Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO GOBO'S COTTAGE 'Now what are we to do?' said Peter, in dismay. 'Can't we get into the chair and fly off, Binky. Do let's!' 'No, no, don't!' cried all the pixies at once. 'If you do, Ho-ho will punish the whole village, and that will be terrible. Stay here and help us.' 'Come to my cousin Gobo's cottage and let us think, said Binky. So the two children went with him and Gobo, who was really very like Binky, to a little crooked cottage at the end of the village.

It was beautifully clean and neat, and the children sat down to eat coconut cakes and drink lemonade. Everyone was rather quiet. Then Peter's eyes began to twinkle, and he leaned over to Gobo. 'I say, Gobo, have you by any chance got a spell to put people to sleep?' he asked. 'Of course!' said Gobo, puzzled. 'Why?' 'Well, I have a fine plan, said Peter. 'What about putting old Ho-ho to sleep?' 'What's the use of that?' said Binky and Gobo. 'Well- when he's asleep, we'll pop him into the magic chair, take him off somewhere and leave him, and then go back home ourselves!' said Peter. 'That would get rid of him for you, wouldn't it?' 'My goodness! That's an idea!' cried

Binky, jumping up from his seat in excitement. 'Gobo! If only we could do it! Listen! Where's the sleepy-spell?'

'Here,' said Gobo, opening a drawer and taking out a tiny yellow thing like a mustard seed. 'Well, Peter has a bag of chocolates,' said Binky, 'and he could put the sleepy-spell into one of them and give it to Ho-ho.

'But how do we know he'd take the right chocolate?' asked Mollie. 'We'll empty out all of them except one,' answered Binky, 'and that one Peter shall carry in the bag in his hand, and he must carry it as though it was something very precious indeed, and Ho-ho is sure to ask him what it is, and if Peter says it is a very special chocolate that he is not going to part with, or something like that, the old wizard is sure to be greedy enough to take it from him and eat it. Then he will fall asleep, and we'll take him off in the chair to old Dame Tap-Tap, who will be so pleased to have him! He once tried to turn her into a ladybird, so I don't think she will let him go in a hurry!' 'Good idea!' cried everyone, and Gobo danced round the room so excitedly that he

fell over the coal scuttle and sent the fire- irons clanking to the floor. That made them all laugh, and they felt so excited that they could hardly empty out Peter's bag of chocolates on the table and choose one for the sleepy-spell.