Neither Jane nor Michael knew in the least what he meant, but they nodded politely.
“Now,” cried Nellie-Rubina gaily, as she unscrewed the lid of the Jar. “Who’ll choose first?”
Jane thrust in her hand and brought out a flat, star-shaped sweet rather like a peppermint.
“There’s writing on it!” she exclaimed.
Nellie-Rubina shrieked with laughter. “Of course there is! It’s a Conversation! Read it.”
“You’re My Fancy,” read Jane aloud.
“How very nice!” tinkled Nellie-Rubina, pushing the jar towards Michael. He drew out a pink sweet shaped like a shell.
“I Love You. Do You Love Me?” he spelt out.
“Ha, ha! That’ a good one! Yes, I do!” Nellie-Rubina laughed loudly, and gave him a quick kiss that left a sticky patch of paint on his cheek.
John’s yellow Conversation read, “Deedle, deedle, dumpling!” and on Barbara’s was written in large letters, “Shining-bright and airy.”
“And so you are!” cried Nellie-Rubina, smiling at her over the counter.
“Now you, Mary Poppins!” And as Nellie-Rubina tipped the jar towards Mary Poppins, Jane and Michael noticed a curious, understanding look pass between them.
Off came the large woollen glove and Mary Poppins, shutting her eyes, put in her hand and scrabbled for a moment among the Conversations. Then her fingers closed on a white one shaped like a half-moon and she held it out in front of her.
“Ten o’clock Tonight,” said Jane, reading the inscription aloud.
Uncle Dodger rubbed his hands together.
“That’s right. That’s the time when we—”
“Uncle Dod-ger!” cried Nellie-Rubina in a warning voice.
The smile faded away from his face and left it sadder than before.
“Begging your pardon, my dear!” he said humbly. “I’m an old man, I’m afraid, and I sometimes say the wrong things – beg pardon.” He looked very ashamed of himself, but Jane and Michael could not see that he had done anything very wrong.
“Well,” said Mary Poppins, slipping her Conversation carefully into her handbag, “if you’ll excuse us, Nellie-Rubina, I think we’d better be going!”
“Oh, must you?” Nellie-Rubina rolled a little on her disc. “It has been such a Satisfaction! Still,” she glanced out of a window, “it might snow again and keep you imprisoned here. And you wouldn’t like that, would you?” she trilled, turning to the children.
“I would,” said Michael stoutly. “I would love it. And then, perhaps, I’d find out what these are for.” He pointed to the painted branches, the sheep and birds and flowers.
“Those? Oh those are just decorations,” said Nellie-Rubina, airily dismissing them with a jerky wave of her hand.
“But what do you do with them?”
Uncle Dodger leant eagerly across the counter.
“Well, you see, we take them out and—”
“Uncle Dod-ger!” Nellie-Rubina’s eyes were snapping dangerously.
“Oh, dear! There I go again. Always speaking out of my turn. I’m too old, that’s what it is!” said Uncle Dodger mournfully.
Nellie-Rubina gave him an angry look. Then she turned, smiling, to the children.
“Goodbye,” she said, jerkily shaking hands. “I’ll remember our Conversations. You’re my Fancy, I love You, Deedle-deedle and Shining-bright!”
“You’ve forgotten Mary Poppins’ Conversation. It’s ‘Ten o’clock Tonight’,” Michael reminded her.
“Ah, but she won’t!” said Uncle Dodger, smiling happily.
“Uncle Dod-ger!”
“Oh, begging your pardon, begging your pardon!”
“Goodbye!” said Mary Poppins. She patted her handbag importantly and another strange look passed between her and Nellie-Rubina.
“Goodbye, goodbye!”
When Jane and Michael thought about it afterwards, they could not remember how they had got out of that curious room. One moment they were inside it saying goodbye to Nellie-Rubina, and the next they were out in the snow again, licking their Conversations and hurrying after Mary Poppins.
“Do you know, Michael,” said Jane, “I believe that sweet was a message.”
“Which one? Mine?”
“No. The one Mary Poppins chose.”
“You mean. . .?”
“I think something is going to happen at ten o’clock tonight and I’m going to stay awake and see.”
“Then so will I,” said Michael.
“Come along, please! Keep up!” said Mary Poppins. “I haven’t all day to waste. . .”
Jane was dreaming deeply. And in her dream somebody was calling her name in a small, urgent voice. She sat up with a start to find Michael standing beside her in his pyjamas.
“You said you’d stay awake!” he whispered accusingly.
“What? Where? Why? Oh, it’s you, Michael! Well, you said you would too.”
“Listen!” he said.
There was a sound of somebody tip-toeing in the next room.
Jane drew in her breath sharply. “Quick! Get back into bed. Pretend to be asleep. Hurry!”
With a bound Michael was under the blankets. In the darkness he and Jane held their breaths, listening.
From the other Nursery, the door opened stealthily. The thin gap of light widened and grew larger. A head came round the edge and peeped into the room. Then somebody slipped through and silently shut the door behind them.
Mary Poppins, wrapped in her fur coat and holding her shoes in her hands, tip-toed through their room.
They lay still, listening to her steps hurrying down the stairs. Far away the key of the front door scraped in its lock. There was a scurry of steps on the garden path and the front gate clicked.
And at that moment the clock struck ten.
Out of bed they sprang and rushed into the other Nursery, where the windows opened on the Park.
The night was black and splendid, lit with high, swinging stars. But tonight it was not stars they were looking for. If Mary Poppins’ Conversation had really been a message, there was something more interesting to be seen.
“Look!” Jane gave a little gulp of excitement, and pointed.
Over in the Park, just by the entrance gate, stood the curious ark-shaped building, loosely moored to a tree-trunk.
“But how did it get there?” said Michael, staring. “It was at the other side of the Park this morning.”
Jane did not reply. She was too busy watching.
The roof of the Ark was open and on the top of the ladder stood Nellie-Rubina, balancing on her round disc. From inside Uncle Dodger was handing up to her bundle after bundle of painted wooden branches.
“Ready, Miss Poppins?” tinkled Nellie-Rubina, passing an armful down to Mary Poppins, who was standing on the deck waiting to receive them.
The air was so clear and still that Jane and Michael, crouched in the window-seat, could hear every word.
Suddenly there was a loud noise inside the Ark as a wooden shape clattered to the floor.
“Uncle Dod-ger! Be careful, please. They’re fragile!” said Nellie-Rubina sternly. And Uncle Dodger, as he lifted out a pile of painted clouds, replied apologetically: