"Oooh, lovely!" said Jo, who liked boiled sweets very much. "I
say, look at that yellow fence over there -surely it isn't made of barley-sugar!"
It was. The children broke off big sticks from the fence, and sucked the barley-sugar.
It was the nicest they had ever tasted.
The shops were full of things to eat. You should just have seen them! Jo felt
as if he would like a sausage roll and he went into a sausage-roll shop. The rolls
were tumbling one by one out of a machine. The handle was being turned by a most
peculiar man. He was quite flat and brown, and had what looked like black currants
for eyes.
"Do you know. I think he is a gingerbread man!" whispered Jo to the
others. "He's just like the gingerbread people that Mother makes for us."
The children chose a sausage roll each and went out, munching. They wandered into
the next shop. It had lovely big iced cakes, set out in rows. Some were yellow,
some were pink, and some white.
"Your name, please?" asked the funny little woman there, looking at
Bessie, who had asked for a cake.
"Bessie," said the little girl in surprise. And there in the middle
of the cake her name appeared in pink sugar letters! Of course, all the others
wanted cakes, too, then, just to see their names come!
"We shall never be able to eat all these," said Moon-Face, looking at
the seven cakes that had
suddenly appeared. But, you know, they tasted so delicious that, it wasn't very
long before they all went!
Into shop after shop went the children and the others, tasting everything they
could see. They had tomato soup, poached eggs, ginger buns, chocolate fingers,
ice-creams, and goodness knows what else.
"Well, I just simply CAN'T eat anything more," said Silky at last. "I've
been really greedy. I am sure I shall be ill if I eat anything else."
"Oh, Silky!" said Dick. "Don't stop. I can go on for quite a long
time yet."
"Dick, you're greedy, really greedy," said Jo. "You ought to stop."
"Well, I'm not going to," said Dick. The others looked at him.
"You're getting very fat," said Jo suddenly. "You won't be able
to get down the hole! You be careful, Dick. You are not to go into any more shops."
"All right," said Dick, looking sulky. But although he did not go into
the shops, do you know what he did? He broke off some of a gingerbread window-sill-and
then he took a knocker from a door. It was made of barley-sugar, and Dick sucked
it in delight. The others had not seen him do these things -but the man whose
knocker Dick had pulled off did see him!
He opened his door and came running out. "Hie, hie!" he cried angrily.
"Bring back my knocker at once! You bad, naughty boy!"
Dick Gets Everyone Into Trouble
When Jo and the others heard the angry voice behind them, they turned in surprise.
Nobody but Dick knew what the angry little man was talking about.
"Knocker?" said Jo, in astonishment. "What knocker? We haven't
got your knocker."
"That bad boy is eating my knocker!" cried the man, and he pointed to
Dick. "I had a beautiful one, made of golden barley-sugar-and now that boy
has eaten it nearly all up!"
They all stared at Dick. He went very red. What was left of the knocker was in
his mouth.
"Did you really take his barley-sugar knocker?" said Jo in amazement.
"Whatever were you thinking of, Dick?"
"Well, I just never thought," said Dick, swallowing the rest of the
knocker in a hurry. "I saw it there on the door-and it looked so nice. I'm
very sorry."
"That's all very well," said the angry man. "But being sorry won't
bring back my knocker. You're a bad boy. You come and sit in my house till the
others are ready to go. I won't have you going about in our land eating knockers
and chimneys and window-sills!"
"You'd better go, Dick," said Jo. "We'll call for you when we're
ready to go home. We shan't be long now. Anyway, you've eaten quite enough."
So poor Dick had to go into the house with the cross little man, who made him
sit on a stool and keep still. The others wandered off again.
"We mustn't be here much longer," said Moon-Face. "It's almost
time for this land to move on. Look! Strawberries and cream."
The children stared at the strawberries and cream. They had never seen such a
strange sight before. The strawberries grew by the hundred on strawberry plants-but
each strawberry had its own big dob of cream growing on it, ready to be eaten.
"They are even sugared!" said Jo, picking one. "Look-my strawberry
is powdered with white sugar-and, oh, the cream is delicious!"
They enjoyed the strawberries and cream, and then Jo had a good idea.
