Enid Blyton (2 page)

MR. PINK-WHISTLE PUTS THINGS 
RIGHT

WELL, what do you think Mr. Pink-Whistle meant to do?
  
He meant to go and buy new clothes for all the four children!
  
Good old Mr. Pink-Whistle!

He was so upset to think that the clothes had been spoilt for the third time, after Mrs. Spink had worked so hard and so cheerfully, that he had to blow his nose hard to keep from crying.

"It's not fair!" he kept saying. "Why do these things happen when people try so hard? I won't have it! I shall put it right. It's no good being sorry about

things if you don't do something to put them right!"

He quite forgot that he was invisible still, and that people couldn't see him. So when he walked into a draper's shop and the door-bell rang, the girl there was most alarmed to hear a voice and to see nobody!

"I want to see some party-clothes," said Mr. Pink-Whistle. "For two little boys and two little girls."

"Oooh!" said the shop-girl, frightened, for she could still see nobody. "There's somebody speaking and there's nobody here! Help! Help!"

"Oh, sorry!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle, remembering that he couldn't be seen. At once he came back again, and his fat little body, big ears, and green eyes appeared in front of the surprised girl.

"Now don't run away or do anything silly," said Mr. Pink-Whistle. "It's just a secret I have—I can make myself disappear 
or not.

Please show me the children's clothes you have."

The girl looked into Mr. Pink-Whistle's kind red face, and knew that he couldn't harm anyone. She took down some boxes and drew open some drawers. In a little while she and Mr. Pink-Whistle were talking about what would be best for Teddy, Eliza, Harry, and Bonny to wear at the school party.

They chose new vests, warm and white.    They chose knickers and socks, two pretty petticoats, two pairs of grey flannel shorts for the boys, and two blue silk frocks for the girls. Mr. Pink-Whistle chose a green jersey for Harry and a red one for Teddy.

"Would that be all, do you think?" asked the girl, who was really quite enjoying herself now, for Mr. Pink-Whistle had told her all about poor Mrs. Spink, and she was feeling quite excited to think of the surprise that this funny little secret man was planning.

"Well—what about hair-ribbons for the two girls to match their frocks?" asked Mr. Pink-Whistle?"Or don't girls wear them now?"

"Oh, of course they do!" said the shop-girl, and she measured and cut two fine hair-ribbons of blue silk for Eliza and Bonny. "Oh, and have the children shoes, sir? Did those get spoilt too?"

"Well, Mrs. Spink didn't wash the shoes," said Mr. Pink-Whistle."But I remember seeing them in the kitchen—very poor old shoes, too. I'd better have four pairs, I think."

So they chose brown shoes that they thought would fit the children—and then that was really all. The girl did everything up in a big parcel and gave it to Mr. Pink-Whistle. They beamed at one another, pleased to think of the secret they both shared.

Mr. Pink-Whistle paid for the things. Then he said good-bye and went. He ran straight back to Mrs. Spink's. He nearly forgot to make himself disappear, but just remembered in time. Then he opened the door and marched in, unseen by anyone.

Mrs. Spink was still upstairs with her children. She didn't know anything about the sooty clothes downstairs yet. Mr. Pink-Whistle looked round the black kitchen and frowned.

"I can't put the children's clothes here," he thought."They would get sooty. What about the next room?"

Now in the next room was a big chest of drawers where Mrs. Spink kept all the clothes of the family, and all the sheets and towels. Mr. Pink-Whistle tiptoed to it and pulled the drawers open. The top one and the bottom one were empty. So Mr. Pink-Whistle carefully and neatly put the boys' clothes into the top drawer and the girls clothes into the bottom one. They looked lovely. Mr. Pink-Whistle felt very happy as he packed them in.

Mrs. Spink ran down the stairs to the kitchen. When she saw the sooty clothes and the black kitchen, she gave a cry of horror. And then, because she was so tired, she sat down on a sooty chair and began to weep.

