06 (26 page)

"Er—very good," said Mister Grim. Then he pointed to Mollie. "How many pips are there in seven pounds of raspberry jam?"

"Seven pounds of raspberry jam?" repeated Mollie, wondering if she had heard aright. "Er— well. . ." "Say none at all, because your mother only makes raspberry jelly and strains the pips out," whispered Winks.

"Er—none at all," said Mollie. "How do you make that out?" thundered Mister Grim in a very frightening voice.

"Because my mother makes raspberry jelly and strains all the pips out," said Mollie. Everyone clapped again.

"Silence!" said Mister Grim. "Now you, pixie —and see you are very, very careful in your an¬swer. If I take fifty-two hairs from my beard, how many will there be left?

Chinky stared desperately at the long beard that swept down to the floor. "Well," he began . . . and then Winks whispered to him.

"Say 'the rest'!" he hissed.

"Er—well, the rest of the hair will be left," he said.

Mister Grim suddenly pounded on the desk w ith his hand. "You, Winks!" he shouted. "I heard you whispering then—you told him the answer—and I believe you told the others the answers, too. Come here! I'll give you the stick. Aha, you think be¬cause all my canes were broken that I haven't got one—but I have! You just wait."

"Please, sir, I'm sorry," said Winks. "I just thought I'd help them as they were new. I was try¬ing to be good, sir, and helpful, I really was. You're always telling us to be that, sir."

"No excuses," said Mister Grim, and he turned to a cupboard behind him. He unlocked it and took out a long, thin stick.

"Come up here, Winks," he said, and poor Winks went up. He got two strokes on his hands. Mollie was very upset, but Hoho whispered, "Don't worry—Winks always puts a little spell in his hands and he doesn't mind a bit if he's whacked. He doesn't feel it!"

Mollie felt comforted. Winks winked at her as he went back to his seat. Mister Grim went to take a book from a shelf—and as he turned his back Chinky clutched Peter by the elbow.

"Peter," he hissed, "do you see what his stick is? It's my WAND!"

Peter stared. Yes—the stick on the desk was Chinky's little wand. Oh, if only it had wings now and could fly to Chinky!

But it hadn't. Chinky never took his eyes off it as the class went on and on. "I must get it," he kept saying to himself. "I MUST get it! But how can I? Oh, for a really good idea!"

XII

CHINKY IS NAUGHTY

Morning school came to an end at last. Mister Grim rapped on his desk with his stick—Chinky's wand!

"Attention, all of you!" he said. "Dinner will be i n ten minutes' time. Anyone who is late or who has dirty hands or untidy hair will go without."

Winks groaned. "It's awful," he said to Peter when Mister Grim had gone out. "There's never enough dinner for everyone, so Mister Grim just says, 'Here, you, your hair is untidy,' or 'Here, you, your nails aren't clean,' and about a dozen of us have to go without our dinner."

"What a dreadful school!' said Peter. "Why don't you run away?"

"How can we?" said Winks. "You've seen the high wall round the grounds, and all the gates are locked. I wish I could get out of here, it's a horrid palce, and I really would be good if I could escape."

"Would there be room for him in the Wishing- Chair, do you think?" whispered Mollie to Chinky. "He's so nice. I'd like to help him, Chinky."

"So would I," whispered back Chinky. "Well, we'll see."

Poor Chinky was one of those who had to go without his dinner. Mister Grim stood at the door of the dining-hall as each brownie walked in. Ev¬ery so often he pounced on one and roared at him.

"Here, you, haven't washed behind your ears! No dinner! Here, you, why aren't your nails scrubbed? No dinner!" And when Chinky tried to slip past him he hit him hard on the shoulder with his hand and roared: "Here, you, why haven't you brushed your hair? No dinner!"

"I did brush it," said Chinky indignantly, "but it's the kind of hair that won't lie down."

"No dinner to-day for untidy hair, and no din¬ner to-morrow for answering back," said Mister Grim.

"Oh, I say, that's not fair," said Chinky.

"And no dinner for the third day for being rude," said Mister Grim. "Another word from you and I'll cane you with this new stick of mine!"

He slapped the wand down so hard on a nearby table that Chinky was afraid it would break in half.

But fortunately it didn't.

Chinky went out of the room, looking angry and sulky. Horrid Mister Grim! He joined all the brownies who were also to go without their din¬ner.

