“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 door shut to with a little click and closed upon Miss Andrew.
“Oh! Oh! Oh!” she cried, as the Lark swooped down and seized the cage by the handle.
“What am I doing? Where am I going?” Miss Andrew shouted as the cage swept into the air.
“I have no room to move! I can hardly breathe!” she cried.
“Neither could he!” said Mary Poppins quietly.
Miss Andrew rattled at the bars of the cage.
“Open the door! Let me out, I say! Let me out!”
“Humph! Not likely,” said Mary Poppins in a low, scoffing voice.
On and on went the Lark, climbing higher and higher and singing as he went. And the heavy cage, with Miss Andrew inside it, lurched after him, swaying dangerously as it swung from his claw.
Above the clear song of the Lark, they heard Miss Andrew hammering at the bars and crying:
“I who was Well-Brought-Up. I who was Always Right. I who was Never Mistaken. That I should come to this!”
Mary Poppins gave a curious, quiet little laugh.
The Lark looked very small now, but still he circled upwards, singing loudly and triumphantly. And still Miss Andrew and her cage circled heavily after him, rocking from side to side, like a ship in a storm.
“Let me out, I say! Let me out!” Her voice came screaming down.
Suddenly the Lark changed his direction. His song ceased for a moment as he darted sideways. Then it began again, wild and clear, as, shaking the ring of the cage from his foot, he flew towards the South.
“He’s off!” said Mary Poppins.
“Where?” cried Jane and Michael.
“Home – to his meadows!” she replied, gazing upwards.
“But he’s dropped the cage!” said Michael, staring.
And well he might stare, for the cage was now hurtling downwards, lurching and tumbling, end over end. They could clearly see Miss Andrew, now standing on her head and now on her feet as the cage turned through the air. Down, down, it came, heavy as a stone, and landed with a plop on the top step.
With a fierce movement, Miss Andrew tore open the door. And it seemed to Jane and Michael as she came out that she was as large as ever and even more frightening.
For a moment she stood there, panting, unable to speak, her face purpler than before.
“How dare you!” she said in a throaty whisper, pointing a trembling finger at Mary Poppins. And Jane and Michael saw that her eyes were no longer angry and scornful, but full of terror.
“You – you—” stammered Miss Andrew huskily, “you cruel, disrespectful, unkind, wicked, wilful girl – how could you, how could you?”
Mary Poppins fixed her with a look. From half-closed eyes, she gazed revengefully at Miss Andrew for a long moment.
“You said I didn’t know how to bring up children,” she said, speaking slowly and distinctly.
Miss Andrew shrank back, trembling with fear.
“I – I apologise,” she said, gulping.
“That I was imprudent, incapable and totally unreliable,” said Mary Poppins.
“It was a mistake. I – I’m sorry,” Miss Andrew stammered.
“That I was a Young Person!” continued Mary Poppins remorselessly.
“I take it back,” panted Miss Andrew. “All of it. Only let me go. I ask nothing more.” She clasped her hands and gazed at Mary Poppins imploringly.
“I can’t stay here,” she whispered. “No! No! Not here! Let me go!”
Mary Poppins gazed at her, long and thoughtfully. Then, with a little outward movement of her hand – “Go!” she said.
Miss Andrew gave a gasp of relief. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” Still keeping her eyes fixed on Mary Poppins, she staggered backwards down the steps. Then she turned and went stumbling unevenly down the garden path.
The Taxi-man, who all this time had been unloading the luggage, was starting up his engine and preparing to depart.
Miss Andrew held up a trembling hand.
“Wait!” she cried brokenly. “Wait for me. You shall have a Ten-shilling note for yourself if you will drive me away at once.”
The man stared at her.
“I mean it!” she said urgently. “See,” she fumbled feverishly in her pocket, “here it is. Take it – and drive on!”
Miss Andrew tottered into the cab and collapsed upon the seat.
The Taxi-man, still gaping, closed the door upon her.
Then he began hurriedly re-loading the luggage. Robertson Ay had fallen asleep across a pile of trunks, but the Taxi-man did not stop to wake him. He swept him off on to the path and finished the work himself.
“Looks as though the ’ole girl ’as ’ad a shock! I never saw anybody take on so. Never!” he murmured to himself as he drove off.
But what kind of a shock it was the Taxi-man did not know and, if he lived to be a hundred, could not possibly guess …
“Where is Miss Andrew?” said Mrs Banks, hurrying to the front door in search of the visitor.
“Gone!” said Michael.
“What do you mean – gone?” Mrs Banks looked very surprised.
“She