we need is some sort of valve or lever..." and, for the tenth time that day, he climbed back into the tool drawer.
Arrietty joined Homily in her corner by the box to help her with the load ring. The net was shaping up nicely, and Homily, instructed by Pod and Arrietty, had threaded in and made secure the piece of slightly heavier cord, which, as it encircled the balloon around its fullest circumference, was suitably called "the equator." She was now attaching the load ring, which, when the balloon was netted, would encircle the neck and from which they would hang the basket. They had used the hollow curtain ring, whose weight was now known and tested. "It's lovely, Mama! You are clever..."
"It's easy," said Homily, "once you've got the hang of it. It's no harder than tatting."
"You've shaped it so beautifully."
"Well, your father did the calculations ..."
"I've got it!" cried Pod from the tool drawer. He had been very quiet for a very long while and now emerged slowly with a long cylindrical object almost as tall as himself, which he carefuly stowed on the table. "... or so I believe," he added, as he climbed up after it by means of the repair kit. In his hand was a small length of fret-saw blade.
Arrietty ran excitedly across the room and swiftly climbed up to join him. The long object turned out to be a topless fountain pen, with an ink-encrusted point, one prong of which was broken. Pod already had unscrewed the pen, and the point now lay on the table attached to its wormlike rubber tube, with the empty shaft beside it.
"I cut the shaft off here," said Pod, "about an inch and a half from the top, just above the filling lever; then I'll cut off the closed end of this inner tube—but right at the end, like—so it sticks out a good inch and a half beyond the cut-off end of the pen casing. Maybe more. Now—" He went on speaking cheerfully but rather ponderously, as though giving a lesson (a "do-it-yourself" lesson, thought Arrietty, remembering the Household Hints section in her Diary and Proverb Book). "We screw the whole thing together again and what do we get? We get a capless fountain pen with the top of its shaft cut off and an extra bit of tube. Do you follow me?"
"So far," said Arrietty.
"Then," said Pod, "we unscrew the point..."
"Can you?" asked Arrietty.
"Of course," said Pod, "they're always changing points. I'll show you." He took up the pen, and straddling the shaft, he gripped it firmly between his legs, and taking the point in both hands, he quickly unscrewed it at chest level. "Now," he said as he laid the point aside, "we have a circular hole where that point was—leading straight into the rubber tube. Take a look."
Arrietty peered down the shaft. "Yes," she said.
"Well, there you are," said Pod.
But where? Arrietty wanted to say; instead she said, more politely, "I don't think I quite—"
"Well," said Pt)d in a patient voice, as though slightly dashed by her slowness, "we insert the point into the neck of the balloon—after inflation, of course—just below the guard knot. We whip it around with a good firm lashing of twine. I take hold of the filling lever and pull it down sideways at right angles to the pen shaft. That's the working position, with the gas safely shut off. We then untie the guard knot. And there we are: with the cut-off pen shaft and rubber tube hanging down into the basket." He paused. "Are you with me? Never mind—" he went on confidently, "you'll see it as I do it. Now"—he drew a long satisfied breath—"standing in the basket, I reach up my hand to the filling lever, and I close it down slowly toward the shaft and the gas flows out through the tube. Feel," he went on happily. "The lever's quite loose," and with one foot on the pen to steady it, he worked the filling lever gently up and down. Arrietty tried it, too. Worn with use it slid easily.
"Then," said Pod, "I raise the lever back up so it stands out again at right angles—and the gas is now shut
Arrietty joined Homily in her corner by the box to help her with the load ring. The net was shaping up nicely, and Homily, instructed by Pod and Arrietty, had threaded in and made secure the piece of slightly heavier cord, which, as it encircled the balloon around its fullest circumference, was suitably called "the equator." She was now attaching the load ring, which, when the balloon was netted, would encircle the neck and from which they would hang the basket. They had used the hollow curtain ring, whose weight was now known and tested. "It's lovely, Mama! You are clever..."
"It's easy," said Homily, "once you've got the hang of it. It's no harder than tatting."
"You've shaped it so beautifully."
"Well, your father did the calculations ..."
"I've got it!" cried Pod from the tool drawer. He had been very quiet for a very long while and now emerged slowly with a long cylindrical object almost as tall as himself, which he carefuly stowed on the table. "... or so I believe," he added, as he climbed up after it by means of the repair kit. In his hand was a small length of fret-saw blade.
Arrietty ran excitedly across the room and swiftly climbed up to join him. The long object turned out to be a topless fountain pen, with an ink-encrusted point, one prong of which was broken. Pod already had unscrewed the pen, and the point now lay on the table attached to its wormlike rubber tube, with the empty shaft beside it.
"I cut the shaft off here," said Pod, "about an inch and a half from the top, just above the filling lever; then I'll cut off the closed end of this inner tube—but right at the end, like—so it sticks out a good inch and a half beyond the cut-off end of the pen casing. Maybe more. Now—" He went on speaking cheerfully but rather ponderously, as though giving a lesson (a "do-it-yourself" lesson, thought Arrietty, remembering the Household Hints section in her Diary and Proverb Book). "We screw the whole thing together again and what do we get? We get a capless fountain pen with the top of its shaft cut off and an extra bit of tube. Do you follow me?"
"So far," said Arrietty.
"Then," said Pod, "we unscrew the point..."
"Can you?" asked Arrietty.
"Of course," said Pod, "they're always changing points. I'll show you." He took up the pen, and straddling the shaft, he gripped it firmly between his legs, and taking the point in both hands, he quickly unscrewed it at chest level. "Now," he said as he laid the point aside, "we have a circular hole where that point was—leading straight into the rubber tube. Take a look."
Arrietty peered down the shaft. "Yes," she said.
"Well, there you are," said Pod.
But where? Arrietty wanted to say; instead she said, more politely, "I don't think I quite—"
"Well," said Pt)d in a patient voice, as though slightly dashed by her slowness, "we insert the point into the neck of the balloon—after inflation, of course—just below the guard knot. We whip it around with a good firm lashing of twine. I take hold of the filling lever and pull it down sideways at right angles to the pen shaft. That's the working position, with the gas safely shut off. We then untie the guard knot. And there we are: with the cut-off pen shaft and rubber tube hanging down into the basket." He paused. "Are you with me? Never mind—" he went on confidently, "you'll see it as I do it. Now"—he drew a long satisfied breath—"standing in the basket, I reach up my hand to the filling lever, and I close it down slowly toward the shaft and the gas flows out through the tube. Feel," he went on happily. "The lever's quite loose," and with one foot on the pen to steady it, he worked the filling lever gently up and down. Arrietty tried it, too. Worn with use it slid easily.
"Then," said Pod, "I raise the lever back up so it stands out again at right angles—and the gas is now shut
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