door.
"Good-bye. So glad you liked my circus. Do things seem a bit fairer now?"
"Oh yes!" cried Eileen. And then down the stairs went Pink-Whistle, he opened the front door, and was gone. Mother saw the front door opening and shutting by itself and she was most surprised. You see, she couldn't see Pink-Whistle at all.
She went up the stairs—and as soon as she came to Eileen's door, an extraordinary thing happened. All the toys had hopped down from Eileen's bed and were running back to the nursery. There they went— monkeys, dolls, bears, and all. Mother simply couldn't believe her eyes.
I must be imagining things," she thought. She peeped into the nursery. All the toys were in their places, as still as could be. Nobody would ever imagine they had been in Mr. Pink-Whistle's circus all afternoon. "Eileen! What do you think I've bought you?" cried Mother, going into the bedroom. "Look—a little toy circus! Won't you love that?"
"Yes, I will," said Eileen, sitting up joyfully. "But Mother—I shall like Mr. Pink-Whistle's circus the very best of all!"
And I'm sure I would, too, wouldn't you?
THE TWO MONKEYS GOBBLED UP THE BANANAS.
CHAPTER VII
MR. PINK-WHISTLE AND THE
COWARDS
PAUL went to school every morning, feeling afraid. He wasn't A afraid of school, or of his teacher, or of any of his lessons. He was afraid of two boys who went to the same school as he did.
Every morning these two boys lay in wait for Paul. He had to go down their lane, and sometimes they hid behind the big oak tree to jump out at him, and sometimes they hid behind the hedge. He never knew where they would be.
They never hurt him. They didn't kick or pinch or punch—they teased Paul in another way.
They threw his school cap over the hedge or up into a tree. They threw his school bag into the pond. They would take his lunch and scatter it over the grass. And Paul couldn't possibly stop them because they were two to one.
"You are cowards," he once said to John and Alan. "You wouldn't do this to me if there was only one of you, because I could fight you then. But I can't fight two of you. I shall report you to our teacher if you do this any more."
"Well, if you tell tales, we'll tease you all the more," said Alan.
"We might even take off your shoes and stockings and put them on the old goat over there," said John.
Well, Paul knew quite well that they were likely to do what they said, for they didn't seem to care a bit what they did. So he didn't tell. He didn't like telling tales anyway, but he became very miserable about his teasing, because he got into trouble at home and at school over his lost caps, his wet school-bag and books, and his excuses over his lost lunch.
"Surely there must be times when it's best to tell tales?" he though: to himself. "Why should I keep getting into trouble like this for things
that are not my fault? Still—I should get into worse trouble from John and Alan if they knew I'd told tales—they might begin to pinch and kick me. I'm too small to fight both of them at once."
Well, things went on like this all through the summer term. Poor Paul had to have two new caps, because John threw one of his into the middle of a gorse bush far too prickly to rescue it from, and then Alan threw the second cap up a telegraph post and it hung there on the top of the post, impossible to reach.
Twice Paul was scolded and punished for bringing school books soaking wet to school. But how could-he help it? John had again thrown his bag into the pond, scaring all the ducks, and soaking everything inside the bag.
And then one day something happened. Paul was going along to school, a little earlier than usual, hoping to slip down the lane before John and Alan came along. And up the lane came a funny little man, whose pointed ears showed that he was half a brownie.
It was Mr. Pink-Whistle, of course, but nobody could know it was because he couldn't be seen. He was invisible, but he had quite forgotten that, and was stamping
"Good-bye. So glad you liked my circus. Do things seem a bit fairer now?"
"Oh yes!" cried Eileen. And then down the stairs went Pink-Whistle, he opened the front door, and was gone. Mother saw the front door opening and shutting by itself and she was most surprised. You see, she couldn't see Pink-Whistle at all.
She went up the stairs—and as soon as she came to Eileen's door, an extraordinary thing happened. All the toys had hopped down from Eileen's bed and were running back to the nursery. There they went— monkeys, dolls, bears, and all. Mother simply couldn't believe her eyes.
I must be imagining things," she thought. She peeped into the nursery. All the toys were in their places, as still as could be. Nobody would ever imagine they had been in Mr. Pink-Whistle's circus all afternoon. "Eileen! What do you think I've bought you?" cried Mother, going into the bedroom. "Look—a little toy circus! Won't you love that?"
"Yes, I will," said Eileen, sitting up joyfully. "But Mother—I shall like Mr. Pink-Whistle's circus the very best of all!"
And I'm sure I would, too, wouldn't you?
THE TWO MONKEYS GOBBLED UP THE BANANAS.
CHAPTER VII
MR. PINK-WHISTLE AND THE
COWARDS
PAUL went to school every morning, feeling afraid. He wasn't A afraid of school, or of his teacher, or of any of his lessons. He was afraid of two boys who went to the same school as he did.
Every morning these two boys lay in wait for Paul. He had to go down their lane, and sometimes they hid behind the big oak tree to jump out at him, and sometimes they hid behind the hedge. He never knew where they would be.
They never hurt him. They didn't kick or pinch or punch—they teased Paul in another way.
They threw his school cap over the hedge or up into a tree. They threw his school bag into the pond. They would take his lunch and scatter it over the grass. And Paul couldn't possibly stop them because they were two to one.
"You are cowards," he once said to John and Alan. "You wouldn't do this to me if there was only one of you, because I could fight you then. But I can't fight two of you. I shall report you to our teacher if you do this any more."
"Well, if you tell tales, we'll tease you all the more," said Alan.
"We might even take off your shoes and stockings and put them on the old goat over there," said John.
Well, Paul knew quite well that they were likely to do what they said, for they didn't seem to care a bit what they did. So he didn't tell. He didn't like telling tales anyway, but he became very miserable about his teasing, because he got into trouble at home and at school over his lost caps, his wet school-bag and books, and his excuses over his lost lunch.
"Surely there must be times when it's best to tell tales?" he though: to himself. "Why should I keep getting into trouble like this for things
that are not my fault? Still—I should get into worse trouble from John and Alan if they knew I'd told tales—they might begin to pinch and kick me. I'm too small to fight both of them at once."
Well, things went on like this all through the summer term. Poor Paul had to have two new caps, because John threw one of his into the middle of a gorse bush far too prickly to rescue it from, and then Alan threw the second cap up a telegraph post and it hung there on the top of the post, impossible to reach.
Twice Paul was scolded and punished for bringing school books soaking wet to school. But how could-he help it? John had again thrown his bag into the pond, scaring all the ducks, and soaking everything inside the bag.
And then one day something happened. Paul was going along to school, a little earlier than usual, hoping to slip down the lane before John and Alan came along. And up the lane came a funny little man, whose pointed ears showed that he was half a brownie.
It was Mr. Pink-Whistle, of course, but nobody could know it was because he couldn't be seen. He was invisible, but he had quite forgotten that, and was stamping
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