"A lion, Smith? What nonsense you talk! The lions are in the Zoo!"
"A lion?" echoed the Aldermen. "Ha, ha! What a silly story!"
"It's true!" yelled Jane and Michael at once. "Look out! He's just behind you!"
The three portly figures turned, and their faces grew pale as marble.
The Lord Mayor waved a feeble hand at the trembling Aldermen.
"Get me water! Wine! Hot milk!" he moaned.
But for once the Aldermen disobeyed. Hot milk, indeed! they seemed to say as they dragged him to the Prime Minister's tree and pushed him into the branches.
"Police! Police!" the Lord Mayor cried, catching hold of a bough.
"I'm here, your Honour!" the Policeman panted, pushing away a tawny paw.
But the Lion took this for a mark of affection.
"Gurrrrumph!" he said in a husky voice, as he clasped the Policeman tighter.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" Miss Lark wailed. "Has nobody got a gun?"
"A dagger! A sword! A crowbar!" cried the voices from every tree.
The Park was ringing with shouts and screams. The Park Keeper rattled his stick on the litter-basket. "Yoo-hoo!" cried the Keeper of the Zoological Gardens to distract the Lion's attention. The Lion was growling. The Policeman was yelling. The Lord Mayor and the Aldermen were still crying "Police!"
Then suddenly a silence fell. And a neat, trim figure appeared on the path. Straight on she came, as a ship into port, with the perambulator wheeling before her and the tulip standing up stiff on her hat.
Creak went the wheels.
Tap went her shoes.
And the watching faces grew pale with horror as she tripped towards the Lion.
"Go back, Mary Poppins!" screamed Miss Lark, breaking the awful silence. "Save yourself and the little ones! There's a wild beast down on the path!"
Mary Poppins looked up at Miss Lark's face as it hung like a fruit among the leaves.
"Go back? When I've only just come out?" She smiled a superior smile.
"Away! Away!" The Prime Minister warned her. "Take care of those children, woman!"
Mary Poppins gave him a glance so icy that he felt himself freeze to the bough.
"I am taking care of these children, thank you. And as for the wild beasts" She gave a sniff. "They seem to be all in the trees!"
"It's a lion, Mary Poppins, look!" Michael pointed a trembling finger and she turned and beheld the two locked figures.
The Policeman now was ducking sideways to prevent the Lion licking his cheek. His helmet was off and his face was pale, but he still had a plucky look in his eye.
"I might have known it!" said Mary Poppins, as she stared at the curious pair. "Rover!" she called in exasperation. "What do you think you're doing?"
From under his lacy, flopping mane the Lion pricked up an ear.
"Rover!" she called again. "Down, I say!"
The Lion gave one look at her and dropped with a thud to the ground. Then he gave a little throaty growl and bounded away towards her.
"Oh, the Twins! He'll eat them! Help!" cried Jane.
But the Lion hardly looked at the Twins. He was fawning at Mary Poppins. He rolled his eyes and wagged his tail and arched himself against her skirt. Then away he rushed to the Policeman, seized the blue trousers between his teeth and tugged them towards the perambulator.
"Don't be so silly!" said Mary Poppins. "Do as I tell you! Let him go! You've got the wrong one."
The Lion loosed the trouser-leg and rolled his eyes in surprise.
"Do you mean," the Prime Minister called from his bough, "he's to eat another Policeman?"
Mary Poppins made no reply. Instead, she fished inside her handbag and brought out a silver whistle. Then, setting it daintily to her lips, she puffed out her cheeks and blew.
"WhyI could have blown my whistle" the Policeman stared at the silver shape"if only I'd thought of it."
She turned upon him a look of scorn. "The trouble with you is that you don't think. Neither do you!" she snapped at the Lion.
He hung his head between his paws and looked very hurt and foolish.
"You don't listen, either," she added severely. "In at one ear and out of the next. There was no need to make such a foolish mistake."
The Lion's tail crept between his legs.
"You're careless, thoughtless and inattentive. You ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself."
The Lion gave a humble snuffle as though he agreed with her.
"Who whistled?" called a voice from the Gate. "Who summoned an Officer of the Law?"
Along the Walk came another policeman, limping unevenly. His face had a melancholy look, as though he possessed a secret sorrow.
"I can't stay long whatever it is," he said, as he reached the group. "I left the lights when I heard the whistle and I must get back to them. Why, Egbert!" he said to the First Policeman, "what's the matter with you?"
"Oh, nothing to complain of, Albert! I've just been attacked by a lion!"
"Lion?" The sad face grew a shade more cheerful as the Second Policeman glanced about him. "Oh, what a beauty!" he exclaimed, limping towards the tawny shape at Mary Poppins' side.
Jane turned to whisper in Michael's ear.
"He must be the Policeman's brother the one with the wooden foot!"
"Nice lion! Pretty lion!" said the Second Policeman softly.