Half Magic

After dinner, they all return home and play games. The children adore Mr. Smith because he is an adult who understands kids and treats them well. However, Jane acts oddly, not wanting to eat, not being friendly to Mr. Smith, and going to bed early.

It is not until lunchtime the following day that they are able to speak about their exploits in town. Grabbing the charm, Jane announces that she does not want to wish again. After some prodding, Jane reveals her anger that the children shared the magic with Mr. Smith, and now she worries that adults will take control of the charm. When Jane stalks off, the others realize that she dislikes Mr. Smith.

Retreating to her room, Jane feels worse because she treated her siblings terribly. However, she reluctantly admits why she is upset. She is the only one who remembers her father—the others were too young—and she worries that Mr. Smith will replace him.

While Jane stews in her thoughts, her siblings enter the room. Jane wants them to go away, but Martha insists they talk about Mr. Smith. The younger children want to ask the man for advice and even bring him along on their next adventure. They reason that this will help Jane get to know him better.

In a fury, Jane argues that Mr. Smith wishes to be their stepfather. The others express delight at this idea. Anger erupting, Jane spouts that stepfathers always seem nice until they wheedle their way into the family. She wishes, and then pauses as if needing to convince herself, that she belonged to a different family.

Shocked, the siblings expect Jane to disappear, but she still stands there, looking the same. When Mark takes her arm, Jane rebukes him in an odd, ladylike voice, calling him a bully. Martha is distraught that her sister does not know them, and Katharine tries to jog her sister’s memory.

Adamant, Jane insists they are strangers, who she should not be playing with. When Martha sniffles, the new Jane criticizes her uncleanliness. Mark uses an old nickname, Jane-ice, to prove that she is just pretending, but Jane does not relent. When pressed for her name, she shares her nickname: Little Comfort.

Horrified, the three appreciate their own family more. Jane criticizes the decor, calling it all gaudy. When the new Jane expresses a desire to go home, Mark lunges for the charm, but Jane swats at him, calling him a kidnapper and a thief and promising to tell her mother. Then she exits the house.

The siblings bound down the stairs to follow, but Miss Bick blocks the way, demanding they set the table for lunch before leaving. The children do so in record time before leaping outside to catch sight of Jane turning onto Virginia Street.

Just then, Alison and Mr. Smith pull up for a surprise lunch. Alison tells them to fetch Jane and suggests that Mr. Smith escort them. As soon as their mother walks away, the children hop into the car, relaying the events of the day.

Mr. Smith does not ask any questions. However, when they pull down Virginia Street, Jane is nowhere to be seen, so the children appeal to the gentleman. Mr. Smith asks if any of the houses look like the home of a girl like her. They agree upon one that looks prim and proper. Again, they defer to Mr. Smith. As he knocks on the door, they hide in the bushes.

Meanwhile, in the house, Jane reads in a bedroom devoid of color and toys. She has an empty feeling deep inside of her and cannot figure out why. The narrator reveals that when Jane made her wish, she asked to be part of a different family, but not to be a different person. The empty feeling is tied to the original Jane. She pulls the charm out of her pocket, understanding that it has something to do with how she feels.

Just then, a cold woman enters, asking where she has been. The woman is horrified that Jane has been playing with strangers. When she notes that Little Comfort has not been acting herself today, the woman sees the charm and takes it. Presuming it to be a talisman, the woman keeps it for the girl’s father to examine. Then she suggests a nap, which the new Jane politely refuses and asks if she could fish or catch worms instead, which further upsets the woman. Ultimately, Jane goes downstairs to practice piano. After putting the charm in a cabinet in the living room, the woman sits down to listen.

Moments later, there is a knock on the door. Mr. Smith announces himself as a child psychologist conducting research for a book. He asks permission to interview the girl. Excited, the woman agrees and invites him inside.

The children creep out of hiding and enter the house. They sneak down the hallway and listen to the conversation unfold in the drawing room.

Mr. Smith reassures the woman that he will not use the girl’s real name. Acquiescing, the woman shares that the girl’s real name is Iphigenia. When Mr. Smith asks Iphigenia if she believes in magic, the woman tuts, insisting that the girl does not.

Mr. Smith carries on, asking if Iphigenia collects anything. The woman reveals that she likes art and just today came home with an ancient talisman. Upon Mr. Smith’s request, the woman retrieves it. The children, desperate to see, creep closer, but Martha trips and falls into the room. As the other two enter, the woman turns around. Iphigenia says hello and claims that these are the children she played with earlier, thinking she likes them after all.

Mark claims the talisman and Iphigenia as theirs, and the woman threatens to call their parents. In a panic, Mr. Smith takes the blame, explaining that the children are part of his “method” of child psychology. The woman calls him a fraud, which he admits, claiming that if she gives him the talisman, he will explain everything. The woman then calls him a thief. Interrupting, Mark says the girl is really his sister, while Martha urges Jane to come with them. Somewhere deep inside, Jane remembers that they are her family.

As Jane is about to speak, a man enters. The woman calls him Yarworth and expresses relief at his presence because Iphigenia is being robbed. Mr. Smith, tired of waiting, snatches the charm from the woman and wishes Jane back. After regaining her memory, Jane squeals and runs to him. The couple calls them intruders. When Mr. Smith asks if this is their daughter, the woman scoffs no, calling her horrid.

Holding the charm, Mr. Smith makes another wish, but because he is not practiced at it, the request is hasty. As a result, Alison is startled when they materialize. Mr. Smith realizes that he left the car on Virginia Street. He wishes the car back, but not in time, for the children’s mother saw an empty street and then the car. She sits down, alarmed that she is ill. At this moment, Miss Bick announces lunch.

At lunch, good spirits prevail, which helps Alison shake the feeling that something is wrong. She is also pleased with Jane’s kindness toward everyone. The children make jokes, and Mr. Smith giggles. The gentleman reveals that he is happy to be in their company. Alison declares that this is a wonderful family to belong to, and he will enjoy being a part of it.