The Wishing-Chair Again Part 7

Mollie glanced out of the window that looked out on the sea. aOh, look!a she cried, athere's our s.h.i.+p! The Mollie! I wondered what would happen to her. She's come back, Mr. Spells.a aCinders brought her back,a said Mrs. Spells. aHe knew the s.h.i.+p wouldn't be needed again.a aIt was a grand adventure,a said Mollie. aI was scared at times, you knowa"but somehow I knew everything would be all right with Mr. Spells there. Thank you, Mr. Spells, for being such a good friend.a aDelighted,a said the enchanter. aNow it's time you went home or I shall be having your mother knocking angrily at my door, coming to fetch you!a That made the children laugh. They went to find the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair, which was still in the back yard. They climbed into it with Winks and c.h.i.n.ky.

aTake us home, Chair!a cried Petera"and up into the air it rose, flapping its big wingsa"and in five minutes' time they were all back in the playroom once more.

Winks and c.h.i.n.ky are Silly.

THE Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair seemed tired with all its adventures. It stood in its place for ten whole days and didn't grow its wings.

aWe've only got a week and two days left before we go back to school,a said Mollie. aI do hope we have another adventure before we have to say goodbye to you, c.h.i.n.ky. Where's Winks?a aI don't know. He was here last night, looking very mysterious,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aYou know, the way he looks when he's up to some kind of mischief. I just hope he won't get into trouble.a aYou know he lost my doll's gloves on the last adventure? He says he dropped them into the sea,a said Mollie. aI was very sorry about that. They were nice gloves. Now his hands show up againa"that awful blue colour! But I'm not going to lend him any more gloves. He's so careless.a aI know. The things he loses!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aHe came in without his shoes the other day, and said he'd lost them. I said 'Well, where did you take them off, Winks?' And he said he'd lost them without even taking them off. How could anyone do that?a aWinks could,a said Peter. aIf there's anything really silly or really naughty to be done, Winks can do it, I'm sure of that!a as.h.!.+ Here he is!a said Mollie. aOh, Winks! Your hands aren't blue anymore! They're the right colour! How did you manage that?a aAha!a said Winks, looking mysterious.

aWhat do you meana"aha!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWe're asking you a question, and 'aha' is no answer.a aAha-ha-ha!a said Winks. aI've got a secret.a aWhat is it?a asked c.h.i.n.ky at once.

aWell, it won't be a secret if I tell it,a said Winks annoyingly.

aDon't be exasperating,a said Peter. aTell us your secret. How did you get your hands the right colour?a aHave you been to see Mr. Spells?a said Mollie.

aNo. I went to see Witch Wendle,a said Winks. aI borrowed her wanda"it's got very good magic in it.a aDo you mean to say old Witch Wendle lent you her wand?a said c.h.i.n.ky disbelievingly. aWhy, it was only last week you told me you put her chimney pot upside down so that her smoke blew down into her kitchen. I don't believe you!a aAll right, thena"but here's the wand, see?a said Winks, and he suddenly produced the wand from under his coat. It was a small, neat wand, not long and slender like c.h.i.n.ky's. He waved it about.

Mollie and Peter stared in surprisea"and c.h.i.n.ky jumped up in alarm.

aWINKS! You took it without asking? I know you did. Witch Wendle would never lend her wand to youa"why, look, it's absolutely full of magic!a So it was. All wands glitter and s.h.i.+ne and gleam and s.h.i.+mmer when they are full of magic, and this one was quite dazzling.

aI just borrowed it for a little while,a said Winks. aThe witch has gone to call on her sister. She won't miss it. I'll take it back soon. I wished my hands the right colour againa"wasn't I pleased when they came all right!a aYou're a very bad, naughty brownie,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aYou ought to go back to Mister Grim's school. We should never have rescued you from there. I've a good mind to make you go back!a aDon't you talk like that to me, or I shall lose my temper,a said Winks, crossly, and he poked the wand at c.h.i.n.ky.

aStop it,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aYou should never poke people with wands. Surely you know that? And let me tell you thisa"I shall talk to you how I like. You take that wand back to Witch Wendle AT ONCE!a aI don't like you, c.h.i.n.ky,a said Winks, looking suddenly cross. aI shall wish for a Maggle-Mig to chase you!a He waved his wand in the aira"and goodness gracious, whatever was this extraordinary creature running in at the door?

