More about Mary Poppins / И снова о Мэри Поппинз

The pigeon, very offended, flew back to the Bird Woman and, to pay out* Mary Poppins, stuck the rose in the ribbon of the Bird Woman’s hat.

“You ought to be in a pie* – that’s where you ought to be,” said Mary Poppins to him very angrily. Then she called to Jane and Michael.

“Time to go,” she said, and flung a parting glance of fury at the pigeon. But he only laughed and flicked his tail and turned his back on her.

“Good-bye,” said Michael to the Bird Woman.

“Feed the Birds,” she replied, smiling.

“Good-bye,” said Jane.

“Tuppence a Bag!” said the Bird Woman and waved her hand.

They left her then, walking one on either side of Mary Poppins.

“What happens when everybody goes away – like us?” said Michael to Jane.

He knew quite well what happened, but it was the proper thing to ask Jane because the story was really hers.

So Jane told him and he added the bits she had forgotten.

“At night when everybody goes to bed – ” began Jane.

“And the stars come out,” added Michael.

“Yes, and even if they don’t – all the birds come down from the top of St. Paul’s and run very carefully all over the ground just to see there are no crumbs left, and to tidy it up for the morning. And when they have done that – ”

“You’ve forgotten the baths.”

“Oh, yes – they bath themselves and comb their wings with their claws. And when they have done that they fly three times round the head of the Bird Woman and then they settle.

“Do they sit on her shoulders?”

“Yes, and on her hat.”

“And on her basket with the bags in it?”

“Yes, and some on her knee. Then she smooths down the head-feathers of each one in turn and tells it to be a good bird – ”

“In the bird language?”

“Yes. And when they are all sleepy and don’t want to stay awake any longer, she spreads out her skirts, as a mother hen spreads out her wings, and the birds go creep, creep, creeping underneath.

Michael sighed happily. He loved the story and was never tired of hearing it.

“And it’s all quite true, isn’t it?” he said, just as he always did.

“No,” said Mary Poppins, who always said “No.