us.
Afterwards I made my way to the kitchen. I was aware of an unusual silence.
Mrs. Penlock was seated at the big kitchen table with Isaacs and some of the others.
This was clearly not the moment to go to the pantry. I should have to bide my time.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to appear as usual.
“Morning, Miss Annora.”
“Is—is anything wrong?”
There was a brief silence, then Mrs. Penlock said: “There was a fire last night, Mother Ginny’s house was burned to a cinder … and her in it.”
I looked steadily at them. “How … how did it happen?”
After some hesitation Isaacs said: “Who’s to know how fires start? They do and that’s about it.”
They looked down at their plates. I thought: I am sure some of them must have been there. Murderers! I wanted to shout at them. That was who killed Mother Ginny.
But I must be careful. I had to think of Digory.
I must get away or I should betray something; and yet on the other hand I had to show curiosity. Hadn’t I been told a hundred times that I had my nose into everything? “Curiosity killed the cat,” Mrs. Penlock had told me on more than one occasion.
“There … must have been a cause.”
“It’s easy done,” said Mrs. Penlock. “Her always had a fire going. Sparks fall out and a place like that—it gone in next to no time.”
“Is she dead? Are you sure?”
“Reckon,” said Mrs. Penlock.
“And,” I went on, “the boy …”
“There ain’t no sign of him. He must have gone too.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Well, her being a witch, you’d have thought the Devil would have come to her aid.”
“And he didn’t?”
“Seems not.”
I hated them all in that moment. How dared they sit there lying to me. They knew, all of them, how she had died.
I wanted to shout at them, telling them that I knew, that I had been there and seen it all. Then I remembered the frenzy of the mob last night and I thought of the boy who had been saved. If they turned on him they might devise some terrible end for him as they had for his grandmother.
I said: “It is … terrible.” And I ran out of the kitchen.
Jacco was waiting for me.
“Well?”
“They are all there. I couldn’t get anything. They are pretending it was an accident. They said sparks must have fallen on the roof and set it on fire.”
“Well, what do you expect?”
“It’s lies … all lies. They did it. They killed her.”
“We’ve got to save the boy. So what about the food?”
“I’ll have to seize the opportunity.”
He nodded.
“Let’s go to the Dogs’ Home to see how he is,” he said.
I was glad that it was sheltered from the house, for the shrubs round it were considerably overgrown.
Jacco rapped on the door. “Let us in,” he called.
We heard the key in the lock and there stood Digory. He still had the dazed look on his face.
As we went in Jacco said: “We’re going to bring you food. All you have to do is stay here. You’ll be all right. In a few days my father will be home.”
Digory said: “There’s nothing … nowhere. It’s all burned down … and me granny …”
I went to him and put my arms round him.
“We’re going to look after you,” I assured him. “My father will know what to do.”
He just stood there like a statue that has no life.
“Come on,” said Jacco. “You’ll want to eat something. You’ll feel better then.”
Later that morning I was able to get into the pantry. I took milk, bread and a piece of cold boiled bacon.
Jacco said: “That’ll do for a start.”
And we took it to the Dogs’ Home.
Digory was still in a daze but we made him eat a little.
Jacco and I went into the woods on the afternoon of Midsummer’s Day. The smell of burned wood and thatch hung about the place. It was a pitiful sight to see that burned-out shell of what had once been a home. The grass was scorched and there was something eerie about the scene. I felt that forever after it would be a haunted spot … haunted
Afterwards I made my way to the kitchen. I was aware of an unusual silence.
Mrs. Penlock was seated at the big kitchen table with Isaacs and some of the others.
This was clearly not the moment to go to the pantry. I should have to bide my time.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to appear as usual.
“Morning, Miss Annora.”
“Is—is anything wrong?”
There was a brief silence, then Mrs. Penlock said: “There was a fire last night, Mother Ginny’s house was burned to a cinder … and her in it.”
I looked steadily at them. “How … how did it happen?”
After some hesitation Isaacs said: “Who’s to know how fires start? They do and that’s about it.”
They looked down at their plates. I thought: I am sure some of them must have been there. Murderers! I wanted to shout at them. That was who killed Mother Ginny.
But I must be careful. I had to think of Digory.
I must get away or I should betray something; and yet on the other hand I had to show curiosity. Hadn’t I been told a hundred times that I had my nose into everything? “Curiosity killed the cat,” Mrs. Penlock had told me on more than one occasion.
“There … must have been a cause.”
“It’s easy done,” said Mrs. Penlock. “Her always had a fire going. Sparks fall out and a place like that—it gone in next to no time.”
“Is she dead? Are you sure?”
“Reckon,” said Mrs. Penlock.
“And,” I went on, “the boy …”
“There ain’t no sign of him. He must have gone too.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Well, her being a witch, you’d have thought the Devil would have come to her aid.”
“And he didn’t?”
“Seems not.”
I hated them all in that moment. How dared they sit there lying to me. They knew, all of them, how she had died.
I wanted to shout at them, telling them that I knew, that I had been there and seen it all. Then I remembered the frenzy of the mob last night and I thought of the boy who had been saved. If they turned on him they might devise some terrible end for him as they had for his grandmother.
I said: “It is … terrible.” And I ran out of the kitchen.
Jacco was waiting for me.
“Well?”
“They are all there. I couldn’t get anything. They are pretending it was an accident. They said sparks must have fallen on the roof and set it on fire.”
“Well, what do you expect?”
“It’s lies … all lies. They did it. They killed her.”
“We’ve got to save the boy. So what about the food?”
“I’ll have to seize the opportunity.”
He nodded.
“Let’s go to the Dogs’ Home to see how he is,” he said.
I was glad that it was sheltered from the house, for the shrubs round it were considerably overgrown.
Jacco rapped on the door. “Let us in,” he called.
We heard the key in the lock and there stood Digory. He still had the dazed look on his face.
As we went in Jacco said: “We’re going to bring you food. All you have to do is stay here. You’ll be all right. In a few days my father will be home.”
Digory said: “There’s nothing … nowhere. It’s all burned down … and me granny …”
I went to him and put my arms round him.
“We’re going to look after you,” I assured him. “My father will know what to do.”
He just stood there like a statue that has no life.
“Come on,” said Jacco. “You’ll want to eat something. You’ll feel better then.”
Later that morning I was able to get into the pantry. I took milk, bread and a piece of cold boiled bacon.
Jacco said: “That’ll do for a start.”
And we took it to the Dogs’ Home.
Digory was still in a daze but we made him eat a little.
Jacco and I went into the woods on the afternoon of Midsummer’s Day. The smell of burned wood and thatch hung about the place. It was a pitiful sight to see that burned-out shell of what had once been a home. The grass was scorched and there was something eerie about the scene. I felt that forever after it would be a haunted spot … haunted
Similar Books
