THE WISHING-CHAIR AGAIN
BY
ENID BLYTON
ILLUSTRATED BY
HILDA McGAVIN
LONDON
GEORGE NEWNES LIMITED
TOWER HOUSE, SOUTHAMPTON STREET,
STRAND, W.C.2
First published 1950
CONTENTS
Home for the Holidays
Off on an Adventure
Where Can the Wishing-Chair Be?
Hunting for the Chair!
Off to Mr. Spells of Wizard Cottage
Mr. Spells is Very Magic
Off on Another Adventure!
The Slipperies Play a Trick!
Mollie and the Growing Ointment
Off to Find the Toys
Mister Grim's School for Bad Brownies
Chinky is Naughty
Home, Wishing-Chair, Home!
Mister Blacky's Strange Army
Off to the Land of Goodies!
An Afternoon with Cousin Pipkin
A Most Alarming Tale
Mr. Spells' Mother
Away on Another Adventure
Wandering Castle at Last
A Very Exciting Time
Winks and Chinky are Silly
What Happened in the Land of Spells
The Island of Surprises
Home Again—and Goodbye!
Original Illustrations
Home for the Holidays
MOLLIE and Peter had just arrived home for the holidays. Their schools had broken up the same day, which was very lucky, and Mother had met them at the station.
They hugged her hard. “Mother! It's grand to see you again. How's everyone?”
“Fine,” said Mother. “The garden's looking lovely, your bedrooms are all ready for you, and your playroom at the bottom of the garden is longing for you to go there and play as usual.”
The two children looked at one another. They had a Secret. A very big one. One they couldn't possibly mention even in their letters to one another at school. How they were longing to talk about it now!
“Can we just pop down to our playroom first of all?” asked Peter when they got home.
“Oh, no, dear!” said Mother. “You must come upstairs and wash—and help me to unpack your things. You will have plenty of time to spend in your playroom these holidays.”
The children's secret was in their playroom—and they so badly wanted to see it again. Now they would have to wait. They went upstairs, washed their hands and did their hair, and then went down to tea.
“Can we go to our playroom after we've helped you to unpack?” asked Peter. “Do let us, Mother! We do want to see it again.”
Mother laughed. “Very well—leave me to unpack, and go along. I expect you want to see if I've given away any of your things. Well, I haven't. I never do that without asking you.”
After tea the children went up to their bedrooms to put on old clothes. Peter spoke to Mollie in a low voice.
“Mollie! Do you think Chinky will be down in our playroom waiting for us—with the Wishing-Chair?”
“I do hope so,” said Mollie. “Oh, Peter, it was dreadful trying to keep our Secret all the term long and never saying anything to anyone, or even writing about it to you.”
“Well, it's such a marvellous Secret it's worth keeping well,” said Peter. “Do you remember when we first got the Wishing-Chair, Mollie?”
“Yes,” said Mollie. “We went to a funny little shop that sold old, old things, to get something for Mother's birthday, and we saw heaps of queer enchanted things there. And we were frightened and huddled together in an old chair...”
“And we wished we were safe back at home,” said Peter, “and, hey presto! the chair grew little red wings on its legs, and flew out of a window with us, and took us back to our playroom!”
“Yes. And it wouldn't go back to the shop even when we commanded it to,” said Mollie. “So we had to keep it—our very own Wishing-Chair.”
“And do you remember how we went off in it again, and came to a castle where there was a giant who kept a little servant called Chinky?” said Peter. “And we rescued him and took him home in the Wishing-Chair with us.”
“That was lovely,” said Mollie. “And after that Chinky lived down in our playroom and looked after the chair for us...”
“And told us when it grew its wings so that we could all fly off in it again and have wonderful adventures,” said Peter.
“Then we had to go to school and leave it.”
“But it didn't matter really, because Chinky took the chair home to his mother's cottage and lived with her and took care of it for us,” said Mollie.
