Dear Readers,
I have much to say thank you for and much to apologize for this time around. First and foremost, absolutely all of my thanks goes out to Sbradley, Gabrielle, redneckqueen-93, and "me" for their generous reviews and messages (which I am having some technical difficulties with, but will try to resolve). I also very much appreciate the support and encouragement! You make me very anxious to work on this.
Which leads me into a few apologies I'd like to make in advance. The one on the top of this list is length. As I stated before, this chapter is quite long - the story portion being just short of 6,500 words. This whole little scenario was originally drafted as a couple of chapters, but it didn't end up like that. It has been broken up, so hopefully that will make it a little less annoying? Which leads me to my second reason to express sympathy: I do apologize if anything seems rushed. If I really went into too many details, this chapter probably would have hit between 10,000-15,000 words, and I don't think anyone would appreciate that. And lastly I'd like to apologize if things seem a little off the wall (no pun intended). For me it went with the territory and sometimes could not be avoided.
I believe it was Sbradley who wanted to see more of Bert, and that means someone certainly knew what to ask for. A lot of this is actually his doing, being spun (perhaps out of proportion) by more comments he made in the movie than I realized. As previously mentioned for anyone I may confuse the tar out of, we are still indeed in the "past" for this entire chapter, and we'll swing forward to the "present" next time.
But anyway, I'd like to thank everyone once again - and anyone who actually lives through this chapter! I'm hoping very much that you enjoy!
-Margo
Mary certainly did come down - and went back up, and continually repeated the action. It was both figurative and literal, however, for not much time had passed before Mary Poppins realized the degree of fondness she possessed for her occupation. Even the most beguiling of children, or so it seemed, held a special place with her. The ability to ease them through their tears or pain with her own instinctive finesse was clearly one of the greatest gifts she had ever received. And thus it was most always with great difficulty that she mustered the most steadfast goodbyes she was capable of, much like her children more or less did before they watched her go. After her first few months of nannying, the task of departing grew more manageable. Little did Mary know how her mettle would be tested.
On that day when her trying venture was initiated, the nanny was perched amidst the haze, drinking in the sights below. It seemed a quiet morning, in fact even the usual hustle and bustle of the center city was reduced to a state of sluggishness. A few strolled leisurely back and forth across the streets - shopping, no doubt. A couple of blocks over the barber brushed at his sidewalk, the bristles flicking back and forth almost musically. Habit urged Mary Poppins to glance down Kirkby Lane and she eventually conceded, though all appeared calm at Uncle Albert's house. Scanning the nearby park revealed many contented boys and girls, all tottering about with their doting caretakers in tow. But surely not all of the city's children were of such fine spirits. There was always a doleful soul or two lurking, waiting, enough of them for Mary to never dream of leaving London so long as what she sought remained so fixedly in front of her eyes. But then on cue something stole her attention away, craning her neck around. Her focus fell on a small brick storefront, inlaid with long glass windows. Looking beyond the arced gold letters spelling out "Mrs. Corry's," Mary could see a flurry of motion on the other side of the panes. Two very little girls scuttled about, their petite mother at their heels. There was shouting, too, but even Mary could not hear it from such a distance away. Soon, the party burst outside, what had to be Mrs. Corry herself flailing madly about before rushing back into her shop via the door that had not yet swung shut. The tiny brunettes were gone, having scurried around the corner. Mary Poppins afforded herself a grin of satisfaction. They would be next. The opportunity would appear for her to depart to them, and she would grasp it tightly.
