America controls energy prices ⚡️🔌

𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮, 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 100% 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴... [Main logotype Expert Modern Advice](   The next time someone tells you that Putin is the reason energy prices are so high… Or that it has to do with COVID-19, corporate greed, or “meat conglomerates” as Biden recently said… DON’T BELIEVE IT FOR A SINGLE SECOND. [𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛]( As the #1 oil and gas producer in the world, America dictates global energy prices. Not Russia. Not Saudi Arabia. Nor Iran. We’re the new OPEC of the world. A spoon was attached to the neck of the bottle, and into this Mary Poppins poured a dark crimson fluid. Is that your ? enquired Michael, looking very interested. No, yours, said Mary Poppins, holding out the spoon to him. Michael stared. He wrinkled up his nose. He began to protest. I don't want it. I don't need it. I 't! But Mary Poppins's eyes were fixed upon him, and Michael suddenly discovered that you could not look at Mary Popping and disobey her. T was something strange and extraordinary about her —something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. The spoon came nearer. He held his breath, shut his eyes and gulped. A delicious taste ran round his mouth. He turned his tongue in it. He swed, and a happy smile ran round his face. Strawberry ice, he said ecstatiy. More, more, more! But Mary Poppins, her face as stern as before, was pouring out a dose for Jane. It ran into the spoon, silvery, greeny, yellowy. Jane tasted it. Lime-juice cordial, she said, sliding her tongue deliciously over her lips. But when she saw Mary Poppins moving towards the Twins with the bottle Jane rushed at her. Oh, no — . They're too young. It wouldn't be good for them. ! Mary Poppins, however, took no notice, but with a warning, terrible glance at Jane, tipped the spoon towards John's mouth. He lapped at it eagerly, and by the few drops that were spilt on his bib, Jane and Michael could tell that the substance in the spoon this time was milk. Then Barbara had her share, and she gurgled and licked the spoon twice. Mary Poppins then poured out another dose and solemnly took it herself. Rum punch, she said, smacking her lips and corking the bottle. Jane's eyes and Michael's popped with astonishment, but they were not given much time to der, for Mary Poppins, having put the miraculous bottle on the mantelpiece, turned to them. , she said, spit-spot into bed. And she began to undress them. They noticed that was buttons and hooks had needed sorts of coaxing from Katie Nanna, for Mary Poppins they flew apart almost at a look. In less than a minute they found themselves in bed and watching, by the dim light fromthe night-light, the rest of Mary Poppins's unpacking being performed. From the carpet bag she took out seven flannel nightgowns, four cotton ones, a pair of boots, a set of dominoes, two bathing-caps and a postcard album. Last of came a folding camp-bedstead with blankets and eiderdown complete, and this she set down between John's cot and Barbara's. Jane and Michael sat hugging themselves and watching. It was so surprising that they could find nothing to say. But they k, both of them, that something strange and had happened at Number Seventeen, Cherry-Tree Lane. Mary Poppins, slipping one of the flannel nightgowns over her head, began to undress underneath it as though it were a tent. Michael, charmed by this strange arrival, unable to keep silent any longer, ed to her. Mary Poppins, he cried, you'll us, will you? T was no reply from under the nightgown. Michael could not bear it. You 't us, will you? he ed anxiously. Mary Poppins's head came out of the top of the nightgown. She looked very fierce. One word more from that direction, she said threateningly, and I'll the Policeman. I was saying, began Michael, meekly, that we hoped you wouldn't be going away — He stopped, feeling very red and confused. Mary Poppins stared from him to Jane in silence. Then she sniffed. I'll stay till the wind changes, she said shortly, and she blew out her candle and got into bed. That's right, said Michael, half to himself and half to Jane. But Jane wasn't listening. She was thinking about that had happened, and dering…. And that is how Mary Poppins came to live at Number Seventeen, Cherry-Tree Lane. And although they sometimes found themselves wishing for the quieter, more ordinary days when Katie Nanna ruled the household, everybody, on the whole, was glad of Mary Poppins's arrival. Mr. s was glad because, as she arrived by herself and did not hold up the , he had not had to tip the Policeman. Mrs. s was glad because she was able to tell everybody that her children's nurse was so fashionable that she didn't believe in giving references. Mrs. Brill and Ellen were glad because they could drink strong cups of tea day in the kitchen and no longer needed to preside at nursery suppers. Robertson Ay was glad, too, because Mary Poppins had one pair of shoes, and those she polished herself. But nobody ever k what Mary Poppins felt about it, for