“And he said he'd come back as soon as we came home for the holidays, and bring the chair with him so that we could go adventuring again,” finished Peter. “If Mother only knew that's the reason we want to get down to the playroom— to see if Chinky is there, and to see the dear old Wishing-Chair again.”
Mother popped her head in at the door. “Whatever are you two chattering about? Telling each other all that happened during the term, I suppose. Are you going down to the playroom—because if you are, here's the key.”
“Oh, thank you, Mother. Yes, we're just going,” said Peter, and he took the key. “Come on, Mollie— let's go and see all our toys again.”
“And the Wishing-Chair,” said Mollie in a whisper.
“And Chinky.”
They rushed downstairs and out into the garden. It was the end of July and the weather was very hot indeed. The garden was full of flowers, it was lovely, lovely to be home! No more lessons for eight weeks, no more preps, no more scoldings for forgetting this, that and the other.
They raced down to the playroom, which was really a big, airy shed at the bottom of the garden. Peter slid the key into the lock. “Chinky!” he called. “Are you here?”
He unlocked the door. The children went into the playroom and looked round. It was a nice room, with a big rug on the floor, shelves for their books and toys, a cot with Mollie's old dolls in it, and a large dolls' house in the corner.
But there was no Wishing-Chair and no Chinky, the pixie! The children stared round in dismay.
“He's not here,” said Peter. “He said he would come today with the chair. I gave him the date and he wrote it down in his note-book.”
“I hope he's not ill,” said Mollie. They looked all round the playroom, set the musical box going and opened the windows.
They felt disappointed. They had so looked forward to seeing Chinky, and to sitting once more in the Wishing-Chair. Suddenly a little face looked in at the door.
Mollie gave a shout. “Chinky! It's you! We were so worried about you! We hoped you'd be here.”
Both children gave the little pixie a hug. Chinky grinned. “Well, how could I be here waiting for you if the door was locked and the windows fastened, silly? I may be a pixie, but I can't fly through locked doors.
I say, it's good to see you both again. I have missed you. Were you very bored away at school?”
“Oh, no,” said Peter. “Boarding school is simply lovely. We both loved it—but we're jolly glad to be home again. Eight weeks, Chinky! Marvellous.”
“Chinky, where's the Wishing-Chair?” asked Mollie anxiously. “Nothing's happened to it, has it? Have you got it with you?”
“Well, I brought it here this morning,” said Chinky, “but when I found the door of the playroom was locked and couldn't get in I hid it under the hedge at the bottom of the garden. But you'd be surprised how many people nearly found it!”
“But nobody goes to the bottom of the garden!” said Peter.
“Oh, don't they!” said Chinky. “Well, first of all your gardener thought he'd cut the hedge there today, and I had
an awful job dragging the chair from one hiding-place to another. Then an old gipsy woman came by, and she almost saw it, but I barked like a dog and she ran away.”
The children laughed. “Poor old Chinky! You must have been glad when we got here at last.”
“I was,” said Chinky. “Especially when an old brownie came by and began sniffing round. He's got a real nose for smelling out anything magic, and I thought he'd smell out the chair—but I ran out and asked him to come and have dinner with me, and he was so pleased he forgot about the magic smell and came with me.”
“Let's go and get it,” said Peter. “I'm longing to sit in it again. Has it grown its wings much since we left it with you, Chinky?”
“Not once,” said Chinky. “Funny, isn't it? It's just stood in my mother's kitchen like any ordinary chair, and never grown even one red wing! I think it was waiting for you to come back.”
“I hope it was—because then it may grow its wings heaps of times,” said Peter, “and we'll go off on lots of adventures.”
They went to the hedge. “There it is!” said Mollie in excitement. “I can see one of its legs sticking out.”
So she could. They dragged out the old chair and looked at it. “Just the same!” said Peter in delight. “And how well you've kept it, Chinky. It's polished so brightly.”
“Ah, that was my mother did that,” said Chinky. “She said such a wonderful chair should have a wonderful polish, and she was at it every day, rub, rub, rub till the chair groaned!”
