"I'LL HANG UP the laundry," said Jasmine. "Thank goodness the ground is dry. It hasn't made anything dirty."
     "I'd prefer it if you didn't mention 'goodness' in my company," said the little devil in a rather snooty tone.
      "You've got cheek," said Jason. "We're the ones who live here and we're the ones clearing up after you. We can say what we like. Go and hide him in your toy cupboard, Lizzy. Quick." The little devil stuck out its tongue.
      "What about the trifle?" asked Elizabeth.
      "I'll say you knocked it off the table."
      "Me! Why me?"
      "Because you're the one most likely to have that kind of accident, that's why."
      "No I'm not." The children could hear the key in the front door. Jasmine struggled with the last sheet and a handful of pegs. "Hurry up," she said. Jason gave up. "Oh, all right. I'll say it was me. Now get the little devil out of here."
      Elizabeth raced through the house with the little devil close behind her and they dashed into her bedroom slamming the door behind them. "Fantastic room," said the little devil appreciatively, taking in the bed with its pale blue quilt, the dark blue carpet, the mirror in a golden frame and the newly 'improved', flowered wallpaper. "I especially like the wall-paper," he said. "I only have a dark hole where I come from but if I had wallpaper I'd like it to be like this."
      "I did the fishes," said Elizabeth proudly.
      "Extremely artistic," approved the little devil. Elizabeth opened the door of her wardrobe, the bottom shelves of which did as her toy cupboard. "You'd better hide in here if Mum or Dad come in."
      "I think I hear your mother now," said the little devil as they heard the rattling of doors downstairs. Just as the little devil said this a friendly but firm sounding voice called, "Hello everyone. I'm back. Is everything all right?"
      "Fine," answered Jason, sounding none too certain. "Only I had a bit of an accident."
      "Wait here," whispered Elizabeth to the little devil. "I want to listen." She crept to the top of the stairs where hearing was easier. "I knocked the trifle off the table," she heard Jason say.
      "Oh no," said her mother, not sounding like it was the end of the world. "How on earth did you manage that?"
      "Um... I brushed against the table when I went to get a drink," said Jason.
      Mrs. Leonard seemed doubtful. "But I thought I left it on the windowsill?" she said.
      "Er, well, it was definitely on the table when I knocked it off."
      "Oh well," said Mrs. Leonard. "We'll just have to do without dessert. Where's Elizabeth?"
      "She's in her room."
      Mrs. Leonard went upstairs to see how Elizabeth was doing and Jason met Jasmine coming in from the garden. "What did your mother say about the trifle?" she asked.
      "She just said we'd have to do without dessert. She wasn't cross."
      "Oh good," said Jasmine. "Then everything's all right."
      Just at that moment Mrs. Leonard's voice, sounding very cross indeed, yelled down the stairs. "Jason, come up here at once."
      The cousins looked at each other in dismay. "She's found L.D." said Jason. They ran upstairs fearing the worst.
      "Jason," said his mother accusingly. 'You were supposed to be looking after Elizabeth while I was out. Just see what she's done."
      Jason looked aghast at the ruined wallpaper. "I'm sorry. I didn't...." He was interrupted.
      "Being sorry isn't good enough. It must have taken Elizabeth ages to do all this which means you didn't check up on her at all."
      "I..." Jason began an excuse but was again cut short.
      "I don't want to hear it. Just get these walls cleaned up and there'll be no tea until it's done. And that goes for you too, Elizabeth." With that Mrs. Leonard sailed off down the stairs. Jason waited until she was out of earshot and then he turned furiously on his sister. "You should know you're not meant to draw on walls by now."
      Elizabeth looked tearful. "I think they're nice," she said.
      "They're not nice," snapped Jason. "They're stupid and ugly."
      "Oh leave her alone," said Jasmine. "She's only a little girl and we really ought to have looked in on her."
      "Yes," agreed Elizabeth quickly. "I'm only a little girl!"
      Jason rolled his eyes unsympathetically. "Oh let's get on with it," he said. "I'll go and get some cloths and soap and stuff."
      "I don't think it'll come off," said Jasmine, who had been studying the damage. "She's used indelible pen."
      "Oh no!" said Jason.
      "What does that mean?" asked Elizabeth.
      "It means, IT WON'T COME OFF!" shouted Jason, glowering down at her.
      "Well, we'll have to try anyway," said Jasmine, putting a protective arm around Elizabeth.
      "I think I might be able to help," said the little devil emerging from the wardrobe.
      "Oh could you?" said Elizabeth hopefully. "Mum's ever so cross."
