“It was fishy,” she said. “But it wasn’t a dream.” And she pointed to the mantelpiece as she slipped out of bed.
He looked up. He gave a start of surprise. Then a smile of triumph spread over his face.
For there, beside the Cowrie Shell, were the two Sand Dollars and a little Pink Starfish.
“You remember what the Terrapin said? Everyone who goes down to the sea brings something back,” Jane reminded him.
Michael nodded as he gazed at the Sand Dollars. And at that moment the door burst open and Mary Poppins bounced back. She plucked the Starfish from the mantelpiece and pinned it to her collar. It twinkled brightly as she prinked and pranked in front of the Nursery mirror.
Michael turned to Jane with a smothered giggle.
“Tiddy-um-pom-pom!” he hummed under his breath.
“Tiddy-um-pom-pom!” Jane said in a whisper.
And, daringly, behind Mary Poppins’ stiff straight back, they danced a few steps of the Hornpipe.
They never noticed that her bright blue eyes were watching them in the mirror and calmly exchanging with her own reflection a very superior smile. . .
Chapter Seven
HAPPY EVER AFTER
IT WAS THE last day of the Old Year.
Upstairs in the Nursery, Jane and Michael and the Twins were going through the magical performance known as Undressing. When Mary Poppins set to work, it was almost as good as watching a Conjuror!
She moved along the row of children and their clothes seemed to fall away at her touch. Over John’s head she pulled the sweater as quickly as though she were skinning a rabbit. Jane’s frock dropped off at a single touch; Barbara’s socks literally ran off her toes. As for Michael, he always felt that Mary Poppins undressed him simply by giving him one of her looks.
“Now, spit-spot into bed!” she ordered.
And with the words went such a glare that they fled squealing in all directions and darted under the bedclothes.
She moved about the Nursery, folding up the scattered clothes and tidying the toys. The children lay cosily in their beds, watching the crackling wing of her apron as it whisked about the room. Her eyes were blue and her cheeks were pink and her nose turned up with a perky air like the nose of a Dutch Doll. To look at her, they thought to themselves, you would never imagine she was anything but a perfectly ordinary person. But, as you know and I know, they had every reason to believe that Appearances are Deceptive.
Suddenly Michael had an idea that seemed to him very important.
“I say!” he said, sitting up in bed. “When igzackly does the Old Year end?”
“Tonight,” said Mary Poppins shortly. “At the first stroke of twelve.”
“And when does it begin?” he went on.
“When does what begin?” she snapped.
“The New Year,” answered Michael patiently.
“On the last stroke of twelve,” she replied, giving a short sharp sniff.
“Oh? Then what happens in between?” he demanded.
“Between what? Can’t you speak properly, Michael? Do you think I’m a Mind Reader?”
He wanted to say Yes, for that was exactly what he did think. But he knew he would never dare.
“Between the first and the last stroke,” he explained hurriedly.
Mary Poppins turned and glared at him.
“Never trouble Trouble till Trouble troubles you!” she advised priggishly.
“But I’m not troubling Trouble, Mary Poppins. I was only wanting to know—” he broke off quickly, for Mary Poppins’ face had a Very Ominous look.
“Then Want must be your Master. Now! If I have One More Word from you—” At the sound of that phrase he dived under the blankets. For he knew very well what it meant.
Mary Poppins gave another sniff and moved along the row of beds, tucking them all in.
“I’ll take that, thank you!” she remarked, as she plucked the Blue Duck from John’s arms.
“Oh, no!” cried John. “Please give him to me!”
“I want my Monkey!” Barbara wailed, as Mary Poppins uncurled her fingers from the moth-eaten body of Pinnie. Pinnie was an old rag Monkey who had belonged first to Mrs Banks when she was a little girl, and then to each of the children in turn.
But Mary Poppins took no notice. She hurried on to Jane’s bed and Alfred, the grey-flannel Elephant, was plucked from under the blankets. Jane sat up quickly.
“But why are you taking the toys?” she demanded. “Can’t we sleep with them as we always do?”
Mary Poppins’ only answer was an icy glare flung over her shoulder as she stooped to Michael’s bed.
“The Pig, please!” she commanded sternly. She put out her hand for the small, gilt cardboard Pig that Aunt Flossie had given him for Christmas.
At first the Pig had been filled with chocolates but now he was quite empty. A large hole yawned in the back of his body at the place where the tail should have been. On Christmas Day Michael had wrenched it off to see how it was stuck on. Since then it had lain on the mantelpiece and the Pig had gone without it.
Michael clutched the Golden Pig in his arms.
“No, Mary Poppins!” he said bravely. “He’s my Pig! And I want him!”
“What did I say?” asked Mary Poppins. And her look was so awful that Michael loosened his hold at once and let her take it from him.
“But what are you going to do with them?” he asked curiously.
For Mary Poppins was arranging the animals in a row on top of the toy cupboard.
“Ask no Questions and you’ll be Told no Lies,” she retorted priggishly. Her apron gave another crackle as she crossed the room to the bookcase.
They watched her take down three well-known books: Robinson Crusoe, The Green Fairy Book and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. Then she opened them and laid them down in front of the four animals.
Does she mean the animals to read the books? Jane wondered to herself.
“And now,” said Mary Poppins primly, as she moved towards the door, “turn over, all of you – if you please – and go to sleep at once!”
Michael sat bolt upright.
“But I want to stay awake, Mary Poppins, and watch the New Year!”
“A Watched Pot Never Boils!” she reminded him. “Lie down, please, Michael, in that bed – and don’t say Another Word!”
Then, sniffing loudly, she snapped out the light, and shut the Nursery door behind her with an angry little click.
“I will watch all the same,” said Michael, as soon as she had gone.
“So will I,” agreed Jane quickly, with a very determined air.
The Twins said nothing. They were fast asleep. But it was at least ten minutes before Michael’s head fell sideways on his pillow. And it was quite fifteen before Jane’s eyelashes fluttered down on her cheeks.
The four eiderdowns rose and fell with the children’s steady breathing.
For a long time nothing stirred the silence of the Nursery.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Suddenly, through the silent night, a peal of bells rang out.
Ding-dong! Ring-ting! Ding-dong!
From every tower and steeple the swinging chimes went forth. The bells of the city echoed and tossed and floated across the Park to the Lane. From North and South and East and West they pealed and clanged and chimed. People leant over their window-sills and rattled their dinner-bells. And those who hadn’t a dinner-bell played tunes on their Front door knockers.