wanting to find out other people ’ s Secrets ! "
"Yes, it ’ s horrid of you, Connie," said Fanny. " J o, don ’ t let Connie go into the Land of Secrets if that ’ s the kind of thing she wants to find out. She ’ s gone all curious and prying again, like she used to be."
Connie was angry. She went red and glared at the others. "Well, don ’ t you want to know Secrets too?" she said. "You said you did!"
"Yes, but not other people ’ s," said J o at once. "I ’ d like to know where to find the very first violets for instance, so that I could surprise Mother on her birthday with a great big bunch. They are her favourite flowers."
"And I ’ d like to know the Secret of Curly Hair, so that I could use it on all my dolls," said Bessie.
"And I ’ d like to know the Secret of growing lettuces with big hearts," said Fanny. "Mine never grow nice ones."
"What awfully silly secrets!" said Connie.
"Better to want to know a silly secret than a horrid one, or one that doesn ’ t belong to you," said J o. "All you want to do is to poke your nose into other people ’ s affairs, Connie, and that ’ s a horrid thing to do."
Connie climbed the Tree, not speaking a word to the others. She was very angry with them. She was so angry that she didn ’ t look out for Dame Washalot ’ s water coming down the Tree, and it suddenly swished all round her and soaked her dress.
That made her crosser still, especially when the others laughed at her. "All right!" said Connie, in a nasty voice. "I ’ ll find out your Secrets too — where you ’ ve put your new book so that I can ’ t borrow it, Jo — and where you ’ ve put your big rubber, Bessie—and I ’ ll fin d out which of your dolls you like the best, Fanny, and smack her hard!"
"You really are a nasty child," said J o. "You won ’ t go up into the Land of Secrets, so don ’ t worry yourself about all these things !"
They climbed up to Silky ’ s house, but it was shut. They went up to Moon-Face ’ s, but dear me! his door was shut too. The Old Saucepan Man was not about and neither was Watzisname. Nobody seemed about at all.
"Perhaps Saucepan ’ s mother would know," said Bessie. So they climbed down to Dame Washalot, and found old Mrs. Saucepan there.
"Saucepan and Watzisname have both gone up into the Land of Secrets," she told them, "but I don ’ t know about Silky and Moon-Face—I expect they have gone with them, though Saucepan didn ’ t tell me they were going. Have a bun?"
Old Mrs. Saucepan was already busy making all kinds of delicious buns and biscuits, ready to open her shop on Dame Washalot ’ s broad branch. Two goblins were busy making a stall for her. She meant to open her little shop the next day.
The children took their buns with thanks. They were really delicious.
They climbed up the Tree again to Moon-Face ’ s house. J o turned the handle. The door opened, but the curved room inside was empty.
"What a nuisance!" said J o. "Now what shall we do?"
"We might as well go up into the Land of Secrets, and find the others, and have our picnic with them," said Fanny.
"Yes," said Connie, who was dying to go up into this new Land.
"Well, but we didn ’ t want Connie to go," said J o. "She ’ ll only go prying into other people ’ s Secrets, and we can ’ t have that."
"I won ’ t try and find out your Secrets," said Connie. "I promise I won ’ t."
"I don ’ t know if I trust you," said J o. "But still, we can ’ t go without you. So, if you come, Connie , just be careful —and do remember that you may get into trouble if you act stupidly."
"I wonder if old Watzisname has found out what his real name is," said Bessie, beginning to climb up the topmost branch. "I ’ d love to know it. It would be nice to call him something else. Watzisname is a silly name."
They all went up the topmost branch, and up the yellow ladder through the hole in the vast cloud, and then into the Land of Secrets.
It was a curious Land, quiet, perfectly
"Yes, it ’ s horrid of you, Connie," said Fanny. " J o, don ’ t let Connie go into the Land of Secrets if that ’ s the kind of thing she wants to find out. She ’ s gone all curious and prying again, like she used to be."
Connie was angry. She went red and glared at the others. "Well, don ’ t you want to know Secrets too?" she said. "You said you did!"
"Yes, but not other people ’ s," said J o at once. "I ’ d like to know where to find the very first violets for instance, so that I could surprise Mother on her birthday with a great big bunch. They are her favourite flowers."
"And I ’ d like to know the Secret of Curly Hair, so that I could use it on all my dolls," said Bessie.
"And I ’ d like to know the Secret of growing lettuces with big hearts," said Fanny. "Mine never grow nice ones."
"What awfully silly secrets!" said Connie.
"Better to want to know a silly secret than a horrid one, or one that doesn ’ t belong to you," said J o. "All you want to do is to poke your nose into other people ’ s affairs, Connie, and that ’ s a horrid thing to do."
Connie climbed the Tree, not speaking a word to the others. She was very angry with them. She was so angry that she didn ’ t look out for Dame Washalot ’ s water coming down the Tree, and it suddenly swished all round her and soaked her dress.
That made her crosser still, especially when the others laughed at her. "All right!" said Connie, in a nasty voice. "I ’ ll find out your Secrets too — where you ’ ve put your new book so that I can ’ t borrow it, Jo — and where you ’ ve put your big rubber, Bessie—and I ’ ll fin d out which of your dolls you like the best, Fanny, and smack her hard!"
"You really are a nasty child," said J o. "You won ’ t go up into the Land of Secrets, so don ’ t worry yourself about all these things !"
They climbed up to Silky ’ s house, but it was shut. They went up to Moon-Face ’ s, but dear me! his door was shut too. The Old Saucepan Man was not about and neither was Watzisname. Nobody seemed about at all.
"Perhaps Saucepan ’ s mother would know," said Bessie. So they climbed down to Dame Washalot, and found old Mrs. Saucepan there.
"Saucepan and Watzisname have both gone up into the Land of Secrets," she told them, "but I don ’ t know about Silky and Moon-Face—I expect they have gone with them, though Saucepan didn ’ t tell me they were going. Have a bun?"
Old Mrs. Saucepan was already busy making all kinds of delicious buns and biscuits, ready to open her shop on Dame Washalot ’ s broad branch. Two goblins were busy making a stall for her. She meant to open her little shop the next day.
The children took their buns with thanks. They were really delicious.
They climbed up the Tree again to Moon-Face ’ s house. J o turned the handle. The door opened, but the curved room inside was empty.
"What a nuisance!" said J o. "Now what shall we do?"
"We might as well go up into the Land of Secrets, and find the others, and have our picnic with them," said Fanny.
"Yes," said Connie, who was dying to go up into this new Land.
"Well, but we didn ’ t want Connie to go," said J o. "She ’ ll only go prying into other people ’ s Secrets, and we can ’ t have that."
"I won ’ t try and find out your Secrets," said Connie. "I promise I won ’ t."
"I don ’ t know if I trust you," said J o. "But still, we can ’ t go without you. So, if you come, Connie , just be careful —and do remember that you may get into trouble if you act stupidly."
"I wonder if old Watzisname has found out what his real name is," said Bessie, beginning to climb up the topmost branch. "I ’ d love to know it. It would be nice to call him something else. Watzisname is a silly name."
They all went up the topmost branch, and up the yellow ladder through the hole in the vast cloud, and then into the Land of Secrets.
It was a curious Land, quiet, perfectly
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