Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Laughing Gas

"Are you sure he's home?" Jane asked Aunt Mary when Jane, Michael and Aunt Mary got off the bus. "I ask you, if my uncle goes out, will he ask me to take you to tea?" answered Aunt Mary, who was obviously displeased by Jane's question.She was wearing her blue dress with silver buttons and a blue hat.The days when she was dressed like this were the easiest to annoy her. The three of them were at the house of Aunt Mary's uncle, Mr. Gatofa.Jane and Michael had been looking forward to visiting him for a long time, and were afraid that Mr. Gatofa would not be at home in the end. "Why is he called Mr. Gatofa? Does he wear a wig?" Michael asked Aunt Mary, hurrying beside her.

"He's called Mr. Gatofer, because his name is Mr. Gatofer. He doesn't wear any wigs at all, and he's bald," said Aunt Mary. "If you ask any more questions, we'll turn around and go home." She sniffed like she usually expresses her displeasure. Jane and Michael looked at me and I looked at you, frowning, which means: "Don't ask, or we won't be able to go there." Aunt Mary is adjusting her hat in front of a cigarette shop at the intersection.There is a strange window in this smoke shop, one person will show three people, if you look at it for a long time, you will think that you are not one person but a group of people.Aunt Mary sighed with joy when she saw herself three, each in a blue dress with silver buttons and a blue hat.She thought she looked so cute, she wished she could be a dozen or even thirty.The more Mary Poppins the merrier.

"Come on," she said sternly, as if they made her wait.Then they turned a corner and rang the bell at number three Robertson Street.Jane and Michael heard a faint echo in the distance, and they knew that in a minute, at most two, they would be having their first tea with Aunt Mary's uncle, Mr. Gatofa. “Of course, as long as he is at home,” Jane said to Michael quietly. At this moment the door opened, and a stiff, thin lady appeared. "Is he home?" Michael asked quickly. "Thank you," Aunt Mary gave him a hard look, "let me talk." "How do you do, Mrs. Gartofar," said Jane politely.

"Mrs. Gartofa!" said the thin lady in a softer voice than anyone else. "How dare you call me Mrs. Gartofa? No, I'm sorry! I'm Miss Persimmon, and I'm proud to be called that. What Mrs. Gartofa!" She looked very upset, and they thought, Miss Persimmon Since I am glad I am not Mrs. Gartofa, Mr. Gartofa must be a weirdo. "Go upstairs to the first door," Miss Persimmon said, walking quickly to the passage, and said to herself in a shrill, thin and angry voice, "What Mrs. Gartofa!" Jane and Michael followed Aunt Mary upstairs.Aunt Mary knocked on the door.

"Come in! Welcome!" cried a loud, cheerful voice from within.Jane's heart was beating with excitement. "He's home!" She winked at Michael. Aunt Mary opened the door and pushed them into the house.Before them was a large, pleasant room.A fire was roaring in the fireplace at one end of the room, and in the center was a large table, set for tea, four teacups and saucers, trays of bread and butter, scones, coconut cake, and a pink icing. Plum Cake. "Glad you're here," said a booming voice welcoming them.Jane and Michael looked around for the speaker.Can't see anywhere.There seemed to be no one in the room.Then they heard Aunt Mary say unhappily, "Oh, Uncle, don't it be... isn't it your birthday again?"

She spoke and looked up at the ceiling.Jane and Michael looked up, startled as they saw a fat, bald man hanging in mid-air.He seemed to be sitting there, for he had crossed his legs and had just put down a newspaper he was reading when they came in. "Honey," Mr. Jia Toufa bowed his head and smiled at the children, showing apologetic expression to Aunt Mary, "I'm sorry, today is my birthday." "Hey hey!" said Aunt Mary. "I just remembered last night that I didn't have time to send you a postcard, please come back another day. That's too bad, isn't it?" He said, looking down at Jane and Michael.

