Mary Poppins - the Complete Collection. P.L. Travers

never mind,” said Mr Banks. “It’s mine now. I shall keep it in the garden and train my sweet peas over it.”

      And he went off, carrying the bird-cage and whistling very happily. . .

      “Well,” said Mary Poppins sternly, as she followed them into the Nursery, “this is nice goings on, I must say. You behaving so rudely to your Father’s guest.”

      “But we weren’t rude!” Michael protested. “I only said she was a Holy Terror and he called her that himself.”

      “Sending her away like that when she’d only just come – don’t you call that rude?” demanded Mary Poppins.

      “But we didn’t,” said Jane. “It was you—”

      “I was rude to your Father’s guest?” Mary Poppins, with her hands on her hips, eyed Jane furiously. “Do you dare to stand there and tell me that?”

      “No, no! You weren’t rude, but—”

      “I should think not, indeed!” retorted Mary Poppins, taking off her hat and unfolding her apron, “I was properly brought up!” she added sniffing, as she began to undress the Twins.

      Michael sighed. He knew it was no use arguing with Mary Poppins.

      He glanced at Jane. She was turning her sixpence over and over in her hand.

      “Michael!” she said. “I’ve been thinking.”

      “What?”

      “Daddy gave us these because he thought we sent Miss Andrew away.”

      “I know.”

      “And we didn’t. It was Mary Poppins!”

      Michael shuffled his feet.

      “Then you think—” he began uneasily, hoping she didn’t mean what he thought she meant.

      “Yes, I do,” said Jane, nodding.