The Magic Faraway Tree Read online

  "Now you will find our clothes for us, won't you?" said Jo. "We are trusting you, you see."

  "We are very trustable," said the dolls, and ran up the ladder after Jo had told them exactly where to find everything.

  Jo, Dick and Saucepan sat in their vests and pants and shivered a little, for the uniforms had been warm.

  "We shall look funny going home like this if those sailors don't keep their word!" said Dick. "As a matter of fact, I'd have liked to keep that uniform. I like it much better than my clothes."

  "Look-something's coming down the ladder!" cried Moon-Face, and they all ran out to see. "How quick the sailor dolls have been or soldier dolls, I suppose, we ought to call them now."

  Two sets of clothes tumbled down the ladder and the children caught them. Then came a clatter and a clanging as kettles and saucepans came down too. Saucepan was delighted. He put on a pair of ragged trousers and a funny old coat that came down with the pans -and then Silky helped him to string his kettles and saucepans round him as usual.

  "Now you look our dear old Saucepan again," said Silky. The boys dressed, too. Then Jo looked at Moon-Face's clock.

  "We must go," he said. "Thanks for the Pop Biscuits and everything. Now, Saucepan, don't get into any more trouble for a little while!"

  "Smile?" said Saucepan, going suddenly deaf again. "I am smiling. Look!"

  "That's a grin, not a smile!" said Jo, as he saw Saucepan smiling from ear to ear. "Now don't get into any more TROUBLE!"

  "Bubble? Where's a bubble?" said Saucepan, looking all round. "I didn't see anyone blowing bubbles."

  The children grinned. Saucepan was always very funny when he heard things wrong.

  "Come on," said Bessie. "Mother will be cross if we're home too late. Good-bye, Moon-Face. Good-bye, Silky. We'll see you again soon."

  "Well, don't forget to come to the Land of Goodies with us," said Silky. "That really will be fun. Nearly as much fun as the Land of Do-As-You-Please."

  "We'll come," promised Bessie. "Don't go without us. Can I have a red cushion, Moon-Face? Thank you!"

  One by one the four children slid swiftly down the slippery-slip to the bottom of the tree. They shot out of the trap-door, gave the red squirrel the cushions and set off home.

  "I'm looking forward to our next adventure," said Dick. "It makes my mouth water when I think of the Land of Goodies! Hurrah!"

  16

  The Land of Goodies

  The four children were rather naughty the next few days. Dick and Jo quarrelled, and they fell over when they began to wrestle with one another, and broke a little table.

  Then Bessie scorched a table-cloth when she was ironing it -and Fanny tore an enormous hole in her blue frock when she went blackberrying.

  "Really, you are all very naughty and careless lately," said their mother. "Jo, you will mend that table as best you can. Dick, you must help him-and if I see you quarrelling like that again I shall send you both to bed at once. Fanny, why didn't you put on your old overall when you went biackberrying, as I told you to? You are a naughty little girl. Sit down and mend that tear properly." Bessie had to wash the table-cloth carefully to try and get the scorch marks out of it.

  "I say, it's a pity all these things have happened just this week," groaned Jo to Dick, as the two boys did their best to mend the table. "I'm afraid the Land of Goodies will come and go before we get there! I daren't ask Mother or Father if we can go off to the Faraway Tree. We've been so naughty that they are sure to say no."

  "Moon-Face and the others will be wondering why we don't go," said Bessie, almost in tears.

  They were. The Land of Goodies had come, and a most delicious smell kept coming down the ladder. Moon-Face waited and waited for the children to come, and they didn't.

  Then he heard that the Land of Goodies was going to move away the next afternoon, and he wondered what to do.

  "We said we'd wait for the children -but we don't want to miss going ourselves," he said to Silky. "We had better send a note to them. Perhaps something has happened to stop them coming." So they wrote a note, and went down to ask the owl to take it. But he was asleep. So they went to the woodpecker, who had a hole in the tree for himself, and he said he would take it.

  He flew off with it in his beak. He soon found the cottage and rapped at the window with his beak.

  "A lovely woodpecker!" cried Jo, looking up. "See the red on his head? He's got a note for us!" He opened the window. Mother was there, ironing in the same room as the children, and she looked most astonished to see such an unexpected visitor.