Shortly after her decision had been made, a satisfied nanny was caring for Kitty and Amelia Corry, twin tykes of the well-regarded Mister and Misses Corry, who were the proprietors of the quaintest little bakery in London. Though she had been producing it since many years before, the baker's gingerbread specialties had almost overnight established a prodigious assembly of admirers, whose clamors for more of the treat seemed to never cease. Finding themselves almost permanently stuck behind the counter or in front of the ovens, the ever loving parents could not help but admit that someone was needed to tend to their two rambunctious children, whom could never be too close to them without being in their way. It was because of this that the appearance of Mary Poppins, a young yet extremely professional woman who would be interested in caring for the children, was considered to be salvational. Promptly after her arrival, Mrs. Corry ushered her up a narrow staircase in her storeroom, which led to a drawing room where the two young girls Mary had seen from aloft halfheartedly engaged themselves in a game of jacks. Having little time for introductions, their mother spoke only a few brief words before returning to her customers. Upon Mrs. Corry's departure, the one called Amelia allowed the red ball in her palm to roll across the wooden floor until a wall impeded its motion. The prospect of having company seemed to delight the sisters, who wasted no time at all helping Mary settle into the little third-floor annex she would be staying in before conducting a tour of the rest of the family's cozy residence above the store. It was truly a very lovely place - neither too ornate nor too stark by Mary Poppins' standards - and although the wooden walls and floors may have seemed dolorous otherwise, sunshine washed over them generously to make the rooms quite comfortable. The nanny was equally as delighted by the children after their first impression had been made. They were balls of energy, yes, but in addition to their buoyancy they also maintained impeccable manners that made them darling to be around. Unlike other children, Kitty and Amelia did not voice the slightest objection to anything Mary Poppins had to say - at least not until they were all in the drawing room once again, where the children stood before their nanny who was sitting on the plush couch, her carpet bag at her feet.
"Now then," she began, fingering the ruffled jabot of her blouse. "Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I would like to get a measure of the situation, if you would be so kind." Mary promptly opened her titian carpet bag and produced a tape measure. The twins groaned.
"Must you really measure us, Mary Poppins?" Kitty ventured, her shining brown eyes gazing reproachfully at Mary.
She was slightly taken aback. "Not unless you know of some other way for the tape measure to give me its reading."
"You don't need to read it" - this time Amelia spoke up - "because we can tell you exactly what it says. Three feet and four inches, that's what it always says and it won't be any different this time." Having revealed their resentment, the girls' faces became very somber indeed. Mary Poppins smiled weakly. She should have known that the girls' heights would be a sore spot with them, but must have overlooked it due to the fact that their personalities made them seem much bigger than they were. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to let them go easily.
"And you're positive, are you?" The duo nodded synchronously. "Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we? Come here, please, Kitty, you first."
It obviously being against her upbringing to disobey a superior's order, Kitty took another step toward her nanny and allowed herself to be measured without any more fuss. Mary did just that, and reading the tape measure, beamed.
"Hmph, now that's not exactly what you were expecting, is it?" She turned the yellow tape around to allow the girl a look at it. Her eyes grew wide to see that not a number marked its increment anywhere. Instead, underneath Mary's forefinger were the words "Enormous fun, often plunders the cookie jar." Amelia crept up to read it for herself and gave a laugh while her sister remained stunned. "Your turn, Amelia." Kitty's twin was much more anxious to comply. Mary Poppins repeated the procedure, and soon the other sister was reading her measurement. "Talkative, but a very good secret keeper." She too was amazed.
"I've never seen anything like that before!" Amelia managed.
"They're very truthful things, really," Mary resolved. "Numbers don't lie and neither do tape-measures. They can tell you all sorts of tidbits but rarely do. This one just happens to sympathize with me, I suppose. Not often are the children I meet as pleasant as you two."
The sisters both laughed at this, and took a minute to confer in whispers to each other.
"So the measuring-tape never lies, Mary Poppins?"
"Never."
Amelia hesitated and so it was Kitty who eventually asked, "Might we get your measure, to understand the situation, too?"
She smiled widely at them as she stood up, unable to deny such reasoning. "If you wish." Amelia took the end of the tape measure as Mary pulled at it, grabbing her height with her thumb and forefinger and handing it to the girls to read.
"Mary Poppins," they recited together. "Practically perfect in every way."
