Fearless by Elvira Woodruff

Author:Elvira Woodruff [Woodruff, Elvira]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780545300070
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2007-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXI: The Compass

“Get this horrid bird off me!” Mrs. Huffy cried as Cubby sprang up to retrieve his pet. “Why, you wicked, wicked boy! You’ll pay for spoiling the master’s property with your filthy scribbling, you will.”

“’Twas not him, but me,” Digory told her. “I drew on the wall, but I never meant —”

“Oh, ’twas you, was it?” Mrs. Huffy flew around in a rage. “Proud of your sorry self, are you?” She dug her fingers into Digory’s arm until he yelped. “Mercy, you get those buckets emptied and get back to your work. And you,” she said, turning to Cubby, “you take that beastly bird out to the garden and out of my sight.”

Cubby and Mercy did as they were told as Mrs. Huffy dragged Digory into the kitchen by his ear. Once there, she sat him down in a chair at the table and told him to wait. She bustled out of the kitchen but quickly returned with a dark green bottle and a large spoon in her hand.

“There we are now,” she murmured as she poured the dark green liquid from the bottle into the spoon and headed toward Digory. “Sure if this isn’t just the tonic to make a bad boy wish he’d never done wrong.”

As Mrs. Huffy brought the spoon up to his lips, Digory leaned as far back in the chair as he could. An evil smell rose up from the spoon. “I never meant no harm,” Digory pleaded. “Please don’t make me drink that!”

But the housekeeper silenced him with a look so sharp, his voice was reduced to a whimper. “Be still!” she snapped. “The master takes you in off the streets and keeps your neck from the noose, and this is how you repay his kindness? By destroying his property? We’ll see now if you don’t get a bellyful of what’s due you. Open your mouth now, you monster. Come on, boy, open your mouth!”

“No!” cried out Digory. “Please, no!”

She pressed the spoon against his tightly clamped closed lips just as Master Henry barged into the kitchen.

“What is going on here?” he demanded.

“This ill-bred Cornish urchin ’ere ’as taken to destroying your property, sir,” the housekeeper replied, her big round cheeks puffing out. She took Digory by the elbow and dragged him back out to the well house wall, with the master following behind.

Digory lowered his head, too sick with regret to look the master in the eye.

“Just look at the mess he’s made,” Mrs. Huffy fumed. “This’ll take hours to clean. He shall be punished, sir. Of that you can be sure.” She waved the open bottle of tonic in the air, releasing a wave of stink.

Master Henry stared at the wall with astonishment. “My word,” he said. “What is that horrid concoction?”

“’Tis a horrid thing he did,” Mrs. Huffy answered.

But instead of agreeing with her, the master broke into a fit of giggles. “The boy has an unusual talent,” he said when he regained his composure.

“Surely the boy must be punished,” the housekeeper shrieked.

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