Paddington Novels 1-3

steps. In fact there were so many he almost wished they had gone downstairs instead. Not only that, but as he followed the Browns through the entrance to the circle he discovered it was all dark inside.
    “This way, please,” said the usherette, as she led the way down some stairs and shone her torch along a row of seats in the front row. “You’re lucky. There are just six left together.”
    “Thank you very much,” said Mrs Brown, as she made her way along the row. “Excuse me, please. Excuse me. Thank you very much.”
    She sat down and arranged herself comfortably as the others joined her.
    “That’s a bit of luck,” whispered Mr Brown. “Finding six together.”
    “Seven,” said Mrs Brown. “There’s stillanother one between us.”
    “So there is!” whispered Mr Brown, groping in the dark. “That’s odd. The girl said there were only six.” He looked along the row. “Where’s Paddington?”
    “Paddington?” exclaimed Mrs Brown. “Isn’t he with you, Henry?”
    “No,” replied Mr Brown. “I thought you had him.”
    “Oh, crumbs,” groaned Judy. “Trust Paddington to get lost.”
    “Where on earth can he have got to?” grumbled Mr Brown as he struck a match and began looking under the seats.
    “Here I am, Mr Brown,” called Paddington from the end of the row. “I went all the way along by mistake.”
    “Sssh!” said a nasty-sounding voice from the row behind.
    “It’s all dark and I can’t see,” exclaimed Paddington as he was passed back along the row.
    “Are you all right now, dear?” whispered Mrs Brown, as Paddington sat down beside her.
    “I think so,” said Paddington, peering at the screen.
    “Oi!” said the nasty voice from behindagain. “’Ow about taking yer titfer off?”
    Paddington turned and stared in the direction of the speaker. “My titfer?” he exclaimed. “Take my titfer off?”
    “That’s right,” said the voice. “Your tit for tat.”
    “I think he means your hat, dear,” explained Mrs Brown. “It’s probably getting in the way of the screen.”
    Paddington thought for a moment. He wasn’t at all keen on taking his hat off in case it got lost in the dark. “I’ll turn it round if you like,” he said generously. “Then you can look through one of the holes.”
    Having solved the problem of the man behind, Paddington gave his attention to the screen. It was all very interesting, with people dashing about all over the place and with music that got louder and louder, but Paddington found it difficult to understand what it was all about. To his surprise, after only a few minutes the music suddenly ended and all the lights in the cinema came on.
    “Well,” he exclaimed, looking most disappointed. “I didn’t think much of that!”
    “It’s all right, Paddington,” explained Judy. “That’s what’s showing next week. That was only the trailer.”
    But her words fell on empty ears for Paddington was staring at the screen again and licking his whiskers.
    “Oh dear,” groaned Mr Brown, as he followed Paddington’s gaze. “They would have to advertise ice-cream. They must have known he was coming.” He felt in his pocket. “You’d better get six tubs, and some nougat or something for the big picture, Jonathan.”
    “I think I’m going to enjoy myself,” announced Paddington a few minutes later as Mr Brown handed him the refreshments.
    He dipped his spoon into the ice-cream tub and stared excitedly at the screen as the lights went down again to herald the start of the cowboy film.
    Paddington enjoyed the cowboy film much more than the trailer, and he soon became quite lost in the story. He stood up on his seat with his paws on the balcony and his eyes glued to the screen. Every now and then he automatically dipped his spoon into the ice-cream tub and several times a lump fell off the spoon before it had even reached his mouth, which was most unusual.
    It was all very complicated at first. Everyone seemed to be shooting at everyone else and Paddington got very worried in casethere was no one left and they had to stop the film.
    Each time the villain, who wore a black mask and a black hat, came on to the screen he booed, and when the hero appeared, riding a white horse, he cheered and waved his hat in the air until Mrs Brown became quite embarrassed. She wasn’t at all sorry when at long last the hero rode off into the setting sun and the film came to an end.
    “Most enjoyable,” said Mrs Bird, rather surprisingly. The