c.h.i.n.kY was reading by himself in the playroom, curled up on the couch. He was waiting for Mollie and Peter to come and play with him. They were going to set out the railway lines all over the room, and run the two engines round and round. It would be fun, c.h.i.n.ky thought.

He listened for the two children to come along. Soon he heard them. But they were not running merrily along as usual. They were coming slowly. c.h.i.n.ky wondered if anything had happened. Usually the children only walked slowly if they had been in disgrace, or were sad about something. He ran to the door and looked out.

Yesa"it was Mollie and Petera"but they did look miserable. c.h.i.n.ky ran to them and took their hands.

aWhatas the matter?a he cried. aHave you been punished for something?a aNo,a said Peter. aBut Mother has just told us some bad news.a aWhat?a cried c.h.i.n.ky.

aShe has told us that Mollie and I are to go away to school,a said Peter.

aBut you go to school now,a said c.h.i.n.ky, puzzled. aYou like school.a aYes, but this is a new schoola"it is called, a boarding-school,a said Mollie. aWe go there and live therea" sleep there, have our meals there, and everything! We shanat be able to pop down to our playroom and play with you, c.h.i.n.ky.a The pixie stared at the two children in dismay. aBut wonat you ever come back again?a he asked. aWonat you ever see your mother and father even?a Peter laughed. aOh, yes,a he said. aWe shall see them often. We shall come home for holidays and at half-term too. So it isnat really so bad, I suppose. But it means we shanat be able to see you every day as we do now, c.h.i.n.ky. You will have to wait many weeks before we come back again.a aOh dear!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI do hate the idea of that! But perhaps it will be a good thing because, you know, my mother is rather lonely living by herself in Fairyland. I ought to go and live with her a bit. Then I could come and live with you in the holidays, couldnat I?a aYes,a said Peter. aBut I say, c.h.i.n.kya"what about the wishing-chair? We canat leave it here by itself. It might fly away and not come back.a aOr get stolen by someone,a said Mollie.

aYes, thatas true,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWell, I think Iad better take it home with me, donat you? My mother will keep it safely for us till we need it. We will see that it doesnat fly off.a aThatas a good idea,a said Peter.

aWhen are you going to school?a asked c.h.i.n.ky.

aTomorrow,a said Mollie. aI am going to a girlsa school and Peter is going to a boysa school. We shall miss one another dreadfully. But I expect it will be fun to live with lots of other children.a aPerhaps the wishing-chair will grow its wings once more before we have to say goodbye to it,a said Peter. aBut anyway, weall go off adventuring in the holidays when they come. And, oh, c.h.i.n.ky! I suppose you couldnat come in the chair to school one night? It would be so exciting!a aIall see,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI donat want the other children to know about the wishing-chaira"and they would see it if I came.a aLook!a said Mollie suddenly. aThe chair is growing its wings! It must have heard what we were saying. It wants to take us on a last adventure. Come on, you two, get in!a c.h.i.n.ky sat in his usual place, on the back of the chair. Mollie and Peter squeezed into the seat. The chair flapped its wings strongly and flew off into the air. Up it flew and up, and went due south.

aWe havenat been this way before,a said c.h.i.n.ky, peering down. aWe pa.s.s over some strange lands hereabouts, I know. Chair, you are not to go down anywhere here. We might find it difficult to get away.a The chair obeyed c.h.i.n.ky. It flew on, keeping quite high. The children leaned over the arms to see what they were pa.s.sing. They saw that they must be flying over Giantland, for the people looked very big and tall. Some of the giants saw them and waved to them to come down. But the chair flew on. It came to yet another land.

