The Book of Brownies (The Enchanted World) Read Online Free PDF

small as a beetle, sitting in one of his own bottles. Oh, what a wonderful wizard
you
must be to have done that to him!’
    ‘Yes, I
am
,’ said Hop, ‘and I’ll put
you
into a smaller bottle if you don’t do what I say! Change my servants back to their own form!’
    The goblin muttered some magic words, and the two mice disappeared. In their place stood Skip and Jump again, looking as frightened as could be!
    ‘Thank you,’ said Hop. ‘I’m glad I didn’t have to bottle you up. You’d have made the fifty-fifth bottled person in my cupboard at home, if I had!’
    The goblin trembled.
    ‘Of course I don’t wonder that you bottled up
that
wizard,’ he said. ‘He’s a nasty little person! Not a bit truthful and
very
stupid!’
    The wizard inside the bottle heard what he said, and was as angry as anything. He jumped about in his bottle, and kicked and struggled, and shook his tiny fist at the goblin.
    ‘Ha, ha!’ said the goblin ‘You can’t get at me, you tiny little thing! I always thought you were silly and stupid, but I really didn’t think you were stupid enough
to get put into a
bottle
  !’
    The tiny wizard grew so angry that Hop began to be afraid he would break the bottle, so he hastily slipped him into his pocket again.
    ‘Now,’ said the goblin, ‘let me show you round my castle. I collect all sorts of magic things, and they may interest you.’
    Hop thought they certainly would, and he went with the goblin.
    He was shown all kinds of things.
    ‘This,’ said the goblin, ‘is a witch’s cauldron. I can make powerful magic in it. And this is a fairy’s wand. I stole it from a sleeping fairy one day.’
    Hop thought he was an even nastier goblin than he had thought before. But he said nothing. He just looked, and wondered if he would be shown anything that might help them to escape.
    The goblin showed him his magic books, which read themselves out loud – magic seeds that grew shoots, leaves, flowers and fruit, whilst you watched – magic table-cloths that spread
themselves with food. Hop began to feel quite dizzy with all the wonders shown him.
    Then he saw something that made his heart beat fast.
    ‘This,’ said the goblin proudly, ‘is a witch’s broomstick!’
    ‘Will it fly?’ asked Hop.
    ‘Oh yes,’ said the goblin. ‘But it only flies when you say the magic words – and that’s a secret – ho, ho!’
    ‘Pooh!’ said Hop. ‘You only say it’s a secret because you can’t make it fly, or you don’t want me to know you can’t!
You
don’t know the
magic rhyme!’
    ‘I do, then!’ cried the goblin, in a temper. ‘Listen:
     
    Onaby O
    Away we go,
    Onaby Eye
    Up in the sky!’
    Immediately the broom rose in the air, and flew towards the window. The goblin clapped his hands. It flew back again, and stood still in its place.
    ‘There you are,’ said the goblin. ‘Did I know the magic rhyme or didn’t I?’
    ‘You did!’ said Hop, grinning to himself to think that he and Skip and Jump now knew it too. ‘I beg your pardon. You are more clever than I thought.’
    That pleased the goblin, and he became quite friendly. After dinner he went away by himself to practise magic, and Hop, Skip, Jump and the mermaid went to the kitchen to make their plans.
    ‘We’ll creep tonight into the room where the broomstick is,’ planned Hop, ‘and jump on it. We’ll say the magic rhyme, and off we’ll go.’
    They wandered about the castle till night fell. Then, when the goblin had shown them their room and bade them goodnight, they crept to the kitchen again to fetch the mermaid. Then Hop went to
see if the way was clear.
    He tiptoed into the room where the broom was kept – but, oh my! There was a light there, and the red goblin was sitting at the table, reading a magic book.
    ‘He may be there all night,’ sighed the mermaid.
    ‘Well, we
must
go tonight,’ decided Hop, ‘because any minute tomorrow I might give myself away; I nearly did lots of times