The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook Read online

  And little-friend-Susan said, “Ooh! Won’t you have to behave properly! I’m glad she’s not coming to us!”

  And Billy Blunt said, “Huh! – hard lines!”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy was quite glad Teacher was only coming to stay for a few nights.

  Miss Edwards arrived at the nice white cottage with the thatched roof just before supper time the following evening.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy was looking out for her, and directly she heard the gate click she called Mother and ran and opened the front door wide, so that the hall lamp could shine down the path. And Teacher came in out of the dark, just as Mother hurried from the kitchen to welcome her.

  Teacher thanked Mother very much for having her, and said she felt so dusty and untidy because she had been putting up shelves in her new little cottage ever since school was over.

  So Mother said, “Come right up to your room, Miss Edwards, and Milly-Molly-Mandy will bring you a jug of hot water. And then I expect you’ll be glad of some supper straight away!”

  So Milly-Molly-Mandy ran along to the kitchen for a jug of hot water, thinking how funny it was to hear Teacher’s familiar voice away from school. She tapped very politely at the half-open door of the spare room (she could see Teacher tidying her hair in front of the dressing-table, by the candlelight), and Teacher smiled at her as she took the steaming jug, and said:

  “That’s kind of you, Milly-Molly-Mandy! This is just what I want most. What a lovely smell of hot cakes!”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy smiled back, though she was quite a bit surprised that Teacher should speak in that pleased, hungry sort of way – it was more the kind of way she, or little-friend-Susan, or Father or Mother or Grandpa or Grandma or Uncle or Aunty, might have spoken.

  When Teacher came downstairs to the kitchen they all sat down to supper. Teacher’s place was just opposite Milly-Molly-Mandy’s and every time she caught Milly-Molly-Mandy’s eye she smiled across at her. And Milly-Molly-Mandy smiled back, and tried to remember to sit up, for she kept on almost expecting Teacher to say, “Head up, Milly-Molly-Mandy! Keep your elbows off the desk!” – but she never did!

  They were all a little shy of Teacher, just at first; but soon Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty were talking away, and Teacher was talking too, and laughing. And she looked so different when she was laughing that Milly-Molly-Mandy found it quite difficult to get on with her bread-and-milk before it got cold. Teacher enjoyed the hot cakes, and wanted to know just how Mother made them. She asked a lot of questions, and Mother said she would teach Teacher how to do it, so that she could make them in her own new little kitchen.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy thought how funny it would be for Teacher to start having lessons.

  After supper Teacher asked Milly-Molly-Mandy if she could make little sailor-girls, and when Milly-Molly-Mandy said no, Teacher drew a little sailor-girl, with a sailor-collar and sailor-hat and pleated skirt, on a folded piece of paper, and then she cut it out with Aunty’s scissors. And when she unfolded the paper there was a whole row of little sailor-girls all holding hands.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy did like it. She thought how funny it was that she should have known Teacher all that time and never known she could draw little sailor-girls.

  Then Mother said, “Now, Milly-Molly-Mandy, it is bedtime.” So Milly-Molly-Mandy kissed Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty, and went to shake hands with Teacher. But Teacher said she wanted a kiss too. So they kissed each other in quite a nice friendly way.

  But still Milly-Molly-Mandy felt when she went upstairs she must get into bed extra quickly and quietly, because Teacher was in the house.

  Next morning Milly-Molly-Mandy and Teacher went to school together. And as soon as they got there Teacher was just her usual self again, and told Milly-Molly-Mandy to sit up, or to get on with her work, as if she had never laughed at supper, or cut out little sailor-girls, or kissed anyone goodnight.

  After school Milly-Molly-Mandy showed little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt the row of little sailor-girls.

  And little-friend-Susan opened her eyes and said, “Just fancy Teacher doing that!”

  And Billy Blunt folded them up carefully in the creases so that he could see how they were made, and then he grinned and gave them back.

  And little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t feel so very sorry for Milly-Molly-Mandy having Teacher to stay, then.