This was a peculiar-looking place. The people seemed to have no legs, but rolled about here and there on their round, fat little bodies.

aThatas the land of Rollabouts,a said c.h.i.n.ky, pointing. aI once went there when I was little, and dear me, how I kept falling over those Rollabouts. They will keep rolling in between your feet!a Mollie laughed. She thought she would like to fly down and see the Rollaboutsa"but the chair kept on, flying strongly.

aNow what is this land, I wonder?a said c.h.i.n.ky, looking down. aOh, my word! I know! Itas where the Chatterboxes live! Dreadful people, they are! They talk all the time, and simply wonat let you get a word in!a aI donat like chatterboxes,a said Peter. aThey are dull and tiresome, and just talk about themselves all the time. Oh, I say, c.h.i.n.ky! The chairas going down!a aKeep up, chair!a commanded c.h.i.n.ky. The chair swung itself upwards. But the Chatterboxes had seen it and they called to it.

aHie, chair, chair, chair! Come on down here! Weave lots to say to you, and wead like to hear all your adventures, and see your wonderful wings, and . . .a aAnd, and, and!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aTheyall go on talking for ever!a The Chatterboxes grew angry when they saw that the chair was not coming down. One of them ran indoors and fetched a long rope. He rolled it round in rings on his arm. Then, taking careful aim, he threw it up at the chair, as a cowboy throws a la.s.so. The loop of rope fell right round the chair. The Chatterbox gave a yell of delight. He pulled the rope tightly. c.h.i.n.ky and the children were caught neatly, for the rope was round them, too!

The Chatterbox began to haul on the rope, and although the chair flapped its wings as hard as it could and tried to fly upwards, there was no help for it a"it had to come down! b.u.mp! It was down on the ground.

The Chatterboxes undid the rope, talking all the time. aYou should have come down when we called you! You see, you had to come down anyhow! Where were you going to? Where did you come from? What are your names?a aMy name is c.h.i.n.ky,a began the pixiea"but the Chatterboxes did not want to listen to anything. They just went on talking, all of them at once.

aThey sound like the monkey-house at the zoo!a said Peter in despair.

aLISTEN, CHATTERBOXES! LET US GO ON OUR JOURNEY!a Peter shouted as loudly as he could a" but the Chatterboxes took no notice. They pulled the two children and c.h.i.n.ky along to a little cottage, saying, aYou must come and have some lemonade! You must have some biscuits!a aOh, well,a said Peter to Mollie. aI can always do with lemonade and biscuits. I donat like leaving the chair behind, though. I say, Chatterboxes, can we bring the chair with us?a aOh yes, we will send someone back to fetch it,a said the little folk. aYou go, Lollipop! You go, Twisty! You go, k.n.o.bbly!a Lollipop, Twisty, and k.n.o.bbly all began to tell why they didnat want to goa"and in the end n.o.body went at all. They were most annoying little people, all talk and nothing else!

They sat down in the little kitchen, and went on talking, whilst the children and c.h.i.n.ky waited patiently for the lemonade and biscuits. But everyone wanted to talk, and no one fetched anything to eat or drink.

aYou know, when we saw your chair we thought aWhat a wonderful thing!a And we did want to see it and see you too, so we called you, but you wouldnat come down, and then we had to la.s.so you, and you came down, and what nice people you are, and we are so pleased to have you here, and to give you lemonade and biscuits, and to be your friends, and listen to all you have to tell us of your wonderful adventures, and.. .a aOh, do be quiet for a minute,a said Mollie, putting her hands over her ears. aYou go on and on and on.a aAnd what about some lemonade and biscuits,a said c.h.i.n.ky.

aOh yes, lemonade and biscuits, of course you shall have some, and we will all have some, too!a cried the Chatterboxes. aHow nice it is to have you here eating and drinking with us, and telling us all your adventures, and sharing your wonderful journeys, and . . .a aWell, we havenat told you anything so far!a said Peter, getting annoyed. aI say, c.h.i.n.ky, letas get back to our chair. Iam tired of waiting here for lemonade and biscuits that donat come!a They pushed aside the silly little Chatterboxes and went to get their chaira"but it was gone! They saw it high in the sky, a little black speck, flying away to the north!

aBother!a said c.h.i.n.ky crossly. aNow weave got to go back by train! Do get away, Chatterboxes, and donat talk so loudly in my ears all the time. You make me quite deaf!a aHurry!a called Mollie. aThereas a train over there in that station!a The three ran fast, with the stupid Chatterboxes chattering hard behind them all the time, saying something about lemonade and biscuits!