Amidst her charges' smiles and giggles, a slightly crimson Mary collected the measuring-tape and placed it back in her bag saying, "a very curious thing, indeed." When all had composed themselves, she wasted no time in returning to business. "We seem to have an afternoon to do as we please. Is there any particular game you would like to play?"
Amelia did not need very long to make up her mind. "Oh, Mary Poppins! It's been so long since mummy or daddy has had a free afternoon to take us to the park!"
Delighted at her sister's brilliance, Kitty took a quick glance out the window before agreeing. "It's such a lovely day! Would you take us, please? We'd appreciate it so very much."
"A wonderful day to get some fresh air, indeed. I think just such an outing could be arranged." Though it was an emotion Mary felt for all of her children, she seemed to carry a particular desire to make Kitty and Amelia Corry happy. She supposed that was the effect they had on people.
The ado of children was perhaps the most common sound to be heard in the park, and so Herbert Alfred, always trying to be a consummate artist, had not been distracted by it until he heard from somewhere out in front of him, "Oh, look, Kitty! It's Bert! Do let's say 'hello' to him!" He did not look up from his work, however, until two distinct voices rang, "Hello, Bert!"
Right before him was an identical pair of young girls he most assuredly was familiar with accompanied by a woman who he could not recall being associated with them. "Well, if it isn't the Corry girls! It's been a time since I've seen you two! How's your mum and dad gettin' along?"
"Oh, just fine, thank you! They're as busy as ever, of course. And how are you?" But before the man could answer her, true-to-the-measuring-tape Amelia burst into words again. "This is our new nanny, Bert!"
Kitty then informed Mary, "Bert makes silhouette portraits!" The girl motioned to the little set-up the fellow stood at, a rather collapsible looking surface covered in scissors, black paper, and matting with a few examples tacked around its edges. A small stool stood on its opposite side. "Mother had ours made awhile back. She has them hanging in the store."
"Does she now?" Mary Poppins inquired, grinning genuinely. "How nice."
At this moment, another brilliant idea dawned on Amelia. "Why don't you have your portrait done? It's great fun to watch!" The nanny was soon flooded by the girls' insistence.
"Now girls," she reasoned, her voice rising a bit. "It would hardly be polite to impose on this gentleman's busy schedule."
"On the contrary, miss," he assured as the young lady turned to face him, "I just so happen to 'ave an opening."
Mary sighed as the girls burst into a quieter round of persistence. She truly did not want their fun to end, or her own for that matter. And so as not to damper any spirits, with a simper she agreed, "Very well."
Bert smiled and ushered his customer to the seat. "Now then, which side should you like your silhyauette of?"
Mary Poppins paused a moment to think before deciding. "Hmm, what about a frontal view - would that be too much of a complication?" She asked, touching at the back of her straw hat with her gloved fingertips.
"Not at all," he insisted, and retreated to the other side of his work area. A girl stood on either side of their seated nanny. "Jus' try to stay as still as yeh can an' we'll be in good shape."
"Now do mind your manners, don't distract," Mary reminded Kitty and Amelia softly as the artist picked up a piece of the murky paper and a pair of scissors. As he began to cut slowly, she did her best to remain as stationary as possible, her gaze fixed somewhere forward. Bert never looked down at the paper but instead examined the face he was so aptly trimming out of the sheet.
"Begging your pardon, miss," he said, breaking the silence as he finished a side of the woman's long neck. "I don't mean to sound presumpt'ous at all, but I can't help thinking our paths 'ave crossed before."
The lady focused in on him as he continued to do the same, working up her chin. Mary Poppins possessed a very good memory, to be sure, but she could not affiliate the man with any child she had previously tended to. She dug farther back into her mind like she would her carpet bag, looking for a time that plausibly would have allowed them to have met. Not soon after, it became apparent.
"Yes. I do believe that they have. Except, lest my memory is failing me, it seems that last time it was not my face but yours that was darkened."
He smiled all the wider. "Yer quite right. An interesting afternoon a few months ago. Yes, it's all clear now."
