Free The Wishing-Chair Again by Enid Blyton Page B

here—by bus or train—and how did you get into the grounds?”
    Chinky gave the others a sharp nudge. Mollie had just been going to say that they had come in their Wishing-Chair, but she shut her mouth again tightly. Of course she mustn't give that away! Why, Mister Grim would search the grounds and find it!
    “ Well?” said Mister Grim. “I am asking you a question—and when I ask questions I expect them to be answered.”
    Still no reply from any of the three. Mister Grim leaned forward. “Shall I tell you how you came? You must have friends here among the brownies—and they helped you to climb the wall, and told you to take the toys! Aha! Don't try to say you didn't do that.”
    They didn't say a word. Mister Grim got up and put the toys back in the chest. “You,” he said to Chinky, “you are a pixie, and I don't usually take pixies into my school. But you are a very bad pixie, I can see, and I shall keep you here. And I shall keep these two as well. I'm not sure what they are—but even if they are real, proper children, which I very much doubt, they deserve to be punished by being my pupils here for a term.”
    “Oh, no!” said Mollie in horror. “What will our mother say? You can't do that.”
    “You will see,” said Mister Grim. “Now go downstairs, find the brownie called Winks, and tell him you are to come into class when the bell rings. He will give you books and pencils.”
    The three of them had to go downstairs in a row, Mister Grim behind them. They were frightened! This was serious. Unless they could manage somehow to get to their Wishing-Chair, they would simply have to stay at Mister Grim's school!
    They found Winks and told him quickly what had happened. He was very sorry. “Bad luck!” he said. “Very bad luck. Well, it's lucky for you that old Grim hasn't got a stick to whip you with just now. Come on—I'll get you your books and things. Sit by me in class and I'll try and help you all I can.”
    He took them into a big room and gave them books and pencils. Almost at once a bell rang loudly and all the brownies trooped in quickly. Not one of them spoke a word. They took their places quietly and waited.
    “Why are you sent here, Winks?” whispered Chinky as they all waited for Mister Grim to appear.
    “Because I used my grandmother's Blue Spell and turned all her pigs blue,” whispered back Winks.
    “And I was sent here because I put a spell into my father's shoe-tongues and they were rude to him all the way down our street and back,” whispered Hoho.
    “And I was sent because...” began another brownie, when slow and heavy footsteps were heard. In came Mister Grim and stood at his big desk.
    “Sit!” he said, as if the Brownies were all little dogs. They sat.
    “We have three new pupils,” said Mister Grim. “I regret to say that I caught them stealing—STEALING— from my store-room. If I find out who helped them into this school and told them about the toys they came to steal, I shall take my stick to him. Brrrrrr!”
    This was very frightening. Mollie didn't even dare to cry. She comforted herself by thinking of the Wishing-Chair hidden under the bush in the garden. They would run to it as soon as ever they could!
    “Now we will have mental numbers,” said Mister Grim, and a little groan ran round the class. “You, boy, what number is left when you take eighty-two and sixty-four from one hundred and three?”
    He was pointing at poor Peter. Peter went red. What a silly question! You couldn't take eighty-two and sixty-four from one hundred and three.
    “Say six hundred and fifty,” whispered Winks. “He doesn't know the answer himself!”
    “Six hundred and fifty,” said Peter boldly. Everyone clapped as if he were right.
    “Er—very good,” said Mister Grim. Then he pointed to Mollie. “How many pips are there in seven pounds of raspberry jam?”

    “Seven pounds of raspberry jam?” repeated Mollie, wondering if she had heard aright.