Paddington 2: The Story of the Movie: Movie tie-in. Anna Wilson

you’ll just have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up,” he added hurriedly, before turning away.

      Paddington’s eyes lit up. “Do you know what, Mr Buchanan? You’ve given me a brilliant idea!”

      

      PHOENIX’S COMMENT ABOUT starting “at the bottom of the ladder” had got Paddington thinking. The residents of Windsor Gardens had been saying for some time that they needed to find a new window cleaner. The morning after the steam fair, Paddington announced that he was the bear for the job.

      “I have always fancied a job that involved heights,” he told them. “In Darkest Peru I was very good at climbing trees.”

      He asked Mr Brown if he could use an old telescopic ladder he had found in the basement. “It will fit into my suitcase beautifully,” he explained. “I’ll have every window in the street cleaned by the end of the day.”

      Surely this will earn me enough money to buy that book for Aunt Lucy, he thought as he went on his way.

      Mr Brown watched Paddington go down the street with a bucket, some soap and cloths and the telescopic ladder folded into his suitcase. “Are we sure that bear knows what he is doing?” he said.

      “Oh, darling, you worry too much,” said Mrs Brown, patting his arm.

      Paddington had decided to start at Dr Jafri’s house. He extended his ladder and propped it up against the wall, then filled the bucket with water from an outside tap and squirted soap into it. He intended to climb the ladder with the bucket and start cleaning from the top floor down.