[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
all, but just the housekeeper's niece, Mabel Prowse; though, as Jimmy said, "she was enchanted, right
enough."
"It's no use talking," she said again and again, and the voice came from an empty-looking space
between two pillars; "I never believed anything would happen, and now it has."
"Well," said Gerald kindly, "can we do anything for you? Because, if not, I think we ought to be
going."
"Yes," said Jimmy; "I do want my tea!"
"Tea!" said the unseen Mabel scornfully. "Do you mean to say you'd go off to your teas and leave me
after getting me into this mess?"
"Well, of all the unfair Princesses I ever met!" Gerald began. But Kathleen interrupted
"Oh, don't rag her," she said. "Think how horrid it must be to be invisible!"
"I don't think," said the hidden Mabel, "that my aunt likes me very much as it is. She wouldn't let me
go to the fair because I'd forgotten to put back some old trumpery shoe that Queen Elizabeth wore I got
it out from the glass case to try it on."
"Did it fit?" asked Kathleen, with interest
"Not it much too small," said Mabel. "I don't believe it ever fitted anyone."
"I do want my tea!" said Jimmy
"I do really think perhaps we ought to go," said Gerald. "You see, it isn't as if we could do anything
for you."
"You'll have to tell your aunt," said Kathleen kindly
"No, no, no!" moaned Mabel invisibly; "take me with you. I'll leave her a note to say I've run away to
sea."
"Girls don't run away to sea.""
They might," said the stone floor between the pillars, "as stowaways, if nobody wanted a cabin boy
cabin girl, I mean."
"I'm sure you oughtn't," said Kathleen firmly.
"Well, what am I to do?"
"Really," said Gerald, "I don't know what the girl can do. Let her come home with us and have "
"Tea oh, yes," said Jimmy, jumping up.
"And have a good council."
"After tea," said Jimmy
"But her aunt'lI find she's gone."
"So she would if I stayed."
"Oh, come on," said Jimmy.
"But the aunt'll think something's happened to her."
"So it has."
"And she'll tell the police, and they'll look everywhere for me."
"They'll never find you," said Gerald. "Talk of impenetrable disguises!"
"I'm sure," said Mabel, "aunt would much rather never see me again than see me like this. She'd
never get over it; it might kill her she has spasms as it is. I'll write to her, and we'll put it in the big
letter-box at the gate as we go out. Has anyone got a bit of pencil and a scrap of paper?"
Gerald had a note-book, with leaves of the shiny kind which you have to write on, not with a
blacklead pencil, but with an ivory thing with a point of real lead. And it won't write on any other paper
except the kind that is in the book, and this is often very annoying when you are in a hurry. Then was
seen the strange spectacle of a little ivory stick, with a leaden point, standing up at an odd,
impossible-looking slant, and moving along all by itself as ordinary pencils do when you are writing with
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them
"May we look over?" asked Kathleen.
There was no answer. The pencil went on writing.
"Mayn't we look over?" Kathleen said again."
Of course you may!" said the voice near the paper. "I nodded, didn't I? Oh, I forgot, my nodding's
invisible too."T
he pencil was forming round, clear letters on the page torn out of the note-book. This is what it
wrote:
"Dear Aunt, I am afraid you will not see me again for some time. A lady in a motor-car has adopted
me, and we are going straight to the coast and then in a ship. It is useless to try to follow me. Farewell,
and may you be happy. I hope you enjoyed the fair
Mabel ."
"But that's all lies," said Jimmy bluntly.
"No, it isn't; it's fancy," said Mabel. "If I said I've become invisible, she'd think that was a lie,
anyhow.""
Oh, come along," said Jimmy; "you can quarrel just as well walking."
Gerald folded up the note as a lady in India had taught him to do years before, and Mabel led them
by another and very much nearer way out of the park. And the walk home was a great deal shorter, too,
than the walk out had been.
The sky had clouded over while they were in the Temple of Flora, and the first spots of rain fell as
they got back to the house, very late indeed for tea.
Mademoiselle was looking out of the window, and came herself to open the door
"But it is that you are in lateness, in lateness!" she cried. "You have had a misfortune no? All goes
well?"
