Last Term at Malory Towers

  "We haven't any money," said Chinky.

  "Then you had better come with me and work for me for one day to pay for the drinks you have had," said the wizard. He tried to grab hold of Mollie - but quick as thought Chinky lifted his fist and brought it down on the wizard's pointed hat. It was crushed right down over his long nose, and he couldn't see a thing!

  Once more Mollie and Chinky ran. "Oh dear," panted Mollie, "we really are behaving just like Scally-Wags, Chinky - but we can't seem to help it!"

  "Look! There's the river again!" said Chinky in delight. "And there are our two geese. Let's get on their backs, Mollie, and go away from this land. I'm sure Peter isn't here. No one seems to have seen him. I'm tired of being here."

  "All right," said Mollie. They ran down the river-bank and called to the geese.

  "Come here! We want to fly farther on!"

  And then, to their great surprise, a witch in a green shawl stood up on the bank and cried, "Hie! Leave my geese alone!"

  "They are not yours, they are ours!" yelled Chinky in anger. He cut the string as the geese came swimming to the bank. The witch tried to grab the two big birds - and in a fright thev spread their big wings, flew up into the air and awav! Mollie and Chinkv watched them in the

  greatest dismay. Their way of escape had gone!

  Chinky was furious with the witch. Before Mollie could stop him he gave her a push, and she went flying into the water. Splash!

  "Chinky! You mustn't keep pushing people into the water!" cried Mollie, turning to run awTay again - but this

  time it was too late. The words as she made her way behold, Chinky and Mollie found that they could not move a step!

  "So you thought you could push me into the river and run away, did you?" said die witch. "Well, you were mistaken! I shall now take you before our King - and no doubt he will see that you are well punished. March!"

  The two found that they could walk - but only where the witch com¬manded. Very miserable indeed they marched down a long, long road, the witch behind them, and at last came to a small palace. Up the steps they went, and the witch called to the guard there.

  "Two prisoners for the King! Make way!"

  The guards cried, "Advance!" and the three of them, Mollie, Chinky, and the witch, walked down a great hall. Sitting witch shouted a few magic out of the river - and lo and

  The guards eried, ''advance!" and the three of them vealked dozen a great hall.

  on a throne at the end, raised high, was the King, wearing a golden crown and a red cloak.

  And oh, whatever do you think! Mollie and Chinky could hardly believe their eyes - for the King was no other than Peter - yes, Peter himself! He was still wearing his golden cardboard crown and the red rug for a cloak - and his throne was the wishing-chair. Its wings had disappeared. It looked just like an ordinary chair.

  Peter stared at Mollie and Chinky in amazement - and they stared at him. Mollie was just going to cry, "Peter! Oh, Peter!" when Peter winked at her, and Chinky gave her a nudge. She was not to give his secret away!

  IX

  THE PRINCE'S SPELLS

  FOR a minute or two Peter, Mollie, and Chinky gazed at one another and said nothing. Then the witch spoke.

  "Your Majesty, here are two prisoners for you. They pushed me into the river after they had tried to steal my geese."

  "Leave them with me," said Peter in a solemn voice. "I will punish them, Witch."

  The witch bowed and went out backwards. Mollie wanted to giggle but she didn't dare to. Nobody said a word until the big door closed.

  Then Peter leapt down from the chair and flung his arms round Mollie and Chinky. They hugged one another in delight.

  "Peter, Peter! Tell us how it is you are King here!" said Mollie.

  "Well, it is quite simple," said Peter. "The chair flew off with me as you know. It flew for some time, and then began to go downwards. It landed on the steps of this palace, which had been empty for years."

  "As soon as the Scally-Wags saw me, all dressed up in my crown and cloak, sitting on the flying chair, they thought I must be some wonderful magic king come from a far-off land to live here. So they bowed down before me, and called me King. I didn't know what to do because the wishmg-chair's wings disappeared, of course, so I couldn't escape. I just thought I'd better pretend to be a King, and wait for you to come along - for I guessed you and Mollie would find some way of getting to me! Now, tell me your adventures!"

  How Peter laughed when he heard what a lot of people Chinky had pushed into the water! "You really are a bit of a Scally-Wag yourself, Chinky," he said. "That's the sort of thing the Scally-Wags love to do!"

  "Peter, how can we all escape?" asked Mollie. "If only the wishing-chair would grow its wings again! But it never does when we really want it to!"

  "What will Mother say if we stay away too long?" said Peter, looking worried.

  "Well, a day here is only an hour in your land," said Chinky. "So don't worry. Even if we have to be here for two or three days it won't matter, because it will only be two or three hours really. Your mother won't worry if vou

  arc only away for a few hours."

  "And by that time perhaps the chair will have grown its wTings again," said Mollie, cheering up.

  "Look here," said Chinky, "I think you ought to make up some sort of punishment for us, Peter, or the witch will think there is something funny about you. Make us scrub the floor, or something. Anything will do."

  "But do give us something to eat," said Mollie. "We really are very hungry."

  Peter clapped his hands. The door swung open and two soldiers appeared. They saluted and clicked their heels together.