  That evening Teacher came up to the nice white cottage with the thatched roof earlier than she did the day before. And when Milly-Molly-Mandy came into the kitchen from taking a nice meal out to Toby the dog, and giving him a good bedtime romp round the yard, what did she see but Teacher, with one of Mother’s big aprons on and her sleeves tucked up, learning how to make apple turn-overs for supper! And Mother was saying, “Always mix pastry with a light hand,” and Teacher was looking so interested, and didn’t seem in the least to know she had a streak of flour down one cheek.

  When Teacher saw Milly-Molly-Mandy she said, “Come along, Milly-Molly-Mandy, and have a cooking lesson with me, it’s such fun!”

  WHAT DID SHE SEE BUT TEACHER LEARNING HOW TO MAKE APPLE TURN-OVERS

  So Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Mother gave her a little piece of dough, and she stood by Teacher’s side, rolling it out and making it into a ball again; but she was much more interested in watching Teacher being taught. And Teacher did everything she was told, and tried so hard that her cheeks got quite pink.

  When the turn-overs were all made there was a small piece of dough left on the board, so Teacher shaped it into the most beautiful little bird; and the bird and the turn-overs were all popped into the oven, together with Milly-Molly-Mandy’s piece (which had been a pig and a cat and a teapot, but ended up a little grey loaf).

  When Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty and Teacher and Milly-Molly-Mandy sat down to supper, Teacher put her finger on her lips to Milly-Molly-Mandy when the apple turn-overs came on, so that Milly-Molly-Mandy shouldn’t tell who made them until they had been tasted. And Teacher watched anxiously, and presently Mother said, “How do you like these turn-overs?” And everybody said they were most delicious, and then Milly-Molly-Mandy couldn’t wait any longer, and she called out, “Teacher made them!” and everybody was so surprised.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t eat the little grey-brown loaf, because she didn’t quite fancy it (Toby the dog did, though), and she felt she couldn’t eat the little golden-brown bird, because it really looked too good to be eaten just yet. So she took it to school with her next day, to share with little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt.

  And little-friend-Susan said, “Isn’t it pretty? Isn’t Teacher clever?”

  And Billy Blunt said, “Fancy Teacher playing with dough!”

  And little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t feel at all sorry for Milly-Molly-Mandy having Teacher to stay, then.

  The next day was Saturday, and Teacher’s furniture had come, and she was busy all day arranging it and getting the curtains and the pictures up. And Milly-Molly-Mandy with little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt came in the afternoon to help. And they ran up and down stairs, and fetched hammers and nails, and held things, and made themselves very useful indeed.

  And at four o’clock Teacher sent Billy Blunt out to get some cakes from Mrs Hubble’s shop, while the others laid the table in the pretty little sitting-room. And they had a nice kind of picnic, with Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan sharing a cup, and Billy Blunt having a saucer for a plate, because everything wasn’t unpacked yet. And they all laughed and talked, and were as happy as anything. And when Teacher said it was time to send them all off home Milly-Molly-Mandy was so sorry to think Teacher wasn’t coming to sleep in the spare room any more that she wanted to kiss Teacher without being asked. And she actually did it, too. And little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t look a bit surprised, either. And after that, somehow, it didn’t seem to matter that Teacher was strict in school, for they knew that she was
really just a very nice, usual sort of person inside all the time!

  11

  Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Fête

  Once upon a time, while Milly-Molly-Mandy was shopping in the village for Mother, she saw a poster on a board outside Mr Blunt’s corn-shop. So she stopped to read it, and she found that there was to be a fête held in the playing-field, with sports and competitions for children, and other things for grown-ups. And while she was reading Billy Blunt looked out of the shop door.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy said, “Hullo, Billy!”

  And Billy Blunt grinned and said, “Hullo, Milly-Molly-Mandy!” and he came and looked at the poster too.

  “When’s the fête to be?” said Milly-Molly-Mandy, and Billy Blunt pointed with his toe to the date. And then he pointed to the words, “Hundred-yard races, three-legged races, etc.,” and said, “I’m going in for them.”

