1

THE

ADVENTURES
OF

PIP

THE

ADVENTURES
OF

PIP
ENID BLYTON

LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTQN & CO., LTD.

MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BKITAIN BY PURNELL AND SONS, LTD., PAULTON (SOMERSET) AND LONDON

CONTENTS
A Nice little Pot of Glue
Story: Sunday Graphic Jan 20, 1946

10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 36

Little Black Bibs

Story: Sunday Graphic Jan 27, 1946

The little Mewing Man

Story: Sunday Graphic Feb 3, 1946

A Crock of Gold
Story: Sunday Graphic Feb 17, 1946

Cr-r-r-roak!
Story: Sunday Graphic Mar 17, 1946

Wanted a Suit of Armour

Story: Sunday Graphic May 6, 1945

If the Oak is out before the Ash

Story: Sunday Graphic May 26, 1946

A Beak is as Good as Fingers

Story: Sunday Graphic Apr 28, 1946

Confetti for the Wedding

Story: Sunday Graphic May 5, 1946

Mud-Pies for Martins

Story: Sunday Graphic May 13, 1945

An Uncomfortable Bedfellow
Story: Sunday Graphic Jul 29, 1945

39 42 45 47 50 53 56 59 62 65 68 71

"Zooooom!"
Story: Sunday Graphic Jun 30, 1946

Soap-Suds on the Grass

Story: Sunday Graphic Jun 16, 1946

Give me another Name!

Story: Sunday Graphic Jun 10, 1945

Hallo, Ladybird!
Story: Sunday Graphic Jun 24, 1945

Poor Man's Weather-Glass

Story: Sunday Graphic Jul 8, 1945

The Surprising Tail

Story: Sunday Graphic Apr 14, 1946

Nice House to Let!

Story: Sunday Graphic Aug 12, 1945

A Very Queer Flower

Story: Sunday Graphic Aug 19, 1945

Go Away, Dirty-Feet!
Story: Sunday Graphic Aug 26, 1945

Where's the Front Door?

Story: Sunday Graphic Jul 15, 1945

A Nice New Purse

Story: Sunday Graphic Mar 10, 1946

The Fairy-Ring
Story: Sunday Graphic Sep 23, 1945

74 77 80 83 86 89 92 95

And Away They Went!

Story: Sunday Graphic Oct 7, 1945

Away with the Leaves!

Story: Sunday Graphic Nov 4, 1945

What, No Saucepans!
Story: Sunday Graphic Oct 21, 1945

What's happened to the Puddles?

Story: Sunday Graphic Nov 11, 1945

The Old Man's Beard

Story: Sunday Graphic Nov 25, 1945

How very Sensible!

Story: Sunday Graphic Dec 16, 1945

The Mistletoe Bird

Story: Sunday Graphic Jan 6, 1946

THE

ADVENTURES
OF

PIP

A Nice little Pot of Glue

PIP the pixie was doing the washing up for his Aunt Twinkle. He was humming a little tune, and he wasn't being very careful with the dishes. Crash! Something fell on the floor and broke into two pieces. It was Aunt Twinkle's sugar-basin. " Oh dear I " said Pip. " Aunt Twinkle will be so cross. I wonder if I can mend it.*y/ He picked up the two pieces and fitted them together. Yes, if he could get some glue, he could stick them together and the crack would hardly show. He would have to tell his Aunt what he had done but if she saw how nicely he had mended the basin, she might not be quite so cross about it I He looked for the glue. There wasn't any to be found. Bother! None in the cupboard. None oft the shelf! Only an empty tube in the sculleryno use at all. " Well, I'd better go and buy some," thought Pip. t So out he went. But it was early closing day and the shops were shut. Aunt Twinkle would be home at teatime, and she would certainly see the broken basin then.

10

He went to Jinky, his friend. Jinky hadn't any glue either. " Well, what am I to do then ? " said Pip. " I don't want to be spanked." " I know! " said Jinky. " Go to the chestnut tree and ask if you can scrape a little glue from its buds. Take a small pot with you."

11

"Are you mad?" said Pip. "How can I get glue from buds ! " "Don't you know that the chestnut tree covers its buds with sticky glue, so that Jack Frost can't freeze the growing leaves inside with his cold breath ? " said Jinky. " You go and see." Pip went, taking with him a tiny pot. He soon saw that Jinky was right. His fingers stuck to every bud he touched! They were very very sticky. " Yes, you can have some of my sticky glue if you want to," said the chestnut tree. " But please don't take too much from any budonly just a little." So Pip took just a little glue from each bud, scraping it into his tiny pot. Soon he had plenty and off he went to mend the sugar basin. The glue was very sticky and mended it beautifully. Aunt Twinkle was sorry to hear it had been broken, but pleased with Pip for mending it so well. " I got the glue from the chestnut tree buds ! " said Pip, and his Aunt would hardly believe him. But he told the truth, didn't he? You know how sticky they are.

12

Little Black Bibs

HALLO ! " said Pip, to a crowd of chattering sparrows. " It's the end of January. Spring will soon be here I" " Yes," said a sparrow. " We birds are supposed to marry on St. Valentine's Day, you know. And that is coming along soon." Pip looked at the sparrows. " How do you choose your little wives ? " he said. " You all look alike to me dull brown little birds ! I don't know which of you are boys and which are girls." " Yeswe are dressed alike ! " said the sparrow. " It's a pity. Look at the chaffinch nowyou can always tell the cock chaffinch because of his lovely pink breast. And the cock blackbird is glossy black, not dark brown like the hen." " It's dull to be all dressed alike," said another sparrow. " I wish the cock and hen sparrows were dressed differently. J should like blue wings ! " " And I should like a yellow tail! " said a little hen sparrow. " I must say that I think it would be very useful to you to be able to tell quickly which of you are boys

13

The cock sparrows were wearing little black bibs. and which of you are girls," said Pip. " There isn't much time before St. Valentine's Dayor I would give the hen sparrows yellow tails and the cock sparrows blue wings ! Then everyone would know which was which I " " Oh, Pip I Couldn't you quickly do some painting ,on us, to show one from the other! " cried a cock sparrow. " What paint have you got ? "

14

" Only black," said Pip, when he had gone to look. " What a pity 1 I could use that, if you like. But I've only enough for either cocks or hens-not enough for both." " Well, paint us then," said the cock sparrows, and they lined up. " Go on, Pip. Give us a black patch somewhere, so that everyone can tell we are the cock sparrows and not the hens." Pip dipped his brush in his paint pot and laughed. As each cock sparrow came up to him he dabbed a black patch under his chin. " A bib for you 1 " he cried. " And a bib for you \ And one for you \ " Soon all the cock sparrows were wearing little black bibs, but the hens had none. Now they knew which was which! Did you know that ? Go and look out of the window at the sparrows. You'll see that every little cock sparrow wears a black bib !