"My beautiful washing!" she wept. "Oh, I did think nothing more would

happen to it! I'm too tired to do it again —but what will the poor children say if they've no clean clothes to wear at the party to-morrow? Oh dear! Oh dear! Things are very hard!"

The children came running down the stairs to see what was the matter with their mother. Mr. Pink-Whistle watched them from the other room. Would they be angry? Would they be sulky—or very, very sad?

When they saw what had happened, they were full of dismay and horror, for they knew that their poor mother had already washed the clothes three times, They flung their arms round her and hugged her.

"You won't be able to go to the party, my dears!" wept their mother. "I'm too tired to wash the clothes again."

"Mother, we don't mind!" cried Teddy.

"Mother, it doesn't matter a bit!" cried Eliza.

"Don't you cry, Mother; we'll help wash again to-morrow," promised little Bonny.

"We don't mind about the party!" cried Harry, though he did really mind, dreadfully.

"Nice children, kind children!" said tender-hearted Mr. Pink-Whistle to himself, feeling for his handkerchief again. "Oh, I'm glad I'm here to do something!

I
   
can't
    
bear
    
things
    
like
   
this happen!"

"You're the best children in the world!" said their mother, and kissed them all. "And that's just why you, of all children, should have a treat. It isn't fair!"

"No, it's not!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle in a loud whisper. The children heard it, and looked surprised. Mr. Pink-Whistle thought it was time that they saw what he had done for them, and he pulled open the top drawer and rattled it a little.

"What's that noise?" said Mrs. Spink in surprise. "I hope the cat isn't in my parlour, messing things up!"

They all went into the little parlour. They didn't see Mr. Pink-Whistle, of course, because he was invisible, but they bumped into him without knowing it!

"Who has opened this top drawer?" wondered Mrs. Spink, catching sight of

the half-opened drawer. She went to shut it—and then she stared—and stared—and stared!

"Look!" she said in amazement, and pulled out of the drawer all the new socks, jerseys, vests, and shorts belonging to the boys."New clothes! And new shoes too! Good gracious! Where did they come from?"

The girls pulled open the other drawers and soon found the new clothes in the bottom drawer. How they squealed and shrieked when they saw they blue silk frocks and ribbons to match!

In a trice the four children dressed themselves. Mr. Pink-Whistle had guessed their sizes exactly. They all looked as sweet as could be and if Mr. Pink-Whistle had been their father he couldn't have felt prouder of them all.

"I don't understand it, I don't 
understand it!" said Mrs. Spink, thinking she must be in a lovely dream.

"Now don't be frightened!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle suddenly, "because I'm going to appear. One, two, three—and here I am!"

And there he was! All five looked at him in astonishment. "Did you put those new clothes there?" asked Mrs. Spink.

"Yes, I did," said Mr. Pink-Whistle. "I'm tired of seeing and hearing and reading about things going wrong in this world. I can't bear it! It's not fair! So I'm just taking a little holiday to put some of the things right. And I was so upset about your having to wash those clothes so often that I felt I must go and buy some new ones. I do hope you don't mind."

"You're a darling!" cried Bonny, and she suddenly hugged him. It was the first time Mr. Pink-Whistle had ever been hugged and he thought it was lovely.

"Well, this is my first try at putting things right," he said. "I'm glad it is a success. Now be sure you enjoy your party to-morrow, my dears!"

"We couldn't help enjoying it, with all these fine clothes!" cried Eliza, dancing round the room in her blue silk. "Thank you, dear kind little man!"

Mr. Pink-Whistle felt so happy that he thought he would burst. He hurriedly muttered the magic words that made him invisible again, and he disappeared. "Goodbye!" he cried. "Good-bye! I'll come and see you again sometime. I'm off to find something else to put right. Goodbye!"

"Good-bye!" cried the children, wondering where their queer, green-eyed friend had gone. He was off through the falling night, as happy as could be.

"Now for something else!" he said, with a skip and a jump. "Now for something else!"

And he'll find it all right, as you'll very soon see!