Paddington Bear had definitely made a difference to the Brown family since his arrival. Henry Brown groaned as he thought about all the chaos he had caused and all the havoc which seemed to follow wherever he went.

But then he smiled, thinking of all the friends Paddington had made and how he had met with the most unexpected of characters. Even Mr Curry seemed more relaxed these days, although they had heard him yell ‘Bear!’ the previous day. But Mr Brown could sympathise, Mr Curry had accidentally stepped on Paddington’s attempt at being a pavement artist and trailed white footprints into his house.

Then there was Grant, who had really come out of himself and was proving what an amazing dancer he was, now others had shown some faith in him. And as for Mrs Bird – he’d been so sure she was a fixture for life and now she was sending postcards from Peru and planning where to travel next.

And if it hadn’t been for Paddington, he himself would never have had a second chance. He might be a risk analyst, but that didn’t mean one should be risk averse. So what if there was a high risk it would rain, put on waterproofs and prepare to get wet. Human life, and above all, love, involves risk. And it was…

At this point Henry suddenly ceased his reverie. He had heard a loud clatter, a crash, and a shouted, ‘Da-ad!’

It was simply the case that living with Paddington carried more risks than usual.