15

The little Mewing Man

PIP was walking through Willow Wood one February day, when he heard a curious sound. It was just like someone mewing, mewing, over and over again. "Is it a cat?" wondered Pip. "It can't be. It sounds like someone pretending to mew like one." He peeped round the tree, and saw a small man sitting on a cushion of moss. The strange things about him were his ears. They were cat's ears, furry and pointed. " Funny," said Pip to himself. " I've never seen him before. What's he doing ? " The little man was drawing a chalk circle round him, mewing all the time. Then he began to play on a whistle, and at once thoughts of milk and mice, fish and cream came into Pip's head. He was quite sure that if he had been a cat he would at once have gone to the little man. " He catches cats to sell to witches 1 " thought Pip, suddenly. " Yes, that's what he does. But where does he think he is going to get cats in this wood ? " Pip looked all round him. The trees were bare. The honeysuckle had put out a few early leaves.

16

17

The pussy willow had furry grey buds. One little primrose plant was showing a few flowers. But there were no cats to be seen at all. The whistling went onand then a queer thing happened I The pussy-willow trees began to swing and sway. Their furry buds swelled up. And suddenly from the twigs leapt a whole host of furry grey kittens, small and lively, bounding over to the little man! " Gracious ! He's got the kittens from the pussywillows ! " said Pip, in surprise. " Well, I never knew why it was called pussy-willow before, but I might have guessed 1 Those furry grey buds are just like kittens ! " The kittens ran to the circle of chalkand as . soon as they stepped inside it, the little man popped each mewing kitten into a bag. Pip didn't like that. " Hey ! " he said, and stepped out from behind his tree. " What are you going to ..." But before he had finished his sentence the littleman had disappeared like smoke, kittens and all. There was no one there at all. "I'll take some pussy-:willow twigs home to Aunt Twinkle, and maybe we'll have some darling furry kittens too ! " said Pip. So he cut some to take home. Do you think he'll get some kittens from the furry buds ? I wish I could !

18

A Crock of Gold
AUNT Twinkle was going to have a Sale of Work. She asked Pip if he would help her. " But what can I do? " said Pip. " I'm not much good at sales of work. I'm sure I would sell everything at the wrong price." " I expect you would," said Aunt Twinkle. " Well, can't you have a bran-tub or something ? You know, something that people pay a penny to dip into, and then get a little present from. Surely you could do that?" " I'll think of something," said Pip, and he went away and thought hard. A big blackbird saw him sitting and thinking and talked to him about it. " I'd come to your sale of work and dip into your bran-tub if I could get something out of it that would make me gay for the spring," he said. " Look at me just plain black all over. How dull to be dressed like this for the beautiful springtime. Why, even the cock sparrows have put on little black bibs ! " " You've given me an idea ! " said Pip, suddenly. "Will you bring all your friends to the sale of work,

19

20

blackbird, if I promise to put something into a tub to make you gay for the springtime ? " " I promise 1 " said the blackbird and flew off to tell everyone the news. Then Pip began to get busy. He got a tub, and painted it a gay yellow. Then he went off to collect all kinds of things in a big bucket. He filled it with dew taken when it was glittering in the golden sunshine. He collected all the sunshine freckles from the floor of the wood, and stirred them into the dew. Then he waited for a golden sunrise, and put some of that into his bucket too. Then he emptied it all into his tub and stirred it up with a peacock's feather, muttering a Golden Spell all the time. When the day came for the Sale of Work, Pip was standing by the tub, waiting for the blackbirds. They came in dozens. " Dip your beak in, dip it in ! " cried Pip. And in great excitement the blackbirds dipped in their beaks. But they found no presents in the tub. Instead, when they took out their beaks, they saw that they were brilliant gold, orange gold that looked beautiful against their black, glossy coats ! " Now you're gay for the spring! " cried Pip. And they were! They flew off delighted, to, show their golden beaks to everyone. I expect you've seen them too.

21

Cr-r-r-roak!
A LL winter the old toad had been asleep under his stone. Pip had often peeped at him there. He had called him, but the toad hadn't answered. He had tickled him with a grass, but the toad hadn't moved. "Fast asleep!" said Pip. "What an ugly old fellow he is ! He's such a sleepyhead that I don't believe he'll ever wake up again 1 " One March day he went by the toad's stone and peeped underneath. Yes, there was the toad, fast asleep as usual. Pip felt naughty, and he began to call out rude names. " Slowcoach ! Sleepyhead !' Crawl-about! Hey there, Ugly-One 1 " The toad said nothing. His eyes were fast closed.Then Pip fetched a stiff piece of straw and began to poke hard at the toad. " Wake up ! It's springtime 1 The frogs are in the pond, Sleepyhead 1" Suddenly the toad opened his eyes angrily, and shot out a long, swift tongue. The end of it was sticky, and it hit Pip smartly. The pixie was

22

lifted in the air, and almost went into the toad's mouth. " Don't 1 Don't! " he cried. " What are you doing, Toad ? " "Teaching you a lesson! " said the toad, looking at the pixie out of lovely coppery eyes. " Rude little creature ! Aha ! You didn't know I had a long tongue

23

CR-R-R-ROAK! fastened to the front of my mouth, so that I could flick it out and catch bad pixies on its sticky end, did you ? " The toad held Pip in one of his front paws, his fingers curled round the pixie's arm. " Let me go ! I'll fight you ! " said Pip. " Do you know what I do to frighten off my enemies ? " said the toad. " I ooze out a horriblesmelling, horrible-tasting liquidand nobody wants to touch me or taste me after that. How do you like it, pixie? " The toad put Pip on to his backand oh dear, he was covered with the toad's evil-smelling liquid. Whatever would Aunt Twinkle Say when he came in smelling like that ? " I'm sorry, Toad. I won't tease you any more ! " he cried. " Let me go, please let me go ! " So the toad let him go, and made his slow way to the nearest pond to look for a wife. And poor Pip went home smelling so dreadful that Aunt Twinkle-wouldn't let him into the house for hours !

24

Wanteda Suit of Armour

PIP was a pixie. He wasn't even as tall as a daisy, so he had to keep a sharp lookout in case a hungry rat pounced on him, or a rook pecked him up. One day he sat by a pond, and looked down into the water. He heard a loud complaining voice coming up. " It's a nuisance having such a soft body. I wish I wasn't so nice to eat! I wish I had a suit of armour ! " Pip laughed and slipped down into the water. He went up to a long grub wriggling about in the mud, trying to frighten away a hungry tadpole. " Hallo, Caddis ! " he said. " In trouble again ? Perhaps I can help you." " You can't," said the caddis grub. " Nobody can. What I want is a suit of armour, and where can I get that these days? Go away, Pip." " Now look here," said Pip, " you can make your own suit of armour, Caddis ! I'll help you. It will be fun. Come on now, let's look for things that will do. See, here's a tiny bit of woodand here's a short bit of straw." The caddis larva in its case, with a tadpole swimming down to it.

25

" What do you think I'm going to do with those ? " said the caddis. " Stick them together and make yourself a fine coat of armour," said Pip. "Hurry now. Look, catch that little root floating pastand here's a tiny pebble and some grains of sand. Stick them all together round your body." The caddis, still grumbling, stuck them all together and then took a few more things to add to his new coat.

26

" Now you've got a fine suit of armour, Caddis ! " said Pip, pleased. " You've left a hole to put out your head and legs when you want to walk about. You're quite safe from your enemies. Hie, Tadpolesee if you can bite him now ! " But the tadpole couldn't. The coat of armour was too hard. " I'll go and tell all the other caddis grubs ! " said the caddis, and off he went. And if you look in your pond you'll see they've all got suits of armour now!