Peter carried the chair back to the playroom. Chinky went in front to make sure there was nobody looking. They didn't want any questions asked about why chairs should be hidden in hedges. They set it down in its old place in the playroom. Then they all climbed into it.
“It's just the same,” said Peter. “We feel a bit more squashed than usual because Mollie and I seem to have grown at school. But you haven't grown, Chinky.”
“No. I shan't grow any more,” said Chinky. “Don't you wish the chair would grow its wings and go flapping off somewhere with us now?”
“Oh, yes,” said Mollie. “Chair, do grow your wings —just to please us! Even if it's only to take us a little way up into the air and back.”
But the chair didn't. The children looked anxiously down at its legs to see if the red buds were forming that sprouted into wings, but there was nothing there.
“It's no good,” said Chinky. “It won't grow its wings just because it's asked. It can be very obstinate, you know. All I hope is that it hasn't forgotten how to grow wings after being still so long. I shouldn't like the magic to fade away.”
This was a dreadful thought. The children patted the arms of the chair. “Dear Wishing-Chair! You haven't forgotten how to grow wings, have you?”
The chair gave a remarkable creak, a very long one. Everyone laughed. “It's all right!” said Chinky. “That's its way of telling us it hasn't forgotten. A creak is the only voice it's got!”
Mother came down the garden. “Children! Daddy's home. He wants to see you!”
“Right!” called back Peter. He turned to Chinky. “See you tomorrow, Chinky. You can cuddle up on the old sofa as usual, with the rug and the cushion, for the night. You'll live in our playroom, won't you, as you did before, and tell us when the chair grows its wings?”
“Yes. I shall like to live here once more,” said Chinky. “Goodbye. It's fine to see you again.”
The children ran back to the house. They had a very nice evening indeed telling their parents everything that had happened in the term. Then off they went to bed, glad to be in their own dear little rooms again.
But they hadn't been asleep very long before Peter began to dream that he was a rat being shaken by a dog. It was a very unpleasant dream, and he woke up with a jump.
It was Chinky shaking him by the arm. “Wake up! “ whispered the pixie. “The chair's grown its wings already. They're big, strong ones, and they're flapping like anything. If you want an adventure, hurry up!”
Well! What a thrill! Peter woke Mollie and they pulled on clothes very quickly and ran down the garden. They heard a loud flapping noise as they reached the playroom shed. “It's the chair's wings,” panted Chinky. “Come on—we'll just sit in it before it goes flying off!”
Off on an Adventure
THE children raced in at the playroom door and made for the Wishing-Chair. They could see it easily in the bright moonlight. It was just about to fly off when they flung themselves in it. Chinky squeezed between them, sitting on the top of the back of the chair.
“Good old Wishing-Chair!” said Peter. “You didn't take long to grow your wings! Where are we going?”
“Where would you like to go?” said Chinky. “Wish, and we'll go wherever you wish.”
“Well—let me see—oh dear, I simply can't think of anywhere,” said Mollie. “Peter, you wish—quickly.”
“Er—Wishing-Chair, take us to—to—oh, goodness knows where I want it to go!” cried Peter. “I simply don't . . .”
But dear me, the Wishing-Chair was off! It flapped its wings very strongly indeed, rose up into the air, flew towards the door and out of it—then up into the air it went, flapping its red wings in the moonlight.
Chinky giggled. “Oh, Peter—you said 'Take us to Goodness Knows Where',” said the pixie. “And that's just about where we're going!”
“Gracious—is there really a land called Goodness Knows Where?” said Peter, in surprise.
“Yes. Don't you remember when we went to the Land of Scallywags once, the Prince of Goodness Knows Where came to see me,” said Chinky. “I was pretending to be a King. Well, I suppose it's his Land we're going to.”
“Where is it?” said Mollie.
“Goodness knows!” said Chinky. “I don't. I've never met anyone who did, either.”
“The Wishing-Chair seems to know,” said Peter, as it flew higher and higher in the air.