They jumped into the train, and only just in time too! It was a funny traina"a wooden one, with open trucks. In c.h.i.n.kyas carriage there was a hedgehog, a Chatterbox, and a mole who was fast asleep.

The Chatterbox was talking as usual. The hedgehog spread out his p.r.i.c.kles and p.r.i.c.ked him. The Chatterbox looked at him angrily.

aEvery time you open your mouth I shall p.r.i.c.k you,a said the hedgehog in a hoa.r.s.e, cross voice. The Chatterbox glared at him, but didnat dare to say another word.

aItas a pity that a hedgehog doesnat travel with every Chatterbox,a whispered Mollie to c.h.i.n.ky. The train clattered on, and stopped at funny stations. The Chatterbox waited until the hedgehog got out and then began rattling on about all sorts of things, never stopping for a moment. The mole snored loudly. c.h.i.n.ky, Mollie, and Peter turned their backs on the silly chatterbox and pretended not to listen. How glad they were to get to their own station and jump out.

aWell, I hope I shall never be a chatterbox!a said Mollie.

aWe wonat let you be!a said Peter. aCome ona"letas go home and see if the wishing-chair is safely back.a They ran through the wood and down the lane and into their garden. But do you know, the wishing-chair was not there! It hadnat come back!

aOh, do you suppose it has gone away for ever?a cried Mollie. aDo you think it heard what we were saying and ran away?a aItas funny,a said c.h.i.n.ky, puzzled. aI shouldnat have thought it would leave us like that! Oh deara" and youare going away to school tomorrow! It might have let you say goodbye to it!a Just then a tiny fairy came knocking at the playroom door with a note for c.h.i.n.ky. He opened it and read ita"and his face broke into smiles. aJust listen to this!a he cried. aItas from my mother. She says: aDear c.h.i.n.ky, this is just to let you know that the wishing-chair arrived here by itself today. I donat know why.a"

Your loving Mother.a aOh, the clever old chair!a said Peter. aIt heard us say that you would live with your mother and keep it therea"so it has gone there itself! Well, you must say goodbye to it for us, c.h.i.n.kya"and weall hope to see it when we come home for half-term.a A bell rang at the top of the garden. Mollie ran to c.h.i.n.ky and hugged him. aThatas the bell to tell us to go in,a she said. aWead better say goodbye now, dear, dear c.h.i.n.ky, in case we canat get down to the playroom tomorrow before we go. Goodbye and donat forget us!a They all hugged one another. c.h.i.n.ky waved to them as they ran up the garden. He felt rather sada" but never mind, there would be more adventures when the holidays came! He would wait for those.

c.h.i.n.ky caught the bus to Fairyland and went to Mrs. Twinkle, his mother. The children packed their last things. Everything was ready for school. They couldnat help feeling rather excited.

The playroom was empty. The wishing-chair was gone. Aha"but wait till the holidays! What fine adventures they would all have then!

Home For Half-Term.

A LITTLE pixie peeped anxiously into the window of a small playroom built at the bottom of a garden. A robin flew down beside him and sang a little song.

aWhat's the matter, c.h.i.n.ky? What do you want? What are you looking for?a aI'm looking for Mollie and Peter,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI've got the wishing-chair hidden under a bush just near here, and I'm waiting for the children to come home, so that I can get into this playroom of theirs and put the chair safely in its corner.a aBut you know that the children are away at boarding-school,a said the robin, with a little trill. aHow foolish you are!a aI'm nota said c.h.i.n.ky. aThey're coming home at half-term, just for a few days. They told me soa"and I promised to bring the chair from my mother's, where I've been looking after ita"hoping that perhaps it would grow its wings just for their half-term. So I'm not foolish, you see!a aSorry,a said the robin. aShall I go and find out if they are up at the house? I haven't heard them yet and usually they make a lot of noise when they come home. Wait here, and I'll find out.a He flew off. He peeped into all the windows, his perky little head on one side. There was n.o.body to be seen at all except the cook in the kitchen. She was busy making cakes.