27

If the Oak is out before the Ash

"LOOK, Jinky," said Pip, proudly. "I've got a I lovely new suit for the summer, as thin as -*' can be!" " Pooh ! " said Jinky, " you'll wish you'd bought a thicker one, and an umbrella too ! Summers are horrid nowadays, so cold and rainy." " Oh," said Pip, in dismay. " But how do you know this one will be, Jinky ? " " I don't know yet," said Jinky. " But you know the old saying, Pip : ' If the oak is out before the ash, The earth will only get a splash, If the ash is out before the oak, Then the earth will get a soak.' "And yesterday when I passed the oak-tree, its buds weren't thinking of opening! I'm sure the ash will be out first, and then, you'll see, we shall have a horrid cold summer! " " I won't have a horrid cold summer! " said Pip, crossly, and what do you think he did that night ? He went to the big oak-tree, and made a little fire

28

underneath it, so that the warmth would rise up, and make the leaves unfurl! But alas, the dry grass and dead leaves below the tree caught fire too, and soon there was a big blaze. Then a door in the tree flew open and out rushed an angry brownie. " What are you doing ? You'll set my tree on fire 1 You bad pixie, you ! " He beat out the fireand then he beat poor Pip too. " I'm sorry! " wept Pip, " I only wanted to

29

make the oak come out before the ash, then we shall have a lovely fine summer ! " Well, Pip's oak-tree did come out before any ash, ,so maybe he has made a fine summer certain. But we'd better watch our oaks too, and see if they are out first. I do hope they will be, don't you ?

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A Beak is as Good as Fingers!

ONE day Pip went round peeping at all the birds' nests he could find. "They really are lovely!" he told his aunt. " I can't think how the birds make them, Aunt Twinkle. After all, they haven't hands with fingers to weave them, have they ? How do they make them ? And how do they make them into that pretty cup-shape ? I wish I knew." "Ask the robin," said Aunt Twinkle. "She's a friend of yours. Maybe she will show you." So Pip asked the robin. "It's easy," said the robin. " A beak is as good as fingers any day 1 Look, I use rootfibres, moss, dead leavesanything like thatand then with my beak I weave them all together." Pip went off to find the things she said. He brought them back and the robin took him to an old saucepan. " We robins like to build in something that once belonged to man,'* she said. " You take this saucepan and build a nest in it yourself, just for practice." She showed him how to do itbut she used her beak, for she had no fingers. How clever she was at

31

weaving the roots together, tucking in the moss and the dead leaves, and, making it all strong and secure. "It's lovely," said Pip, and he helped too. He was good at weaving the roots together. Soon he had made a very nice nest in the old saucepan. " How do you make it cup-shaped ? " he asked. "Like this," said the robin, and she got on to the nest. She worked herself round and round in it and made a nice cosy inside to it, the shape of a round cup ! "Really, you are very clever," said Pip. "My nest is finished. I wish some bird would lay eggs in it."

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" Well, I've my own eggs in my own nest," said the robin, " or I would. Why don't you ask the cuckoo to lay you eggs ? " "No thank you," said Pip at once. The robin flew off and Pip got into his own nest. It was cosy and comfortable. Suddenly the robin flew back again in a great state. " Someone has taken my eggs and spoilt my nest I Oh, I'm so dreadfully unhappy I " " Have mine, do have mine!" begged Pip, scrambling out. " Lay some more eggs and forget about the others. Do, do! I'll look after them with you." So Pip had some eggs laid in his nest after alland won't he be pleased when they all hatch out and he can help to feed four tiny birds !

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Confetti for the Wedding ?

Pip! Where are you ? My sister Silver-Toes is 'being married to-morrow ! " shouted Jinky. " Are you coming to the wedding ? " " Ooooh yes ! " said Pip. " I love wedding-cake. Shall I bring some confetti to throw over Silver-Toes ? People always have confetti at weddings, don't they ? " " Do you know where to buy any ? " asked Jinky. " I don't." " I'll soon buy some ! " said Pip. " I know that Silver-Toes would love to have lots of confetti." So off he went to buy some. But will you believe it, there was none to be bought anywhere 1 Pip was very disappointed. " Oh," said Jinky, when Pip told him. " What-a pity, Pip ! I've told Silver-Toes now that she will have lots of confetti for her wedding, and she was so pleased. Can't we think of something ? " Pip thought hard for a moment. Then he jumped up and ran off. " I've thought of a good idea! " he cried. "I'll be back in a minute ! " He rushed to where the big may-tree was blossoming

34

in the hedge. " May-tree ! " he cried, " are your petals going to fall yet ? " " If it's windy to-morrow they will," said the maytree. "And the breeze is getting up already. Why, Pip?" " Because your little petals, blowing down by the hundred, will make beautiful confetti! " cried Pip. And, you know, they did. Silver-Toes was married under the hawthorn tree, and the wind shook the mayblossom all the time. Down floated hundreds of the little scented petals, and fell all over the pretty little bride. . " It was a good idea of yours, Pip ! " said Jinky. And really I think it was !

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Mud-Pies for Martins

The martins flew up in the sky, chattering to one another in their little high voices. They talked to the swallows too, who flew with them, and caught hundreds of flies as they darted about on their long curved wings. " We must build our nests," they said, and they flew downwards. " We are house-martins, and we must choose a nice place just under a jutting roof. Let's come and choose now." Pip the pixie was sitting on the roof as they flew down to a house. " Hallo ! " he said. " You nearly knocked me off with your swift wings. What are you going to do ? " *' Build our nests," chattered the martins. " I know where you can get plenty of twigs and dead leaves," said Pip. " We want mud, not leaves or moss or twigs ! " said the martins. " We like mud-nests, Pip." " Well, where are you going to get mud from, this hot weather ? " said Pip. " There aren't any puddles. The farmer has drained the pond that used to be here. And the river is a long way away."

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" Where shall we get mud ? " chattered the martins mournfully. " I'll make some for you," said Pip, and he flew down to the ground. He looked for a garden tap, then sat on it and turned it on with his strong little legs. The water trickled out to the ground. Soon the ground was wet and muddy. The martins and the swallows flew down in delight, and began to scoop up the mud with their beaks. Pip flew down too and began to make mud-pies. It was fun. He got very dirty but he didn't mind. When he was tired of it he went to watch the martins building their mud-nests under the roof of the houses, pressing little dabs of mud on to the walls. " You're a great help, Pip ! " they cried. " Thank you for the mud ! We couldn't have made our nests without your help! "

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An Uncomfortable Bedfellow
IT was a very very dark night. There was no moon. There were no stars either, because a big cloud was spread right across the sky. " Only owls and cats can see on a night like this ! " grumbled Pip, trying to find his way home. " Oh dear I believe I'm lost 1 " He was. He didn't know which way to go at all! Then he heard pattering footsteps, and an unseen creature come close to him. There was a snap and a crunch. "That was a tasty beetle," said a voice. "Now fora few slugs, and I can go to bed." " Hie ! " called Pip. " Wait a bit. Where am I ? I'm lost ! " " You're in my field," said the voice. " Where's that ? " said Pip, impatiently. " It's where I live, of course! " said the voice. "Ah I A fat slug. Good! And another! Fine. I suppose you're not a slug or a beetle, are you, little lost one ? " " No, certainly not. I'm a pixie," said Pip, hastily. " Oh dearI shall never get home to-night."

