The Triumph
Mr Jenkins had not gone more than a few paces towards The Grand High Witch's table whena piercing scream rose high above all the other noises in the room, and at the same moment I saw TheGrand High Witch go shooting up into the air!
Now she was standing¹ on her chair, still screaming...
Now she was on the table-top, waving her arms...
"What on earth's happening, Grandmamma?"
"Wait!" my grandmother said. "Keep quiet and watch."Suddenly all the other witches, more than eighty of them, were beginning to scream and jumpup out of their seats as though spikes² were being stuck into their bottoms. Some were standing onchairs, some were up on the tables and all of them were wiggling about and waving their arms in themost extraordinary manner.
Then, all at once, they became quiet.
Then they stiffened³. Every single witch stood there as stiff and silent as a corpse⁴.
The whole room became deathly still.
"They're shrinking, Grandmamma!" I said. "They're shrinking just like I did!""I know they are," my grandmother said.
"It's the Mouse-Maker!" I cried. "Look! Some of them are growing fur on their faces! Why isit??????????????????????????????????????????????????????working so quickly, Grandmamma?""I'll tell you why," my grandmother said. "Because all of them have had massive overdoses,just like you. It's thrown the alarm-clock right out of whack⁵!"Everyone in the Dining-Room was standing up now to get a better view. People were movingcloser. They were beginning to crowd round the two long tables. My grandmother lifted Bruno andme up so that we wouldn't miss any of the fun. In her excitement, she jumped up on to her chair sothat she could see over the heads of the crowd.
In another few seconds, all the witches had completely disappeared and the tops of the twolong tables were swarming⁶ with small brown mice.
All over the Dining-Room women were screaming and strong men were turning white in theface and shouting, "It's crazy! This can't happen! Let's get the heck out of here quick!" Waiters wereattacking the mice with chairs and wine-bottles and anything else that came to hand. I saw a chef in atall white hat rushing out from the kitchen

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