Mary Poppins told anybody anything... EVERY THIRD THURSDAY, said Mrs. s. Two till five. Mary Poppins eyed her sternly. people, ma'am, she said, give every second Thursday, and one till six. And those I sh take or— Mary Poppins paused, and Mrs. s k what the pause meant. It meant that if she didn't what she wanted Mary Poppins would not stay. Very well, very well, said Mrs. s hurriedly, though she wished Mary Poppins did not k so very much more about people than she did herself. So Mary Poppins put on her white gloves and tucked her umbrella under her arm — not because it was raining but because it had such a beautiful handle that she couldn't possibly it at . How could you your umbrella behind if it had a parrot's head for a handle? Besides, Mary Poppins was very vain and liked to look her best. Indeed, she was quite sure that she looked anything else. Jane waved to her from the Nursery window. W are you going? she ed. Kindly close that window, replied Mary Poppins, and Jane's head hurriedly disappeared inside the Nursery. Mary Poppins walked down the garden path and ed the gate. Once outside in the Lane, she set walking very quickly as if she were afraid the afternoon would run away from her if she didn't keep up with it. At the corner she turned to the right and then to the left, nodded haughtily to the Policeman, who said it was a nice day, and by that time she felt that her Day Out had begun. She stopped beside an empty motor-car in to put her hat straight with the help of the windscreen, in which it was reflected, then she smoothed down her frock and tucked her umbrella more securely under her arm so that the handle, or rather the parrot, could be seen by everybody. After these preparations she went forward to meet the Match-Man. , the Match-Man had two professions. He not sold matches like any ordinary match-man, but he drew pavement pictures as well. He did these things turn-about according to the weather. If it was wet, he sold matches because the rain would have washed away his pictures if he had painted them. If it was fine, he was on his knees day, making pictures in coloured chalks on the side-walks, and doing them so quickly that often you would find he had painted up one side of a street and down the other almost before you'd had time to come round the corner. On this particular day, which was fine but cold, he was painting. He was in the of adding a picture of two bananas, an apple, and a head of Queen Elizabeth to a long string of others, when Mary Poppins walked up to him, tip-toeing so as to surprise him. Hey! ed Mary Poppins softly. He went on putting brown stripes on a banana and brown curls on Queen Elizabeth's head. Ahem! said Mary Poppins, with a ladylike cough. He turned with a start and saw her. Mary! he cried, and you could tell by the way he cried it that Mary Poppins was a very important person in his . Mary Poppins looked down at her feet and rubbed the toe of one shoe along the pavement two or three times. Then she smiled at the shoe in such a way that the shoe k quite well that the smile wasn't meant for it. It's my Day, Bert, she said. Didn't you remember? Bert was the Match-Man's — Herbert Alfred for Sundays. Of course I remembered, Mary, he said, but— and he stopped and looked sadly into his cap. It lay on the ground beside his last picture and t was tuppence in it. He picked it up and jingled the pennies. That you got, Bert? said Mary Poppins, and she said it so brightly you could hardly tell she was disappointed at . That's the lot, he said. Business is bad . You'd think anybody'd be glad to pay to see that, wouldn't you? And he nodded his head at Queen Elizabeth. Well — that's how it is, Mary, he sighed. Can't take you to tea , I'm afraid. Mary Poppins thought of the raspberry-jam-cakes they always had on her Day Out, and she was just going to sigh, when she saw the Match-Man's face. So, very cleverly, she turned the sigh into a smile — a good one with both ends turned up — and said: That's right, Bert. Don't you mind. I'd much rather not go to tea. A stodgy meal, I it — rey. And that, when you think how very much she liked raspberry-jam-cakes, was rather nice of Mary Poppins. The Match-Man apparently thought so, too, for he took her white-gloved hand in his and squeezed it hard. Then toher they walked down the row of pictures. , t's one you've seen before! said the Match-Man proudly, pointing to a painting of a mountain covered with s and its slopes simply littered with grasshoppers sitting on gigantic roses. This time Mary Poppins could indulge in a sigh without hurting his feelings. Oh, Bert, she said, that's a fair treat! And by the way she said it she made him feel that by rights the picture should have been in the Royal Academy, which is a large room w people hang the pictures they have painted. Everybody comes to see them, and when they have looked at them for a very long time, everybody says to everybody else: The idea — my dear! The next picture Mary Poppins and the Match-Man came to was even better. It was the country — trees and grass and a little bit of blue sea in the distance, and something that looked like Margate in the background. My