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" Well, come to my home if you like," said the voice. " I've got a nice hole in a bank. There's room for you too. Then, when the daylight comes, you can see your way home. Follow me ! " Pip followed the pattering footsteps. Soon they ran up a bank and came to a hole. Pip followed. " Get in," said the voice. " I'll follow." Pip got in. Then his unseen friend followed and settled down, almost squashing Pip flat. He yelled. " Hie Something's pricking me ! Hie, get up ! There's some pins here, or something. GET UP ! " But his uncomfortable bedfellow was fast asleep and snoring I And there poor Pip had to stay all night long, angry and in pain. Daylight crept in at the holeand then Pip saw his bedfellowa hedgehog ! Gracious ! " WAKE UP ! " he yelled. " I'd never have slept with you if I'd known what you were. All your spines are pricking me. I know why no one ever eats you, hedgehog I It would be like eating pins. WAKE UP!" Poor Pip. He had thirty-four scratches all over him, and his Aunt Twinkle was sure he had the measles, when she saw all the spots ! But he hadn't.

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"Zooooom!"
Z'OOOOOM!" Pip was sitting swinging on a tall foxglove when the big bumble-bee flew down with a tremendous noise. " Zooooom ! " Pip almost fell off the foxglove in fright. He clung to a leaf, and watched the big bee alight on the mouth of a pink foxglove flower. "Hey!" called Pip. "You gave me a fright! This is my foxglove. Get away from here. I'm having a swing." The bumble-bee buzzed loudly inside the foxglove. " Don't be silly ! This is my flower 1 It's made to my measurements, and there's even a hairy mat at the entrance to keep out the wrong kind of people! " " I don't believe you ! " cried Pip. But the bumblebee was quite right. When Pip looked inside the foxglove, he saw a little mat of hairs there, which would stop any smaller insect from creeping inside ! " Why do you creep into the foxglove flower ? " asked Pip. " To get the honey right at the top, of course! " said the bee, crawling out backwards. " I follow the

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path of coloured spotsthey're sign-posts for me, you knowand they lead me to the honey. Delicious nectarfor bees, though, not for cheeky little pixies ! " " Zooooom! " He flew away, laughing. Pip went to a pink foxglove flower, and peered up its big trumpet. Yes, there was the mat of hairsand the coloured path of spots. " I'll stick my head right in, and lick the honey at the top ! " said Pip. So he pushed his little head right into the flower. But it fell off the foxglove plant, and Pip fell too. Bump ! There he was on the ground, the foxglove flower jammed right over his head, so that he couldn't see a thing. " Is that your new hat, Pip ! " called the bumblebee. " What a funny way to wear it! "

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Soap-Suds on the Grass

SOMEBODY'S been throwing soap-suds all over the field," said Pip, in surprise, one morning, as he saw patches of froth hanging here and there on the grasses. " What a horrid thing to do ! " He poked a blade of grass into a little patch of soapsuds, and jumped in surprise when a voice came out of the middle of the froth. " Hey 1 Who are you jabbing ? Leave me alone." Pip stared at the patch of froth. Surely nobody lived in the middle of it ? He carefully pushed away a little of it, and then saw a green, rather fat little grub, sitting in the middle. " I must say I don't like your manners," said the grub. " Scraping away my froth-house, and coming in without asking. Go away 1 " " Is this froth really your house ? " asked Pip, in surprise. " Why do you live in the middle of a patch of bubbles?" " You're an inquisitive fellow, aren't you ? " said the grub. " If I tell you, will you go away and leave me in peace ? All right, then. Do you see my soft green body? I want to hide it from the hot sun, and from the sharp eyes of birds too. So I make a
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nice little covering of froth all round me, and live in it, like a house. See ? " " That's really very clever of you," said Pip. " How long do you live in your bubble-house ? " " Till I get a nice hard brown body," said the grub. " Then out I jumpa very fine little frog-hopper; afraid of nothing and nobody ! " " I won't disturb you any more," said Pip. " I'm glad I don't live in a house like yours. It must be very damp and uncomfortable I " Have you seen the frog-hopper's curious dwellingplace ? I expect you know it as cuckoo-spit. Did you guess it was the home of baby frog-hopper ? Well, it is!
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Give me another Name!

PIP was swinging to and fro in a buttercup, his legs dangling out each side, when he saw a long, gliding creature slipping along below him. He looked at it in alarm. " Hallo ! " he shouted, leaning out of the buttercup. " Are you a snake ? Don't eat me, will you, because I'm not what you'd like for your dinner." The long, gliding creature stopped and raised a shiny head to look at Pip. " What am I ? " he repeated, in a sad voice. " I hardly know myself. I have three names, pixie, and they are all bad ones, because they are quite wrong." " What are your names ? " asked Pip, sliding down the buttercup stalk, and looking at the long, gleaming creature. " Well, I'm called Slow-wormbut I'm as quick as can be, and I'm not a worm," said the Slow-worm. " And I'm called Blind-worm, but I'm not blind. Just look at my bright eyes ! " Pip looked. The Slow-worm blinked at him. " And I'm called Deaf-Adder, too," he said. " Deaf-Adder! When I can hear as well as you can, and I

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don't even belong to the Adder family. I'm not a snake. I'm a lizard !" . " Oh," said Pip, and he ran his hand over the shiny surface of the Slow-worm's long silvery body. " But your long body glides along like a snake's you know. How could I tell you were a lizard, not a snake, if you hadn't said so ? " " Look at my eyes. I can blink them,'* said the Slow-worm, and he blinked quickly. " Well, a snake can't shut his eyes. He hasn't eye-lids that will move. And just have a look at my tongue, will you ? " He stuck out his small tongue. Pip looked at it. " It's notched, instead of being forked like a snake's tongue," he said. " Oh yes, you're a lizard all right. And I suppose you can break the end of your tail off then, too, as all lizards can ? Show me ! " " I'll show you if you can find a really good new name for me! " said the Slow-worm, and glided off. But Pip can't think of one ! Can you ?

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Hallo, Ladybird!
PIP the pixie had been having a lovely time. He had flown into somebody's garden and had found a rosetree. On it grew deep red roses with a most delicious scent. Pip made one his home, and thought how lucky he was to have red velvet blankets at night, and a sweet scent always round him. And then a horrid thing happened. Suddenly the rose-tree was covered with green fliestiny things with juicy green bodies, feeding on the buds and stalks and leaves in their hundreds. " Go away! " shouted Pip. " Nasty things I If you eat any more of the stalk of my rose, it will break and I shall fall! " But the greenfly took no notice at all. Then one day a little red beetle with black spots flew down beside Pip. " Hallo, Ladybird! " said Pip. " I'm pleased to see you. What have you been doing with yourself? You're very dirty." " I know," said the ladybird. " I fell in the mud. I suppose you couldn't possibly polish my back for me, Pip ? "

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" Of course ! " said Pip, and he rubbed the ladybird's back till it shone brightly. " Thank you," she said. " Now I'll do something for you ! I'll get rid of these horrid greenfly for you ! " "How?" asked Pip.

