More Wishing-Chair Stories Part 4

aOh, no!a yelled Peter, angrily. aWe're not going there for the Old Woman to get hold of us. Chair, go where you like!a The chair set off to the west, then, changing its course so suddenly that c.h.i.n.ky almost fell off the back. It flew over a land of gleaming towers.

c.h.i.n.ky peered down. aThis is the Land of Bells, I think,a he said. aThere are bells in every tower. Yes, listena"you can hear them.a aDing-dong, dong-dong, dell!a rang dozens and dozens of bells, echoing all through the sky round them. The wis.h.i.+ng-chair didn't attempt to go down. It kept high above the tall, gleaming towers, and soon it had left the Land of Bells far behind.

aIt's beginning to get really dark now,a said Peter peering down. aWhere do you suppose the chair is going to?a aI think it's rather cross,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aIt's begun to creak a bit. I wonder why? We haven't done anything to make it angry. I wish it wouldn't swing about so. It feels as if it's trying to shake us off.a aYes, it does,a said Mollie. aHold tight, everyone! I say, looka"is that a town down there? c.h.i.n.ky, do you know what it is?a c.h.i.n.ky peered down. aYesa"it's the Town of Bad Dreams. Gracious, I hope we don't go there. We don't want to fall into a bad dream and not know how to get out of it!a aGo on farther, Chair,a commanded Peter at once. A little voice called out, too, aGo farther! Go to the Brownie Mountain!a aThere's that voice again,a said c.h.i.n.ky crossly. aChair, take no notice. You belong to us and you have to do what we say! Go farthera"but go where you like. We want an adventure before we go back home.a The chair suddenly began to drop downwards. c.h.i.n.ky peered to see where they were going. aWe've pa.s.sed the Town of Bad Dreams. We're dropping down to the Village of Gobbo. Yesa"that's right. Dear me, I wonder why? Gobbo is the head of all the brownies, and bad ones are sent to him to be punished.a A loud wail rose on the air. aOh my, oh my! Chair, go to the Brownie Mountain, I tell you!a But the chair took no notice. It flew right down to the ground, and immediately two stern-looking brownies came up, both with long beards and s.h.a.ggy eyebrows.

aWho has been brought to be punished?a said one. aWhich of you is a bad brownie?a aNot one of us,a said Peter, puzzled. aMollie and I are childrena"and c.h.i.n.ky here is a pixie.a aWell, go away again, then,a said one of the brownies. aLanding is not allowed here unless naughty brownies are to be taken before our chief, Gobbo.a aRight. Chair, fly away again,a said Peter. Up flew the chaira"but one of the brownies suddenly gave a loud cry and caught hold of the right-hand wing. The chair almost tipped over, and c.h.i.n.ky fell right off the back. He landed with a b.u.mp on the ground.

aWhat did you do that for?a he shouted to the brownie. Then he stared in surprise. The two brownies pulled the children off the chair, which was now back again on the grounda"and then they turned the chair upside-down! It creaked angrily.

aDon't do that!a said Peter, astonished. Then he stared, even more astonished! Underneath the chair, clinging desperately to it, was the naughty little brownie who had peeped and pried outside the playroom!

aLook at that!a cried Mollie. aIt's Nose-About, the tiresome brownie! He must have slipped into the playroom and clung to the underneath of the chair so that we couldn't see him. And he flew off with us, and tried to make the chair go where he wanted to.a aAnd when we found the rainbow gold he wanted to go off to Brownie Mountain with it. That's where he lives, I expect,a said Peter. aIt was his voice we kept hearing! He was underneath the seat of the chair all the time.a aNo wonder the chair took us to the Village of Gobbo, then,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aIt knew he was under it and wanted him to be punished. Brownies, take him away. He's a nuisance.a aNo, no! Mercy, Mercy!a wept the little brownie. aForgive me! I just wanted a ride, that's all. And when I saw the gold I thought I'd make the chair go to my home with ita"then I'd be rich all my life.a aYou're very bad and you want punis.h.i.+ng,a said Peter. aI'm not at all sorry for you.a aOne spanking every day for a month,a said one of the brownies, solemnly, clutching hold of the frightened brownie. aAnd he will never be allowed to go back home.a The little brownie wailed loudly. aBut my mother will miss me so. She loves me, she does really. I do lots of jobs for her. And my little sister loves me, too. I take her to school each day. Do, do let me go. I only wanted the gold for my mother.a Mollie suddenly felt sorry for him. She knew how much her mother would miss her if she were taken away. And perhaps this naughty little brownie was quite good and kind at home.

