in.
Chloe swigged the extremely dark tea.
‘It all goes back to Victorian times. A very devious man, known as the Philanthropist, set up the Society of Good Works. This organisation pretended to be a charity, but really it was just a front for a bunch of creepy villains. The Society taught orphans to steal, widows to be assassins and sick beggars to pass illnesses on to their enemies. Even the police fell under their power. They had London in a grip of terror.
‘In the end, some of the victims of the Society of Good Works – the people who had suffered at their hands – got together to form a secret alliance: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance. Since then we’ve been watching – striving – to stop this so-called charity from doing its evil work.’
Theo’s head was spinning. Had he really grown up in the heart of a sinister society? He felt anxious and miserable.
‘I – I don’t think Dr Saint is just evil,’ Theo said quietly, as if frightened of being heard and contradicted. ‘He – he’s certainly a very clever man – with brilliant ideas.’ Theo stopped.
Chloe didn’t reply. She was cheerfully brushing her hair, as if preparing to go out again.
‘I suppose I haven’t really known enough people to compare him with,’ Theo added sadly.
Chloe gave Theo a sympathetic look. ‘I tried to find out what makes him tick,’ she said. ‘Our Society took certain carefully chosen moments to swap me over with Clarice and get a peep inside Empire Hall.’
Theo felt a tingle of enlightenment down his spine. He knew at last he was getting to some of the Mysteries.
‘So sometimes
you
were looking after me!’ he gasped.
‘Once or twice,’ she said.
‘What did you find out?’
‘Not much,’ Chloe replied. ‘Even though they thought I was deaf, they never gave anything away. At Empire Hall they speak in a kind of code all the time. “Looking after poor Theo” meant locking you away.’
‘Because of my illness,’ Theo said.
‘Yes,’ mused Chloe, frowning deeply. She looked at Theo. ‘Do
you
think there’s anything wrong with you? Or was it all just a trick, an excuse to hide you?’
‘I … I don’t know,’ Theo said. His mind was racing. If he touched people, they melted. Did that count as an illness? Could he really trust this strange girl, who wasn’t Clarice, and her odd friends who had spirited him out of his old life and plunged him into a frightening new one?
‘All right,’ Chloe sighed. ‘It’s tricky. I admit this probably isn’t looking like the greatest rescue ever. Magnus will find a way to contact me when he’s safe. In the meantime, there’s something positive we can do.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Find out if you really do have the lurgy – or if your guardians are just a bunch of liars.’
There was a
beep
from the street outside.
‘Here’s our taxi,’ Chloe said.
Theo had been in a taxi before, with Mr Nicely. It was one of the best things in the world. The London he usually only saw in picture books came dizzyingly to life as the cab navigated through the afternoon traffic. Glowing shops and bustling streets gave way to the hush and solemnity of wealthy mansions as they approached their destination.
‘Why is Sam disturbing?’ asked Chloe, smiling.
Theo gazed out of the window into an increasingly thick and nasty fog.
‘He … he’s one of those people who wants to be happy,’ said Theo.
‘I see,’ said Chloe. ‘And that’s wrong, because …?’
‘The pursuit of happiness makes people selfish,’ said Theo. ‘It causes friction in society and leads to a morbid fear of death.’
‘I see.’ Chloe wrapped a big cream-coloured scarf round her face and Theo couldn’t see if she was smiling or not.
‘If people really enjoy life they won’t ever want it to end,’ he added, remembering some lectures from his guardian.
‘Wow! The Society of Good Works really did its work on you,’ she muttered.
‘And Sam throws jelly beans in the
Chloe swigged the extremely dark tea.
‘It all goes back to Victorian times. A very devious man, known as the Philanthropist, set up the Society of Good Works. This organisation pretended to be a charity, but really it was just a front for a bunch of creepy villains. The Society taught orphans to steal, widows to be assassins and sick beggars to pass illnesses on to their enemies. Even the police fell under their power. They had London in a grip of terror.
‘In the end, some of the victims of the Society of Good Works – the people who had suffered at their hands – got together to form a secret alliance: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance. Since then we’ve been watching – striving – to stop this so-called charity from doing its evil work.’
Theo’s head was spinning. Had he really grown up in the heart of a sinister society? He felt anxious and miserable.
‘I – I don’t think Dr Saint is just evil,’ Theo said quietly, as if frightened of being heard and contradicted. ‘He – he’s certainly a very clever man – with brilliant ideas.’ Theo stopped.
Chloe didn’t reply. She was cheerfully brushing her hair, as if preparing to go out again.
‘I suppose I haven’t really known enough people to compare him with,’ Theo added sadly.
Chloe gave Theo a sympathetic look. ‘I tried to find out what makes him tick,’ she said. ‘Our Society took certain carefully chosen moments to swap me over with Clarice and get a peep inside Empire Hall.’
Theo felt a tingle of enlightenment down his spine. He knew at last he was getting to some of the Mysteries.
‘So sometimes
you
were looking after me!’ he gasped.
‘Once or twice,’ she said.
‘What did you find out?’
‘Not much,’ Chloe replied. ‘Even though they thought I was deaf, they never gave anything away. At Empire Hall they speak in a kind of code all the time. “Looking after poor Theo” meant locking you away.’
‘Because of my illness,’ Theo said.
‘Yes,’ mused Chloe, frowning deeply. She looked at Theo. ‘Do
you
think there’s anything wrong with you? Or was it all just a trick, an excuse to hide you?’
‘I … I don’t know,’ Theo said. His mind was racing. If he touched people, they melted. Did that count as an illness? Could he really trust this strange girl, who wasn’t Clarice, and her odd friends who had spirited him out of his old life and plunged him into a frightening new one?
‘All right,’ Chloe sighed. ‘It’s tricky. I admit this probably isn’t looking like the greatest rescue ever. Magnus will find a way to contact me when he’s safe. In the meantime, there’s something positive we can do.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Find out if you really do have the lurgy – or if your guardians are just a bunch of liars.’
There was a
beep
from the street outside.
‘Here’s our taxi,’ Chloe said.
Theo had been in a taxi before, with Mr Nicely. It was one of the best things in the world. The London he usually only saw in picture books came dizzyingly to life as the cab navigated through the afternoon traffic. Glowing shops and bustling streets gave way to the hush and solemnity of wealthy mansions as they approached their destination.
‘Why is Sam disturbing?’ asked Chloe, smiling.
Theo gazed out of the window into an increasingly thick and nasty fog.
‘He … he’s one of those people who wants to be happy,’ said Theo.
‘I see,’ said Chloe. ‘And that’s wrong, because …?’
‘The pursuit of happiness makes people selfish,’ said Theo. ‘It causes friction in society and leads to a morbid fear of death.’
‘I see.’ Chloe wrapped a big cream-coloured scarf round her face and Theo couldn’t see if she was smiling or not.
‘If people really enjoy life they won’t ever want it to end,’ he added, remembering some lectures from his guardian.
‘Wow! The Society of Good Works really did its work on you,’ she muttered.
‘And Sam throws jelly beans in the
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