20 How to Get Someone out of Bed
'I am sure,' said Mr Wonka, addressing Grandpa George,Grandma Georgina and Grandma
Josephine, 'I am quite sure the three of you, after all that, willnow want to jump out of bed
and lend a hand in running the Chocolate Factory.'
'Who, us?' said Grandma Josephine. 'Yes, you,' said MrWonka.
'Are you crazy?' said Grandma Georgina. 'I'm staying right herewhere I am in this nice comfortable bed, thank you verymuch!'
'Me, too!' said Grandpa George.
At that moment, there was a sudden commotion¹ among theOompa-Loompas at the far end of the Chocolate Room. Therewas a buzz of excited chatter² and a lot of running about andwaving of arms, and out of all this a single Oompa-Loompaemerged and came rushing toward Mr Wonka, carrying a hugeenvelope in his hands. He came up close to Mr Wonka. Hestarted whispering. Mr Wonka bent³ down low to listen.
'Outside the factory gates?' cried Mr Wonka. 'Men! … Whatsort of men? … Yes, but do they look dangerous? … Are theyACTING dangerously? … And a what? … A HELICOPTER! …And these men came out of it? … They gave you this? …'
Mr Wonka grabbed the huge envelope and quickly slit⁴ it openand pulled out the folded letter inside. There was absolutesilence as he skimmed swiftly over what was written on thepaper. Nobody moved. Charlie began to feel cold. He knewsomething dreadful was going to happen. There was a verydefinite smell of danger in the air. The men outside the gates,the helicopter, the nervousness of the Oompa-Loompas … Hewas watching Mr Wonka's face, searching for a clue, for somechange in expression that would tell him how bad the newswas.
'Great whistling whangdoodles!' cried Mr Wonka, leaping sohigh in the air that when he landed his legs gave way and hecrashed on to his backside.
'Snorting snozzwangers!' he yelled, picking himself up andwaving the letter about as though he were swatting mosquitoes.
'Listen to this, all of you! Just you listen to this!' He began toread aloud:
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
D.C.
TO MR WILLY WONKA.
SIR
TODAY THE ENTIRE NATION, INDEED THE WHOLE
WORLD, IS REJOICING AT THE SAFE RETURN OF OURTRANSPORT CAPSULE FROM SPACE WITH 136 SOULS ONBOARD. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE HELP THEY
RECEIVED FROM AN UNKNOWN SPACESHIP, THESE 136PEOPLE WOULD NEVER HAVE COME BACK. IT HAS BEENREPORTED TO ME THAT THE COURAGE SHOWN BY THE

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