far braver than he felt.
"We ’ ve come to tell you to set our friend free," he said. "Open that webby door at once and let him out. We know he ’ s down there, because we can hear him singing."
Out floated Saucepan ’ s voice. "Two smacks for a spider . . ."
"There! He ’ s singing that rude song again!" said the spider, looking most annoyed. "No, I certainly shan ’ t let him go. He wants a lesson."
"I tell you, you must let him go!" said Moon-Face. "He doesn ’ t belong to your Land. He belongs to ours. He ’ ll be most unhappy here."
"Serve him right, " said the spider. “A- wish-oo! A- wish-oo! Bother this cold."
"I hope you get hundreds of colds!" said Moon-Face, crossly. "Are you going to let Saucepan free, or shall we slash that door into bits?"
"Try, if you like!" said the spider, taking out a big red handkerchief from somewhere. "You ’ l l be sorry, that ’ s all I can say."
"Anyone got a knife?" asked Moon-Face. Nobody had. So Moon-Face marched to a nearby hedge and cut out two or three stout sticks. He gave one to J o, one to Watzisname, and another to Fanny. He could see that Connie and Miss Muffet wo u l dn ’ t be much use, so he didn ’ t give them a stick.
"Now—s l ash down the door!" cried Moon- Face. The spider didn ’ t say anything, but a horrid smile came on its face. It sat down and watched.
Moon-Face ran to the webby door and slashed at it with his stick. Jo and Watzisname slashed too, and Fanny followed.
But the webby door stuck to their sticks, and wound itself all round them. They tried to get it off, but the web stuck to them too. Soon it was floating about in long threads fastening itself round their legs and arms.
The spider got up. Connie and Miss Muffet were frightened and ran off as fast as they could. They hid under a bush and watched. They saw the spider push Jo , Moon- Face, Fanny and Watzisname into a heap together, and then roll them up in grey web so that they were caught like flies.
Then he bundled them all into his cave, and sat down to spin another webby door.
"A- wish- oo!" sneezed the spider, suddenly. Then he coughed. He certainly had a terrible cold. He spied Connie and Miss Muffet under the bush and called to them.
"You come over here too, and I ’ ll wrap you up nice and cosy in my web!"
Both Connie and Miss Muffet gave a squeal and ran back to Miss Muffet ’ s cottage as fast as ever they could. When they got there they saw Bessie coming along with J ack and J ill.
"Hul l o, Miss Muffet!" called Jack . "Fancy, because of Bessie ’ s help, I got down the hill for the first time without falling over and hurting my head. Mother was very pleased, and she ’ s given me a whole day off and J ill too. So we thought we ’ d come and spend it with the other children, and Moon-Face. Where are they?"
"Oh, they ’ ve been taken prisoner by Miss Muffet ’ s spider!" said Connie. She told them all about it, and Bessie stared in dismay. What! J o and Fanny being kept prisoner by a horrid old spider! Whatever could be done?
"And he had an awful cold," finished Connie. "I never knew spiders could catch colds before. He was coughing and sneezing just like we do."
"Sounds as if he ought to be in bed," said J i l l. "Look out—here he comes!"
"A-wish- oo!" said the spider, as he came by. “A-wish- oo! Bother this cold!"
"Why don ’ t you do something for it?" said J ill, stepping boldly forward. She knew the spider quite well, and was not afraid of him.
"Well, I ’ ve put a scarf on, haven ’ t I?" said the Spider, sniffling. "What more can I do?"
"You ’ d better put your feet in a mustard bath," s aid J ack. "That ’ s what Mother makes us do if we have a bad cold. And we have to go to bed too, and drink hot lemon."
"That does sound nice and comforting," said the spider. "But I ’ ve got no bed, and no one to look after me—and no lemon."
"If Miss Muffet will lend you a bed, and squeeze you a lemon, J ack and I will look after you," said
"We ’ ve come to tell you to set our friend free," he said. "Open that webby door at once and let him out. We know he ’ s down there, because we can hear him singing."
Out floated Saucepan ’ s voice. "Two smacks for a spider . . ."
"There! He ’ s singing that rude song again!" said the spider, looking most annoyed. "No, I certainly shan ’ t let him go. He wants a lesson."
"I tell you, you must let him go!" said Moon-Face. "He doesn ’ t belong to your Land. He belongs to ours. He ’ ll be most unhappy here."
"Serve him right, " said the spider. “A- wish-oo! A- wish-oo! Bother this cold."
"I hope you get hundreds of colds!" said Moon-Face, crossly. "Are you going to let Saucepan free, or shall we slash that door into bits?"
"Try, if you like!" said the spider, taking out a big red handkerchief from somewhere. "You ’ l l be sorry, that ’ s all I can say."
"Anyone got a knife?" asked Moon-Face. Nobody had. So Moon-Face marched to a nearby hedge and cut out two or three stout sticks. He gave one to J o, one to Watzisname, and another to Fanny. He could see that Connie and Miss Muffet wo u l dn ’ t be much use, so he didn ’ t give them a stick.
"Now—s l ash down the door!" cried Moon- Face. The spider didn ’ t say anything, but a horrid smile came on its face. It sat down and watched.
Moon-Face ran to the webby door and slashed at it with his stick. Jo and Watzisname slashed too, and Fanny followed.
But the webby door stuck to their sticks, and wound itself all round them. They tried to get it off, but the web stuck to them too. Soon it was floating about in long threads fastening itself round their legs and arms.
The spider got up. Connie and Miss Muffet were frightened and ran off as fast as they could. They hid under a bush and watched. They saw the spider push Jo , Moon- Face, Fanny and Watzisname into a heap together, and then roll them up in grey web so that they were caught like flies.
Then he bundled them all into his cave, and sat down to spin another webby door.
"A- wish- oo!" sneezed the spider, suddenly. Then he coughed. He certainly had a terrible cold. He spied Connie and Miss Muffet under the bush and called to them.
"You come over here too, and I ’ ll wrap you up nice and cosy in my web!"
Both Connie and Miss Muffet gave a squeal and ran back to Miss Muffet ’ s cottage as fast as ever they could. When they got there they saw Bessie coming along with J ack and J ill.
"Hul l o, Miss Muffet!" called Jack . "Fancy, because of Bessie ’ s help, I got down the hill for the first time without falling over and hurting my head. Mother was very pleased, and she ’ s given me a whole day off and J ill too. So we thought we ’ d come and spend it with the other children, and Moon-Face. Where are they?"
"Oh, they ’ ve been taken prisoner by Miss Muffet ’ s spider!" said Connie. She told them all about it, and Bessie stared in dismay. What! J o and Fanny being kept prisoner by a horrid old spider! Whatever could be done?
"And he had an awful cold," finished Connie. "I never knew spiders could catch colds before. He was coughing and sneezing just like we do."
"Sounds as if he ought to be in bed," said J i l l. "Look out—here he comes!"
"A-wish- oo!" said the spider, as he came by. “A-wish- oo! Bother this cold!"
"Why don ’ t you do something for it?" said J ill, stepping boldly forward. She knew the spider quite well, and was not afraid of him.
"Well, I ’ ve put a scarf on, haven ’ t I?" said the Spider, sniffling. "What more can I do?"
"You ’ d better put your feet in a mustard bath," s aid J ack. "That ’ s what Mother makes us do if we have a bad cold. And we have to go to bed too, and drink hot lemon."
"That does sound nice and comforting," said the spider. "But I ’ ve got no bed, and no one to look after me—and no lemon."
"If Miss Muffet will lend you a bed, and squeeze you a lemon, J ack and I will look after you," said
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