She put her hand on the arm of one of the brownies. aLet him go, please. He's sorry now. He won't be bad again.a aOh, yes he will,a said the brownie. aHis mother didn't spank him when she should, so he's growing into a perfect nuisance. We'll soon cure him.a aNo, no, no,a wailed the little brownie. aI'll tell my mother to smack me, really I will. Let me go. I want my mother, I do, I do.a aHow much will you charge us for letting him go?a asked Mollie, much to Peter's surprise.

The two brownies talked together about this. aWell,a said one at last, aour master, the Great Gobbo, is laying out some wonderful rose-gardens, but he hasn't enough money to finish them. We will let this brownie go if you pay us a fine of one thousand gold pieces. And that's cheap!a aIt isn't,a said Mollie. aPeter, help me to count out the gold in this crock. I don't think there are as many as a thousand pieces, though. We'll just see.a They all began to count, the little brownie too. They counted one hundreda"then twoa"then three and four and fivea"and, will you believe it, in that rainbow-crock there were exactly one thousand and one pieces of gold!

aThere you area"a thousand pieces,a said Peter, handing them over. aWe'll have the odd onea"and the crock, too, because it will look nice on our play-room mantelpiece. Now can we go?a aYes, certainly,a said the brownies, delighted. aBut we must warn this little brownie that next time the fine will be two thousand pieces! Goodbye!a aGoodbye,a called everyone, and up went the wis.h.i.+ng-chair into the air again. Where to next?

aThank you,a said the small brownie, in a humble voice. aThank you very much. Please drop me at Brownie Mountain, will you?a

Land of Wishes.

aWELL, brownie, you were lucky to have a kind friend like Mollie to pay your fine,a said c.h.i.n.ky, who wasn't really very pleased about it at all. aBehave yourself, pleasea"or I shall tell your mother all about you.a The chair was a bit crowded now, with the two children, the brownie, and the pixie, and the empty crock as well. Peter had the one piece of gold that was left. He had put it into his pocket.

aI'll take you to the Land of Wishes if you like,a said the small brownie, humbly. He was very anxious to please them all now. aYou can have as many wishes as you like this weekend because it's the Princess Peronel's birthday. I've an invitation ticket. Look.a He pulled a rather crumpled ticket from his pocket. It certainly was an invitation.

aBut it's for you, not for us,a said Peter.

aIt says 'For Brownie Nose-About and Friendsa,a said the brownie. aI'm Nose-Abouta"and you're my friends, aren't you? Oh, please do say you are!a aWella"all right, we're your friends then,a said Peter. aMollie certainly was a friend to you in the Village of Gobbo! c.h.i.n.ky, shall we go to the Land of Wishes? I know quite a few wishes I'd like to wis.h.!.+a aYes, let's go,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aNose-About, you'd better tell the chair to go, because you're the only one that has the invitation.a So, in rather an important voice, Nose-About told the chair where to go. aTo the Land of Wishes, please,a he said. aTo the Princess Peronel's birthday party.a The chair gave a little creak and flew straight upwards. It was very dark now and stars were out in the sky. Mollie began to feel sleepy. She nodded her head and leaned against Peter. Peter nodded his head, too, and both of them slept soundly. c.h.i.n.ky and Nose-About kept guard. The chair flew all night long, for the Land of Wishes was a long, long way away.

