would.
They came at last to the ladder sticking up into the Land from the cloud below. "You go first, Moon-Face, and help Mrs. Saucepan down," said J o. So down went Moon-Face, and politely and carefully helped the old lady down the little yellow ladder, through the cloud and on to the topmost branch of the tree.
Everyone followed, breathing sighs of relief to be safely away from Dame Slap once more. Nobody ever wanted to visit her Land again!
"We really must say goodbye now," said J o to the Tree-Folk. "Shall we just take Mrs. Saucepan down to Dame Washalot for you, Saucepan?”
"I ’ ll come too," said Saucepan, hearing what was said. S o down they went, and when Dame Washalot saw old Mrs. Saucepan, she was most excited. She thr ew her soapy arms round the old lady ’ s neck and hugged her.
"I hope you ’ ve come to stay!" she said. "I ’ ve always wanted you to live in the Faraway Tree."
" Goodbye , Mrs. Saucepan," said Bessie. " I shall come and buy your cakes the very first day you sell the m. I do hope you ’ ve had a happy birthday."
"The nicest one I ’ ve ever had!" said the old lady, beaming. " Goodbye , my dears, and hurry home!"
XVI
IN THE LAND OF SECRETS
Connie could not forget the exciting Faraway Tree, and the different L ands that came at the top. She asked the others about all the different Lands they had been to, and begged and begged them to take her to the next one.
"We ’ ll see what Moon-Face says," said Jo at last. "We don ’ t go to every Land, Connie. You wou l dn ’ t like to go to the Land of Whizz-About, for instance, would you? Moon-F ace once went there, and he said he couldn ’ t bear it—everything went at such a pace, and he was out of breath the whole time."
"Well , I think it sounds rather exciting," said Connie, who was intensely curious about everything to do with the different Lands. "Oh, J o, do l et ’ s find out what Land is there next. I really must go."
"All right!" said J o. "We ’ ll ask Mother if we can have the day off tomorrow , and we ’ ll go up the Tree if you like. But mind—if there is a horrid Land, we ’ re not going. We ’ ve had too many narrow escapes now, to risk getting caught somewhere nasty."
Mother said they might go up the Tree the next day. "I ’ l l give you sandwiches, if you like, and you can have dinner in the Wood or up the Tree, whichever you like," she told them.
"Oh, up the Tree ! " cried Connie. So, when the next day came, she wore old clothes without even being told! She was learning to be sensible at last.
They set off soon after breakfast. They hadn ’ t let Silky or Moon-Face know they were coming, but they felt sure they would be in the Tree.
They jumped over the ditch and made their way through the whispering wood till they came to the Faraway Tree. J o whistled for the red squirrel to tell him to go up and ask Moon-Face to send cushions down. But the red squirrel didn ’ t come.
"Bother!" said Bessie. "Now we ’ ll have ’ to climb up, and it ’ s so hot!"
So up they climbed. The Angry Pixie was sitting at his window, which was wide open. He waved to them, and Connie was glad to see he had no ink or water to throw at her.
"Going up to the Land of Secrets?" he shouted to them.
"Oh—is the Land of Secrets there?" cried J o . "It sounds exciting. W hat ’ s it like?"
"Oh—just Secrets!" said the Angry Pixie. "You can usually f ind out anything you badly want to know. I believe Watzisname wanted to try and find out exactly what his real name is, so maybe he ’ l l visit it too."
"I ’ d like to know some secrets too," said Connie.
"What Secrets do you want to know?" asked J o.
"Oh—I ’ d like to know how much money the old man who lives next door to us at home has got," said Connie. "And I ’ d like to know what Mrs. Toms at home has done to make people not speak to her—and . . ."
“W hat an awful girl you are!" said Bessie. "Those are other people ’ s Secrets, not yours. Fancy
They came at last to the ladder sticking up into the Land from the cloud below. "You go first, Moon-Face, and help Mrs. Saucepan down," said J o. So down went Moon-Face, and politely and carefully helped the old lady down the little yellow ladder, through the cloud and on to the topmost branch of the tree.
Everyone followed, breathing sighs of relief to be safely away from Dame Slap once more. Nobody ever wanted to visit her Land again!
"We really must say goodbye now," said J o to the Tree-Folk. "Shall we just take Mrs. Saucepan down to Dame Washalot for you, Saucepan?”
"I ’ ll come too," said Saucepan, hearing what was said. S o down they went, and when Dame Washalot saw old Mrs. Saucepan, she was most excited. She thr ew her soapy arms round the old lady ’ s neck and hugged her.
"I hope you ’ ve come to stay!" she said. "I ’ ve always wanted you to live in the Faraway Tree."
" Goodbye , Mrs. Saucepan," said Bessie. " I shall come and buy your cakes the very first day you sell the m. I do hope you ’ ve had a happy birthday."
"The nicest one I ’ ve ever had!" said the old lady, beaming. " Goodbye , my dears, and hurry home!"
XVI
IN THE LAND OF SECRETS
Connie could not forget the exciting Faraway Tree, and the different L ands that came at the top. She asked the others about all the different Lands they had been to, and begged and begged them to take her to the next one.
"We ’ ll see what Moon-Face says," said Jo at last. "We don ’ t go to every Land, Connie. You wou l dn ’ t like to go to the Land of Whizz-About, for instance, would you? Moon-F ace once went there, and he said he couldn ’ t bear it—everything went at such a pace, and he was out of breath the whole time."
"Well , I think it sounds rather exciting," said Connie, who was intensely curious about everything to do with the different Lands. "Oh, J o, do l et ’ s find out what Land is there next. I really must go."
"All right!" said J o. "We ’ ll ask Mother if we can have the day off tomorrow , and we ’ ll go up the Tree if you like. But mind—if there is a horrid Land, we ’ re not going. We ’ ve had too many narrow escapes now, to risk getting caught somewhere nasty."
Mother said they might go up the Tree the next day. "I ’ l l give you sandwiches, if you like, and you can have dinner in the Wood or up the Tree, whichever you like," she told them.
"Oh, up the Tree ! " cried Connie. So, when the next day came, she wore old clothes without even being told! She was learning to be sensible at last.
They set off soon after breakfast. They hadn ’ t let Silky or Moon-Face know they were coming, but they felt sure they would be in the Tree.
They jumped over the ditch and made their way through the whispering wood till they came to the Faraway Tree. J o whistled for the red squirrel to tell him to go up and ask Moon-Face to send cushions down. But the red squirrel didn ’ t come.
"Bother!" said Bessie. "Now we ’ ll have ’ to climb up, and it ’ s so hot!"
So up they climbed. The Angry Pixie was sitting at his window, which was wide open. He waved to them, and Connie was glad to see he had no ink or water to throw at her.
"Going up to the Land of Secrets?" he shouted to them.
"Oh—is the Land of Secrets there?" cried J o . "It sounds exciting. W hat ’ s it like?"
"Oh—just Secrets!" said the Angry Pixie. "You can usually f ind out anything you badly want to know. I believe Watzisname wanted to try and find out exactly what his real name is, so maybe he ’ l l visit it too."
"I ’ d like to know some secrets too," said Connie.
"What Secrets do you want to know?" asked J o.
"Oh—I ’ d like to know how much money the old man who lives next door to us at home has got," said Connie. "And I ’ d like to know what Mrs. Toms at home has done to make people not speak to her—and . . ."
“W hat an awful girl you are!" said Bessie. "Those are other people ’ s Secrets, not yours. Fancy
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