The city curious

Contents

PAGE

Chapter I

Smaly and his wife Redy set forth in search of three little girls : They are bewitched so that their noses turn into beaks : Smaly eats the latch of a door and Redy eats the hinge : Redy's fingers weep tears : They meet with a Confectioner who resembles a Kangaroo I

Chapter II

Smaly installs himself upon one of the Kangaroo's paws : The two little people see some of the inhabitants of this peculiar country : They meet some sugar horses, and they see also a fish which flies and some sponges which walk : The Wigs imagine that Smaly is made of suet : The ebony and crystal spectacles : The Mother of the Crow 15

Chapter III

The Short-Legged Man with the musical voice : Smaly and Redy again declare they are travelling to find three little girls : Papylick puts Smaly and Redy in two boats made out of nutshells 34

Chapter IV

Smaly and Redy are not well received : They are thought to be made of painted cardboard : How the Despoiler fell into the water and left a foot behind him : Mistigris sticks a fish-bone into the back of the Despoiler : Judgment is passed on the two strangers : They will be banished at nightfall : The walls of the three gardens are discussed 38

Chapter V

Redy and Smaly watch the review of the troops : Smaly and the Mother of the Crow discourse about soldiers : The Chief Contractor distributes the food, and the Wigs pass through a curious little door : The Soy powder makes the provisions grow 59

458302

CONTENTS

PAGE

Chapter VI

The Sugar-Cane Prison arrives : The Rats water it with Soy fluid to keep the canes growing as fast as the Prisoner breaks them down : The time for siesta draws on, and Smaly and Redy go into the house of the Historian 73

Chapter XV

Smaly and Redy effect the rescue of the three young girls : Djorak joins them and they all partake of a delightful picnic : Smaly blows the Soy powder over the country of the Wigs : Then the six friends go home 170

vi

IN COLOUR

Facing page

FRITILLA AND THE RED FLYING-FISH Frontispiece

THEY WERE KNOWN AS THE " WIGS " BECAUSE OF THEIR LARGE

PERUKES 24

THESE CREATURES DID NOT RESEMBLE ANYTHING THAT REDY AND

SMALY HAD SEEN UP TO THEN 32

LAPTITZA AND PAPYLICK 64

SOME OF THE DANCES WERE VERY COMPLICATED 96

KISIKA IN HER SEDAN-CHAIR 128

THE PICNIC WHICH FOLLOWED WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE REPAST 160