The sun was up and the sky was full of light when at last the two children awoke. Below them was a land of flowers and lakes and streams and s.h.i.+ning palaces. How lovely!

aDoes everyone live in a palace here?a asked Mollie, marvelling at so many palaces.

aOh, yes. It's easy enough to wish for one,a said Nose-About, peering down. aAnd then when you're tired of living in an enormous place with windows everywhere, you just wish for a rose-covered cottage. Would you like a palace for a bit? I'll wish you one!a The chair flew downwards. It landed in a field of s.h.i.+ning, star-like flowers. aHere we are,a said the brownie. aI'll wish for a palace to begin witha"and then we can be princes and a princess, and go to the Princess Peronel's birthday party. I wish for a palace with one thousand and one windows!a And silently and s.h.i.+mmeringly a tall, slender palace rose up around them. The sun shone in through hundreds of windows.

aI'll just count if there are a thousand and one,a said Nose-About.

aOh no! We simply can't count up to a thousand and one all over again!a groaned Peter. aI saya"look at the wis.h.i.+ng-chair. It's standing on that platform there wis.h.i.+ng it was a throne!a aI wish it was a throne!a said Mollie at once. And dear me, the good old wis.h.i.+ng-chair changed into a gleaming throne, with a big red velvet cus.h.i.+on on its seat and ta.s.sels hanging down its back. It looked very grand indeed.

Peter went and sat on it. aI wish I was a Prince!a he said. And to Mollie's enormous surprise her brother suddenly looked like a very handsome little prince, with a circlet of gold round his head and a beautiful cloak hanging from his velvet-clad shoulders. He grinned at Mollie. aBetter wish yourself to be a Princess before I order you about!a he said. aI feel like giving a whole lot of orders! Where's my horse? Where are my dogs? Where are my servants?a Well, before very long Mollie was a Princess, and looked quite beautiful in a dress that swept the ground and twinkled with thousands of bright jewels as she walked. c.h.i.n.ky wished himself a new suit and a new wand. Nose-About still felt very humble so he didn't wish for anything for himself but only things for the others.

He wished for horses and dogs and cats and servants and ice-creams and everything he could think of.

aI think we've got enough dogs, Nose-About,a said Peter at last. aAnd I'd rather not have any more ice-creams. I feel rather as if I'd like a good breakfast. All the clocks you wished for have just struck nine o'clock. I feel hungry.a The brownie wished for so much porridge and bacon and eggs that there was enough for the cats and dogs too. The servants had taken the horses out of the palace, which made Mollie feel more comfortable, because when the brownie had first wished for them they kept galloping round the enormous room. She was afraid of being knocked over.

That was a most exciting morning. When the children got into the way of wis.h.i.+ng there was no end to the things they thought of!

aI feel like s...o...b..lling! I wish for plenty of snow!a said Peter, suddenly. And outside the palace windows fell the snowflakes, thick and fast. There was soon enough for a game. It was very easy to wish the snow away when they were tired of s...o...b..lling and wish for something elsea"an aeroplane they could fly, or a train they could drive.

aI wish this would last all over our weekend,a sighed Mollie. aI'm enjoying it so.a aWella"I suppose it will,a said Peter, anow you've wished it, the wish will come true. But what about Mother? She won't like it if we stay away all the time.a aI'll wish her here, then,a said Mollie. But Peter wouldn't let her.

aNo. Don't,a he said. aIf she's with Granny she wouldn't like leaving hera"and it would upset Granny to see Mother suddenly disappear. We'll just enjoy ourselves here, and then try and explain to Mother when we get home.a The Princess's party was wonderful. It began at four o'clock that afternoon, and lasted till past midnight. There was a birthday cake that was so very big it took six little servants to cut it into slices. One hundred candles burned on it! How old Peronel must be!

aA hundred years old is young for a fairy,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aSee how beautiful the Princess still is.a She certainly was. Peter wished hard for a dance with hera"and at once she glided over to him, and danced as lightly as a moth. aNow I can say I've danced with a princess!a thought Peter, pleased.

