Paddington Novels 1-3

choice, if I may say so, sir. As befits a young bear of taste. I can thoroughly recommend it.”
    The man pulled a piece of rope through a hole in the side of the box and handed it toPaddington. “This type of expanding clothes-line is used by some of the best families in the country.”
    Paddington looked suitably impressed as he climbed down, holding on to the rope with his paw.
    “You see,” continued the man, bending over the counter, “it is all quite simple. The clothes-line is all contained inside this box. As you walk away with the rope, it unwinds itself. Then, when you have finished with it, you simply turn this handle…” A puzzled note came into his voice.
    “You simply turn this handle,” he repeated, trying again. Really, it was all most annoying. Instead of the clothes-line going back into the box as it was supposed to, more was actually coming out.
    “I’m extremely sorry, sir,” he began, looking up from the counter. “Something seems to have jammed…” His voice trailed away and a worried look come into his eyes, for Paddington was nowhere in sight.
    “I say,” he called, to another assistant farther along the counter. “Have you seen a young bear gentleman go past – pulling on a clothes-line?”
    “He went that way,” replied the otherman, briefly. He pointed towards the china department. “I think he got caught in the crowd.”
    “Oh dear,” said Paddington’s assistant, as he picked up the green box and began pushing his way through the crowd of shoppers, following the trail of the clothes-line. “Oh dear! Oh dear!”
    As it happened, the assistant wasn’t the only one to feel worried. At the other end of the clothes-line Paddington was already in trouble. Crumbold & Ferns was filled with people doing their Christmas shopping, and none of them seemed to have time for a small bear. Several times he’d had to crawl under a table in order to avoid being trodden on.
    It was a very good clothes-line, and Paddington felt sure Mrs Bird would like it. But he couldn’t help wishing he’d chosen something else. There seemed to be no end to it, and he kept getting it tangled round people’s legs.
    He went on and on, round a table laden with cups and saucers, past a pillar, underneath another table, and still the clothes-line trailed after him. All the time the crowd was getting thicker and thicker and Paddington had to push hard to make any headway at all. Once ortwice he nearly lost his hat.

    Just as he had almost given up hope of ever finding his way back to the Household Department again, he caught sight of the assistant. To Paddington’s surprise, the man was sitting on the floor, looking very red in the face. His hair was all ruffled and he appeared to be struggling with a table leg.
    “Ah, there you are!” he gasped, when he caught sight of Paddington. “I suppose you realise, young bear, I’ve been following you all round the China Department. Now you’ve tied everything up in knots.”
    “Oh dear,” said Paddington, looking at the rope. “Did I do that? I’m afraid I got lost.Bears aren’t very good in crowds, you know. I must have gone under the same table twice.”
    “What have you done with the other end?” shouted the assistant.

    He wasn’t in the best of tempers. It was hot and noisy under the table and people kept kicking him. Apart from that, it was most undignified.
    “It’s here,” said Paddington, trying to find his end of the rope. “At least – it was a moment ago.”
    “Where?” shouted the assistant. He didn’t know whether it was simply the noise of thecrowd, but he still couldn’t understand a word this young bear uttered. Whenever he did say anything it seemed to be accompanied by a strong crunching noise and a strong smell of peppermint.
    “Speak up,” he shouted, cupping a hand to his ear. “I can’t hear a word you say.”
    Paddington looked at the man uneasily. He looked rather cross and he was beginning to wish he had left his bullseye on the pavement outside. It was a very nice bullseye but it made talking most difficult.
    It was as he felt in his duffle coat pocket for a handkerchief that it happened.
    The assistant jumped slightly and the expression on his face froze and then gradually changed to one of disbelief.
    “Excuse me,” said Paddington, tapping him on the shoulder, “but I think my bullseye has fallen in your ear!”
    “Your bullseye?” exclaimed the man, in a horrified tone of voice. “Fallen in my