  “Are you?” said Milly-Molly-Mandy, and began to be interested. She thought a fête would be quite fun, and decided to ask Mother when she got home if she might go to it too.

  A day or two later, as Milly-Molly-Mandy was swinging on the meadow gate after school, she saw someone running along in the middle of the road in a very steady, business-like fashion. And who should it be but Billy Blunt?

  “Hullo, Billy! Where’re you going?” said Milly-Molly-Mandy.

  Billy Blunt slowed up and wiped his forehead, panting. “I’m getting into training,” said Billy Blunt, “for the races.”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy thought that was a very good idea.

  “I’m going to do some running every day,” said Billy Blunt, “till the fête.”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy was sure Billy Blunt would win.

  And then Billy Blunt asked if Milly-Molly-Mandy could count minutes, because it would be nice to have someone to time his running sometimes. Milly-Molly-Mandy couldn’t, because she had never tried. But after that she practised counting minutes with the kitchen clock, till she got to know just about how fast to count sixty so that it was almost exactly a minute.

  And the next day Billy Blunt stood right at one end of the meadow, by the nice white cottage with the thatched roof where Milly-Molly-Mandy lived, and Milly-Molly-Mandy stood at the other end. And when Billy Blunt shouted “Go!” and began running, Milly-Molly-Mandy shut her eyes tight so that she wouldn’t think of anything else, and began counting steadily. And Billy Blunt reached her side in just over a minute and a half. They did it several times, but Billy Blunt couldn’t manage to do it in less time.

  After that they tied their ankles together – Billy Blunt’s left and Milly-Molly-Mandy’s right – with Billy Blunt’s scarf, and practised running with three legs across the field. It was such fun, and Milly-Molly-Mandy shouted with laughter sometimes because they just couldn’t help falling over. But Billy Blunt was rather solemn, and very keen to do it properly – though even he couldn’t keep from letting out a laugh now and then, when they got very entangled.

  By the time of the fête Billy Blunt was able to get across the meadow in a little over a minute, and their three-legged running was really quite good, so they were full of hopes for winning some prizes in the sports.

  The day of the fête was nice and fine, even if not very warm. But, as Billy Blunt said, it was just as well to have it a bit cool for the sports. As it was Bank Holiday nearly everybody in the village turned up, paying their sixpences at the gate, and admiring the flags, and saying “Hullo!” or “How do you do?” to each other.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy went with her Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty. And little-friend-Susan was there with her mother, who was also looking after Miss Muggins’ niece Jilly, as Miss Muggins didn’t care much for fêtes. And Mr Jakes, the Postman, was there with his wife; and Mr Rudge, the Blacksmith, in his Sunday suit.

  There were coconut shies (Uncle won a coconut), and throwing little hoops (three throws a penny) over things spread out on a table (Mother got a pocket comb, but she tried to get an alarm clock), and lots of other fun.

  And then the Children’s Sports began. Milly-Molly-Mandy paid a penny for a try at walking along a very narrow board to reach a red balloon at the other end, but she toppled off before she got it, and everybody laughed. (Miss Muggins’ Jilly got a balloon.)

  Then they entered for the three-legged race – little-friend-Susan and Miss Muggins’ Jilly together, and Milly-Molly-Mandy and Billy Blunt (because they had practised), and a whole row of other boys and girls.

  A man tied their ankles, and shouted “Go!” and off they all started, and everybody laughed, and couples kept stumbling and tumbling round, but Milly-Molly-Mandy and Billy Blunt careered steadily along till they reached the winning post!

  OFF THEY ALL STARTED

  Then everybody laughed and clapped like anything, and Billy Blunt pulled the string from round their ankles in a great hurry and cleared off, and Milly-Molly-Mandy had to take his box of chocolates for him, as well as her own.

  Then there was the hundred-yard race for boys. There was one rather shabbily dressed boy who had stood looking on at all the games, so Father asked him if he didn’t want to join in, and he said he hadn’t any money. So Father paid for him to join in the race, and he looked so pleased!