"I can see you are surprised," Mr Jatofa said.Indeed, their mouths fell open in astonishment, and if Mr. Gartofa had been smaller he might have fallen into one of them. "I think I'd better explain," Mr. Gatofa went on quietly. "You know what it is. I'm a jovial fellow, and I laugh very well. You won't believe how many things make me laugh. Almost everything makes me laugh." Mr. Jia Toufa began to jump up and down as he spoke, laughing involuntarily and trembling at the thought of his happiness. "Uncle Abby!" Aunt Mary called out, and Mr. Gatofa stopped laughing.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry. Where did I go? Oh, yes. I say it's funny--well, Mary, I don't laugh when I can't help it!--every time my birthday falls on a Friday , I'll fly. Really fly," Mr Jatofa said. "But why...?" Jane asked. "But why...?" Michael asked. "See, here's the thing. When I smile this day, I'm so full of laughing gas that I can't stay on the ground. Not even a smile. When I think of something funny, I go up like a balloon. Until I think about it." You have to do something serious to get back to the ground." Mr. Gatofa started to giggle again at this point, but when he saw Aunt Mary's face, he stopped laughing and said, "Of course it's troublesome, but I don't think it's unpleasant. .I don't think any of you have ever met one?"

Jane and Michael shook their heads. "Yes, I don't think so. It seems that this is a special habit of mine. Once, I went to see acrobats overnight. Believe it or not, I laughed so much that I woke up the next day and I was still laughing. I stayed here for twelve hours. Up there, I couldn't get down until the last knock at midnight, and of course I landed with a thud, because it was Saturday and it wasn't my birthday anymore. Weird, isn't it? Don't get too funny. " "It's Friday plus my birthday, and you two and Mary just came to see me. Oh my God, don't make me laugh, I beg you..." But Jane and Michael didn't do anything funny , Guang looked at him in surprise.He started laughing loudly again, and when he laughed, he jumped up and down in the air again, the newspaper rattling in his hand, his spectacles half on his nose, half off his nose.

He was so comical, bouncing up and down in the air like a man-shaped balloon, sometimes clutching the ceiling, sometimes touching the gas-pipes, that Jane and Michael, trying to be polite, tried not to laugh.They laughed.They also laughed.They pursed their lips together trying not to laugh, but it was no use.Now they were rolling and rolling on the ground, laughing and shouting. "Really!" said Aunt Mary. "Really, what does it look like!" "I can't help it. I can't help it!" Michael screamed as he rolled over to the mantelpiece. "Funny as hell. Oh, sister, don't you think it's funny?"

