Enid Blyton (3 page)

THE GIRL WITH THE BROKEN
DOLL

WELL, Mr. Pink-Whistle's next adventure was with a little girl who had a beautiful new doll. Her name was Jessie, and one day when she passed by the toy-shop window, she saw the most lovely baby-doll she had ever seen, sitting there looking at her.

The doll was dressed in woolly clothes, and had a round woolen hat on its head with a bobble at the top. Its eyes were wide open and had long lashes. Its mouth smiled, and it had tiny little shining nails on its fingers and toes.

Jessie stood still and looked at the doll for a very long time. She loved it with all her heart. She longed to have it in her arms to hold. She longed to put it to bed in her toy cot.

"How much is that doll, Mummy?" she asked.

"It is very expensive," said her mother, looking at the ticket on it. "It is eight shillings and sixpence. Don't ask me to buy it for you, because I haven't even got two shillings to spare!"

"No, I won't ask you, Mummy," said Jessie. She turned away from the doll, and went home. But all the time she was having tea she remembered the doll's face and how its big brown eyes had looked at her, with their long curling lashes. And when she was in bed that night she remembered the doll again and wished she had it with her to cuddle.

"I shall save up, and save up, and save up till I have eight shillings and sixpence," said Jessie to herself. "Mummy says if you want a thing badly enough you can get it in the end, somehow! So I will get that lovely doll. Its name shall be Rosemary Ann. Sometimes I shall call her Rosemary and sometimes I shall call her Ann!"

Then Jessie began to save up. She saved all her Saturday pennies. She saved two shillings and sixpence that she had for her birthday. She saved a shilling that Uncle Fred gave her and a sixpence that Aunt Flo gave her. Every time Mummy gave her a penny for running an errand or helping, she put that into her money-box too. She didn't spend even a ha'penny on sweets.

She found a little sixpence in the street one day, and as she couldn't find out who had lost it, Mummy let her put that in her money-box too. And at last, after three whole months, she had eight shillings and sixpence!

"This is the most exciting day of my life," said Jessie to her mother that morning. "I am going to buy that new doll for my very own. She is to be called Rosemary Ann. She has such a lovely face, Mummy, and you should just see her dear little finger-nails and toe-nails!"

Jessie got the cot ready for her new doll. 

She found a doll's cup and saucer for her to drink from. She got ready her doll's pram to fetch Rosemary Ann from the shop. Then she put her eight shillings and sixpence into her bag and set off happily, thinking joyfully of the lovely doll that would so soon be hers.

There it was, still sitting in the window. Jessie ran inside the door, put down her money, and bought the doll. And at that very moment Mr. Pink-Whistle came along, looking for an adventure! He couldn't be seen, for he was quite invisible. He wouldn't let himself be seen in the town if he could help it, because people laughed at his big ears and green eyes.

He saw Jessie's happy face and was pleased. He followed her into the shop without anyone knowing. He saw the little girl buy her doll. He watched her take it into her arms and hold it there lovingly.

"You feel beautiful," said Jessie to the doll. "Your name is Rosemary Ann. I saved up for you for three whole months. I didn't buy any sweets. I didn't spend even a ha'penny, because I wanted you so badly. And now, you darling Rosemary, I've got you! You're mine! There's a cozy cot waiting for you at home, and a chair, and a cup and saucer—and there's your pram outside ready to take you home!"

The doll looked up at Jessie out of her big eyes. Jessie pulled the woolly hat straight and hugged Rosemary.

"I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!" she said. Mr. Pink-Whistle beamed all over his red face. This was what he liked to hear. So many people were sad or hurt or disappointed, but now here was someone happy. He followed Jessie out of the shop and watched her tuck the doll up carefully into the blue pram.

Then Jessie took the handle and began to push the pram proudly home, hoping that people would look into it and see the fine new doll.

But almost at once a dreadful thing happened. A crowd of boys came along with a big dog. They were shouting and laughing, and the dog was very excited. It kept jumping all around the boys and trying to lick their faces.

And just as the boys and the dog reached Jessie, the dog jumped up to one of the boys, fell sideways, and knocked Jessie's little blue pram right over!