It was rather like a small giraffe, but it had feathers, and it wore shoes on its four feet. It galloped round the room after c.h.i.n.ky. The children fled to a cupboard. If this was a Maggle-Mig, they didn't like it! Winks sat down on the sofa and roared with laughter. c.h.i.n.ky was furious.

He rushed to the toy cupboard and felt about for his wand. He waved it in the air. aMaggle-Mig, change to a Snickeroo and chase Winks!a he cried. And at once the little giraffe-like creature changed to a thing like a small crocodile with horns. It ran at Winks, who leapt off the sofa in a hurry.

aOh, stop it, you two!a cried Peter, who didn't want to spend the morning seeing Maggle-Migs and Snickeroos chasing round their playrooma"and goodness knew what other extraordinary animals would appear.

Winks waved his wand at the Snickeroo and it ran into the fireplace and completely vanished. Winks pointed the wand at c.h.i.n.ky.

aHorrid c.h.i.n.ky! Grow a long nose!a And poor c.h.i.n.ky did! It was so long that he almost fell over it! Winks took hold of it and pulled it. It was such a funny sight that the children really couldn't help laughing.

c.h.i.n.ky hit out at Winks with his own wand. aGrow a tail!a he yelled.

And, hey presto! Winks grew a taila"one like a cow's, with a tuft at the end. It swung to and fro, and Winks looked down at it in alarm. He tried to run away from the swinging tail, but you can't leave a tail that's growing on you, of course, and the tail followed him, swinging to and fro.

aHa, ha!a said c.h.i.n.ky, twisting his long nose round his waist to keep it out of his way. aA brownie with a tail!a Winks was crying now. He picked up his wand, which he had dropped. He and c.h.i.n.ky hit out at each other at the same moment.

aI'll change you into a puff of smoke!a shouted Winks. aI'll change you into a horrid smell!a cried c.h.i.n.ky.

And then they both disappeared! Mollie and Peter stared in the utmost dismay. A little puff of green smoke blew across the room and disappeared out of the door. A horrid smell drifted about the room for a minutea"a smell of bad fisha"and then that went, too.

Mollie burst into tears. aNow look what's happened!a she sobbed. aWe've lost both c.h.i.n.ky and Winks. One's just a drift of smoke, and the other's only a horrid smell. We'll never be able to play with them again.a Peter saw that the two wands were on the floor. He picked up c.h.i.n.ky's and put it into the toy cupboard. Then he picked up the one Winks had taken from Witch Wendle's and looked at it. Mollie gave a cry.

aDon't meddle with it, Peter. Don't!a aI'm not going to,a said Peter. aI'm just wondering what to do about all this. It's very serious. I think we ought to take this wand back to Witch Wendle, or else she may come hunting for ita" and I don't want to be turned into a bad smell or a drift of smoke by an angry witch.a This was a very alarming idea indeed. aOh, let's take it back quickly then,a said Mollie. aAnd perhaps if we do she'll tell us what to do about c.h.i.n.ky and Winks. How shall we find the way?a aWe might ask Mr. Spells,a began Peter, and then suddenly stopped in delight. He pointed behind Mollie.

She turned and saw that the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair was growing its wings again! The buds on its four legs burst into feathers, and soon the big green and yellow wings were waving gently in the air.

aOh! What a bit of luck!a cried Mollie. aNow we can get in the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair and just tell it to go to Witch Wendle's! It's sure to know the way!a Peter went and sat in the chair and pulled Mollie down beside him. He had the witch's wand in his hand.

aWis.h.i.+ng-Chair, we want to go to Witch Wendle's,a he said. aGo at once!a The chair rose into the air, and made for the door. Out it went and up into the cloudy sky. It made for an opening in the clouds and shot through it. Now the children were in the suns.h.i.+ne above.