      "No problem," said the little devil, with a casual shrug to indicate that such a feat would not tax him at all. Elizabeth grinned triumphantly at her brother, but Jason was suspicious. "How?" he asked.
      "Easily," said the little devil. "Of course, you'd have to do something for me."
      "I knew it," said Jason.
      "What would we have to do?" asked Jasmine. The little devil smiled disarmingly. "Oh, I don't know. Just something to help me if I need your help at some time."
      "That sounds fair," said Jason.
      Jasmine hesitated. "Aren't we already helping you?" she asked. The little devil said nothing but sat on Elizabeth's bed polishing the barb on its tail with the corner of her quilt. "Oh, I suppose it's all right," said Jasmine.
      "Good," said the little devil happily. "Now what's for tea?"
      "But..." Elizabeth was going to say, "But you haven't done the walls yet," but when she looked around at them she saw that they were all bright and clean and that every one of her lovingly drawn fishes had vanished.
      "Amazing!" said Jason.
      "That was quick," said Jasmine.
      "Can you do lots of magic?" asked Elizabeth.
      "I can do anything," said the little devil.
      Elizabeth sighed. "I wish I was a little devil."
      Jason looked at his sister disapprovingly. "No comment," he said.
     
      The next morning Jason was woken by a light tap on his bedroom door. "Hello?" he said sleepily and pulled himself up on his elbows.
      "It's me, Jasmine," said Jasmine. She went in and sat on Jason's bed. It was early and she was the first up. She always woke up early when she wasn't at home. "There's a problem," she said.
      "What is it?" asked Jason, suddenly very awake.
      "I went to the kitchen cupboard to get some cornflakes and guess who I found in there?" "Oh no!" said Jason guessing all too well.
     "He's eaten everything."
      "He couldn't have eaten everything?" said Jason, envisioning the boxes of salt and packets of flour, the rice and pasta and vinegar and ketchup.
      "Well, not everything," agreed Jasmine. "Just all the biscuits, two chocolate cakes, three packets of jelly, all the crisps, a jar of jam, a jar of honey and a jar of peanut butter, a kilo-bag of sugar and all the breakfast cereals. Oh yes, and a tin of drinking chocolate unmixed."
      "Yuk!" said Jason. And then he said, 'Wow!"
      "I've cleared up and put all the packaging in a bin bag and written a list," said Jasmine, waving a notebook to indicate the list.
      Jason looked at the bedside clock. "6.0.clock," he said. "We've got half an hour before Mum and Dad get up."
      "I'll wait for you downstairs," said Jasmine and she left the room. Jason climbed out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Before he had finished dressing, the door opened again and in came Elizabeth. "You could knock," Jason protested, as he tied his trainers.Elizabeth ignored him. "What's happening?" she asked.
      "It's L.D. He's been in the food cupboard."
      "Perhaps he was hungry," suggested Elizabeth protectively.
      Jason scowled. "I'll say he was!" He led the way downstairs to survey the damage.
      In the kitchen Jasmine was busy setting a tray with scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice. "I'm going to try and stop your parents from coming into the kitchen she explained and she carried the tray upstairs. The little devil was curled up in a fat and contented ball on the second shelf of the kitchen cupboard with his tail looped over his shoulders and curled around his ankles. He looked rather sleepy and very pleased with himself. "I love your kind of food," he said happily.
      "That's no excuse for behaving like a pig," hissed Jason, keeping his voice down so as not to alert his parents.
      "It's the best reason," said the little devil, unrepentant, and he sighed with satisfaction. "That's all very well," said Jason, "but you're just going to get us into a lot of trouble. You'll have to leave if you can't behave any better."
      "Don't say that," said the little devil, looking a bit worried at last.
      "Well I am saying it," said Jason. "So you better just get down from there and put things right before Mum comes down."
      The little devil struggled to get up but it was soon obvious that he had eaten so much that he could hardly move at all, and the children had to lift him down. They put him on the floor as he looked much too round and rolly to sit on a chair without falling off.
      "I've never seen anyone get so fat so quickly," said Elizabeth.
      "I could be twice as fat as this by this evening if I get given enough to eat," said the little devil encouragingly.
      "You're not going to be given anything else to eat ever," said Jason, furiously. "Now just put everything back the way it was."
      "I can't," said the little devil.
      "You cleaned Elizabeth's walls okay," said Jason.
     
      "That was different," said the little devil rather sulkily as Jason continued to scowl at him. "Making things disappear is much easier than making things appear."
      "But you said you could do anything," said Elizabeth.
      "Almost anything," amended the little devil.
      "So you can't do it?" said Jasmine, returning with the tray and overhearing the last part of the conversation.
      "No," said the little devil. "I can't."
