More about Mary Poppins / И снова о Мэри Поппинз

“They say you must call him Willoughby* and nothing else,” said Mary Poppins. “Willoughby being his name.”

“Willoughby! What a name! Worse and worse!” said Miss Lark despairingly. “What is he saying now?” For Andrew was barking again.

“He says that if he comes back you are never to make him wear overcoats or go to the Hairdresser’s again – that’s his last word,” said Mary Poppins.

There was a pause.

“Very well,” said Miss Lark at last. “But I warn you, Andrew, if you catch your death of cold – don’t blame me!”

And with that she turned and walked haughtily up the steps, sniffing away the last of her tears.

Andrew cocked his head towards Willoughby as if to say: “Come on!” and the two of them waltzed side by side slowly up the garden path, waving their tails like banners, and followed Miss Lark into the house.

“He isn’t a ninkypoop after all, you see,” said Jane, as they went upstairs to the nursery and Tea.

“No,” agreed Michael. “But how do you think Mary Poppins knew?”

“I don’t know,” said Jane.

“And she’ll never, never tell us. I am sure of that…”

The Dancing Cow

Jane, with her head tied up in Mary Poppins’s bandanna handkerchief, was in bed with earache.

“What does it feel like?” Michael wanted to know.

“Like guns going off inside my head,” said Jane.

“Cannons?”

“No, popguns.”

“Oh,” said Michael. And he almost wished he could have earache, too.

It sounded so exciting.

“Shall I tell you a story out of one of the books?” said Michael, going to the bookshelf.

“No. I just couldn’t bear it,” said Jane, holding her ear with her hand.

“Well, shall I sit at the window and tell you what is happening outside?”

“Yes, do,” said Jane.

So Michael sat all the afternoon on the window seat telling her everything that occurred in the Lane. And sometimes his accounts were very dull and sometimes very exciting.

“There’s Admiral Boom!” he said once.

“He has come out of his gate and is hurrying down the Lane. Here he comes. His nose is redder than ever and he’s wearing a top-hat*. Now he is passing Next Door – ”

“Is he saying �Blast my gizzard!’?” enquired Jane.

“I can’t hear. I expect so. There’s Miss Lark’s second housemaid in Miss Lark’s garden. And Robertson Ay is in our garden, sweeping up the leaves and looking at her over the fence.