cried Dick. "It's got wails made of brown
chocolate, and the door is made of marzipan. And I'm sure the window-sills are
gingerbread!"
The Land of Goodies was really a very extraordinary place. Everything in it seemed
to be eatable. And then the children caught sight of the trees and bushes and
called out in the greatest astonishment:
"Look! That tree is growing currant buns!"
"And that one has got buds that are opening out into biscuits! It's a Biscuit
Tree!"
"And look at this little tree here -it's growing big, flat, white flowers
like plates -and the middle of the flowers is full of jelly. Let's taste it."
They tasted it-and it was jelly! It was really most peculiar. There was another
small bush that grew clusters of a curious-looking fruit, like flat berries of
all colours-and, will you believe it, when the children picked the fruit it was
boiled sweets, all neatly growing together like a bunch of grapes.
"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
chocolate, and the door is made of marzipan. And I'm sure the window-sills are
gingerbread!"
The Land of Goodies was really a very extraordinary place. Everything in it seemed
to be eatable. And then the children caught sight of the trees and bushes and
called out in the greatest astonishment:
"Look! That tree is growing currant buns!"
"And that one has got buds that are opening out into biscuits! It's a Biscuit
Tree!"
"And look at this little tree here -it's growing big, flat, white flowers
like plates -and the middle of the flowers is full of jelly. Let's taste it."
They tasted it-and it was jelly! It was really most peculiar. There was another
small bush that grew clusters of a curious-looking fruit, like flat berries of
all colours-and, will you believe it, when the children picked the fruit it was
boiled sweets, all neatly growing together like a bunch of grapes.
"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
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