Then she washed her face dipping the tips of her Rngers in a little water and polishing her nose She took oQ her nightie and put on her everyday clothes She put the police hat back on the hat stand Then she set oQ walking briskly through the forest These days Gordon was living in a little house by the lake A wisp of smoke curled from the chimney It looked very peaceful On the veranda was a stripy deck chair Gordon’s black raincoat was hanging from a hook BuQy knocked on the door and opened it Gordon wasn’t home The gigantic bed took up most of the room It was nicely made The woodstove glowed with the remains of a Rre A teapot a cup and a book lay open on the bedside table There were a lot of cake crumbs BuQy sniQed them Hmm Gordon had also eaten walnut 6
balls for breakfast The cup was empty The teapot was a little warm He’d eaten breakfast a short while ago then gone out on an errand I’ll wait for him BuQy decided She looked at the book Funny Stories about Mice and Toads Gordon had just Rnished a story that went like this There was a baby mouse who caught sight of a bat Look Mother an angel She giggled A bat is a mouse with wings that can Sy A Sying mouse She could picture Gordon roaring with laughter making his big belly wobble as he lay there reading and eating walnut balls She missed him It’s not good for police to be alone she thought gloomily Two police think twice as well as one Two police are twice as brave Then she sat down in the deck chair on the 7
veranda She heard a cheerful song Bomba bomba on a walk In kindergarten we sing and talk Bomba bomba BOMBA It was all the forest children from the kindergarten on an expedition BuQy saluted the teacher mouse at the front of the line The children all wore Sowery tops and backpacks They walked in a long line and jabbered She couldn’t help hearing what they said A baby toad I’m going to slide in the mud I’m going to A baby mole Teacher I’ve lost my backpack Teacher I’ve got it A baby rabbit Then we can build a house to A baby squirrel We can be farmers and grow live in nuts Baby rabbit Nuts yuck Carrots are better And we should plant cakes 8
waited And waited Eventually she had to go back to work at the police station She thought Why would anyone scrabble at the police station windows late at night And then just disappear How they chattered BuQy leaned back and And where was Gordon 9
