Free William the Fourth by Richmal Crompton

derivation of the word. It simply means something outside the usual rule. If—’
    She was returning eagerly to the tent to explain, but found the entrance blocked by a crowd, so she was persuaded to postpone her explanation. Moreover, she had caught sight of the Hoop-la, and
was anxious to have the system explained to her. William wearily explained it.
    ‘Oh, I see,’ said Aunt Jane, ‘a test of dexterity and accuracy of aim. Shall we – shall we try?’
    They tried. They tried till William was tired. She had determined to ‘get something’ or die. The crowd was gathering again. They applauded her efforts. Aunt Jane was too
short-sighted to notice the crowd, but she heard its shouts.
    ‘Isn’t everyone encouraging ?’ she murmured to William. ‘It’s most gratifying. It’s really a very pleasant place.’
    She actually did get something. One of her wildly-flung hoops fell over a tie-pin of the extremely flashy variety, which she received with glowing pride and handed to William. The crowd cheered,
but Aunt Jane was quite oblivious of the crowd.
    ‘Come along,’ she said. ‘Let’s do something else.’
    Ginger disconsolately announced his intention of going home. Henry and Douglas followed his example, and William was left alone to escort Aunt Jane through the mazes of the Land of Pleasure. It
was at this point that things really seemed to go to Aunt Jane’s head. She went down the Helter Skelter four or five times – sailing down on her little mat with squeaks of joy. She
forgot now to straighten her hat or her hair. Her eyes gleamed with a strange light, her cheeks were flushed.
    WILLIAM WAS LEFT ALONE TO ESCORT AUNT JANE THROUGH THE MAZES OF THE LAND OF PLEASURE.
    ‘There’s something quite rejuvenating about it all, William,’ she murmured. She had her fortune told by a Gipsy Queen, who prophesied an early marriage with one of her many
suitors.
    She went again on the roundabout, she had another coconut-shy she went on the Switchback, the Fairy Boat, and the Wild Sea Waves. William trailed along behind her. He refused to venture on the
Wild Sea Waves, and watched her on them with a certain grudging admiration.
    ‘Crumbs!’ he murmured, ‘she must have gotter inside of iron !’
    Finally Aunt Jane espied a stall at a distance. Under a flaring gas-flame a man in a white coat was pulling out long strings of soft candy. Aunt Jane approached.
    ‘What an appetising odour!’ commented Aunt Jane. ‘Do you think he’s selling it?’ William thought he was.
    And the glorious climax of that strange night was the sight of Aunt Jane standing under the flaring gas-jet devouring soft pull-out candy
    ‘ ’Ullo! ’Ere’s the gime old bird,’ said a man passing.
    ‘I don’t see any bird, do you?’ said Aunt Jane to William, peering round with her short-sighted eyes, ‘but this is a very palatable confection, is it not?’
    Then a clock struck, and into Aunt Jane’s face came the look that Cinderella’s face must have worn when the clock struck twelve.
    ‘William,’ she said, ‘that surely was not ten?’
    ‘Sounded like ten,’ said William.
    Aunt Jane put down her last stick of pull-out candy unfinished.
    ‘We – we ought to go,’ she said weakly.
    ‘Well,’ said William’s mother when they returned. ‘I do hope it wasn’t too tiring for you.’
    Aunt Jane sat down on a chair and thought. She thought over the evening. No, she couldn’t really have done all that – have seen all that. It was impossible – quite impossible.
It must be imagination. She must have seen someone else doing all those things. She must have gone quietly round with William and watched him enjoy himself. Of course that was all she’d done.
It must have been. The other was unthinkable.
    So she smiled, a patient, weary little smile.
    ‘Well, of course,’ she said, ‘I’m a little tired but I think William enjoyed it.’

 
    CHAPTER 6
    ‘KIDNAPPERS’
    T here was quite a flutter in the village when the