flee.’
She turned her back on him and continued on her way.
Morgan watched her leave, the remains of his tail beating angrily on the ground.’
‘Oh I got plans, true enough,’ he muttered. ‘Just don’t get in my way, witch!’ and he spat venomously.
Arthur turned over. The early morning rays of the sun were slanting in across his bed. He mumbled and tried to regain his sleep. For a while he lay there breathing softly, waiting to slip back into his dreams. It was no use: he was wide awake. Arthur opened one eye.
It was a bright morning outside, one of those rare, beautiful Mays was just beginning. He opened the other eye. Arthur stretched and scratched, then stretched some more. He looked over to Audrey’s empty bed. She was up early, he mused. He got out of bed and stood in the sunlight. The disturbed dust floated in and out of the rays giving them a solid appearance. The warmth on his face made a refreshing start to the day.
Arthur liked being up and about early; it was just the waking up he found difficult. It was unusual for his sister to be up before him though. Audrey liked to stay in bed and ‘think about things’ as she put it. He had no idea what these ‘things’ were. She was dreamy, everyone knew that. Arthur wondered where she was. Leaving their room he went in search of breakfast.
‘Hello Mother.’
Gwen smiled at him. ‘Good morning. Any sign of Audrey getting up?’
‘But she already is. I mean when I woke up she wasn’t in the bedroom,’ Arthur said.
His mother stopped preparing breakfast. ‘Well where can she be? She hasn’t had a thing to eat’
Arthur shrugged. ‘You know what she’s like, Mum. What’s for breakfast?’
‘Arthur please, before you eat anything, go and find her.’
‘Oh Mum,’ he began; then he saw how upset she was. ‘All right – just wait till I do find her. I’m a growing mouse, I need breakfast, even if she doesn’t.’
Arthur made his way out of the Skirtings.
Oswald and Twit were in the hall when he came out.
‘Morning Arthur,’ greeted Oswald. ‘Isn’t it a glorious day? Cousin Twit thinks he might venture outside today and I might go with him.’
‘Have you seen Audrey this morning?’ Arthur asked them. They shook their heads. ‘If that isn’t just like her, the silly ass, wandering off without a word to anyone.’
‘Maybe she’m gone outside herself,’ suggested Twit.
‘Perhaps we should look for her there’ Arthur agreed.
The three friends crossed the hall and went into the kitchen of the old house.
The floor was covered in smooth linoleum but it was not so polished as to make them slip. Where the floorboards joined the foot of one wall there was a gap and through this the mice would sometimes venture into the garden. In the winter the passage had to be plugged to prevent a terrible draught whistling throughout the Skirtings. It had only been unblocked the day before for the boughs of hawthorn to be brought in and the paper with which it had been stuffed was scattered untidily about the entrance.
‘Have you ever been outside before?’ Arthur asked Oswald.
The other shook his head.
‘You know I haven’t.’
Twit looked up at his cousin. ‘You don’t have to come if you ain’t willin’,’ he said generously.
But Oswald dismissed all thoughts of staying behind.
Arthur had only been out once himself and that was with his father in the autumn when there were no leaves for enemies to hide behind. ‘Of course,’ he said wavering on the edge of the passage, ‘we don’t really know that Audrey came this way.’
Arthur wasn’t really worried about his sister. He thought she could be upstairs somewhere and they would find her later. For the moment he was enjoying the thrill of adventure without a serious thought to any real danger. The three mice knew that the garden was safe enough if they were careful. Arthur didn’t really expect Audrey to be out there, but hunting for her was a good excuse to explore
She turned her back on him and continued on her way.
Morgan watched her leave, the remains of his tail beating angrily on the ground.’
‘Oh I got plans, true enough,’ he muttered. ‘Just don’t get in my way, witch!’ and he spat venomously.
Arthur turned over. The early morning rays of the sun were slanting in across his bed. He mumbled and tried to regain his sleep. For a while he lay there breathing softly, waiting to slip back into his dreams. It was no use: he was wide awake. Arthur opened one eye.
It was a bright morning outside, one of those rare, beautiful Mays was just beginning. He opened the other eye. Arthur stretched and scratched, then stretched some more. He looked over to Audrey’s empty bed. She was up early, he mused. He got out of bed and stood in the sunlight. The disturbed dust floated in and out of the rays giving them a solid appearance. The warmth on his face made a refreshing start to the day.
Arthur liked being up and about early; it was just the waking up he found difficult. It was unusual for his sister to be up before him though. Audrey liked to stay in bed and ‘think about things’ as she put it. He had no idea what these ‘things’ were. She was dreamy, everyone knew that. Arthur wondered where she was. Leaving their room he went in search of breakfast.
‘Hello Mother.’
Gwen smiled at him. ‘Good morning. Any sign of Audrey getting up?’
‘But she already is. I mean when I woke up she wasn’t in the bedroom,’ Arthur said.
His mother stopped preparing breakfast. ‘Well where can she be? She hasn’t had a thing to eat’
Arthur shrugged. ‘You know what she’s like, Mum. What’s for breakfast?’
‘Arthur please, before you eat anything, go and find her.’
‘Oh Mum,’ he began; then he saw how upset she was. ‘All right – just wait till I do find her. I’m a growing mouse, I need breakfast, even if she doesn’t.’
Arthur made his way out of the Skirtings.
Oswald and Twit were in the hall when he came out.
‘Morning Arthur,’ greeted Oswald. ‘Isn’t it a glorious day? Cousin Twit thinks he might venture outside today and I might go with him.’
‘Have you seen Audrey this morning?’ Arthur asked them. They shook their heads. ‘If that isn’t just like her, the silly ass, wandering off without a word to anyone.’
‘Maybe she’m gone outside herself,’ suggested Twit.
‘Perhaps we should look for her there’ Arthur agreed.
The three friends crossed the hall and went into the kitchen of the old house.
The floor was covered in smooth linoleum but it was not so polished as to make them slip. Where the floorboards joined the foot of one wall there was a gap and through this the mice would sometimes venture into the garden. In the winter the passage had to be plugged to prevent a terrible draught whistling throughout the Skirtings. It had only been unblocked the day before for the boughs of hawthorn to be brought in and the paper with which it had been stuffed was scattered untidily about the entrance.
‘Have you ever been outside before?’ Arthur asked Oswald.
The other shook his head.
‘You know I haven’t.’
Twit looked up at his cousin. ‘You don’t have to come if you ain’t willin’,’ he said generously.
But Oswald dismissed all thoughts of staying behind.
Arthur had only been out once himself and that was with his father in the autumn when there were no leaves for enemies to hide behind. ‘Of course,’ he said wavering on the edge of the passage, ‘we don’t really know that Audrey came this way.’
Arthur wasn’t really worried about his sister. He thought she could be upstairs somewhere and they would find her later. For the moment he was enjoying the thrill of adventure without a serious thought to any real danger. The three mice knew that the garden was safe enough if they were careful. Arthur didn’t really expect Audrey to be out there, but hunting for her was a good excuse to explore
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