Mary-Mary is a Surprise
ONE day Mary-Mary sat at the table giving Moppet his breakfast. She sat him beside her plate with one cornflake in front of his nose, and while she was waiting for him to eat it she listened to all her big brothers and sisters talking.
“Mrs Merry’s party is going to be lovely,” said Miriam. “It isn’t going to end until half-past midnight.”
“Smashing,” said Martyn.
“Super,” said Mervyn.
“Golly!” said Meg.
“We’ve never been to such a late party before,” said Miriam. “I suppose it’s because it’s a New Year party.”
“Whizzo,” said Martyn.
“Hooray,” said Mervyn.
“Gorgeous!” said Meg.
Mary-Mary was very surprised to hear that there was going to be a party.
“When are we going?” she asked.
But all the others said, “No, not you, Mary-Mary.” “It’s only us.” “You weren’t asked.” “You’re too little.”
Mary-Mary moved Moppet’s nose a little closer to his cornflake and didn’t say anything.
“Never mind,” said Miriam.
“Wait till you’re bigger,” said Martyn.
“Then you’ll be able to go too,” said Mervyn.
“If anyone asks you,” said Meg.
And they all said, “Never mind, Mary-Mary,” together.
Mary-Mary got down from her place and said in a busy and rather worried voice, “I couldn’t have gone, anyway. I am far too busy. Moppet has a cold and he needs looking after.”
She gave a tiny sneeze in Moppet’s voice and looked at the cornflake.
“You see, he hasn’t even eaten his breakfast. I have to eat it for him.”
She put the cornflake in her mouth, then, still looking busy and worried, she carried Moppet away and put him to bed in a small cardboard box.
All the morning, while the others talked about the New Year party and what they should wear and who would fetch them home and what there would be to eat, Moppet’s cold got worse and worse.
Mary-Mary sat with him and told him stories and tucked him up in cotton-wool and gave him medicine from a doll’s tea-cup, and was so busy that she had no time at all to think about the party.
About an hour before dinner-time Mrs Merry came in on her way back from shopping. She was a fat, jolly lady whom they all liked; but as soon as Mary-Mary heard her voice in the hall she hid under the table with Moppet. She didn’t want to see Mrs Merry today.
Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg brought Mrs Merry into the dining-room, and they all started talking about the New Year party all over again.
“I have a lovely plan,” said Mrs Merry. “I am going to dress Mr Merry up as a very old man, with a long white beard—to be the Old Year, you know. Then, when the clock strikes midnight (and it really is the end of the year), I thought how lovely it would be if we could have two or three fairies come in with a great big box of crackers to give away to everybody to wish them a Happy New Year.”
“Fairies?” said Meg.
“Not real fairies,” said Mrs Merry, “and that’s what I’ve come about. I wanted to ask you if you’d like to help. We shall need quite big people, because I’m planning to have a really huge box of crackers. Now, how would you like to be the fairies?”
“Oh, yes!” said Miriam.
“What—me?” said Martyn.
“Oh, no!” said Mervyn.
“Oh, yes!” said Meg.
“No, not you boys,” said Mrs Merry. “I meant Miriam and Meg.”
Martyn and Mervyn looked relieved, and Miriam and Meg were delighted.
“But what shall we wear?” they said.
Mrs Merry said she had two fairy dresses that would just fit them.
“They used to belong to Barbara and Bunty,” she said, “but the dresses are too small now, and, anyway, Barbara and Bunty have grown too fat to be fairies any more—so we thought it would be lovely if you two would do it. But don’t tell anyone. It is to be a surprise.”
Mary-Mary, under the table, said to Moppet, “Shall I tell you a story? Once upon a time there were two huge great fairies—”
“Mary-Mary!” said Miriam. “Go away at once. You shouldn’t have been listening.”
“—and their names both began with an M—” went on Mary-Mary.
“Oh, do go away!” said Miriam and Meg.
“—they were called Margarine and Marmalade—” said Mary-Mary.
“Shall we push her out?” said Martyn.
“Take me away!” said Mary-Mary in Moppet’s voice. “I don’t believe in fairies—I only believe in mice.”
Mary-Mary crawled out from under the table, saying to Moppet, “Very well, I’ll take you away and tell you a mouse story.” And she went into the kitchen where Mother was busy cooking the dinner.
Mary-Mary sat under the draining-board and told Moppet his mouse story, which went like this, “Once upon a time there was a poor little mouse who had a very bad cold, and it got worse and worse, until somebody gave him an ice-cream, and then all of a sudden it got better.”
Mother looked up from her cooking.
“How bad is Moppet’s cold now?” she asked.
“It is a bit worse,” said Mary-Mary, “but I don’t think he’ll die of it—at least, not yet—at least, I hope not.”
“Do you think an ice-cream would help him?” asked Mother.
“Oh, yes,” said Mary-Mary. “What a good idea!”
So Mother gave her threepence, and Mary-Mary ran down to the shop and bought an ice-cream. On the way back she saw Mrs Merry coming down the road.
“I mustn’t stop and talk to her,” said Mary-Mary to herself. “I must hurry home to my poor child, Moppet, who has such a nasty cold. I will talk to her another day.”
So she put her head down and began to run. She was hoping that if she ran fast enough Mrs Merry wouldn’t have time to see who it was. But Mrs Merry called out, “Why, Mary-Mary! You’re just the person I want to see.” So Mary-Mary had to stop, after all.
“You heard all about the plan for my party, didn’t you?” said Mrs Merry. “Well, I’m planning a surprise at the end that I didn’t tell the others about. I need someone very little to help me do it, and you’re just the person I want. Now, will you come to my party secretly, without anyone knowing? Mr Merry will fetch you in the car while the party is going on. I have a lovely little dress for you to wear, and I want you to come as the big surprise when the clock strikes midnight. Do you think you would like to be the surprise at my party?”
