Paddington Novels 1-3

It’s not really done in the best circles, but I’m sure no one will mind just this once.”
    Paddington removed his hat and laid it carefully on the table while Mr Brown poured out the tea. He looked hungrily at the cakes, in particular at a large cream-and-jam one which Mr Brown placed on a plate in front of him.
    “There you are, Paddington,” he said. “I’m sorry they haven’t any marmalade ones, but they were the best I could get.”
    “I’m glad I emigrated,” said Paddington, as he reached out a paw and pulled the plate nearer. “Do you think anyone would mind if I stood on the table to eat?”
    Before Mr Brown could answer he had climbed up and placed his right paw firmly on the bun. It was a very large bun, the biggest and stickiest Mr Brown had been able to find, and in a matter ofmoments most of the inside found its way on to Paddington’s whiskers. People started to nudge each other and began staring in their direction. Mr Brown wished he had chosen a plain, ordinary bun, but he wasn’t very experienced in the ways of bears. He stirred his tea and looked out of the window, pretending he had tea with a bear on Paddington station every day of his life.

    “Henry!” The sound of his wife’s voice brought him back to earth with a start. “Henry, whatever are you doing to that poor bear? Look at him! He’s covered all over with cream and jam.”
    Mr Brown jumped up in confusion. “He seemed rather hungry,” he answered, lamely.
    Mrs Brown turned to her daughter. “This is what happens when I leave your father alone for five minutes.”
    Judy clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, Daddy, is he really going to stay with us?”
    “If he does,” said Mrs Brown, “I can see someone other than your father will have to look after him. Just look at the mess he’s in!”
    Paddington, who all this time had been too interested in his bun to worry about what was going on, suddenly became aware that people were talking about him. He looked up to see that Mrs Brown had been joined by a little girl, with laughing blue eyes and long, fair hair. He jumped up, meaning to raise his hat, and in his haste slipped on a patch of strawberry jam which somehow or other had found its way on to the glass table-top. For a brief moment he had a dizzy impression of everything and everyone being upside down. He waved his paws wildly in the air and then, before anyone could catch him, he somersaulted backwards and landed with a splash in his saucer of tea. He jumped up even quickerthan he had sat down, because the tea was still very hot, and promptly stepped into Mr Brown’s cup.

    Judy threw back her head and laughed until the tears rolled down her face. “Oh, Mummy, isn’t he funny!” she cried.
    Paddington, who didn’t think it at all funny, stood for a moment with one foot on the table and the other in Mr Brown’s tea. There were large patches of white cream all over his face, and on his left ear there was a lump of strawberry jam.
    “You wouldn’t think,” said Mrs Brown, “that anyone could get in such a state with just one bun.”
    Mr Brown coughed. He had just caught thestern eye of a waitress on the other side of the counter. “Perhaps,” he said, “we’d better go. I’ll see if I can find a taxi.” He picked up Judy’s belongings and hurried outside.
    Paddington stepped gingerly off the table and, with a last look at the sticky remains of his bun, climbed down on to the floor.
    Judy took one of his paws. “Come along, Paddington. We’ll take you home and you can have a nice hot bath. Then you can tell me all about South America. I’m sure you must have had lots of wonderful adventures.”
    “I have,” said Paddington earnestly. “Lots. Things are always happening to me. I’m that sort of bear.”
    When they came out of the buffet Mr Brown had already found a taxi and he waved them across. The driver looked hard at Paddington and then at the inside of his nice, clean taxi.
    “Bears is extra,” he said gruffly. “Sticky bears is twice as much again.”
    “He can’t help being sticky, driver,” said Mr Brown. “He’s just had a nasty accident.”
    The driver hesitated. “All right, ’op in. But mindnone of it comes off on me interior. I only cleaned it out this morning.”
    The Browns trooped obediently into the back of the taxi. Mr and Mrs Brown and Judy sat in the back, while Paddington stood on a tip-up seat behind the driver so that he could see out of the window.
    The sun