Enid Blyton by The Folk of the Faraway Tree Page A

’ s mother. It was Dame Slap herself, looking simply furious.
    "Dame Slap!" yelled Jo . "Run, everyone!"
    But it was too late. Dame Slap turned the key in the kitchen door and put it into her pocket.
    "So you escaped from me before, did you?" she said. "W ell, you won ’ t escape again. Bad children who are sent to me to be made good don ’ t usually escape before they are taught the things they ought to know!"
    "Look here !" began Moon-Face, putting a bold face on. "Look here, Dame Slap, we didn ’ t come to see you; we came to see Saucepan ’ s mother."
    "I ’ ve never in my life heard of Saucepan," said Dame Slap. "Never. It ’ s a naughty story. You ’ re making it up. I slap people for telling stories."
    And she gave poor Moon-Face such a slap that he yelled.
    "Saucepan ’ s mother is your cook!" he shouted, dodging round the kitchen. "Your cook! Where is she?"
    "Oh —my cook," said Dame Slap. "Well, she walked out yesterday, along with a dreadful creature who was all hung round with kettles and pans."
    "That was Saucepan," groaned Jo . "Where did they go?"
    "I don ’ t know and I certainly don ’ t care," said Dame Slap. "The cook was most rude to me, and I gave her a good slap. So she went off. Can any of you girls cook?"
    "I can," said Bessie. "But if you think I ’ m going to be your cook now, you ’ re mistaken. I ’ m going home to my mother."
    "You can stay here and cook for me till my old cook comes back," said Dame Slap. "And this girl can help you." She pointed to Fanny. "The others can come into my school and learn to work hard, to get good manners and to be well-behaved children. Go along now!"
    To J o ’ s horror she pushed everyone but Bessie and Fanny into the hall, and up the stairs to a big classroom, where dozens of noisy little imps, fairies and pixies were playing and pushing and f ighting together.
    Dame Slap dealt out a few hard smacks and sent them to their seats, yelling.
    Connie was very much afraid. She stayed close to J o and Moon-F ace. Dame Slap made them all sit down at the back of the room.
    "Silence!" she said. "You will now do your homework . The new children will please f ind pencils and paper in their desks. Everyone must answer the questions on the board. If anyone gets them wrong, they will have to be punished."
    "Oh dear!" groaned Silky. Connie whispered to her:
    "Don ’ t worry! I ’ m awfully good at lessons. I shall know all the answers, and I ’ ll tell you them too."
    "Who is whispering?" shouted Dame Slap, and everyone jumped. "You, new girl, come out here."
    Connie came out, trembling. Dame Slap gave her a hard smack on each hand.
    "Stop crying!" said Dame Slap. And Connie stopped. She gave a gulp, and stopped at once. "Go back to your seat and do your ho m ework," ordered the old dame. So back Connie went.
    "Now, no talking and no playing," said Dame Slap. " J ust hard work. I am going to talk to my new cooks in the kitchen about a Nice Treacle Pudding. If I hear anyone talking or playing when I come back, or if anyone hasn ’ t done the homework, there will be no Nice Treacle Pudding for any of you."
    With this awful threat Dame Slap walked out of the room. She left the door wide open so that she could hear any noise.
    The imp in front of Connie turned round and shook his pen on her book. A big blot came there! The goblin next to him pulled Silky ’ s hair. A bright-eyed pixie threw a rubber at Moon-Face and hit him on the nose. Truly Dame Slap ’ s pupils were a mischievous lot!
    "We must do our homework!" whispered Silky to the others. "Connie, read the questions on the board, and tell us the answers, quick!"
    So Connie read them—but, oh, dear me, how could she answer questions like that? She never, never could. They would all go without pudding, and be slapped and sent to bed! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

 
    XIV
DAME SLAP ’ S SCHOOL
     
     
    The more the children looked at the three questions on the board, the more they felt certain they could