He wouldn't steal a thing
from me! Come back, I say! "

152
 Busybody heard the shouting and turned for a moment to wave his
hand.
" Don't worry, I'll catch him if it takes me all day! " he yelled. He
looked for Pipkin and saw him far away in the distance. Busybody was a
good runner, and he thought he would soon be able to catch up the little
servant. But he had forgotten that Pipkin was wearing magic shoes. The
witch-shoes took the servant along at a fine pace and Busybody was soon
puffing and panting. He stopped once to cut himself a thick stick from the
hedge, for he thought that when he did catch up with Pipkin there might be
a fight. So it would be as well to have a strong stick.
Then on he went down the long, dusty country road, and as he drew
near to Pipkin he began to yell and shout at the top of his voice:
"STOP! GIVE ME THAT MONEY AND THOSE SHOES!
STOP!"
Pipkin heard the shouting and turned to see what it was. When he
saw Busybody racing behind him, shouting and waving a stout stick, he
was most alarmed.
" A thief! " he said to himself. "
A robber! Oh my, oh my, hurry,
witch-shoes, and take me away
from him, for I am only a small
fellow, and the robber yonder is
large."
The shoes hurried him on and
soon Pipkin had turned a corner
and was out of sight. He went on
to Feefo Town, and made his
way to a big old house at the
end. Here Witch Curious lived,
and Pipkin banged at her door.
The old dame opened it, and
smiled at Pipkin, pleased to see
him.
" A pound of peacock feathers,
please, for my master, Old Man
Joe-About," said Pip- km. Witch
Curious went indoors

153
 with Pipkin and weighed out a pound of beautiful blue-green
peacock feathers. She put them into a bag, and Pipkin counted out the
money for them. Then he threw the bag over his shoulder and went to the
door.
" If you should see a thief in a curious red hat, and he should ask
where I've gone, give him a drubbing for me! " said Pipkin, and he told the
witch how someone had chased him that morning and frightened him.
Then he said good-bye and went on his way. Not long after he had
gone Mister Busybody came panting up. He asked a small pixie if he had
seen a little fellow in red and yellow shoes, and the pixie nodded his head.
" Yes, he went to Witch Curious," he said. " I saw him." He pointed
to her house, and Mister Busybody hurried on.
" I've no doubt the little rascal went there to sell the magic shoes," he
thought. He banged at the witch's door and the witch herself opened it. As
soon as she saw Busybody she remembered what Pipkin had said, and she
caught hold of him at once. She took off her slipper and gave the surprised
little man the soundest smacking he had ever had!
" Smick-smack, smick-smack! " went the leather slipper, and Busy-
body howled dolefully. He wriggled away, rushed down the garden path
yelling and went along the road, feeling very angry. Soon he met a brownie
and he asked him if he had seen a little fellow in red and yellow shoes.
" Yes, he took the road to Tick-Tock Village," said the brownie. So
Busybody hurried on, quite determined to catch Pipkin if he walked all
day!
Pipkin was in Tick-Tock Village. It was a strange place, for everyone
there made clocks, so all day long you could hear the ticking, striking and
chiming of clocks.
" Tick-tock, tick-tock," went the clocks as Pipkin walked into the
village. Just as he got there he looked round and saw to his horror, the
figure of Busybody hurrying along in the distance.
" That horrid robber again! " thought Pipkin. " Oh dear! Well, I'd
better do my business in Tick-Tock Village as quickly as I can, and get
away,"
So he went to the head man's house and spoke to him quickly.
" Please will you send a red chiming clock to Old Man Jog-About on
Tuesday of next week? Thank you. And oh, I say, if a nasty fellow in a
curious red hat comes your way, throw him into the pond, will you? He's a
robber and I'm sure he's after my money! "
Off he went, and the head man of Tick-Tock Village watched

154
 Busybody coming nearer. "
So he's a robber, is he? " thought
the head man. " Hie, folks! Come
round! Do you see that fellow in
the curious red hat? Pipkin says
he's a robber. We'll throw him
into the pond! "
So, as soon as Busybody got
to the village and was asking
politely if anyone had seen a little
fellow with red and yellow shoes
going by, he got the surprise of
his life. For six of the Tick-Tock
folk rushed at him, lifted him up,
took him to the round village
pond and threw him straight into
it!
Splash! He fell right into the
middle, sank down under the
water, swallowed two mouthfuls
and came up again, very angry
and rather frightened.
" Get out of our village at once or we'll throw you in again! " shouted
the head man. " We don't want robbers here! "
He looked so fierce that Busybody didn't like to say anything at all,
but hurried off, his wet clothes steaming in the hot sun. Aha! Just wait till
he caught Pipkin! Wouldn't he give him a sound beating!
Pipkin was far away in the distance. He had gone to a small cottage
set high up on a hill. In it lived two dwarfs, Twiddle and Twaddle, both
bad-tempered and very hard of hearing. Pipkin didn't like them, but Old
Man Jog-About often did business with them, and Pipkin took messages to
their cottage about once a week. He knocked on the door and Twiddle
opened it with a scowl.
" Good morning," said Pipkin, politely, at the top of his voice, for
Twiddle was very deaf indeed. " My master Jog-About, has sent me to ask
you to gather him some white moly-flower by moonlight next month. He
will pay you well for it."

155
 " Tell him we will," said Twiddle, and he was just going to shut the
door when Pipkin, turning to go, caught sight of Busybody at the bottom of
the hill. Busybody had seen Pipkin going up the hill and was following him
as fast as he could. Pipkin was frightened. He turned to Twiddle.
"PLEASE let me come in and go out by the back way! " he begged. "
That's a robber there, coming up the hill. He wants my money and these
magic shoes. I'm afraid of him."
Twiddle opened the door wide without a word and Pipkin rushed
through, went to the back door, opened it and skipped off down the other
side of the hill, pleased to have given Busybody the slip.
Busybody walked quickly up the hill, panting, and knocked at the
door of the cottage. Twiddle opened it and scowled at him. " Is there a
fellow called Pipkin here? " asked Busybody. " Nobody bellows here," said
Twiddle, who couldn't hear properly what Busybody said. " Hie, Twaddle,
come and help."
Before Busybody knew what was happening another frowning dwarf
appeared and the two of them caught hold of him roughly.
"HE'S A THIEF!" said Twiddle to Twaddle. "INTO THE NETTLES
WITH HIM! "
Then, to Busybody's great astonishment and fright the two of them
swung him forward, threw him up into the
air, and crash! He landed on hands and
knees in a thick bed of nettles that were
growing by the side of the house.
Ooh! How they stung! Busybody
gave a howl and crawled out, being stung
by fresh nettles all the time. His face, his
knees and his hands were badly stung, and
big tears came to his eyes.
" How horrible people are to-day, to
be sure," said poor Busybody. " I shall go
home. I shan't bother about following that
robber of a Pipkin any more. Old Man Jog-
About can lose his shoes and all his money
too, for all I care!”
So he went sadly down the hill and
began to make his way home—and to his
great

156
 astonishment who should he see in front of him but Pipkin himself,
also going back on the road home, whistling merrily!
It so happened that Pipkin looked behind him, and when he saw
Busybody coming down the road too, he stopped his merry whistling and
began to run as fast as he could.
" This robber is a dreadful fellow! " he said to himself. " He has
followed me all the morning and I can't get rid of him! Oh my, oh my, I'd
better get back to Old Man Jog-About as quickly as I can."
He raced back as fast as he could, and Busybody, seeing him run,
began to run too, hopeful of catching him up at last.
On they ran, the two of them, on and on and on. The magic shoes
that Pipkin had on helped him and he ran faster than Busybody. Soon he
was out of sight, and at last he reached Jog-About's tent and rushed inside.
" Now, now, what's all the hurry? " asked Jog-About, startled. " Need
you come into my tent like an earth-quake, Pipkin? Where are your
manners, fellow? "
" Oh, sir, pardon me," panted Pipkin. " But all the morning I have
been followed by a robber, a horrid fellow in a curious red hat. He has
shouted at me and waved his stick at me, and I have been afraid he was
going to rob me of these magic shoes and all your money."
" Well, well, well," said Jog-About, remembering how Busybody
had walked him so suddenly that morning. “The fellow must be mad.
Hark! Here he comes!”
Sure enough, there came the sound
of running feet and Busybody burst into
the tent. Pipkin at once dived under the
table and sat there trembling. Busybody
looked at Jog-About, who was frowning
angrily.
" How dare you burst into my tent
like that? " he roared. " That's twice to-
day you've done it! You're a robber, I
hear, a nasty, shouting thief! Well, I'll
teach you to burst into my tent and chase
my servant! I’ll…"
" Listen to me," said Busybody. "
This morning I saw Pipkin, your servant,
put on those magic shoes you have, and,
taking all

157
 your money, run off with it. I have chased him all day long for you.
If he does not return, will you let me be your servant? ':
Jog-About stared at Busybody in surprise, as he told his story. Then
he began to laugh. How he laughed! He laughed so loudly that the folk of
Dreamy Village came round to see what was the matter. They peeped in at
the tent, staring in surprise.
" Oh, you silly fellow! Oh, you interfering busybody! " laughed the
old magician. " So you thought poor little Pipkin was a thief, and had run
off in my magic shoes with all my money? No no—he's my nephew and an
honester fellow never lived! I told him to put on the magic shoes to-day, to
take all my messages and do my shopping, for they take him faster than his
own small feet. As for the money, he needed it to buy peacock feathers for
me."
" But where is he, then? " said Busybody. " He hasn't come back, has
he? That shows he is a robber! '
Pipkin crawled out from beneath the table and grinned at Busybody.
" Here I am! " he said. " Ho ho! I've heard of you, Mister Busybody! For
once in a way, you've been too busy! Ha ha! Who's walked and run for
miles to-day, all for nothing? Who's had a sound drubbing from Witch
Curious? Who's been flung into a pond? Who's been pitched into a bed of
stinging nettles? Ho ho ho! '
Busybody grew very red. All the folk of Dreamy Village, who were
listening by the tent, joined in the laughter.
"Ha ha! Ho ho! Busybody's been too busy at last! What a joke! "
Busybody grew redder and redder. So he had rushed about all day for
nothing! Pipkin wasn't a thief after all. Why, oh why, had he tried to
interfere? It wasn't his business. Oh what a great big silly he had been!
He ran back home, sore with his smacking, wet with his ducking, and
smarting from nettle-stings. Never, never again would he poke his nose
into other people's business!
Mister Busybody still lives in Dreamy Village but he isn't a
busybody any more. He has changed his name, too, so if you should ever
want to see him, .don't ask for Mister Busybody. Ask for Mister Mind-
Your-Own-Business!

158
159
 ONCE there was a humming-top who was very proud indeed of hum-
ming and spinning. He spun himself round all day long till the other toys
got quite giddy with watching him. He hummed all the time, too.
"Zoooooooooooom! " he sang. " Zoooooooooooom! '
" Do stop," said the baby doll. " I'm tired of hearing you."
" Yes, lie down and have a rest," said the wooden soldier. " You
make me tired."
" You are jealous of me because I can spin and hum and none of you
can do the same! " sang the top, zooming even more loudly. "I shall run
away from you. You are selfish, stupid toys! I shall go out into the big
world and hum and spin all I like."
" Go then," said the wooden soldier. " You'll be sorry. It isn't often
that toys have a beautiful nursery like this to live in, and a kind little girl
like Katie to play with us."
The top spun round quickly. " Zooooooom! " it said. " There are
better things than this! Good-bye! '
It spun itself out of the nursery—and down the stairs—and out of the
back door—and down the garden path—and into the road! :
“Zooooooooooooom! " it went.
It met a duck waddling along. The duck stared in surprise. "
Zooooooooom! " said the top. " I'm a wonder, I am! See me spin! Hear me
hum! Zoooooom! Can you do that, duck? "
:
”Quack! " said the duck. " No, I've never seen any one like you
before. I don't like you." The duck pecked at the top and it almost lost

160
its balance and fell. It zoomed angrily and spun away down the lane. Soon
it met a kitten chasing a piece of paper.
" Zooooooooom! " said the top. "I'm a wonder, I am! See me spin! Hear
me hum! Zoooom! Can you do that? "
" Miaow! " said the kitten in alarm. " No, I can't go round like that—it's
silly. And why should I hum if I can mew? Get off my piece of paper. I'm
playing with it."
The top spun round on the paper and wouldn't get off. The kitten
crouched and sprang. Her claws scratched the shining top and made marks
on it. The top spun crooked and zoomed crossly. It spun away from the
kitten and went on its way.

161
 Then it met a big cow and spun between its feet.
" Zoooooooooom! " said the top. " I'm a wonder, I am! See me spin!
Hear me hum! Zooooom! Can you do that?':
" Moo! " said the cow in surprise. " Of course not. What do you
suppose the farmer would say if I began to spin round on one leg and make
a noise like a young aeroplane? Get away from my feet. You'll trip me up."
The top wouldn't get away. It went proudly spinning and zooming.
The cow kicked it. What a shock for the top! It almost stopped spinning
and very nearly fell over. But it just saved itself and then went on down the
lane, still zooming at the top of its voice.
The next creature it met was a worm, and the top spun right up to it.
"Zoooom! " said the top. "I'm a wonder, I am! See me spin! Hear me
hum! Zooooom! Can you do that? ': t
" No," said the worm in fright. " And I don't want to either. If I spun
round like that, all the birds of the air would see me and come flying down
to get me. And no worm would make a terrible noise like that! Oooooh!
Don't spin on me, top—you're hurting me! '
The top was most unkindly spinning on the worm's tail. The worm
wriggled free, and shot down its hole at top speed. The top was pleased.
My, what a grand time it was having, spinning and frightening every one
out in the big world!
Soon the top came to where a large spider was talking to a bumble-
bee.
" Zooooooom! " said the top. ''' I'm a wonder, I am. See me spin!
Hear me hum! Zooooom! Can you do that? ':
" I can hum," said the bumble-bee quietly.
" And I can spin," said the spider, looking at the top with her eight
eyes. " Don't spoil my web, top."
But the top did spoil it. It spun into it and broke it. The spider said
nothing. " You are not telling the truth," said the top rudely. " You cannot
spin! No one but a humming-top can spin! I'm a wonder, I am."
" Stay here for the night and I will show you how I and my family
can spin," said the spider. " Bumble-bee, go and fetch all my family—the
biggest you can find."

162
 The bumble-bee flew off, zooming through the air just like a big
humming-top. Soon he was back—and hurrying over the ground below
him came twenty big garden-spiders.
" Now we will show you how we spin," said the spider. " Bumble-
bee, sing us a tune—for very soon the top will cease to hum. Sisters, begin
your work! Spin well!'
The top hummed angrily and more loudly than ever as it spun round
and round among the long-legged spiders. Quietly they began to spin out
their silken threads. The wind took the threads into the air and wound them
round the spinning top. More and more threads floated out from the
spider's bodies. More and more quickly they spun them. Soon hundreds of
strong silky threads were fastened around the top.
It began to find it difficult to spin so fast. The threads pulled against
it. The top spun slowly and more slowly—and yet more slowly! Its voice
became fainter. The bee's loud hum could be heard above its own faint
zoom.
" What are you doing—what are you doing? " hummed the top
faintly.
" We are spinning, spinning, spinning," said the spider. " Not quite
your kind of spinning, perhaps—but spinning all the same. We are spin-
ning threads that will stop jour spinning, proud and haughty top! Ah!
Others can spin and hum, you see! '
The top wobbled—and wobbled—and stopped. It fell over on its
side. It could not spin any longer, for the spiders' threads held it too tightly.
The bumble-bee hummed in joy.

163
 The spiders laughed among themselves and hurried away to spin big
webs to catch flies for their dinner. The bumble-bee flew off to his hole in
the bank. The top was left on the ground alone.
It began to rain. The pelting raindrops washed some of the bright
paint off the top. It groaned to itself. " I shall get rusty now! Oh, why did I
leave the nursery? Why was I so vain? I wish I was back! I wish I was
back! '
Well—the top got its wish—for not long after that, who should come
by but Katie herself, going home after school. She saw her top lying in the
rain, and she picked it up in surprise. The rain had washed the webs away.
Katie did not know that the top had been fastened down by them. She
could not understand how the top
had got there.
' Who took you out here,
poor old top? " she said. ' The rain
will
spoil you. I
will take you in." So the top
got back to its own nursery—and
the toys stared in astonishment.
The top lay down in the cupboard
quite quietly. It didn't spin. It didn't
hum.
" What's the matter with
you? " asked the baby doll.
" Oh, I met other people in
the big world who could spin and
hum better than I could," said the
top. " That's all."
The toys never knew who the
top had met, I expect you wonder
how I know. Well, perhaps I heard
the bumble-bee telling the
foxgloves in my garden.

164
 THE children were playing out in the fields. They had a ball, a doll's
pram and Joey, a little clockwork clown who danced round and round and
clashed a little pair of cymbals when he was wound up.
The clockwork clown belonged to Robin. He was very proud of his
dancing clown, and wound him up a hundred times a day to show the
others how he danced.
Every one was excited that morning. It was Saturday, and a circus
had come to the field beyond Farmer Lane's farm. The children were going
to it that afternoon, and how they longed for the time to come!
" There is a wonderful chimpanzee! " said Katie.
" And a great big elephant," said Lucy.
" And a man that can walk the tight-rope! " said Bobby.
" And four dancing bears! " said Harry.
''' But I'm sure they won't dance as well as my clockwork clown! '
said Robin, winding him up again, and making him dance in the grass.
' You and your clockwork clown! " said Katie. " I wonder you don't
wear that key out, winding him up so much! '
Robin put the key into his pocket. He was sure it wouldn't wear out.
Keys never did. He watched his little clown dancing, and then he went to
see an ant-hill that Harry had found. They watched the busy little ants for a
long time, and then Bobby looked at his watch. He was very proud of it,
for it always told the right time.
" Half-past two," he said. " It's time we all went home, and got

165
 ready for the circus. Come along!"
"I must wind up my clock-
work clown to dance for the last
time," said Robin, and he felt in
his pocket for the key.
It wasn't there! He felt a
hole in his pocket—and he knew
that the key must have dropped
out of it. Now the little clown
wouldn't be able to dance any
more!
Robin was
only six, and he was
dreadfully upset. He opened his
mouth and howled. Lucy ran up
to him, thinking that he had hurt
himself.
" I've lost my clown's key!
I've lost his key! " wept Robin. :e
I won't go home till I've found
it."
:
' But you must! " said Lucy. " Why, it's almost time to set off for the
circus, Robin—and you must wash your face and hands first, and let your
mother brush your hair."
" I won't go to the circus! " wept Robin. " I'll stay here all afternoon
by myself and look for my clown's key."
" You're silly, Robin," said Harry. " Come on, every one. Leave
Robin. He'll come along soon enough when he finds we're gone."
So Harry, Bobby, and Katie ran off, but Lucy didn't really like to
leave poor Robin when he was so unhappy. She was a kind little girl.
" Don't cry any more, Robin," she said. " I'll help you to look for
your key. Hurry up and help me."
So the two of them began to hunt in the grass, but, dear me, it
seemed as if that key was nowhere to be found! Lucy began to be worried,
for the time was slipping on, and she knew that she couldn't go to the
circus if she was much later.
" Robin, let's go now," she said. " Come along. We shah 1 be too late
for the circus in a minute."

166
 But Robin wouldn't go. He
stood there, clutching his clockwork
clown in one hand and wiping his
eyes with the other. He didn't care
about anything except finding his
lost key.
"Oh, well! " said Lucy. "If you
won't come I'll stay with you —but I
do hope we find the key soon!'
In a little while the other chil-
dren ran out of their houses down
the lane, waved to Lucy, and went
off to the circus. Tears came into the
little girl's eyes. Now she was too
late to go! She went down on her
hands and knees again and looked
carefully for that tiresome key.
And what do you think she
found? She found a four-leaved
clover! Now, as you know, a four-
leaved clover is supposed to be very
lucky indeed, for it has magic in it! Lucy and the other children had often
hunted for one, and had never found one—and now here was a fine one,
with four green leaves, a really-and-truly four-leaved clover!
"Look, Robin! " said Lucy joyfully. "I've found a four-leaved clover!
Now I shall have some luck! '
" It's too late to be lucky," said Robin. "We've missed the circus now
—and haven't found my key."
" Why, here's the key, under this dandelion! " cried Lucy. And so it
was! " My four-leaved clover has brought us luck already! '
:
' But it's too late for the circus," said Robin again.
:
' Hurry, and we'll see! " said Lucy. So they hurried. Robin went to
his home and Lucy went to hers. And it was too late for Lucy; but do you
know, when Robin told his father how kind Lucy had been to him, he
jumped up and said:
"Well, that kind little girl shan't miss the circus! I'll get out

167
 the van and run both of you along to the circus straightaway. Then
you'll be in time."
So he got out the van in which he took his fruit to the market, called
for Lucy, popped her in with Robin and tore down the lane to the circus.
He paid for Lucy's ticket as well as Robin's, and they were given two good
seats. They sat down just as the circus began! Wasn't that lucky?
It was a lovely circus, and when the clown came in to give away
balloons, who do you suppose got the biggest? Yes, Lucy! And when the
big chimpanzee went round shaking hands with the children, who do you
suppose he gave a hug to? Yes, Lucy! Didn't she feel proud!
" My four-leaved clover really is bringing me luck," said the little

168
 girl happily. " I'm glad I
stayed behind to help Robin."
On the way home Lucy
found a silver sixpence! Wasn't
that good luck! And when she got
home, there was her Uncle Jim, her
very favourite uncle, come to take
her out to tea with him in his
motor-car. "Oh, Uncle Jim! This is
all because of my four-leaved
clover!" said Lucy happily. "
Where are we going? ':
" We're going to the town to
have tea and ice-creams," said
Uncle Jim. " And then we're going
to an old man I know who has a
dear little puppy for sale, and I
want to buy it for a nice little girl
called Lucy."
' Uncle! " squealed Lucy,
who wanted a puppy more than
anything else in the world. " Uncle! You dear kind uncle! '
Well, she had a lovely tea and two ice-creams, and then they went to
fetch the puppy. It was a little black spaniel, with long, drooping ears, the
dearest little thing Lucy had ever seen.
" What will you call her? " asked Uncle Jim as they drove back in his
car, with Lucy cuddling the puppy, feeling very sleepy and very happy.
Lucy had a name for her, of course. Can you guess what it was? It
was Clover! Lucy thought it would be such a lucky name.
Didn't she have a lot of luck? Do you want some as well? Well, just
hunt about for a four-leaved clover and maybe you'll have some too.

169
 Shadows on the Wall

WHEN people make shadows of

ducks or rabbits or faces on the walls
we all think they are very clever
indeed.
Well, let's make some ourselves!
All you want is a wall for the shadows,
a bright light behind your hands—and
your hands themselves. Now, are we
ready? Then let's make a duck with just
one hand.
Isn't it easy? Just touch your
thumb with the tip of your bent first
finger, bend down the middle finger out
of the way, and let the other two fingers
stand up, as in the picture. Hey presto,
there's a duck! Its beak is open, it is
quacking. (But it is really you who are
quacking.)
Now a rabbit. Two hands for
this, please, and put them exactly as
I have drawn for you in the picture.
That's right— and here's the shadow
rabbit, ears and all. Good, isn't he?
Now we'll have a butterfly with
fluttering wings. Can you make it? Of
course you can!
And now a funny face, with a
pointed nose! Do you see how to put
your hands? You do—and there's the shadow-face on the wall, nose and
all!
You'll have to practice a bit before you can do the shadows really
well. It's fun, isn't it?

170
 A Frieze of Christmas Trees
IN the Christmas holidays we'll do all kinds of things. Shall we make
a frieze of pine trees to go round our walls? It's so easy.
Get a long strip of paper, green if possible. If you can't get green,
colour a strip of white paper with green paint or chalks.
Now fold your strip of paper over and over and over. Now look at
Picture I. That shows the paper folded over, with the outline of half a pine-
tree drawn on the top fold. You can draw that easily. Do it exactly as it is
done in the picture.
Now take your scissors and cut round the outline of the pine-tree,
through all the folds of paper, but be very careful not to cut where I have
marked the drawing with little stars. If you cut it there, you will spoil
everything.
Now—have you cut out the half pine-tree? Good! Unfold your paper
and see what you have—a lovely frieze of pine-trees (Picture 2). If you
paste them on to a strip of black or brown paper, they will make a beautiful
Christmassy frieze.

----------------------------

Answer to Riddk-me-ree, page 148

Holiday Book.

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