Mary Poppins Comes Back

CHAPTER EIGHT Balloons and Balloons

I wonder, Mary Poppins,' said Mrs. Banks, hurrying into the Nursery one morning, 'if you will have time to do some shopping for me?'

And she gave Mary Poppins a sweet, nervous smile as though she were uncertain what the answer would be.

Mary Poppins turned from the fire where she was airing Annabel's clothes.

'I might,' she remarked, not very encouragingly.

'Oh, I see—' said Mrs. Banks, and she looked more nervous than ever.

'Or again — I might not,' continued Mary Poppins, busily shaking out a woollen jacket and hanging it over the fire-guard.

'Well — in case you did have time, here is the List and here is a Pound Note. And if there is any change left over you may spend it!'

Mrs. Banks put the money on the chest of drawers.

Mary Poppins said nothing. She just sniffed.

'Oh!' said Mrs. Banks, suddenly remembering something. 'And the Twins must walk to-day, Mary Poppins. Robertson Ay sat down on the perambulator this morning. He mistook it for an arm-chair. So it will have to be mended. Can you manage without it — and carry Annabel?'

Mary Poppins opened her mouth and closed it again with a snap.

'I,' she remarked tartly, 'can manage anything — and more, if I choose.'

'I–I know!' said Mrs. Banks, edging towards the door. 'You are a Treasure — a perfect Treasure — an absolutely wonderful and altogether suitable Treas—' Her voice died away as she hurried down the stairs.

'And yet — and yet — I sometimes wish she wasn't!' Mrs. Banks remarked to her great-grandmother's portrait as she dusted the Drawing-room. 'She makes me feel small and silly, as though I were a little girl again. And I'm not!' Mrs. Banks tossed her head and flicked a speck of dust from the spotted cow on the mantel-piece. 'I'm a very important person and the Mother of five children. She forgets that!' And she went on with her work thinking out all the things she would like to say to Mary Poppins but knowing all the time that she would never dare.

Mary Poppins put the list and the Pound Note into her bag and in no time she had pinned on her hat and was hurrying out of the house with Annabel in her arms and Jane and Michael, each holding the hand of a Twin, following as quickly as they could.

'Best foot forward, please!' she remarked, turning sternly upon them.

They quickened their pace, dragging the poor Twins with a shuffling sound along the pavement. They forgot that John's arm and Barbara's were being pulled nearly out of their sockets. Their only thought was to keep up with Mary Poppins and see what she did with the change from the Pound Note.

'Two packets of candles, four pounds of rice, three of brown sugar and six of castor; two tins of tomato soup and a hearth-brush, a pair of housemaid's gloves, half-a-stick of sealing-wax, one bag of flour, one fire-lighter, two boxes of matches, two cauliflowers and a bundle of rhubarb!'

Mary Poppins, hurrying into the first shop beyond the Park, read out the list.

The Grocer, who was fat and bald and rather short of breath, took down the order as quickly as he could.

'One bag of housemaid's gloves—' he wrote, nervously licking the wrong end of his blunt little pencil.

'Flour, I said!' Mary Poppins reminded him tartly.

The Grocer blushed as red as a mulberry.

'Oh, I'm sorry. No offense meant, I'm sure. Lovely day, isn't it? Yes. My mistake. One bag of house — er — flour.'

He hurriedly scribbled it down and added—

'Two boxes of hearth-brushes—'

'Matches!' snapped Mary Poppins.

The Grocer's hands trembled on his pad.

'Oh, of course. It must be the pencil — it seems to write all the wrong things. I must get a new one. Matches, of course! And then you said—?' He looked up nervously and then down again at his little stub of pencil.

Mary Poppins, unfolded the list, read it out again in an angry, impatient voice.

'Sorry,' said the Grocer, as she came to the end. 'But rhubarb's off. Would damsons do?'

'Certainly not. A packet of tapioca.'

'Oh, no, Mary Poppins — not Tapioca. We had that last week,' Michael reminded her.

She glanced at him and then at the Grocer, and by the look in her eye they both knew that there was no hope. Tapioca it would be. The Grocer, blushing redder than ever, went away to get it.

'There won't be any change left if she goes on like this,' said Jane, watching the pile of groceries being heaped upon the counter.

'She might have enough left over for a bag of acid-drops — but that's all,' Michael said mournfully, as Mary Poppins took the Pound Note out of her bag.

'Thank you,' she said, as the Grocer handed her the change.

'Thank you!' he remarked politely, leaning his arms on the counter. He smiled at her in a manner that was meant to be pleasant and continued, 'Keeps nice and fine, doesn't it?' He spoke proudly as though he, himself, had complete charge of the weather and had made it fine for her on purpose.

'We want rain!' said Mary Poppins, snapping her mouth and her hand-bag at the same time.

'That's right,' said the Grocer hurriedly, trying not to offend her. 'Rain's always pleasant.'

'Never!' retorted Mary Poppins, tossing Annabel into a more comfortable position on her arm.

The Grocer's face fell. Nothing he said was right.

'I hope,' he remarked, opening the door courteously for Mary Poppins, 'that we shall be favoured with your further custom, Madam.'

'Good-day!' Mary Poppins swept out.

The Grocer sighed.

'Here,' he said, scrabbling hurriedly in a box near the door. 'Take these. I meant no harm, truly I didn't. I only wanted to oblige.'

Jane and Michael held out their hands. The Grocer slipped three chocolate drops into Michael's and two into Jane's.

'One for each of you, one for the two little ones and one for—' he nodded towards Mary Poppins' retreating figure—'her!'

They thanked the Grocer and hurried after Mary Poppins, munching their chocolate drops.

'What's that you're eating?' she demanded, looking at the dark rim round Michael's mouth.

'Chocolates. The Grocer gave us one each. And one for you.' He held out the last drop. It was very sticky.

'Like his impudence!' said Mary Poppins, but she took the chocolate drop and ate it in two bites as though she thoroughly enjoyed it.

'Is there much change left?' enquired Michael anxiously.

'That's as may be.'

She swept into the Chemist's and came out with a cake of soap, a mustard plaster and a tube of toothpaste.

Jane and Michael, waiting with the Twins at the door, sighed heavily.

The Pound Note, they knew, was disappearing fast.

'She'll hardly have enough left over for a stamp and, even if she has, that won't be very interesting,' said Jane.