firmly. “Come on, Winks.”
Up got Winks, grinning all over his little brownie face. The Wishing-Chair rose up in the air. “Goodbye, goodbye!” shouted Chinky and the others. “Let us know if Mister Grim behaves too badly to you and we'll send the army once again! Goodbye!”
Off they went, with all the toys and brownies waving madly. Mister Grim didn't wave. He looked very down in the mouth indeed—but nobody was sorry for him, not even Mollie!
Off to the Land of Goodies!
THE summer days went on and on. The Wishing-Chair seemed to have had enough of adventures for a time, and stayed quietly in its corner, without sprouting so much as one wing.
One day Chinky came tapping at the children's window. They came to it at once.
“Has the Wishing-Chair grown its wings again?” asked Peter, in excitement. Chinky shook his head.
“No. I haven't come to tell you that. I've just come to show you this.”
He pushed a piece of paper into their hands. This is what it said:
‘DEAR COUSIN CHINKY,
You haven't been to see my new house yet, so do come. I expect you have heard that I have moved to the Land of Goodies. It's simply lovely. Do come and see me soon. I have a biscuit tree growing in my garden, just coming into fruit, and a jelly plant growing round my front door.
Yours ever,
PIPKIN.’
“Well! Does your cousin really live there?” said Mollie, in wonder. “How lucky you are, Chinky. Now you can go and eat as many goodies as you like. I only wish we could come too.”
“I came to ask if you'd like to go with me,” said Chinky. “My cousin Pipkin won't mind. He's a very nice fellow, though I always thought he was a bit greedy. I expect that's why he bought a house in the Land of Goodies really—so that he could always have lots of things to eat. Why, if you pass a hedge you'll probably see that it's growing bars of chocolate.”
This sounded so exciting that the children felt they wanted to go at once.
“We can't,” said Chinky. “We'll have to wait for the Wishing-Chair to grow its wings again. The Land of Goodies is too far unless we go by Wishing-Chair.”
“How disappointing!” said Mollie. “I feel awfully hungry even at the thought of going. Do you suppose ice-creams grow there, Chinky? I never, never get enough ice-creams.”
“Oh, Mollie—you had eleven at a party the other day,” said Peter. “And you said you couldn't eat any more.”
“Oh, don't be silly. I was only being polite,” said Mollie. “I could have eaten eleven more. But what about Winks, Chinky? Is he coming, too?”
Winks had come back with them to the playroom, and had stayed a night with Chinky, and then gone to tell his people that he wasn't going back to Mister Grim's again. He meant to bring back some of his things with him, and spend some of the time with Chinky in the playroom and some with his other friends. He was very pleased indeed at being free.
“Winks can come if he's back in time,” said Chinky. “I don't know where he is at the moment. He's really rather naughty, you know, although he's nice, and very good fun. I hear that he met my Cousin Sleep-Alone the other evening and, as soon as poor old Sleep-Alone was fast asleep in a little shed in the middle of a field, Winks took along two donkeys that had lost themselves and told them to cuddle up to Sleep-Alone.”
“Oh, dear—what happened?” said Mollie.
“Well, Sleep-Alone woke up, of course, and tried to throw the donkeys out,” said Chinky, “but one of them gave him such a kick with its hind legs that he flew into the clouds, got caught on a big one, and hung there for a long time.”
“Well, it would certainly be a good place to sleep alone in,” said Mollie. “What a monkey Winks is!”
“Yes. I'm not surprised really that his family sent him to Mister Grim's school,” said Chinky. “Well, will you come with me to the Land of Goodies, then?”
“Of course,” said the children. “You needn't ask us that again.”
The next
Up got Winks, grinning all over his little brownie face. The Wishing-Chair rose up in the air. “Goodbye, goodbye!” shouted Chinky and the others. “Let us know if Mister Grim behaves too badly to you and we'll send the army once again! Goodbye!”
Off they went, with all the toys and brownies waving madly. Mister Grim didn't wave. He looked very down in the mouth indeed—but nobody was sorry for him, not even Mollie!
Off to the Land of Goodies!
THE summer days went on and on. The Wishing-Chair seemed to have had enough of adventures for a time, and stayed quietly in its corner, without sprouting so much as one wing.
One day Chinky came tapping at the children's window. They came to it at once.
“Has the Wishing-Chair grown its wings again?” asked Peter, in excitement. Chinky shook his head.
“No. I haven't come to tell you that. I've just come to show you this.”
He pushed a piece of paper into their hands. This is what it said:
‘DEAR COUSIN CHINKY,
You haven't been to see my new house yet, so do come. I expect you have heard that I have moved to the Land of Goodies. It's simply lovely. Do come and see me soon. I have a biscuit tree growing in my garden, just coming into fruit, and a jelly plant growing round my front door.
Yours ever,
PIPKIN.’
“Well! Does your cousin really live there?” said Mollie, in wonder. “How lucky you are, Chinky. Now you can go and eat as many goodies as you like. I only wish we could come too.”
“I came to ask if you'd like to go with me,” said Chinky. “My cousin Pipkin won't mind. He's a very nice fellow, though I always thought he was a bit greedy. I expect that's why he bought a house in the Land of Goodies really—so that he could always have lots of things to eat. Why, if you pass a hedge you'll probably see that it's growing bars of chocolate.”
This sounded so exciting that the children felt they wanted to go at once.
“We can't,” said Chinky. “We'll have to wait for the Wishing-Chair to grow its wings again. The Land of Goodies is too far unless we go by Wishing-Chair.”
“How disappointing!” said Mollie. “I feel awfully hungry even at the thought of going. Do you suppose ice-creams grow there, Chinky? I never, never get enough ice-creams.”
“Oh, Mollie—you had eleven at a party the other day,” said Peter. “And you said you couldn't eat any more.”
“Oh, don't be silly. I was only being polite,” said Mollie. “I could have eaten eleven more. But what about Winks, Chinky? Is he coming, too?”
Winks had come back with them to the playroom, and had stayed a night with Chinky, and then gone to tell his people that he wasn't going back to Mister Grim's again. He meant to bring back some of his things with him, and spend some of the time with Chinky in the playroom and some with his other friends. He was very pleased indeed at being free.
“Winks can come if he's back in time,” said Chinky. “I don't know where he is at the moment. He's really rather naughty, you know, although he's nice, and very good fun. I hear that he met my Cousin Sleep-Alone the other evening and, as soon as poor old Sleep-Alone was fast asleep in a little shed in the middle of a field, Winks took along two donkeys that had lost themselves and told them to cuddle up to Sleep-Alone.”
“Oh, dear—what happened?” said Mollie.
“Well, Sleep-Alone woke up, of course, and tried to throw the donkeys out,” said Chinky, “but one of them gave him such a kick with its hind legs that he flew into the clouds, got caught on a big one, and hung there for a long time.”
“Well, it would certainly be a good place to sleep alone in,” said Mollie. “What a monkey Winks is!”
“Yes. I'm not surprised really that his family sent him to Mister Grim's school,” said Chinky. “Well, will you come with me to the Land of Goodies, then?”
“Of course,” said the children. “You needn't ask us that again.”
The next
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