More of Milly-Molly-Mandy Read online

  Mrs Hurley said, “There’s Sally (she’s my eldest), and Rosy, and Minty (her name’s Ermyntrude), and Gerty, and Poppy, and – let me see, all the rest is boys, so that’s no good to you.”

  ‘“WHAT ARE YOUR CHILDREN’S NAMES, MRS HURLEY?”

  But Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t like any of those names very much. “I thought of Mayflower, which is a princess’s name in a book, but it spoils it to put Moggs after it,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy. “It’s quite difficult to find a name for a baby, isn’t it, Mrs Hurley?”

  But Mrs Hurley, putting the fish which Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Mother had bought on to a plate, said cheerfully, “Well, then, you can be thankful it’s only one, my darlin’. I had to find eleven for mine, bless their hearts!”

  And then she gave Milly-Molly-Mandy a little fish just for her very own self to eat for her supper – “to celebrate the new little friend,” Mrs Hurley said. Milly-Molly-Mandy was pleased!

  While she was eating her little fish (nicely fried) for supper, and enjoying it very much, and Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty were eating their ordinary fish (and enjoying it too), they all talked about names.

  Grandpa said, “I guess Emily’s a nice enough name for anybody.” (Emily was Grandma’s name.) But somehow Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t think it would suit the new little baby.

  Grandma said, “I used to know a little girl called Holly – she always had her dresses trimmed with red or green.” Milly-Molly-Mandy thought that was quite a nice name.

  Father said, “I prefer Polly to Holly, myself.” But Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t want the baby to have a name which really belonged to Mother.

  Mother said, “How do you like Primrose? It sounds fresh and pretty.” Milly-Molly-Mandy thought it sounded a very nice name.

  Uncle said, “What about Sarah Jane?” But Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t like that name at all.

  Aunty said, “Try Amaryllis!” But Milly-Molly-Mandy couldn’t say it very easily.

  So she thought over Holly and Primrose, which she liked best. And then she decided, as the baby had come in the spring-time, it had better be Primrose.

  So next morning she went round earlier to the Moggs’s cottage on the way to school, to ask little-friend-Susan if the baby could be named Primrose.

  But what do you think? Mrs Moggs had got a name for the baby already.

  And it was Doris Moggs!

  And though Milly-Molly-Mandy would much, much rather it had been called Primrose, yet when she was allowed to see it, and it held her tightly by one finger (with its eyes closed), she felt she didn’t care a bit what it was named – it was so sweet just as it was! (And, anyhow, it was Mrs Moggs’ own baby, after all!)

  9

  Milly-Molly-Mandy Gets Locked In

  Once upon a time Milly-Molly-Mandy got locked in her little bedroom (which had been the little storeroom up under the thatched roof).

  No, she hadn’t been naughty or anything like that, and nobody locked her in. But the latch on the door had gone just a bit wrong, somehow, so that once or twice Milly-Molly-Mandy had had to turn the handle several times before she could open it; so Mother said perhaps she had better not close it quite, till Father found time to mend it.

  But one Saturday morning, when Milly-Molly-Mandy had helped Mother with the breakfast things and Aunty with the beds, she went up to her own little room to make the bed there, and Topsy the cat ran up with her.

  Now Topsy the cat just loved Milly-Molly-Mandy to make her bed on Saturdays mornings.

  She would jump into the middle of the mattress and crouch down; and then Milly-Molly-Mandy would pretend not to know Topsy the cat was there at all. And she would thump the pillows and roll Topsy the cat about with them, and whisk the sheets and blankets over and pretend to try to smooth out the lump that was Topsy the cat underneath; and Topsy the cat would come crawling out, looking very untidy, and make a dive under the next blanket. (And it took quite a long while to make that bed sometimes!)

  Well, Milly-Molly-Mandy had got the bed made at last, and then she was so out of breath she backed up against the door to rest a bit, while Topsy the cat sat in the middle of the coverlet to tidy herself up.

  And it wasn’t until Milly-Molly-Mandy had tidied her own hair and had wrapped her duster round Topsy the cat (so as to carry them both downstairs together) that she found she couldn’t open the door, which had shut with a bang when she leaned against it!