The next day came and slid away happily. Then the next day and the next. The children grew used to having every single wish granted.

aA big chocolate ice at once!a And hey presto, it came. aA tame lion to ride on!a There it was, purring like a cat. aWings on my back to fly high above the trees!a And there they were, fluttering strongly, carrying Mollie high in the air. What a truly lovely feeling.

On that fourth day the children didn't wish quite so many things. aTired of wis.h.i.+ng?a asked c.h.i.n.ky, who hadn't really wished many things. aAha"people always get tired of wishes coming true after a time.a aI can't seem to think of any more,a said Peter.

aI keep thinking of Mother,a said Mollie. aI do so hope she isn't worried about us. We've got to go back home today, Petera"do you realise that? It's the day we have to go back to school. It's a pity we've had so little time at home. We shall hardly have seen Daddy and Mother at all.a aOh goodnessa"how the weekend has flown,a said Peter. aI wanted to do quite a lot of things at home, too. I wanted to get out my electric traina"and didn't you want to take your dolls out just once in their pram, Mollie?a aYes. I did,a said Mollie. aOh deara"I do wish we had the weekend in front of us still, so that we could enjoy being at home, too! I feel as if we've rather wasted it now. Peter, I think we ought to go back. We've a train to catch, you know. We mustn't be late back for school.a aAll right. c.h.i.n.ky, we'd better change the throne back to the wis.h.i.+ng-chair,a said Peter. aWish for its wings, will you? They've gone, but a wish will bring them back, in the Land of Wishes!a It did, of course. As soon as the throne had changed back into the wis.h.i.+ng-chair they knew so well, c.h.i.n.ky wished for the wings to growa"and they sprouted out gaily, at once, looking bigger than ever.

aYou coming, Nose-About?a said Peter to the little brownie.

aNo. I'm going back home to my mother,a he said. aGoodbye. Thank you for being kind to me.a aWell, you've certainly repaid our kindness!a said Mollie. aI've never had such a wonderful time in my life. Nowa"are we all ready? Wis.h.i.+ng-chair, home, please, as fast as you can!a It was a long, long way back from the Land of Wishes. They all three went sound asleep, and the chair was careful not to jolt them at all in case they fell off. It flew down to the playroom at last, and went in gently at the door. It tipped out Mollie and Peter on to their mattresses, and c.h.i.n.ky on to his cus.h.i.+on. The crock that had contained the rainbow gold tipped out, too, and fell on to the carpet. Luckily it didn't break.

The children groaned a little, and then slept on soundly, curled up on their mattresses. The chair stood still. Its red wings disappeared gradually. It was just a chair.

And then there came a loud knocking at the door, and a loud voice, too.

aMaster Peter! Miss Mollie! How late you are sleeping! Haven't you had your breakfast yet? Your mother has telephoned to say that Granny is much better and she'll be home to lunch. Isn't that good news?a The children woke up with a jump and stared at Mrs. Williams' smiling face. She was looking in at the door. Peter sat up and rubbed his eyes.

aWell, I declare!a said Mrs. Williams. aYou are not in your night-things! You don't mean to say you didn't go to bed properly last night? Do wake up. It's half-past ten already!a aHalf-past ten?a said Mollie, amazed aWhat day is it, Mrs. w.i.l.l.y?a aSat.u.r.day, to be sure!a said Mrs. Williams, surprised. aYou came home yesterday, that was Fridaya"and so today's Sat.u.r.day!a aButa"but surely it's Tuesday or perhaps even Wednesday,a said Mollie, remembering the wonderful weekend in the Land of Wishes. aAren't we due back at school?a aBless us all, you're asleep and dreaming!a said Mrs. Williams. aWell, I must be getting on with my work. It's Sat.u.r.day morning, half-past ten, and your mother will be home for lunch. Nowa"do you understand that?a And off she went, quite puzzled. She hadn't seen c.h.i.n.ky on the cus.h.i.+on. He was still fast asleep!