Rosemary Ann was jerked out on to her head. There was a loud crack, and Jessie gave a scream.

"Rosemary! Oh, Rosemary's broken!"The little girl picked up her poor doll, and looked in horror at the broken face. The nose was smashed, and the lovely eyes had gone inside Rosemary's china head. She was quite, quite spoilt.

"I say! I'm sorry our dog did that!" said one of the boys. "It was quite an accident. Shall we whip the dog?"

"Oh no," said poor Jessie, with hot tears trickling down her cheeks. "Don't whip him. He didn't mean to do it. Oh, I'm so unhappy. I've only just this minute bought Rosemary Ann, and I saved up for three whole months to buy her. And 
now she's broken the poor, poor thing!"

"Perhaps your mother will buy you another one," said a boy.

"I shan't ask her to," said Jessie, wiping her eyes." she hasn't got much money."

The boys ran off with their dog and soon forgot about Jessie. Mr. Pink-Whistle was left, standing invisible beside the pram. He was terribly upset. He sniffed so loudly that Jessie heard him and looked round. But she couldn't see anyone, of course.

Mr. Pink-Whistle felt angry and upset and sad and unhappy all at once. He walked round the corner and stamped up and down in a rage. "It isn't fair! It isn't fair! That's a dear little girl, and she saved up so hard, and did so love the doll, and then the dog came and broke it. Now she's very, very unhappy. And dolls broken as much as that can't be mended.

What am I to do to put it right?
   
It really isn't fair, and I won't have it!"

Suddenly Mr. Pink-Whistle knew what to do. He made himself appear suddenly, much to a small boy's surprise, and rushed into the toy-shop. He banged on the counter. The shop-woman appeared and looked surprised to see a fat little man wiping his green eyes with an enormous yellow handkerchief.

"Have you got another doll like the one the little girl bought just now?"he asked.

"Oh yes, of course," said the shop-woman, and she lifted one out of the box. Mr. Pink-Whistle snatched it up, slammed down the money, and tore out. The shop-woman really thought he was quite mad.

Jessie was walking home with her pram. She had put poor broken Rosemary Ann into it again, with her face towards the pillow, so that she couldn't see how broken she was.

Mr. Pink-Whistle hurried up, and just as he got near, he dropped two or three pennies. They went rolling all over the place. "Dear, dear!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle, pretending to be vexed. "Now where have they gone?"

"I'll get them for you," said Jessie, just as he had known she would. She put her pram by the side of the pavement, and went to pick up the pennies. As quick

as lightning Mr. Pink-Whistle whipped the broken doll out of the pram and put the new one in, face downwards. He stuffed the broken one into one of his big pockets, and covered up the other doll.

Soon Jessie came up to give him the pennies. "What's the matter with your doll?" he asked. "Why do you make her lie face downwards?"

"Because she's broken," said Jessie, nearly crying again.

"Now, how lucky that is!" said Mr. Pink-Whistle. "I can mend broken dolls! Look! I just tap her on the back of the head gently—like this—and say ' Hi-tiddle-hi-to, hi-tiddle-hi-to! ‘And hey presto!— the doll will be all right again!"

Jessie didn't believe him. She knew dolls weren't mended like that. But to -please the funny little man she turned her doll over—and then she gave a scream.

"Rosemary Ann! You
are
all right!

Your nose has come back! Your eyes are looking at me! You're quite, quite well! Oh, you darling! I'm so happy!" she snatched the doll out of the pram and hugged it as if she would squeeze it to bits. Mr. Pink-Whistle felt all funny about the eyes again, and blew his nose loudly. This was fun! He'd put something right again! Good!

"Thank you ever so much," said Jessie, her eyes shining with happiness. "You must be magic!"

"I am, a bit," said Mr. Pink-Whistle, and his big ears waggled like a dog's and his green eyes gleamed. "Well, good-bye, little friend! Don't forget me, will you?"

"Oh, never!" said Jessie. "I think you're really wonderful!"

So no wonder Mr. Pink-Whistle skipped off as if he were treading on air. "I've done it again!" he said. "I've done it again! And I'll do it a third time before I'm much older! Yes, I certainly will!"