of the law!” the man yelled.
It was a policeman!
Nilly’s heart started beating just as fast as his short legs were drumming against the ground behind the baby carriage.
“Coppers!” he hissed as he ran past the park bench. The
Daily Observer of Times
was flung up into the air, and three men in jeans and suspenders came running up alongside
Nilly and the baby carriage.
They heard a whistle blow behind them.
“He’s got reinforcements,” Charlie panted.
Nilly turned to look, and sure enough, now there were three policemen running behind them. And the police were gaining on them. And yet the Crunch Brothers started slowing down.
“Faster!” Nilly said. “What are you guys doing?”
“We’re bank robbers,” Charlie wheezed. “We’re out of shape.”
They were approaching a downhill slope, and the policemen were only six or seven yards behind them.
“Hop in!” Nilly said, jumping into the baby carriage.
“Huh?” Charlie said.
“Hop in, now!”
And with that, the three brothers jumped into the baby carriage, and they started careening down the hill. Alfie and Betty were each clinging tightly to a side, while Charlie was sitting in the
baby carriage with his legs dangling off the back. Nilly was sitting in front, trying to steer by leaning left or right. They were moving faster and faster, and the wobbly little baby carriage
tipped ominously each time Nilly had to turn to keep them on the narrow asphalt path. Eventually the path widened a little, and Nilly looked back at the policemen, who were getting smaller and
smaller, and finally gave up running.
“Yippee!” Nilly cried, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the wind and the sun through the holes in his rubber mask.
“Uh, Sherl . . . ,” Alfie said.
Delightful wind, delightful speed, delightful freedom.
“Sherl!” Alfie said with more urgency.
“Oh, right, that’s me, isn’t it?” Nilly said, opening his eyes. The baby carriage had slowed. They were at the bottom of the hill, and there were five policemen blocking
the path ahead of them with their arms crossed.
“Hang on!” Nilly said, hopping over to the left side and up onto the top of Alfie’s bowler hat, jamming it down over Alfie’s eyes.
“I can’t see!” Alfie wailed, flailing his arms as the baby carriage suddenly veered left. So suddenly that Nilly and the bowler hat were about to fly off, when Betty grabbed
the lapel of Nilly’s tweed jacket at the very last instant and held on to him.
They raced out of the park, onto a paved pedestrian square. The crowd leaped aside, and they almost knocked down a man who was standing on top of a crate, screaming that the end of the world was
coming. Nilly couldn’t have agreed more, because just then they rolled into a street, quite a busy street, with cars and buses speeding toward them, every last one of them on the
wrong
side of the road! This was England, after all.
They were one second away from being mashed by an enormous white Rolls-Royce!
Nilly took a deep breath and leaped over to Betty’s head, frantically clawing at his smooth, bald head, and just as he was losing his hold, he managed to grab Betty’s nostril with
both hands. He heard the middle brother groan as the baby carriage turned to avoid the oncoming traffic at the very last moment, careening over to the opposite side of the street. Where they rolled
right over to the back of a red double-decker bus and came to a stop with a gentle
bump
.
“Phew!” said Nilly.
“Phew!” said Betty.
“Where are we? What’s happening?” Alfie cried, tugging at his bowler hat, trying to pull it back up so he could see.
“We have to get out of here!” Charlie said.
They turned around and saw the five policemen running across the street toward them. Three of them had lost their comical helmets, but none of them had lost their batons. They were blowing their
whistles, their angry faces bright red, and they generally did not look anything like
It was a policeman!
Nilly’s heart started beating just as fast as his short legs were drumming against the ground behind the baby carriage.
“Coppers!” he hissed as he ran past the park bench. The
Daily Observer of Times
was flung up into the air, and three men in jeans and suspenders came running up alongside
Nilly and the baby carriage.
They heard a whistle blow behind them.
“He’s got reinforcements,” Charlie panted.
Nilly turned to look, and sure enough, now there were three policemen running behind them. And the police were gaining on them. And yet the Crunch Brothers started slowing down.
“Faster!” Nilly said. “What are you guys doing?”
“We’re bank robbers,” Charlie wheezed. “We’re out of shape.”
They were approaching a downhill slope, and the policemen were only six or seven yards behind them.
“Hop in!” Nilly said, jumping into the baby carriage.
“Huh?” Charlie said.
“Hop in, now!”
And with that, the three brothers jumped into the baby carriage, and they started careening down the hill. Alfie and Betty were each clinging tightly to a side, while Charlie was sitting in the
baby carriage with his legs dangling off the back. Nilly was sitting in front, trying to steer by leaning left or right. They were moving faster and faster, and the wobbly little baby carriage
tipped ominously each time Nilly had to turn to keep them on the narrow asphalt path. Eventually the path widened a little, and Nilly looked back at the policemen, who were getting smaller and
smaller, and finally gave up running.
“Yippee!” Nilly cried, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the wind and the sun through the holes in his rubber mask.
“Uh, Sherl . . . ,” Alfie said.
Delightful wind, delightful speed, delightful freedom.
“Sherl!” Alfie said with more urgency.
“Oh, right, that’s me, isn’t it?” Nilly said, opening his eyes. The baby carriage had slowed. They were at the bottom of the hill, and there were five policemen blocking
the path ahead of them with their arms crossed.
“Hang on!” Nilly said, hopping over to the left side and up onto the top of Alfie’s bowler hat, jamming it down over Alfie’s eyes.
“I can’t see!” Alfie wailed, flailing his arms as the baby carriage suddenly veered left. So suddenly that Nilly and the bowler hat were about to fly off, when Betty grabbed
the lapel of Nilly’s tweed jacket at the very last instant and held on to him.
They raced out of the park, onto a paved pedestrian square. The crowd leaped aside, and they almost knocked down a man who was standing on top of a crate, screaming that the end of the world was
coming. Nilly couldn’t have agreed more, because just then they rolled into a street, quite a busy street, with cars and buses speeding toward them, every last one of them on the
wrong
side of the road! This was England, after all.
They were one second away from being mashed by an enormous white Rolls-Royce!
Nilly took a deep breath and leaped over to Betty’s head, frantically clawing at his smooth, bald head, and just as he was losing his hold, he managed to grab Betty’s nostril with
both hands. He heard the middle brother groan as the baby carriage turned to avoid the oncoming traffic at the very last moment, careening over to the opposite side of the street. Where they rolled
right over to the back of a red double-decker bus and came to a stop with a gentle
bump
.
“Phew!” said Nilly.
“Phew!” said Betty.
“Where are we? What’s happening?” Alfie cried, tugging at his bowler hat, trying to pull it back up so he could see.
“We have to get out of here!” Charlie said.
They turned around and saw the five policemen running across the street toward them. Three of them had lost their comical helmets, but none of them had lost their batons. They were blowing their
whistles, their angry faces bright red, and they generally did not look anything like
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