Mollie looked at Peter and her eyes shone. aPeter, oh Peter!a she said, ado you remember that I wished we had the weekend in front of us still? Well, that wish has come true, too. We've had the weekend once in our palacea"and now we're going to have it all over again at home. Could anything be nicer!a aMarvellous!a said Peter, jumping up. aSimply marvellous! Wake up, you lazy old c.h.i.n.ky. We've good news for you. It's not Tuesdaya"it's only Sat.u.r.day!a So there they are, just going to welcome their mother back again, and looking forward to a wonderful half-term.

aCrreee-eee-eak!a says the good old wis.h.i.+ng-chair, happily.

Santa Claus and the Wis.h.i.+ng-Chair.

I AM sure you have not forgotten the adventures of Peter and Mollie with their wis.h.i.+ng-chair! Well, one Christmas they had a fine adventure with c.h.i.n.ky, their pixie friend, and the good old chair.

Christmas was coming. Peter and Mollie were home from boarding-school and were very excited.

aTwo more days till Christmas!a said Peter. aThen stockings, and crackers, and pudding, and Christmas tree, and parties. Oooh!a The next day camea"and that was Christmas Eve. aOnly today,a said Mollie, athen Christmas!a They went down to their playroom, which was built at the bottom of the garden. The wis.h.i.+ng-chair was there, but c.h.i.n.ky, their friend, was not. He had gone Christmas shopping.

ac.h.i.n.ky said he would hang his stocking up on the back of the wis.h.i.+ng-chair,a said Mollie. aThen Santa Claus would fill it for him. Where shall we put the presents we have bought for him, Peter?a They put them on the sofa in the corner, and then ran back to the house. They had not been for any rides on the wis.h.i.+ng-chair so far these holidaysa"but they had been so busy doing their Christmas shopping that they had hardly paid any attention to the magic chair.

The children hung up their stockings that night at the end of their beds. Mother tucked them up, kissed them, and put out the light.

aNow, go to sleep quickly,a she said. aNo staying awake and peeping.a So they went straight off to sleep, and began to dream about parties and presents. But in the middle of the night Peter suddenly woke up. He had heard a queer noise in his sleep. What could it be?

It was someone tapping on the window-pane outside. Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap!

aMollie! Wake up!a cried Peter. aThere's someone knocking at the window.a Mollie sat up, rubbing her eyes.

aDo you suppose it's Santa Claus?a she said, in an excited voice.

aOf course not! He comes down the chimney,a said Peter. aCome on. Let's see who it is.a They went to the window and opened ita"and in popped c.h.i.n.ky the pixie, s.h.i.+vering with cold, and panting with excitement.

aMollie! Peter! Something's happened! I was asleep in the playroom when I heard a galloping noisea"and I looked out of the window. And I saw Santa Claus and his reindeer in the sky, and the reindeer were running away. Something had frightened them. Then I heard a crash, and I'm sure the reindeer have galloped into some trees, and broken the sleigh. Will you come with me and see?a The children dressed quickly, for it was a cold night. They put on their warmest coats and crept downstairs. Soon they were at the bottom of the garden. The moon came out from behind a cloud and lighted up everything for them.

aIt's nearly midnight,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI do hope Santa Claus hasn't been hurt.a He hurried them into the field at the back of the garden and ran towards some big elm treesa"and there they saw a strange sight.

The sleigh and the reindeers had got caught in the trees. The children and c.h.i.n.ky could quite clearly see them in the moonlight.

aOh dear,a said Mollie, half-frightened. aI wonder where Santa Claus is?a aThere's somebody climbing down the treea"look!a said c.h.i.n.ky. So there wasa"and even as the children watched, someone jumped down from the tree and came towards them.

aIt's Santa Claus,a said Peter. Sure enough, it was. There was no mistake about it, for there were the bright twinkling eyes, the snow-white beard, and the red, hooded coat.

