“Did she, indeed? Tch, tch tch! You don’t say!” said Mary Poppins, nodding her head sympathetically.
“Chirp-irrup!” said the bird, shrugging its wings dejectedly.
“What? Two years? In that cage? Shame on her!” said Mary Poppins to the bird, her face flushing with anger.
The children stared. The bird was speaking in no language they knew, and yet here was Mary Poppins carrying on an intelligent conversation with him as though she understood.
“What is it saying—” Michael began.
“Sh!” said Jane, pinching his arm to make him keep quiet.
They stared at the bird in silence. Presently he hopped a little way along the perch towards Mary Poppins and sang a note or two in a low, questioning voice.
Mary Poppins nodded. “Yes – of course I know that field. Was that where she caught you?”
The bird nodded. Then he sang a quick, trilling phrase that sounded like a question.
Mary Poppins thought for a moment. “Well,” she said, “it’s not very far. You could do it in about an hour. Flying South from here.”
The bird seemed pleased. He danced a little on his perch and flapped his wings excitedly. Then his song broke out again, a stream of round, clear notes, as he looked imploringly at Mary Poppins.
She turned her head and glanced cautiously up the stairs.
“Will I? What do you think? Didn’t you hear her call me a Young Person? Me!” She sniffed disgustedly.
The bird’s shoulders shook as though he were laughing.
Mary Poppins bent down.
“What are you going to do, Mary Poppins?” cried Michael, unable to contain himself any longer. “What kind of a bird is that?”
“A Lark,” said Mary Poppins briefly, turning the handle of the little door. “You’re seeing a Lark in a cage for the first time – and the last!”
And as she said that, the door of the cage swung open. The Lark, flapping his wings, swooped out with a shrill cry and alighted on Mary Poppins’ shoulder.
“Humph!” she said, turning her head. “That’s an improvement, I should think?”
“Chirr-up!” agreed the Lark, nodding.
“Well, you’d better be off,” Mary Poppins warned him. “She’ll be back in a minute.”
At that the Lark burst into a stream of running notes, flicking his wings at her and bowing his head again and again.
“There, there!” said Mary Poppins gruffly. “Don’t thank me. I was glad to do it. I couldn’t see a Lark in a cage! Besides, you heard what she called me!”
The Lark tossed back his head and fluttered his wings. He seemed to be laughing heartily. Then he cocked his head to one side and listened.
“Oh, I quite forgot!” came a loud voice from upstairs. “I left Caruso outside. On those dirty steps. I must go and get him.”
Miss Andrew’s heavy-footed tread sounded on the stairs.
“What?” she called back in reply to some question of Mrs Banks. “Oh, he’s my Lark, my Lark, Caruso! I call him that because he used to be such a beautiful singer. What? No, he doesn’t sing at all now, not since I trapped him in a field and put him in a cage. I can’t think why.”
The voice was coming nearer, growing louder as it approached.
“Certainly not!” it called back to Mrs Banks. “I will fetch him myself. I wouldn’t trust one of those impudent children with him. Your banisters want polishing. They should be done at once.”
Tramp-tramp. Tramp-tramp. Miss Andrew’s steps sounded through the hall.
“Here she comes!” hissed Mary Poppins. “Be off with you.” She gave her shoulder a little shake.
“Quickly!” cried Michael anxiously.
“Oh, hurry!” said Jane.
With a quick movement the Lark bent his head and pulled out one of his wing feathers with his beak.
“Chirr-chirr-chirr-irrup!” he sang, and stuck the feather into the ribbon of Mary Poppins’ hat. Then he spread his wings and swept into the air.
At the same moment Miss Andrew appeared in the doorway.
“What?” she shouted, when she saw Jane and Michael and the Twins. “Not gone up to bed yet? This will never do. All well-brought-up children –” she looked balefully at Mary Poppins – “should be in bed by five o’clock. I shall certainly speak to your Father.”
She glanced round.
“Now, let me see. Where did I leave my—” She broke off suddenly. The uncovered cage, with its open door, stood at her feet. She stared down at it as though she were unable to believe her eyes.
“Why? When? Where? What? Who?” she spluttered. Then she found her full voice.
“Who took off that cover?” she thundered. The children trembled at the sound.
“Who opened that cage?”
There was no reply.
“Where is my Lark?”
Still there was silence as Miss Andrew stared from one child to another. At last her gaze fell accusingly upon Mary Poppins.
“You did it!” she cried, pointing her large finger. “I can tell by the look on your face! How dare you! I shall see that you leave this house tonight – bag and baggage! You impudent, impertinent, worthless—”
Chirp-irrup!
From the air came a little trill of laughter. Miss Andrew looked up. The Lark was lightly balancing on his wings just above the sunflowers.
“Ah, Caruso – there you are!” cried Miss Andrew. “Now come along! Don’t keep me waiting. Come back to your nice, clean cage, Caruso, and let me shut the door!”
But the Lark just hung in the air and went into peals of laughter, flinging back his head and clapping his wings against his side.
Miss Andrew bent and picked up the cage and held it above her head.
“Caruso – what did I say? Come back at once!” she commanded, swinging the cage towards him. But he swooped past it and brushed against Mary Poppins’ hat.
“Chirp-irrup!” he said, as he sped by.
“All right!” said Mary Poppins, nodding in reply.
“Caruso, did you hear me?” cried Miss Andrew. But now there was a hint of dismay in her loud voice. She put down the cage and tried to catch the Lark with her hands. But he dodged and flickered past her, and, with a lift of his wings, dived higher into the air.
A babble of notes streamed down to Mary Poppins.
“Ready!” she called back.
And then a strange thing happened.
Mary Poppins fixed her eyes upon Miss Andrew; and Miss Andrew, suddenly spellbound by that strange dark gaze, began to tremble on her feet. She gave a little gasp, staggered uncertainly forward and, with a thundering rush, she dashed towards the cage. Then – was it that Miss Andrew grew smaller or the cage larger? Jane and Michael could not be sure. All they knew for certain was that the cage