aAha"the children's favourite chocolate buns!a thought the robin. aI can hear them now, banging at the front door. What a pity their mother isn't here to welcome them!a Mrs. Williams, the cook, hurried to the front door. Two children burst in at once, each carrying a small case. It was Mollie and Peter, home for the half-term!

aHallo, Mrs. w.i.l.l.y! Where's Mother?a cried Peter.

aWelcome home, Master Peter,a said Mrs. Williams, aand you, too, Miss Mollie. Your mother says she's very, very sorry, but she's had to go off to your Granny, who's been taken ill. But she'll be home before you have to go back to school on Tuesdaya"and I'm to look after you.a aOh,a said the children, disappointed. Home didn't somehow seem like home without Mother there. They felt rather miserable.

aWhat about Daddy?a asked Mollie.

aHe's away,a said Mrs. Williams. aDidn't your mother tell you that in her last letter?a aOh, yes,a said Mollie, remembering. aI forgot. Oh deara"half-term without either Mother or Daddya"how horrid!a aI've made you your favourite chocolate buns,a said Mrs. Williams, following them indoors. aAnd I've got ice-cream for you, too, and honey in the comb. And your mother says she has ordered twenty-four bottles of ginger-beer and orangeade for you this weekend, and you can take it down to your playroom.a aOh, wella"that sounds good,a said Peter, cheering up. aWe'll just pop upstairs with our things, Mrs. w.i.l.l.ya"and then what about your honey in the comb and chocolate buns? We're starving! We simply never get enough to eat at school, you know!a aRubbish!a said Mrs. Williams. aYou're both as plump as can be!a The two children went up the stairs two at a time. They stood at a landing window, looking down to the bottom of the garden. They could quite well see the roof of their playroom there. They looked at each other in excitement.

aI hope c.h.i.n.ky is there,a said Mollie. aBecause if he is, and has got the Wishing-Chair with him, we shall be able to fly off on an adventure or two without bothering about anyone! It's always difficult to slip off in it when Mother and Daddy are at homea"and we just have to keep the chair a secret. It would be too dreadful if it was put into a museum, and taken right away from us. It must be very, very valuable.a aYes. We're really very lucky to have a wishing-chair of our own,a said Peter. aIt's a long time since we got it now. Come ona"let's put our things in our bedrooms, and then ask Mrs. w.i.l.l.y to let us take our tea down to the playroom. Perhaps c.h.i.n.ky is there.a aHe may be waiting outside,a said Mollie. aHe can't get in because the door is locked. I shall love to see his dear little pixie face again. We're lucky to have a pixie for a friend!a Mrs. w.i.l.l.y was quite pleased to let them have a tray of goodies to take down to the playroom with them. She piled it with buns and new bread and b.u.t.ter, and a slab of honey in the comb, biscuits, and ice-cream out of the fridge. It did look good!

aI'll take some ginger-beer down under my arm,a said Peter. aI can manage the tray, too, if you'll bring the biscuits and ice-creama"they look as if they might slip about!a aI'll get the key of the playroom, too,a said Mollie, and she took it off its hook. Then, feeling excited, the two of them went carefully down the garden path, carrying everything between them. Would c.h.i.n.ky be waiting for them?

He was, of course, because the robin had flown down to tell him that the children were coming. He hid behind some tall hollyhocks, and leapt out on them as they came up to the door of the playroom.

aMollie! Peter! I'm here!a ac.h.i.n.ky! We are glad to see you!a said Mollie. aWait till I put down all this stuff and I'll give you a hug! There!a She gave the little pixie such a hug that he almost choked. He beamed all over his face. aWhere's the key?a he said. aI'll open the door. I want to get the wishing-chair inside before anyone sees it. There's a tiresome little brownie who keeps on wanting to sit in it.a He unlocked the door of the playroom and they all went in. c.h.i.n.ky helped them with the food, and then ran to get the wishing-chair. He staggered in with it, beaming.