"I say! What about taking some of these lovely goodies back with us?"
he said. "Watzisname would love a plum pie -and the Angry Pixie would like
some of those jelly-flowers-and Dame Washalot would like a treacle pudding."
"And Mother would like lots of things, too," said Bessie joyfully.
So they all began collecting puddings and pies and cakes. It was fun. The treacle
pudding had so much treacle that it dripped all down Moon-Face's leg.
"You'll have to have a bath, Moon-Face," said Silky. "You're terribly
sticky."
They nearly forgot to call for poor Dick! As they passed the house whose knocker
he had
eaten, he banged loudly on the window, and they all stopped.
"Gracious! We nearly forgot about Dick!" said Bessie. "Dick, Dick,
come on! We're going!"
Dick came running out of the house. The little man called after him: "Now,
don't you eat anybody's knocker again!"
"Goodness! Why have you got all those things?" asked Dick in surprise,
looking at the puddings and pies and cakes. "Are they for our supper?"
"Dick! How can you think of supper after eating such a lot!" cried Jo.
"Why, Fm sure I couldn't eat even a chocolate before to-morrow morning. No-these
things are for Watzisname and Dame Washalot and Mother. Come on. Moon-Face says
this land will soon be on the move."
They all went to the hole that led down through the cloud. It didn't take long
to climb down the ladder and on to the big branch outside Moon-Face's house.
Dick came last-and he suddenly missed his footing and fell right down the ladder
on the top of the others below. And he knocked the puddings, pies and cakes right
out of their hands! Down went all the goodies, bumping from branch to branch.
The children and the others stared after them in dismay.
Then there came a very angry yell from below. "Who's thrown a. treacle pudding
at me? Wait till I get them. I've treacle all over me. It burst on my head. Oh,
oh, OH!"
Then there came an angry squealing from lower
down still. "Plum pie! Plum pie in my washtub! Sausage rolls in my washtub!
Peppermints down my neck! Oh, you rascals up there-I'm coming up after you, so
I am!"
And from still lower down came the voice of the Angry Pixie-and truly a very angry
pixie, indeed, he was! "Jelly on my nose! Jelly down my neck! Jelly in my
pockets! What next? Who's doing all this? Wait till I come up and tell them what
I think!"
The children listened, half frightened and very much amused. They began to giggle.
"Plum pie in Dame Washalot's tub!" giggled
Jo.
"Jelly on the Angry Pixie's nose!" said Bessie.
"I say-I do believe they really are coming up!" said Jo, in alarm. "Look-isn't
that Watzisname?"
They all peered down the tree. Yes -it was Watzisname climbing up, looking very
angry. The Saucepan Man leaned over rather too far, and nearly fell. Dick just
caught him in time-but one of his kettles came loose and fell down. It bounced
from branch to branch and landed on poor old Watzisname's big head!
He gave a tremendous yell. "What! Is it you, Saucepan, throwing all these
things down the tree. What you want is a spanking. And you'll get it? And anybody
else up there playing tricks will get a fine fat spanking, too!"
"A spanking!" said Dame Washalot's voice.
"A SPANKING!" roared the Angry Pixie not far behind.
"Golly!" said Jo in alarm. "It looks as if the Land of Spankings
is about to arrive up here. I vote we go. You'd better shut your door, Moon-Face,
and you and Silky and Saucepan had better lie down on the sofa and the bed and
pretend to be asleep. Then maybe those angry people will think it's somebody up
in the Land of Goodies that has been throwing all those things down."
"Dick ought to stay up there and get the spankings," said Moon-Face
gloomily. "First he goes and eats somebody's door-knocker and gets into trouble.
Then he falls on top of us all and sends all the goodies down the tree."
"I'm going down the slippery-slip with the children," said Silky, who
was very much afraid of Mister Watzisname when he was in a temper. "I can
climb up to my house and lock myself in before all those angry people come down
again. Saucepan, why don't you come, too?'
Saucepan thought he would. So the children and Silky and Saucepan all slid down
the slippery-slip. Just in time, too -for Mister Watzisname came shouting up to
Moon-Face's door as Jo, who was last, slid down.
Moon-Face had shut his door. He was lying on his bed, pretending to be asleep.
Watzisname banged hard on the door. Moon-Face didn't answer. Watzisname peeped
in at the window.
