Jennifer Jane meets the North wind 2/3

Well, Jennifer Jane was most interested, as you may imagine. Something wrong with the steam whistle that Barnacle Bill was so proud of? Why, it was unthinkable! And the very next day as soon as she could slip away, off she went to the giant's pool.

The paddle steamer was moored in its usual place and Barnacle Bill was pacing up and down on the bank beside it, looking most upset. A thin wisp of steam coming from the funnel showed that steam was up and Jennifer Jane hurried forward to meet him and discover whatever the trouble could be.

"Somebody has stolen the hoot out of my hooter," said Barnacle Bill in a very worried voice, before Jennifer Jane could say anything.

Jennifer Jane stopped in amazement and then burst out laughing. "You can't lose a hoot," she said, "it's only a noise."

"It is not a laughing matter," said Barnacle Bill indignantly, "I repeat, someone has stolen the hoot from my hooter, everything else is in perfect working order. The steam comes out of the whistle just as it should when I pull the cord but it WILL NOT HOOT."

Barnacle Bill was stamping his feet as he spoke the last few words. Jennifer Jane had never seen him so cross before.

"It must be magic then," said Jennifer Jane.

"Of course it's magic," said Barnacle Bill very crossly indeed and beginning to get rather red in the face. "I didn't ask you here to say something obvious like that. I want to know who's got it and how to get it back."

‘Well,’ thought Jennifer Jane, ‘he really is upset. He's never been rude before.’ So she sat down and started to think as hard as she could.

The more Jennifer Jane thought about it, the more she became convinced that the strange noise that the wind had been making lately, must have something to do with Barnacle Bill's missing hoot. If it was something to do with the wind, then there was only one thing to do.

"I wish to go to see the Clerk of the Weather", said Jennifer Jane out loud. Before Barnacle Bill could open his mouth to ask what on earth the Clerk of the Weather had to do with his hooter, Jennifer Jane had disappeared. She found herself being whirled through the air and then ....bump. She landed right inside the Clerk of the Weather's office.

"Goodness me," said Jennifer Jane, "Lieutenant Moonshine promised immediate and personal attention to my wishes, but I didn't expect anything quite like this."

The Clerk of the Weather was staring at her in amazement. He put his feather pen behind his ear, pushed his glasses more firmly onto his nose and looked very closely at Jennifer Jane. At last he spoke. "Well Jennifer Jane I declare, you've arrived in some funny ways in the past but never quite like this before."

Jennifer Jane explained how efficient Fairy Moonshine was and then asked the Clerk of the Weather if he knew about the peculiar noise the wind had been making lately.

The Clerk of the Weather went over to a shelf and got down a large book labelled "This Week's Weather." He turned over the pages until he found the entry marked "Wind for the Week."

"I don't know of any unusual noise," he said. "The North Wind was asked to blow some gales this week but for some reason he didn't start when he should and there was one day without any wind at all. Most upsetting for my professional reputation," he added. "If I were you, I would ask him for myself."

Jennifer Jane was about to ask how could you speak to the wind and where did he live anyway, when she was whisked off her feet again and after the usual rush through the air, bumped down in a strange very hot room.