But it didn't know, really. It dropped downwards after a time and came to a tiny village that looked almost as if it were made of Meccano. Peter leaned out of the chair and gazed with great interest at it. “Look at that bridge,” he said. “I've made plenty of bridges like that with my Meccano set. Hey, chair, whatever are you doing now?”
The chair hadn't landed in the village. It had flown a few feet above the queer little houses and had then shot upwards again. Now it was flying away from it very fast.
“Blow!” said Peter. “Just as I was having a good look at that Meccano bridge.”
The chair flew on again, and then came to a heaving mass of water. Was it the sea? Or a lake? The children didn't know. “Look at that lovely silver moon-path on the sea,” said Mollie, leaning out of the chair. “I'm sure it leads to the moon!”
The chair seemed to think so, too. It flew down to the water, got on the moon-path and followed it steadily, up and up and up.
“Hey! This isn't the way to Goodness Knows Where!” cried Chinky, in alarm. “It's the way to the moon. Don't be silly, Chair, for goodness' sake!”
The chair stopped and hovered in mid-air as if it had heard Chinky and was changing its mind. To the children's great relief it left the moon-path and flew on till it came to a little island. This was perfectly round and flat, and had one big tree standing up in the middle of it. Under the tree was a boat and someone was fast asleep in it.
“Oh, that's my cousin, Sleep-Alone,” said Chinky, in surprise. “He's a funny fellow, you know—can't bear to sleep if anyone else is within miles of him. So he has a boat and an aeroplane, and each night he takes one or the other and goes off to some lonely place to sleep. Hey there, Sleep-Alone!”
Chinky's shout made the children jump. The chair jumped, too, and Mollie was almost jerked off. She clutched at the arm.
The little man in the boat awoke. He was more like a brownie than a pixie and had a very long beard, which he had wound neatly round his neck like a scarf. He was most surprised to see the Wishing-Chair landing on the island just near him. He scowled at Chi
nky.
“What's all this? Coming and shouting at me in the middle of the night! Can't I ever sleep alone?”
“You always do!” said Chinky. “Don't be so cross. Aren't you surprised to see us?”
“Not a bit,” said Sleep-Alone. “You're always turning up when I don't want to have company. Go away. I've a cold coming on and I feel gloomy.”
“Is that why you've got your beard wound round your neck—to keep it warm?” asked Mollie. “How long is it when it unwinds?”
“I've no idea,” said Sleep-Alone, who seemed really a very disagreeable fellow. “Where are you going in the middle of the night? Are you quite mad?”
“We're going to Goodness Knows Where,” said Chinky. “But the chair doesn't seem to know the way. Do you know it?”
“Goodness knows where it is,” said Sleep-Alone, pulling his beard tighter round his neck. “Better ask her.”
The children and Chinky stared. “Ask who?” said Chinky.
“Goodness, of course,” said Sleep-Alone, settling down in his boat again.
“What do you mean, Goodness?” said Peter, feeling muddled.
“I mean what I said. Goodness knows where it is, so why don't you go and ask her,” said Sleep-Alone. “Go and ask Goodness!”
“Oh—is Goodness the name of a person then?” said Mollie, suddenly seeing light.
“You are a very stupid little girl, I think,” said Sleep-Alone. “Am I to go on and on saying the same thing over and over again? Now good night, and go and find Goodness if you want to disturb someone else.”
“Where does she live?” bellowed Chinky in Sleep-Alone's ear, afraid that he would go to sleep before he told them anything else.
That was too much for Sleep-Alone. He shot up and reached for an oar. Before Chinky could get out of the way he had given him such a slap with the oar-blade that Chinky yelled at the top of his voice. Then Sleep-alone turned on the two children, waving the oar in a most alarming manner.
Peter pulled Mollie to the chair. He put out a hand and dragged Chinky to it too, shouting, “Go to Goodness, Chair, go to Goodness, wherever she is!” Up rose the chair so very suddenly that Chinky fell off and had to be dragged up again, getting another slap with the oar as he struggled.