IN BLACK AND WHITE

PAGE

REDY 2

SMALY 3

IN THIS LAND ALL THE BIRDS WORE HATS AND SPURS 4

REDY'S HANDS WERE CRYING WITH FRIGHT 6

BUT HE FOUND HE, TOO, HAD A BEAK 7

THEY SANG AND DANCED 8 NEITHER THE LATCH NOR THE HINGE BORE ANY TRACE OF HAVING

BEEN BITTEN IO

vii

PAGE

LOOKING FOR THE KEY n

KANGAROO-CONFECTIONER 13

TO CARRY THE LAST CURL AS THOUGH IT WERE THE END OF A

TRAIN 16

THEY MADE ONE WANT TO DANCE 17 WITH THE SPOON WHICH EVERY WIG CARRIES HUNG FROM HIS BELT 19

THESE HORSES, HOWEVER, WERE MADE OF SUGAR 20

THE SPONGES 21

TO RETURN TO A MERE SHAPELESS THING ONCE AGAIN 23

A TRAVELLER TOLD us 24

NEVERTHELESS SMALY AND REDY STARTED TO HELP HIM 26

THE GRUB WAS REALLY THE DOORKEEPER 27

" WE WISH TO HAVE THREE GIRLS " 28

THE CROW LIFTED HIM UP 29

THE CROW 30

THE MOTHER OF THE CROW 31

" SHE SEES ONLY ONE SIDE OF MEN, BIRDS, AND THINGS " 32

THE SHORT-LEGGED MAN 35

PAPYLICK 36 OPENING THE NUTS AND DISPLAYING THE Two LITTLE PEOPLE 39

LEADING BY THE HAND THE CHOCOLATE GRUB 40

THE BIRDS WITH THEIR LEGS ENCASED IN CUTLET FRILLS 41

THE EGGS RUNNING ALONG 42

THEY WERE GENTLE AND PRETTY PIGS 43

A MOST SPLENDID FEAST 44

THE DESPOILER 45

WHICH is IN THIS COUNTRY A GREAT SIGN OF MIRTH 46

HE FLED HASTILY 47

MlSTIGRIS 48

THE YOUNG STORK 49

EVERY ONE UTTERED CRIES OF INDIGNATION 50

viii

PAGE

"YOU CAN ROLL THE CORD" 5!

THE CHIEF CONTRACTOR REPLIED 53

CHILDREN WERE BUILT OF MUCH FEWER SLICES OF CAKE THAN THE

GROWN-UPS 54

THESE CREATURES WILL EAT THE TOP OFF THE WALLS 55

ANGER 56 IT SEEMED TO THEM THAT MEN GREW UPWARDS AND NOT TOWARDS

THE GROUND 57

SOME VERY ELEGANT MICE 58 ONE HALF EXPRESSED SEVERE AUTHORITY, THE OTHER WAS ALL

GENTLENESS 60

HE DECIDED THAT THEY MUST HAVE A SIMILAR REVIEW EVERY WEEK 62

THEY HAD ALL PUT ON THICK GLOVES 63

WlGS, WHO WERE PUTTING -THE SOLDIERS BACK IN THEIR BOXES 64

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PASENIPUS 65

TO CONDUCT HER BACK TO HER HOUSE, WHICH WAS IN A COSY NOOK

IN A GREAT TREE OF CORAL 67

THE CONFECTIONER 69 ' '"NEVERTHELESS IT'S so NARROW THAT ONLY ONE PERSON CAN GO

THROUGH AT A TIME" 70

THE SONG WENT ON 71

RUNNING HARD WITH THEIR LITTLE SHORT LEGS 73

SOY MILL 74

SOY RESERVOIR 75

CARRYING AWAY EVERY OBJECT THAT THEY COULD LIFT 77

THE PRISONER 79

THE PRISONER NEVER CEASED TO BREAK THE SUGAR-CANES 80 THE PET FLYING-FISH, WHICH EVERY WIG FAMILY POSSESSES AND

CHERISHES 83 THE AMOUNT OF CAKE AND PUDDING EATEN ANNUALLY IN THE

COUNTRY 84

THE ELDER OF THE FISHES 85

ix

PAGE

THE HEN 86 THIS CARE WHICH THE CONFECTIONER TOOK OF FRITILLA WAS BY

NO MEANS UNNECESSARY 88

THE SMALLER FLYING-FISH 89

DROPPED THEM THROUGH A HOLE IN HIS BEAK 90

WAS SITTING WITH ONE ANKLE ACROSS THE KNEE OF HIS OTHER LEG 9!