     "I'LL HANG UP the laundry," said Jasmine. "Thank goodness the ground is dry. It hasn't made anything dirty."
      "I'd prefer it if you didn't mention 'goodness' in my company," said the little devil in a rather snooty tone.
      "You've got cheek," said Jason. "We're the ones who live here and we're the ones clearing up after you. We can say what we like. Go and hide him in your toy cupboard, Lizzy. Quick." The little devil stuck out its tongue.
      "What about the trifle?" asked Elizabeth.
      "I'll say you knocked it off the table."
      "Me! Why me?"
      "Because you're the one most likely to have that kind of accident, that's why."
      "No I'm not." The children could hear the key in the front door. Jasmine struggled with the last sheet and a handful of pegs. "Hurry up," she said. Jason gave up. "Oh, all right. I'll say it was me. Now get the little devil out of here."
      Elizabeth raced through the house with the little devil close behind her and they dashed into her bedroom slamming the door behind them. "Fantastic room," said the little devil appreciatively, taking in the bed with its pale blue quilt, the dark blue carpet, the mirror in a golden frame and the newly 'improved', flowered wallpaper. "I especially like the wall-paper," he said. "I only have a dark hole where I come from but if I had wallpaper I'd like it to be like this."
      "I did the fishes," said Elizabeth proudly.
      "Extremely artistic," approved the little devil. Elizabeth opened the door of her wardrobe, the bottom shelves of which did as her toy cupboard. "You'd better hide in here if Mum or Dad come in."
      "I think I hear your mother now," said the little devil as they heard the rattling of doors downstairs. Just as the little devil said this a friendly but firm sounding voice called, "Hello everyone. I'm back. Is everything all right?"
      "Fine," answered Jason, sounding none too certain. "Only I had a bit of an accident."
      "Wait here," whispered Elizabeth to the little devil. "I want to listen." She crept to the top of the stairs where hearing was easier. "I knocked the trifle off the table," she heard Jason say.
      "Oh no," said her mother, not sounding like it was the end of the world. "How on earth did you manage that?"
      "Um... I brushed against the table when I went to get a drink," said Jason.
      Mrs. Leonard seemed doubtful. "But I thought I left it on the windowsill?" she said. "Er, well, it was definitely on the table when I knocked it off."
      "Oh well," said Mrs. Leonard. "We'll just have to do without dessert. Where's Elizabeth?" "She's in her room."
      Mrs. Leonard went upstairs to see how Elizabeth was doing and Jason met Jasmine coming in from the garden. "What did your mother say about the trifle?" she asked.
      "She just said we'd have to do without dessert. She wasn't cross."
      "Oh good," said Jasmine. "Then everything's all right."
      Just at that moment Mrs. Leonard's voice, sounding very cross indeed, yelled down the stairs. "Jason, come up here at once."
      The cousins looked at each other in dismay. "She's found L.D." said Jason. They ran upstairs fearing the worst.
      "Jason," said his mother accusingly. 'You were supposed to be looking after Elizabeth while I was out. Just see what she's done."
     
      Jason looked aghast at the ruined wallpaper. "I'm sorry. I didn't...." He was interrupted.
      "Being sorry isn't good enough. It must have taken Elizabeth ages to do all this which means you didn't check up on her at all."
      "I..." Jason began an excuse but was again cut short.
      "I don't want to hear it. Just get these walls cleaned up and there'll be no tea until it's done. And that goes for you too, Elizabeth." With that Mrs. Leonard sailed off down the stairs. Jason waited until she was out of earshot and then he turned furiously on his sister. "You should know you're not meant to draw on walls by now."
      Elizabeth looked tearful. "I think they're nice," she said.
      "They're not nice," snapped Jason. "They're stupid and ugly."
      "Oh leave her alone," said Jasmine. "She's only a little girl and we really ought to have looked in on her."
      "Yes," agreed Elizabeth quickly. "I'm only a little girl!"
      Jason rolled his eyes unsympathetically. "Oh let's get on with it," he said. "I'll go and get some cloths and soap and stuff."
      "I don't think it'll come off," said Jasmine, who had been studying the damage. "She's used indelible pen."
      "Oh no!" said Jason.
      "What does that mean?" asked Elizabeth.
      "It means, IT WON'T COME OFF!" shouted Jason, glowering down at her.
      "Well, we'll have to try anyway," said Jasmine, putting a protective arm around Elizabeth.
      "I think I might be able to help," said the little devil emerging from the wardrobe.
      "Oh could you?" said Elizabeth hopefully. "Mum's ever so cross."