Jane didn't answer because a strange thing was happening to her.As she smiled, she felt that she was getting lighter and lighter, as if she had fully breathed out.It was a weird yet comfortable feeling that made her want to laugh more and more.Then she jumped suddenly, and felt like she was flying.Startled, Michael saw her fly to the top of the room.She bumped her head lightly on the ceiling, then bounced up and down the ceiling until she came to Mr. Gatofa. "Look!" said Mr. Gatofer, in the most astonishing manner. "Isn't today also your birthday?" Jane shook her head. "No? That's got to be laughing gas! Hey, watch out for the fireplace!" This was addressed to Michael, who flew up from the ground laughing and shot straight up, brushing the china decoration as he passed the fireplace.He jumped and landed on Mr. Gatofa's lap. "Hello," Mr. Jatofa shook hands with Michael affectionately. "I think you're so friendly, man, I think you're so friendly! I can't go down and you come up, don't you?" He and Michael look at each other, and then they both look up and laugh. "I say," said Mr. Gartofa, speaking to Jane, wiping his eyes, "that you would think that I have the worst attitude in the world. You are still standing, but a pretty lady like you ought to be sitting. I am afraid I am There's no way to get you a chair up here, but I think you'll find it nice to sit in the air. I really do." Jane tried it, and found it quite comfortable to sit in the air.She took off her hat and set it aside, no need for a hanger at all, it was hanging in the air. "That's right," said Mr. Jatofa.He turned to look at Aunt Mary below again. "Well, Mary, we're all settled. Now I can talk to you, dear. I must say, I'm very happy to welcome you and my two little friends here today. . . . Why, Mary, you Not happy. I'm afraid you don't approve of... er... these things." He waved to Jane and Michael, and went on: "I'm sorry, Mary dear. But you know how I feel. I must say, I never thought my two little friends would laugh." Damn, I really didn't think of that, Mary! I guess I should ask them to come back another day, or try to think of something sad, or—" "Well, I must say," said Aunt Mary solemnly, "I've never seen anything like it in my life. You're so old, Uncle..." "Aunt Mary, Aunt Mary, come up!" Michael interrupted her. "Think of something funny, and you'll find it easy." "Oh, just think about it now, Mary!" Mr. Gatofer advised her. "We'll be lonely up there if you don't come up!" Jane said, holding out her hands to Aunt Mary. "Must think of something funny!" "Oh, she doesn't need it," sighed Mr. Gitofar. "She can come up if she wants, even if she doesn't smile, she knows it." He looked mysteriously at Aunt Mary who was standing on the rug in front of the hearth below. "Well," said Aunt Mary, "that's absurd and immodest, but you're all up there, and you don't look like you're going to come down, so I think I'll have to go up." Jane and Michael were very surprised. They saw her standing at attention, not smiling at all, not even a shadow of a smile, she flew straight up and sat beside Jane. "How many times have I told you," she said sternly, "to take off your coat before entering a hot room." She unbuttoned Jane's coat, took it off, and put it next to the hat in mid-air. "That's right, Mary, that's right," said Mr. Gatofa with satisfaction, turning and setting his spectacles on the mantel-piece. "Now we're all comfortable..." "Nice," snorted Aunt Mary. "We can have tea," continued Mr. Gatofa, evidently not hearing her.At this moment a look of surprise crossed his face. "My God!" he said. "How horrible! It just occurred to me that the table is below and we are above here. What to do? We are above and it is below. It's terrible, terrible! But, oh, how funny!" He covered it with his handkerchief. The face laughed.Jane and Michael couldn't help laughing, although they didn't want to miss the scones and cakes, because Mr. Gatofa's joviality was infectious. Mr. Jatofa wiped away his tears. "There's only one way," he said. "We've got to think of something serious, something sad, something very, very sad, and we can go down. Well, one, two, three! Let's all think of something very, very sad!" They cupped their chins and thought and thought. Michael wanted school, wanted to go to school someday.But even thinking about it today is funny, he also wants to laugh. Jane thought: "I'll be grown up in fourteen years!" But it didn't hurt her at all now, it was very nice and funny.She couldn't help smiling when she thought of her growing up wearing a long skirt and carrying a handbag. "My poor Aunt Emily," said Mr. Gitofa thoughtfully, aloud. "She got run over by a bus. Sad. Very sad. Unbearably sad. Poor Aunt Emily. But her umbrella survived. That's funny, isn't it?" He laughed, Laughing so hard that I couldn't help shaking, panting, I almost forgot everything. "It's no use," he said, blowing his nose. "Never mind. It seems that my little friends have no better way of dealing with grief than I do. Can't you think of something better, Mary? We want tea." Jane and Michael could hardly make out what was going on at this time, but remembered that the table below moved when Mr. Gatofa begged Aunt Mary.It was shaking terribly now, the cups and plates were clanging, and the cakes were falling on the tablecloth.The table flew across the room, circled lightly, and came up beside them, with Mr. Gatofa right on top of it. "Good girl!" said Mr. Gartofar proudly of Aunt Mary. "I know you can do it. Well, will you sit opposite me and pour tea, Mary? Let the guests sit on both sides of me. Yes," he said. Saw Michael bouncing