"We are very sorry indeed," said Gerald. "It took us longer to get home than we expected. I do hope [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
all, but just the housekeeper's niece, Mabel Prowse; though, as Jimmy said, "she was enchanted, right
enough."
"It's no use talking," she said again and again, and the voice came from an empty-looking space
between two pillars; "I never believed anything would happen, and now it has."
"Well," said Gerald kindly, "can we do anything for you? Because, if not, I think we ought to be
going."
"Yes," said Jimmy; "I do want my tea!"
"Tea!" said the unseen Mabel scornfully. "Do you mean to say you'd go off to your teas and leave me
after getting me into this mess?"
"Well, of all the unfair Princesses I ever met!" Gerald began. But Kathleen interrupted
"Oh, don't rag her," she said. "Think how horrid it must be to be invisible!"
"I don't think," said the hidden Mabel, "that my aunt likes me very much as it is. She wouldn't let me
go to the fair because I'd forgotten to put back some old trumpery shoe that Queen Elizabeth wore I got
it out from the glass case to try it on."
"Did it fit?" asked Kathleen, with interest
"Not it much too small," said Mabel. "I don't believe it ever fitted anyone."
"I do want my tea!" said Jimmy
"I do really think perhaps we ought to go," said Gerald. "You see, it isn't as if we could do anything
for you."
"You'll have to tell your aunt," said Kathleen kindly
"No, no, no!" moaned Mabel invisibly; "take me with you. I'll leave her a note to say I've run away to
sea."
"Girls don't run away to sea.""
They might," said the stone floor between the pillars, "as stowaways, if nobody wanted a cabin boy
cabin girl, I mean."
"I'm sure you oughtn't," said Kathleen firmly.
"Well, what am I to do?"
"Really," said Gerald, "I don't know what the girl can do. Let her come home with us and have "
"Tea oh, yes," said Jimmy, jumping up.
"And have a good council."
"After tea," said Jimmy
"But her aunt'lI find she's gone."
"So she would if I stayed."
"Oh, come on," said Jimmy.
"But the aunt'll think something's happened to her."
"So it has."
"And she'll tell the police, and they'll look everywhere for me."
"They'll never find you," said Gerald. "Talk of impenetrable disguises!"
"I'm sure," said Mabel, "aunt would much rather never see me again than see me like this. She'd
never get over it; it might kill her she has spasms as it is. I'll write to her, and we'll put it in the big
letter-box at the gate as we go out. Has anyone got a bit of pencil and a scrap of paper?"
Gerald had a note-book, with leaves of the shiny kind which you have to write on, not with a
blacklead pencil, but with an ivory thing with a point of real lead. And it won't write on any other paper
except the kind that is in the book, and this is often very annoying when you are in a hurry. Then was
seen the strange spectacle of a little ivory stick, with a leaden point, standing up at an odd,
impossible-looking slant, and moving along all by itself as ordinary pencils do when you are writing with
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
them
"May we look over?" asked Kathleen.
There was no answer. The pencil went on writing.
"Mayn't we look over?" Kathleen said again."
Of course you may!" said the voice near the paper. "I nodded, didn't I? Oh, I forgot, my nodding's
invisible too."T
he pencil was forming round, clear letters on the page torn out of the note-book. This is what it
wrote:
"Dear Aunt, I am afraid you will not see me again for some time. A lady in a motor-car has adopted
me, and we are going straight to the coast and then in a ship. It is useless to try to follow me. Farewell,
and may you be happy. I hope you enjoyed the fair
Mabel ."
"But that's all lies," said Jimmy bluntly.
"No, it isn't; it's fancy," said Mabel. "If I said I've become invisible, she'd think that was a lie,
anyhow.""
Oh, come along," said Jimmy; "you can quarrel just as well walking."
Gerald folded up the note as a lady in India had taught him to do years before, and Mabel led them
by another and very much nearer way out of the park. And the walk home was a great deal shorter, too,
than the walk out had been.
The sky had clouded over while they were in the Temple of Flora, and the first spots of rain fell as
they got back to the house, very late indeed for tea.
Mademoiselle was looking out of the window, and came herself to open the door
"But it is that you are in lateness, in lateness!" she cried. "You have had a misfortune no? All goes
well?"
"We are very sorry indeed," said Gerald. "It took us longer to get home than we expected. I do hope [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]