“that’s the mayor, that is,” said the giant in a terrified whisper, and he practically stood on his head in his efforts to wriggle part of his face under the seat. “if there is one thing that frightens me more than another it is a mayor! i remember in 1615, or thereabouts—but that will keep till another time. do you think he can see me? can’t we go on now?”
“certainly not!” said peggy. “i want to hear what he’s going to say. he can’t do anything to us, you know. really, i think this is the best adventure of all!”
“hi!” called the mayor. “go on this moment, or we’ll make you!”
“we can’t!” shouted peggy. “we’re stuck! a bit of the spire’s come right through the car!”
“nonsense!” shouted the mayor, “you can get off[40] perfectly well if you choose. the spire wasn’t built for the likes of you to go trapesing about on. get off it!”
this is a painting of the fourth adventure. peggy is just telling the mayor that they’ve stuck. she’s rather afraid the giant will fall out in a minute, that’s why she’s holding on to his back. you can see by her face she isn’t a bit frightened of the mayor. this was mother’s favourite picture. the mayor was very difficult to draw, but he looked just like that peggy said. none of the crowd had on red jackets really, but peggy thought they looked pretty in a picture. you see the ring, don’t you? peggy quite forgot about the giant’s red stockings till the picture was finished!
“we cant, i tell you!” cried peggy, losing all patience. “come up and look for yourself! come on, climb on to the giant’s boot!” for by this time the giant had given up trying to hide himself, and was sitting on the car with his legs dangling into space, and looking the picture of misery.
“stretch your foot down a little more,” said peggy to him. “there,” as it dangled just above the mayor’s head, “now jump this instant!”
“i won’t!” said the mayor, ducking his head as the great boot hovered above it. “i never heard of such proceedings in my life!” he leant over the edge of the roof. “they won’t go on!” he shouted to the crowd below.
“make ’em!” came in a perfect roar from the square.
“come along,” said peggy coaxingly. (it would be something, she felt, to tell nurse when she got back that she had had a real live mayor in her car. besides, it would be fun for him. but she wasn’t going to use up a wish on it. peggy had grown very wary by this time.)
the mayor stood looking very undecided, but when he saw the crowd beginning to shake their fists at him as well, he gave a jump, caught the giant’s boot, and raised himself into a sitting position on the toe of it.
“will you promise to do your best to get off if i come up and have a look?” he asked in a shaking voice.
“of course we will,” said peggy soothingly.—“don’t look such a big frightened baby!” she added reprovingly to the giant.—“draw your boot up gently. there, that’s right”—as the mayor was sidled carefully off into the front seat; “now i wish we could go on!”
the car shook itself all over, then leapt upwards, and once more set off at breakneck speed, but this time straight[41] upwards into the sky! something at the same moment fell out with a heavy flop. peggy turned her head hastily, just in time to see the giant falling through the air behind them. but the car was rising upwards at such a pace that the next moment he and the whole town disappeared from view!
“stop!” said a frightened voice at her side, and she turned and saw the mayor, whom for the moment she had quite forgotten. his face was no longer purple, but as white as a sheet.
“i can’t!” said peggy. “i’ve only one wish left, and that’s got to take me home. you asked me to get off the spire, you know, and i have! the giant’s wearing his seven-leagued boots, so he’ll soon catch us up when he gets balanced again.” she skirted the edge of a pink sunset cloud as she spoke, and drove right up through a lemon-coloured one. “oh, how lovely!” she went on delightedly. “i got a great chunk of it in my mouth, and it tasted just like pineapple. did you?”
“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” said the mayor. “we’ve just been through an awful fog, and i insist on you stopping the car at once. if you can’t—and i see you don’t understand the first rudiments of driving—i can!”
he leant across her and seized the steering-wheel, but it at once came off in his hand, rolled down his arm, and jumped out of the car.
“there!” said peggy triumphantly, to the now speechless mayor. “see what comes of meddling!” (she felt quite like nurse when she spoke like that.) “never mind, my car goes just as well without that bit!” and she leant back in her seat and crossed her arms grandly. “the only thing i’m worrying about,” she went on, “is, if the giant will ever find us! you don’t see him coming, do you? look down through the hole in the car.”
[42]“unless you stop, i shall jump out,” said the mayor in a desperate voice. and he stood up and really looked as though he meant to!
“oh, do sit down,” said peggy. “you spoil everything. just look, we’re going right on to this rainbow, i do believe! yes, we’re on the purple part. isn’t it a lovely smooth road? there, now, we’re off it and on the pink bit! oh, why don’t you sit still and love it all as i do?”
“because i’m going to get out,” said the mayor, stepping over the door and lowering himself slowly till only his hand holding the step, and his very reproachful face showed themselves. “now then,” he added, “you’ve only got till i count five; i shall let go then—perhaps”—he added in a whisper, being a truthful mayor, but very softly so that she shouldn’t hear.
“oh dear, it is mean of you to make me use up my last wish so soon!” said peggy in a very vexed voice. “and i managed this drive especially for you, to make up for our having spoilt the post office and things.—oh, very well,” she added crossly, as the mayor reached four, and let go one hand, “i wish you were home and i was too, because you simply spoil everything when you won’t play properly!”...
“if i do, it’s not for you to say so, miss peggy,” was the reply, and peggy found herself back in the garden again facing a rather red-faced and angry nurse. “just because i stop to speak to john for one moment, is no reason for you to think yourself neglected! i’m sure i never heard you call you were ready, so how was i to know? then you come bouncing down on me like that!”
“why, nannie, did i bounce?” asked peggy, very much interested. she had wondered before what her return looked like when the wishes were over.
[43]“don’t repeat my words,” said nurse crossly. “i was meaning the way you spoke, of course. how could you bounce down from behind the laurels? now, come along into tea at once.”
“o nannie, i’ve had such fun!” said peggy, dancing along the path. “i went up, and up, and up——”
“there!” exclaimed nurse. “one moment it’s grumble, grumble, the next all the other way! i won’t have you climbing trees either in hide-and-seek. you can’t expect to be found if you act like that. now—not another word——”
“i’m afraid the giant’s dreadfully lost this time!” thought peggy, as she washed her hands for tea. “i don’t fink i was very kind to him! i do wonder if the fat lady minded the big hole in the car, and the wheel being lost. oh, but i suppose that all comes right again, just as she forgets that the giant sat her down in the drive! it would be lovely to tell nannie that i’d driven a mayor up a rainbow in a real motor car! but it’s no good trying to, she doesn’t understand the sensiblest things.”
and she ran into the day nursery to see which jam cook had sent up for tea.
