“What about a Conjuror?” suggested Gypsy. “You ought to be able to buy
quite a good Conjuror for a pound?”
“No,” said Ginger, “we can be our own conjurors. And I want the
children to have something that will really go round without giving
out, and I’ve thought of what it is.”
“Well?” said Gypsy.
“Sherbert,” said Ginger. “Packets and packets of it. In the fountains.”
“In one fountain,” said Gypsy, catching on with enthusiasm, “and
lemonade crystals in the other.”
They went out to spend their pound. While they were absent, the
Piccadilly Flower-Girls came and got to work. In a few minutes the
Square was a garden of roses. Roses red and white, yellow and pink,
garlanded the stone balustrades opposite the National Gallery and
wreathed the basins of the fountains; arches of roses bloomed up the
steps; the Weatherhouse was smothered in Crimson Ramblers; Dorothy
Perkins climbed from the foot of the Nelson Column to the top of
Nelson’s head, the base was mounded deep in moss, and every lion
crouched in a temple of standards. Their work was barely accomplished
when Mrs. Green arrived buried in balloons. They were gas balloons of
every colour, and each was anchored with a fairy lamp, so that when
she let them go they hung in chains and patterns of light fifteen feet
in air. The other Moonlighters were now appearing in full force. The
Punch-and-Judy Man set up his theatre between the fountains, Tonio’s
striped and painted Hokey-Pokey booth was established in one corner,
the Strawberry Girl had her great fruit-baskets in another. Jeremy,
with an assortment of his brightest wares, turned the Weatherhouse
into a Penny Toyshop. The Organ-Man and his barrel-organ took the
middle of the Square, where there was plenty of room for dancing. The
Muffin-and-Crumpet Man walked round and round and round ringing his
bell. They told him that for once he was out of season, but the Night
Watchman said that the moon was blue to-night, so that anything could
happen for once.
By the time Gypsy and Ginger returned, laden with packets of Sherbert
and Lemonade Powder, the party was ready.
“Oh!” cried Ginger.
She dropped her parcels and dashed from attraction to attraction; flew
one of Jeremy’s windmills round the Square, tasted a strawberry, ate
half a hokey-pokey, rang the muffin-bell in Toby’s ear, stuck a rose in
her smock, and seizing Gypsy’s hands danced him three times round the
barrel-organ.
Then they all turned their attention to the fountains, and just as
the sherbert got really fizzing the Evening Newsboy appeared with the
children.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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