  "Bring me a tray of chocolate calces, some apples, and some sardine sandwiches," commanded Peter. "And some lemonade, too. Oh, and bring two pails of hot water and two scrubbing-brushes. 1 am going to make my two prisoners scrub the floor."

  The guards saluted and went out. In a few minutes two Scally-Wags, dressed in footmen's uniform, came in with the tray of food. How good it looked! Behind them followed another Scally-Wag carrying two pails of steaming hot water, two scrubbing-brushes, and some soap.

  "Your Majesty, is it safe for you to be alone with two prisoners as fierce as these?" asked one of the Scally- Wags.

  "Dear me, yes," said Peter. "I would turn them both into black-beetles if they so much as frowned at me!"

  The Scally-Wags bowed and went out. Mollie and Chinky giggled. "Do you like playing at being a King Peter?" asked Mollie.

  "I'm not playing at it, I am a King!" said Peter. "Come and help yourselves to food, you two. I'll have some too. It looks good."

  It was good! But in the middle of the meal there came a loud knock at the door. Mollie and Chinky flung down their sandwiches in a hurry, caught up scrubbing-brushes and went down on their hands and knees! They pretended to be hard at work scrubbing as three Scally-Wags entered with a message.

  "Your Majesty!" they said, bowing low till their foreheads bumped against the floor. "His Highness, the

  Mollie and Chinky pretended to be hard at work scrubbing.

  Prince of Goodness Knows Where, is coming to see you tomorrow, to exchange magic spells. He will be here at eleven o'clock."

  "Oh," said Peter. "Thanks very much." The three Scally-Wags looked angrily at Mollie and Chinky scrubbing the floor, and said, "Shall we beat these prisoners for you, Your Majesty? We hear that they have pushed three people into the river, and smashed

  down the old wizard's hat on to his nose, and . . ."

  "That's enough," said Peter in a fierce voice. "I punish my prisoners myself. Any interference from you, and you will scrub my floor too!"

  "Pardon, pardon, Your Majesty!" cried the three Scally-Wags, and they backed away so fast that they fell over one another and rolled down the steps. The two children and Chinky laughed till their sides ached.

  "Oh, Peter, you do make a good King!" said Mollie. "I do wish I could be a queen!"

  "I say! What about this Pr
ince of Goodness Knows Where," said Chinky. "If he is really coming to exchange magic spells with you, Peter, you will find things rather difficult. Because, you see, you can't do any spells at all."

  The three stared at one another. Then Peter had an idea.

  "Look here, Chinky, couldn't you change places with me tomorrow, and do spells instead of me?" he asked. "I'll say that I will receive the Prince alone - so that none of the Scally-Wags will know it's you and not me."

  the golden cardboard cro:cn.

  "Good idea!1' cried Chinky at once. "I don't know anything about the Prince, but perhaps I can manage to satisfy him. That's just what we'll do - change places!"

  That night Mollie and Chinky slept in the kitchen of the palace. They were quite comfortable on a big sofa there, though the two kitchen cats would keep on lying down on top of them. They were nice, warm cats, but very fat and heavy. Peter slept on a golden bed in a big bedroom but he said he would much rather have slept with Molly and Chinky on the kitchen sofa with the cats. It was lonely in the golden bed.

  Peter told the soldiers that he meant to keep the two prisoners, Mollie and Chinky, as personal servants, and therefore they were to bring him in his breakfast. You may be sure that the two of them piled the trays up well with food of all kinds when they took the breakfast in! They laid it on a table, and then they all ate a good meal, though Mollie and Chinky had to eat theirs standing behind Peter's chair, in case some one came in suddenly.

  As the morning went on and the time came nearer for the Prince to come, the three began to feel rather excited. Peter gave orders that he was to be alone with the Prince.

  "See that no one comes into the room whilst His Highness is here," he said to the soldiers. They saluted and went out smartly. Peter said it was fun to have two soldiers obeying him like that.

  "Now here's the crown, Chinky," he said, handing him the golden cardboard crown. "And here's the red rug for a cloak. Get on to the wishing-chair throne. I guess the old wishing-chair never thought it was going to be used as a throne!"

  Chinky put on the crown and sat down on the chair, pulling his cloak round him. Mollie and Peter stood behind him as if they were servants. Eleven o'clock struck.

  The door was thrown open and in came a tall and grandly dressed Prince. He swept off his feathered hat and bowed to Chinky. Chinky bowed back. The door shut.

  Chinky and the Prince began to talk.

  "I was on my way through your kingdom," said the Prince, "and thought that I would come to exchange spells with you. I have here a spell that will change all the weeds in a garden into beautiful flowers. Would you care to exchange that for a spell of your own?"

  "No, thank you," said Chinky. "I have no weeds in my garden. It would be of no use to me."

  "Well," said the Prince, bringing out a bag embroidered with little golden suns, "here is another spell, really most useful. Put a bit of the shell in this bag into an egg-cup and say 'Toorisimmer-joo-joo,' and you will see a beautiful new-laid egg appear. You can have it for your breakfast. There is enough shell in here to make one hundred thousand eggs."

  "I can't bear eggs for breakfast," said Chinky. "Show me something else."

