So Mummy began to serve the jelly, and a moment later what should she find but the little teddy-bear brooch, all among the cherries and slices of banana! She was very surprised.
“How ever did he get there?” she said.
“He fell in when I was dropping the fruit in,” said Deborah. “Teddy Robinson has just told me so.”
“Well, fancy that!” said Auntie Sue. “So he can have his brooch after all.”
Then they washed the teddy-bear brooch, and dried him, and he was pinned on to Teddy Robinson’s trouser-strap; and Teddy Robinson said “Thank you” to Auntie Sue for such a nice present. He was very pleased, because the teddy-bear brooch looked as good as new. He hadn’t melted a bit, and his silver eyes still sparkled and shone, just as if he’d never been inside a jelly at all.
And that is the end of the story about Teddy Robinson and the teddy-bear brooch.
7
Teddy Robinson is Brave
One day Teddy Robinson woke up in the morning feeling very brave and jolly. Even before Deborah was awake he began singing a little song, telling himself all about how brave he was. It went like this:
“Jolly brave me,
jolly brave me,
the bravest bear
you ever did see;
as brave as a lion
or tiger could be,
as brave as a dragon –
oh, jolly brave me!”
And by the time Deborah woke up he was beginning to think he was quite the bravest bear in the whole world.
“Whatever is all this shouting and puffing and blowing?” asked Deborah, opening her eyes sleepily.
“Me fighting a dragon,” said Teddy Robinson, puffing out his chest:
“Bang, bang, bang, you’re dead,
sang the Brave Bear on the bed.
The dragon trembled, sobbed, and sighed,
‘Oh, save my life!’ he cried . . . and died.”
“You see? I killed him!” said Teddy Robinson.
“But I don’t see any dragon,” said Deborah.
“No, he’s gone now,” said Teddy Robinson. “Shall we get up? It’s quite safe.”
Halfway through the morning the phone-bell rang. Mummy was busy, so Deborah lifted the receiver, but before she had time to say “hallo” Teddy Robinson said, “I’ll take it! It may be someone ringing up to ask me to fight a dragon.” And he said, “Hallo,” in a deep, brave growl.
“Hallo,” said Daddy’s voice, “that’s Teddy Robinson, isn’t it? How are you?”
“I’m better, thank you,” said Teddy Robinson.
“Oh, I didn’t know you’d been ill,” said Daddy.
“I haven’t,” said Teddy Robinson.
“Then how can you be better?” said Daddy.
“I’m not better than ill,” said Teddy Robinson. “I’m better than better.”
“I see,” said Daddy. “Now, will you tell Mummy I shall be back early today? And listen, I have a plan—”
“This isn’t really me talking,” said Teddy Robinson. “It’s Deborah. Did you know?”
“I guessed it might be,” said Daddy. “But it’s you I want to talk to. How would you like to meet me for tea at Black’s farm – and bring Deborah too, of course?”
“Will there be a dragon there?” asked Teddy Robinson.
“A what?” said Daddy.
Deborah pushed Teddy Robinson’s nose away from the phone and talked to Daddy herself. “Oh, yes!” she said. “It would be lovely. Hold on and I’ll fetch Mummy.”
When Mummy had finished talking to Daddy and deciding where they should meet she said, “Won’t that be nice? It’s a long while since we had a walk in the country.”
“Will you like it, Teddy Robinson?” asked Deborah.
“I’m just wondering,” said Teddy Robinson. “A walk in the country seems rather a soppy way for a Big Brave Bear to spend the afternoon.”
“Nonsense,” said Deborah. “Daddy is much bigger and braver than you, and he doesn’t think so. Shall I ask Andrew to come with us?”
“Not if he brings Spotty,” said Teddy Robinson.
“No,” said Deborah, “we’ll ask him to bring someone else instead.”
Andrew said he would like to come, and he would bring his clockwork mouse, who was small and easy to carry.
“A walk in the country will do her good,” said Andrew. “She had rather a fright yesterday with a cat who thought she was real and chased her under the sofa.”
So after dinner they all set off.
