Mary Poppins in the Park (7 page)

"I can't stay long whatever it is," he said, as he reached the group. "I left the lights when I heard the whistle and I must get back to them. Why, Egbert!" he said to the First Policeman, "what's the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing to complain of, Albert! I've just been attacked by a lion!"

"Lion?" The sad face grew a shade more cheerful as the Second Policeman glanced about him. "Oh, what a beauty!" he exclaimed, limping towards the tawny shape at Mary Poppins' side.

Jane turned to whisper in Michael's ear.

"He must be the Policeman's brother—the one with the wooden foot!"

"Nice lion! Pretty lion!" said the Second Policeman softly.

And the Lion, at the sound of his voice, leapt to his feet with a roar.

"Now gently, gently! Be a good lion. He's an elegant fellow, so he is!" the Second Policeman crooned.

Then he put back the mane from the Lion's brow and met the golden eyes. A shudder of joy ran through his frame.

"Rover! My dear old friend! It's you!" He flung out his arms with a loving gesture and the Lion rushed into them.

"Oh, Rover! After all these years!" the Second Policeman sobbed.

"Wurra, wurra!" the Lion growled, licking the tears away.

And for a whole minute it was nothing but Rover—Wurra, Rover—Wurra, while they hugged and kissed each other.

"But how did you get here? How did you find me?" demanded the Second Policeman.

"Woof! Burrrum!" replied the Lion, nodding towards the perambulator.

"No! You don't say! How very kind! We must always be grateful, Rover! And if I can do you a good turn, Miss Poppins——"

"Oh, get along, do—the pair of you!" said Mary Poppins snappily. For the Lion had rushed to lick her hand and darted back to his friend.

"Woof? Wurra-woof?" he said in a growl.

"Will I come with you? What do you think? As if I could ever leave you again!" And flinging his arm round the Lion's shoulders, the Second Policeman turned.

"Hey!" cried the First Policeman sternly. "Where are you going to, may I ask? And where are you taking that animal?"

"He's taking
me!
" cried the Second Policeman. "And we're going where we belong!" His gloomy face had quite changed. It was now rosy and gay.

"But what about the traffic lights? Who's going to look after those?"

"They're all at green!" said the Second Policeman. "No more signals for me, Egbert! The traffic can do what it likes!"

He looked at the Lion and roared with laughter, and the two of them turned away. Over the lawns they sauntered, chatting—the Lion on its hind legs and the Policeman limping a little. When they came to the Lane Gate they paused for a moment and waved. Then through they went and shut it behind them, and the watchers saw them no more.

The Keeper of the Zoological Gardens gathered up his net.

"I hope they're not making for the Zoo. We haven't a cage to spare!"

"Well, as long as he's out of the public Park——" The Prime Minister clambered out of the tree.

"Haven't we met before?" he enquired, as he took off his hat to Mary Poppins. "I'm afraid I've forgotten where it was!"

"Up in the air! On a red balloon!" She bowed in a ladylike manner.

"Ah, yes! Hurrrmph!" He seemed rather embarrassed. "Well—I must be off and make some more laws!"

And, glancing round to make sure the Lion was not coming back, he made for the Far Gate.

"Constable!" cried the Lord Mayor, as he swung himself down from his branch. "You must go at once to the signal box and switch the lights to red. The traffic can do as it likes, indeed! Whoever heard of such a thing!"

The Policeman, mopping up his scratches, gallantly sprang to attention.

"Very good, Your Honour!" he said smartly, and marched away down the Walk.

"As for you, Smith, this is all your fault. Your duty is to look after the Park! But what do I find when I pass this way? Wild animals running all over it. You disappoint me again and again. I must mention it to the King."

The Park Keeper fell on his knees with a groan.

"Oh,
please
don't mention it, Your Honour! Think of me poor old mother!"

"You should have thought of her yourself before you let that lion in!"

"But I never let 'im in, Your Worship! It wasn't my fault 'e came over the wall. If anyone's to blame, it's——" The Park Keeper broke off nervously, but he looked in Mary Poppins' direction.

So did the Lord Mayor.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, with a gracious smile. "Charmed to meet you again, Miss—er——?"

"Poppins," said Mary Poppins politely.

"Poppins—ah, yes! A charming name! Now, if Smith were only
you,
Miss Poppins, these things would never occur!"

With a bow, the Lord Mayor turned away and billowed down the Walk. The two Aldermen also bowed, and billowed along behind him.

"That's all
you
know!" said the Park Keeper, as he watched them disappear. "If I was 'er—ha, ha, that's funny!—
anything
could happen!"

"If I were
you,
I'd straighten my tie," said Mary Poppins primly. "Get down from that fountain, Jane and Michael!" She glanced at their grimy knees and faces. "You look like a couple of Blackamoors!"

"We can't all be like you, you know!" the Park Keeper said sarcastically.

"No," she agreed. "And mores the pity!" She pushed the perambulator forward.

"But, Mary Poppins——" Michael burst out. He was longing to ask her about the Lion.

"Butting's for goats—not human beings! Best foot forward, please!"

"It's no use, Michael," whispered Jane. "You know she never explains."

But Michael was too excited to heed.

"Well, if I can't talk about the Lion, will you let me blow your whistle?"

"Certainly not!" She sauntered on.

"I wonder, Mary Poppins," he cried, "if you'll ever let me do
anything!
"

"I wonder!" she said, with a mocking smile.

Twilight was falling over the Park. People were scrambling out of the trees and hurrying home to safety.

From the Far Gate came a frightful din. And looking through it the children saw a motionless block of traffic. The lights were red, the horns were hooting and the drivers were shaking their fists.