They flew for a long way, and then Mollie shouted in surprise, and pointed. aLook! What's that? It's a castle in the clouds!a Both children stared. It was a very surprising sight indeed. A big purple cloud loomed ahead, thick and gloomy. Set in its depths was what looked exactly like a castle, with towers and turrets. The chair flew straight to the cloud and stopped. It hovered just above the cloud, and the children couldn't get down.

aGo lower, chair! a cried Peter. But the chair didn't. A head popped out of a window of the castle.

aWait! I'll get you cloud-shoes! If you walk on the cloud without them you'll fall.a The head disappeared. Then out of the castle came Witch Wendle, a bright star glinting at the top of her pointed hat. She carried what looked like snowshoes, big flat things, to fasten to their feet.

aHere you are!a she said. aPut these on your feet and you will be able to walk easily on the clouds. That's why your Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair wouldn't landa"it knew it would be dangerous for you without cloud shoes.a aOh, thank you,a said Mollie. She liked Witch Wendle very much, because her face smiled and her eyes twinkled. The children put on the cloud-shoes and then stepped down on the cloud. Ah, they could get along quite well nowa"it felt rather as if they were sliding on very, very soft snow.

aWhat a strange home you have, set high in the clouds,a said Peter.

aOh, people often build these,a said the witch. aHave you never heard of people building castles in the air? Well, this is one of them. They don't last very long, but they are very comfortable. I've had this one about two months now.a She led the way to her curious castle. aWe've come to bring you your wand,a said Peter. aI must tell you all that happened.a So he did, and the witch listened in silence. aThat tiresome Winks!a she said. aHe should never have left Mister Grim's school.a aWhat can we do about c.h.i.n.ky and Winks,a said Mollie, anow that they are a puff of smoke and a horrid smell? Where have they gone?a aTo the Land of Spells,a said the witch. aWe'll have to get your Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair to go therea"come along!a

What Happened in the Land of Spells.

THE witch led the way to where the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair stood waiting patiently on the edge of the cloud, its wings flapping gently.

aThat's a really wonderful chair of yours,a she said. aI only wish I had one like it!a They all sat in it. aTo the Land of Spells!a commanded the witch, and the chair at once rose into the air. It left the cloud and the curious castle built in the air, and flew steadily to the north.

aI'm very glad to have back my wand,a said Witch Wendle. aLuckily it is only my third best one. If it had been my best one, the magic would have been so powerful that it would have shrivelled Winks up as soon as he touched it.a Mollie and Peter at once made up their minds that they would never, never touch any wand belonging to a witch or wizard. Goodnessa"what a blessing that it had been the witch's third best wand and not her best one!

The chair flew on for a long while and the witch pointed out the interesting places they pa.s.seda"the Village of Stupids, the Country of No-Goods, the Land of Try-Again, and all kinds of places the children had never heard of before. They stared down at them in interest.

aWhat's the Land of Spells like?a asked Mollie.

aIt's a strange land, really,a said the witch. aAll kinds of spells wander about, and b.u.mp into you a"Invisible Spells to make you invisible, Tall Spells to make you tall, Laughter Spells to make you laugha" they've only got to touch you to affect you at once.a aOh dear,a said Mollie in alarm. aI don't like the sound of that at all.a aYou needn't worry,a said Witch Wendle. aThey only affect you whilst they b.u.mp into youa"as soon as they drift away you're all right again. We shall have to look for a puff of smoke and a horrid smella"then we shall know we've got Winks and c.h.i.n.ky and I must do my best to put them right for you.a The chair flew rapidly downwards, and landed in a very peculiar place. It was full of a blue-green mist and queer sounds went on all the timea"sounds of rumbling, sounds of music, of bells, and of the wind blowing strongly.

They got off the chair. aNow take hands,a said the witch. aAnd keep together, please. You're all right so long as you're with me, because I am a mistress of all spellsa"but don't slip away for goodness sake, or you may get changed into a white b.u.t.terfly or a blue beetle, and I would find it difficult to know you again.a Mollie and Peter held hands very hard indeed, and Mollie took the witch's hand, too. And then all kinds of extraordinary things began to happen.

A little trail of yellow bubbles b.u.mped into Mollie a"and, to Peter's great alarm, Mollie's neck grew alarmingly long, and shot up almost as tall as a tree! She was very alarmed, too.

aIt's all right,a said Witch Wendle. aIt will pa.s.s as soon as the trail of bubbles goes.a She was right. When the bubbles flew off in another direction Mollie's neck came down to its right size!a You did look queer, Mollie,a said Peter. aDon't do that again!a As he was speaking the wind blew a dead leaf on to his head, and immediately his head disappeared. Mollie gave a yell.

aWhere's Peter's head? I can't see it!a The witch brushed away the leaf at once and Peter's head came back.