word! said Mary Poppins admiringly, stooping so that she could see it better. Why, Bert, whatever is the matter? For the Match-Man had caught hold of her other hand , and was looking very excited. Mary, he said, I got an idea! A real idea. Why don't we go t — right — this very day? Both toher, into the picture. Eh, Mary? And still holding her hands he drew her right out of the street, away from the iron railings and the lamp-posts, into the very middle of the picture. Pff! T they were, right inside it! How green it was t and how quiet, and what soft crisp grass under their feet! They could hardly believe it was true, and yet were green branches huskily rattling on their hats as they bent beneath them, and little coloured flowers curling round their shoes. They stared at each other, and each noticed that the other had changed. To Mary Poppins the Match-Man seemed to have bought himself an entirely suit of clothes, for he was wearing a bright green-and-red striped coat and white flannel trousers and, best of , a straw hat. He looked unusuy clean, as though he had been polished. Why, Bert, you look fine! she cried in an admiring voice. Bert could not say anything for a moment, for his mouth had fen and he was staring at her with round eyes. Then he gulped and said: Golly! That was . But he said it in such a way and stared so steadily and so delightedly at her that she took a little mirror out of her bag and looked at herself in it. She, too, she discovered, had changed. Round her shoulders hung a cloak of lovely artificial silk with watery patterns over it, and the tickling feeling at the back of her neck came, the mirror told her, from a long curly feather that swept down from the brim of her hat. Her best shoes had disappeared, and in their place were others much finer and with large diamond buckles shining upon them. She was still wearing the white gloves and carrying the umbrella. My goodness, said Mary Poppins, I am having a Day Out! So, still admiring themselves and each other, they moved on toher through the little wood, till they came upon a little space filled with sunlight. And t on a green table was Afternoon-Tea! A pile of raspberry-jam-cakes as high as Mary Poppins's waist stood in the centre, and beside it tea was boiling in a big brass urn. Best of , t were two plates of whelks and two pins to pick them out with. Strike me pink! said Mary Poppins. That was what she always said when she was d. Golly! said the Match-Man. And that was his particular phrase. 't you sit down, Moddom? enquired a voice, and they turned to find a t man in a black coat coming out of the wood with a table-napkin over his arm. Mary Poppins, thoroughly surprised, sat down with a plop upon one of the little green chairs that stood round the table. The Match-Man, staring, collapsed on to another. I'm the Waiter, you k! explained the man in the black coat. Oh! But I didn't see you in the picture, said Mary Poppins. Ah, I was behind the tree, explained the Waiter. 't you sit down? said Mary Poppins, politely. Waiters sit down, Moddom, said the man, but he seemed d at being asked. Your whelks, Mister! he said, pushing a plate of I'm the Waiter, you k! them over to the Match-Man. And your Pin! He dusted the pin on his napkin and handed it to the Match-Man. They began upon the afternoon-tea, and the Waiter stood beside them to see they had everything they needed. We're having them after , said Mary Poppins in a loud whisper, as she began on the heap of raspberry-jam-cakes. Golly! agreed the Match-Man, helping himself to two of the largest. Tea? said the Waiter, filling a large cup for each of them from the urn. They drank it and had two cups more each, and then, for luck, they finished the pile of raspberryjam-cakes. After that they got up and brushed the crumbs . T is Nothing to Pay, said the Waiter, before they had time to ask for the bill. It is a Pleasure. You will find the Merry-go-Round just over t! And he waved his hand to a little gap in the trees, w Mary Poppins and the Match-Man could see several wooden horses whirling round on a stand. That's funny, said she. I don't remember seeing that in the picture, either. Ah, said the Match-Man, who hadn't remembered it himself, it was in the Background, you see! The Merry-go-Round was just slowing down as they approached it. They leapt upon it, Mary Poppins on a black horse and the Match-Man on a grey. And when the music started again and they began to move, they rode the way to Yarmouth and back, because that was the place they both wanted most to see. When they returned it was nearly dark and the Waiter was watching for them. I'm very sorry, Moddom and Mister, he said politely, but we close at Seven. Rules, you k. May I show you the Way Out? They nodded as he flourished his table-napkin and walked on in front of them through the wood. It's a picture you've drawn this time, Bert, said Mary Poppins, putting her hand through the Match-Man's arm and drawing her cloak about her. Well, I did my best, Mary, said the Match-Man modestly. But you could see he was rey very d with himself indeed. Just then the Waiter stopped in front of them, beside a large white doorway that looked as though it were made of thick chalk lines. you are! he said. This is the Way Out. Good-bye, and thank you, said Mary Poppins, shaking his hand. Moddom, good-bye! said the Waiter, bowing so low that his head knocked against his knees. He nodded to the Match-Man, who cocked his head on one side and closed one eye at the Waiter, which was his way of bidding him farewell. Then Mary Poppins stepped through the white doorway and the Match-Man followed her. And as they went, the feather dropped from her hat and the silk cloak from her shoulders and the diamonds from her shoes. The bright clothes of the Match-Man faded, and his straw hat turned into his old ragged cap again. Mary Poppins turned and looked at him, and she k at once what had happened. Standing on the pavement she gazed at him for a long minute, and then her glance explored the wood behind him for the Waiter. But the Waiter was to be seen. T was nobody in the picture. Nothing moved t. Even the Merry-go-Round had disappeared. the still trees and the grass and the unmoving little patch of sea remained. But Mary Poppins and the Match-Man smiled at one another. They k, you see, what lay behind the trees…. ARE YOU QUITE sure he will be at ? said Jane, as they got the Bus, she and Michael and Mary Poppins. Would my Uncle ask me to bring you to tea if he intended to go out, I'd like to k? said Mary Poppins, who was evidently very ended by the question. She was wearing her blue coat with the silver buttons and the blue hat to match, and on the days when she wore these it was the easiest thing in the world to end her. three of them were on the way to pay a visit to Mary Poppins's uncle, Mr. Wigg, and Jane and Michael had looked forward to the trip for so long that they were more than half afraid that Mr. Wigg might not be in, after . Why is he ed Mr. Wigg — does he wear one? asked Michael, hurrying along beside Mary Poppins. He is ed Mr. Wigg because Mr. Wigg is his . And he doesn't wear one. He is bald, said Mary Poppins. And if I have any more questions we will just go Back . And she sniffed her usual sniff of displeasure. Jane and Michael looked at each other and frowned. And the frown meant: Don't let's ask her anything else or we'll t. Mary Poppins put her hat straight at the Tobacconist's Shop at the corner. It had one of those curious windows w t seem to be three of you instead of one, so that if you look long enough at them you begin to feel you are not yourself but a whole crowd of somebody else. Mary Poppins sighed with pleasure, however, when she saw three of herself, each wearing a blue coat with silver buttons and a blue hat to match. She thought it was such a lovely sight that she wished t had been a dozen of her or even thirty. The more Mary Poppins the better. Come along, she said sternly, as though they had kept her waiting. Then they turned the corner and pulled the bell of Number Three, Robertson Road. Jane and Michael could hear it faintly echoing from a long way away and they k that in one minute, or two at the most, they would be having tea with Mary Poppins's uncle, Mr. Wigg, for the first time ever. If he's in, of course, Jane said to Michael in a whisper. At that moment the door flew and a thin, watery-looking lady appeared. Is he in? said Michael quickly. I'll thank you, said Mary Poppins, giving him a terrible glance, to let me do the talking. How do you do, Mrs. Wigg, said Jane politely. Mrs. Wigg! said the thin lady, in a voice even thinner than herself. How dare you me Mrs. Wigg! No, thank you! I'm plain Miss Persimmon and proud of it. Mrs. Wigg indeed! She seemed to be quite upset, and they thought Mr. Wigg must be a very odd person if Miss Persimmon was so glad not to be Mrs. Wigg. Straight up and first door on the landing, said Miss Persimmon, and she went hurrying away down the passage saying: Mrs. Wigg indeed! to herself in a high, thin, outraged voice. Jane and Michael followed Mary Poppins upstairs. Mary Poppins knocked at the door. Come in! Come in! And welcome! ed a loud, cheery voice from inside. Jane's heart was pitterpattering with excitement. He is in! she signed to Michael with a look. Mary Poppins ed the door and pushed them in front of her. A large cheerful room lay before them. At one end of it a fire was burning brightly and in the centre stood an enormous table laid for tea —four cups and saucers, piles of bread and butter, crumpets, coconut cakes and a large plum cake with pink icing. And right now, we’re investing heavily in a [secret energy grid]( that could make oil and gas obsolete forever. [Watch this](. IF YOU WANT to find Cherry-Tree Lane you have to do is ask the Policeman at the cross-roads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side, scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-gloved finger and say: First to your right, second to your left, sharp right again, and you're t. Good-morning. And sure enough, if you follow his directions exly, you will be t — right in the middle of Cherry-Tree Lane, w the houses run down one side and the Park runs down the other and the cherrytrees go dancing right down the middle. If you are looking for Number Seventeen — and it is more than likely that you will be, for this book is about that particular house — you will very find it. To begin with, it is the smest house in the Lane. And besides that, it is the one that is rather dilapidated and needs a coat of paint. But Mr. s, who owns it, said to Mrs. s that she could have either a nice, clean, comfortable house or four children. But not both, for he couldn't afford it. And after Mrs. s had given the matter some consideration she came to the conclusion that she would rather have Jane, who was the eldest, and Michael, who came next, and John and Barbara, who were Twins and came last of . So it was settled, and that was how the s family came to live at Number Seventeen, with Mrs. Brill to cook for them, and Ellen to lay the tables, and Robertson Ay to cut the lawn and clean the knives and polish the shoes and, as Mr. s always said, to waste his time and my . And, of course, besides these t was Katie Nanna, who doesn't rey deserve to come into the book at because, at the time I am speaking of, she had just left Number Seventeen. Without by your or a word of warning. And what am I to do? said Mrs. s. Advertise, my dear, said Mr. s, putting on his shoes. And I wish Robertson Ay would go without a word of warning, for he has again polished one boot and left the other untouched. I sh look very lopsided. That, said Mrs. s, is not of the least importance. You haven't told me what I'm to do about Katie Nanna. I don't see how you can do anything about her since she has disappeared, replied Mr. s, But if it were me — I mean I — well, I should somebody to put in the Morning Paper the s that Jane and Michael and John and Barbara s (to say nothing of their Mother) require possible Nannie at the lowest possible wage and at once. Then I should wait and watch for the Nannies to queue up outside the front gate, and I should very cross with them for holding up the and making it necessary for me to give the policeman a shilling for putting him to so much trouble. I must be . Whew, it's as cold as the North Pole. Which way is the wind blowing? And as he said that, Mr. s popped his head out of the window and looked down the Lane to Admiral Boom's house at the corner. This was the grandest house in the Lane, and the Lane was very proud of it because it was built exly like a ship. T was a flagstaff in the garden, and on the roof was a gilt weathercock shaped like a telescope. Ha! said Mr. s, drawing in his head very quickly. Admiral's telescope says East Wind. I thought as much. T is frost in my bones. I sh wear two overcoats. And he kissed his absentmindedly on one side of her nose and waved to the children and went away to the City. , the City was a place w Mr. s went every day — except Sundays, of course, and Holidays — and while he was t he sat on a large chair in front of a large desk and made . day long he worked, cutting out pennies and shillings and half-crowns and threepenny-bits. And he brought them with him in his little black bag. Sometimes he would give some to Jane and Michael for their -boxes, and when he couldn't spare any he would say, The is broken, and they would k he hadn't made much that day. Well, Mr. s went with his black bag, and Mrs. s went into the drawing-room and sat t day long writing letters to the papers and begging them to send some Nannies to her at once as she was waiting; and upstairs in the Nursery, Jane and Michael watched at the window and dered who would come. They were glad Katie Nanna had gone, for they had liked her. She was old and fat and smelt of barley-water. Anything, they thought, would be better than Katie Nanna — if not much better. When the afternoon began to die away behind the Park, Mrs. Brill and Ellen came to give them their supper and to bath the Twins. And after supper Jane and Michael sat at the window watching for Mr. s to come , and listening to the sound of the East Wind blowing through the naked branches of the cherry-trees in the Lane. The trees themselves, turning and bending in the half light, looked as though they had gone mad and were dancing their roots out of the ground. T he is! said Michael, pointing suddenly to a shape that banged heavily against the gate. Jane peered through the gathering darkness. That's not Daddy, she said. It's somebody else. Then the shape, tossed and bent under the wind, lifted the latch of the gate, and they could see that it belonged to a woman, who was holding her hat on with one hand and carrying a bag in the other. As they watched, Jane and Michael saw a curious thing happen. As as the shape was inside the gate the wind seemed to catch her up into the air and fling her at the house. It was as though it had flung her first at the gate, waited for her to it, and then had lifted and thrown her, bag and , at the front door. The watching children heard a terrific bang, and as she landed the whole house shook. How funny! I've seen that happen before, said Michael. Let's go and see who it is! said Jane, and taking Michael's arm she drew him away from the window, through the Nursery and out on to the landing. From t they always had a good view of anything that happened in the front