  Jo took the note. The bird stayed on the window-sill, waiting for an answer. Jo read it and then showed it to the others. They all looked rather sad. It was dreadful to know that the lovely Land of Goodies had come and was so soon going -and they couldn't visit it.

  "Tell Moon-Face we've been naughty and can't come," said Jo.

  The bird spread its wings, but Mother looked up and spoke. "Wait a minute!" she said to the bird. Then she turned to Jo. "Read me the note," she said. Jo read it out loud: "DEAR JO, BESSIE, FANNY AND DICK, "The Land of Goodies is here and goes tomorrow. We have waited and waited for you to come. If you don't come to-morrow we shall have to go by ourselves. Can't you come?"

  Love from "SILKY, SAUCEPAN AND MOON-FACE."

  "The Land of Goodies!" said Mother in amazement. "Well, I never did hear of such funny happenings! I suppose there are lots of nice things to eat there, and that's why you all want to go. Well-you certainly have been bad children-but you've done your best to put things right. You may go to-morrow morning!"

  "Mother! Oh, Mother, thank you!" cried the children.

  "Thank you, Aunt Polly!" said Dick, hugging her. "Oh, how lovely!"

  "Tell Moon-Face we'll come as soon as we can to-morrow morning," said Jo to the listening woodpecker. He nodded his red-splashed head and flew off. The children talked together, excited.

  "I shan't have any breakfast," said Bessie. "It's not much good going to the Land of Goodies unless we're hungry!"

  "That's a good idea," said Dick. "I think I won't have any supper to-night either!"

  So when the time came for the four children to set off to the Enchanted Wood, they were all terribly hungry! They ran to the Faraway Tree and climbed up it in excitement.

  "I hope there are treacle tarts," said Jo.

  "I want chocolate blancmange," said Bessie.

  "I simply can't begin to say the things I'd like," said greedy Dick.

  "Well, don't," said Jo. "Save your breath and hurry. You're being left behind!"

  They got to Moon-Face's, and shouted loudly to him. He came running out of his tree-house in delight.

  "Oh, good, good, good!" he cried. "You are nice and early. Silky, they're here! Go down and call old Saucepan. He's with Mister Watzisname. I'm sure Saucepan would like to come too."

  It wasn't long before seven excited people were climbing up the ladder to the Land of Goodies. How they longed to see what it was like! Well, it was much better than anyone imagined! It was a small place, set with little crooked houses and shops -and every single house and shop was made of things to eat! The first house that the children saw was really most extraordinary.

  "Look at that house!" cried Jo. "Its walls are made of sugar -and the chimneys are chocolate-and the window-sills are peppermint cream!"

  "And look at that shop!" cried Dick. "It's got wails made of brown chocolate, and the door is made of marzipan. And I'm sure the window-sills are gingerbread!"

  The Land of Goodies was really a very extraordinary place. Everything in it seemed to be eatable. And then the children caught sight of the trees and bushes and called out in the greatest astonishment: "Look! That tree is growing currant buns!"

  "And that one has got buds that are opening out into biscuits! It's a Biscuit Tree!"

  "And look at this little tree here -it's growing big, flat, white flowers like plates -and the middle of the flowers is full of jelly. Let's taste it." They tasted it-and
it was jelly! It was really most peculiar. There was another small bush that grew clusters of a curious-looking fruit, like flat berries of all colours-and, will you believe it, when the children picked the fruit it was boiled sweets, all neatly growing together like a bunch of grapes.

  "Oooh, lovely!" said Jo, who liked boiled sweets very much. "I say, look at that yellow fence over there -surely it isn't made of barley-sugar!" It was.

  The children broke off big sticks from the fence, and sucked the barley-sugar. It was the nicest they had ever tasted.

  The shops were full of things to eat. You should just have seen them! Jo felt as if he would like a sausage roll and he went into a sausage-roll shop. The rolls were tumbling one by one out of a machine. The handle was being turned by a most peculiar man. He was quite flat and brown, and had what looked like black currants for eyes.

  "Do you know. I think he is a gingerbread man!" whispered Jo to the others. "He's just like the gingerbread people that Mother makes for us."

  The children chose a sausage roll each and went out, munching. They wandered into the next shop. It had lovely big iced cakes, set out in rows. Some were yellow, some were pink, and some white.

  "Your name, please?" asked the funny little woman there, looking at Bessie, who had asked for a cake.

  "Bessie," said the little girl in surprise. And there in the middle of the cake her name appeared in pink sugar letters! Of course, all the others wanted cakes, too, then, just to see their names come!

  "We shall never be able to eat all these," said Moon-Face, looking at the seven cakes that had suddenly appeared. But, you know, they tasted so delicious that, it wasn't very long before they all went! Into shop after shop went the children and the others, tasting everything they could see. They had tomato soup, poached eggs, ginger buns, chocolate fingers, ice-creams, and goodness knows what else.

  "Well, I just simply CAN'T eat anything more," said Silky at last. "I've been really greedy. I am sure I shall be ill if I eat anything else."

  "Oh, Silky!" said Dick. "Don't stop. I can go on for quite a long time yet."

  "Dick, you're greedy, really greedy," said Jo. "You ought to stop."

  "Well, I'm not going to," said Dick. The others looked at him.

  "You're getting very fat," said Jo suddenly. "You won't be able to get down the hole! You be careful, Dick. You are not to go into any more shops."

  "All right," said Dick, looking sulky. But although he did not go into the shops, do you know what he did? He broke off some of a gingerbread window-sill-and then he took a knocker from a door. It was made of barley-sugar, and Dick sucked it in delight. The others had not seen him do these things -but the man whose knocker Dick had pulled off did see him! He opened his door and came running out.

  "Hie, hie!" he cried angrily. "Bring back my knocker at once! You bad, naughty boy!"

  17

  Dick Gets Everyone Into Trouble

  When Jo and the others heard the angry voice behind them, they turned in surprise. Nobody but Dick knew what the angry little man was talking about.

  "Knocker?" said Jo, in astonishment. "What knocker? We haven't got your knocker."

  "That bad boy is eating my knocker!" cried the man, and he pointed to Dick. "I had a beautiful one, made of golden barley-sugar-and now that boy has eaten it nearly all up!"

  They all stared at Dick. He went very red. What was left of the knocker was in his mouth.

  "Did you really take his barley-sugar knocker?" said Jo in amazement. "Whatever were you thinking of, Dick?"

  "Well, I just never thought," said Dick, swallowing the rest of the knocker in a hurry. "I saw it there on the door-and it looked so nice. I'm very sorry."

  "That's all very well," said the angry man. "But being sorry won't bring back my knocker. You're a bad boy. You come and sit in my house till the others are ready to go. I won't have you going about in our land eating knockers and chimneys and window-sills!"

  "You'd better go, Dick," said Jo. "We'll call for you when we're ready to go home. We shan't be long now. Anyway, you've eaten quite enough." So poor Dick had to go into the house with the cross little man, who made him sit on a stool and keep still. The others wandered off again.

  "We mustn't be here much longer," said Moon-Face. "It's almost time for this land to move on. Look! Strawberries and cream." The children stared at the strawberries and cream. They had never seen such a strange sight before. The strawberries grew by the hundred on strawberry plants-but each strawberry had its own big dob of cream growing on it, ready to be eaten.

  "They are even sugared!" said Jo, picking one. "Look-my strawberry is powdered with white sugar-and, oh, the cream is delicious!" They enjoyed the strawberries and cream, and then Jo had a good idea.

  "I say! What about taking some of these lovely goodies back with us?" he said. "Watzisname would love a plum pie -and the Angry Pixie would like some of those jelly-flowers-and Dame Washalot would like a treacle pudding."

  "And Mother would like lots of things, too," said Bessie joyfully.

  So they all began collecting puddings and pies and cakes. It was fun. The treacle pudding had so much treacle that it dripped all down Moon-Face's leg.

  "You'll have to have a bath, Moon-Face," said Silky. "You're terribly sticky." They nearly forgot to call for poor Dick! As they passed the house whose knocker he had eaten, he banged loudly on the window, and they all stopped.

  "Gracious! We nearly forgot about Dick!" said Bessie. "Dick, Dick, come on! We're going!"

  Dick came running out of the house. The little man called after him: "Now, don't you eat anybody's knocker again!"

  "Goodness! Why have you got all those things?" asked Dick in surprise, looking at the puddings and pies and cakes. "Are they for our supper?"

  "Dick! How can you think of supper after eating such a lot!" cried Jo. "Why, I’m sure I couldn't eat even a chocolate before to-morrow morning. No-these things are for Watzisname and Dame Washalot and Mother. Come on. Moon-Face says this land will soon be on the move."

  They all went to the hole that led down through the cloud. It didn't take long to climb down the ladder and on to the big branch outside Moon-Face's house.

  Dick came last-and he suddenly missed his footing and fell right down the ladder on the top of the others below. And he knocked the puddings, pies and cakes right out of their hands! Down went all the goodies, bumping from branch to branch. The children and the others stared after them in dismay.

  Then there came a very angry yell from below. "Who's thrown a. treacle pudding at me? Wait till I get them. I've treacle all over me. It burst on my head. Oh, oh, OH!"

  Then there came an angry squealing from lower down still. "Plum pie! Plum pie in my washtub! Sausage rolls in my washtub! Peppermints down my neck! Oh, you rascals up there-I'm coming up after you, so I am!"

  And from still lower down came the voice of the Angry Pixie-and truly a very angry pixie, indeed, he was! "Jelly on my nose! Jelly down my neck! Jelly in my pockets! What next? Who's doing all this? Wait till I come up and tell them what I think!"

  The children listened, half frightened and very much amused. They began to giggle.

  "Plum pie in Dame Washalot's tub!" giggled Jo.

  "Jelly on the Angry Pixie's nose!" said Bessie.

  "I say-I do believe they really are coming up!" said Jo, in alarm. "Look-isn't that Watzisname?" They all peered down the tree. Yes -it was Watzisname climbing up, looking very angry.

  The Saucepan Man leaned over rather too far, and nearly fell. Dick just caught him in time-but one of his kettles came loose and fell down. It bounced from branch to branch and landed on poor old Watzisname's big head! He gave a tremendous yell.

  "What! Is it you, Saucepan, throwing all these things down the tree. What you want is a spanking. And you'll get it? And anybody else up there playing tricks will get a fine fat spanking, too!"

  "A spanking!" said Dame Washalot's voice.

  "A SPANKING!" roared the Angry Pixie not far behind.
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  "Golly!" said Jo in alarm. "It looks as if the Land of Spankings is about to arrive up here. I vote we go. You'd better shut your door, Moon-Face, and you and Silky and Saucepan had better lie down on the sofa and the bed and pretend to be asleep. Then maybe those angry people will think it's somebody up in the Land of Goodies that has been throwing all those things down."

  "Dick ought to stay up there and get the spankings," said Moon-Face gloomily. "First he goes and eats somebody's door-knocker and gets into trouble. Then he falls on top of us all and sends all the goodies down the tree."

  "I'm going down the slippery-slip with the children," said Silky, who was very much afraid of Mister Watzisname when he was in a temper. "I can climb up to my house and lock myself in before all those angry people come down again. Saucepan, why don't you come, too?"

  Saucepan thought he would. So the children and Silky and Saucepan all slid down the slippery-slip. Just in time, too -for Mister Watzisname came shouting up to Moon-Face's door as Jo, who was last, slid down.

  Moon-Face had shut his door. He was lying on his bed, pretending to be asleep. Watzisname banged hard on the door. Moon-Face didn't answer. Watzisname peeped in at the window.

  "Moon-Face! Wake up! Wake up, I say!"

  "What's the matter?" said Moon-Face, in a sleepy voice, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

  Dame Washalot and the Angry Pixie came up, too. The Pixie had jelly all over him, and Watzisname had treacle pudding down him. They were all very angry.

  They opened Moon-Face's door and went in. "Who was it that threw all those things down on us?" asked Watzisname. "Where's Saucepan? Did he throw that kettle? I'm going to spank him."

  "Whatever are you talking about?" said Moon-Face, pretending not to know. "How sticky you are, Watzisname!"

  "And so are you!" yelled Watzisname, suddenly, seeing treacle shining all down Moon-Face's legs. "It was you who threw that pudding down on me! My word, I'll spank you hard!" Then all three of them went for poor Moon-Face, who got about six hard slaps. He rolled over to the slippery-slip, and slid down it in a fright.