aDon't worry,a said the witch. aI told you that you never know what's going to happen in a place like this. It's a good place for a witch to come to, of coursea"there are plenty of good spells to pick up, as you can see!a It was queer to think of spells wandering about like this. Mollie began to look out for them and try to dodge them. She dodged a silvery mist, but it wound itself round Witch Wendlea"and she at once disappeared completely.

aWhere's she gone?a cried Peter in fright.

aI've still got hold of her hand,a said Mollie. aI think she's only invisiblea"but she's here all right.a aYes, I'm here,a said the witch's voice. As soon as the silvery mist cleared away she became visible again and smiled down at the children. aI didn't see that spell coming or I would have dodged it,a she said. aOh deara"here's an annoying one coming!a Something that looked like a little shower of white snowflakes came dropping down on them. The witch changed into a big white bear, Peter changed into a white goat and Mollie into a white cat! That lasted about two minutes, and they were all very glad when they were back to their right shapes again.

aI kept trying to talk, but I could only mew,a said Mollie. aOh deara"I don't much like this land. I wish we could find Winks and c.h.i.n.ky and go home. It must be horrid for them to be nothing but spells, drifting about.a They went wandering through the queer misty land, listening to the queer noises around, trying to dodge the spells that came near them. The witch put out her hand and captured a tiny little spell floating through the air. It looked like a small white daisy.

aI've always wanted that spell,a she said to the children. aIt's a good spella"if you put it under a baby's pillow it makes a child grow up as pretty as a flower.a Suddenly Peter stopped and sniffed. aPooh! What a smell of bad fis.h.!.+a he said. aI'm sure that must be Winks. Can you smell a horrid smell, Witch Wendle?a aI should think I can,a said the witch. She took a small bottle out of her pocket and uncorked it.

aCome here to me, you bad little smell,

Into this bottle you'll fit very well!a

she sang. And the children saw a very faint purplish streak streaming into the bottle. The witch corked it up.

aWell, we've got Winks all right,a she said. aNow for c.h.i.n.ky. Looka"here comes a puff of green smoke. Would that be him?a aYes!a said Peter. aI'm sure it is. He and Winks would be certain to keep together. How can you catch the smoke, Witch Wendle?a The witch took a small pair of bellows from under her long, flowing cloak and held them out to the puff of green smoke, which was hovering near. She opened the bellows and drew in the puff of smoke! She hung the bellows at her belt again.

aAnd now we've got c.h.i.n.ky,a she said. aGood! We'd better get back home now, and see what we can do with them. It's so easy to change people into bad smells and green smokea"any beginner can do thata" but it takes a powerful witch or wizard to change them back to their own shapes again.a They walked back to find the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair, still b.u.mping into curious spells every now and again. Mollie walked into a Too-Big spell and immediately towered over the witch and Peter. But she went back to her own size almost at once.

aThat giant called Too-Small ought to come here,a she said to the witch. aHe wanted a spell to make him much bigger, but he could never get one.a The witch b.u.mped into a train of bright bubbles that burst as they touched her. When they looked at her they saw that she had changed into a beautiful young girl, and they were amazed. But she was soon her old self again.

aThat was a nice spell,a she said with a sigh. aI should like to have caught that spell and kept it.a aWell, why didn't you?a asked Peter.

aOh, didn't you see? The bubbles of the spell all burst when they touched me,a said the witch. aThere was nothing to catch. You can never capture youth and loveliness once you're as old as I am. Ah, is that the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair?a aYesa"but there's only half of it! a said Mollie, in surprise. aOh, I seea"it's just been touched by an invisible spella"it's coming all right again now.a Soon they were sitting in the chair. aTo the children's playroom,a commanded the witch. aAnd hurry! The puff of smoke in the bellows is trying to get out. We'll lose c.h.i.n.ky for ever if he puffs himself out, and gets lost on the wind.a aOh dear! asaid Mollie. aDo hurry, Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair!a The Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair hurried so much that the witch lost her hat in the wind and the chair had to go back for it. But at last they were flying down to the playroom, and in at the door. Thank goodness!