Mary made a funny little humming noise in her throat. "Face blackened or not, though, I fear I still don't have a name to place to it."
He continued up her cheek bone. "The name's Bert," he informed her congenially. "And you would be?"
"Mary Poppins!" The girls declared. The figure named chimed right back in, not particularly wanting her tape-measure-bestowed title to be revealed as well.
"Thank you, girls, though I'm sure I could have managed," she replied with a smile. "But they're correct, Mary Poppins it is," she said, returning her gaze to Bert.
"So nice to be introduced, Miss Mary," - his scissors carefully traced the side of her forehead - "I trust your father is doing well? Wonderful chap."
For a moment she was quite confused. "Father? Oh! Oh, my uncle, actually. Sometimes I think he's everyone's uncle, though. At least, in his heyday he was. But yes, my uncle is 'Uncle Albert,' humor columnist and self-proclaimed optimist for the London Times."
"Really now? Very interesting. I've read his article for some time! A wonderful job he does. Wrote into 'im years ago, actually. Always considered doing it again."
The young woman smiled, she loved to hear her uncle receive praise. As peculiar as he may have seemed, he certainly deserved every bit of it. "Thank you. And you certainly should write to him. He does love getting post. Adores house guests, too - always something to write about. And now that I've left the house so empty . . . " Her eyes rolled down to Amelia on her left, before passing over her beige skirt to Kitty on the right, trying hard to keep her head from tipping, too. They were transfixed by Bert's craftsmanship as he finished the ornate decorations on Mary's hat without ever watching what he was doing. Mary looked back at him. "I'm sure he'd rather enjoy you stopping in for a chat."
"Thank you very much, miss," Bert declared, the other side of the woman's face being a much swifter job than the first. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
Before anyone knew it, Mary Poppins' silhouette was complete, and after placing it in a mat, Bert offered it for viewing to the three of them. The girls looked from the picture to their nanny, eyes filled with wonder.
"It's just right, Mary Poppins! Right down to the last flower!" Proclaimed Kitty.
Mary couldn't disagree. She took her wide, sapphire eyes from the portrait to the artist. "Oh, it's positively brilliant!"
He scratched at the back of his neck with his free hand, grinning, as the woman fetched her belongings from beside the stool. "Thank ye', but it's nothin' special. Just a hobby o' mine, I s'pose. One of many."
"It still takes talent," she insisted, placing her umbrella beneath her arm to better handle her leather bag. The young lady began to withdraw coins from the purse, but Bert adamantly refused. He handed Mary her silhouette.
"I appreciate it very much, really I do, but a cool drink of water on a stifling 'ot day more than covered it."
Mary Poppins considered him for a moment, perhaps pondered of trying to force some of the coins on him regardless, but she did not dare insult his generous integrity. "So very kind, though I ask you to please never mention it again," she requested, fitting the artwork into her bag and closing it. "It was the least I could do. Now children, I suppose we should let Mister Bert back to his work. Thank you again, so very nice to meet you."
"The pleasure's all mine," he insisted as he touched at the brim of his cap. "Enjoy your day Kitty, Amelia - 'ope to see you again soon!"
The ladies parted ways with the portrayer and began strolling about the park's footpaths, the girls declaring how lovely it was merely to be out of the confines of their little house. There were plenty of sights to see, too: ducks and pigeons bobbing about, the flowers coming to bloom, and the other passers by who too sought to behold a lovely spring day.
"Amelia, look!" Kitty hissed, tapping at her sister's shoulder as an asphalt area came into view. Upon it a score of children was playing hopscotch.
Mary Poppins heard the little girl's whisper and joined in the conversation. "Friends of yours? Should you like to play with them?"
"No!" They both responded in unison, trying to avoid the area as they grew closer to it. A long and suspicious look on Mary's part forced them to elaborate. "Most of them are older than we are, nine or ten years old. But they're all taller than us. They-they don't ever let us play with them." The twins did their best to avoid a few taunting jeers they received as they passed the other children's play area and rounded the bend out of sight. The crestfallenness of the little girls quite obvious, Mary Poppins decided not to push the matter.