Deborah and Andrew were excited to be going into the country. Teddy Robinson was still feeling very jolly and big and brave, but Mouse was a little trembly. She had really had quite a fright with the cat the day before.
“Are you sure we shan’t run into danger?” she kept asking.
“Don’t you worry,” said Teddy Robinson. “I’m quite brave enough for two of us and I’ll look after you. There’s no need to worry while you’re with me.”
“Thank you,” said Mouse. “I’m sure I shall be quite safe with such a big, brave bear as you. I was only thinking – suppose it should thunder?”
“Well, what if it did ?” said Teddy Robinson. “I shouldn’t mind. I love thunder.”
“Or what if we should meet some cows?” said Mouse.
“Well, what if we did?” said Teddy Robinson. “I aren’t frightened of cows. I should just walk bravely past and stare at them fiercely.” He began singing:
“Three cheers for me,
for jolly brave me.
Oh, what a jolly brave bear I be!”
Mouse said, “Hip, hip, hooray,” three times over in a high, quavering voice. Then she said, “Oh, yes – certainly, and I know now how brave you are. A fly settled on your nose while you were singing, and you never even blinked.”
“Pooh! That’s nothing,” said Teddy Robinson. “I killed a dragon before breakfast.”
“Whatever is Teddy Robinson talking about?” said Andrew to Deborah. “What’s the matter with him today?”
“I really don’t know,” said Deborah. “He woke up like it. I’m afraid he’s showing off.”
When they got out into the open country Mouse and Teddy Robinson were put into Mummy’s basket so that Andrew and Deborah could run about freely. They had a lovely time.
But soon a large black cloud came up, and there was a low rumbling noise in the distance.
“Oo-err,” said Mouse, “I’m sure that’s thunder. Are you frightened of thunder, Teddy Robinson?”
“What, me? I should hope not!” said Teddy Robinson. (There was another low rumble.) “No – I hope not. Yes – I very much hope not.”
Deborah and Andrew came running up, saying, “Look at that big black cloud!”
“Yes,” said Mummy, “I don’t much like the look of it.”
“Deborah,” said Teddy Robinson, “are you frightened of thunder?”
“Mummy,” said Deborah, “are you?”
“No,” said Mummy, “but I think we ought to get under cover as soon as possible.”
Deborah turned to Teddy Robinson, “Not much,” she said, “but we ought to get under cover as soon as possible.”
Teddy Robinson turned to Mouse, “No, I aren’t frightened of thunder,” he said, “but I’ve decided we ought to get under cover as soon as possible.”
Then they all began to run.
It wasn’t a very bad storm and it hardly rained at all, but Mummy thought they had better hurry.
“We will take a short cut through this field,” she said.
“Oo-err,” said Mouse, “but there are cows in that field. Do you like cows, Teddy Robinson?”
“Oh, yes,” said Teddy Robinson, “I think I like cows. I’ll just find out. Deborah, do you like cows?”
“Mummy,” said Deborah, “do you like cows?”
“Oh, yes,” said Mummy, “of course I do. They are dear, gentle animals, and they give us milk. Don’t you like them?”
“Oh, yes,” said Debor
ah, “I like them too. Don’t you, Teddy Robinson?”
“Oh, yes,” said Teddy Robinson, “I like them very much. At least, I hope I do.”
He turned to Mouse. “Of course I like cows,” he said. “I’d forgotten for the minute how much I like them. They give us dear, gentle milk. Don’t you like them?”
“Yes – I do if you do,” said Mouse.
“Oh, I love cows,” said Teddy Robinson.
“So do I,” said Deborah.
“So do I,” said Mouse, in a high, trembly voice.
“But I think,” said Teddy Robinson, “I think it would be kinder if we all went round the field instead of walking through it. We don’t want to disturb the poor, dear cows, do we?”
“Oh, no, we don’t want to disturb them,” said Deborah. “Let’s go round by the hedge, then we can look for blackberries. Please, Mummy, let’s go round by the hedge!”
So they all hurried round the edge of the field (much too quickly to look for blackberries) until they came to the gate on the other side. The cows watched them pass.
