Enid Blyton (16 page)

XVI

Connie could
not forget the exciting Faraway
Tree, and the different L
ands that came at the
top. She asked the
others about all the different
Lands they had
been to, and begged and begged
them to take her to the next one.

"We
’
ll see what Moon-Face says," said
Jo at
last. "We don
’
t go to every Land, Connie. You
wou
l
dn
’
t like to go to the Land of Whizz-About,
for instance, would you? Moon-F
ace once went
there, and he said
he couldn
’
t bear it—everything
went at such a
pace, and he was out of breath
the whole time."

"Well
, I think it sounds rather exciting," said
Connie, who was intensely curious about
everything to do with the different Lands. "Oh,
J
o, do
l
et
’
s find out what Land is there next. I
really must go."

"All right!" said
J
o. "We
’
ll
ask Mother if we
can have the day off
tomorrow
, and we
’
ll
go up
the Tree if you like. But mind—if there is a horrid
Land, we
’
re not going. We
’
ve had too many
narrow escapes now, to risk getting caught
somewhere nasty."

Mother said they might go up the Tree the next
day. "I
’
l
l
give you sandwiches, if you like, and
you can have dinner in the Wood or up the Tree,
whichever you like," she told them.

"Oh, up the Tree
!
" cried Connie. So, when the
next day came, she wore old clothes without even
being told! She was learning to be sensible at last.

They set off soon after breakfast. They hadn
’
t
let Silky or Moon-Face know they were coming,
but they felt sure they would be in the Tree.

They jumped over the ditch and made their way
through the whispering wood till they came to
the Faraway Tree.
J
o whistled for the red squirrel
to tell him to go up and ask Moon-Face to send
cushions down. But the red squirrel didn
’
t come.

"Bother!" said Bessie. "Now we
’
ll have
’
to
climb up, and it
’
s so hot!"

So up they climbed. The Angry Pixie was
sitting at his window, which was wide open. He
waved to them, and Connie was glad to see he
had no ink or water to throw at her.

"Going up to the Land of Secrets?" he shouted
to them.

"Oh—is the Land of Secrets there?" cried
J
o
.
"It sounds exciting. W
hat
’
s it like?"

"Oh—just Secrets!" said the
Angry Pixie.
"You can usually f
ind out anything you badly
want to know. I believe Watzisname wanted to
try and find out exactly what his real name is, so
maybe he
’
l
l
visit it too."

"I
’
d like to know some secrets too," said Connie.

"What Secrets do you want to know?" asked
J
o.

"Oh—I
’
d like to know how much money the
old man who lives next door to us at home has
got," said Connie. "And I
’
d like to know what
Mrs. Toms at home has done to make people not
speak to her—and . . ."

“W
hat an awful girl you are!" said Bessie.
"Those are
other
people
’
s Secrets, not yours.
Fancy wanting to find out other people
’
s Secrets
!
"

"Yes, it
’
s horrid of you,
Connie," said Fanny.
"
J
o, don
’
t let Connie go into the Land of Secrets
if that
’
s
the kind of thing she wants to find out.
She
’
s gone all curious and prying again, like she
used to be."

Connie was angry. She went red and glared at
the others. "Well, don
’
t
you
want to know Secrets
too?" she said. "You said you did!"

"Yes, but not other people
’
s," said
J
o at once.
"I
’
d like to know where to find the very first
violets for instance, so that I could surprise Mother
on her birthday with a great big bunch. They are
her favourite flowers."

"And I
’
d like to know the Secret of Curly Hair,
so that I could use it on all my dolls," said Bessie.

"And I
’
d like to know the Secret of growing
lettuces with big hearts," said Fanny. "Mine never
grow nice ones."

"What awfully silly secrets!" said Connie.

"Better to want to know a silly secret than a
horrid one, or one that doesn
’
t belong to you,"
said
J
o. "All you want to do is to poke your nose
into other people
’
s affairs, Connie, and that
’
s a
horrid thing to do."

Connie climbed the Tree, not speaking a word
to the others. She was very angry with them. She
was so angry that she didn
’
t look out for Dame
Washalot
’
s water coming down the Tree, and it
suddenly swished all round her and soaked her
dress.

That made her crosser still, especially when the
others laughed at her. "All right!" said Connie, in
a nasty voice. "I
’
ll find out
your
Secrets too
—
where you
’
ve put your new book so that I can
’
t
borrow it,
Jo
—
and where you
’
ve put your big
rubber, Bessie—and I
’
ll fin
d out which of your
dolls you like the best, Fanny, and smack her
hard!"

"You really are a nasty child," said
J
o. "You
won
’
t go up into the Land of Secrets, so don
’
t
worry
yourself about all these things
!"

They climbed up to Silky
’
s
house, but it was
shut. They went up to Moon-Face
’
s, but dear me!
his door was shut too. The Old Saucepan Man was
not about and neither was Watzisname. Nobody
seemed about at all.

"Perhaps Saucepan
’
s mother would know,"
said Bessie. So they climbed down to Dame
Washalot, and found old Mrs. Saucepan there.