The witch got carefully out of the chair. She took the bellows from her waist. aIs there a suit of c.h.i.n.ky's anywhere?a she asked. Mollie got c.h.i.n.ky's second-best one from the cupboard. aHold it up,a said the witch. aThat's right. Now watch!a Mollie held up the little suit. The witch took the bellows and blew with them. Green smoke came from them and filled the little suit, billowing it out, anda"would you believe it?a"it was c.h.i.n.ky himself filling it out, growing arms and legs and heada" and there he was standing before them in his second-best suit, looking rather scared after his curious stay in the Land of Spells!

Then it was Winks' turn. The witch asked for the teapot and took off the lid. She uncorked the bottle in which she had put the bad smell, and emptied it into the teapot. She put on the lid.

Then she lifted up the teapot and poured something out of the spout, singing as she did so.

aTeapot, teapot, pour for me.

A brownie naughty as can be,

He's not as clever as he thinks,

That wicked, willful little Winks!a

And before the children's astonished eyes the teapot poured out Winks! He came out in a kind of stream, which somehow built itself up into Winks himself! Mollie could hardly believe her eyes!

When Winks saw Witch Wendle he went very red and tried to hide behind the sofa. She pulled him out.

aWho stole my wand? Who changed c.h.i.n.ky into a puff of smoke?a aWell, he changed me into a bad smell,a said Winks, beginning to sniff.

aHe at least used his own wand to do it with,a said the witch. aWinks, I'm sending you back to Mister Grim's school. You've a lot to learn.a Winks howled so loudly that Mollie felt very sorry for him.

aPlease,a she said, acould he just stay with us till we go back to boarding school? We might have another adventure, a nice one.a aVery well,a said Witch Wendle. aOne week more. Don't sniff like that, Winks. You bring all your trouble on yourself. I said, 'DON'T SNIFF.' You're just putting that on. Perhaps you would like a little spanking with my wand to make you sniff properly?a aI'm sorry, Witch Wendle,a wailed Winks. aI'll be good now. I'm very, very sorry.a aYou'll be sorry till next timea"then you will do something tiresome once more and be sorry all over again,a said the witch. aI know you, Winks! Well, goodbye, children. I'm very pleased to have met you a"and, by the way, may I sometimes borrow that Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair of yours when you are at school? It would be such a treat for me to do my shopping in it sometimes.a aOh, yes, please do,a said Mollie at once. aIt would be a nice return for all your help. You'll have to go to c.h.i.n.ky's mother to borrow it when we're at school. He keeps it there.a aThank you,a said the witch, and off she went. c.h.i.n.ky turned to Winks. aWe were silly to quarrel like that,a he said. aI'm sorry I turned you into a bad smell, Winks. Go and wash. I still think you smell a bit horrid.a So he dida"and it was two or three days before he smelt like a brownie again. You just can't meddle with spells, you know!

The Island of Surprises.

aYOU know,a said Mollie to c.h.i.n.ky, awe've only one more day before we go back to school. Mother has already sent off our trunks.a aOh dear,a said c.h.i.n.ky, sadly. aThe holidays have simply flown! I do wish you didn't have to go to school.a aWella"we love being at homea"but we really do love school, too,a said Peter. aIt's great fun, you knowa"and it's so nice being with scores of boys and girls who are our own age. I'm awfully glad we do go to boarding-school, really, though, of course, I'm sorry to say goodbye to Mother and Daddy and you and the garden and Jane and the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair, and everything.a aWe never went to the Land of Goodness Knows Where,a said Mollie. aI'd like to go before we leave for school.a aWis.h.i.+ng-Chair, you might grow your wings quickly,a said Peter, looking at the chair standing quietly in its place. aYou really might!a And, dear me, for once in a way the chair was most obliging and began to grow them! Unfortunately the children didn't notice that it was actually doing what it was told, and they went out into the garden to play.

The next thing that happened was the chair flying out of the door of the playroom, its wings flapping strongly! Luckily c.h.i.n.ky caught sight of it, or goodness knows where it would have gone by itself. He felt the swish of the big wings, and looked up. The chair was just pa.s.sing by his head!

