along gaily, whistling loudly.
Now, half-way down the lane John and Alan were hiding behind a tree, waiting for Paul, and when they heard the footsteps and the whistling they felt sure it was Paul coming along as usual. So, to Mr. Pink-Whistle's enormous astonishment, the two boys suddenly leapt out as he came by, shouting fiercely, their arms outstretched to catch Paul. But Paul wasn't there—no one was there! They couldn't see Pink-Whistle—and they couldn't hear him either, now, for he had stopped walking in amazement and was no longer whistling.
"Well!" said John, in astonishment, "I thought I heard Paul. But there's no one here!"
"I heard steps and whistling," said Alan. "Oh, look—there's Paul—coming down the lane. Come on, let's give his mack to the old goat to eat! Before Paul can get it away from him, he'll have munched big holes in it!"
Mr. Pink-Whistle listened to all this in the greatest surprise. Give a mackintosh to a goat to eat? These boys must be mad!
John and Alan pounced on poor Paul. They dragged his dark blue mack off his arm. "The old goat wants it for his dinner!" said Alan, with a grin.
"No, don't," said Paul, in alarm. "My mother has just paid a lot of money for that mack. It's new. Don't be so mean."
But the mack was wrenched away and thrown over the hedge for the goat to eat. Paul was left to try and get it back whilst the other boys ran off to school, laughing.
THE CAPS FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND LANDED ON TWO CHIMNEYS!
"Beasts!" said Paul, climbing over the hedge to get his mack. The goat had already bitten off a button. "Why don't they leave me alone? They throw my caps away, they throw my bag into the pond, they spoil everything of mine that they can. And I can't stop them! Nobody can!"
"Excuse me—but I think I can do something about it," said Mr. Pink-Whistle, appearing so suddenly that both Paul and the goat jumped in surprise. The goat dropped the mack and ran away. Paul stood and stared at Pink-Whistle in amazement.
"Where did you come from?" he asked. "You suddenly appeared!"
"Yes. I forgot I was invisible," said Pink-Whistle. "I didn't mean to give you quite such a shock. Let me have a look at that mack."
There was a big tear in it and a button was gone. It was in the goat, so there was no getting that back. But somehow Pink-Whistle managed to mend the mack. A new button seemed to grow, in the right place, and the big tear pressed its edges together, gave a peculiar kind of squeak, and disappeared.
"I say," said Paul, half-scared. "I say—you're a bit magic, aren't you?"
"Just a bit," said Pink-Whistle. "Now—you'd better rush off to school, or you'll be late. Leave things to me. I have a feeling I'm going to interfere a little. If you want to see a bit of fun, hide behind that tree at the end of the morning."
Paul stared hard at Pink-Whistle. He couldn't make him out. He liked the little man very much indeed, and he thought he had the brightest twinkle in his eyes that he had ever seen. He nodded, put his mack over his arm, and sped off to school, wondering what was going to happen.
At the end of the morning Paul shot off before John and Alan left. Now it was his turn to hide behind the tree—not to pounce out, but to watch. He couldn't see Mr. Pink-Whistle anywhere. He wondered if he could have imagined him.
But Pink-Whistle was there all right. He had made himself invisible again, that was all. He waited for John and Alan, and very soon along they came, kicking a stone between them.
"Excuse me," said Pink-Whistle, in a loud but polite voice. The boys stopped in surprise. They could see no one.
"I want to borrow your caps," said Pink-Whistle, still very polite. To the boys' dismay their caps suddenly whisked of! their heads, flew up into the air and landed on the exact tops of two chimneys belonging to a near-by cottage.
"And now your shoes, please," said Pink-Whistle; and their laces were undone, and their shoes pulled off, before they knew what was
Now, half-way down the lane John and Alan were hiding behind a tree, waiting for Paul, and when they heard the footsteps and the whistling they felt sure it was Paul coming along as usual. So, to Mr. Pink-Whistle's enormous astonishment, the two boys suddenly leapt out as he came by, shouting fiercely, their arms outstretched to catch Paul. But Paul wasn't there—no one was there! They couldn't see Pink-Whistle—and they couldn't hear him either, now, for he had stopped walking in amazement and was no longer whistling.
"Well!" said John, in astonishment, "I thought I heard Paul. But there's no one here!"
"I heard steps and whistling," said Alan. "Oh, look—there's Paul—coming down the lane. Come on, let's give his mack to the old goat to eat! Before Paul can get it away from him, he'll have munched big holes in it!"
Mr. Pink-Whistle listened to all this in the greatest surprise. Give a mackintosh to a goat to eat? These boys must be mad!
John and Alan pounced on poor Paul. They dragged his dark blue mack off his arm. "The old goat wants it for his dinner!" said Alan, with a grin.
"No, don't," said Paul, in alarm. "My mother has just paid a lot of money for that mack. It's new. Don't be so mean."
But the mack was wrenched away and thrown over the hedge for the goat to eat. Paul was left to try and get it back whilst the other boys ran off to school, laughing.
THE CAPS FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND LANDED ON TWO CHIMNEYS!
"Beasts!" said Paul, climbing over the hedge to get his mack. The goat had already bitten off a button. "Why don't they leave me alone? They throw my caps away, they throw my bag into the pond, they spoil everything of mine that they can. And I can't stop them! Nobody can!"
"Excuse me—but I think I can do something about it," said Mr. Pink-Whistle, appearing so suddenly that both Paul and the goat jumped in surprise. The goat dropped the mack and ran away. Paul stood and stared at Pink-Whistle in amazement.
"Where did you come from?" he asked. "You suddenly appeared!"
"Yes. I forgot I was invisible," said Pink-Whistle. "I didn't mean to give you quite such a shock. Let me have a look at that mack."
There was a big tear in it and a button was gone. It was in the goat, so there was no getting that back. But somehow Pink-Whistle managed to mend the mack. A new button seemed to grow, in the right place, and the big tear pressed its edges together, gave a peculiar kind of squeak, and disappeared.
"I say," said Paul, half-scared. "I say—you're a bit magic, aren't you?"
"Just a bit," said Pink-Whistle. "Now—you'd better rush off to school, or you'll be late. Leave things to me. I have a feeling I'm going to interfere a little. If you want to see a bit of fun, hide behind that tree at the end of the morning."
Paul stared hard at Pink-Whistle. He couldn't make him out. He liked the little man very much indeed, and he thought he had the brightest twinkle in his eyes that he had ever seen. He nodded, put his mack over his arm, and sped off to school, wondering what was going to happen.
At the end of the morning Paul shot off before John and Alan left. Now it was his turn to hide behind the tree—not to pounce out, but to watch. He couldn't see Mr. Pink-Whistle anywhere. He wondered if he could have imagined him.
But Pink-Whistle was there all right. He had made himself invisible again, that was all. He waited for John and Alan, and very soon along they came, kicking a stone between them.
"Excuse me," said Pink-Whistle, in a loud but polite voice. The boys stopped in surprise. They could see no one.
"I want to borrow your caps," said Pink-Whistle, still very polite. To the boys' dismay their caps suddenly whisked of! their heads, flew up into the air and landed on the exact tops of two chimneys belonging to a near-by cottage.
"And now your shoes, please," said Pink-Whistle; and their laces were undone, and their shoes pulled off, before they knew what was
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