should move stuff out of the basement.” Linus could hardly believe he’d said the words. They’d just popped out of his practical brain when he wasn’t thinking.
“Good idea! You kids do that. I’m sure you have nothing better to do today.”
It was a job sneaking Quasimodo down to the basement, but nobody complained about the inconvenience. With his strong arm muscles and willingness to work hard, he was a great help. And he seemed glad for something to do. Walter was a big help as well, working up a sweat while Ophelia sat on an old chair the color of sidewalk gum and continued reading
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
.
“You could help out a bit,” Linus said to Ophelia after a poof of dust exploded in his face after he set down a half-open box of old-fashioned looking clothes.
“It’s quite all right,” Quasi said. “I’m more than happy to help.And a fine lady such as Ophelia should not be subjected to heavy labor.” Then he stammered, “What I mean to say, such a young lady should not be so burdened, that is,” he said, growing redder by the minute, “no young miss should have to lift when there are strong young men around.”
“Thank you Quasi,” Ophelia said, turning rather pink herself. “I would help, but if you remember one of us needs to finish your book, and I don’t believe anyone else has a start on it yet.”
“How convenient,” Linus smirked.
“See here!” Walter cried out, seemingly oblivious to the exchange, as he held up a box. “It’s a box of books!”
They all groaned.
But nobody groaned an hour later when Walter discovered a box full of memorabilia. He picked up object after object.
“Look, Ophelia.”
She arose from her chair and leaned over the box. “Oh my!” One by one she picked up what seemed to be Juliet’s cap, Macbeth’s broadsword, and the dagger Brutus might have used to slay Julius Caesar. “It’s like treasures from the mind of William Shakespeare!” The three of them continued to rifle through the contents.
Then the boys pulled out more intriguing boxes labeled
The Canterbury Tales
,
The Three Musketeers
,
The Iliad
,
The Odyssey
, and more. Ten other boxes.
Ophelia met Linus’s eyes.
Cato Grubbs, the mad scientist of the enchanted circle, was alive and well. And obviously he was a very busy man. Or was he? Could it be Cato, or perhaps someone else? Who could know?
A further conversation with Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus was most definitely in order! Maybe they possessed more information about the former owner of the house than they were letting on.
“Did you see that?” asked Walter.
“See what?” Ophelia said.
“I thought I saw a shadow over there, in the corner by the furnace.”
Linus shook his head. “Sorry.”
Quasi set down a box on the bottom step. “I did, Walter. It looked like a man.”
“A rather fat man?” asked Walter.
“Yes.”
“I wonder who it could be?” Walter reached for another box to carry upstairs.
“Let’s hope it’s nobody,” said Ophelia. “Let’s hope there’s a reasonable explanation for whatever you saw.”
Later that afternoon, they were back upstairs listening to the rain. Walter couldn’t stand being cooped up any longer. “Let’s take a quick walk to the river,” he said. “Surely we can get Quasi there and back without any trouble.”
“I’ve got to read,” said Ophelia, lying comfortably on Linus’s bed.
“It’s still raining,” said Linus, doing some sort of calculation on the wall by the door.
“Then it’s on me. Right,” said Walter. “You mind a little rain?” he asked Quasi.
“No, I don’t.”
“I’ll run interference for you,” Ophelia offered. She hurried down the steps to the bookshop’s office and engaged Aunt Portia in a conversation about literary fantasy. Uncle Auggie was out for the afternoon, headed to an estate sale in search of more books.
Walter hurried out the front door of the shop, side by side with Quasimodo.
“Are you sure
“Good idea! You kids do that. I’m sure you have nothing better to do today.”
It was a job sneaking Quasimodo down to the basement, but nobody complained about the inconvenience. With his strong arm muscles and willingness to work hard, he was a great help. And he seemed glad for something to do. Walter was a big help as well, working up a sweat while Ophelia sat on an old chair the color of sidewalk gum and continued reading
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
.
“You could help out a bit,” Linus said to Ophelia after a poof of dust exploded in his face after he set down a half-open box of old-fashioned looking clothes.
“It’s quite all right,” Quasi said. “I’m more than happy to help.And a fine lady such as Ophelia should not be subjected to heavy labor.” Then he stammered, “What I mean to say, such a young lady should not be so burdened, that is,” he said, growing redder by the minute, “no young miss should have to lift when there are strong young men around.”
“Thank you Quasi,” Ophelia said, turning rather pink herself. “I would help, but if you remember one of us needs to finish your book, and I don’t believe anyone else has a start on it yet.”
“How convenient,” Linus smirked.
“See here!” Walter cried out, seemingly oblivious to the exchange, as he held up a box. “It’s a box of books!”
They all groaned.
But nobody groaned an hour later when Walter discovered a box full of memorabilia. He picked up object after object.
“Look, Ophelia.”
She arose from her chair and leaned over the box. “Oh my!” One by one she picked up what seemed to be Juliet’s cap, Macbeth’s broadsword, and the dagger Brutus might have used to slay Julius Caesar. “It’s like treasures from the mind of William Shakespeare!” The three of them continued to rifle through the contents.
Then the boys pulled out more intriguing boxes labeled
The Canterbury Tales
,
The Three Musketeers
,
The Iliad
,
The Odyssey
, and more. Ten other boxes.
Ophelia met Linus’s eyes.
Cato Grubbs, the mad scientist of the enchanted circle, was alive and well. And obviously he was a very busy man. Or was he? Could it be Cato, or perhaps someone else? Who could know?
A further conversation with Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus was most definitely in order! Maybe they possessed more information about the former owner of the house than they were letting on.
“Did you see that?” asked Walter.
“See what?” Ophelia said.
“I thought I saw a shadow over there, in the corner by the furnace.”
Linus shook his head. “Sorry.”
Quasi set down a box on the bottom step. “I did, Walter. It looked like a man.”
“A rather fat man?” asked Walter.
“Yes.”
“I wonder who it could be?” Walter reached for another box to carry upstairs.
“Let’s hope it’s nobody,” said Ophelia. “Let’s hope there’s a reasonable explanation for whatever you saw.”
Later that afternoon, they were back upstairs listening to the rain. Walter couldn’t stand being cooped up any longer. “Let’s take a quick walk to the river,” he said. “Surely we can get Quasi there and back without any trouble.”
“I’ve got to read,” said Ophelia, lying comfortably on Linus’s bed.
“It’s still raining,” said Linus, doing some sort of calculation on the wall by the door.
“Then it’s on me. Right,” said Walter. “You mind a little rain?” he asked Quasi.
“No, I don’t.”
“I’ll run interference for you,” Ophelia offered. She hurried down the steps to the bookshop’s office and engaged Aunt Portia in a conversation about literary fantasy. Uncle Auggie was out for the afternoon, headed to an estate sale in search of more books.
Walter hurried out the front door of the shop, side by side with Quasimodo.
“Are you sure
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