More about Mary Poppins / И снова о Мэри Поппинз

You don’t know how glad I am to know you keep your stars. I shall remember that. You see, I remember everything – even what Guy Fawkes* had for dinner every second Sunday. And now, good-bye. Come again soon. Come again so-o-o-o-n!”

Mrs Corry’s voice seemed to be growing fainter and fading away, and presently, without being quite aware of what had happened, Jane and Michael found themselves on the pavement, walking behind Mary Poppins who was again examining her list.

They turned and looked behind them.

“Why, Jane,” said Michael with surprise, “it’s not there!”

“So I see,” said Jane, staring and staring.

And they were right. The shop was not there. It had entirely disappeared.

“How odd!” said Jane.

“Isn’t it?” said Michael. “But the Gingerbread is very good.”

And they were so busy biting their Gingerbread into different shapes – a man, a flower, a teapot – that they quite forgot how very odd it was.

* * *

They remembered it again at night, however, when the lights were out and they were both supposed to be sound asleep.

“Jane, Jane!” whispered Michael. “I hear someone tip-toeing on the stairs – listen!”

“Sssh!” hissed Jane from her bed, for she, too, had heard the footsteps.

Presently the door opened with a little click and somebody came into the room. It was Mary Poppins, dressed in hat and coat all ready to go out.

She moved about the room softly with quick secret movements.

First she went to the chest of drawers, opened a drawer and shut it again after a moment. Then, on tip-toe, she went to the wardrobe, opened it, bent down and put something in or took something out (they couldn’t tell which). Snap! The wardrobe door shut quickly and Mary Poppins hurried from the room.

Michael sat up in bed.

“What was she doing?” he said to Jane in a loud whisper.

“I don’t know.

“Michael, listen!”

He listened. From down below – in the garden, it seemed – they could hear several voices whispering together, very earnestly and excitedly.

With a quick movement Jane got out of bed and beckoned Michael. They crept on bare feet to the window and looked down.

There, outside in the Lane, stood a tiny form and two gigantic figures.