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" You wait and see," said the ladybird, and she set to work to lay a great many yellowish eggs up and down the rose-tree. Then she flew off. And will you believe it, when the eggs hatched out into little lively dark-brown grubs, they at once began to gobble up the greenfly as fast as ever they could. Pip was delighted. " Hie, Ladybird! " he called, when he next saw her. " Come here. I'm going to polish your back every single day for you now, because your grubs have eaten all the greenfly ! " So he polishes her red back. I expect you've noticed how nice and shiny it is ?

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Poor Man's Weather-Glass

I wish I knew if it was going to keep fine or not 1 " said Pip the pixie, looking up at the sky through the tall feathery grasses above his head. " I should take an umbrella with you, if you are going out for the day," said his friend Jinky. " You know, the two-legged folk have queer things they call weather-glasses," said Pip. " Once I peeped into a house and I saw one. They tell you what the weather will be. I wish I had one." A small voice called to them from not far off. " Who spoke of weather-glasses ? That's one of my names! " Jinky and Pip peeped through the grasses. They saw a small plant growing by the wayside. It had petals as scarlet as the back of a ladybird 1 " Your name's not weather-glass, silly. It's Pimpernel 1" said Jinky, scornfully. " Didn't you know that? It's a funny name to havepimpernel! " " I know that's my namebut I've got another too," said the scarlet pimpernel. "And it's Poor Man's Weather-Glass. Yes, really it is ! " " But why are you called that ? " said Pip.

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" Well, you see, I always shut my flowers up tight when there's going to be rain," explained the pimpernel. " I always know! As soon as I see a black cloud coming, I shut myself up. So I am a kind of weather-glass, you see, because I do tell you if it's going to be dull or rainy." " Pimpernel, you're shutting your petals now," said Pip. " You are 1 I can see them all closing up." " Then it's going to rain," said the pimpernel. " You see if I'm not right! " " Bother ! " said Pip. " I'd better take an umbrella after all then ! I'll get it. I only hope you are a truthful flower, pimpernel! " He got his umbrella and set off. And very soon, plop, plop, plop 1 Big drops of rain fell and Pip was very glad of his umbrella. " Good little pimpernel! " he said, as he unfolded his umbrella. " I'll have you for my weather-glass now!" I think I will too ! What about you ?

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The Surprising Tail

PIP was walking over a sunny bank on the common, when he saw a lot of little creatures playing about in the sun. " Hallo ! " he said. " Who are you ? " " We're lizards!" cried the little things, and flashed here and there on their tiny legs. "It's a lovely sunny day and we're happy 1 " " I'll play with you," said Pip. " Well, don't be rough then," said the lizards. " We are gentle little creatures. We don't like rough games." Pip was bigger than the lizards and he thought he would like to chase them. " I'm coming after you ! " he cried. " I'll catch you, I'll catch you ! " But the lizards were too quick for him. They darted here and there in the heather and he couldn't catch a single one. " I'm tired of this game," he said. But the lizards weren't. They went on running about merrily. Pip got cross and snatched at one as it ran past him. life caught the lizard's tail. " Let go, let go, you're hurting me ! " cried the lizard. " Let go ! "

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But Pip was cross now and he tugged hard at the little tail. Then a dreadful thing happened. The tail broke off in his hand ! The lizard disappeared into a hole without its tail. The tail began to leap about as if it was alive. Pip began to cry. " I don't like it, I don't like it," he wept. " I'm sorry, lizard. I didn't mean to pull off your tail. Come and fetch it, it's jumping about." An old lizard spoke to Pip. " Didn't you know that we lizards can break off our tails if an enemy catches hold of it ? It is a good way of escape for us. We leave our tail jumping about behind us, and our enemy watches it in surprise, whilst we escape ! " " But I'm not your enemy," wailed Pip. " I'm not. I was just playing with you as a friend." " We asked you not to be rough," said the lizard, and he went off to his hole. Pip went home crying so bitterly that Aunt Twinkle was quite alarmed. "I broke his tail off," sobbed Pip. But Aunt Twinkle comforted him. " He'll grow a new one ! It won't be quite so nice as the old one, but it will do. You take him some of these chocolate cakes I've been making and tell him you are sorry, and that his tail will soon grow." It mil grow again. Wasn't it a funny thing to happen!

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Nice House to Let!

PIP the pixie had gone down to the seaside for a holiday. He was having a fine time there. He had made friends with the prawns and the shrimps, and had played with a five-fingered starfish. Then he heard somebody calling him. " Hie, Pip, come and help me ! " Pip saw a large whelk shell coming towards him, with legs sticking out of the entrance. He was scared. No shell that he knew of had legs to walk with ! He hid behind a clump of seaweed. " Don't be frightened," said a voice from the whelk shell. " I'm only a crab." " A crab ! " said Pip, disbelievingly. " What a fib! Crabs don't put themselves into empty whelk shells." " Well, you see," said the curious crab, pulling his whelk shell right up to Pip, " I haven't a nice hard shell over my body like the ordinary crab has. I can't seem to grow oneand as I taste rather nice, all kinds of enemies come to eat me. So I've had to find an empty shell and get inside."

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" Poor thing ! " said Pip. " Do you have to carry the shell about with you wherever you go, then? You're like a snailonly you don't grow your house." " Well, I'm in a bit of a difficulty now," said the crab. " I've grown too big for this shell, and I want another. But last time I changed from a small shell to a large one, a gull flew down and nearly ate me. So I wondered if you would keep guard whilst I do my bit of moving this time." " Of course I will ! " said Pip. " And I'll find you a fine big whelk shell if you like. Wait a minute." He darted off and soon came back with one. Then he watched whilst the hermit crab crawled out of his old shell, and backed himself into the big new one. " I hold on tightly to the inside of the shell with the end of my body," he explained. " I say ! This is a fine new house you've found me. It fits beautifully. Thank you very much, Pip." The hermit crab was very comfortable in his new house. He hung his front legs outside. Pip saw that he had tiny pincers on them, and he backed away. " You needn't worry ! " said the crab. " I shall never pinch you, Pip I You've been a very good friend to me to-day."

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A Very Queer Flower

PIP was having a lovely time by the sea. His friend, the hermit crab, took him about the rock-pools and showed him all the things there. He found some fine bladder-wrack seaweed for him, and let him pop the little bladders as much as he liked. Pip popped them loudly whenever a prawn or a shrimp swam by and made them jump. Then one morning he saw something curious. He came across what looked like a lot of lumps of red and green jelly clinging tightly to the rocks under the water. Pip wondered if the jelly tasted nice. But it didn't. He sat and watched the lumpsand suddenly he was astonished to see one of the lumps open itself just like a flower blossoming! It suddenly grew a fringe of1 pretty petals round its top edge, and these waved about gracefully in the water. " What are you ? " asked Pip. " I'm a sea anemone," said the creature. " If you see any small shrimps nearby, send them to me, will you ? " " Why ? " asked Pip.

