William the Fourth by Richmal Crompton Read Free Book Online

behaviour about the shoe polish. When they went home William walked between them and they
carried his chocolates and sweets and pineapple for him. Feeling that too much could not be made of the present state of affairs, he made Robert do his homework before he went to bed. Up in his
room he gave his famous imitation of a churchyard cough that he had made perfect by practice and which had proved a great asset to him on many occasions. Ethel crept softly upstairs. She held a
paper bag in her hand.
    ‘William, darling,’ she said, ‘I’ve brought this toffee for your throat. It might do it good.’
    William added it to his store of presents.
    ‘Thank you,’ he said with an air of patient suffering.
    ‘And I’ll give you something to make your wigwam with tomorrow, dear,’ she went on.
    ‘Thank you,’ said William.
    ‘And if you want to practise your mouth-organ in the mornings it doesn’t matter a bit.’
    ‘Thank you,’ said William in a small, martyred voice.
    The next evening William walked happily down the road. It had been a very pleasant day. Miss Drew had done most of his work for him at school. He had been treated at lunch by
his family with a consideration that was quite unusual. He had been entreated to have all that was left of the trifle while the rest of the family had stewed prunes.
    In the garden of the little cottage was Miss Tabitha Croft and the tall, stooping man.
    ‘Oh, this is William,’ said Miss Tabitha. ‘William is a great friend of mine!’
    ‘I saw William yesterday,’ said the man. ‘William must certainly come to the wedding.’
    ‘William,’ said Miss Croft, ‘it was kind of you to take my place yesterday. Did you manage all right?’
    ‘Yes,’ said William, after a moment’s consideration, ‘I managed all right, thank you.’

 
    CHAPTER 4
    WILLIAM ALL THE TIME
    W illiam was walking down the road, his hands in his pockets, his mind wholly occupied with the Christmas pantomime. He was going to the Christmas
pantomime next week. His thoughts dwelt on rapturous memories of previous Christmas pantomimes – of Puss in Boots, of Dick Whittington, of Red Riding Hood. His mouth
curved into a blissful smile as he thought of the funny man – inimitable funny man with his red nose and enormous girth. How William had roared every time he appeared! With what joy he had
listened to his uproarious songs! But it was not the funny man to whom William had given his heart. It was to the animals. It was to the cat in Puss in Boots, the robins in The Babes in
the Wood, and the wolf in Red Riding Hood. He wanted to be an animal in a pantomime. He was quite willing to relinquish his beloved future career of pirate in favour of that of animal in
a pantomime. He wondered . . .
    It was at this point that Fate, who often had a special eye on William, performed one of her lightning tricks.
    A man in shirt-sleeves stepped out of the wood and looked anxiously up and down the road. Then he took out his watch and muttered to himself. William stood still and stared at him with frank
interest. Then the man began to stare at William, first as if he didn’t see him, and then as if he saw him.
    ‘Would you like to be a bear for a bit,’ he said.
    William pinched himself. He seemed to be awake.
    ‘A b-b-bear?’ he queried, his eyes almost starting out of his head.
    ‘Yes,’ said the man irritably, ‘a bear. B.E.A.R. bear, Animal – Zoo. Never heard of a bear?’
    William pinched himself again. He seemed to be still awake.
    ‘Yes,’ he agreed as though unwilling to commit himself entirely. ‘I’ve heard of a bear all right.’
    ‘Come on, then,’ said the man, looking once more at his watch, once more up the road, once more down the road, then turning on his heel and walking quickly into the wood.
    William followed, both mouth and eyes wide open. The man did not speak as he walked down the path. Then suddenly down a bend in the path they came upon a strange sight. There was a hut in