aGood evening, sir,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI'm afraid you've had an accident.a aI certainly have,a said Santa Claus, in a worried voice. aSomething frightened my reindeer and they ran away at top speed. They ran into the top of that tall tree and wrecked my sleigh. Now what am I to do? It's Christmas night and I've thousands of stockings to fill.a Santa Claus still had his sack with him, and it was bulging full of toys. He put it down on the ground and wiped his hot forehead.

aWhat will happen to the poor reindeer?a asked Mollie.

aOh, I've sent a message to my reindeer stables, and they will send along two or three men to free them from the branches and take them home,a said Santa Claus. aAnd now the next thing isa"what will happen to me? Here am I, Santa Claus, with a big sack of toys to fill every one's stockingsa"and no way to get to those stockings.a It was then that Peter had his wonderful idea. He nearly cried with excitement as he spoke.

aSanta Claus, oh, Santa Claus!I know what you can do. Borrow our wis.h.i.+ng-chair.a aWhatever is the boy talking about?a said Santa Claus, puzzled. aWis.h.i.+ng-chair! There aren't such things nowadays.a aWell, we've got one,a said Mollie, overjoyed at Peter's idea. aCome on, Santa. We'll take you to where we keep it, and then you'll see for yourself. You could fly in it to every chimney quite easily.a They dragged the big jolly man across the field and through the hedge into their garden. c.h.i.n.ky was just as excited as everyone else. They all went into the playroom and c.h.i.n.ky lighted the lamp.

aThere you are,a he said proudly, holding the lamp over the old wis.h.i.+ng-chair. aThere's the wonderful chair. And look! It's grown its wings all ready to take you, Santa. It might have known you were coming.a Santa stared at the rose-red wings that were slowly flapping to and fro on the legs of the chair. His eyes shone in the lamplight.

aYes,a he said. aYes. The very thing. I didn't know there was a wis.h.i.+ng-chair in the world nowadays. May I borrow it, children?a aYes,a said Mollie.

"On one condition," said Peter suddenly.

"What's that?" asked Santa Claus, putting his great bag over his shoulder.

"Take us with you in the chair for just a little while, so that we can see how you slip down the chimneys and into the bedrooms," begged Peter. "Oh do!"

aBut will the chair hold all of us?a said Santa doubtfully. aI'm rather heavy, you know.a aOh, the chair is as strong as ten horses,a said c.h.i.n.ky eagerly. aYou don't know the adventures it has had, Santa. Get in, and we'll go.a Santa sat down in the chair. He filled it right up. He took Mollie on his knee. c.h.i.n.ky climbed to the back of the chair, where he always sata"and Peter sat on the sack of toys. The chair gave a creak, flapped its wings fast, and rose into the air.

aWe're off!a cried Mollie, in excitement. aOh, who would have thought that we'd be flying to the house-tops with Santa Claus tonight. What a fine adventure we'll have!a The wis.h.i.+ng-chair rose high into the air once it got out-of-doors. Mollie s.h.i.+vered, for the air was frosty. Santa Claus covered her up with part of his wide coat. They pa.s.sed the elm tree where the sleigh and the reindeer had got caught. aLook,a said Peter. aThere are your men freeing the reindeer from the branches, Santa Claus.a aGood!a said Santa. aThey will be quite all right now. Hallo, the chair is flying down to this roof. Who lives here, children?a af.a.n.n.y and Tommy Dawson,a said Peter. aOh, have you got presents for their stocking, Santa? They are such nice, kind children.a aYes, I know,a said Santa, looking at a big notebook where many names were written down. aAh! f.a.n.n.y wants two twin dolls and a puzzle, and Tommy wants a train and some lines. Put your hand into the sack, Peter, please, and take them out.a Peter put his hand into the enormous sack, and the first things he felt were the dolls, the puzzle, and the train with lines! He pulled them out.

aYou might see if there are any oranges and nuts there too,a said Santa. aI always like to give a little extra something to good children.a Peter put his hand into the sack again and felt a handful of nuts, apples, and oranges. He gave them to Santa. The chair flew down to a flat piece of roof just by a big chimney. Santa put Mollie off his knee and stood up.