However in due time they had gone full-circle within the park, and presently approached the vicinity of the empty space where they had first entered. The amount of traffic had not increased at all. Mary Poppins came to a standstill but the children continued on toward the wrought iron gate.
"Surely you don't want to leave yet! Did we not come here to play a game?"
The girls scurried back before Kitty declared, "We don't much feel like playing hopscotch, Mary Poppins."
"Whoever said anything about hop scotch?" The nanny inquired as if the thought had never entered her mind. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of . . . " Once again, Mary retreated into her purse, this time retrieving a long white rope with wooden handles.
"Jump rope!" They exclaimed together.
"But we need three people!" Reasoned Kitty.
Mary Poppins sighed. "Are we not three people?"
Amelia squealed. "You mean you'll play with us? Oh how nice! We've never been very good. I'm sure you can show us how to jump better."
She was taken aback. Yes, the young woman had planned on spinning it for them, but never dreamed of jumping the rope for herself. She very much wanted to protest but found she did not have the heart to. Recalling how crushed the girls had seemed when speaking of their exclusion from the group of children, Mary did not want to hurt their feelings also by not participating with them. And, well, not too many people seemed to be paying them any attention - for truly there weren't many people around at all. For Kitty's and Amelia's sakes she'd just have to leap into the breach. Literally.
"Assuming I can still remember how to do this. It's been some time, really. But yes, you two take the rope and spin it high now - good." Mary set her umbrella and purse against the stone wall just behind them, and picked up her skirts a bit to reveal her black stockings and paisley silk brocaded boots. After following the arc of the rope for a few revolutions, she gracefully hopped right underneath it and began lifting off the ground at just the right moment. Two or three jumps later she asked, "Are you not going to chant out some sort of rhyme?"
Amelia corrected her. "No, Mary Poppins! The person jumping does! Do you know any?"
"Why of course!" Thinking only momentarily, she began her rhyme and simultaneously increased the difficulty of her tricks.
"Even the most dreadful tastes - can be remedied - With a pitch of something extra - in your recipe -" Her words were punctuated beautifully with maneuvers over the jump rope - Mary Poppins almost performed a sort of cancan and even hovered above the rope for it to swing twice or more under her feet before landing.
"A spoonful of sugar - helps abate the spice--" Mary's jumps and twirls grew yet higher, her singsong voice of honey never faltering and her fascinating maneuvers remained as poetic as her words. "It turns something acrid - into something nice." There Mary Poppins elegantly hopped out of the rope's path and the girls stopped spinning it.
"That was incredible, Mary Poppins!" Kitty marveled, her eyes wide.
"Well thank you," the nanny replied with a nod of the head. "Now, who's next?"
Amelia excitedly volunteered and Kitty relented, beginning to spin the rope with Mary on the opposite side. It turned a bit slower than it had for Mary, though this was not of much help to the girl anyway, for just as the first syllable of her verse emitted from her lips, she stomped full on the rope. Kitty let loose a giggle, though her nanny quickly chided her.
"See?" The forlorn sister inquired, her brown curls rising as she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I told you I'm not very good. Do you think perhaps you could jump in with me?"
Mary considered her sad little face for a moment. "I certainly could, but that would require another person to spin, would it not?"
Amelia nodded embarrassedly, but Kitty exclaimed. "Bert could do it!"
"Now, Kitty, don't be silly," Mary cooed. "He's--"
"-right there!" Amelia noted with lifting spirits, looking in a spot behind Mary Poppins. Mary wheeled around on her heel, leaving it slip to correct the girl for interrupting. Sure enough, standing at a point halfway between his stand and the jump ropers was the portrait maker, idly surveying the scene before him. Both girls rushed over to him.
"Bert," Amelia began, aroused, "would you spin for us?" But Mary caught up with them, elegantly folding the rope into her hand.
"Now girls," she insisted, looking up from their heads to flash the man an apologetic look, "it's impolite to try to involve someone in things they aren't interested in."