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" Never mind. Just send them," said the sea anemone. " I like them." So Pip sent one alongand to his horror the sea anemone suddenly took hold of it with its waving petals and dragged it down inside it! It shut itself upand dear me, in a short while, it opened again and out came the remains of the poor shrimp ! " Whyyou've eaten it! You're an animal, not a flower ! " cried Pip. " You're a fraud. You pretend to be a pretty flower, and all the time you're looking out for things to eat. All right, I'll give you some ! " And the naughty pixie put bits of seaweed, grains of sand and a few tiny pebbles into the centre of the anemone's petals. They closed on them at once and tried to eat them. The anemone was very angry at Pip's trick. It suddenly flung out its petal-arms and caught hold of him. He felt himself being dragged inside the anemoneand dear me, if his friend the hermit crab hadn't come along at that very moment and pinched the anemone hard that would have been the end of Pip the Pixie ! Pip swam away in fright. " I'm going home! " he told the crab. " I'm tired of the seaside. Goodbye, hermit crab, and thank you for saving my life ! "

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Go Away, Dirty-Feet!
ONCE Pip got very dusty and dirty. So he prepared a nice little bath for himself. He found a lupin leaf and poured dewdrops into the middle of it. They stayed there, like a nice little pool, and Pip washed himself well. I've no doubt you have often noticed how good the lupin leaves are at holding water in their middles. As he was washing he heard a loud noise. " ZzzzzzzZZZZzzzzz!" He looked up. An enormous bluebottle fly was buzzing round him. He came down on the nearby rubbish-heap and walked all over it. " How disgusting you are I " said Pip, wiping his feet dry. " Look at you, walking all over that horrible filthy messsmelly and decaying. How can you ? " " Oh, I love anything that smells bad, and is going rotten," said the blue-bottle, and he stood on a smelly bit of bad fish. " Delicious, I call this ! " Then he flew off and went to a ripe plum that had fallen off the tree nearby. He walked all over that too. Pip yelled angrily at him. " You disgusting fly! I was going to have that plum for my dinnerand you've walked all over it

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with your dirty feetlook, you've left bits from that rubbish-heap on my plum. If I swallowed those-, I'd be ill. Go away, Dirty-Feet! " The blue-bottle flew back to the rubbish-heap, and had a fine time there, tasting anything dirty it could find, and getting its feet dirtier and dirtier. Then it buzzed round Pip. " Do you know what I'm going to do now ? " it said. " See that pram up there ? There's a baby

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having its bottle thereand I shall walk all over the teat, and leave the marks of my dirty feet there. And I shall go and walk over the cake put ready for the little boy to eat when he comes back from school and I'll walk round the edge of the glass of milk he's going to have. Oh, won't I make them ill with the dirt I leave behind ! " Pip was very angry. He called to his friend the robin. " Eat that fly ! " he said. " He's an enemy to everyone ! Eat him, robin, quick ! " So the robin ate him, and he couldn't do any more harm. And a very good thing too, I thinkdon't you ?

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Where's the Front Door?

Pip, are you there ? " called the pixie's aunt. I want you to take a note for me to Mrs. Quickfeet in her nest over in the cornfield." " Right, Aunt Twinkle ! " said Pip, and he came running. He took the note and set off. His aunt called after him. " You'll find the nest near the blackberry sprays on the hedge, a little way in the corn, about eight or nine inches up. You'll have to climb up a corn-stalk to get there." " I didn't know birds made their nests in the corn," thought Pip, when he came to the corn-field. He looked for the blackberry sprays, saw them, and made his way into the corn. He looked above his head, and saw a curious nest, made of split corn-leaves and grass. Two or three cornstalks went right through the nest and held it firmly. " What a clever nest \ " said Pip, admiringly. " I wonder what kind of a bird Mrs. Quickfeet is. Now where is the front door ? "

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There didn't seem to be a front dooror a back door either! In fact there didn't seem to be any way into the nest at all. " It's just a big ball of a nest with no way in," said Pip. " No knocker, no bell. Hie there ! Is there anyone at home ? " "Yes, we're all at home, father and mother and seven children 1 " squeaked a voice. " Come in ! " " I can't find the door 1 " shouted Pip. " Oh, squeeze in anywhere 1" said the voice. So Pip pushed his way through the nest and got right inside and there, to his enormous surprise, he found, not birds, but little mice 1 They were harvest-mice, the prettiest little things he had ever seen. " Stay to tea," said Mrs. Quickfeet. But after a few minutes in the nest Pip hurriedly got out. "Good-bye!" he said. "Sorry I can't stay. I'm really beginning to cook in here, it's so HOT. But I do think you're clever at making a nest, Mrs. Quickfeet." You'll think so too, when you see her nest in the corn-field!

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A Nice New Purse

Pip ! I've lost my purse ! " wailed Aunt Twinkle. " Have you seen it anywhere ? It was my nice big one that I like so much." " Oh, Aunt Twinkle, what a pity! " said Pip. " No, I haven't seen it anywhere. Was there much money in it ? " " Only a sixpence," said Aunt Twinkle. " And the key to my house. But I've got another key and I don't mind about the sixpence. I was so fond of that purse. And I certainly can't afford to buy a new one." Well, Pip hunted and hunted everywhere for Aunt Twinkle's pursein the garden, in the wood, in the house, on the dresser, in the bedroom, on the floor 1 But it was nowhere to be found. "I'll lend you mine" said Pip. But Aunt Twinkle said it was much too small. Also, Pip's was red, and she wanted a green one to match her coat. She really was very unhappy about it. Pip wandered off into the fields, still looking for Aunt Twinkle's purse. A small mouse ran by and stopped. " Hallo ! Lost something ? " he said.

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" A green purse," said Pip. " About as big as this, and shaped like that ! " " Oh wellthere's plenty growing on that plant over there ! " said the mouse and ran off. Pip looked in surprise at the plant the mouse had pointed his

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paw at. It was a funny little plant, with tiny white flowers at the top. Down its stem where other flowers had once blossomed, were, yesreallylittle green purses. " They are, they are! " cried Pip. " Plant, can I have one of your little green purses, please, for my aunt ? " " Yes, if you'll plant the money inside, and see that it grows," said the plant. Pip was astonished. He picked off a green purse, and opened it. Inside was what looked like green money! " It's not money. It's my seeds," said the plant. "You like to keep your precious money in purses ! Well, I like to keep my precious seeds in purses too." Pip took out the green money-seeds and planted them. Were they ripe enough to grow ? He hoped so. Then he hurried off to his Aunt Twinkle. " I've got a lovely new purse for you ! " he cried. " Just the right green and the right shape. Look, Aunt Twinkle." Well, she was delighted with it and she still uses it. And if you want to see exactly what her nice new purse looked like, go and find the plant called shepherd's purse. You'll see the little green purses (with seedmoney inside) growing all down the stem !

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The Fairy-Ring
PIP! " said his Aunt Twinkle, " the fairies are giving a dance in a week or two. I'd like you to get ready a fairy-ring for them." " But I don't know how to ! " said Pip in alarm. "I'm not a ring-maker, Aunt Twinkle." " Good graciousanyone would think I'd asked you to build a palace or something ! " said his aunt. "Don't you know how to make a fairy-ring?" "No," said Pip. "I've often seen themnice circles of dark green grass, set round with toadstools here and there. The fairies dance in the ring of grass and use the toadstools for tables and stools. But I don't know how to get a fairy-ring ready, aunt." " Well, take this toadstool and set it in a good place on the hillside," said his aunt. " Then watch what happens." Pip took the toadstool. He set it firmly in the grass on a nice breezy spot. Then he played about nearby, making his home under a purple thistle so that he could watch how a fairy-ring was made. The toadstool ripened. It became full of spores. It sent these out all around it and then it died down.

