it never bothered me as a child reader, it was just part of her personality, and it doesn't bother me now. If anything, it feels like a game that she is playing, not with the children but with the reader.
Yes, that's always how I read it, too, that we all really knew that the magic had happened, and that this was just Mary's way of warning them not to blab about it. If I recall, this is one of the chapters that ends with an image of maternal affection, with Jane and Michael cuddling up to Mary and falling asleep with under each of her arms.
Don't forget the part when the hostile landlady gets her come-uppance!
Are any of Mary's relations women? My memory is that they're men, but I could be wrong. I can't remember whether or not Mrs. Corrie is a relation or just a friend and conspirator...
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Yes, that's always how I read it, too, that we all really knew that the magic had happened, and that this was just Mary's way of warning them not to blab about it. If I recall, this is one of the chapters that ends with an image of maternal affection, with Jane and Michael cuddling up to Mary and falling asleep with under each of her arms.
Don't forget the part when the hostile landlady gets her come-uppance!
Are any of Mary's relations women? My memory is that they're men, but I could be wrong. I can't remember whether or not Mrs. Corrie is a relation or just a friend and conspirator...