But Bert glanced from Kitty to Amelia before assuring, "Really, miss, I wouldn't mind a'tol - could take a bit of a break, anyway. That is, of course, unless you object."
Mary exhaled in a pleasant, almost amused fashion. "Be our guest."
Shortly thereafter, the jump ropers reassembled, Kitty and Bert now twirling, leaving Mary Poppins and Amelia hand-in-hand, waiting to cease just the right moment to jump in.
"I'm not so sure I can do this, Mary Poppins," Amelia confided as she hesitantly eyed the rope.
"Then that is your very first mistake," she insisted. "You very well know in your heart that nothing in this world is keeping you from jumping over that rope, do you not?" The girl nodded slowly. "Then tell your mind likewise. Once you've gotten the thought in your head, you'll believe yourself."
Amelia swallowed and thought about this for a moment before Mary Poppins led her into the rope's path. Before the girl knew it was happening, they were hopping over it. Mary stayed for a few jumps before skirting out of the game, the girl now reciting a little rhyme about lemon drops. When she had successfully finished it, she too tarried out of the way and took the wooden handle from her sister. Kitty then joined Mary and silently requested the same favor her sister had. The nanny complied and in a pinch she was in and out of the jump rope's way again, leaving Kitty in much the same fashion.
Instead of Kitty relieving her sister of her position when she was through, however, she trotted over to Bert and tugged at his sleeve, indicating that it was his turn. He shot Mary Poppins a questioning look, expecting her to speak. But Mary would not attempt to relieve him again. Should he truly want to jump rope, he was more than welcomed. And this was exactly how he interpreted the mysterious glimmer in her eyes. A few moments later, with the twins spinning and Mary Poppins observing with arms crossed, Bert tried to rocket underneath the jump rope. It caught against his ankle, causing him to most ungracefully save himself from falling nose-first to the hard ground.
"I'm a bit rusty, eh?" He asked the beaming girls, who were not daring to laugh at him in the presence of their nanny. Bert tried it again, but achieved similar results.
"I think Bert needs some help, too, Mary Poppins!" Amelia deduced. Her sister was quick to agree.
"Do you really?" Mary inquired of him.
He frowned momentarily. "It does appear so. Would ya mind?"
Discovering him to be speaking seriously - and a bit surprised at the find - Mary Poppins pleasantly offered him a gloved hand reasoning, "If we must, we must." Bert graciously accepted it and they inched closer to the rope as it slapped against the ground. "You do have a rhyme in mind, I suppose?" Mary asked much more earnestly than he had expected.
He smiled. "I think I do."
"Very good," she concluded. "Now then . . ." She closed her eyes, and Bert did likewise once he realized she had . "Concentrate, concentrate, and jump!" He had done it. Together they were bounding over the rope before Mary exited once again, leaving Bert to his own devices.
"Miss Mary is - your graceful - nanny," he sang whilst performing his own exuberant and haphazard jumping style. "Nice as pie - an' sweet as - candy, knows just how - to make your day - an' has some lovely - games to play." He narrowly dodged the rope and made his way over to Mary Poppins.
"Stunning rendition, Mister Bert," she said, tilting her head. A trace of a smile now accompanied the largely unreadable expression.
"Well, thank you. One of the better 'uns I've extemporised, if I may say so." The giggles of Kitty and Amelia seemed to give ample testament to his remark.
That night, as Mary Poppins tucked the twins into bed, they confided to her that their afternoon in the park was one of the best they ever had. They told this to their parents too, when they came to say goodnight after they had closed up for the evening and before they readied the shop downstairs for the busy morning that would come. Mary would never have heard any of this, of course, had she not been sitting on the stairway to her own room, gazing idly at the sliver of light shining from underneath the closed door at the foot of the stairs. She simply couldn't sleep, and so restlessness had sat her down on a wooden step as her ears listened for snores and silence in the girls' room on the other side of the wall. But it was talking that Mary Poppins heard.