He gave such a yell that Mollie and c.h.i.n.ky jumped in fright. They turned, to see c.h.i.n.ky making a tremendous leap into the air after the chair. He caught one leg and held on. aHelp! Help!a he yelled to the children. aCome and help me, or the chair will go off with me like this.a However, the chair went down to the ground, and allowed c.h.i.n.ky to sit in it properly. Mollie and Peter ran up eagerly.

aGracious! Whatever made us leave the playroom door open?a said Peter. aThe chair might have flown off anywhere and not come back. We shall really have to get a watch-dog for it.a aIt was lucky I just saw it,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWell nowa"shall we go to the Land of Goodness Knows Where or not? Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?a The children couldn't think of anywhere else, so the chair was told to go there. It flew off in the right direction at once. It was a lovely, clear day, with hardly any cloud at all. The children and c.h.i.n.ky could see down below them very clearly indeed.

aGo lower, Chair,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWe'd like to see the places we're flying over.a The chair obediently flew down lower still, and then c.h.i.n.ky gave a shout.

aLooka"there's Winks! Isn't it Winks?a It was. He, too, saw the chair and waved madly. aShall we take him with us?a said c.h.i.n.ky. aOr is he too naughty, do you think?a aWella"it's his last chance of coming with us for a long time,a said Mollie. aWe said we'd let him come with us once more, didn't we, before he goes back to Mister Grim's school. We'll take him.a So they ordered the chair to go down to the ground to fetch Winks. He was simply delighted. He clambered on to it at once.

aDid you come to fetch me?a he said. aHow nice of you.a aWell, actually we weren't fetching you,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aThe chair suddenly grew its wings, flew out into the garden, and I just managed to grab it in time. You weren't with us, so we didn't think of taking you. It was a bit of luck just catching sight of you like that. Winks, you must try and be good todaya"don't spoil our last adventure by being silly or naughty, please. We're going to the Land of Goodness Knows Where.a aThat's a silly land,a said Winks. aWhy don't you go somewhere more excitinga"the Land of Birthdays, or the Land of Treats, or the Village of Partiesa" somewhere like that.a They were just pa.s.sing over a big blue lake. They came to an island in the middle of it, and as they flew over it a surprising thing happened. Fireworks went off with a bang, and coloured stars burst and fell all round the chair. It was startled and wobbled dangerously, almost upsetting the children.

aGracious!a said Mollie. aWhat a surprise! What island is that?a aOh! a cried c.h.i.n.ky, in great excitement, aI do believe it's the Island of Surprises! Isn't it, Winks? I really think it is.a aYes,a said Winks, peering down. aIt is! Look out, here comes another rocket or something. My word a"what a lovely shower of coloured stars! You've got one in your hair, Molliea"it looks fine!a Mollie shook it out. aCan't we go to this island?a she said. aIt really sounds most exciting. The Island of Surprises! c.h.i.n.ky, let's go.a aRight,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aMind you, the surprises may not all be nice onesa"but if you're willing to risk that, we'll go.a aOf course we'll go!a said Winks. aChair, go down to the island at once, please.a Down went the chair, dodging another rocket. It landed on a patch of green gra.s.s, which at once changed into a sheet of water! The chair almost sank, but just managed to get itself out in time, and flew to a little paved courtyard.

aFirst surprise,a said c.h.i.n.ky, with a grin. aWe shall have to be careful here, you know. Winks, you mustn't be an idiot on this islanda"you'll get some unpleasant shocks if you are.

aCan we leave the chair here?a said Mollie doubtfully. aIt would be a horrid surprise if we found it gone when we came back for it.a The chair creaked and flew towards Mollie. aIt says it's not going to leave us! a said c.h.i.n.ky, with a grin. aVery wise of it. Right, Chair, you follow us like a dog, and we'll all be very pleased.a So the chair followed them closely, much to the surprise of all the little folk they met.

The first really nice surprise came when they saw a table set out in the suns.h.i.+ne, with empty dishes and plates in a row. The children, c.h.i.n.ky and Winks stopped to look at them. aIs there going to be a party or something?a said Peter.

A small goblin came up and sat himself down on the form by the table. He stared earnestly at the plate and dish in front of him. And, hey presto, on the dish came a large chocolate pudding, and on his plate came a big ice-cream to match. He began to eat, beaming all over his ugly little face.

aOooh,a said Winks at once, and sat down at the table. So did the others. They all stared hard at their dishes and plates. What surprise would come?

Mollie got a pile of sausages on her dish and some fried onions on her plate. Peter got a big trifle on his dish and a jug of cream on his plate. c.h.i.n.ky got strawberries on his dish and found his plate swimming in sugar and cream to go with them. They looked to see what Winks had got. That bad little brownie, of course, had been tricky as usual. He had put two plates and two dishes in front of him!