Paddington Here and Now Read Free Page B

with him a large can of paint and an assortment of brushes.
    Paddington was very excited when he saw them, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
    That night he took the can of paint up to bed and read the small print on the side with the aid of a flashlight and the magnifying glass from his detective outfit.

    According to the instructions, a lot of burglars climbed drainpipes in order to break into people’s homes. In fact, the more he read, the more Paddington began to wonder why he had never seen one before; it sounded as though the streets must be full of them. There was even a picture of one on the back of the tin. He looked very pleased with himself as he slid down a pipe, a sack over his shoulder bulging with things he had taken. There was even a thinks balloon attached to his head saying: “Don’t you wish you had done something about your pipes?”
    Paddington opened his bedroom window and peered outside, but luckily there were no drainpipes anywhere near it; otherwise he might have tested the paint there and then, just to be on the safe side.
    Before going to sleep, he made out a list of all the other requirements, ready for the morning. Something with which to open the tin, a wire brush for cleaning the pipes before starting work, a pair of folding steps—the instructions suggested it was only necessary to paint the bottom half of the pipe; there was no need to go all the way up to the top—and some paint remover to clean the brushes afterward.
    The following morning, as soon as breakfast was over, he waylaid Mrs. Bird in the kitchen and persuaded her to let him have some plastic gloves and an old apron.
    Knowing who would be landed with the task of getting any paint stains off his duffle coat if things went wrong, the Brown’s housekeeper was only too willing to oblige.
    “Mind you, don’t get any of that stuff on your whiskers,” she warned, as he disappeared outthrough the back door armed with his list. “You don’t want to spoil your elevenses.”
    Paddington’s suggestion that it might be a good idea to have them before he started work fell on deaf ears, so he set to work gathering the things he needed from the garage. While he was there, he came across a special face mask to keep out paint fumes.
    Clearly it wasn’t meant for bears, because although it covered the end of his nose, it was nowhere near his eyes. All the same, having slipped the elastic bands over his ears to hold the mask in place, he spent some time looking at his reflection in the wing mirror of Mr. Brown’s car, and as far as he could make out, all his whiskers were safely tucked away inside it.
    Once in the garden, he set to work with a wire brush on a rainwater pipe at the rear of the house.
    “I must say, he looks like some creature from outer space,” said Mrs. Bird, gazing out of the kitchen window.
    “At least it keeps him occupied,” said Mrs. Brown. “I can’t help being uneasy whenever he’s at a loose end.”
    “The devil finds work for idle paws,” agreed Mrs. Bird, almost immediately wishing she hadn’t said it in case she was tempting fate.
    But much to everyone’s surprise, Paddington made such a good job of the first pipes even Mrs. Bird’s eagle eyes couldn’t find anything amiss when she inspected them. There wasn’t a single spot of paint to be seen anywhere on the surrounding brickwork.

    And even if it meant she would never be able to use her rubber gloves or her apron again, she didn’t havethe heart to complain. It was a small price to pay for having number 32 Windsor Gardens made secure, and keeping Paddington occupied into the bargain.
    “What did I tell you, Mary?” said Mr. Brown, looking up from his morning paper when she passed on the news.
    “I only hope he doesn’t try shinning up the pipes to see if it works,” said Mrs. Brown. “You know how keen he is on testing things.”
    “It’s a bit like giving someone a hot plate and telling them not to touch it,” agreed Mrs.