"I really wish we could play with them, Kitty, just once."
"But why?" Her sister demanded. "We had Mary Poppins, and Bert, and plenty of fun without them."
That was enough to satisfy Mary, who silently made her way back to bed.
Though not every day spent with Mary Poppins was a walk in the park, the children grew rather fond of her company and the activities that transpired while they remained in it. Mister and Misses Corry were pleased with their acquisition, too, having one less thing to worry of as they went about their day. This was not to say, though, that the couple was not coming to a new understanding of their daughters. They were growing rather reliable, however, now performing little things around the bakery to help their parents out and spend a few extra minutes with them. Both children and parents, too, came to better understand the necessity of sharing their time with each other with other things. A torrent such as one that Mary had witnessed from the sky had not sprung about since her arrival, and she personally found this to be a very large improvement. Mary herself was largely responsible for this, soon learning of the destructive nature of the twins' over exuberance and helping them to harness it into better use. But that day would prove to be a very good test to see how well the contentedness would hold up once Mary Poppins left, for it was now the tenth of April, more importantly the second Tuesday of the month, and it was the only date she had explicitly requested off. While this may have been a terrible inconvenience for the Corrys otherwise, Mary had arranged that the twins would spend most of the day with them - helping them - and all had agreed that it sounded like a very good idea.
"So you're really leaving for the day, Mary Poppins?" Amelia asked as her nanny buttoned her long black coat, lined with powder blue, over her outfit.
"Absolutely," she insisted, picking up her umbrella and her purse. She stopped to examine them. "You're going to have a lovely day with your parents, and I'll be back for bedtime, so no worrying. Good day," she seemed to sing, heading down the hallway to the back door that accessed the home to the street. When she swung open the door, however, she came face to face with a half dozen children or so, staring at her.
"Yes?" She asked.
A girl near the front gulped before weakly asking. "Are Kitty and Amelia at home?"
"One moment," Mary insisted pleasantly before fetching the girls for them. "Now if you will excuse me." They cleared a path on the brick steps for the woman to descend and soon she was gliding on her way.
Mary Poppins tried to whistle as she continued on, but was entirely too downtrodden to do so. Most of all she fretted about retiring from the Corrys for the day. It was rightly her day off, which she felt she had enough cause to ask for, but she worried about the stability of the family business's structure, if the weight of their daughters would cause it to collapse. Mary resigned herself to the thought that it would have to be experimented someday, and the sooner she found out the better off the girls would be. She continued on, the topic still heavy on her mind nonetheless, when a band of children rounded the corner and came zipping past her rudely, splashing an incredulous face on her as they kicked up their heels.
One boy in the back proclaimed loudly to someone in the front, "They want to spend the day with their mum? Really! They can be the best jumpers there are, Ellen, but we still don't need 'em!"
By the time Mary made the connection, the children were well out of sight. She smiled, and felt no remorse at all about leaving them.
Her having returned to say goodnight as promised, Kitty and Amelia took the time to speak to Mary Poppins about the wonderful things the day had brought: how their mother had taught them to ice cupcakes, how their parents had arranged an outing the whole family would take to see the sights around the city as a well-deserved Saturday afternoon off. Absent from conversation was the girls' version of the story involving numerous children on their doorstep that morning. All of these things - said and unsaid - told Mary quite a bit. Most predominantly it informed her that it was almost time for her to go. Saturday was appearing to be a lovely day for traveling.
When that fateful morning dawned, there was no doubt in the nanny's mind that it was her time to go. It was not only the children's information that helped her make the decision. Mister and Misses Corry gave plenty of evidence that things were getting back on track within their household. All of them were sad to see her leave, of course, but from the beginning no one had been under the impression that Mary Poppins' presence would be a permanent arrangement. The girls had just about figured out what mattered in people. Their parents had added to their beloved bakery two very sweet yet indispensable commodities. The rest they would do for themselves.