in mid-air to his right and Jane to his left, and now they were all seated around the half-empty table.Bread, butter, and sugar. Mr. Jia Toufa smiled with satisfaction. "I think the rule is to have the bread and butter first," he said to Jane and Michael, "but it's my birthday, and we're going to do it the other way around—I've always thought it was right—to have the cake first!" He cut a large piece for one person. "Want more tea?" he asked Jane.Before Jane could answer, she heard someone knocking on the door urgently and loudly. "Come in!" cried Mr. Gatofa. The door opened, and Miss Persimmon stood at the door, holding trays with a pot of boiling water on top. "Mr. Jia Toufa, I think you have to turn on..." she said, looking around in the room. "Why, I've never seen it! I've literally never seen it!" she said, as soon as she saw them all sitting around the table in the sky. "I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen it in my life. Yes, Mr. Gatofa, I've always known you were weird. But I don't give a shit as long as you pay your rent on time. But you're here Tea in the air, Mr. Gatofa, I'm frightened of you, it's so inappropriate for an elderly gentleman like you... I never would..." "You might, Miss Persimmon!" Michael said. "What will happen?" Miss Persimmon asked arrogantly. "Laughing gas, like us," Michael said. Miss Persimmon turned her head disapprovingly. "Young man," she retorted, "I wish I would be more self-respecting and not bouncing in mid-air like a rubber ball. Thanks, I'll stand on my feet, or my name won't be A Mi Persimmon, besides... oh my god, oh my god, oh my god... what happened? I can't walk, I'm... I... oh, help, help! " Miss Persimmon involuntarily left the ground, swayed in mid-air, turned around like a thin barrel, desperately holding the tray in her hand.When she came to the table and put down the pot of boiling water, she was so distressed that she was about to cry. "Thank you," said Aunt Mary quietly and politely. Then Miss Persimmon turned around and fell down again, grunting all the way: "It's so unseemly...but I'm a well-bred woman with a dignified walk. I have to go to the doctor..." She wrung her hands as soon as she was on the floor, and hurried out of the room without looking back. "So unseemly!" they heard her groan as she went out to close the door. "She's not called Ami Persimmon anymore, because she doesn't stand on the ground with her feet!" Jane whispered to Michael.But Mr. Gatofer looked at Aunt Mary--a curious look, half amused, half reproachful. "Mary, Mary, you shouldn't... God, you shouldn't have done it, Mary. The poor old lady will never forgive you. But, oh my, she's spinning around in mid-air, Isn't it funny... My God, isn't she funny like that?" He, Jane, and Michael thought how funny Miss Persimmon looked, and laughed again, rolling in the air, scratching, and being out of breath. "Oh my God!" Michael said. "Stop making me laugh. I can't stand it! I'm going to blow up!" "Oh, oh, oh!" Jane gasped, holding her hand to her chest. "Oh, my God, my God!" cried Mr. Gatofa, wiping his eyes with the hem of his coat, for he could not find his handkerchief. "It's time to go home," Aunt Mary's voice sounded like blowing a trumpet amidst the roar of laughter.Jane, Michael, and Mr. Jatofa came down with a thud and fell to the floor with a thud.The thought of going home was the first sad thought of the afternoon, and with that sad thought the laughing gas went away. Jane and Michael sighed, watching Aunt Mary slowly descend from midair with Jane's coat and hat.Mr. Jia Toufa also sighed, heaving a long and deep sigh. "Oh, isn't it such a pity?" He said seriously. "I'm so sorry you're going home. I've never had such a good afternoon, have you?" "Never before," said Michael sadly, feeling so bored without the laughing gas falling back on the floor. "Never before," said Jane, standing on tiptoe, kissing the wrinkled apple-face of Mr. Gartofar. "Never never never never...!" They sat on either side of Aunt Mary and went home by bus.They were both very quiet, trying to think of the lovely afternoon.Now Michael said drowsily to Aunt Mary, "Your uncle, do we do this one more time?" "What's it like?" said Aunt Mary sharply, as if Michael meant to offend her. "It's like this... jumping and laughing all the time, flying into the air." "Flying into the air?" Aunt Mary's voice was loud and angry. "Fly into the air, what do you mean by that?" Jane wanted to explain. "Brother means...does your uncle often be so full of laughter, rolling and bouncing on the ceiling..." "Rolling, bouncing and bouncing! What are you talking about! Rolling and bouncing on the ceiling, bouncing and bouncing! Say this I'm so ashamed of you!" Aunt Mary was clearly very angry. "But he flew up!" said Michael. "We saw it." "What, rolling and bouncing? How dare you say that! You must know that my uncle is a serious, honest, hard-working man. When you talk about him, please respect him. Don't bite your ticket! Rolling and bouncing, What kind of talk is this!" Michael and Jane looked at each other from Aunt Mary's side, and said nothing, because they knew that no matter how strange things happened, it was better not to argue with her. But they looked at each other and said, "Is Mr. Gartofa's story true? Is Aunt Mary right, or are we right?" But no one can give them a correct answer. The bus lurched violently, jumped up and down, and rumbled away. Aunt Mary sat between them, angrily, silently. At this time, they were both too tired, and they were getting closer and closer to her, and fell asleep on both sides of her, but they were still thinking...