Magic Faraway Tree Read Free Page B

Faraway Tree before this
land swung away from the top!"
The policeman came right up to the little crowd under the tree.
     
   
"Why aren't you Topsy-Turvy?" he asked in a stern voice. "Don't
you know that the rule in
this land is that everything and everyone has to be upside-down?"
"Yes, but we don't belong to this silly land," said Jo. "And if
you were sensible, you'd make another rule, saying that everybody must be the
right way up. You've just no idea how silly you look, policeman, walking on your
hands!"
The policeman went red with anger. He took a sort of stick from his belt and tapped
Jo on the head with it.
     
   
"Topsy-Turvy!" he said. "Topsy-Turvy!"
And to Jo's horror he had to turn himself upside-down at once! The others stared
at poor Jo, standing on his hands, his legs in the air.
     
   
"Oh, golly!" cried Jo. "I can't eat anything properly now because
I need my hands to walk with. Policeman, put me right again."
"You are right now," said the policeman, and walked solemnly away on
his hands.
     
   
"Put Jo the right way up," said Dick. So everyone tried to get him over
so that he was the right way up again. But as soon as they got his legs down and
his head up, he turned topsy-turvy again. He just couldn't help it, for he was
under a spell.
     
   
A group of Topsy-Turvy people came to watch. They laughed loudly. "Now he
belongs to Topsy-Turvy Land!" they cried. "He'll have to stay here with
us. Never mind, boy -you'll soon get used to it!"
"Take me back to the Faraway Tree," begged Jo, afraid that he really
and truly might be made to stay in this queer land. "Hurry!"
Everyone jumped to their feet. They helped Jo along to where the hole ran down
through the cloud. He wasn't used to walking on his hands and he kept falling
over. They tried their best to make him stand upright, but he couldn't. The spell
wouldn't let him.
     
   
"It will be difficult to get him down through the hole," said Dick.
"Look-there it is. I'd better go down first and see if I can help him. You
others push him through as carefully as you can. He'll have to go upside down,
I'm afraid."
It was very difficult to get Jo through the hole, because his hands and head had
to go first. Moon-Face held his legs to guide him. Dick held his shoulders as
he came down the ladder, so that he wouldn't fall.
     
   
At last they were all seven through the hole in the clouds, and were on the broad
branch outside Moon-Face's house. Jo held on to the branch with his hands, his
legs were in the air.
     
   
"Moon-Face! Silky! Can't you possibly take this spell away?" groaned
he. "It's dreadful."
"Silky, what land is coming to the top of the Faraway Tree next?" asked
Moon-Face. "Have you heard?'
"I think ifs the Land of Spells," said Silky. "It should come to-morrow.
But I'm not really sure."
"Oh, well, if it's the Land of Spells, we could easily get a spell from there
to put Jo right," said Moon-Face, beaming. "Jo, you must stay the night
with me and wait for the Land of Spells
tomorrow. The others can go home and tell what has happened."
"All right," said Jo. "I can't possibly climb up the tree again
if I'm upside down-so I'll just have to wait here. Mother will never believe it,
though, when the others tell her why I don't go home. Still, it can't be helped."
They all went into Moon-Face's house. Jo stood on a chair, upside down. The others
sat about and talked. Dick was sorry for Jo, but he couldn't help feeling a bit
excited. Goodness -if this was the sort of adventure that Jo, Bessie and Fanny
had, what fun things were going to be!
The others began telling him all the adventures they had had. Silky made some
tea, and went down the tree to fetch some more Pop Biscuits. When it was half-past
five Bessie said they must go.
     
   
"Good-bye, Jo," she said. "Don't be too unhappy. Pretend you are
a bat-they always sleep upside down, you know, and don't mind a bit! Come on,
Dick-we're going