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Pip saw the spores spring up into a little ring of new toadstools. Then, in their turn, they ripened and threw out their spores as Veil. But the ones that fell into the centre of the ring didn't grow, only the ones outside. "Well, well!" said Pip, in surprise, "I'm beginning to see how a fairy-ring is made! The toadstool spores make a wider and wider ring of new toadstoolsand the old ones die in the middle each time and the grass feeds on them and gets rich and dark! " He ran off to his aunt. " The fairy-ring is ready ! " he said. " The ring of grass is dark and strong, and outside it stands the newest toadstools of all, for tables and chairs ! When will the fairies have their party ? " Have you found a fairy-ring ? Look for one when you go for a walk. It's really exciting to see it!

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And Away They Went!

PIP had been very friendly with the swallows and martins, ever since he had made mud for them to help them in the building of their nests. He had watched their young ones learn to fly, and he had seen the old birds teaching the little ones how to catch flies on the wing. " We shall soon be leaving you, Pip," said the swallows, flying low round him. " Oh, why ? " said Pip, in dismay. " The weather will be cold, and there will be no flies to eat," said the swallows. " We must go to a warmer land where there is plenty of food and sunshine." " I'd like to go too," said Pip. " Take me, will you ? If I can't fly fast enough, one of you could give me a ride." " Well, you must be ready to go when we are," said the swallows. " We shall gather together each evening now on the barn roof. You can join us." So the next night Pip went to sit on the barn roof with the swallows and martins. " Feeta-feetit! " they cried in their little high voices, " feeta-feetit! We're going soon ! "

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"It's cold up here," said Pip, shivering. "I don't like it. The wind is very cold ! " " Yes, it blows cold and the nights are frosty ! " chattered the swallows. " We must go soon, soon, soon!" The next evening Pip didn't go to the barn roof. It really was too cold ! Besides,- he had told his friend Flittermouse the bat, to tell him when the swallows were leaving. He cuddled up in a bed of moss, with a blanket made of a downy feather. That evening the swallows and martins chattered on the barn roof as beforeand then, quite suddenly, they all rose in the air, circled round, and set off to the south, flying strongly in the darkening night. They were gone. Pip was left behind. How upset he was in the morning! He went to find the bat and scold him. But Flittermouse had hung himself up for the winter, and was so sound asleep that Pip couldn't wake him. " It's a shame ! " said Pip. " I wanted to go with the swallows. Now I'm left behind. I do feel upset 1 " But I don't. I don't want him to go away and leave us, do you ?

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Away with the Leaves!

PIP sat under a beech tree. It was one of his favourite trees, and all the summer he had loved its deep green shade. Something fell on his head, and then something fluttered by his cheek. It was a golden leaf-two golden leaves. Pip looked up into the tree, astonished. " Why, you've turned golden ! " he said. " What an extraordinary thing ! You are really very beautiful, beech tree! " Pip leaned against the trunk and went to sleep. When he woke up he was covered in golden leaves. He sat up and spoke sternly to the beech tree. " Do you think I'm one of the babes in the wood ? Why do you throw away your beautiful leaves ? It's very wasteful of you." The beech tree took no notice. It went on throwing down its leaves and they came spinning through the air to Pip. " You'll be bald if you go on like this," said Pip. " Why, I can see a twig without a single leaf on it! I must really do something about this." So up the tree he went to the bare twig, taking with him a handful of fallen leaves. He dabbed a

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spot of glue on the end of each leaf-stalk and then pressed the leaf on to the twig. " Whatever are you doing, Pip ?" called his Aunt Twinkle from down below. "Aunt Twinkle, the beech tree is behaving very stupidly," said Pip. " It's just made all its leaves a most beautiful golden colourand now it's throwing them away. I'm putting some of them back." " You're the one that is behaving stupidly Pip ! " said Aunt Twinkle. " Most of the trees are throwing away their leaves. They always do in the autumn. If you are thinking of sticking every leaf back again on its twig, you'll be very very busy ! " " Oh," said Pip, staring all round him in the wood. Red, yellow, orange, pink and red leaves were falling everywhere. " But Aunt Twinklewhy do the trees make their leaves such lovely coloursand then throw them all away ? It does seem silly." " Pip, the trees are very sensible! " said his aunt. " They send all the rubbish they don't want up to their leaves, and that turns them red or yellow and pinkand then they throw them away, rubbish and all! But they won't be wasted. You find the prettiest gold leaf you can, and the loveliest red oneand I'll make you a new suit and hat! " So the leaves weren't wasted after alland you should see Pip in his new clothes !

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What, No Saucepans!
I can't imagine what's happening to all my saucepans!" said Pip's Aunt Twinkle, crossly. " Here's another one with a hole in." " Ohand you said you would make me some toffee. Aunt Twinkle," said Pip, " have you got another saucepan ? " "No. That's my last good one," said his aunt. " You'd better go and buy me six of different sizes, Pip. I simply must have some." Pip went off. He went to the Knobbly pixie's shop, and asked for saucepans. But the Knobbly pixie shook his head. "Not one in the shop," he said. " All sold out." So Pip went to Mother Kettle's little shop, but she said just the same thing. "And what's more," she said, "you won't find any saucepans anywhere just now. Everyone's been complaining of holes in them and buying new ones. I think it's a kind of saucepan disease." " WellI shan't get my toffee then!" said Pip, gloomily. "And Aunt Twinkle won't be able to cook that apple pudding she promised."

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He went off and sat down under the big oak tree. " No saucepans anywhere," he said to himself. " Can't buy one for anything ! " " What, no saucepans ! " said a little voice, and down the tree hopped the red squirrel. "I know where there are plenty ! " " You don't," said Pip. " You're a storyteller! " " I do know," said the squirrel, " and if you'll promise me something, I'll tell you where they are. You can have as many as you like." " Well, tell me then, and I'll help you," said Pip. " Will you watch me hide my nuts this year and remember where they are, so that you can tell me the places when I wake up for a meal ? " said the squirrel. " I have such a bad memory." " Yes, I'll do that," said Pip. " Now tell me where I can get the saucepans." " They're all round you," said the squirrel. " Look the acorns were set in dear little saucepans, with a handle and all! Can't you use the acorn cups for saucepans ? They're just the right size for you 1" " So they are ! " said Pip. " What a good idea I Aunt Twinkle, Aunt TwinkleI'm bringing you DOZENS of saucepans, really I am ! " And he did. You can have some too if you want them!

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What's happened to the Puddles?

ON Martinmas Day Pip ran out early in the morning. He had no bread to eat and he thought he had better go to his friend Jinky to borrow some. There were puddles in the lane. Pip liked splashing through puddles, though this made his Aunt Twinkle very cross. He put his foot into one. Then he looked at the puddle in surprise. " There's glass in it! " he said. " How very queer I Who's been putting glass into this puddle ? " He bent down and tried to pick the glass out of the puddle. It was thin and very cold. " Somebody's broken something," said Pip, and went on his way. Will you believe it, there was glass in the next puddle tooand the next and the next! " This is most extraordinary! " said Pip. " I shan't walk in any more puddles. I might get my shoes cut to pieces. I shall find out who has put the glass into the puddles, and I shall be very cross with them!" When he got to Jinky's, he found Jinky still in bed. " Come in ! " called Jinky. " I'm just getting us.