aI tipped that tiresome brownie off the seat, and he fell into some nettles,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aHe shouted like anything. Well, does the chair look just the same as ever?a aOh, TO!a said Mollie, in delight, looking at the polished wooden chair. aYour mother does keep it well polished, c.h.i.n.ky. Did it grow its wings and fly off at all, while we were away at school this term?a aIt grew its wings once,a said c.h.i.n.ky, abut as I was in bed with a cold I couldn't fly off anywhere exciting in ita"so I tied it to one of the legs of my bed, in case it tried to do anything silly, like flying out of the window.a Mollie giggled. aAnd did it try?a she asked.

aOh, yesa"it woke me up in the middle of the night, flapping its wings and tugging at my bed,a said c.h.i.n.ky with a grin. aBut it couldn't get away, and in the morning its wings had gone again. So that was all right.a aI do so hope it will grow its wings this weekend,a said Peter. aWe've only got a few days' holiday, then we go back to school againa"and as Mother and Daddy are both away we really could go off on an adventure or two without any difficulty.a aI expect it will,a said c.h.i.n.ky, looking at the chair. He felt its legs to see if there were any b.u.mps coming, which meant that its wings were sprouting. But he couldn't feel any. What a pity!

Soon they were all sitting down enjoying Mrs. Williams's buns and ice-cream. It was a hot day, so they drank rather a lot of the ginger-beer.

aIt won't last long if we drink it at this rate!a said Peter. aI saya"I wonder if Mrs. w.i.l.l.y would mind if we lived down here in the playroom all this weekenda"slept here, too?a aThat would be fun!a said Mollie. aI don't see why we shouldn't. You could come too, c.h.i.n.ky.a It was very easy to arrange. Mrs. Williams smiled and nodded. aYes, you do that,a she said. aYour mother said I was to let you do what you liked, so long as it wasn't anything silly. I'll take down bedding for you.a aOh, no,a said Peter, hurriedly. aWe'll take it all down, Mrs. w.i.l.l.y.a He didn't want any questions about the wishing-chair! aAnd Mrs. w.i.l.l.y, we could have all our meals down there, if you like. We don't want anything hot, you know, this weather. If you could give us some tins and a bottle of milk, we could pick our own fruit and salad out of the garden. We shouldn't be any bother to you at all then.a aYou're no bother!a said Mrs. Williams. aBut you do just what you like this weekend, so long as you're good and happy. I'll give you tins and milk and anything else you wanta"and don't be afraid I'll come bothering you, because I won't! I know how children like to have their own little secrets, and I shan't come snooping round!a Well, that was grand! Now they could go and live in the playroom, and sleep there, tooa"and if the wishing-chair grew its wings at any time, they would know at once! They would hear it beginning to creak, and see the b.u.mps growing on its legs and the wings sprouting. Not a minute would be wasted!

It was fun taking down everything to the gay little playroom. c.h.i.n.ky kept out of sight, of course, because n.o.body knew anything about him. He was as much of a secret as the wishing-chair!

aThere now,a said Mollie, at last. aEverything is ready for usa"fooda"drink, tooa"beddinga"and a cushion and rug for you, c.h.i.n.ky. We're going to have a lovely time! Wishing-chair, grow your wings as soon as you can, and everything will be perfect!a The wishing-chair gave the tiniest little cree-ee-eak. aDid you hear that?a said c.h.i.n.ky. aPerhaps it will grow its wings soon. We'll have to keep a watch. Where shall we go to, if it does grow its wings?a aIs there a Land of Lost Things, or something like that?a said Peter. aI got into awful trouble this term because I lost my watch. Or what about going to a Land of Circuses or Fairs? I'd love to see a whole lot of those at once.a aI never heard of those lands,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWhy don't we just let the chair take us somewhere on its own? It would be fun not to know where we are going!a aOooh, yes,a said Peter. aThat would be really exciting. Chair, do you hear us? Grow your wings and you can take us anywhere you like. But do, do hurry up!a

Cree-ee-eak.

MOLLIE and Peter spent a very jolly evening with c.h.i.n.ky, down in the playroom. They played snap and happy families and ludo, and all the time they watched the wishing-chair to see if it would grow its wings. They did so long to fly off on an adventure again.