THE DESPOILER, WHO WAS ALWAYS AFRAID THAT SOME ONE WOULD FIND OUT THAT HE WAS ONLY MADE OF CARDBOARD, NEVER

SLEPT IN PUBLIC 93 " INSTEAD OF CUTTING HIS TOE-NAILS AS WE DO WITH THE HELP OF

A LONG-HANDLED PAIR OF SCISSORS AND A TELESCOPE " 96

THE KING 97

THE KING'S DAUGHTER 98

THE HEALER 103

BORN WITH THE IDEA OF ONE DAY BEING A VERY BIG MAN 104

BETWEEN THEM WAS FASTENED A COMFORTABLE ARM-CHAIR 106

THERE WERE NEWSBOYS SELLING ACCOUNTS OF THE LATEST DISASTER

TO THE WIGS 1 08

THE HEALER HAD FINISHED HIS MENDING 109

MATHEMATICIAN in

MIGRAINE 112

WRAPPED THEIR HANDKERCHIEFS ROUND THEIR HEADS 112

" I, TOO, HOPE SO," SAID HIS WlFE, WHO HAD JUST COME IN 113

NEARLY ALL HAD ONE LEG WHICH WAS MUCH LONGER THAN THE

OTHER, OR A VERY LONG ARM 115

His ELONGATED TAIL WAS TIED TO THE QUEUE OF HIS WIG 116

" BUT ONLY LOOK AT OUR ARMS AND LEGS " 117

EVEN MORE THAN THEY FEARED THE FLIES Il8

REWARDS 119

THE DWARF HAD PULLED ON A PAIR OF BOOTS 120

THE ACCORDION-PLAYERS BEGAN 123

X

PAOB

TENNIS 124

THE BALL HUNG. UP THUS 125

TEA-COSY 128

'•WE'RE WAITING FOR THE SUN TO GO DOWN" 129

SERVANTS OUT SHOPPING FOLLOWED IT WITH THEIR LADEN BASKETS

ON THEIR ARMS 131

HE THRUST HIS FACE INTO ROSES COVERED WITH DEW 132

THE EXECUTIONER BANDAGED HIS EYES 133

NEXT HE TOOK SOME OLD CARDBOARD BOXES 135

OPENED THEM AND SHUT THEM AGAIN 136

His YOUNG SON WAS THERE 137

THE BRINDLED RABBIT 138 His LITTLE PAW SHOVED A FOLDED SLIP OF PAPER THROUGH THE

OPENING 139

THEN THEY SANG A COMIC DUET 140

THEN THEY QUESTIONED A BLACK TOAD 141

AND FISH IN THE LITTLE RIVER IN THE AFTERNOON 142

THE THIN LONG ARM OF THE HISTORIAN 143

EXTRACTING FISH-BONES FROM THE BACK OF THE DESPOILER 147

THEY BORE A LARGE COPPER CAULDRON 148

THE ADMIRAL WAS A TRITON 149

THE WHITE DOLPHIN WITH PINK EYES 150

AN EXTREMELY CURIOUS FISH 151 " A BAND OF OUR RATS WILL EACH MORNING COPIOUSLY WATER OUR

FLEET " 153

WlGS WERE BUSY WRITING THEIR NAMES 154

A RED FLAG 155

" I HAVE DESTROYED A HUNDRED TIMES PASSING OVER IT IN MY

PRISON " 157 " I WAS CAUGHT STEPPING RIGHT OVER THEIR SILLY OLD DRY CANAL

PAGE

THE MANUFACTURER OF CARDBOARD BOXES 159

A SENTINEL WHO LOOKED LIKE A DRAGON-FLY 163 THE GARDENS WERE ARRANGED AFTER THE SAME PRINCIPLE AS THE

WINDOWS IN THE HOUSE OF THE HISTORIAN 164 A LITTLE RED FEATHER, WHICH SHE HAD PICKED UP IN THE MARKET- PLACE 166 NEXT THE DESPOILER APPROACHED 167

THE WIFE OF THE CHIEF CONTRACTOR PRESENTED KISIKA WITH A

BEAUTIFUL FAN MADE OF PAPER LACE 169

DIRECTLY THEY SAW THE FLYING-FISH ENTER 171

THEIR Two LITTLE HEADS APPEARED SIDE BY SIDE 172

SMALY STANDING ON THE POINT OF HIS TOES 173

So DURING THREE DAYS THE YOUNG GIRLS WERE BUSY MAKING THE

STAIRS 175

THE RED FLYING-FISH CARRIED A LARGE HAT AND MANTLE IN ITS

CLAWS 176

CARRYING AS MANY OF THE PRESENTS AS THEY COULD 177

WlGS THEMSELVES WOULD HAVE MELTED AWAY DIRECTLY THEY

PASSED THE FRONTIER 178

THEY HUNG our OF THE WINDOWS 179

Xll

Chapter I

Smaly and his wife Redy set forth in search of three little girls : They are bewitched so that their noses turn into beaks : Smaly eats the latch of a door and Redy eats the hinge : Redy's fingers weep tears : They meet with a Confectioner who resembles a Kangaroo.