“I didn’t see you staring at them fiercely,” said Mouse to Teddy Robinson, as they went through into the lane.
“How could I? There wasn’t time, with everyone running so fast,” said Teddy Robinson.
They crossed the lane, and there on the far side of another field they saw Black’s farm.
“Come along,” said Mummy, “we’ll climb over the gate and cut across this field. I expect Daddy will be waiting.”
Halfway across the field a cow that they hadn’t seen rose from its knees and came walking towards them.
“Oo-err,” said Mouse, “run!”
The cow began galloping.
“Oh, dear!” said Teddy Robinson. “Why did you tell it to run?”
“It’s all right,” said Mummy, “there’s nothing to be frightened of.”
But Deborah said, “Run, Mummy!” And Andrew said, “Yes, let’s run!” And before they had time to think about it they were all running as fast as they could.
Mouse and Teddy Robinson bounced up and down inside the basket until they were quite out of breath, and then all of a sudden a dreadful thing happened. Teddy Robinson bounced so high that he never came down in the basket at all. He came down in the grass, and there were Mummy and Deborah and Andrew still running farther and farther away from him towards the gate on the other side of the field. And the cow was coming nearer and nearer, puffing and galloping and snorting through its nose.
Poor Teddy Robinson! He couldn’t do anything but just lie there and wait for it. He had forgotten all about how to be brave.
“And to think it was only this morning I killed a dragon!” he said to himself. “Or did I? Perhaps it was only a pretend dragon, after all. Yes, now I come to think of it, I’m sure it was only a pretend dragon. But this is a terribly real cow – I can feel its hooves shaking the ground. Oh, my goodness, here it comes!”
The cow came thundering up, then bent its head down and sniffed at Teddy Robinson.
“Please don’t wait,” said Teddy Robinson. “Eat me now and get it over.”
“Mm-m-merr!” said the cow. “Must I?”
“Don’t you want to?” said Teddy Robinson. “I thought that was what you were coming for.”
“No,” said the cow, “I was only coming to see who you were. Mm-m-merr! What a funny little cow you are. I never saw a cow like you before.”
“I’m not a little cow,” said Teddy Robinson. “I’m a middling-sized teddy bear.”
“Why are you looking at me with your eyes crossed?” said the cow.
“I’m not. I’m staring at you fiercely.”
“Mm-m-merr,” said the cow. “I shouldn’t if I were you. The wind might change and they might get stuck.”
“Why don’t you say Moo?” said Teddy Robinson.
“Because I’m a country cow. Only storybook cows say Moo, not real cows.”
“Fancy that!” said Teddy Robinson. “And are you fierce?”
“Terribly fierce,” said the cow.
Teddy Robinson trembled all over again.
“Yes,” said the cow, “I eat grass and lie in the sun and look at the buttercups. . . .”
“I don’t call that very fierce,” said Teddy Robinson.
“Well, I’m sorry,” said the cow, “but that’s all the fierce I know how to be. I told you I’m a country cow. I’m only used to a quiet life.”
“Well, thank goodness for that!” said Teddy Robinson. “Now tell me about life in the country.”
“Mm-m-merr,” said the cow, “it’s very quiet, very quiet indeed. Listen to it.”
Teddy Robinson listened, and all he could hear was the sound of the grasses rustling in the breeze, and the cow breathing gently through its nose.
“Yes,” he said, “it is very quiet, ve-ry qui-et, ve-ry . . .” and a moment later he was asleep.
It seemed hours later that Farmer Black found him in the field, and he was taken into the farmhouse. And there were Deborah and Daddy and Mummy and Andrew and Mouse, all waiting for him, and all terribly glad to see him again.
“Oh, dear Teddy Robinson!” cried Deborah, “I am so glad you’re not lost. And what a brave bear you are! I am sorry I said you were showing off.”
“Yes, he really is brave,” said Andrew to Daddy. “We all ran away, and only Teddy Robinson was brave enough to face the cow all by himself.”
“And stare at him fiercely,” squeaked Mouse.
