Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Vacation

"Once every fortnight, on Thursdays from two to five," said Mrs. Bankes. Aunt Mary stared at her closely and said, "Ma'am, it's one to six o'clock every other week in the upper class. I hope it's the same, or..." Aunt Mary didn't go on, but Mrs. Banks understood what was next talk.The following words are to leave if she doesn't. "Very well," said Mrs. Bankes hastily, wishing that Aunt Mary knew as much about the gentlemen as she did.So Aunt Mary put on her white gloves, and carried her umbrella under her arm--not for fear of rain, but for the pretty handle, which she couldn't keep at home.There is a parrot head on the umbrella handle, how can this kind of umbrella survive?Besides, Aunt Mary loves fashion, and she wants to be seen in her most beautiful appearance.To tell the truth, she thinks 100% that she will look beautiful to others.

Jane waved to her from the upstairs nursery window. "Where are you going?" she called. "Close the window, please," replied Aunt Mary.Jane’s head retracted quickly. Aunt Mary walked down the garden path and opened the yard door.When she reached the alley outside, she walked quickly, as if she was afraid that she would not be able to keep up with time, so she slipped away this afternoon.At the entrance of the alley, she turned right and then left.The policeman said hello and Aunt Mary nodded haughtily to him.At this time, she felt that her vacation had begun. She stopped beside an empty car, straightened her hat against the window, smoothed her blouse, and clamped her umbrella so that the handle, or rather the parrot's head, could be seen.After dressing up, she went to meet the match seller.Although he is a match seller, the man has two occupations.Not only did he sell matches like a normal match seller, but he also painted pictures on the sidewalk.He alternated between the two occupations according to the weather.When it rains, he sells matches, because the paintings will be washed away by the rain.On sunny days, he would kneel on the sidewalk all day and draw with colored pink pens. He painted very quickly. Before you reached the corner, he had already filled one side of the sidewalk and then painted the other side.

Although the day was cold, it was sunny and he was painting.Aunt Mary tiptoed towards him, trying to surprise him, while he was adding two bananas, an apple, and Queen Elizabeth's head to a long series. "Hello!" Aunt Mary called him very gently. He just put streaks of brown on a banana, and brown curls on Queen Elizabeth's head. "Ahem!" Aunt Mary let out two female coughs. He jumped, turned and saw her. "Mary!" he cried, and from that tone you knew how important Aunt Mary was to his life.Aunt Mary looked down at her feet and wiped one toe on the pavement two or three times.Then she smiled at the shoe; the shoe knew very well that the smile was not directed at it.

"I'm off today, Bert," she said. "Don't you remember?" Bert was the match seller, and his full name was Herbert Alfred. "Of course I do, Mary," he said, "but . . . " He stopped, looking sadly at his hat.The hat lay on the ground beside the last picture, and there were only twopence coins in it.He picked them up, tinkling. "Is that all you make, Bert?" said Aunt Mary, but she talked so cheerfully that you couldn't say she was disappointed. "That's all," he said. "Business is bad today. Do you think everyone is happy to pay to see these paintings?" He nodded at Queen Elizabeth's head. "Well, that's all, Mary," he sighed. "I'm afraid I can't invite you to tea today."

Aunt Mary thought of the raspberry jam cake they both always ate when she was resting, and was about to sigh when she saw the match man's face.She cleverly changed her sigh into a smile--sweet, with the corners of her mouth turned up--and said: "It's nothing, Bert. Don't take it to heart. I think it's better without tea. It's not an easy treat." Digestion, really." You don't know how much Aunt Mary loves raspberry jam cake, it's her kindness. The match-seller evidently thought of that too, for he took one of her white-gloved hands in his own and squeezed it firmly.Then they walked along the row of paintings.

"There is a picture you have never seen before!" the match seller said proudly, pointing to a picture.The painting shows a mountain covered with snow, and grasshoppers are everywhere on the slopes squatting on big roses. This time Aunt Mary could sigh greatly without breaking his heart. "Oh, Bert," she said, "it's a very nice picture!" From her tone, he felt that the picture should be sent to the Royal Academy.It was a large painting hall, displaying paintings by many famous artists.People came to see the painting, looked at it for a long time, and said to each other: "It's really good, my dear!"

The next picture that Aunt Mary and the match seller looked at was even better.This is the countryside, the painting is full of trees and grass, with a bit of blue sea in the distance, and the background is a bit like Margate bathing beach. "That's great!" Aunt Mary praised, bending down to get a better look. "Bert, what's the matter?" The match seller now took her other hand, looking very excited. "Mary," he said, "I've got an idea! A good idea. Why don't we go up there, right now, to-day? Both of us, into the painting. What do you say, Mary?" He remained Grab her hands and lead her away from the street, away from the iron fences and light poles, and into the painting.Well, here they are, in the picture!

How green it is, how quiet it is, and how soft the grass is underfoot!They could hardly believe it was true, but as they stooped under the green branches, the branches rustled on their hats, and the little colorful flowers bent over the edges of their shoes.They looked at each other and saw each other change.It seemed to Aunt Mary that the match seller had bought himself a new suit, for he was now wearing a bright red and green jacket, white flannel trousers, and the most beautiful thing was his new straw hat.It was rare for him to look so clean, as if he had just been scrubbed. "Why, Bert, you look so beautiful!" she cried in an admiring voice.