  "Well, what about this," said the Prince. He showed Chinky a strange little cap with three red berries on it. "Put this cap on and you will know immediately who are your enemies and who are not, for the three red berries will wag about when enemies are before you."

  "I know who are my enemies and who are not without wearing any cap." said Chinky. "It 's no good to nic You

  have no spells at all that are of any use, Prince!"

  "Well, what spells have you?" asked the Prince rather impatiently.

  Chinky waved his hand in the air and a most delici-ous smell stole all around. It seemed like honeysuckle one minute - like roses the next - like carnations the next - then like sweet-peas - so that all the time you were sniffing and smelling in delight. The Prince was most excited.

  "That is a most unusual spell," he said. "I should like that to take home to my Princess. She would be pleased."

  "Well, I will give it to you if you will give me a spell that is useful to me," said Chinky. "Can you, for instance, make wings grow on this throne of mine?"

  The Prince looked at the wishing-chair and rubbed his hand down its legs.

  "Yes," he said at once. "I can easily do that. If I am not mistaken that throne of yours was once a flying chair! I will work the flying spell on it!"

  He took from his pocket a little blue tin. He took off the lid and dug his finger into the tin. Mollie saw that his finger was covered with green and yellow ointment. The Prince smeared it down the legs of the chair. Then he stood back and chanted a curious magic song. The children and Chinky watched in excitement. They saw the familiar red buds come - and break out into feathers! The chair was growing its wings! It spread them out - it flapped them and a draught came!

  "Quick!" shouted Chinky, jumping on to the top of the chair's back, "get in, Mollie and Peter. We can fly off, now!"

  But the Prince gave a shout and snatched Chinky's

  cardboard crown from his head.

  "You are not a real king!" he cried. "Your crown is only cardboard! Stop! Soldiers, soldiers! Come here at once!"

  The big door burst open. In came the soldiers and stared in amazement at the chair holding the two children and the pixie.

  "Home, chair, home!" yelled all three in the chair. "Fly out of the window!"

  The chair rose into the air, kicked out at the Prince, and knocked him over. Peter kicked out at the soldiers and knocked their helmets off! The chair flew out of the window and up into the air. Hurrah! They were leaving the Land of the Scally-Wags - and a good thing too; for, as Peter said, they stood a good chance of becoming as bad as Scally-Wags themselves if they stayed there very much longer - pushing people into rivers, kicking them over, and banging their hats over their noses!

  "But I quite enjoyed being a bit of a Scally-Wag for once," said Chinky, as the chair flew in at the playroom.

  "It was a good thing for me that we had been playing at Kings and Queens before the chair flew to the Land of Scally-Wags," said Peter. "It was jolly nice every one thinking I was a king, I can tell you!"

  THE LAST ADVENTURE OF ALL

  CHINKY 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, Chinky

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  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. Chinky wondered if anything had happened. Usually the children only walked slowly if they had been in disgrace, or were sad

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  about something. He ran to the door and looked out.

  Yes - it zcas Mollie and Peter - but they did look miserable. Chinky ran to them and took their hands.

  "What's the matter?" he cried. "Have you been punished for something?"

  "No," said Peter. "But Mother has just told us some bad news."

  "What?" cried Chinky.

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

  "But you go to school now," said Chinky, puzzled. "You like school."

  "Yes, but this is a new school - it is called a boarding- school," said Mollie. "We go there and live there - sleep there, have our meals there, and every-thing! We shan't be able to pop down to our playroom and play with you, Chinky."

  The pixie stared at the two children in dismay. "But won't you ever come back again?" he asked. "Won't you ever see your mother and father even?"

  Peter laughed. "Oh, yes," he said. "We shall see them often. We shall come home for holidays and at half-term too. So it isn't real
ly so bad, I suppose. But it means we shan't be able to see you every day as we do now, Chinky. You will have to wait many weeks before we come back again."

  "Oh dear!" said Chinky. "I 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, couldn't I?"

  "Yes." said Peter. "But I say, Chinky what about the wishing-chair? Wc can't leave it here by itself. It might fly away and not come back."

  "Or get stolen by someone," said Mollie.

  "Yes, that's true," said Chinky. "Well, I think I'd better take it home with me, don't you? My mother will keep it safely for us till we need it. We will see that it doesn't fly off.""

  "That's a good idea," said Peter.

  "Wrhen are you going to school?" asked Chinky.

  "Tomorrow," said Mollie. "I am going to a girls' school and Peter is going to a boys' school. We shall miss one another dreadfully. But I expect it will be fun to live with lots of other children."

  "Perhaps the wishing-chair will grow its wings once more before we have to say good-bye to it," said Peter. "But anyway, we'll go off adventuring in the holidays when they come. And, oh, Chinky! I suppose you couldn't come in the chair to school one night? It would be so exciting!"

  "I'll see," said Chinky. "I don't want the other children to know about the wishing-chair - and they would see it if I came."

  "Look!" said Mollie suddenly. "The 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!"

  Chinky 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.

  "We haven't been this way before," said Chinky, peering down. "We pass over some strange lands hereabouts, I know. Chair, you are not to go down anywhere here. We might find it difficult to get away."