Mary Poppins Comes Back

'We're going, too!' said Michael excitedly.

'What? You're going?' The Admiral seemed quite astonished.

'Yes, of course!' said Jane.

'But — not all the way, surely?' The Admiral looked curiously at Mary Poppins.

'They're having one ride each, Sir!' she explained primly.

'Ah, well! Farewell!' he said in a voice that for him was almost gentle.

Then to the children's astonishment, he drew himself up, put his hand to his forehead, and smartly saluted Mary Poppins.

'Ur-rrrrrrumph!' he trumpeted into his handkerchief. 'Hoist your sail! And up with your Anchor! And away, Love, away!'

And he waved his hand and went off rolling from side to side of the pavement and singing,

'Every nice Girl loves a Sailor!'

in a loud, rumbling voice.

'Why did he say Farewell and call you Love?' said Michael, staring after the Admiral as he walked on beside Mary Poppins.

'Because he thinks I'm a Thoroughly Respectable Person!' she snapped. But there was a soft dreamy look in her eyes.

Again Jane felt the strange sad feeling and her heart tightened inside her.

'What can be going to happen?' she asked herself anxiously. She put her hand on Mary Poppins' hand as it lay on the handle of the perambulator. It felt warm and safe and comforting.

'How silly I am!' she said softly. 'There can't be anything wrong!'

And she hurried beside the perambulator as it trundled towards the Park.

'Just a moment! Just a moment!' A panting voice sounded behind them.

'Why,' said Michael, turning. 'It's Miss Tartlet!'

'Indeed, it is not,' said Miss Tartlet breathlessly. 'It's Mrs. Turvy!'

She turned, blushing to Mr. Turvy. He stood beside her smiling a little sheepishly.

'Is this one of your Second Mondays?' Jane enquired. He was right-side up, so she did not think it could be.

'Oh, no! Thank goodness, no!' he said hastily. 'We — er — were just coming to say — oh, Good-Afternoon, Mary!'

'Well, Cousin Arthur?' They all shook hands.

'I wondered if you were going on the Merry-go-round?' he enquired.

'Yes I am. We all are!'

'All!' Mr. Turvy's eye-brows shot up to the top of his head. He seemed very surprised.

'They're going for one ride each!' said Mary Poppins, nodding at the children. 'Sit still, please!' she snapped at the Twins, who had bobbed up excitedly. 'You're not Performing Mice!'

'Oh, I see. And then — they're getting off? Well — Good-bye, Mary, and Bon Voyage!' Mr. Turvy raised his hat high above his head, very ceremoniously.

'Good-bye — and thank you for coming!' said Mary Poppins, bowing graciously to Mr. and Mrs. Turvy.

'What does Bon Voyage mean?' said Michael, looking over his shoulder at their retreating figures — Mrs. Turvy very fat and curly, Mr. Turvy very straight and thin.

'Good journey! Which is something you won't have unless you walk up!' snapped Mary Poppins. He hurried after her.

The music was louder now, beating and drumming on the air, drawing them all towards it.

Mary Poppins, almost running, turned the perambulator in at the Park Gates. But there a row of pavement pictures caught her eye and she pulled up suddenly.

'What is she stopping for now?' said Michael in an angry whisper to Jane. 'We'll never get there at this rate!'

The Pavement Artist had just completed a set of fruit in coloured chalks — an Apple, a Pear, a Plum, and a Banana. Underneath them he was busy chalking the words—

TAKE ONE

'Ahem!' said Mary Poppins, with a lady-like cough.

The Pavement Artist leapt to his feet, and Jane and Michael saw that it was Mary Poppins' great friend, the Match Man.

'Mary! At last! I've been waiting all day!'

The Match Man seized her by both hands and gazed admiringly into her eyes.

Mary Poppins looked very shy and rather pleased.

'Well, Bert, we're off to the Merry-go-round,' she said, blushing.

He nodded. 'I thought you would be. They going with you?' he added, jerking his thumb at the children.

Mary Poppins shook her head mysteriously.

'Just for a ride,' she said quickly.

'Oh—' He pursed up his mouth. 'I see.'

Michael stared. What else could they do on a Merry-go-round except go for a ride? He wondered.

'A nice set of pictures you've got!' Mary Poppins was saying admiringly, gazing down at the fruit.

'Help yourself!' said the Match Man airily.

And with that Mary Poppins, before their astonished eyes, bent down and picked the painted Plum from the pavement and took a bite out of it.

'Won't you take one?' said the Match Man, turning to Jane.

She stared at him. 'But can I?' It seemed so impossible.

'Try!'

She bent towards the Apple and it leapt into her hand. She bit into the red side. It tasted very sweet.

'But how do you do it?' said Michael, staring.

'I don't,' said the Match Man. 'It's Her!' He nodded at Mary Poppins as she stood primly beside the perambulator. 'It only happens when She's around, I assure you!'

Then he bent down and picked the pear clean out of the pavement and offered it to Michael.

'But what about you?' said Michael, for though he wanted the Pear, he also wanted to be polite.

'That's all right!' said the Match Man. 'I can always paint more!' And with that he plucked the Banana, peeled it, and gave half each to the Twins.

A clear sweet strain of music came floating urgently to their ears.

'Now, Bert, we must really be going!' said Mary Poppins hurriedly, as she neatly hid her Plum-stone between two Park railings.

'Must you, Mary?' said the Match Man, very sadly. 'Well, Good-bye, my Dear! And Good Luck!'

'But you'll see him again, won't you?' said Michael, as he followed Mary Poppins through the Gates.

'Maybe and maybe not!' she said shortly. 'And it's no affair of yours!'

Jane turned and looked back. The Match Man was standing by his box of chalks, gazing with all his eyes after Mary Poppins.

'This is a curious day!' she said, frowning.

Mary Poppins glared at her.

'What's wrong with it, pray?'

'Well — everyone's saying Good-bye, and looking at you so strangely.'

'Speech costs nothing!' snapped Mary Poppins. 'And a Cat can look at a King, I suppose?'

Jane was silent. She knew it was no good saying anything to Mary Poppins because Mary Poppins never explained.

She sighed. And because she was not quite sure why she sighed, she began to run, streaking past Michael and Mary Poppins and the perambulator towards the thundering music.

'Wait for me! Wait for me!' screamed Michael, dashing after her. And behind him came the rumbling trundle of the perambulator as Mary Poppins hurried after them both.

There stood the Merry-go-round on a clear patch of lawn between the lime trees. It was a new one, very