“What are you going to do with it?” asked Jack.
“I will tell you,” said Mr Papingay. “I have decided that you shall have the leaf and take it back to the City. I was wondering, only yesterday, whom I could send it by. It isn’t time for my yearly visit to the City yet, and besides, Percy has rather a nasty little cough—I can’t leave him till he’s better, poor old chap.”
“But it won’t be—be the same as the real Black Leaf,” said Jack.
“Why not? Why not?” asked the old man touchily.
“Well—it isn’t magic, is it?” objected Jack. “It won’t have any power over the Pumpkin.”
“I won’t guarantee that it isn’t magic, though it may not have the same power over the Pumpkin,” the old man admitted. “But what’s the odds! They won’t know—the people won’t know—and anyway it’s very handsome to look at—and just think of how surprised everybody will be....”
The children could see that it was no use arguing the matter. Mr Papingay was beginning to look quite hurt and annoyed, and so to humour him and to save any further delay the children thanked him and said they would be pleased to take it with them. (They little guessed then how glad they would be later on that they had taken it with them.)
“It’s very clever of you to make it,” said Molly.
Immediately Mr Papingay’s ill-humour vanished, and he smiled down at the leaf in an affectionate manner.