And, my! you never tasted anything so good as those potatoes!

  “It’s made me hungrier than ever,” said Billy Blunt, when he had eaten his two.

  So then they couldn’t wait any longer. They took the saucepan off the fire and spooned stew out on to the plates. It tasted rather of bonfire smoke, and they had forgotten the salt, and the vegetables were a bit hard.

  THEY EACH TOOK A HOT BAKED POTATO

  But, my! you never tasted anything so good as that stew!

  And, as Billy Blunt said, “It’s good for your teeth to bite up well. Too much soft food’s bad.”

  So they all bit up very well indeed, dividing everything equally down to the last scrap.

  One thing is very certain, Grandma would have said that “Mr Manners” didn’t get much of a look-in at that meal. (But then, you couldn’t expect to find “Mr Manners” anywhere around in so much bonfire smoke!)

  “Well,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy at last, “we can’t say we don’t like stew, or carrots, or potatoes, or parsnips now!”

  “Ah,” said Billy Blunt, “but we never have stew like this at home!”

  “I wish,” said little-friend-Susan, “we could always cook our dinners ourselves. It would save a lot of washing up, too.”

  Just then Mother looked out of the back door.

  “What about finishing up this treacle-tart, though you haven’t cooked it yourselves?” she called.

  Well, of course, you couldn’t say no to Mother’s treacle-tart. So they managed to find enough room, but only just! Then, sticky, greasy, smoky, and very comfortable inside, they carried their things indoors to be washed up.

  But – do you know! – there seemed to be more washing up to be done than they had supposed. For, besides their plates and spoons and the saucepan, there were – Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt!

  (And they took a good deal of washing up, I can tell you!)

  6

  Milly-Molly-Mandy Acts for the Pictures

  Once upon a time something quite exciting happened in the village where Milly-Molly-Mandy lived. Anyhow, Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and (I think) even Billy Blunt were quite excited over it.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy was going with little-friend-Susan on an errand to Miss Muggins’ shop one morning. And they had just turned the corner by the duck-pond when they noticed rather a lot of people standing about, though there didn’t seem much to see – only one or two cars and a sort of van-thing drawn up by the Inn.

  “I wonder what’s going on,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy.

  Little-friend-Susan wondered too. But they thought they had better get their shopping done first, before trying to find out.

  As they passed the forge they didn’t see the Blacksmith. And as they passed Mr Blunt’s corn-shop they didn’t see Billy Blunt. But Mrs Hubble was peeping through the window of her baker’s shop, and a very big, shiny motor-car came sliding along past them on its way to the Inn.

  Something certainly seemed to be going on. But they couldn’t think what.

  They went into Miss Muggins’ draper’s shop, and Miss Muggins came out of her inner room to serve them. (She had been to put the dinner on to cook – you could smell it.)

  Little-friend-Susan said: “Two yards of narrow white elastic and a packet of mixed needles for Mother, please,” and put her money on the counter.

  And while Miss Muggins pulled out a drawer Milly-Molly-Mandy looked round and said: “Where’s your Jilly, Miss Muggins?” – because nobody seemed to be about. (Jilly, of course, was Miss Muggins’ little niece who lived with her.)

  Miss Muggins, winding up elastic very quickly between her thumb and little finger, said: “Jilly? Oh, she’s over by the Inn, watching those film people taking movies there.”

  “MOVIES?” said Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan, loudly and both together.

  “Didn’t you know?” said Miss Muggins, wrapping up the elastic and the needles in thin brown paper. “They’ve been at it since early morning, up and down in their motor-cars. I don’t know what they want to do it here for. Looks an ordinary enough place, to my way of thinking.”

  “Do you mean, they are making a film? Here? In our village?”

  “So they say,” said Miss Muggins, pulling open the drawer that went ping! under the counter, for little-friend-Susan’s change. “Jilly’s been hanging round, of course, ever since they arrived. She could hardly wait to eat her breakfast, and would have her hair done up in curl-papers last night.”

  “She’s not going to act in the movie, is she?” asked little-friend-Susan.

  “If she can squeeze in front of the camera while no one’s looking I shouldn’t be surprised,” said Miss Muggins. “She’s quite crazy about films. If you see her remind her it’ll be dinner-time soon. Tell her not to be late.”

  “Yes, Miss Muggins, we will. Hurry, Susan, we don’t want to miss anything!”

  Little-friend-Susan grabbed her change and the package, and said “Thank you” to Miss Muggins, and they ran along as fast as they could go, and squeezed in among the people looking on in front of the Inn.

  A deep voice growled down at them suddenly: “Now, then! Who are you trying to push over?”

  And it was Mr Rudge the Blacksmith, in his dirty leather apron! He put out his big arm and scooped them both round to the front of him, where they could see beautifully. Only there wasn’t much to see, and there was a rope to keep people from getting too close.

  THEY SQUEEZED IN AMONG THE PEOPLE

  There were some men in raincoats and woollen scarves talking together. And there was a big sort of camera on one side, and a sort of engine-thing with wires coming from it which people kept nearly tripping over. Billy Blunt was standing close to this, staring at it with his hands in his pockets.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy edged over and said to him: “Hullo, Billy! What are they doing? Have we missed a lot?”