“Oh, yes!” said Mary-Mary. “I’ve quite often been a surprise by mistake, but it would be very nice to be a surprise on purpose.”
“I’ve asked your mother,” said Mrs Merry, “and she says it will be quite all right. She knows all about it and she’s not going to tell any of the others; so you mustn’t either. Come to tea with me today, and we will plan it together.”
Mary-Mary ran home feeling very pleased indeed. Moppet’s ice-cream was nearly melted by the time she got there, so she gave it to him in a tea-cup. She sang so loudly while she was helping him to eat it that Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg were quite surprised.
“Why is Mary-Mary so happy all of a sudden?” they said.
“Mrs Merry has asked her to tea today,” said Mother.
“Oh, because she can’t go to the party!” they said.
“Is Moppet’s cold better now?” asked Mother.
“Quite, quite better,” said Mary-Mary, licking up the last of the ice-cream. “I knew it would be.”
When New Year’s Eve came Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg were all very excited. Mary-Mary watched them getting ready for the party and tried not to look excited too.
She went to bed in her underclothes, with a nightie on top so that the others wouldn’t guess. (She was going to have supper on a tray when they had gone, and Mother had promised to read her a story until it was time for Mr Merry to come and fetch her.)
When they were ready to go Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg all came to say good-night to her. Mary-Mary hid under the blankets, because she couldn’t help laughing, and they thought she was hiding because she was sad about not going to the party. So they were all very kind to her.
“Never mind, Mary-Mary,” they said. “When you’re bigger you will be able to go to a New Year party too.”
Miriam said, “Don’t cry. I’ll give you one of my party hair ribbons tomorrow.”
Martyn said, “Cheer up, and I’ll bring you back something nice to eat.”
Mervyn said, “I’ll save you my paper serviette. It will make a tablecloth for Moppet.”
And Meg said, “Go to sleep now, like a good girl, and I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”
Mary-Mary (still under the blankets) said, “Thank you” and “Good-bye” and “Have a nice time”; and then off they all went.
It was a lovely party. Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg had a very jolly time.
A little while before midnight Miriam and Meg slipped away to put on their fairy clothes. As they ran through the hall on their way upstairs they saw Mr Merry just coming in at the front door with a great big round box in his arms.
“Hallo!” he said. “Are you having a good time?”
“Oh, yes!” they said, both together.
“And where are the rest of your family?” asked Mr Merry.
“Martyn and Mervyn are in the sitting-room with the others,” said Miriam.
“And Mary-Mary is fast asleep in bed,” said Meg.
“Why?” said Mr Merry. “Has she been naughty?”
“Oh, no!” said Miriam and Meg together, “but she’s much too little to come to a New Year party.”
“You two are going to be the fairies, aren’t you?” said Mr Merry.
“Yes,” they said. “Are those the crackers in that box? Can we see?”
“Not to be opened till midnight!” said Mr Merry, laughing. “You will be careful not to drop it, won’t you? It is heavier than you might think.”
He carried the box into the kitchen and shut the door, and Miriam and Meg ran on upstairs to change.
In the sitting-room Martyn and Mervyn were very busy. Mrs Merry had put them in charge of the games (with Billy and Bob to help them) while she went away to see to one or two things. Barbara and Bunty were seeing to the refreshments.
They had just finished a game of Blind Man’s Buff when Mrs Merry came back, looking very jolly.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s nearly midnight!” shouted all the children, pointing at the clock.
“So it is!” said Mrs Merry. “Now, stand back, all of you, and make a way through. I believe I hear someone coming.”
Everyone stood back. Then the door opened and in came a very old man with a long white beard. He limped across the room, leaning heavily on a stick, and peered up at the clock.
“Who is he?” somebody whispered.
Everyone started talking at once. “I know! He’s the Old Year!” “How wonderful!” “And he’s looking at the clock, because he’s only got another minute left!” (But hardly anyone guessed it was really Mr Merry dressed up.)
As the clock began striking twelve the old man turned and hobbled out of the room. At the same minute there was the sound of bells ringing, and two fairies came running in, carrying a large round box between them. They looked so pretty in their pink-and-blue dresses with silver wings that every one started clapping and saying, “Oh, aren’t they lovely!” (But hardly anyone guessed it was really Miriam and Meg.)
The fairies put the big box down on the floor and smiled and curtseyed. Then, on the last stroke of twelve, they bent down and lifted the lid.
“OH!” cried everyone, “Oh, just look! How sweet!” For there, rising out of the box with her arms full of crackers, was the sweetest little fairy person. She was wearing a short white frock and a silver crown with a star on her head.
“It’s the little New Year!” they all cried. “Oh, isn’t she sweet? What a lovely idea! Who can she be?”
And, of course, it was Mary-Mary!
“Happy New Year, everybody!” she called, and, climbing out of the box, she threw the crackers to everyone.
Miriam and Meg, as well as Martyn and Mervyn, could hardly believe their eyes.
“It’s Mary-Mary!” they all said. “However did she get here?” “We left her at home in bed!” “But doesn’t she look pretty!”
And after a while, when they had stopped being quite so surprised, they began to feel rather proud of Mary-Mary.
Everyone began asking who the sweet little girl really was, and Miriam, Martyn, Mervyn, and Meg wandered around saying, “Oh, that’s our little sister, Mary-Mary.”
“Didn’t you know she was coming?” someone asked.
“No,” they said. “We were surprised. Yes, she is rather sweet, isn’t she? We’re quite proud of her.”
Mary-Mary, sitting on Mrs Merry’s lap, eating a chocolate ice-cream, heard all this and smiled to herself. She was rather surprised too.
So Mary-Mary did go to the New Year party after all, and that is the end of the story.