Burt couldn't speak for a moment, his mouth opened wide, and he stared at her with rounded eyes.Then he swallowed and said, "My God!" That's all.But the way he spoke and the way he looked at her with pleasure made her take a mirror out of her handbag and look at it. She too found herself transformed, with a lovely rayon shawl over her shoulders covered in water kisses.She felt itchy on her neck, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw a long curly feather hanging from the brim of her hat, scratching her neck.What she thought was her best pair of shoes was gone, and she had replaced them with a better pair, with large jewel buttons shining on them.She still wears white gloves and holds an umbrella.

"My God," said Aunt Mary, "I'm on vacation!" Admiring themselves and each other in this way, they walked through the grove together and came to a small clearing full of sunshine.There's a green table there and afternoon tea is set! In the center was a tall pile of raspberry jam cakes, reaching up to Aunt Mary's waist.A copper pot of tea was burning next to the cake.There are also two plates of oiled snails, and two needles beside them are used to pick out the meat of the oiled snails. "It's like a dream!" said Aunt Mary.She always said that when she was happy.

"Wow!" said the match seller.This is also his mantra. "Sit down, ma'am!" came a voice.They turned their faces and saw a tall man coming out of the woods.The man was dressed in black, with a napkin over his arm. Aunt Mary was completely taken aback. She plopped down on a small green chair by the table.The match seller looked at him with wide eyes, and also sat down on another chair. "I'm a waiter, two," the man in black explained to them. "Oh! I never saw you in the picture," said Aunt Mary. "Ah, I'm right behind the tree," said the waiter. "Aren't you going to sit?" Aunt Mary asked politely. "Waiters don't sit, ma'am," said the man, though he seemed glad to be offered one. "Please eat conch, sir!" He pointed to the plate of conch to the match seller. "This needle, please!" He wiped a needle on his napkin and handed it to him. The two of them began to have tea, and the waiter stood by to see what they wanted. "We've got it at last," said Aunt Mary in a low voice, reaching for the great plate of cakes with raspberry jam. "Well!" The match seller agreed with her and took the two largest ones. "How about a cup of tea?" said the waiter, pouring each of them a large cup from the copper kettle. They had one drink, or two, and, as a sign of good luck, ate up a large plate of cakes with raspberry jam.Then they stood up, brushing off the cake crumbs. "No need to pay," the waiter said to them without waiting for their bill. "It's an honor for us to have you here. There's a merry-go-round right there!" He waved toward a narrow gap between the trees, and Aunt Mary and the matchman saw several carousel horses spinning. "Strange," she said. "I don't remember seeing them in paintings either." "Ah," the match seller couldn't remember, "I think they should be inside the painting?" They came to the merry-go-round, and the carousel just slowed down, and they jumped on it, Aunt Mary on a black one, and the match seller on a gray one.The music came back on and they started turning.They rode to Yarmouth Harbor and back, Yarmouth Harbor was the place the two of them most wanted to see. When they came back, it was almost dark, and the waiter was waiting for them. "I'm very sorry, ma'am and sir," he said politely, "we close at seven o'clock. That's the rule, you know. Let me show you the way, please?" They nodded, and the waiter, shaking his napkin, led the way through the woods ahead of them. "You've got a really good picture this time, Bert," said Aunt Mary, taking the Stickman's arm and pulling the shawl tight. "I'll try to paint it as well as I can, Mary," said the match-seller modestly.But you could see he was really proud of it.Just then, the waiter stopped in front of them.In front was a large white porch that seemed to be drawn in rough lines with chalk. "Here we are!" he said. "This is the exit." "Good-bye, thank you," said Aunt Mary, shaking his hand. "Goodbye, ma'am!" said the waiter, playing himself up to his knees. Then he nodded to the match seller, who tilted his head and closed one eye to the waiter, his way of saying goodbye.Then Aunt Mary came out of the white porch, followed by the match seller. As they walked, the feathers from her hat, the silk shawl from her shoulders, and the jewel buttons from her shoes disappeared.The stickman's bright clothes have faded, and his straw hat has returned to his old battered sunshade.Aunt Mary turned to look at him, and immediately understood what was the matter.She stood on the sidewalk watching him for a long minute, then looked up to the woods behind him for the waiter.But the waiter was gone.There is no one in the picture.Nothing moved.The carousel is also gone.There are only motionless trees and grass, and a little motionless sea. But Aunt Mary and the match seller laughed at each other.They understand what's behind the trees... As soon as she came back from vacation, Jane and Michael rushed at her. "Where have you been?" they asked her. "To Fairy Tale," said Aunt Mary. "See Cinderella?" said Jane. "Huh, Cinderella? I didn't see it," said Aunt Mary nonchalantly. "What's Cinderella!" "And Robinson?" Michael asked. "Robinson... huh!" said Aunt Mary gruffly. "Then why have you ever been to the fairy tale world? That won't be our fairy tale world!" Aunt Mary sniffed loudly. "Don't you know," she said in a pitiful tone, "everyone has his own fairy tale world!" She sniffed again, went upstairs to take off her white gloves, and put down her umbrella.