SMALY and Redy were husband and wife, and they lived together in a little white house. This house had three rooms upstairs and three rooms downstairs ; and each room was so pretty that it gave one joy to see it. Smaly and Redy were very proud of their house, and were never so happy as when they were putting it to rights. Every day they did something to one or other of the rooms, changing the position of the furniture or the pictures.

One day, while Smaly was walking in the town he saw three mirrors in a shop window, and he thought they would be just the thing to hang up in the three bedrooms ; so he bought the mirrors and went home with them in high glee.

In the meantime, Redy, his little wife, also had an idea to beautify the bedrooms, so she went out into the garden to pick some flowers.

Smaly hung a looking-glass in each of the three little bedrooms, then he carefully closed all three doors and, going downstairs, sat himself by the

A I hearth. A fire was burning there, for the spring was still young in the land.

While he sat there, smoking, lost in the most delicious daydreams, his pleasant little wife Redy came in with her arms full of flowers. She took three vases from the dresser, and began to arrange the flowers in them, holding her head on one side like a bird.

When she had put each flower exactly as she wished, she gently shook Smaly's elbow. He jumped up, took two vases without a word, while she picked up the third. They disposed a vase in each of the three little bedrooms, and stood back to admire the effect ; which, indeed, was quite charming.

Suddenly Redy gave a sigh.

It's all very well," said she, " but there's no one to live in our pretty rooms."

Smaly sighed, too. " That's just what I was thinking," said he. " Oh, Redy, how nice it would be if we had three little girls to live in our three bedrooms, so that they could admire your flowers and look at themselves in my pretty mirrors."

" Let us wish for them," said Redy, and she folded her hands together on her apron and REDY chanted :

" We wish to have^three] girls, Fine, sweet, pink, and good They shall have more pudding than they like. And a green, green, and rosy garden."

Smaly repeated the poem in his turn, but Redy had to prompt him, for he had a very bad memory.

They waited for some time, but nothing happened, so they said the verse over again, and this time Smaly repeated it without any mistake ; but still nothing happened.

" Wishing does not seem to be much good," said Smaly despondently.

" Wishing never is any good," answered Redy, " unless one does something more than wish. If we want to find our three little girls we must set out and look for them."

" Yes, but where ? " asked Smaly.

" As for that," answered his little wife, "I do not know any more than you, but that verse we chanted just now is a magic verse, and we shall find the way. We will get ready to start to-morrow."

So the very next mornin they set off on their searc for the three girls who would fill the white house with joy.

Redy had dressed herself in her best. Her green gown SMALY was trimmed with black and emerald leaves, and her stockings and little cocked hat were green to' match In her basket she thoughtfully placed two apples.

IN THIS LAND ALL THE BIRDS WORE HATS AND SPURS

Smaly faced the world in his beautiful dark violet coat, on his head a tall hat of the same colour. A belt of yellow leather clasped his waist. In his buttonhole he stuck a sunflower to show how happy he was. His best boots shone upon his feet. In the big pocket of his coat he placed a couple of fresh rolls. The rolls and the apples were their provisions for the journey. For weapon, in casea of attack, Smaly carried a thin red stick.

• •••••

For a long while they walked and walked. They crossed many countries which everybody knows. At last, however, they found themselves in a strange land, a land of which one hardly ever even hears — a land which was even odder than these two odd little people.

In this land both men and beasts lived upon nothing but sweetmeats and pastry.

In this land the sun shone longer than it does with us, because it often stopped for a while to rest during the course of the day.

In this land all the birds wore hats and spurs.

In this land an orchestra of swallows played always at noonday.

In this land earthworms wore spectacles on their noses and swords at their sides.

In this land such things as bricks, iron, wood, stone, and steel were unknown.

In this land, after one had finished dinner, one ate the plates and dishes, for they were made of sugar.

In this land nearly every inhabitant was made of slices of cake, held together with pudding, sweetmeats, nougat, and chocolate.