  Billy Blunt said: “No. They only stand and talk. This thing’s for making floodlight come on. Can’t think why they don’t get on and use it.”

  A man with rather long hair was walking about, holding a lot of papers in one hand and stroking his hair back with the other. He looked very busy, but he didn’t seem to do anything exactly. By the Inn door were two or three children whom Milly-Molly-Mandy didn’t know, and a woman knitting on a camp-stool.

  Little-friend-Susan said: “I wonder why they are allowed up close and not us. It’s not fair.”

  Then they saw Miss Muggins’ Jilly playing on the grass just on the other side of the rope (where she oughtn’t to have been). Milly-Molly-Mandy called to her:

  “Jilly, your aunty says it’ll be your dinner-time soon, and don’t you be late!”

  Miss Muggins’ Jilly waved back and nodded till her curls flapped. But she didn’t go.

  Billy Blunt said to Milly-Molly-Mandy:

  “See that old man on the bench there? He isn’t old. He’s acting. You have to watch him. Expect I’ll have to go home soon.”

  “So ought we, I expect,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy. “Only we don’t want to miss anything. When are they going to begin?”

  “Huh!” said Billy Blunt. “Not till next year, this rate.”

  The Blacksmith said: “Well, I’ve had all I want. I’d rather go the cinema and see things moving!” And he went off home.

  Just then a man near the camera shouted out, “Hi, you!” and waved his hand at Miss Muggins’ Jilly. It did rather look at first as if he were beckoning – and Miss Muggins’ Jilly started hopefully towards him. But he was waving her back, and she had to go behind the rope again, very disappointed.

  And then a man held up a sort of black-and-white signboard, and the woman who was knitting took her stool and got out of the way. But the children began playing by the Inn door, and nobody ordered them off. The old man on the bench folded his hands on his stick as if he didn’t know anything was going on. But he didn’t look as if he were acting.

  The men in raincoats round the camera talked together and pointed here and there, but the children still went on playing their silly sort of tag-game by the steps. (Of course! they were actor-children, Milly-Molly-Mandy could see now.)

  And then suddenly everybody stopped and just stood around, and some of the men in raincoats took sandwiches out of their pockets and bit them.

  “Is that all?” said little-friend-Susan.

  “Practising,” said Billy Blunt.

  “We ought to go home,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy. “They’ll be expecting us.”

  “Yes, we ought,” said little-friend-Susan, “or we’ll be late.”

  “I shall come back directly after my dinner,” said Billy Blunt.

  “So shall I!” said little-friend-Susan.

  And Milly-Molly-Mandy said: “Let’s hurry so we can get back quickly.”

  It was hard to leave, but they did. Milly-Molly-Mandy called to Miss Muggins’ Jilly as they went: “You’d better hurry, Jilly, and come back after!”

  But Miss Muggins’ Jilly didn’t want to hear. She was pretending she hadn’t meant to throw her little ball so near to the camera, and was trying to get it back.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy ran all the way home, and ate her dinner in record time. And then Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Aunty excused her, and she ran all the way back to the village, joining little-friend-Susan on the way. Billy Blunt was there before them, but, of course, he lived quite near.

  And now it really looked as if things were beginning to happen.

  The old man was on the Inn bench, and the children playing by the steps again. And now a shabby little car came driving up, and a pretty girl with very pale hair (Milly-Molly-Mandy had never seen her before) came running out and got in beside the nice young man who was driving, and they drove off. (But the car only went round to the other side and stopped.)

  Then the very big, shiny car which had passed Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan on the road came driving up very importantly, and almost before it stopped a man jumped out and ran up the steps. He called out something to the old man on the bench which the old man didn’t seem to understand, but the children pointed where the other car had driven away (though it was just standing on the other side now). The man jumped into the big, shiny car again, and it slid off very fast. (Only it too only went round to the other side and stopped.)

  And then the men in raincoats (only most of them were in shirt-sleeves now) began talking together and pointing here and there. And suddenly they pointed to where Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt were standing. It did rather look as if they were beckoning, but Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt took care to keep well back, though they were behind the rope, anyhow.

  But one of the men came walking towards them over the grass. And he said:

  “I say, would you three care to come and help swell the ranks? We want to see how it looks with a few more youngsters in the picture.”

  WOULD they!

  Milly-Molly Mandy and little-friend-Susan and (after a moment) Billy Blunt too followed the man to the front of the movie-camera, feeling rather nervous but frightfully excited. (And wouldn’t you have been?)

  They were put rather behind the other children (who, of course, were Real Actors, and had paint on their faces when you saw them close to). The man told them to look at the cars as they came up, and to be sure never, NEVER, so much as to glance at the camera. “Not if you value your skins, do you hear?” said the man, sounding quite fierce. (But I think he had a twinkle in his eye.)

  Then it was all tried out over again, with the two cars, and the pretty girl coming down the steps as before, for more practice.

  Then there was some shouting, and everybody who wasn’t in the film was got out of the way. (But Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t have to move!)

