Let Them Eat Cake

## Stats

**Let Them Eat Cake** is the 11th episode of the series *The Worst Witch* that aired on January 14, 1999.

## Summary

Mildred and her friends are taking a walk with Ethel and Drusilla due to the school rules about the number of people that have to walk together. Once out of Miss Hardbroom's sight, Ethel demands the candy she was promised and is quite put out to see that it's not as much as she thought. A few seconds later, a man in a business suit (Sam Hope) falls out of a tree and sends his briefcase and papers flying. Mildred helps him up and he thanks her, explaining that he was righting a bird nest. After he's gone on his way, Ethel discovers a leaflet good for a discount at Cosie's Tea House. She and Drusilla follow Mildred and her friends and watch as they try to conjure something to eat. She then gets a brilliant idea and tosses the leaflet in their direction.

The group decides that it doesn't matter if the tea room is out of bounds, and no one will know. So as they set off, Ethel and Drusilla run back to tell Miss Hardbroom where they've gone. Meanwhile, Sam meets up with his boss (Percy Slyce); a sneaky underhanded man who's planning to buy up all the local land and turn it into a waste disposal plant. The only thing that stands in his way is Mrs. Cosie and her refusal to sell, but he's devised a plan to get around that. Meanwhile, Miss Cackle is already at the tearoom. Mrs. Cosie is crying on Miss Cackle's shoulder, wailing that her tea house is going to fall to the ground during an earthquake and that a man is coming to inspect it that very day.

Unseen by Miss Cackle, the girls settle down at a table where they overhear Slyce's plan to trick Mrs Cosie into selling so that a toxic incinerator can be built on the site. This would make life unbearable for the inhabitants of Cackle's, not to mention the wildlife. Meanwhile, Miss Hardbroom hears about Mildred and her group heading off to the tea room, and sets off for it with Ethel and Drusilla in tow. Sam arrives at the tea house with instructions to convince Mrs. Cosie that it's going to fall down. He sits down with Miss Cakle and Mrs Cosie when his boss mistakenly shakes the building by falling off the waterwheel. Mildred hears a scream from Mrs. Cosie and peers around the corner to see Miss Cackle sitting with her. The group decides to make a run for it just as Miss Hardbroom arrives, and they have to hide under the table instead. Hearing Miss Hardbroom call for service Miss Cackle dives behind the couch, saying "I'm not here!"

Not seeing Mildred or her friends, Miss Hardbroom decides to wait around and see if they show up. Just as they have another oportunity to leave, the girls see Sam's boss enter the tea house. Mildred gets the feeling he's up to something and decides to wait around. They hear Sam talking to his boss and uncover the whole plot. When Brownboots (the boss) leaves to talk to Mrs. Cosie about buying the tea house, Mildred and her friends take the opportunity to talk to Sam.

Meanwhile, Miss Hardbroom gets impatient with waiting, and begins to suspect that Ethel and Drusilla are lying even though Sam almost collaborated their story. She launches into a lengthy monologue about how the tea house is a den of debauchery.

At that precise moment, Miss Cackle makes her escape by crawling right up to Mildred Hubble. "I'm not here," she whispers. "Neither are we," agrees Mildred. "Agreed," says Miss Cackle. "And what, exactly, isn't going on?"

Brownboots talks Mrs Cosie into selling the tea room to him, and she's just finished signing the contract when Miss Cackle, Mildred and co spring up to the surprise of everyone and foil his plans, with the help of the now canine Sam.

Sam turns back into a human and everyone except Ethel and Drusilla enjoy an afternoon "that never happened".