In a word, there were to be found in this curious country a great many things that were strange and wonderful and good to eat.

Smaly and Redy knocked at the door of this wonderful land, but for some time no one came to answer them.

" Bother this door ! " said Smaly, at last, kicking at it with his new boots, and hitting it with his red cane.

"Why, it's made of chocolate ! ': cried Redy, who had sucked her fingers after touching it.

" I will eat the latch away ! " decided Smaly.

" And I'll eat the hinges/' said Redy.

She seized a hinge and he tore off the latch.

The next moment the tears were pouring down their faces.

" Oh, oh, it's burning me ! " cried poor Redy.

" It must be made of red pepper and spice ! " wept Smaly.

They had certainly burnt their tongues. They held hands and ran away, uttering little moans of pain.

REDY'S HANDS WERE CRYING The P*th *** an ^TUPt

WITH FRIGHT turn, then another, then a third, and yet a fourth, till it had described a complete circle. Smaly and Redy found themselves once again opposite the door.

There was no longer any way out, for a thick hedge now surrounded the two travellers, and they found themselves in a sort of green arena. Quite a pretty arena, but all the same, it was rather alarming to find themselves there, without a word of warning.

And the thick green hedge around the arena grew with such a horrible rapidity. Very soon it was so high that the place became as dark as night.

Smaly, in his alarm, had seized both Redy's hands in his, and now he suddenly noticed that they were all wet. For one dreadful moment Smaly thought they must be wet with blood, but the fact was that poor Redy's hands were crying with fright.

For a little while Smaly and Redy wept bitterly, but they soon grew too tired to cry. They shut their mouths firmly, and tried to leave off sobbing when they left off weeping, but their sobs kept BUT HE FOUND HE> T00> on and on in spite or them, for HAD A BEAK all the world like a tap that keeps on going " glugglug ! " when one has forgotten to turn it off.

Smaly put up his hand, meaning to lay it gently over Redy's mouth.

She no longer had a mouth — in place of it was a fine large beak, painted an elegant blue. Filled with horror, and sure that their end had come, Smaly thought to print on Redy's cheek one last kiss of despair.

But he found he, too, had a beak, with which he could do nothing but peck. They stood staring at each other's beaks. They did not yet know that the beaks were invisible to all save themselves and the birds.

They sat down on their heels like Turkish princes, and their sobs went on and on, sounding like the lament of thousands of insects, and still the green hedges around them went on growing, till it seemed that the two^poor little people were at the bottom of a profound green funnel, brimming with darkness, in which their moaning sounded like the wind in the chimney of a winter's night.

" Oh, oh, my Redy, we're in a pretty pass ! " murmured Smaly, and Redy knew that he was feeling almost mad with fright, so that at once she felt mad with fright also. Now Redy had heard that mad people sing and dance, and so she at once began to do both, dragging Smaly along with her. They sang and danced till they had no breath left, and then they wanted to drop down and rest, but 8 found they had to keep on and on in spite of themselves. The dance of terror, and the song with which their little little sobs and moans mingled, continued there at the bottom of the green funnel. There was more noise than there is at midday in Oxford Circus.

The pepper from the latch of the door began to

THEY SANG AND DANCED

burn again in Smaly's mouth, and reminded him that after all there was a door out of this horrible place. He began to feel about for it in the darkness. When he found it he uttered a sharp little cry, which , like the moans and the singing, refused to die away, but went on echoing in the green funnel, so that by now there was a noise like a tempest, for all the world as though the whole sea had been imprisoned in a box — and a box too small for it.

Smaly uttered this cry because he had discovered that the latch was once more in its place on the door, although Smaly had thrown it far away after biting it. Redy's hinge also was back in its place. Neither

NEITHER THE LATCH NOR THE HINGE BORE ANY TRACE OF HAVING BEEN BITTEN

the latch nor the hinge bore any trace of having been bitten, but felt smooth and solid to the fingers.