But the chair stood there quietly, and when it was half-past eight the children were so sleepy that they felt they really must go to bed.

aWe'd better go and have a bath up at the house,a said Peter. aI feel dirty, travelling all the way home by train. We'll dress properly again, just in case the wishing-chair grows its wings and flies off with us. We'll say good-night to Mrs. w.i.l.l.y, too, so that she doesn't feel she's got to come down to see if we're all right.a Just as they went out of the door they saw somebody disappearing round the corner. aWho was that peeping?a said Mollie at once. aQuick, run and see, Peter.a Peter raced round the corner of the playroom and saw a little brownie dive into a bush. He yelled at him.

aHey, what do you think you are doing, peeping about here? You wait till I catch you!a A cheeky face looked out of the bush. aI just want to see your chair grow wings, that's all. It's a wishing-chair, isn't it? Can't I watch it grow wings?a aNo, you can't,a said Peter. aNo peeping and prying in our garden, please! Keep out!a The brownie made a rude face and pulled his head back into the leaves. c.h.i.n.ky ran out of the playroom to see what the shouting was about.

aIt's that brownie you told us about, the one who sat in the wishing-chair,a said Peter. aKeep an eye open for him, c.h.i.n.ky. We don't want him telling everyone our secret.a aI'll watch,a said c.h.i.n.ky. He yelled at the bush where the brownie had gone.

aHey, you little snooper! If I see you again I'll tie you to a witch's broomstick and send you off to the moon!a There was no answer. The children went off to the house to have their bath and c.h.i.n.ky went back to the playroom.

Mrs. w.i.l.l.y gave Peter and Mollie a jam sponge sandwich she had made, and another bottle of milk. aCould you give us some eggs, too?a asked Peter. aThen we could boil them ourselves for breakfast on our own little stove. We wouldn't need to come in for breakfast then.a Mrs. w.i.l.l.y laughed. aYou're not going to bother me much, are you?a she said. aWell, here you are, four new-laid eggsa"and you'd better take a new loaf down with you, and some more b.u.t.ter. You're sure you'll be all right?a aOh, yesa said Mollie. aWe love being on our own like this with Cha"a Peter gave her such a nudge that she almost fell over. She stopped and went red. Goodness gracious, she had almost said c.h.i.n.ky's name! Mrs. Williams didn't seem to have noticed anything, though. She added a pot of marmalade to the tray, and Peter took it.

aWell, I suppose I'll see you when you want more food!a she said. aAnd not before. Have a nice timea"and don't get into mischief!a Peter and Mollie went down the garden path with the tray. Good! Now they wouldn't need to go up to the house for breakfast, so if the chair grew its wings that night they would have time for a nice long adventure!

Just as they got near the playroom they heard a noise of shouting and slapping.

aI told you I'd smack you if I found you peeping again!a they heard c.h.i.n.ky say. aComing right into the playroom like that!a Slap, slap, slap! aHowl all you like, you'll get a worse smacking if you come back again. What's up with you that you won't do as you're told?a aYou horrid thing!a wept the little brownie. aYour hand's very hard. You hurt me. I'll pay you out, yes, I will!a Slap! Yell! Howl! Then came the sound of running feet and the little brownie almost b.u.mped into the two children. He knocked the tray and an egg leaped right off it and landed on his head. It broke, and in an instant he had a cap of yellow yolk!

Mollie and Peter laughed. The little brownie couldn't think what had happened to him. aI'll pay you out,a he cried. aI will, I will!a He disappeared into the tall hollyhocks, grumbling and wailing. Dear, deara"what a silly little fellow he was, to be sure!

aWell, he's gone,a said Peter. aAnd so is one of our eggs. Never mind, we've still got three left, one for each of us. Hey, c.h.i.n.ky, you've been having more trouble with that brownie, I see.a aYes. But I don't think he'll be back again in a hurry,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI smacked him hard. I know who he is now. He's little Nose-About, a spoilt little brownie who sticks his nose into everything. His mother didn't spank him enough when he was little, so people have to keep on spanking him now. I saya"what a lovely sponge sandwich! Are we going to have some now?a They sat down to have their supper. It was a lovely summer's evening, still quite light. As they sat by the doorway, munching big slices of jam sandwich, a purple cloud blew up. Big drops of rain fell, and yet the sun still shone brightly, for it was not covered by the cloud.

