P. L. Travers
Mary Poppins
First published 1934
The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier edition as follows:
Travers, P. L., 1899–1996.
Mary Poppins/P. L. Travers; illustrated by Mary Shepard.
p. cm.
Summary: An extraordinary English nanny blows in on the East Wind
with her parrot-headed umbrella and magic carpet bag and introduces her
charges, Jane and Michael, to some delightful people and experiences.
[1. Fantasy. 2. Magic — Fiction. 3. England — Fiction.]
I. Shepard, Mary, 1909– ill. II. Title.
PZ7.T68gMar 1997
[Fic] — dc21 97-223987
ISBN-13: 978-0-15-205810-4 ISBN-10: 0-15-205810-9
Text set in Old Style 7
Designed by April Ward
Printed in the United States of America
TO
MY MOTHER
1875–1928
CHAPTER 1
EAST WIND
IF YOU WANT to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the Policeman at the cross-roads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side, scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-gloved finger and say: 'First to your right, second to your left, sharp right again, and you're there. Good-morning.'
And sure enough, if you follow his directions exactly, you
If you are looking for Number Seventeen — and it is more than likely that you will be, for this book is all about that particular house — you will very soon find it. To begin with, it is the smallest house in the Lane. And besides that, it is the only one that is rather dilapidated and needs a coat of paint. But Mr. Banks, who owns it, said to Mrs. Banks that she could have either a nice, clean, comfortable house or four children. But not both, for he couldn't afford it.
And after Mrs. Banks had given the matter some consideration she came to the conclusion that she would rather have Jane, who was the eldest, and Michael, who came next, and John and Barbara, who were Twins and came last of all. So it was settled, and that was how the Banks family came to live at Number Seventeen, with Mrs. Brill to cook for them, and Ellen to lay the tables, and Robertson Ay to cut the lawn and clean the knives and polish the shoes and, as Mr. Banks always said, 'to waste his time and my money.'
And, of course, besides these there was Katie Nanna, who doesn't really deserve to come into the book at all because, at the time I am speaking of, she had just left Number Seventeen.
'Without by your leave or a word of warning. And what am I to do?' said Mrs. Banks.
'Advertise, my dear,' said Mr. Banks, putting on his shoes. 'And I wish Robertson Ay would go without a word of warning, for he has again polished one boot and left the other untouched. I shall look very lopsided.'
'That,' said Mrs. Banks, 'is not of the least importance. You haven't told me what I'm to do about Katie Nanna.'
'I don't see how you can do anything about her since she has disappeared,' replied Mr. Banks, 'But if it were me — I mean I — well, I should get somebody to put in the
And as he said that, Mr. Banks popped his head out of the window and looked down the Lane to Admiral Boom's house at the corner. This was the grandest house in the Lane, and the Lane was very proud of it because it was built exactly like a ship. There was a flagstaff in the garden, and on the roof was a gilt weathercock shaped like a telescope.
'Ha!' said Mr. Banks, drawing in his head very quickly. 'Admiral's telescope says East Wind. I thought as much. There is frost in my bones. I shall wear two overcoats.' And he kissed his wife absent-mindedly on one side of her nose and waved to the children and went away to the City.
Now, the City was a place where Mr. Banks went every day — except Sundays, of course, and Bank Holidays — and while he was there he sat on a large chair in front of a large desk and made money. All day long he worked, cutting out pennies and shillings and half-crowns and threepenny-bits. And he brought them home with him in his little black bag. Sometimes he would give some to Jane and Michael for their money-boxes, and when he couldn't spare any he would say, 'The Bank is broken,' and they would know he hadn't made much money that day.
Well, Mr. Banks went off with his black bag, and Mrs. Banks went into the drawing-room and sat there all day long writing letters to the papers and begging them to send some Nannies to her at once as she was waiting; and upstairs in the Nursery, Jane and Michael watched at the window and wondered who would come. They were glad Katie Nanna had gone, for they had never liked her. She was old and fat and smelt of barley-water. Anything, they thought, would be better than Katie Nanna — if not
When the afternoon began to die away behind the Park, Mrs. Brill and Ellen came to give them their supper and to bath the Twins. And after supper Jane and Michael sat at the window watching for Mr. Banks to come home, and listening to the sound of the East Wind blowing through the naked branches of the cherry-trees in the Lane. The trees themselves, turning and bending in the half light, looked as though they had gone mad and were dancing their roots out of the ground.
'There he is!' said Michael, pointing suddenly to a shape that banged heavily against the gate. Jane peered through the gathering darkness.
'That's not Daddy,' she said. 'It's somebody else.'
Then the shape, tossed and bent under the wind, lifted the latch of the gate, and they could see that it belonged to a woman, who was holding her hat on with one hand and carrying a bag in the other. As they watched, Jane and Michael saw a curious thing happen. As soon as the shape was inside the gate the wind seemed to catch her up into the air and fling her at the house. It was as though it had flung her first at the gate, waited for her to open it, and then had lifted and thrown her, bag and all, at the front door. The watching children heard a terrific bang, and as she landed the whole house shook.
'How funny! I've never seen that happen before,' said Michael.