Peter and Mollie were very sorry for Chinky. When the pudding came they tried to stuff two tarts into their pockets to take to him. But the pastry fell to pieces and their pockets were all jammy and horrid. Mister Grim saw the crumbs of pastry around their pockets as they marched past him af¬ter dinner. He tapped them with the wand.

"Aha! Trying to stuff food into your pockets. Greedy children! No dinner for you to-morrow!"

Peter tried to snatch the wand away from Mister Grim, hoping to run and give it to Chinky,

but Mister Grim was too quick for him. Up in the air it went, and poor Peter got a stinging slash on his arm. Fortunately his sleeve was nice and thick, so he didn't feel it much.

"Bad boy!" roared Mister Grim. "Stay in after school this afternoon and write out one thousand times T must not snatch'."

There was a little time before afternoon school. Peter, Chinky, Mollie and Winks had a meeting in a far corner of the grounds.

"Winks, that's my wand Mister Grim has got and is using for a stick,' said Chinky.

Winks whistled. "1 say! That's a fine bit of news. We ought to be able to do something about that."

"But what?" asked Chinky. "I'm so afraid he will break my wand, and then it will be no use. Somehow or other we've got to get it back."

"Now listen," said Winks. "A wand will never hit its owner, you know that. Well, what about be¬ing very naughty in class this afternoon and hav¬ing to go up to Mister Grim to be punished—and your wand will refuse to cane you, of course and surely you can easily get it back then, and do a bit of magic to get yourselves free?"

"Ooh, yes," said Chinky, looking very cheer¬ful. "That's an awfully good idea of yours, Winks. I'd forgotten that a wand never turns against its owner. I'll be very naughty—and then we'll see what happens."

They all went in to afternoon school feeling rather excited. What would happen? It would cer¬tainly be fun to see Chinky being very naughty, to begin with—and even greater fun to see the wand refusing to punish him!

Chinky began by yawning very loudly indeed. M ister Grim heard him and tapped hard on his desk with the wand—crack! crack!

"Chinky? You are most impolite. Stand up dur¬ing the rest of the class instead of sitting."

Chinky stood—but he stood with his back to Mister Grim.

Mister Grim glared. "Bad pixie! You are being impolite again. Stand round the other way!"

Chinky immediately stood on his hands and waved his feet in the air. All the brownies laughed and clapped.

Mister Grim looked as black as thunder. "Come here!" he cried, and Chinky began to walk towards him on his hands. He really looked very funny in¬deed. Winks laughed till the tears rolled down his cheeks.

But Mister Grim didn't try to cane him that time. He told him to go and stand in the corner—the right way up.

So Chinky stood in the corner the right way up, turning every now and then to grin at the others. Mister Grim began firing questions at the class. "Hands up those who know why brownies have long beards. Hands up those who know the magic word for 'disappear.' Hands up those who know why green smoke always comes out of chimneys of witches' houses. Hands up..."

He didn't even wait for anyone to answer, so the brownies just shot up their hands at each ques- tion and then put them down again and waited for the next. Peter and Mollie thought it was the silli¬est class they had ever attended!

"And now— can anyone ask me a question I can't answer?" said Mister Grim. "Aha! It would take a clever brownie to do that! Be careful—be¬cause if I can answer it, you'll have to come up and be punished. Now, who will ask me a question I can't answer?"

The brownies had all been caught by this trick before, so nobody put up his hand.

Mister Grim pounced on poor Winks. "You, brownie! Can't you think of a question?"

"Yes, sir," said Winks at once. "I'd like to know why gooseberries wear whiskers. Do they belong to the brownie family?"

Everybody roared at this ridiculous question. Except Mister Grim. He looked as grim as his name. He rapped with his stick on the desk.

"Come up here, Winks. I will not have you up¬setting the class like this with your silly remarks." And Winks went up, grinning. He got three strokes of the wand, but it didn't hurt him, of course, as he had still got the spell in his hands that prevented the stick from hurting him.

"I've got a question; I've got a question!" sud¬denly called out Chinky, seeing a chance to get his wand.

"What is it?" said Mister Grim, frowning.

"Mister Grim, why do horses wear hooves instead of feet?" cried Chinky.

"Come up here," said Mister Grim, sternly.

"That's another silly question."

Chinky went. "Hold out your hand," said Mis¬ter Grim. Chinky he$ it out. Mister Grim brought down the wand as hard as he could—but, dear me, he missed Chinky's hand altogether. The wand sim¬ply slipped to one side and didn't touch Chinky's hand at all.

