Read Online The Book of Brownies (The Enchanted World) by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online
Authors: Enid Blyton
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everywhere,
and they soon began to feel that it was dangerous even to whisper.
Next morning they couldn’t think of any riddles, nor answer any, so off they went to be scolded again. Hop was getting very tired of it.
‘I’ll go and ask the Very Wise Man to do something he can’t do,’ he said. ‘Where do I go?’ he asked the little girl.
‘Go to the Town Hall at three o’clock in the afternoon,’ she said. ‘You’ll find him there, waiting.’
So off went the brownies. They marched up the steps and found the Very Wise Man sitting in a great red chair, studying an old, old book.
‘Good afternoon, O Very Wise Man,
Do what I ask you, if you can,’
began Hop.
‘Build a castle in half an hour,
With an entrance gate and one big tower.’
The Very Wise Man descended from his throne and walked out of the hall. He drew a wide circle in the market-place, muttered a few words, and waved his arms.
Immediately there sounded the noise of hammering and clattering, although nothing could be seen.
But lo and behold! At the end of half an hour, there stood in front of the astonished brownies a wonderful castle with an entrance gate and one big gleaming tower!
Hop, Skip and Jump were too amazed to say a word. Then, with a wave of his hand, the Very Wise Man caused the castle to vanish completely. After that he turned to Hop.
‘Off to the Ogre’s,’ he said.
So off Hop had to go.
‘I’ll think of something much more difficult
next
time,’ he decided.
For days Hop and the others tried to think of new riddles, and to puzzle out something difficult to ask the Very Wise Man to do. It didn’t seem any good at all. They always seemed to be
either going to or coming back from the Ogre’s.
At three o’clock each day the brownies always went to the Town Hall with something new and difficult to ask the Very Wise Man to perform, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to do
it.
Once they asked him if he could make a ladder that reached to the stars, and he made a lovely one out of a rainbow. Hop wanted to climb it, but the Very Wise Man wouldn’t let him.
‘You might escape and that would be,
A most annoying thing for me,’
he said.
Another afternoon the brownies asked him to make a cloak which, when he put it on, would make him invisible. He did it at once, popped on the cloak, and none of the brownies could see where he
was. He had disappeared!
‘Let us put it on as well,
And try the lovely magic spell,’
begged Hop, who thought that if only he could throw the cloak around himself and the other two, he might be able to escape unseen.
But the Very Wise Man wouldn’t let him. He sent them all off to the Ogre’s instead.
One evening the brownies were feeling very miserable indeed.
‘I believe we shall have to stay here for ever,’ groaned Hop.
‘So shall I,’ sighed the little girl, rumpling her curly head in despair.
‘Don’t rumple your hair like that,’ said Skip, ‘or you’ll be sent for a scolding again.’
He smoothed down her hair for her, and then picked up a curly bit that had broken off.
‘Isn’t it curly!’ he said. ‘I wonder if I can make it straight.’
He pulled it out straight – but it went back curly. He wetted it – but it was still curly. Then he gave it to the others, and
they
tried to make it straight. But they
couldn’t.
‘The Very Wise Man could make it straight in half a minute,’ said Hop mournfully.
‘Well, I should like to see him do it,’ said Skip. ‘It simply
won’t
go straight.’
‘Let’s ask him tomorrow!’ said Jump hopefully.
So next day the three brownies and the little girl went to the Town Hall at three o’clock. The Very Wise Man was there as usual.
‘Your next request I now await,’
he said, leaving Hop to finish the rhyme. But Hop was ready, for once.
‘Then make this curly hair quite straight!’
said Hop, handing it to him.
The Very Wise Man took it, and looked scornful to think he had such an easy task.
He pulled
and they soon began to feel that it was dangerous even to whisper.
Next morning they couldn’t think of any riddles, nor answer any, so off they went to be scolded again. Hop was getting very tired of it.
‘I’ll go and ask the Very Wise Man to do something he can’t do,’ he said. ‘Where do I go?’ he asked the little girl.
‘Go to the Town Hall at three o’clock in the afternoon,’ she said. ‘You’ll find him there, waiting.’
So off went the brownies. They marched up the steps and found the Very Wise Man sitting in a great red chair, studying an old, old book.
‘Good afternoon, O Very Wise Man,
Do what I ask you, if you can,’
began Hop.
‘Build a castle in half an hour,
With an entrance gate and one big tower.’
The Very Wise Man descended from his throne and walked out of the hall. He drew a wide circle in the market-place, muttered a few words, and waved his arms.
Immediately there sounded the noise of hammering and clattering, although nothing could be seen.
But lo and behold! At the end of half an hour, there stood in front of the astonished brownies a wonderful castle with an entrance gate and one big gleaming tower!
Hop, Skip and Jump were too amazed to say a word. Then, with a wave of his hand, the Very Wise Man caused the castle to vanish completely. After that he turned to Hop.
‘Off to the Ogre’s,’ he said.
So off Hop had to go.
‘I’ll think of something much more difficult
next
time,’ he decided.
For days Hop and the others tried to think of new riddles, and to puzzle out something difficult to ask the Very Wise Man to do. It didn’t seem any good at all. They always seemed to be
either going to or coming back from the Ogre’s.
At three o’clock each day the brownies always went to the Town Hall with something new and difficult to ask the Very Wise Man to perform, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to do
it.
Once they asked him if he could make a ladder that reached to the stars, and he made a lovely one out of a rainbow. Hop wanted to climb it, but the Very Wise Man wouldn’t let him.
‘You might escape and that would be,
A most annoying thing for me,’
he said.
Another afternoon the brownies asked him to make a cloak which, when he put it on, would make him invisible. He did it at once, popped on the cloak, and none of the brownies could see where he
was. He had disappeared!
‘Let us put it on as well,
And try the lovely magic spell,’
begged Hop, who thought that if only he could throw the cloak around himself and the other two, he might be able to escape unseen.
But the Very Wise Man wouldn’t let him. He sent them all off to the Ogre’s instead.
One evening the brownies were feeling very miserable indeed.
‘I believe we shall have to stay here for ever,’ groaned Hop.
‘So shall I,’ sighed the little girl, rumpling her curly head in despair.
‘Don’t rumple your hair like that,’ said Skip, ‘or you’ll be sent for a scolding again.’
He smoothed down her hair for her, and then picked up a curly bit that had broken off.
‘Isn’t it curly!’ he said. ‘I wonder if I can make it straight.’
He pulled it out straight – but it went back curly. He wetted it – but it was still curly. Then he gave it to the others, and
they
tried to make it straight. But they
couldn’t.
‘The Very Wise Man could make it straight in half a minute,’ said Hop mournfully.
‘Well, I should like to see him do it,’ said Skip. ‘It simply
won’t
go straight.’
‘Let’s ask him tomorrow!’ said Jump hopefully.
So next day the three brownies and the little girl went to the Town Hall at three o’clock. The Very Wise Man was there as usual.
‘Your next request I now await,’
he said, leaving Hop to finish the rhyme. But Hop was ready, for once.
‘Then make this curly hair quite straight!’
said Hop, handing it to him.
The Very Wise Man took it, and looked scornful to think he had such an easy task.
He pulled
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