One day Mary Poppins and children went shopping. At the fishmonger's shop the fishmonger dropped the parcel with some fish and a lobster into the perambulator.

At the butcher's shop they bought two pounds of the best sausages.

-And now we shall go to buy the gingerbread!
And Mary Poppins moved onwards, pushing the twins.

The children found themselves inside the most curious, small and very dirty shop they had ever seen!

But in a case under the glass were rows of wonderful gingerbread, each one decorated with gilt star!

Mary Poppins called out:
-Fannie! Annie! Where are you?
Two sad huge women rose from behind the counter.

They shook hands with everybody and said 'How do you do?' In voices as large as themselves.

Round the corner of the glass case the old woman appeared. She was very old, small and thin with the stick-like legs.

She lightly ran towards them.
-Well, isn't it a nice surprise for me? Have you made my daughters' acquaintance?

Suddenly she screwed up her little eyes at the children.
-I suppose you've come for some gingerbread?
-That's right, Mrs. Corry,-said Mary Poppins politely.

Fanny opened the glass case.
-How many?
-Four each,-sald Mary Poppins.

So the children's arms were piled up with the delicious dark cakes, each with its gilt paper star.

Michael could not resist biting a corner of one of them.
-Good ?- squeaked Mrs. Corry and when he nodded she began to dance of pure pleasure.

Suddenly her face grew serious.
-But remember - I'm not giving them away. I must be paid. The price is threepence for each of you.

Mary Poppins gave money to Jane and Michael.
-Now,-said Mrs. Corry,-stick them on my coat. That's were they all go.

Mary Poppins pressed her coin against the collar of Mrs. Corry's coat. It stuck. Then they put theirs on.

-I wonder, what you will do with the paper stars ?- said the old woman.
- We'll keep them in the top left-hand drawer of the wardrobe.

Mrs. Corry gave Mary Poppins a long look and nodded her head. It seemed as if some secret had passed between them.

Suddenly Jane and Michael found themselves on the pavement and the shop disappeared.

At night, when the children were both supposed to be sound asleep they heard someone tip-toeing on the stairs.

Mary Poppins came into the room noiselessly, opened a drawer of the wardrobe, took something out and hurried from the room.

The children crept to the window and looked down. There near their house stood a tiny form and two gigantic figures.
-Mrs. Corry, Fannie and Anny,-whispered Jane.

Fannie had two ladders on her huge shoulder, while Anny had a large pail of something like glue and a paint-brush.

Mary Poppins appeared at the house carrying a basket with something that gave out a faint, mysterious light.
-Come along, we must hurry! We haven't much time !- exclaimed Mrs. Corry.

They went up the Cherry-Tree Lane Hill. On the top of it Annie and Fannle put the ladders up. Mrs. Corry and Mary Poppins climbed them.

Mrs. Corry dipped her brush Into the glue and began to slap the sky. And Mary Poppins took something shiny from her basket and fixed it to the glue.

The children saw that she was sticking the gingerbread stars to the sky. One more! And one more! And each star began to twinkle, sending out rays of sparkling golden light!

As the sound of Mary Poppins's footsteps died away in the bedroom Jane and Michael opened the top left-hand drawer. There was nothing there but a pile of handkerchiefs.
-They're ours !- said Michael breathlessly .- But how?

Jane shook back her hair and said:
-What I want to know is this: are the stars gold paper or is the gold paper stars?
Nobody knew it but Mary Poppins.