  Somebody shouted, “Action!” and the children started playing again, and Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t look at the camera. The first car came up, and the other car came up, and the actor-children pointed the way which the first car went. And all the time Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt didn’t once glance round at the camera.

  Then suddenly it was all over, and the man who first spoke to them shook hands with all three, and thanked them for coming to help.

  And they went back to their side of the rope again.

  And at that moment Miss Muggins’ poor Jilly (who did so want to act in the pictures!) came hurrying up – just in time to see them coming away from in front of the camera.

  “Did they let you act in the film? Oh, why didn’t you call me too?” wailed Miss Muggins’ Jilly.

  “But you weren’t anywhere about,” said Milly-Molly-Mandy.

  “I expect they’d have let you come, only you went home so late,” said little-friend-Susan.

  Billy Blunt grinned at Miss Muggins’ Jilly.

  “You’d better not be late to dinner next time if you want to be a film-star like us!” he said. “I tell you what, though,” he added grandly, “you can have my autograph for your album!”

  Miss Muggins’ Jilly hadn’t got an autograph album, and she didn’t want Billy Blunt’s autograph anyhow! But it gave her an idea. She ran back for pencil and paper, and managed to get the man who sat on the bench and two of the actor-children to write their names for her before they went away. And having three real film-actors’ autographs, she thought, was next best to acting in a film herself!

  It was a long while before the picture came to the next village where the cinema was. And, of course, everybody had to go and see it then.

  But the part that Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt acted in was over so quickly you couldn’t really recognize them. But if you were looking at the right spot you might happen to notice a bit of Milly-Molly-Mandy’s striped frock.

  Still, everyone in the village felt quite proud of Billy Blunt, little-friend-Susan, and Milly-Molly-Mandy!

  7

  Milly-Molly-Mandy and Guy Fawkes Day

  Once upon a time Milly-Molly-Mandy and some of the others were coming home from school one afternoon. It was getting dusk, and fallen leaves were chasing each other along the road.

  When they came to Miss Muggins’ shop Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt stopped a moment to look in Miss Muggins’ shop-window. Miss Muggins’ shop mostly sold uninteresting things, like stockings and dusters and baby-clothes. But it sold some interesting things too, like sweets and toys and pencil-cases. So it was worth looking in sometimes to see if there was anything worth looking at.

  And – do you know! – there was something! There was a bright-pink cardboard face with slits for eyes, and a box full of blue and red sticks and curly things of odd sizes.

  And directly Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt saw them said loudly and all together:

  “Oh! It’s Guy Fawkes!”

  They weren’t sure when the Fifth of November was, but of course it must be soon, what with the dark afternoon and the fallen leaves and those things in Miss Muggins’ shop window.

  “We ought to have a guy with a horrid face on it!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy.

  “We ought to have a big bonfire and dance round it!” said little-friend-Susan.

  “We ought to buy some fireworks,” said Billy Blunt.

  “Let’s start saving our pocket-money and collecting things for Guy Fawkes day!” said Milly-Molly-Mandy.

  So, to begin with, they all went along together to the nice white cottage with the thatched roof (where Milly-Molly-Mandy lived) for Milly-Molly-Mandy to ask if they might start making a bonfire out in the yard for Guy Fawkes night.

  Father said: “Go ahead. I’ll be sawing some dead branches off the big walnut-tree soon, which you can have for it.”

  THERE WAS A BRIGHT-PINK CARDBOARD FACE

  Mother said: “Here’s an old hat of Father’s which looks about right for a guy!”

  Grandpa said: “I’ve torn my old raincoat on the gate and I’m afraid it’s past mending now. You’d better have that too.”

  Grandma said: “Take it, quick, Milly-Molly-Mandy, before he changes his mind. I’m tired of trying to patch it.”

  Uncle said: “I suppose you’ll be wanting some squibs to make me jump. Here’s a shilling for you.”

  Aunty said: “I’ll say this for Guy Fawkes day – it gives you a chance to get rid of the rubbish!” And she handed over a pair of gardening-gloves with the fingers in holes.

  Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt were very pleased.

  They went out into the yard to decide where to have the bonfire, and Billy Blunt carried the old hat and coat and gloves, which were exactly right for a guy. “I’d better take these home and put them in our shed,” said Billy Blunt. “They’ll be safer there.”

  Then he and little-friend-Susan had to hurry off to their teas, and Milly-Molly-Mandy went in to hers.

  For the next week or so after school they were all very busy collecting firewood. It was quite hard work to find enough for a really big bonfire. They lugged home fallen branches and bundles of twigs and baskets of fir-cones from the woods and hedges. Sometimes they found bits of loose fencing too, but they knew they mustn’t take those, so they always tried to fix them back in place (because, of course, you mustn’t let cows and sheep get out to wander on the road or lose themselves).

  They clubbed together and bought the horridest pink cardboard face in Miss Muggins’ shop, and as many squibs as they could get for their money. Billy Blunt had charge of these (because you could trust Billy Blunt not to let them off before the time). He took charge of making the guy too, as he had its clothes, and he promised to bring it along on the Fifth, ready for the burning.

 

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