  “Well!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy to Topsy the cat, “now what are we going to do?” She put Topsy the cat down and tried the door again.

  But she couldn’t open it.

  Then she called “Mother!” But Mother was downstairs in the kitchen, getting bowls and baking-tins ready for making cakes (as it was Saturday morning).

  Then Milly-Molly-Mandy called “Aunty!” But Aunty was in the parlour, giving it an extra good dusting (as it wouldn’t get much next day, being Sunday).

  Then Milly-Molly-Mandy called “Grandma!” But Grandma was round by the back door, sprinkling crumbs for the birds (as it was just their busy time with all the hungry baby-birds hatching out).

  “Well!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy to Topsy the cat, “this is a waste of a nice fine Saturday!”

  She went to the little low window, but the only person she could see was Uncle, looking like a little speck at the farther end of the meadow, doing something to his chicken-houses. Father, she knew, had gone to the next village to give someone advice about a garden; and Grandpa had gone to market.

  “Well!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy to Topsy the cat, “if I’d only got legs like a grasshopper I could just jump down – but I’d rather have my own legs, anyhow!”

  Then she thought if she had a long enough piece of string she could touch the ground that way, and if she dangled it someone might see from the downstairs windows.

  So she took the cord from her dressing-gown, and she tied to it a piece of string from her coat pocket. And a piece of mauve ribbon which Aunty had given her. And the belt from her frock. And her two boot-laces (Topsy the cat got quite interested). And then she tied her little yellow basket on the end, and dangled and swung it out of the window backward and forward in front of the scullery window below.

  But nobody came, and at last Milly-Molly-Mandy got tired of this and tied the end of the line on to the window-catch, and drew her head in again.

  “Well!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy to Topsy the cat. “It’s a good thing I’ve got such a nice little bedroom to be shut up in, anyhow!” Topsy the cat just turned herself round and round on the bed and settled down for a sleep.

  Then Milly-Molly-Mandy suddenly remembered her crochet work, carefully wrapped up in a handkerchief on her little green chest of drawers. It was to be a bonnet for Baby Moggs (little-friend-Susan’s new little sister and own nearly-sister). It was of pale pink wool, and she was making it rather big because Mother thought Baby Moggs might grow a bit before the bonnet was finished. (Milly-Molly-Mandy did hope Baby Moggs wouldn’t grow too fast.)

  So Milly-Molly-Mandy sat the middle of the floor and began crocheting.

  Crocheting is quite hard work when you’ve done only three and a half rows in all your life before, but Milly-Molly-Mandy crocheted and crocheted until she reached the end of the row; and then she turned round and crocheted and crocheted all the way back. So that was a row and a half.

  Then she heard the window-catch on which her line was tied give a little click, and she jumped up and looked out to see if someone were touching her line. But nobody was about, though she called.

  But it looked as if there was something in the little yellow basket, so Milly-Molly-Mandy pulled it up in a hurry. And what do you think? In the little yellow basket was a little paperful of that nice crunchy sugar which comes inside the big lumps of peel you put in cakes. (Mother had thought the basket and line was just a game of Milly-Molly-Mandy’s, and she popped the sugar in for a surprise.)

  “How nice!” thought Milly-Molly-Mandy, and she dropped t
he little yellow basket outside again (hoping something else would be put in it) and went back to her crochet-work. And she crocheted and crunched, and crunched and crocheted, until she had done four whole rows and eaten up all the paperful of sugar.

  Then, after all this time, Milly-Molly-Mandy heard Mother’s voice calling outside:

  “Milly-Molly-Mandy!”

  And when Milly-Molly-Mandy jumped up and looked out, Mother (who had come to see if there was enough rhubarb up yet to make a tart) said, “What are you doing, dear? You ought to be outdoors!”

  So Milly-Molly-Mandy was able to tell Mother all about it; and then Mother came running up to Milly-Molly-Mandy’s bedroom door.

  But Mother couldn’t open it, though she tried hard – and neither could Aunty.

  So Mother kissed Milly-Molly-Mandy through the crack, and said she must just wait till Father came home and then he would get her out. And Milly-Molly-Mandy kissed Mother back through the crack, and sat down to her crochet-work again.

