Read Online Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: P. L. Travers
Tags: Ages 9 and up
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and Mary Poppins' arm-chair. At the sight of them she felt safe and warm and comforted. She listened to the familiar sounds as Mary Poppins went about her work, and her terror died away. A tide of happiness swept over her.
"It couldn't have been I who was cross!" she said wonderingly to herself. "It must have been somebody else."
Mary Poppins went to a drawer and took out the Twins' clean nightgowns.
Jane ran to her.
"Shall I air them, Mary Poppins?"
Mary Poppins sniffed.
"Don't trouble, thank you. You're much too busy, I'm sure! I'll get Michael to help me when he comes up."
Jane blushed.
"Please let me," she said. "I like helping. Besides I'm the eldest."
Mary Poppins put her hands on her hips and regarded Jane thoughtfully for a moment.
"Humph!" she said at last. "Don't burn them, then! I've enough holes to mend as it is."
And she handed Jane the nightgowns.
"But it couldn't
really
have happened!" scoffed Michael a little later when he heard of Jane's adventure. "You'd be much too big for the Bowl."
She thought for a moment. Somehow, as she told the story, it did seem rather impossible.
"I suppose it couldn't," she admitted. "But it seemed quite real at the time."
"I expect you just thought it. You're always thinking things." He felt rather superior because he himself didn't ever think at all.
"You two and your thoughts!" said Mary Poppins crossly, pushing them aside as she dumped the Twins into their cots.
"And now," she snapped, when John and Barbara were safely tucked in, "perhaps I shall have a moment to myself."
She took the pins out of her hat and thrust it back into its brown-paper bag. She unclipped the locket and put it carefully away in a drawer. Then she slipped off her coat, shook it out, and hung it on the peg behind the door.
"Why, where's your new scarf?" said Jane. "Have you lost it?"
"She couldn't have," said Michael. "She had it on when she came home. I saw it."
Mary Poppins turned on them.
"Be good enough to mind your own affairs," she said snappily, "and let me mind mine!"
"I only wanted to help——" Jane began.
"I can help myself, thank you!" said Mary Poppins, sniffing.
Jane turned to exchange looks with Michael. But this time it was he who took no notice. He was staring at the mantel-piece as if he could not believe his eyes.
"What is it, Michael?"
"You didn't just think it, after all!" he whispered, pointing.
Jane looked up at the mantel-piece. There lay the Royal Doulton Bowl with the crack running right across it. There were the meadow grasses and the wood of alders. And there were the three little boys playing horses, two in front and one running behind with the whip.
But—around the leg of the driver was knotted a small white handkerchief and, sprawling across the grass, as though someone had dropped it as they ran, was a red-and-white checked scarf. At one end of it was stitched a large white label bearing the initials——
M.P.
"So that's where she lost it!" said Michael, nodding his head wisely. "Shall we tell her we've found it?"
Jane glanced round. Mary Poppins was buttoning on her apron and looking as if the whole world had insulted her.
"Better not," she said, softly "I expect she knows."
For a moment Jane stood there, gazing at the cracked Bowl, the knotted handkerchief and the scarf.
Then with a wild rush she ran across the room and flung herself upon the starched white figure.
"Oh," she cried, "oh, Mary Poppins! I'll never be naughty again."
A faint smile twinkled at the corners of Mary Poppins' mouth as she smoothed out the creases from her apron.
"Humph!" was all she said....
CHAPTER FOUR
Topsy-Turvy
Keep close to me, please!" said Mary Poppins, stepping out of the Bus and putting up her umbrella, for it was raining heavily.
Jane and Michael scrambled out after her.
"If I keep close to you the drips from your umbrella run down my neck," complained Michael.
"Don't blame me, then, if you get lost and have to ask a Policeman!" snapped Mary
"It couldn't have been I who was cross!" she said wonderingly to herself. "It must have been somebody else."
Mary Poppins went to a drawer and took out the Twins' clean nightgowns.
Jane ran to her.
"Shall I air them, Mary Poppins?"
Mary Poppins sniffed.
"Don't trouble, thank you. You're much too busy, I'm sure! I'll get Michael to help me when he comes up."
Jane blushed.
"Please let me," she said. "I like helping. Besides I'm the eldest."
Mary Poppins put her hands on her hips and regarded Jane thoughtfully for a moment.
"Humph!" she said at last. "Don't burn them, then! I've enough holes to mend as it is."
And she handed Jane the nightgowns.
"But it couldn't
really
have happened!" scoffed Michael a little later when he heard of Jane's adventure. "You'd be much too big for the Bowl."
She thought for a moment. Somehow, as she told the story, it did seem rather impossible.
"I suppose it couldn't," she admitted. "But it seemed quite real at the time."
"I expect you just thought it. You're always thinking things." He felt rather superior because he himself didn't ever think at all.
"You two and your thoughts!" said Mary Poppins crossly, pushing them aside as she dumped the Twins into their cots.
"And now," she snapped, when John and Barbara were safely tucked in, "perhaps I shall have a moment to myself."
She took the pins out of her hat and thrust it back into its brown-paper bag. She unclipped the locket and put it carefully away in a drawer. Then she slipped off her coat, shook it out, and hung it on the peg behind the door.
"Why, where's your new scarf?" said Jane. "Have you lost it?"
"She couldn't have," said Michael. "She had it on when she came home. I saw it."
Mary Poppins turned on them.
"Be good enough to mind your own affairs," she said snappily, "and let me mind mine!"
"I only wanted to help——" Jane began.
"I can help myself, thank you!" said Mary Poppins, sniffing.
Jane turned to exchange looks with Michael. But this time it was he who took no notice. He was staring at the mantel-piece as if he could not believe his eyes.
"What is it, Michael?"
"You didn't just think it, after all!" he whispered, pointing.
Jane looked up at the mantel-piece. There lay the Royal Doulton Bowl with the crack running right across it. There were the meadow grasses and the wood of alders. And there were the three little boys playing horses, two in front and one running behind with the whip.
But—around the leg of the driver was knotted a small white handkerchief and, sprawling across the grass, as though someone had dropped it as they ran, was a red-and-white checked scarf. At one end of it was stitched a large white label bearing the initials——
M.P.
"So that's where she lost it!" said Michael, nodding his head wisely. "Shall we tell her we've found it?"
Jane glanced round. Mary Poppins was buttoning on her apron and looking as if the whole world had insulted her.
"Better not," she said, softly "I expect she knows."
For a moment Jane stood there, gazing at the cracked Bowl, the knotted handkerchief and the scarf.
Then with a wild rush she ran across the room and flung herself upon the starched white figure.
"Oh," she cried, "oh, Mary Poppins! I'll never be naughty again."
A faint smile twinkled at the corners of Mary Poppins' mouth as she smoothed out the creases from her apron.
"Humph!" was all she said....
CHAPTER FOUR
Topsy-Turvy
Keep close to me, please!" said Mary Poppins, stepping out of the Bus and putting up her umbrella, for it was raining heavily.
Jane and Michael scrambled out after her.
"If I keep close to you the drips from your umbrella run down my neck," complained Michael.
"Don't blame me, then, if you get lost and have to ask a Policeman!" snapped Mary
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