  A man shouted “Go!” and off went all the boys in a mass – and how they did run! Milly-Molly-Mandy was so excited that she had to keep jumping up and down. But Billy Blunt presently got a little bit ahead of the others. (Milly-Molly-Mandy held herself tight.) And then he got a little bit farther – and so did the shabby boy – only not so far as Billy Blunt. And then Billy Blunt saw him out of the corner of his eye as he ran, and then the race was over, and somehow the shabby boy had won. And he got a striped tin of toffee.

  And Billy Blunt grinned at the shabby boy, who looked so happy hugging his tin of toffee, and asked him his name, and where he lived, and would he come and practise racing with him in the meadow next Saturday.

  The next day, as Milly-Molly-Mandy and Billy Blunt and one or two others were coming home from school, they saw a big man with a suitcase waiting at the crossroads for the bus, which went every hour into the town. And just as the bus came in sight the man’s hat blew off away down the road, ever such a distance. The man looked for a moment as if he didn’t know what to do; and then he caught sight of them and shouted:

  “Hi! – can any of you youngsters run?”

  Milly-Molly-Mandy said, “Billy Blunt can!” And instantly off went Billy Blunt down the road in his best racing style. And just as the bus pulled up at the stopping place, he picked up the hat and came tearing back with it.

  “I should just say you can run!” said the man. “You’ve saved me an hour’s wait for the next bus and a whole lot of business besides.”

  “What a good thing you were in training!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy to Billy Blunt, as the bus went off.

  “Huh! more sense, that, than just racing,” said Billy Blunt, putting his hair straight.

  12

  Milly-Molly-Mandy Has a Surprise

  Once upon a time Milly-Molly-Mandy was helping Mother to fetch some pots of jam down from the little storeroom.

  Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty and Milly-Molly-Mandy between them ate quite a lot of jam, so Mother (who made all the jam) had to keep the pots upstairs because the kitchen cupboard wouldn’t hold them all.

  The little storeroom was up under the thatched roof, and it had a little square window very near to the floor, and the ceiling sloped away on each side so that Father or Mother or Grandpa or Grandma or Uncle or Aunty could stand upright only in the very middle of the room. (But Milly-Molly-Mandy could stand upright anywhere in it.)

  When Mother and Milly-Molly-Mandy had found the jams they wanted (strawberry jam and blackberry jam and ginger jam), Mother looked round the little storeroom and said, “It’s a pity I haven’t got somewhere else to keep my jam-pots!”

  And Milly-Molly-Mandy said, “Why, Mother, I think this is a very nice place for
jam-pots to live in!”

  And Mother said, “Do you?”

  But a few days later Father and Mother went up to the little storeroom together and took out all the jam-pots and all the shelves that held the jam-pots and Father stood them down in the new shed he was making outside the back door, while Mother started cleaning out the little storeroom.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy helped by washing the little square window – “So that my jam-pots can see out!” Mother said.

  The next day Milly-Molly-Mandy came upon Father in the barn, mixing colour-wash in a bucket. It was a pretty colour, just like a pale new primrose, and Milly-Molly-Mandy dabbled in it with a bit of stick for a while, and then she asked what it was for.

  And Father said, “I’m going to do over the walls and ceiling of the little storeroom with it.” And then he added, “Don’t you think it will make the jam-pots feel nice and cheerful?”

  And Milly-Molly-Mandy said she was sure the jam-pots would just love it! (It was such fun!)

  A little while afterwards Mother sent Milly-Molly-Mandy to the village to buy a packet of green dye at Mr Smale the Grocer’s shop. And then Mother dyed some old casement curtains a bright green for the little storeroom window. “Because,” said Mother, “the window looks so bare from outside.”

  And while she was about it she said she might as well dye the coverlet on Milly-Molly-Mandy’s little cot-bed (which stood in one corner of Father’s and Mother’s room), as the pattern had washed nearly white. So Milly-Molly-Mandy had a nice new bedspread, instead of a faded old one.

  The next Saturday, when Grandpa came home from market, he brought with him in the back of the pony-trap a little chest of drawers, which he said he had “picked up cheap.” He thought it might come in useful for keeping things in, in the little storeroom.