  Presently the line outside the window clicked at the catch again, and Milly-Molly-Mandy looked out just in time to see Mother whisking out of sight round the corner of the cottage, and there was a big red apple in the little yellow basket! So Milly-Molly-Mandy pulled it up again, and then went back and did her crocheting between big bites at the big red apple.

  And she crocheted and she crocheted and she crocheted.

  Just before dinner-time Father came back, and Mother took him straight up to Milly-Molly-Mandy’s bedroom door, and they tinkered about with the lock for a while, rattling and clicking and tapping.

  And Milly-Molly-Mandy went on crocheting.

  Then Father said through the crack, “I’ll have to break the lock, Milly-Molly-Mandy, so you mustn’t mind a noise!”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy put her crochet-work down, and said, “No, Father!” (It was rather exciting!)

  Then Father fetched a great big hammer, and he gave some great big bangs on the lock, and the door came bursting open in a great hurry, and Father and Mother came in. (They had to stoop their heads in Milly-Molly-Mandy’s room, because it was so little and sloping.)

  Milly-Molly-Mandy was so pleased to see them.

  She held up her crochet-work and said, “Look! I’ve crocheted nine whole rows and I haven’t dropped one single stitch! Don’t you think it’s enough now, before you start doing it different to make it fit at the back?”

  And Mother said, “That’s fine, Milly-Molly-Mandy! I’ll look at it directly after dinner and see, but you’d better come downstairs now.”

  So Milly-Molly-Mandy came downstairs, and they all had dinner and talked about locks and about getting new ones.

  And then Mother looked at Milly-Molly-Mandy’s crochet-work. And it only wanted just a little more doing to it (most of which Mother showed Milly-Molly-Mandy how to do, but some she had to do herself); and quite soon the bonnet was finished, and Milly-Molly-Mandy took it round to the Moggs’ cottage in tissue paper.

  Mrs Moggs and little-friend-Susan looked at it most admiringly, and then Mrs Moggs put it on Baby Moggs’ head and tied it under her soft little chin.

  And it just fitted Baby Moggs perfectly!

  (But, you know, as Milly-Molly-Mandy crocheted very tightly indeed – being her first try – it was a good thing she had planned to leave enough room for Baby Moggs to grow, and a very good thing she got locked in and finished it before Baby Moggs had any time to grow, for the bonnet was only just big enough.

  (But you can’t think what a darling Baby Moggs looked in it!)

  IT JUST FITTED BABY MOGGS PERFECTLY!

  10

  Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Mother Goes Away

  Once upon a time Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Mother went away from the nice white cottage with the thatched roof for a whole fortnight’s holiday.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Mother hardly ever went away for holidays – in fact, Milly-Molly-Mandy could only remember her going away once before, a long time ago (and that was only for two days).

  Mrs Hooker, Mother’s friend in the next town, invited her. Mrs Hooker wanted to have a holiday by the sea, and she didn’t want to go alone, as it isn’t so much fun, so she wrote and asked Mother to come with her.

  When Mother read the letter first, she said it was very kind of Mrs Hooker, but she couldn’t possibly go, as she didn’t see how ever Father and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty and Milly-Molly-Mandy would get on without her to cook dinners for them, and wash clothes for them, and see after things.

  But Aunty said she could manage to do the cooking and the washing, somehow; and Grandma said she could do Aunty’s sweeping and dusting; and Milly-Molly-Mandy said she would help all she knew how; and Father and Grandpa and Uncle said they wouldn’t be fussy, or make any more work than they could help.

  And then they all begged Mother to write to Mrs Hooker and accept. So Mother did, and she was quite excited (and so was Milly-Molly-Mandy for her!).

  Then Mother bought a new hat and a blouse and a sunshade, and she packed them in her trunk with all her best things (Milly-Molly-Mandy helping).

  And then she kissed Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty goodbye, and hugged Milly-Molly-Mandy. And then Father drove her in the pony-trap to the next town to the station to meet Mrs Hooker and go with her by train to the sea. (She kissed Father goodbye at the station.)