"Moon-Face! Wake up! Wake up, I say!"
"What's the matter?" said Moon-Face, in a sleepy voice, sitting up and
rubbing his eyes.
Dame Washalot and the Angry Pixie came up,
too. The Pixie had jelly all over him, and Watzisname had treacle pudding down
him. They were all very angry.
They opened Moon-Face's door and went in. "Who was it that threw all those
things down on us?" asked Watzisname. "Where's Saucepan? Did he throw
that kettle? I'm going to spank him."
"Whatever are you talking about?" said Moon-Face, pretending not to
know. "How sticky you are, Watzisname!"
"And so are you!" yelled Watzisname, suddenly, seeing treacle shining
all down Moon-Face's legs. "It was you who threw that pudding down on me!
My word, I'll spank you hard!"
Then all three of them went for poor Moon-Face, who got about six hard slaps.
He rolled over to the slippery-slip, and slid down it in a fright.
He shot out of the trap-door just in time to see Silky and Saucepan saying good-bye
to the children. They were most amazed when Moon-Face shot out beside them.
"I've been spanked!" wept Moon-Face. "They all spanked me because
I was sticky, so they thought I'd thrown all the goodies at them. And now I'm
afraid to go back because they will be waiting for me."
"Poor Moon-Face," said Jo. "And it was all Dick's fault. Listen.
Silky can climb back to her house; but you and Saucepan had better come back with
us and stay the night. Dick and I will sleep downstairs on the sofa, and you can
have our beds. Mother won't mind."
"All right," said Moon-Face, wiping his eyes. "That will be fun.
Oh, what a pity we wasted all those lovely goodies! I really do think Dick is
a clumsy boy!"
They all went home together, and poor Dick didn't say a word. But how he did wish
he could make up for all he had done!
18.
A Surprising Visitor
The children's mother was rather astonished to see Moon-Face and Saucepan arriving
at the cottage with the children.
"Mother, may they stay the night?" asked Jo. "They've been so good
to us in lots of ways -and they don't want to go back to the tree to-night because
somebody is waiting there to spank them."
"Dear me!" said Mother, even more surprised. "Well, yes, they can
stay. You and Dick must sleep downstairs on the sofa. If they like to help in
the garden for a day or two, they can stay longer."
"Oooh!" said Moon-Face, pleased. "That would be fine! I'm sure
Watzisname will have forgotten about spanking us if we can stay away a few days.
Thank you very much. We will help all we can."
"Would you like one of my very special kettles?" asked Saucepan gratefully.
"Or a fine big saucepan for cooking soup bones?"
"Thank you," said Mother, smiling, for the old Saucepan Man was really
a funny sight, hung about as usual with all his pans. "I could do with a
strong little kettle. But let me pay you,"
"Certainly not, madam," said Saucepan, hearing quite well for a change.
"I shall be only too pleased to present you with anything you like in the
way of kettles or saucepans."
He gave Mother a fine little kettle and a good strong saucepan. She was very pleased.
Moon-Face looked on, wondering what he could give her, too. He put his hand in
his pocket and felt around a bit. Then he brought out a bag and offered it to
the children's mother.
"Have a bit of toffee?" he asked. Mother took a piece. The children
stared at her, knowing that it was a piece of Shock Toffee! Poor Mother!
The toffee grew bigger and bigger and bigger in her mouth as she sucked it, and
she looked more and more surprised. At last, when she felt that it was just as
big as her whole mouth, it exploded into nothing at all-and the children squealed
with laughter.
"Mother, that was a Toffee Shock!" said Jo, giggling. "Would you
like to try a Pop Biscuit- or a Google Bun?"
"No, thank you," said Mother at once. "The Toffee Shock tasted
delicious-but it did give me a shock!"
It was fun having Moon-Face and Saucepan staying with them in their cottage for
a few days. The children simply loved it. Moon-Face was very,
very good in the garden, for he dug and cleared away rubbish twice as fast as
anyone else. The old Saucepan Man wasn't so good because he suddenly went deaf
again and didn't understand what was said to him. So he did rather queer things.
When Mother said: "Saucepan, fetch .me some carrots, will you?" he thought
she had asked for sparrows, and he spent the whole morning trying to catch them
by throwing salt on their tails.