      "No problem," said the little devil, with a casual shrug to indicate that such a feat would not tax him at all. Elizabeth grinned triumphantly at her brother, but Jason was suspicious. "How?" he asked.
      "Easily," said the little devil. "Of course, you'd have to do something for me."
      "I knew it," said Jason.
      "What would we have to do?" asked Jasmine. The little devil smiled disarmingly. "Oh, I don't know. Just something to help me if I need your help at some time."
      "That sounds fair," said Jason.
      Jasmine hesitated. "Aren't we already helping you?" she asked. The little devil said nothing but sat on Elizabeth's bed polishing the barb on its tail with the corner of her quilt. "Oh, I suppose it's all right," said Jasmine.
      "Good," said the little devil happily. "Now what's for tea?"
      "But..." Elizabeth was going to say, "But you haven't done the walls yet," but when she looked around at them she saw that they were all bright and clean and that every one of her lovingly drawn fishes had vanished.
      "Amazing!" said Jason.
      "That was quick," said Jasmine.
      "Can you do lots of magic?" asked Elizabeth.
      "I can do anything," said the little devil.
      Elizabeth sighed. "I wish I was a little devil."
      Jason looked at his sister disapprovingly. "No comment," he said.
     
      The next morning Jason was woken by a light tap on his bedroom door. "Hello?" he said sleepily and pulled himself up on his elbows.
      "It's me, Jasmine," said Jasmine. She went in and sat on Jason's bed. It was early and she was the first up. She always woke up early when she wasn't at home. "There's a problem," she said.
      "What is it?" asked Jason, suddenly very awake.
      "I went to the kitchen cupboard to get some cornflakes and guess who I found in there?" "Oh no!" said Jason guessing all too well.
     "He's eaten everything."
      "He couldn't have eaten everything?" said Jason, envisioning the boxes of salt and packets of flour, the rice and pasta and vinegar and ketchup.
      "Well, not everything," agreed Jasmine. "Just all the biscuits, two chocolate cakes, three packets of jelly, all the crisps, a jar of jam, a jar of honey and a jar of peanut butter, a kilo-bag of sugar and all the breakfast cereals. Oh yes, and a tin of drinking chocolate unmixed."
      "Yuk!" said Jason. And then he said, 'Wow!"
      "I've cleared up and put all the packaging in a bin bag and written a list," said Jasmine, waving a notebook to indicate the list.
      Jason looked at the bedside clock. "6.0.clock," he said. "We've got half an hour before Mum and Dad get up."
      "I'll wait for you downstairs," said Jasmine and she left the room. Jason climbed out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Before he had finished dressing, the door opened again and in came Elizabeth. "You could knock," Jason protested, as he tied his trainers.
     Elizabeth ignored him. "What's happening?" she asked.
      "It's L.D. He's been in the food cupboard."
      "Perhaps he was hungry," suggested Elizabeth protectively.
      Jason scowled. "I'll say he was!" He led the way downstairs to survey the damage.
      In the kitchen Jasmine was busy setting a tray with scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice. "I'm going to try and stop your parents from coming into the kitchen she explained and she carried the tray upstairs. The little devil was curled up in a fat and contented ball on the second shelf of the kitchen cupboard with his tail looped over his shoulders and curled around his ankles. He looked rather sleepy and very pleased with himself. "I love your kind of food," he said happily.
      "That's no excuse for behaving like a pig," hissed Jason, keeping his voice down so as not to alert his parents.
      "It's the best reason," said the little devil, unrepentant, and he sighed with satisfaction. "That's all very well," said Jason, "but you're just going to get us into a lot of trouble. You'll have to leave if you can't behave any better."
      "Don't say that," said the little devil, looking a bit worried at last.
      "Well I am saying it," said Jason. "So you better just get down from there and put things right before Mum comes down."
      The little devil struggled to get up but it was soon obvious that he had eaten so much that he could hardly move at all, and the children had to lift him down. They put him on the floor as he looked much too round and rolly to sit on a chair without falling off.
      "I've never seen anyone get so fat so quickly," said Elizabeth.
      "I could be twice as fat as this by this evening if I get given enough to eat," said the little devil encouragingly.
      "You're not going to be given anything else to eat ever," said Jason, furiously. "Now just put everything back the way it was."
      "I can't," said the little devil.
      "You cleaned Elizabeth's walls okay," said Jason.
     
      "That was different," said the little devil rather sulkily as Jason continued to scowl at him. "Making things disappear is much easier than making things appear."
      "But you said you could do anything," said Elizabeth.
      "Almost anything," amended the little devil.
      "So you can't do it?" said Jasmine, returning with the tray and overhearing the last part of the conversation.
      "No," said the little devil. "I can't."