Enid Blyton (8 page)

Twice Paul was scolded and punished for bringing school books soaking wet to school. But how could-he help it? John had again thrown his bag into the pond, scaring all the ducks, and soaking everything inside the bag.

And then one day something happened. Paul was going along to school, a little earlier than usual, hoping to slip down the lane before John and Alan came along. And up the lane came a funny little man, whose pointed ears showed that he was half a brownie.

It was Mr. Pink-Whistle, of course, but nobody could know it was because he couldn't be seen. He was invisible, but he had quite forgotten that, and was stamping along gaily, whistling loudly.

Now, half-way down the lane John and Alan were hiding behind a tree, waiting for Paul, and when they heard the footsteps and the whistling they felt sure it was Paul coming along as usual. So, to Mr. Pink-Whistle's enormous astonishment, the two boys suddenly leapt out as he came by, shouting fiercely, their arms outstretched to catch Paul. But Paul wasn't there—no one was there! They couldn't see Pink-Whistle—and they couldn't hear him either, now, for he had stopped walking in amazement and was no longer whistling.

"Well!" said John, in astonishment, "I thought I heard Paul. But there's no one here!"

"I heard steps and whistling," said Alan. "Oh, look—there's Paul—coming down the lane. Come on, let's give his mack to the old goat to eat! Before Paul can get it away from him, he'll have munched big holes in it!"

Mr. Pink-Whistle listened to all this in the greatest surprise. Give a mackintosh to a goat to eat? These boys must be mad!

John and Alan pounced on poor Paul. They dragged his dark blue mack off his arm. "The old goat wants it for his dinner!" said Alan, with a grin.

"No, don't," said Paul, in alarm. "My mother has just paid a lot of money for that mack. It's new. Don't be so mean."

But the mack was wrenched away and thrown over the hedge for the goat to eat. Paul was left to try and get it back whilst the other boys ran off to school, laughing.

THE CAPS FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND LANDED ON TWO CHIMNEYS!

"Beasts!" said Paul, climbing over the hedge to get his mack. The goat had already bitten off a button. "Why don't they leave me alone? They throw my caps away, they throw my bag into the pond, they spoil everything of mine that they can. And I can't stop them! Nobody can!"

"Excuse me—but I think I can do something about it," said Mr. Pink-Whistle, appearing so suddenly that both Paul and the goat jumped in surprise. The goat dropped the mack and ran away. Paul stood and stared at Pink-Whistle in amazement.

"Where did you come from?" he asked. "You suddenly appeared!"

"Yes. I forgot I was invisible," said Pink-Whistle. "I didn't mean to give you quite such a shock. Let me have a look at that mack."

There was a big tear in it and a button was gone. It was in the goat, so there was no getting that back. But somehow Pink-Whistle managed to mend the mack. A new button seemed to grow, in the right place, and the big tear pressed its edges together, gave a peculiar kind of squeak, and disappeared.

"I say," said Paul, half-scared. "I say—you're a bit magic, aren't you?"

"Just a bit," said Pink-Whistle. "Now—you'd better rush off to school, or you'll be late. Leave things to me. I have a feeling I'm going to interfere a little. If you want to see a bit of fun, hide behind that tree at the end of the morning."

Paul stared hard at Pink-Whistle. He couldn't make him out. He liked the little man very much indeed, and he thought he had the brightest twinkle in his eyes that he had ever seen. He nodded, put his mack over his arm, and sped off to school, wondering what was going to happen.

At the end of the morning Paul shot off before John and Alan left. Now it was his turn to hide behind the tree—not to pounce out, but to watch. He couldn't see Mr. Pink-Whistle anywhere. He wondered if he could have imagined him.

But Pink-Whistle was there all right. He had made himself invisible again, that was all. He waited for John and Alan, and very soon along they came, kicking a stone between them.

"Excuse me," said Pink-Whistle, in a loud but polite voice. The boys stopped in surprise. They could see no one.

"I want to borrow your caps," said Pink-Whistle, still very polite. To the boys' dismay their caps suddenly whisked of! their heads, flew up into the air and landed on the exact tops of two chimneys belonging to a near-by cottage.

"And now your shoes, please," said Pink-Whistle; and their laces were undone, and their shoes pulled off, before they knew what was happening!

Up into the air went the four shoes. Two landed on the old billy-goat's horns and two on the horns of a most astonished cow. Neither of the boys dared go and get them. The cow looked angry and the goat knew how to butt very hard.

"Fine," said Pink-Whistle, who still couldn't be seen. "So kind of you to let me have your things. But still, why not? You take Paul's things, don't you? So, of course, you are willing to lend me yours."

"Who's speaking? Who's doing all this?" said John, clutching Alan's arm.

Behind the tree there sounded a chuckle. It came from Paul, who was really enjoying himself. Now Alan and John knew what it was like to be teased and not be able to stop the teaser!

Mr. Pink-Whistle hadn't nearly finished. No, when he did a thing he did it really thoroughly!

THE GOAT LOOKED RATHER PECULIAR WITH THE SHOES ON HIS HORNS.

He stripped off the boys' stockings next, made the billy-goat stand still, and then slipped them on to each leg. The goat was rather pleased. The stockings were warm, he felt grand in them, and he could always eat them when he was tired of them. He trotted round the field in them, looking rather peculiar because he still had a pair of shoes on his horns.

Alan and John were very scared by now, and began to run away. But a strong and firm hand took hold of each of them.