aThere's a rainbow, look!a said Mollie, and they all gazed at the lovely, shimmering rainbow that suddenly shone out in the sky. aI do wish the chair would grow its wings, because I'd love to go to the rainbow and see if I could find a crock of gold where it touches the ground.a aYes, I'd like that, too,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aI don't believe anyone has ever found the crock of gold yet. They say you have to slide right down the rainbow itself and land with a b.u.mp on the patch of ground where the crock is hidden.a aLet's go right into the garden and see if we can spot where the rainbow-end touches,a said Mollie. So out they went, but as the end of the rainbow disappeared behind some high trees they couldn't make up their minds where it touched.

aIt's miles away, anyhow,a said Peter. aIsn't it a lovely thing? It's like a bridge of many colours.a They heard a sudden little scuffling sound and turned quickly. aWas that that tiresome brownie again?a said c.h.i.n.ky, frowning. aAnybody see him?a n.o.body had. n.o.body had spied him scuttling into the playroom. n.o.body saw where he went. Peter felt uneasy. aI believe he's slipped into the playroom,a he said. aWe'd better look.a They went in and hunted round. They looked into every corner, and Mollie even looked inside the dolls' house because she thought he might have been able to squeeze himself in at the door.

aHe's not in the playroom,a said Peter at last. aWe've looked simply everywhere. Let's shut the door now, and keep him out. It's still very light, and the rainbow is still lovely, though not so bright as it was. We'd better go to bed. I'm really sleepy.a Mollie looked longingly at the wishing-chair. aIf only it would grow its wings!a she said. aI just feel like an adventure!a The two children had mattresses to lie on. c.h.i.n.ky had a cushion and a rug. They all settled down, yawning. How lovely the very first evening was! Half-term seemed to be quite long when it was still only the first day.

Mollie fell asleep first. c.h.i.n.ky gave an enormous yawn, and then he fell asleep, too. Peter lay watching the rainbow fading gradually. He could see part of it through the window.

His eyes fell shut. His thoughts went crooked, and he was almost asleep when something woke him.

aCreeeee-eak!a Peter opened his eyes. What was that noise that had slipped into his first moment of dreaming? His eyes shut again.

aCree-ee-ee-EAK!a Ah! That woke up Peter properly. He sat up quickly. He knew that noise all right! It was made by the wishing-chair. It was about to grow its lovely wings of green and yellow! He sat and stared at the chair.

Could he see b.u.mps coming on its legs? He was almost sure he could. Yesa"there was a big one on the right front lega"and now another on the left. He could see b.u.mps on the back legs, too.

Then one b.u.mp sprouted a few red feathers! Hurrah! The wishing-chair was growing its wings for them. What luck!

Peter reached over to c.h.i.n.ky and gave him a little shake. He did the same to Mollie. aWake up! The chair's growing its wings. We can fly off in it tonight!a Both Mollie and c.h.i.n.ky woke up with a jump. c.h.i.n.ky leapt up and ran to the chair. His face beamed at them.

aYes! Look at its lovely wings sprouting outa"good big ones! Quick, open the door, and we'll all get into the chaira"and away we'll go!a Peter flung the door open. c.h.i.n.ky and Mollie were already sitting in the chair. It flapped its wings and rose a few inches. aWait for Peter!a cried Mollie, in a fright. Peter leapt across to the chair and sat himself firmly on the seat. c.h.i.n.ky sat himself on the back to make more room. Aha"they were off!

aTell the chair where to go,a said Peter. aOr shall we just let it take us where it wants to?a aChair, go to the rainbow!a suddenly cried a voice.

And the chair, which was flying in the opposite direction, changed its course and flew towards the almost-faded rainbow. It had flown right out of the door and up into the air, the children and c.h.i.n.ky holding fast to it, all feeling very excited.

aWho said that?a asked Peter. aDid you, Mollie? Or you, c.h.i.n.ky?a They both said no. All three gazed at one another, puzzled. Then who had said it? There was n.o.body on the chair but themselves. Whose voice had commanded the chair to go to the rainbow?

aI expect it was that silly little brownie, calling from the ground,a said Peter at last. aHe must have seen us flying off, and yelled out to the chair to go to the rainbow. Wella"shall we go?a aMight as well,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aGo on, Chaira"go to the rainbow!a And immediately a voice chimed in: aThat's what I said! Go to the rainbow, Chair!a Who could it be? And where was the speaker? How very, very peculiar!

An Adventurous Night.

aTHERE must be somebody invisible on the chair with us!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aQuicka"feel about on the seat and on the arms and back. Feel everywherea"and catch hold of whoever it is.a Well, they all felt here and there, but not one of them could feel anybody. They heard a little giggle, but it was quite impossible to find whoever it was giggling.

aSurely the chair itself can't have grown a voicea"and a giggle,a said Peter at last.

aOf course not. It wouldn't be so silly,a said c.h.i.n.ky. aGraciousa"here we are at the rainbow already!a So they were. They landed right on the top of the shimmering bow. aIt's like a coloured, curving bridge,a said Mollie, putting her foot down to it. aOh, Petera"we can walk on it. I never, never thought of that.a She jumped down to the rainbowa"and immediately she gave a scream.

aOh, it's slippery! I'm sliding down! Oh, Peter, help me!a Sure enough, poor Mollie had sat down with a b.u.mp, and was slithering down the curving rainbow at top speed. aFollow her, Chair, follow her!a yelled Peter.

aNo, don't!a shouted the strange voice, and the chair stopped at once. That made Peter angry. He began to yell at the top of his voice.

aYou do as I tell you, Chair. Follow Mollie, follow Mollie, follow Mollie, follow . . .a And because his voice was loud and he shouted without stopping, the chair couldn't hear the other little voice that called to it to stop. It slid down the rainbow headlong after Mollie, who was now nearly at the bottom. c.h.i.n.ky held on tightly, looking scared. Would the chair be able to stop at the bottom of the rainbow?

It wouldn't have been able to stop, that was certaina"but before it reached the bottom it spread its red wings and flew right off the rainbow, hovering in the air before it flew down to Mollie.

aThat was clever of it,a said Peter, with a sigh of relief. aMollie, are you all right?a aI fell on a tuffet of gra.s.s, or I'd have had a dreadful b.u.mp,a said Mollie. aLet me get on to the chair again. I don't want it to fly off without me. Oha"what's this?a She pointed to something half-buried in the gra.s.s. It had a handle at one side and she gave it a tug. Something bright and shining flew out of it.

aMollie! It's the crock of gold!a shouted Peter, aThe one that is hidden where the rainbow end touches. We've found it! All because you slid all the way down and landed by it with a b.u.mp. Let's pull it up.a He and c.h.i.n.ky jumped off the chair to go to Mollie. All three took hold of the handle of the crock and tugged. It came up out of the ground with a rush, and all three fell over.

aThere it isa"and, my word, it's full of gold!a said Peter. He put his hand into the crock and ran the gold through his fingers. aWho would have thought we would be the first to find the gold at the rainbow's end?a aLet's carry it to the chair and take it with us,a said Mollie. aI don't know what we're going to do with it, though! We could give it away bit by bit to all the poor people we meet, perhaps.a They lifted the gold on to the seat of the nearby wishing-chair. They were just about to climb on beside it when the strange little voice cried out again.

aOff you go, wishing-chair! Go to the Brownie Mountain!a The chair rose up, flapping its wings. It almost got awaya"but Peter managed to catch hold of the bottom of its right front leg. He held on for all he was worth, and Mollie helped him. They pulled the chair down between them, and climbed on to it.

aThis is amazing!a said c.h.i.n.ky. aWho is it that keeps calling out? Where can he be? Even if he is invisible we should be able to feel him! He nearly got away with the chair, and the gold, too. My word, if I get hold of him I'll turn him into a fly and blow him into a spider's web!a aChair, go to the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe!a cried the voice suddenly, and the chair shot off to the east.