Kitty and Amelia took the news like troopers, their zealous personalities coming through for them. All of them stood in Mrs. Corry's store, though the shop was most assuredly closed. The family of four was dressed to go out, as was Mary Poppins. It might even be assumed that she would be going with them all, was her packed carpet bag not gripped firmly in her hand, with her purse and umbrella. No, this was where they would go their separate ways.
"We'll miss you, Mary Poppins," Amelia insisted, looking somber than her nanny had ever seen her. Her sister appeared to be gazing around the walls.
"Oh, now, don't you two fret all day. You've got a lovely afternoon planned and I want you to enjoy it, is that clear?" They nodded in agreement. Mister and Misses Corry smiled, collecting them by their shoulders.
Kitty spoke up, breaking her gaze for a moment. "We've had so much fun, what with all of the things we've been able to do."
Suddenly she blurted out a question after flashing to a particular spot on the wall momentarily. "Mary Poppins, will you be passing the park on your way home?"
She considered the question for a moment before responding, "I should think so."
Amelia gave a quick signal to her mother, who nodded before she bounded behind the glass counters of the store. She stopped before one such set of shelves, above which two identical silhouettes hung, facing each other - the very spot she had been examining. The girl hurriedly filled a small paper bag before returning to Mary. "I don't think we'll get there today, but - do you think you could give this to Bert for us - he did help us out with things - and tell him we say 'thank you'?"
Mary grinned, "I certainly can." Without another word, she took the opportunity to leave.
When Mary Poppins returned to the park, and then to him, without children in tow, he was the slightest bit concerned. "No littl'uns with you today?" Bert inquired after they had exchanged greetings, setting down the papers he had been trying to arrange.
"No, no," Mary assured. "They're with their parents now." Mary rummaged through her purse and the silhouette maker looked curiously at her. "They wanted me to give you this, though, on my way." She produced the little bag of gingerbread and handed it to Bert, who chuckled.
"Dear little girls they are. Match better 'an a pair o' socks - and so small . . . " He mused.
But she didn't completely agree. "Actually, I think you'll find them quite big," Mary Poppins said, a far-off look in her eye. She eventually added to her statement. "Perhaps one day their bodies will grow into their souls."
Bert found the air around the woman to be filled with an odd sort of static. He could easily understand where some might find her intimidating, for part of him certainly did. But she was quite pleasant, too, and her peculiarity could almost be interpreted as inhuman if Mary Poppins was not as much of a lady as they come. He had no time left to ponder more, however, for she snapped out of her reverie and once again retreated into her handbag. For the first time he noticed the larger bag, which she had placed on the ground. Something seemed odd about this visit, more so than her last. But her silhouette was suddenly in her hands, interrupting his thoughts.
"I do like this," Mary insisted, marveling at it some more.
"One of the finest I could ever do," he agreed. She looked at him.
"Then do keep it," she offered, motioning at the others he had tacked up. "With the others. Your artwork deserves better than to be packed away in a bag."
Bert took it, paying more attention to her final comment and adding the clues together than to arguing with her. "So you're leaving? I don't think the Corrys could get along without you."
Mary smiled at him. "Oh, they'll manage. They've adjusted much better now. There's no need for me to stay around any longer."
"Where are you going?" He dared to ask.
"I'll know when I get there." She looked at the sky before picking up her carpet bag again and taking a better hold on her umbrella. "And it's about time I found out."
He was still not entirely sure of the situation, but felt no need to press the matter any further. "Goodbye, Mary Poppins," Bert offered genially, accepting the situation as commonplace. "Nice to see you again."
"And you, too, Bert" Mary Poppins assured, opening her umbrella. When a breeze gently picked her up and lifted her into the sky, he felt it did not surprise him as much as it should have. And with her reasoning, when the Corry girls would grow to outstanding heights over the years, he was not one of the many who wondered why it happened.
As more time passed, Mary Poppins would certainly come to learn that not all little children were as pleasant to be around as Kitty and Amelia. In fact the one presently in her charge could have taken a leaf from their book.