aWatch me slip down this chimney!a he saida"and in a second he was gone! It was astonis.h.i.+ng how such a big man could get down the chimney.

aQuick!a said c.h.i.n.ky, patting the chair. aGet in, Mollie. We'll fly the chair down to f.a.n.n.y's window and peep in to see what Santa Claus does there. He won't mind.a The chair rose off the roof and flew down to a little window. It put two of its legs there and balanced itself most unsafely, flapping its wings all the time so that it wouldn't fall. c.h.i.n.ky and the children peered in at the window.

f.a.n.n.y and Tommy always had a night-light, and they could see the room quite clearly. f.a.n.n.y was asleep in her cot, and Tommy was asleep in his small bed.

aLook! There's Santa's feet coming out of the fireplace!a said c.h.i.n.ky excitedly. aDon't they look funny! And now there's his kneesa"and his waista"and all of him. It's funny he doesn't get black!a Santa Claus slipped right out of the fireplace and tiptoed to f.a.n.n.y's bed. There was a stocking hanging at the end. Santa put the oranges, apples, and nuts at the bottom, and then stuffed in the puzzle and the twin dolls.

f.a.n.n.y didn't stir! She was quite sound asleep. Santa Claus went to Tommy next and filled his stocking too. Then he tiptoed back to the chimney, put his head up, and was soon lost to sight. The wis.h.i.+ng-chair flew back to the roof and waited there for Santa. Up he came, puffing and blowing.

aI saw you peeping in at the window!a he said. aYou gave me quite a fright at first. Come along nowa"to the next house where there are children!a It was not far off, for Harry and Ronald, two big boys, lived next door! Santa looked them up in his notebook and found that they were good, clever boys. Neither of them had asked for anything in their stockings. They had just left it to Santa Claus to choose for them.

aNow, let me see,a said Santa. aClever boys, my notebook says. What about a book on aeroplanes for Harry, and a big Meccano seta"and a book on s.h.i.+ps for Ronald, and a really difficult puzzle? Put your hand in the sack, Peter, and see what you can find.a Peter slipped in his handa"and, of course, he found the books, the Meccano, and the puzzle at once! It almost seemed as if the toys arranged themselves just right for Santa Claus! It was part of his magic, Peter supposed.

He handed the things out to Santa Claus, and then took apples, nuts, oranges, and a few crackers from the sack too. Santa Claus got off the chair and went down the chimney again.

aCome on, chair,a said Mollie. aLet's go and peep in at the window again!a So the chair flew down to the window-sill and tried to balance itself. Harry and Ronald had no night-light, but the moon shone well in at their window, and the children and c.h.i.n.ky could easily see what was happening inside.

They saw Santa creep out of the chimney, and go to Harry's stockinga"and then, just as Santa was turning to go to Ronald's bed, the wis.h.i.+ng-chair fell off the window-sill! The sill was very narrow indeed, and the chair simply couldn't stay there!

The children gave a small squeal, for they were frightened when the chair fell. Of course, it at once rose up again to the roof, flapping its strong wings. But the noise had awakened Ronald, and he sat up!

The children didn't see what happened, but Santa Claus told them when he at last came up the chimney once more.

aYou shouldn't have made such a noise,a he said. aYou woke Ronald, and I had to hide behind a chair till he lay-down and went to sleep again! I might have had to wait for an hour!a aWe're very sorry,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aThe chair slipped and we thought we were falling! Perhaps we'd better not peep in at the windows anymore.a aI suppose we couldn't come down a chimney with you, could we?a asked Mollie longingly. aI've always wanted to do that.a aYes, you can if you like,a said Santa; abut you mustn't make any noise. Now who's next on the list.'' Oh, Joy Brown, seven years old.a n.o.body said anything, but Mollie and Peter thought a lot. Joy was not a bit like her namea"she was a spiteful, unkind child, who didn't bring joy to anyone. Mollie was surprised that Santa Claus should take presents to Joy.