Then Daddy said Teddy Robinson ought to have a medal, and he made one out of a silver milk-bottle top, and Deborah pinned it on to his braces, and everyone said, “Three cheers for Teddy Robinson, our Best Big Brave Brown Bear!”
And that is the end of the story about how Teddy Robinson was brave.
8
Teddy Robinson Has a Holiday
One day in summer it was very, very hot. Teddy Robinson sat on the window-sill in Deborah’s room and said to himself, “Phew! Phew! I wish I could take my fur coat off. It is a hot day!”
Deborah came running in from the garden to fetch her sun hat. When she saw Teddy Robinson sitting all humpy and hot on the window-sill she said, “Never mind, poor boy. You’ll be cooler when you have your holiday.”
“Are I going to have a holiday?” said Teddy Robinson.
“Yes, of course you are,” said Deborah.
“When will it come?” said Teddy Robinson.
“Very soon now,” said Deborah, and she ran out into the garden again.
Teddy Robinson sat and thought about this for a long while. He knew he had heard the word ‘holiday’ before, but he just could not remember what it meant.
“Now, I wonder what a holiday can be,” he said to himself. “She said I would be cooler when I had it. Is it a teddy bear’s sun-suit perhaps? Or a little umbrella? Or could it be a long, cold drink in a glass with a straw? And she said it would come very soon. But how will it come? Will it come in a box tied up with ribbon? Or on a tray? Or will the postman bring it in a parcel? Or will it just come walking in all by itself?”
Teddy Robinson didn’t know the answer to any of these questions, so he began singing a little song to himself.
“I’m going to have a holiday,
a holiday,
a holiday.
I’m going to have a holiday.
How lucky I shall be.
What ever is a holiday,
a holiday,
a holiday?
What ever is a holiday?
I’ll have to wait and see.”
“Yes,” he said to himself, “I’ll have to wait and see. I’ll ask Deborah about it tomorrow.”
But when tomorrow came all sorts of exciting things began to happen, so Teddy Robinson forgot to ask Deborah after all.
Daddy brought a big trunk down from the attic, and Mummy began packing it with clothes and shoes, and Deborah turned everything out of her toy-cupboard on to the floor, and began looking for her bucket and spade.
“
What’s going to happen?” asked Teddy Robinson. “Are we going away?”
“Yes, of course we are,” said Deborah. “We’re going to the seaside. I told you yesterday.”
“How funny. I didn’t know,” said Teddy Robinson.
“That’s why everything is going in the trunk,” said Deborah. “To go to the seaside!”
“Us too?” said Teddy Robinson.
“No,” said Deborah. “We shall go in a train. Now, be a good boy and help me tidy up all these toys. I’ve found my bucket and spade.”
So together they tidied up the toys. Then they said goodbye to all the dolls and put them to bed in the toy-cupboard.
At last there was nothing left on the floor at all, except one tiny little round glass thing that Teddy Robinson found lying close beside him. It was about as big as a sixpence, and was a beautiful golden brown colour, with a black blob in the middle.
He showed it to Deborah.
“Now, I wonder what ever that can be,” she said. “It can’t be a bead, because it hasn’t got a hole through the middle.”
“And it can’t be a marble,” said Teddy Robinson, “because it’s flat on one side.”
“Perhaps it’s a sweet,” said Deborah.
“Suck it and see,” said Teddy Robinson.
“I mustn’t suck it in case it’s poison,” said Deborah. So she licked it instead.
“No,” she said, “it isn’t a sweet, because it hasn’t got any taste.”
“It’s very pretty,” said Teddy Robinson. “Shall we keep it?”
“Yes,” said Deborah. “It’s too pretty to throw away. I wish I could think what it is, though. I’m sure I’ve seen it before somewhere, but I can’t remember where.”
“That’s funny,” said Teddy Robinson. “I was thinking just the same thing.”
Before they went to bed that night they dropped the pretty little round thing (that wasn’t a marble, and wasn’t a bead, and wasn’t a sweet) through the slot in Deborah’s money-box.
“That will be a safe place to keep it,” said Deborah.
The Teddy Robinson Storybook Page 5