LITMIR.BIZ

      He was an industrious bear and even though it was hard work and his legs and paws soon got tired, he persevered until he had a huge pile of sand in the middle of his circle. Then he set to work with his spade, smoothing out the walls and making the battlements. They were very good battlements, with holes for windows and slots for the archers to fire through.

      When he had finished he stuck his spade in one of the corner towers, placed his hat on top of that, and then lay down inside next to his marmalade jar and closed his eyes. He felt tired, but very pleased with himself. With the gentle roar of the sea in his ears he soon went fast asleep.

      “We’ve been all along the beach,” said Jonathan. “And we can’t see him anywhere.”

      “He didn’t even have his life-belt with him,” said Mrs Brown anxiously. “Nothing. Just a bucket and spade.” The Browns were gathered in a worried group round the man from the lifesaving hut.

      “He’s been gone several hours,” said Mr Brown. “And the tide’s been in over two!”

      The man looked serious. “And you say he can’t swim?” he asked.

      “He doesn’t even like having a bath much,” said Judy. “So I’m sure he can’t swim.”

      “Here’s his photograph,” said Mrs Bird. “He only had it taken this morning.” She handed the man Paddington’s picture and then dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “I know something’s happened to him. He wouldn’t have missed tea unless something was wrong.”

      The man looked at the picture. “We could send out a description,” he said, dubiously. “But it’s a job to see what he looks like by that. It’s all hat and dark glasses.”

      “Can’t you launch a lifeboat?” asked Jonathan, hopefully.

      “We could,” said the man. “If we knew where to look. But he might be anywhere.”

      “Oh, dear,” Mrs Brown reached for her handkerchief as well. “I can’t bear to think about it.”

      “Something will turn up,” said Mrs Bird, comfortingly.”He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

      “Well,” said the man, holding up a dripping straw hat. “You’d better have this, and in the meantime… we’ll see what we can do.”

      “There, there, Mary!” Mr Brown held his wife’s arm. “Perhaps he just left it on the beach or something. It may have got picked up by the tide.” He bent down to pick up the rest of Paddington’s belongings. They seemed very small and lonely, lying there on their own.

      “It’s Paddington’s hat all right,” said Judy, examining it. “Look – it’s got his mark inside!” She turned the hat inside out and showed them the outline of a paw mark in black ink and the words MY HAT – PADINGTUN.

      “I vote we all separate,” said Jonathan, “and comb the beach. We’ll stand more chance that way.”

      Mr Brown looked dubious. “It’s getting dark,” he said.

      Mrs Bird put down the travelling rug and folded her arms. “Well, I’m not going back until he’s found,” she said. “I couldn’t go back to that empty house – not without Paddington.”

      “No one’s thinking of going back without him, Mrs Bird,” said Mr Brown. He looked helplessly out to sea. “It’s just…”

      “P’raps he didn’t get swep’ out to sea,” said the lifesaving man, helpfully. “P’raps he’s just gone on the pier or something. There seems to be a big crowd heading that way. Must be something interesting going on.” He called out to a man who was just passing. “What’s going on at the pier, chum?”

      Without stopping, the man looked back over his shoulder and shouted, “Chap just crossed the Atlantic all by ’isself on a raft. ’Undreds of days without food or water so they say!” He hurried on.

      The lifesaving man looked disappointed. “Another of these publicity stunts,” he said. “We get ’em every year.”

      Mr Brown looked thoughtful. “I wonder,” he said, looking in the direction of the pier.

      “It would be just like him,” said Mrs Bird. “It’s the sort of thing that would happen to Paddington.”

      “It’s got to be!” cried Jonathan. “It’s just got to be!”

      They all looked at each other and then, picking up their belongings, joined the crowd hurrying in the direction of the pier. It took them a long time to force their way through the turnstile, for the news that ‘something was happening on the pier’ had spread and there was a great throng at the entrance. But eventually, after Mr Brown had spoken to a policeman, a way was made for them and they were escorted to the very end, where the paddle-steamers normally tied up.

      A strange sight met their eyes. Paddington, who had just been pulled out of the water by a fisherman, was sitting on his upturned bucket talking to some reporters. Several of them were taking photographs while the rest fired questions at him.

      “Have you come all the way from America?” asked one reporter.

      The Browns, hardly knowing whether to laugh or cry, waited eagerly for Paddington’s reply.

      “Well, no,” said Paddington, truthfully, after a moment’s pause. “Not America. But I’ve come a long way.” He waved a paw vaguely in the direction of the sea. “I got caught by the tide, you know.”

      “And you sat in that bucket all the time?” asked another man, taking a picture.

      “That’s right,” replied Paddington. “And I used my spade as a paddle. It was lucky I had it with me.”

      “Did you live on plankton?” queried another voice.

      Paddington looked puzzled. “No,” he said. “Marmalade.”

      Mr Brown pushed his way through the crowd. Paddington jumped up and looked rather guilty.

      “Now then,” said Mr Brown, taking his paw. “That’s enough questions for today. This bear’s been at sea for a long time and he’s tired. In fact,” he looked meaningfully at Paddington, “he’s been at sea all the afternoon!”

      “Is it still only Tuesday?” asked Paddington, innocently. “I thought it was much later than that!”

      “Tuesday,” said Mr Brown firmly. “And we’ve been worried to death over you!”

      Paddington picked up his bucket and spade and jar of marmalade. “Well,” he said. “I bet not many bears have gone to sea in a bucket, all the same.”

      It was dark when they drove along Brightsea front on their way home. The promenade was festooned with coloured lights and even the fountains in the gardens kept changing colour. It all looked very pretty. But Paddington, who was lying in the back of the car wrapped in a blanket, was thinking of his sand-castle.

      “I bet mine was bigger than anyone else’s,” he said, sleepily.

      “Bet you mine was the biggest,” said Jonathan.

      “I think,” said Mr Brown, hastily, “you’d all better have a pound just to make sure.”

      “Perhaps we can come again another day,” said Mrs Brown. “Then we can have another competition. How about that, Paddington?”

      There was no reply from the back of the car. Sand-castles, paddling his bucket all across the harbour, and the sea air had proved too much for Paddington. He was fast asleep.

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