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Stay and have breakfast with me. I've got bacon and mushrooms." " Ooh," said Pip. " Yes, I'll stay. I say, Jinky, someone's been very careless indeed. Do you know, there was glass in every single puddle I passed this morning ? " " Don't believe it," said Jinky. " It's one of your tales ! " " Well, you come and see them, after breakfast," said Pip. " It's quite true." They had breakfast. Then they washed up, and out they went into the sunshine. Pip took Jinky to a puddle. " Where's the glass, Pip ? " said Jinky. " I can't see any at all. And there's none in the next puddle either. Or in the next one. It was one of your tales ! " " Someone's been along and taken it all out again," said Pip. " Jinky, it's very strange." Then Jinky began to laugh. " I know what it was ! " he said. " It was ice I Not glass, you silly,. It must have been thin ice on the puddles, and the sun has melted it all now. Pip, it's Martinmas Day. If ice is on the puddles on that day, it means a mild winter. Hurray! " " Does it really ? " said Pip. " Let's tell the children to look at the puddles on Martinmas Day, shall we ? Then they'll know what kind of a winter it will be! "

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The Old Man's Beard

ONE day Pip's Aunt Twinkle gave him a shock. She put a pair of scissors in his hand and said something very surprising. " Go and cut me some old man's beard," she said. " Hurry now ! Don't stand and stare like that! " "But Aunt Twinklereally, I can't do that. Aunt Twinkle, I don't make me do that! " stammered Pip, horrified at the thought of cutting an old man's beard off. Aunt Twinkle gave him a push. " Don't be so silly. Do as you're told at once or I'll spank you." So Pip took the scissors and went out. He wondered if Aunt Twinkle had suddenly gone mad. What did she want with an old man's beard ? He saw an old fellow coming up the road with a very long grey beard. Pip stepped up to him. " Please sir," he said, " may I cut a little of your beard off ? " The old man gave a snort and hit out at Pip with his stick. " Saucy young fellow ! " he said, and went on his way. Pip watched for another old man. One came along, with his beard blowing in the wind. But when Pip

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asked him for a bit of it, he boxed the pixie's ears and made him run away. Pip came to a birch tree. Leaning against it, sound asleep, was a bearded man. Good ! Now Pip could cut some of the fluffy beard off without his knowing. It did seem a naughty thing to dobut Aunt Twinkle had sent him out for some, so it must be all right. But before he could clip the beard, the old man woke. He caught hold of Pip's wrist and took away the scissors. " You don't look a bad pixie," he said, " but you must be if you cut people's beards off when they are asleep. What do you want my beard for ? " "I don't want itbut Aunt Twinkle does," said Pip, frightened. " She sent me out for some." Then the old man threw back his head and laughed. " Don't you know what old man's beard is ? " he said. " It's the fluffy seeds of the wild clematis, the traveller's joy! It grows over the hedges in the summer-timeand now its patches of fluffy grey seeds are everywhere. Come and see ! " Then Pip saw the big patches of old man's beard on the hedges, waiting to be cut and used for decoration, and he blushed red. He cut some for his aunt and rushed home with it. Do you want some ? It really is just exactly like an old man's beard, growing on our hedges 1

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How very Sensible!

It will soon be Christmas, Pip," said Aunt Twinkle. " Would you like to go to the tall holly tree in the wood and pick me some of the red berries ? I shall thread them together and make pretty garlands for the rooms." " Oh yes. I'd love to pick you some berries," said Pip, and went off with his small basket. He found the holly tree, and looked up at the berries, shining brilliant scarlet on the branches. " You're lovely ! " he said. " Just the right red for Christmas-time! " He began to climb up the tree. But the leaves had sharp prickles set round the edges and they scratched him. " Oooh! Look what you've done ! " said Pip. " Torn my coat! Now I shall get into trouble. How-unkind of you." " Sorry," said the tree. " Oh, there you go again, bumping into my prickles. Now you've made your arm bleed! " "I think you're a cruel, unkind tree," said Pip. " I suppose you grow these horrid prickles so that people shan't come and pick your berries ! "

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"No, indeed!" said the holly tree. "I don't grow my prickles to scratch you or anyone else, Pip. I like you to come and get my berries. It's only that I don't want to be eaten by horses, or donkeys or sheep." " Would they eat you ? " said Pip, surprised. " Of course," said the holly. " So I put prickles all round the edges of my leaves, Pip, and they stop any animal from gobbling me up ! A mouthful of prickles is very unpleasant." " Well, I don't know if I believe you or not," said Pip. " Pip, climb up higher," said the tree. " You won't get pricked then, because I don't bother to put prickles on branches that are very high. I know that animals can't reach up as far as that. You'll be safe from prickles at the top of me." So he was ! The leaves had hardly any prickles up at the top. Pip picked as many berries as he wanted to, and wasn't pricked at all. He slid down the tree when he had finished. " I thought at first you were horrid and unkind ! " he said to the holly. " But now I see that you are just being very sensible ! " And off he went with his basket of berries to tell his Aunt Twinkle all about it.

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The Mistletoe Bird

"YOU know, Aunt Twinkle, we had plenty of bright holly berries for Christmasbut we didn't have any mistletoe," said Pip. " And it's so nice to kiss our friends under the mistletoe ! " " Well, Pip, the mistletoe grows so high up on the oak trees in the wood that you could never have got any! " said Aunt Twinkle. " You'd better grow a nice little mistletoe tuft of your own, on the young oak tree in the hedge." " However can I grow mistletoe I " said Pip. " You go and ask the mistletoe bird," said Aunt Twinkle. " He'll show you how to plant mistletoe. He's been doing it for years ! " " Who's the mistletoe bird ? " asked Pip in surprise. ' " I've never heard of him." "Yes you have. It's the big mistle-thrush," said Aunt Twinkle. " You go and find him." So Pip went off to find the mistle-thrush. He was sitting up in a tree, singing, his freckled breast gleaming in the winter sunshine. " Hallo I " said Pip. " My aunt says you know how to plant mistletoe. I want a little mistletoe bush of my ownso please show me how to plant one."

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" Easy ! " said the big thrush. " Wait a minute. I'll go and get a spray of mistletoe off the rubbish heap where it has been thrown after Christmas." He came back with a spray. He began to feast on the grey-green berries. They seemed very sticky indeed. Pip watched him, wondering when he was going to plant the mistletoe! " Now I'm going to clean my sticky beak," said the thrush, and he wiped it on the bough. One or two of the mistletoe seeds had stuck to his beak and he wiped them off on the branch. They stuck to it, and then began to roll stickily down. When they were dry they were stuck fast to the bough. " ThereI've planted a mistletoe bush ! " said the thrush. " That little seed will put out sinkers that will go right into the sap of the tree. Then the seed will put out two small leaves, and grow I " " Gracious ! " said Pip. " It's queer to think of a bush growing out of another tree, and using its sap too ! Can I plant a mistletoe bush like thatpress a sticky seed into the bough of that little oak tree over there ? " " Of course," said the thrush. So Pip did, and dear me, will you believe it, that seed grew and is now a fine little mistletoe tuft. Would you like to grow one too ?

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Enid Blyton

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