"Saucepan and Watzisname have both gone up
into the Land of Secrets," she told them, "but I
don
’
t know about Silky and Moon-Face—I expect
they have gone with them, though Saucepan didn
’
t
tell me they were going. Have a bun?"

Old Mrs. Saucepan was already busy making
all kinds of delicious buns and biscuits, ready to
open her shop on Dame Washalot
’
s
broad branch.
Two goblins were busy making a stall for her. She
meant to open her little shop the next day.

The children took their buns with thanks. They
were really delicious.

They climbed up the Tree again to Moon-Face
’
s
house.
J
o turned the handle. The door opened,
but the curved room inside was empty.

"What a nuisance!" said
J
o. "Now what shall
we do?"

"We might as well go up into the Land of
Secrets, and find the others, and have our picnic
with them," said Fanny.

"Yes," said Connie, who was dying to go up
into this new Land.

"Well, but we didn
’
t want Connie to go," said
J
o. "She
’
ll only go prying into other people
’
s
Secrets, and we can
’
t have that."

"I won
’
t try and find out your Secrets," said
Connie. "I promise I won
’
t."

"I don
’
t know if I trust you," said
J
o. "But
still, we can
’
t go without you. So, if you come,
Connie
, just be careful
—and do remember that
you may get into trouble if you act stupidly."

"I wonder if old Watzisname has found out what
his real name is," said Bessie, beginning to climb
up the topmost branch. "I
’
d love to know it. It
would be nice to call him something else.
Watzisname is a silly name."

They all went up the topmost branch, and up
the yellow ladder through the hole in the vast
cloud, and then into the Land of Secrets.

It was a curious Land, quiet, perfectly still, and
a sort of twilight hung over it. There was no sun
to be seen at all.

"It feels secret and solemn!" said
J
o, with a
little shiver. "I
’
m not sure
if I like it."

"Come on!” said Bessie. "Let
’
s go and find
the others and see how we get to know Secrets."

They came to a hill, in which were several
coloured doors, set with sparkling stones that
glittered in the curious twilight.

"They
must be the doors of caves," said
J
o.
"Look!—
there are names on the doors."

The children read them. They were queer names.

"W
itch Know-a-Lot." "The Enchanter Wise-Man." "Dame Tell-You-All." "Mrs. Hidden."
"The Wizard Tall-Hat."

"They all sound awfully clever and wise and
learned," said
J
o. "Hallo! Here
’
s somebody
coming."

A tall elf was coming along, carrying a pair of
wings. She stopped and spoke to the children.

"Do you know where
'
Dame Tell-You-A
l
l
'
lives, please? I want to know how to fasten on
these wings and fly with them."

"She lives in that cave.
" said Bessie, pointing
to where a door had "Dame Tell-You-All"
’
painted on it in big curly letters.

"Thank you," said the elf, and rapped sharply
at the door. It opened and she went inside. It
shut. In about half a minute it opened again,
and out came the elf, this time with the wings
on her back. She rose into the air and flew off,
waving to the children.

"The Dame
’
s awfully clever!" she cried. "I
can fl
y now. Look!"

"This is an excit
ing place," said Bessie. "Good
ness, the things we
could
learn! I wish
I
had a
pair of wings. I
’
v
e a good mind to go and ask Dame Tell-You-
Al
l
how to get some, and then how to
fly with them."

"Look!—isn
’
t that old Watzisname coming
along?" said
J
o, suddenly. They looked in the dim
distance, and saw that it was indeed Watzisname,
looking rather proud. Saucepan was with him,
his pans clashing as usual.

"Hi, Watzisname!" called
J
o, loudly.

Watzisname came up. "My name is not
W
atzisname," he said a little haughtily. "I
’
ve at
last found out what it is. It is a perfectly marvellous
name."

"What is it?" asked Bessie.

"It is Kollamoolitoomarellipawkyrollo," said
Watzisname, very proudly indeed. "In future
please call me by my real name."

"Oh dear—I shall never remember that," said
Fanny, and she tried to say it. But she didn
’
t
get any further than "Kollamooli.” Nor did
the others.

"No wonder everyone called him
'
Watzisname
'
,"
said Bessie to Fanny. "Watzisname, where are
Silky and Moon-Face?"

"My name
is not Watzisname," said Watzis
name, patientl
y. "I have told you what it is.
Please address me correctly in future."

"
He
’
s gone all
high-and-
mighty," said
J
o.
"Sauc
epan, WHERE ARE SILKY AND MOON-
FACE?"

"Don
’
t know," said Saucepan, "and don
’
t
shout at me like that. I haven
’
t seen Silky or
Moon-Face to
day."

"Let
’
s
have our picnic here, and then go and
see if Silky and Moon-Face have come home,"
said
Jo
. "I don
’
t think somehow we
’
l
l go about
finding out Secrets. This Land
is a bit too
mysterious for me
!"

But Connie made up her mind she would find
a few Secrets! She would have a bit of fun on her
own.