Smaly and Redy became even more terrified than before, so that their hearts felt like two little lumps of ice in their breasts. And then a very odd thing happened to them. Their beaks opened of themselves, and these words came out of them — words which Smaly and Redy had never thought of saying : 10

" Where is the key ? "

Nothing answered them.

Then they found themselves on their hands and knees looking for the key.

" Where is the key ? Oh, Reckybecky, where is the key ? >:> the beaks demanded, entirely of their own accord.

LOOKING FOR THE KEY

Immediately a little grille opened in the door, and a voice said :

" Upon this side are honey, tea, and sugar ! On your side are pepper, ginger, and allspice ! "

" And on this side there are also the beaks of birds ! " replied Smaly, alarmed at his own temerity ; " and here also are the hands which weep ! And the horrible moanings ! And "

He was interrupted by a gentle laugh. This laugh sounded like a little peal of crystal bells. And as the laugh went rippling on, the hedge began to shrink and shrink, and the moans and sobs died away.

ii

The hearts of Smaly and Redy were beating like a couple of alarum-clocks. The gate had a little grille in it and they peeped through this grille to see what creature it was whose silvery laughter had the power to charm away both the high hedge and the weird moanings. Although the creature was several yards away they could see quite clearly his large, rosy eyes edged with grey rims. They saw the creature as distinctly as one can see the actors on the stage when one looks through opera-glasses.

They saw that the rosy grey-rimmed eyes were set in a face of the green of a pistachio-nut. The hair was the vague blue of cigarette smoke. The head looked as though it were sculptured out of mother-of-pearl. Later, they discovered that it was a mingling of ice-cream and jelly, for the creature himself was a confectioner.

He was a confectioner . . . and yet Smaly could have wagered his beautiful new boots that he was more of a kangaroo than anything else. For though this confectioner wore an apron and a fine green waistcoat, yet undoubtedly his chess-board trousers and embroidered stockings covered the powerful hind legs of a kangaroo. The long paws were shod with a species of pattens, so big they seemed like miniature tables, and these pattens were painted scarlet. Slung all about him, the Kangaroo carried as many pots and pans as a travelling tinker. He was adorned as well by spoons of bamboo, and from his belt hung ebony-handled knives, while jam-jars and flagons, filled with preserves and essences, dangled about him. The most tender mauves and translucent greens glowed through the glass of the flagons.

Smaly studied the good-natured face of this personage, and asked him simply :

" Who are you ? "

Then the Kangaroo-Confectioner said a surprising thing. He replied :

" I am the Architect."

The moment he had spoken he put up his hand and shut his mouth, to prevent the sound of his words going on and on in the curious air of the place, which seemed to hold sounds suspended as water holds the fronds of weeds.

Smaly looked at him dubiously.

" You say you are an architect .

KANGAROO-CONFECTIONER and yet your occupation appears to me to be much more that of a confectioner, a super-confectioner."

The Kangaroo seemed overcome with a nervousness ; his smiling face creased itself into a thousand little lines of distress, his eyes looked vacant, his manner became flustered. Evidently he was struggling with his emotion. When he had sufficiently recovered he planted his long feet more firmly on their scarlet pattens, and, taking a deep breath, chanted as follows :

" With jam I build the walls, And with jam I fill the tarts, With honey-cake I tile the roofs Which crest the pastry towers.

The chairs are made of barley -sugar And the tables and napkins are not of custard, Nor of mustard nor of treacle, But I weave them of thin macaroni.

" I am the Builder Architect, Who makes the cottages and the tarts, Who knows all about chairs and farms, Who makes the castles and the biscuits With chocolate and nice cornflour.

" Where 1 am — honey, tea, and sugar ! Where you are, pepper, ginger, and allspice 1 '

But, since the word " allspice " continued to reverberate through the air, the Confectioner shut his mouth smartly with his finger and thumb.

Chapter II

Smaly installs himself upon one of the Kangaroo's paws : The two little people see some of the inhabitants of this peculiar country : They meet some sugar horses, and they see also a fish which flies and some sponges which walk : The Wigs imagine that Smaly is made of suet : The ebony and crystal spectacles : The Mother of the Crow.

