Jimmy Story Review: 1.2 Miss Pettigrew's Parrot

After a week of terrible incidents, Roger is banned from the family outing to the circus by this father. The straw to break the camels back was Roger kicking his ball through Miss Pettigrew's open window and knocking over he parrot's cage; leading to the escape of the parrot.

Jimmy is terribly worried by this and comes up with a plan to exchange the lost parrot with his tortoise (painted parrot colours) and one of Bobby's kittens (which will miaow like the parrot could).

By the time they have delivered the gifts to Miss Pettigrew's empty house, Mr Manning has called his wife with a change of heart: Roger can come along after all. However, first words must be had with Roger.

Jimmy seems concerned now, about the gifts he has left - a tortoise dripping with paint and a cat hidden in Miss Pettigrew's work basket. This increases when he overhears two women conversing about Miss Pettigrew's work basket being destroyed by a cat and her carpet stained by paint. It appears that she may be on the war path. While this worries Jimmy, they are at the circus, the whole family, and tomorrow is such a long way away!

Characters:

Mrs Manning
Mr Manning
Roger
Jimmy
Bobby

21.3 William's Day Off

Quote from the story
""You can't have any fun with a cow. I've tried"
- William

Ginger begins this adventure by telling William that "some sort of soci'ty" is paying from children from the slums are going to stay with Mrs. Camp at Eastbrook Farm. They've never seen cows or woods, or anything like that. Miss Milton's sister will have the slum children to tea on the first day, William things that the children will be better off in the slums. William, of course, votes that they take the children around the woods and cows.
The Outlaws are distracted by the news that Hubert Lane is selling piebald mice, given to him by an aunt but unwanted, for a shilling each. The outlaws actually have a shilling and head towards Hubert's house, the feud set aside for the present. However, their mission is rudely brought to an end when Hubert refuses to sell the one at any price. Mrs Lane suddenly appears before William can challenge Hubert's decision. Heading back down the road, the Outlaws hear Hubert shouting that he'd rather give the mice away than sell them one.
Conversation turns to making Hubert sell them a piebald mouse. Various schemes are shot down because it is now of all importance that Hubert not only sells the Outlaws a mouse, but is also seen to be selling them one.

The next day, the Outlaws go to Eastbrook Farm and take Bert and Syd out to visit various places. Of course, relations are cemented with the typical rough and tumble game that shows all parties that everyone is a good sport. The old barn then being the next location on the countryside tour, starting a fire and cooking a meal for their guests - of course including liquorice water.

Bert and Syd tell the Outlaws of the street gang they're members of back home. Their stories impress even the Outlaws. William then suggests a game of smugglers at the caves at Marleigh, but Bert and Syd remember they are due at Miss Milton's house. As William is known to do, he suggests that he takes the place of Bert and ( as Miss Milton's sister has seen all the other Outlaws) that Syd has a cold. Ginger, Henry, and Douglas are, typically, less than confident in William's abilities, but he ignores all objections and suggests that they all meet at the old barn so William can change clothes with Bert.

After making some changes and disguising himself, William manages to get past Miss Milton (the sister of regular Miss Milton) without a fuss - even managing to make her believe that slum kids don't know what grass is! Miss Milton treats William to a very poor tea of a single serving. Miss Milton sends for a local, well-behaved boy, to come and keep 'Bert' company - a certain Hubert Lane. William tries to make his escape, but cannot. However, William's disguise is so effective that Hubert doesn't actually recognise him as William! Although he does have his suspicions. Hubert tries to trick 'Bert' into breaking the tool shed window at William's house. However, William, when out of sight, slips into his house and changes into his usual attire and questions Hubert, who says the boy ran away from him - along with a multitude of other fabrications.

Hubert is now anxious that Bert has disappeared. William suggests that he may have fallen into the rain tub and drowned, scaring Hubert in the process, before finding that Bert isn't there! William then turns the situation to his advantage and requests one of those piebald mice from the beginning of the story. Hubert relents.

With his new piebald mouse in hand, Herbert helps William disguise himself as Bert. William, as Bert, and Hubert return to Miss Milton's house and hear her inviting someone and their little boy to meet the slum child - who she says looks better already after being out in the open air. This someone turns out to by Mrs. Brown.

While Hurbert and Miss Milton persist that the boy is Bert, Mrs Brown knows her son - and is validated when the real Bert shows up from his adventures in Marleigh (sent to give back the suit he was wearing).

While everyone talks over each other in an attempt to understand the situation, William knows just one thing; he has won this one - he has a piebald mouse.

Characters	Events
Ginger	Visit from slum children.
William
Henry	Places
Douglas	Hubert Lane's House
Hubert Lane	Miss Milton's House
Mrs Lane	Old Barn
Bert	William's House
Syd
Miss Milton   (sister)
Mrs Brown

MIST Story Review: Marlowes by Richmal Crompton

Marlowes is a short story published in MIST and other stories, recently republished as MIST and Other Ghost Stories.

Synopsis

This is a sweet story about the Armour family and their deep love for their house, Marlowes. We are beig told the story second hand, our narrator having been told the story by an American lady, staying at a hotel while repairs are made to Marlowes.
The American lady, and her husband Bill, had moved to England upon Bills' retirement and almost immediately found a Tudor manor house in Sussex. They also discovered that the house did not like them and seemed to view them as interlopers.
The local gossip, a Mrs Jones, is eventually coerced into revealing the history of the previous owners, the Armours. Eventually the last male, Gilbert, dies at a young age after being brought up by his aunt, Mrs Flowers (his parents had died when he was young). They had both cherished the house very much and put all of their time into it. However, after Gilbert died, Mrs Flowers could not afford the upkeep of the house and some distant relatives ordered doctors notes to have her set up in the local mental home.
After standing empty for an age, the house is then sold to our American couple, who are aware that Mrs Flowers has escaped once in the past and ended up at the front door of Marlowes. If is, therefore, no surprise, when she does so again and sees Bill as her Gilbert. Bill plays along, not willing to send her back to that place, even when questioned by a police officer.
The day is filled with Mrs Flowers recollections of Gilbert and of her own childhood; Bill filling the place of Gilbert, or her brother, depending on the story. As the day is coming to a close, she wants to sit in her favourite spot in the garden. Bill brings her blankets and cushions, before the couple leave her to rest a while. Upon their return, Bill notices that she is dead.
These days the gossip is aimed at them, but they don't mind, in that short time they had come to love Mrs Flowers - and the house now welcomed and loved them.

 

Review

This was such a sweet story. Everyone should have the choice of when and where to die, when possible. Mrs Flowers, in such a confused state since she has been forced to leave Marlowes, now recollects the childhood of the nephew she brought up on her own after his parents had died and her own childhood - which were clear as crystal. The feeling of welcome that the house gives Bill and his wife after their kindness towards Mrs Flowers must have been a massive relief. To be able to live in your own home, within that the fours walls that are supposed to bring you safety, without a sensation that they hate you instead made such a difference to the couple that they rarely leave the house.
 

 

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