But he wasn't going to! He read a few lines out loud and then pursed up his mouth. aDear, dear! Joy seems to be a bad girl. Listen to this! aJoy Browna"unkind, selfish, and never gives any happiness to anyone. Does not deserve any toys this Christmas.a Well, well, wella"we must miss her out, I'm afraid.a So the wis.h.i.+ng-chair flew past Joy's house. There was nothing in that naughty little girl's stocking the next morning!

aThis is George's house,a said Peter eagerly, as the chair flew down on to a sloping roof. It was so sloping that they all had to hold on to the nearest chimney. aCan't we go down with you, Santa?a Santa nodded, so Mollie tried to get into the chimney. But she stuck fast and couldn't go down! Then Peter tried, but he stuck fast too, and so did c.h.i.n.ky. Santa Claus laughed softly.

aAh! You don't know my trick! I could never get down some of these narrow chimneys if I didn't use some magic oil to make the chimney slippery! In the old days chimneys were very wide and there was no difficulty, but nowadays the chimneys are narrow and small. Stand back, c.h.i.n.ky, and I'll pour a little of my oil down.a Santa Claus tipped a small bottle up, and a few drops fell down the chimney. aNow try, Mollie,a said Santa.

Santa nodded, so Mollie tried to get into the chimney.

So Mollie tried again, and this time she slid down the chimney quite easily, and crept out of the bottom into George's bedroom! It did seem queer! There was George in bed, and he was snoring very gently, so Mollie knew he must be asleep.

Then Peter slid down, then c.h.i.n.ky, and last of all Santa Claus. aYou can fill George's stocking if you like,a he whispered to Peter. aYou're a friend of George's, aren't you? I know you like him very much.a aYes, he's a fine boy,a said Peter, and he took the books, the fruit, and the box of small motor-cars that Santa gave him. Soon George's stocking was full to the top!

aIt's fun playing at being Santa Claus!a said Peter. Then they all crept up the chimney again, but c.h.i.n.ky had a dreadful time trying not to sneeze, because the soot got up his nose and tickled it.

aA-tishoo!a he said, when he stood on the roof again, holding firmly to a chimney. aA-tishoo!a as.h.!.+a said Santa in alarm. aDon't do that!a aA-tishoo!a said poor c.h.i.n.ky. aI can't help it. A-tishoo!a Santa Claus bundled him into the chair and they all flew off to another house. aNow this must be the last house you visit with me,a said Santa Claus, seeing Mollie yawning and rubbing her eyes. aYou must be fresh and lively on Christmas Day, or people will wonder what is the matter with you. You may come down the chimney here, and then I shall fly back to your own house with you, and go on my journey by myself!a The children and c.h.i.n.ky were disappointed, but they knew Santa was right. They really were beginning to feel very sleepy. They slipped down that chimney with Santa, and Mollie filled Angela's stocking herself with all kinds of exciting things. Mollie wondered what Angela would say if she knew that she, Mollie, had filled her stocking and not Santa Claus. It wouldn't be any use telling her, for she wouldn't believe it!

Then Santa Claus told the wis.h.i.+ng-chair to fly back to the playroom, and very soon it was there, standing on the floor.

aGoodbye, dear old Santa!a said Mollie, and she gave the jolly old man a hug. So did Peter. c.h.i.n.ky shook hands with him very solemnly. Then they watched him fly off in their chair to fill hundreds more stockings. He waved to them as he went out of sight.

aOh, I'm so sleepy!a said Mollie. aGood-night, c.h.i.n.ky deara"see you tomorrow!a They ran up the garden, crept into the house, and were soon fast asleep. And in the morning, what a wonderful surprise!

Santa Claus had come back at the end of his journey, and his last visit had been to Mollie and Peter. He must have climbed down their chimney whilst they slept, and he had filled their stockings from top to toe! They were almost bursting with good things! The presents had even overflowed on to the floor!