SMALY saw that there was no reason to be afraid of this strange creature so he crawled in through the grille of the gate and sat down upon one of the Confectioner's enormous paws. Redy made haste to follow him. No sooner was she settled than a number of strange little beings appeared as though from nowhere and clustered around her, pointing curious fingers at her while they chatted amongst themselves.

These little beings were the inhabitants of this strange new country. They nearly all wore gigantic wigs, and sometimes these wigs were so long that they needed a page to carry the last curl as though it were the end of a train.

The more Redy looked at these funny little people the greater was the amazement that appeared upon her face.

Smaly also was astonished ; but he would have died sooner than let his astonishment appear.

These curious little beings, who were known as the " Wigs " because of their large perukes, were even smaller than Redy and Smaly. At first sight they looked rather like those stiff little coloured figures you may see in Egyptian drawings at the British Museum, but no Egyptians were ever dressed as

TO CARRY THE LAST CURL AS THOUGH IT WERE THE END OF A TRAIN

these people were. Their vividly coloured clothes were composed of mosaics of caramel and jam, with insertions of fruit and cake. Each one wore on his head a hat made of preserved fruit or of a whole bun or little cake. Shoes seemed to be very much a matter of individual taste in this land, for every inhabitant wore a pair of a different colour, shoes so gay that the mere sight of them made one want to dance. There was one woman in particular who wore upon her head a cake in the 16 form of a little tower, who had the most charming mauve shoes with red soles, upon which Redy felt her eyes always returning enviously.

The Wigs for their part had not gathered together merely to look at the little strangers. With brightly coloured sponges some began to mop up the dew which still clung to the leaves of the hedge,

THEY MADE ONE WANT TO DANCE

while others with little pieces of blotting-paper set to work to dry each blade of grass at the side of the road. This seemed such a useless thing to do that Smaly would have liked to ask why they were doing it, but he felt too shy, so he contented himself with winking at Redy. Then he glanced up at the Confectioner.

" Tell me— why has Redy got a beak ? ' he asked, and before he could be answered began to suck his finger. He sucked it because a drop of sweet preserve had fallen upon it from one of the Confectioner's pots.

" Has Redy got wings as well ? ' asked the Confectioner, thoughtfully taking a spoonful of the same preserve and offering it to Redy.

' No," said Smaly.

" Then she can't have a beak," replied the Confectioner triumphantly.

" Do you mean to say you don't see her beak or mine either ? " asked Smaly in astonishment.

" Never in my life have I seen a beak upon any creature that had not wings as well," replied the Confectioner stolidly; " therefore it doesn't exist."

" A beak, a beak, a beak, not exist, not exist, not exist," said all the echoes one after the other.

Smaly decided to wait until the Confectioner spoke again ; but it was Redy who broke the silence in an unexpected manner.

She walked away from the Confectioner and stood looking at him scornfully from a little distance.

" An architect ! " she said. " You say you are an architect, but when we called * Reckybecky ' you opened the door, therefore you are Reckybecky, nothing but Reckybecky."

The Confectioner, who was a simple soul, stared at her very disconcerted. " Reckybecky," he repeated in a sort of stupefaction. " Reckybecky, am I really nothing but that ? '

" You are Reckybecky," repeated Redy firmly.

" Dear me, I never heard that before," said the Confectioner. " I wonder if you can be right. 18

Then if I am Reckybecky I suppose I am not an architect at all/' and he covered his face to try and think more clearly.

The two little people watched him timidly, wondering what was going on in that bent head. Suddenly the Confectioner raised his head and flung his pots and pans, his spoons and his knives, on to the ground on either side of him.

Most of the pots broke and fragrant streams of beautifully coloured preserves spread here and there over the uneven ground. Immediately dozens of Wigs pounced upon the wreckage, and while the jams trickled hither and thither amongst the grass these creatures tried to scrape it up again into jugs and basins, and even into their caps, with the spoon which every Wig carries hung from his belt.