"No, don't go. I would like to borrow your school-bags, please,"

So off came their school satchels. One sailed away to the top of a tall chestnut tree, and the other fell into the stream and sailed down it merrily, with pens, pencils, and papers leaking out of it. Oh dear, now they couldn't do their homework, and the teacher would be very angry!

Their ties came off next, flew up towards the telegraph wires and then tied themselves round a wire in neat bows. It was really most extraordinary. Even Paul forgot to laugh for a moment, and felt a bit scared. This little invisible man must know a lot of magic!

"Don't!" begged Alan, in alarm, holding on to his coat and shorts, afraid that they would go next. "Don't! Who are you, doing this? Don't do any more!"

Mr. Pink-Whistle hadn't quite finished. He pulled out the boys' handkerchiefs, threw them into the field, and the goat at once ate them both. He didn't really mind what he ate. He had once tried to eat a tin and many times he had eaten newspapers, rope, paper-bags, and cardboard cartons. So he was quite pleased with the handkerchiefs.

"Well, thank you very much," said Mr. Pink-Whistle politely. "That's all for this morning. I'll meet you here again another day perhaps. That would be very nice."

"No, oh no!" cried Alan and John, and fled down the lane in their bare feet as fast as they could go. Paul came out from behind the tree, laughing.

"I don't know quite where you are," he said to Mr. Pink-Whistle, who was still invisible, "but thank you very much for interfering. Oh dear, look at those caps on the chimneys still."

Pink-Whistle suddenly appeared, looking very pleased with himself. "Yes, they look comic up there, don't they?" he said. "I did enjoy myself. Well, my boy, I have a feeling that those two boys won't tease you much more. I don't believe they liked my bit of interference! I'll be along here again for the next few days, so call out if you want me."

But Paul didn't call out, because John and Alan never went down that lane again. They were so afraid of meeting the polite and powerful little invisible man that they went another way to school. It took them twice as long, so they had to start much earlier. Paul never had any bother with them again.

The funny thing is the school ties are still tied in bows round the telegraph wire. Nobody can imagine who put them there—but if you see them you'll know. It was all because Mr. Pink-Whistle interfered!

MR. PINK-WHISTLE IS A RATHER 

FUNNY

ONCE
when Mr. Pink-Whistle was walking down a rather lonely road he met a small boy who was crying bitterly.

Well, Pink-Whistle could never bear to see anyone unhappy, and he stopped at once.

"What's the matter?" he said. "You tell me what's the matter, and maybe I can put it right."

"My mother s-s-sent me to buy some b-b-bread," wept the small boy, "and the boy who lives round the corner took the money from me and ran off with it. And my mother will s-s-s-spank me."

"Dear, dear!" said Pink-Whistle. "I'm very sorry to hear that. Come with me, and we'll buy the bread together. Then maybe if we meet this bad boy you can point him out to me."

So they went to the baker's shop together and bought some bread. Pink-Whistle paid for it, and they went out into the street again.

But the bad boy was nowhere to be seen. So Pink-Whistle said good-bye and sent the small boy home.

He set off down the road again, a little plump man with the pointed ears of a brownie, and a merry, twinkling look in his eyes. But soon he heard the sound of sobbing again, and he saw two little girls running on the opposite side of the road, tears pouring down their red cheeks.

"Dear, dear me!" said Pink-Whistle to himself. "All the children seem to be in tears to-day!"

He ran across and stopped the two little girls. They hadn't any hankies, so he dried their tears with his great big one.

"Now, you tell me what's wrong," he said.

"Well, we were going to the sweet-shop to buy some chocolate," said one of the little girls, "and a horrid boy came up to us and asked us where we were going. And when we told him we were going to the sweet-shop he said how much money had we?"

"And when we showed him, he snatched it out of our hands and

ran away," wept the other little girl. "So we can't buy our chocolate, and we saved up a whole week for it."

"Well, well," said Pink-Whistle, holding out his hand. "Come along and we'll go and buy some. I don't think that bad boy will stop you if you are with me."

So they all went to the sweet-shop, and Pink-Whistle bought plenty of chocolate for the two little girls. They beamed at him,

"Oh, thank you! You are kind!" they said. "We do hope we shan't meet that big boy and have him take our chocolate from us!"

"I'll see you right home," said Pink-Whistle. So off they went, and he saw them safely home. But they didn't meet the bad boy as Pink-Whistle had hoped they would.

Now, just after he had left them, what should he hear but yet another child crying. Surely it couldn't be someone that bad boy had robbed again? Mr. Pink-Whistle hurried round the corner to see.

A very small girl was there, holding the corner of her dress to her eyes. "He took the sausages!" she wept. "He dragged them away from me!"

"Who did?" asked Pink-Whistle sharply.

"A bad boy," wept the tiny girl. "My mother will smack me for coming home without the sausages. It's that bad boy. He takes everything we have."

Well, Pink-Whistle had to buy a string of sausages then. It was really quite an expensive morning for him. He didn't see the bad boy. He wondered where he was,

"Nobody really knows," said the little girl, who was now all smiles again, trotting along by Pink-Whistle, holding tightly to his hand. "You see, he hides—and pounces out. We never see him come. He runs so fast, too, no-one can ever catch him."

"I see," said Pink-Whistle. "Well, I shall look out for him!"

"You'll never see him," said the tiny girl. "He only pounces out on children smaller than himself. If you were a child, going shopping, you would see him soon enough!"

Pink-Whistle thought that was a good idea. Of course—he was sure to see that bad boy if he were a small child! It was only small children he robbed.