Read Online The Book of Brownies (The Enchanted World) by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page A

it out straight, then let one end go. The hair sprang back into curl again.
    He wetted it, and pulled it straight once more. It sprang back curlier than ever!
    He stamped on it. He clapped it between his hands. He waved it in the air. He put it between the pages of a book.
    Not a bit of good did anything do! It only made the hair twice as curly as before!
    Then the Very Wise Man called for a hot iron and a cold iron. He ironed it first with one and then with the other.
    But the hair sprang back to its curliness, and
wouldn’t
stay straight.
    The brownies watched in the greatest excitement, their hearts beating quickly.
    ‘I don’t believe he can do it!’ cried Jump.
    The Very Wise Man was so worried that he didn’t notice Jump hadn’t spoken in rhyme. He couldn’t think
what
to do with that wretched hair.
    At last he knew he was beaten. He sank back on his throne, mopped his forehead, and asked Hop to let him off.
    ‘Yes, I will,’ said Hop, ‘if you will do what I want you to do. If not, I’ll tell all the Clever People how stupid you are.’
    ‘Talk in rhyme,
    All the time,’
    said the Very Wise Man.
    ‘Nonsense!’ said Hop. ‘I’m not going to talk in rhyme any more. It’s silly when you can talk better another way. Now, are you going to do what I want?’
    ‘Yes,’ said the Very Wise Man sadly.
    ‘First of all,’ said Hop, ‘tell me where the Princess Peronel is.’
    ‘In Witchland with Witch Green-eyes,’ answered the Very Wise Man.
    ‘How can we get there?’ asked Hop.
    ‘Take the Green Railway to Fiddlestick Field,’ said the Very Wise Man, ‘and ask the Saucepan Man to tell you the way. He knows it.’
    ‘Now the next thing is,’ said Hop, feeling he was doing very well, ‘you must let this little girl go back to the Land of Giggles.’
    ‘Oh no, I can’t do that,’ said the Very Wise Man crossly.
    ‘All right,’ said Hop, ‘I’m going out to tell the people all about how you couldn’t make a curly hair straight.’
    ‘Oh, you
are
brave, Hop!’ cried the little girl, kissing him. ‘Thank you for sticking up for me.’
    ‘Will you let her go?’ Hop demanded.
    ‘Yes, yes! Leave me alone!’ growled the Very Wise Man.
    ‘And the next thing is, take us out of this horrid land of yours,’ said Hop. ‘You’re not Clever People a bit, you only think you are. You think it’s clever to be
solemn and proper and never laugh or skip. Well, it isn’t. It’s just silly.’
    ‘Come along,’ said the Very Wise Man, suddenly. ‘I’ll take you out of the land now. I shall be glad to be rid of you.’
    He strode down the hall, out into the market-place and through the streets of the town. The brownies and the little girl followed him in delight.
    At last they came to a high wall, and in it was a gateway and a turnstile. A big-headed, fat little man sat there. He stared at them in surprise.
    ‘Am I to let these people out?’ he asked doubtfully.
    ‘Yes, you are,’ cried Hop, laughing to see the little man’s horror when he heard him speak without rhyming.
    Then Hop turned to the Very Wise Man.
    ‘There’s just one thing more you’ve got to do,’ he said.
    ‘I will do it,’ said the Very Wise Man.
    ‘Well, listen,’ said Hop. ‘Answer me some of the silly riddles you asked us each morning. Now, why is a toasting-fork? Why is a garden-rake? Why is a porcupine?’
    The Very Wise Man hung his head.
    ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
    ‘Well, you are mean and horrid!’ cried Hop. ‘It’s unfair to ask people riddles you know haven’t got answers, and then send them to be scolded because they
can’t answer them. Now I’ll give you just one more chance – Why is a garden-rake?’
    The Very Wise Man shook his head.
    ‘All right,’ said Hop, grinning. ‘Off to the Ogre’s with you! Tell him to give you his best scolding!’
    The Very Wise Man gave an awful yell and ran away before Hop could say anything more. Hop and the others clicked through the turnstile and