more, the whistle was a deep one, like one of the new diesel trains going into a tunnel, and they found that they could play all sorts of tricks, like changing the tone by blocking up one hole with their tongues and half closing their lips so as to make a buzzing whistle, and lots of other variations.
But then, what with their sucking and their blowing, the bit between the two holes collapsed and the candies made one last deep hoot and then crunched, as all candy does in the end, into little bits.
Jeremy and Jemima both jumped up and down with excitement at Commander Pott's invention and begged for more. Then Commander Pott gave them each a little bag full of the candies and told them to go out into the garden and practice every whistling tune they could think up, as after lunch he was going to take them to SKRUMSHUS LIMITED, the big candy people at their local town, to give a demonstration to Lord Skrumshus who owned the factory.
And as they ran out into the garden, Commander Pott called after them, "They're called 'CRACKPOTS—CRACKPOT WHISTLING SWEETS.' And you know what, my chickabiddies? They're going to buy us a motorcar! !"
But the children were already dancing away into the woods making every kind of whistle you can think of, at the same time sucking like mad at their delicious candies. There really seemed to be something special about Commander Pott's invention—just a little touch of genius.
Well, anyway, I can tell you this, Lord Skrumshus thought so. After he had heard Jeremy and Jemima whistling in his office, he sent them out into the factory and they danced around among the workers, sucking and whistling and handing out candies from their pockets, so that very soon they had all the workers in the factory sucking and whistling, and everyone laughed so much that all the SKRUMSHUS candy machines came to a stop. Lord Skrumshus had to call Jeremy and Jemima away before they brought the whole production of SKRUMSHUS candies and chocolates to a grinding halt.
So Jeremy and Jemima went back into Lord Skrumshus's grand office and there was their father being paid ONE THOUSAND POUNDS by the SKRUMSHUS Company Treassurer, and signing a paper which said he would get an additional ONE SHILLING on every thousand CRACKPOT WHISTLING SWEETS sold by SKRUMSHUS LIMITED. Jeremy and Jemima didn't think that sounded very much, but when I let you into a secret and tell you that SKRUMSHUS LIMITED sells FIVE MILLION every year of just one of their candies called CHOCK-A-HOOP, you can work out for yourself that perhaps, just perhaps , COMMANDER CARACTACUS POTT wasn't making such a bad bargain after all.
So then everyone shook hands and Lord Skrumshus gave Jeremy and Jemima each a big free box of samples of all the candies he made. The three of them hurried off back to Mumsie to tell her the good news, and straightaway the whole family hired a taxi and went to the bank to deposit the check for a thousand pounds and then—and THEN they all went off together to BUY A CAR!
Now, I don't know if you got it into your heads yet, but the Pott family wasn't a very conventional family—that is, they were all rather out of the ordinary. Even Mimsie must have been rather an adventurous sort of mother or she wouldn't have married an explorer and inventor like Commander Caractacus Pott, R.N. (Retired) who had, as they say, no visible means of support—meaning he was someone who doesn't do regular work that brings in regular money, but depends on occasional windfalls from lucky explorations or inventions.
So when it came to buying a car, they were all determined that it shouldn't be just ANY car, but something a bit different from everyone else's—not one of those black beetle sedans that looks much the same back and front so that, in the distance, you don't know if it's coming or going, but something rather special—something rather adventurous.
Well, they hunted all that afternoon and all the next day. They looked at brand-new cars and
But then, what with their sucking and their blowing, the bit between the two holes collapsed and the candies made one last deep hoot and then crunched, as all candy does in the end, into little bits.
Jeremy and Jemima both jumped up and down with excitement at Commander Pott's invention and begged for more. Then Commander Pott gave them each a little bag full of the candies and told them to go out into the garden and practice every whistling tune they could think up, as after lunch he was going to take them to SKRUMSHUS LIMITED, the big candy people at their local town, to give a demonstration to Lord Skrumshus who owned the factory.
And as they ran out into the garden, Commander Pott called after them, "They're called 'CRACKPOTS—CRACKPOT WHISTLING SWEETS.' And you know what, my chickabiddies? They're going to buy us a motorcar! !"
But the children were already dancing away into the woods making every kind of whistle you can think of, at the same time sucking like mad at their delicious candies. There really seemed to be something special about Commander Pott's invention—just a little touch of genius.
Well, anyway, I can tell you this, Lord Skrumshus thought so. After he had heard Jeremy and Jemima whistling in his office, he sent them out into the factory and they danced around among the workers, sucking and whistling and handing out candies from their pockets, so that very soon they had all the workers in the factory sucking and whistling, and everyone laughed so much that all the SKRUMSHUS candy machines came to a stop. Lord Skrumshus had to call Jeremy and Jemima away before they brought the whole production of SKRUMSHUS candies and chocolates to a grinding halt.
So Jeremy and Jemima went back into Lord Skrumshus's grand office and there was their father being paid ONE THOUSAND POUNDS by the SKRUMSHUS Company Treassurer, and signing a paper which said he would get an additional ONE SHILLING on every thousand CRACKPOT WHISTLING SWEETS sold by SKRUMSHUS LIMITED. Jeremy and Jemima didn't think that sounded very much, but when I let you into a secret and tell you that SKRUMSHUS LIMITED sells FIVE MILLION every year of just one of their candies called CHOCK-A-HOOP, you can work out for yourself that perhaps, just perhaps , COMMANDER CARACTACUS POTT wasn't making such a bad bargain after all.
So then everyone shook hands and Lord Skrumshus gave Jeremy and Jemima each a big free box of samples of all the candies he made. The three of them hurried off back to Mumsie to tell her the good news, and straightaway the whole family hired a taxi and went to the bank to deposit the check for a thousand pounds and then—and THEN they all went off together to BUY A CAR!
Now, I don't know if you got it into your heads yet, but the Pott family wasn't a very conventional family—that is, they were all rather out of the ordinary. Even Mimsie must have been rather an adventurous sort of mother or she wouldn't have married an explorer and inventor like Commander Caractacus Pott, R.N. (Retired) who had, as they say, no visible means of support—meaning he was someone who doesn't do regular work that brings in regular money, but depends on occasional windfalls from lucky explorations or inventions.
So when it came to buying a car, they were all determined that it shouldn't be just ANY car, but something a bit different from everyone else's—not one of those black beetle sedans that looks much the same back and front so that, in the distance, you don't know if it's coming or going, but something rather special—something rather adventurous.
Well, they hunted all that afternoon and all the next day. They looked at brand-new cars and
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