The Policeman was calmly surveying the scene. He had been given an order and he was obeying it.

"Has your brother Albert gone for good?" cried Jane, as he waved to them.

"No idea," he replied calmly. "And it's no affair of mine!"

Then round the perambulator swung and they all went back by the Long Walk. The Twins and Annabel, weary of playing with the blue duck, let it drop over the side. Nobody noticed. Jane and Michael were far too busy thinking about the day's adventure. And Mary Poppins was far too busy thinking about Mary Poppins.

"I wonder where Albert's gone?" murmured Michael, as he strolled along beside her.

"How should
I
know?" she answered, shrugging.

"I thought you knew everything!" he retorted. "I meant it politely, Mary Poppins!"

Her face, which was just about to be fierce, took on a conceited expression.

"Maybe I do," she said smugly, as she hurried them across the Lane and in through the front gate....

"Oh, Ellen!" Mrs. Banks was saying, as they all came into the hall. "Would you dust the mantelpiece while you're there? Well, darlings?" She greeted the children gaily.

Ellen, half-way up the stairs, replied with a loud sneeze. "A-tishoo!" She had Hay Fever. She was carrying mugs of milk on a tray and they rattled each time she sneezed.

"Oh, go on, Ellen! You're so
slow!
" said Michael impatiently.

"You hard-hearted—a-tishoo!" she cried, as she dumped the tray on the nursery table.

Helter-skelter they all ran in, as Ellen took a cloth from her pocket and began to dust Miss Andrew's treasures.

"Rock cakes for supper! I'll have the biggest!" cried Michael greedily.

Mary Poppins was buttoning on her apron. "Michael Banks——" she began in a warning voice. But the sentence was never finished.

"Oh, help!" A wild scream rent the air and Ellen fell backwards against the table.

Bang! went the milk mugs on to the floor.

"It's
him!
" shrieked Ellen. "Oh, what shall I do?" She stood in a running stream of milk and pointed to the mantelpiece.

"What's him? Who's him?" cried Jane and Michael. "Whatever's the matter, Ellen?"

"There! Under that banana bush! His very self! A-tishoo!"

She was pointing straight at Miss Andrew's huntsman as he smiled in the arms of his Lion.

"Why, of course!" cried Jane, as she looked at the huntsman. "He's exactly like Egbert—our Policeman!"

"The only one I ever loved, and now a wild beast's got him!"

Ellen flung out a frenzied arm and knocked the teapot over. "A-tishoo!" she sneezed, distractedly, as she hurried sobbing from the room and thundered down the stairs.

"What a silly she is!" said Michael, laughing. "As if he'd have turned into china! Besides, we saw him a moment ago, away by the Far Gate!"

"Yes, she's a silly," Jane agreed. "But he's very like the huntsman, Michael——" She smiled at the smiling china face. "And both such manly figures..."

"Well, Constable?" said Mr. Banks, as he came up the garden path that evening. He wondered if he had broken a bye-law when he saw the policeman at the door.

"It's about the duck!" The Policeman smiled.

"We don't keep ducks," said Mr. Banks. "Good heavens! What have you done to your face?"

The Policeman patted his bruised cheek. "Just a scratch," he murmured modestly. "But now, that there blue duck——"

"Whoever heard of a blue duck? Go and ask Admiral Boom!"

The Policeman gave a patient sigh and handed over a dingy object.

"Oh, that thing!" Mr. Banks exclaimed. "I suppose the children dropped it!" He stuffed the blue duck into his pocket and opened the front door.

It was at this moment that Ellen, her face hidden in her duster, hurled herself down the front stairs and straight into his arms.

"A-tishoo!" She sneezed so violently that Mr, Banks' bowler hat fell off.

"Why, Ellen! What on earth's the matter?" Mr. Banks staggered beneath her weight.

"He's gone right into that bit of china!" Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed out the news.

"You're going to China?" said Mr. Banks. "Well, don't be so depressed about it! My dear," he remarked to Mrs. Banks, who was hurrying up the kitchen stairs. "Ellen is feeling upset, she says, because she is going to China!"

"China?" cried Mrs. Banks, raising her eyebrows.

"No! It's
him
that's gorn!" insisted Ellen. "Under a banana in the African jungle!"

"Africa!" Mr. Banks exclaimed, catching only a word here and there. "I made a mistake," he said to Mrs. Banks. "She's going to Africa!"

Mrs. Banks seemed quite stupefied.

"I'm not! I'm not!" shrieked Ellen wildly.

"Well, wherever you're going, do make up your mind!" Mr. Banks thrust her towards a chair.

"Allow me, sir!" the Policeman murmured, stepping into the hall.

Ellen looked up at the sound of his voice and gave a strangled sob.

"
Egbert.
But I thought you were up on the mantelpiece—and a wild beast going to eat you!" She flung out her arm towards the nursery.

"Mantelpiece?" Mr. Banks exclaimed.

"A wild beast?" murmured Mrs. Banks. Could they—they wondered—believe their ears?

"Leave it to me," the Policeman said. "I'll take her a turn along the path. Perhaps it will clear her head."

He heaved Ellen out of the chair and led her, still gaping, through the door.

Mr. Banks mopped his beaded brow. "Neither China, nor Africa," he murmured. "Merely to the front gate with the Policeman. I never knew that his name was Egbert! Well, I'll just go and say goodnight to the children.... All well, Mary Poppins?" he asked gaily, as he sauntered into the nursery.

She gave a conceited toss of her head. Could all be anything but well while
she
was about the house?

Mr. Banks glanced contentedly at the roomful of rosy children. Then his eye fell on the mantelpiece and he gave a start of surprise.