Mister Grim tried again—and again—and again — but each time the wand slid away from Chinky's outstretched hand and hit the desk instead. It was very puzzling indeed for Mister Grim.

The brownies were all laughing. So were Peter and Mollie. Mister Grim's face was so comical to watch as he tried to hit Chinky's hand and couldn't.

"I shall break this stick in two!" he cried sud¬denly in a rage.

That gave Chinky a shock. "No,' he shouted. "No, you mustn't do that! You mustn't!"

"Why not?" said Mister Grim, and he put both hands on the wand as if to break it.

Peter, Mollie and Chinky watched in despair, waiting for the crack.

But the wand wasn't going to let itself be bro¬ken! It slid out of Mister Grim's big hands and shot over to Chinky, who caught it as it came.

"Ha!' Shouted Chinky in delight. "I've got it again—my lovely wand—I've got it!"

"What! Is it a wand?" cried Mister Grim in astonishement. "I didn't know that. Give it back to me!"

He snatched at it, but Chinky was skipping down the room, waving it.

"I'll give you all a half-holiday! Yes, I will! See my wand waving to give you all a half-holiday! Go into the garden and play, all of you!"

The brownies didn't wait. They rushed out of the room at top speed, shouting and laughing. Soon only Peter, Mollie and Chinky were left with Mis¬ter Grim. Winks was peeping round the door.

"How DARE you treat me like this!" shouted Mister Grim, marching towards Chinky. "I'll —"

"Go back, go back!" chanted Chinky, and waved his wand at Mister Grim, whose feet at once took him six steps backwards, much to his surprise. "You see, I've got magic in my wand," cried the pixie. "Aha! I may have powerful magic, Mister Grim, so be careful!"

"Come on, Chinky," whispered Peter. "Let's go and find the Wishing-Chair and fly off."

"But I want my doll Rosebud before we go," said Mollie. "And have you forgotten your engine and all the other toys, Peter? We must take those with us. Mister Grim, give us our toys!"

"Certainly not," said Mister Grim, and he shook a large key at them. "See this key? It's the key of the storeroom, which I've locked. You can't get your toys and you never shall!"

"We'll see about that," said Chinky. "We'll just see about that, Mister Grim!"

"But it's pouring with rain," said Peter, look¬ing in at the door as he struggled to put down the big

umbrella. "We shall get soaked if we go miles through this rain."

"We'll take the umbrella,' said Mollie. "It will cover all three of us easily."

"Four of us," said Winks, and he popped out of the cupboard and grinned at them. "I've come back for a day or two. I hid in the cupboard in case it was your mother or somebody coming."

"Oh, Winks, I'm so glad you're coming, too," said Mollie. "Can we go now, this very minute, Chinky?"

"I don't see why not," said Chinky. "Don't put down that umbrella, Peter; we'll come now and you can hold it over us as we fly."

So very soon all four were sitting in the Wish- ing-Chair, flying through the rain. Peter held the big umbrella over them, and although their legs got a bit wet, the rest of them was quite dry.

"It's quite a long journey, so I hope the chair will fly fast," said Chinky. "It will be a bit dull because the rain clouds stop us from seeing any¬thing."

The chair suddenly began to rise high. It went right through the purple-grey clouds, higer and higher and higher—and then at last it was through the very last of them, and the children found them¬selves far above the topmost clouds, full in the blaz¬ing sun!

"Well," said Peter, trying to shut the umbrella, "what a brainy idea of yours, Wishing-Chair. Now we shall soon be warm and dry again. Blow this umbrella! 1 simply can't shut it."

So it had to remain open; and, as it happened, it was a very good thing it did, because Winks tried to catch a swallow going past at sixty miles an hour, and overbalanced out of the chair! He clutched at the umbrella as he fell and down he went, with the umbrella acting just like a parachute!

"Very clever of you, Winks!" said Chinky, as the chair swooped down and hovered by the um¬brella for Winks to climb on to the seat again. "I hope you only do this sort of thing when there's an open umbrella to catch hold of!"

Winks looked rather pale. He sat panting on the seat. "I got a fright," he said. "I really did."

"Well, don't be frightened if you do fall," said Mollie. "Do what Chinky did when he once fell! He changed himself into a large snow-flake and fell gently to earth! He hadn't even a bruise when he changed back to himself again."