The Wind on the Moon Read Online Free

met the four sons of Mr. Leathercow the butcher; the three daughters of Mr. Crumb the baker; Robin and Robina, the twin children of Mr. Wax the chemist; and Mrs. Fullalove the grocer’s wife, who was giving them all sugar-plums because Christmas was coming.

    It suddenly occurred to the Vicar that for at least two days he had not heard anybody singing, and because he was extremely fond of fine songs and choruses, he called to the children and Mrs. Fullalove and said, ‘I think it would be a good thing if we all sang The Barley Mow .’
    Mrs. Fullalove, who had a pretty voice herself, at once agreed, and so did the children.
    â€˜Now all together!’ exclaimed the Vicar. ‘“Here’s a health to the Barley Mow, my boys, A health to the Barley Mow!“’
    By the time they had finished that, there were forty-eight people and seven dogs in the Square. So then they started Drink to me only with thine eyes , and the lovely tune, sung very loudly, brought sixty-three other people and eighteen more dogs.
    Climbing on to the statue of Queen Victoria, which stood in the middle of the Square, the Vicar, who by this time was very excited, shouted, ‘And now a magnificent song that everybody knows! John Peel! Open your lips, let the welkin ring! Open your hearts, it’s a song for a king! “D’ye ken John Peel with his coat so grey. . . .“’
    So great was the noise, and so beautiful, of John Peel being sung by a hundred and eleven people, all as loudly as they could, and of twenty-five dogs all beating the ground with their tails in perfect time, that everybody else in the village of Midmeddlecum came hurrying to join them. And when the whole population was in the Square, the Vicar made them sing Funiculì Funiculà .
    This was about the time when Mrs. Palfrey and Miss Serendip and Dinah and Dorinda came into the village, and of course they met nobody in the streets because everybody was in the Square. They could hear the people singing Funiculì Funiculà , and Dinah and Dorinda went bouncing along the pavement — bop-bump, bump-bop — in time with the tune of it. Then the song came to an end, and for a while there was almost silence in the Square, because some people wanted to sing Widdicombe Fair , and others thought they should sing the Volga Boat Song , and the Vicar himself was in favour of Fain would I change that note . So they could not make up their minds which to choose.
    Then Dinah and Dorinda came bounding into the Square, and a little way behind them appeared Mrs. Palfrey and Miss Serendip.
    Tom Leathercow, the butcher’s oldest son, was standing on the outskirts of the crowd, and beside him were Catherine Crumb, the baker’s daughter, and Robin and Robina Wax. As soon as they saw Dinah and Dorinda, they all shouted at once, ‘Balloons, balloons, balloons! Look at the big balloons!’
    Every child in the Square at once hurried and thrust and scrambled and pushed a way through the crowd, and in less than a minute Dinah and Dorinda were entirely surrounded by fifty or sixty boys and girls, all shouting, ‘Balloons, balloons, look at the big balloons!’
    Then the older people followed the children, and they also gathered round Dinah and Dorinda, and were very much surprised by their appearance.
    The Vicar remained on the statue of Queen Victoria, but nobody paid any attention to him now except Mrs. Fullalove, who had climbed up in order to ask him if they could sing Lily of Laguna . And Mrs. Palfrey and Miss Serendip were on the other side of the crowd, and could not get near to Dinah and Dorinda.
    Now it so happened that Catherine Crumb, the baker’s daughter, had just bought a packet of pins from Mr. Taper the draper. She had very black hair, a white face, and long thin legs. She was quite pretty, but she had a wicked heart. Taking the packet of pins from her pocket, she gave some to Tom Leathercow, and some to Robin and Robina