h. they saw their Mother coming out of the drawing-room with a visitor following her. Jane and Michael could see that the comer had shiny black hair—Rather like a wooden Dutch doll, whispered Jane. And that she was thin, with large feet and hands, and sm, rather peering blue eyes. Holding her hat on with one hand and carrying a bag in the other You'll find that they are very nice children, Mrs. s was saying. Michael's elbow gave a sharp dig at Jane's ribs. And that they give no trouble at , continued Mrs. s uncertainly, as if she herself didn't rey believe what she was saying. They heard the visitor sniff as though she didn't either. , about references— Mrs. s went on. Oh, I make it a rule to give references, said the other firmly. Mrs. s stared. But I thought it was usual, she said. I mean — I understood people always did. A very old-fashioned idea, to my mind, Jane and Michael heard the stern voice say. Very oldfashioned. Quite out of date, as you might say. , if t was one thing Mrs. s did not like, it was to be thought old-fashioned. She just couldn't bear it. So she said quickly: Very well, then. We 't bother about them. I asked, of course, in case you—er — required it. The nursery is upstairs— And she led the way towards the staircase, talking the time, without stopping once. And because she was doing that Mrs. s did not notice what was happening behind her, but Jane and Michael, watching from the top landing, had an excellent view of the extraordinary thing the visitor did. Certainly she followed Mrs. s upstairs, but not in the usual way. With her large bag in her hands she slid gracefully up the banisters, and arrived at the landing at the same time as Mrs. s. Such a thing, Jane and Michael k, had been done before. Down, of course, for they had often done it themselves. But up — ! They gazed curiously at the strange visitor. Well, that's settled, then. A sigh of relief came from the children's Mother. Quite. As long as I'm satisfied, said the other, wiping her nose with a large red and white bandanna handkerchief. Why, children, said Mrs. s, noticing them suddenly, what are you doing t? This is your nurse, Mary Poppins. Jane, Michael, say how do you do! And these — she waved her hand at the babies in their cots—are the Twins. Mary Poppins regarded them steadily, looking from one to the other as though she were making up her mind whether she liked them or not. Will we do? said Michael. Michael, don't be naughty, said his Mother. Mary Poppins continued to regard the four children searchingly. Then, with a long, loud sniff that seemed to indicate that she had made up her mind, she said: I'll take the position. For the world, as Mrs. s said to her husband later, as though she were doing us a signal honour. Perhaps she is, said Mr. s, putting his nose round the corner of the spaper for a moment and then withdrawing it very quickly. When their Mother had gone, Jane and Michael edged towards Mary Poppins, who stood, still ELS a post, with her hands folded in front of her. How did you come? Jane asked. It looked just as if the wind blew you . It did, said Mary Poppins briefly. And she proceeded to unwind her muffler from her neck and to take her hat, which she hung on one of the bedposts. As it did not seem as though Mary Poppins were going to say any more — though she sniffed a — Jane, too, remained silent. But when she bent down to undo her bag, Michael could not restrain himself. What a funny bag! he said, pinching it with his fingers. Carpet, said Mary Poppins, putting her key in the lock. To carry carpets in, you mean? No. Made of. Oh, said Michael. I see. But he didn't — quite. By this time the bag was , and Jane and Michael were more than surprised to find it was completely empty. Why, said Jane, t's nothing in it! What do you mean — nothing? demanded Mary Poppins, drawing herself up and looking as though she had been insulted. Nothing in it, did you say? And with that she took out from the empty bag a starched white apron and tied it round her waist. Next she unpacked a large cake of Sunlight Soap, a toothbrush, a packet of hairpins, a bottle of scent, a sm folding armchair and a box of throat lozenges. Jane and Michael stared. But I saw, whispered Michael. It was empty. Hush! said Jane, as Mary Poppins took out a large bottle labelled One Tea-Spoon to be Taken at Bed-Time. [image in footer dar devider] [small logotype footer Expert Modern Advice]( ExpertModernAdvice.com is sending this newsletter on behalf Inception Media, LLC. Inception Media, LLC appreciates your comments and inquiries. Please keep in mind, that Inception Media, LLC are not permitted to provide individualized fіnancіal advіse. This email is not financial advice and any іnvestment decіsіon you make is solely your responsibility. Feel frее to contact us toll frее Domestic/International: +17072979173 Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm ET, or email us support@expertmodernadvice.com. [Unsubscrіbe]( to stop receiving marketing communication from us. 600 N Broad St Ste 5 PMB 1 Middletown, DE 19709 2023 Inception Media, LLC. AII rights reserved [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy](