Mary-Mary’s Handbag
ONE day Mary-Mary found a lady’s handbag in the dustbin. It was large and flat and shabby, but it opened and shut nicely with a loud snap, and there was a pocket inside which was just the right size for Moppet.
“I’ll keep this,” said Mary-Mary. “It will come in very handy, and I’m sure the dustman won’t need it.”
So she took it away and played with it, and opened it and shut it, and put things in it and took them out again, and was very pleased with her find.
“Whatever have you got there?” said Miriam.
“More old rubbish, I expect,” said Martyn.
“Why, it’s Mother’s old handbag!” said Mervyn.
“The one before last,” said Meg.
Then they all said together, “Throw it away, Mary-Mary. It’s only old rubbish.”
But Mary-Mary said, “Different things suit different people. A grown-up lady’s handbag suits me very well,” and she would not throw it away.
A little later Miriam was out with her friend, Barbara, when she saw Mary-Mary walking down the road with the handbag on her arm.
Oh, dear! thought Miriam. How awful she looks!
“Mary-Mary,” she said, “if you’ll only throw that dreadful old handbag away I’ll give you something else.”
“What will you give me?” said Mary-Mary.
Miriam said, “I’ll give you the little basket that my Easter egg was in. It’s much prettier than that old thing.”
“All right. When will you give it me?” said Mary-Mary.
“When I come home,” said Miriam. “I’m just going out with Barbara now, but I’ll give it you when I get back. Now go home like a good girl and put that dreadful bag in the dustbin.”
So Mary-Mary went on up the road towards home.
Martyn and Mervyn were just coming out of the gate.
“Where are you going?” said Mary-Mary.
“To the sweetshop, to spend our pocket money,” they said.
“I’ll come with you,” said Mary-Mary.
“No, not with that awful old handbag,” said Martyn.
“Everyone will laugh at you,” said Mervyn.
“I don’t mind,” said Mary-Mary, walking after them.
“No, but we do,” said Martyn and Mervyn, and they walked even quicker, so that Mary-Mary had to run to keep up.
“Can’t you see we want to be by ourselves?” said Martyn.
“All right, I won’t interrupt you,” said Mary-Mary.
“Let’s pretend we don’t know her,” said Mervyn, and they ran on ahead.
When Mary-Mary got to the sweetshop Martyn and Mervyn were standing by the counter waiting to be served. Mary-Mary went in and stood beside them. They pretended not to notice her.
A lady in front of them was taking a long time buying a box of chocolates. After a while Mary-Mary got tired of waiting and began opening and shutting her handbag with such loud snaps that every one looked round to see what the noise was. Martyn and Mervyn pretended not to hear.
At last the lady chose her box of chocolates, and the shopman said, “That will be ten and sixpence, please.”
The lady opened her handbag and looked inside.
“I’m afraid I haven’t any change,” she said, and gave the shopman a pound note.
When she had gone the shop man turned to Martyn.
“Are you all together?” he asked.
“No,” said Mary-Mary, “these boys are by themselves.”
“Then I’ll serve you first as you’re the smallest,” said the shopman. “What would you like?”
“I’d like two halfpenny chews,” said Mary-Mary.
She opened the dreadful handbag and looked inside. “But I’m afraid I haven’t any change,” she said.
“Now, look here, Mary-Mary,” said Martyn, “if we buy you two halfpenny chews will you go home and put that awful old thing in the dustbin?”
“What awful old thing?” said Mary-Mary in a loud, surprised voice. “Do you mean my handbag?”
“Yes,” said Martyn, “but don’t talk so loud.”
“All right,” said Mary-Mary, “of course I will, if you’ll buy me two halfpenny chews.”
“You go on home, then,” said Martyn.
So Mary-Mary went on up the road towards home again. Meg was just coming out of the door as she got there.
“Where are you going?” said Mary-Mary.
“To see my music teacher about the concert on Friday,” said Meg.
“Perhaps I’ll come with you,” said Mary-Mary.
“Not with that dreadful old bag,” said Meg. “Why don’t you throw it away? If you’ll put it in the dustbin I’ll give you my little red purse.”
“Oh, thank you,” said Mary-Mary. And she went indoors, wrapped her dreadful old handbag carefully in newspaper, and put it in the dustbin.
Martyn and Mervyn came home first.
“Where is that old handbag?” they said.
“In the dustbin,” said Mary-Mary.
“Good,” they said, and gave her two halfpenny chews. Miriam came home next.
“Did you do as I said?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Mary-Mary.
“Good girl,” said Miriam, and gave her the little basket. Meg came home last.
“Well, is it in the dustbin?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Mary-Mary, “it’s been there a long time.”
“Good,” said Meg, and gave her the little red purse.
Early next morning Mary-Mary saw the dustman coming up the road with his lorry.
Oh, dear! she thought, it would be a pity if he should throw my handbag in among all the ashes and rubbish. It would spoil it.
Mary-Mary ran out to the dustbin, dug the handbag out from under some potato peelings, and buried it in the sand-pit. Then, when the dustman had gone, she wrapped it up again in fresh newspaper and put it carefully back in the dustbin.
On the day of the music teacher’s concert Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg were all waiting to go, when Mother said, “Where is Mary-Mary? I got her ready first on purpose so that we shouldn’t be late. Where can she be?”
“I saw her digging in the sand-pit just now,” said Father, “but don’t you wait. I’ll bring her along with me.”
So Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg all went off with Mother, and Father followed later with Mary-Mary.
The concert was just going to begin when suddenly there was a loud snap from the back of the hall. Everyone looked round, and there was Mary-Mary, smiling brightly, with the dreadful-looking handbag on her arm.
“Well!” said Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg, all together.
As soon as the concert was over they all ran up to her.
“Didn’t I give you a little basket?” said Miriam.
“Didn’t we give you two halfpenny chews?” said Martyn and Mervyn.
“Didn’t I give you my little red purse?” said Meg.
“Yes. Thank you,” said Mary-Mary, “and I’ve got them all in here. This is such a handy handbag, it’s big enough to hold everything. I’ve even got Moppet in the pocket. He did enjoy the concert.”
“But you said you’d put it in the dustbin!” they said, all together.
“Yes, and I did,” said Mary-Mary, “but it was a silly place to keep a handbag. I had to keep washing my hands every time I dug it out, so I don’t keep it there any more.”
So Mary-Mary kept her dreadful handbag after all, and that is the end of the story.