  And so Father and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty and Milly-Molly-Mandy had to manage as best they could in the nice white cottage with the thatched roof for a whole fortnight without Mother. It did feel queer.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy kept forgetting, and she would run in from school to tell Mother all about something, and find it was Aunty in Mother’s apron bending over the kitchen stove instead of Mother herself. And Father would put his head in at the kitchen door and say, “Polly, will you –” and then suddenly remember that “Polly” was having a lovely holiday by the sea (Polly was Mother’s other name, of course). And they felt so pleased when they remembered, but it did seem a long time to wait till she came back.

  Then one day Father said, “I’ve got a plan! Don’t you think it would be a good idea, while Polly’s away, if we were to . . .”

  And then Father told them all his plan; and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty thought it was a very fine plan, and so did Milly-Molly-Mandy. (But I mustn’t tell you what it was, because it was to be a surprise, and you know how secrets do get about once you start telling them! But I’ll just tell you this, that they made the kitchen and the scullery and the passage outside the kitchen most dreadfully untidy, so that nothing was in its proper place, and they had to have meals like picnics, only not so nice – though Milly-Molly-Mandy thought it quite fun.)

  Well, they all worked awfully hard at the plan in all their spare time, and nobody really minded having things all upset, because it was such fun to think how surprised Mother would be when she came back!

  Then another day Grandpa said: “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for some time, to please Polly; I guess it would be a good plan to set about it now. It is . . .”

  And then Grandpa told them all his plan; and Father and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty thought it was a very fine plan, and so did Milly-Molly-Mandy. (But I mustn’t tell you what it was! – though I will just tell you this, that Grandpa was very busy digging up things in the garden and planting them again, and bringing things home in a box at the back of the pony-trap on market day. And Milly-Molly-Mandy helped him all she could.)

  Then Uncle had a plan, and Father and Grandpa and Grandma and Aunty thought it was a very fine plan, and so did Milly-Molly-Mandy. (It’s a secret, remember! – but I will just tell you this, that Uncle got a lot of bits of wood and nails and a hammer, and he was very busy in the evening after he had shut up his chickens for the night – which he called “putting them to bed.”)

  Then Grandma and Aunty had a plan, and Father and Grandpa and Uncle thought it was a very fine plan, and so did Milly-Molly-Mandy. (But I can only just
tell you this, that Grandma and Aunty and Milly-Molly-Mandy, who helped too, made themselves very untidy and dusty indeed, and nobody had any cakes for tea at all that week, what with Aunty being so busy and the kitchen so upset. But nobody really minded, because it was such fun to think how pleased Mother would be when she came back!)

  And then the day arrived when Mother was to return home!

  They had all been working so hard in the nice white cottage with the thatched roof that the two weeks had simply flown. But they had just managed to get things straight again, and Aunty had baked a cake for tea, and Milly-Molly-Mandy had put flowers in all the vases.

  When Father helped Mother down from the pony-trap it almost didn’t seem as if it could be Mother at first; but of course it was! – only she had on her new hat, and she was so brown with sitting on the beach, and so very pleased to be home again!

  She kissed them all round and just hugged Milly-Molly-Mandy!

  And then they led her indoors.

  And directly Mother got inside the doorway – she saw a beautiful new passage, all clean and painted! And she was surprised!

  Then she went upstairs and took off her things, and came back down into the kitchen. And directly Mother got inside the door – she saw a beautiful new kitchen, all clean and sunny, with the ceiling whitewashed and the walls freshly painted! And she was surprised!

  When they had had tea (Aunty’s cake was very good, though not quite like Mother’s) she helped to carry the cups and plates out into the scullery. And directly Mother got through the doorway – she saw a beautiful new scullery, all clean and whitewashed! And she was surprised!

  She put the cups down on the draining board, and directly she looked out of the window – she saw a beautiful new flower garden just outside, and a rustic trellis-work hiding the dustbin. And she was surprised!

  Then Mother went upstairs to unpack. And when her trunk was cleared, Grandpa carried it up to the attic and Mother went first to open the door. And directly she opened it – Mother saw a beautifully tidy, spring-cleaned attic!