Message from the Match Girl by Janet Taylor Lisle

Author:Janet Taylor Lisle [Lisle, Janet Taylor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-7186-5
Publisher: Open Road
Published: 2012-12-13T23:36:00+00:00

ELEVEN

GEORGINA WAS, IF POSSIBLE, more impressed by Walter’s treasures than Poco. Far from laughing, she picked up every one and examined it with a microscopic eye. The friends were all gathered in Poco’s room the next afternoon. Somehow Poco had persuaded Walter to come. He stood by nervously rattling a paper bag, as if he might, at any moment, take his things and leave.

“Beautiful!” Georgina whispered over the locket. “Amazing!” The hospital bracelet disappeared inside her hand. Walter watched closely until she put it down.

Next she alighted upon the socks and the doll-size sweater. Walter sucked in his breath and waited for her to snicker. But she examined them as seriously as the others.

“I guess someone has found out who Walter is.”

Walter nodded. “My mother. She knows I need to have these. George, promise you won’t tell? I don’t want anyone hearing at school.”

“Of course not!” Georgina’s voice took on commanding tones. “We will proceed in the strictest confidence. You know how the police keep evidence secret.”

“Evidence?” Walter glanced up in alarm.

“Well, yes. When we start our investigation …”

“Investigation! For what?”

“For finding out who is behind the Little Match Girl,” Poco told him. “It’s what you’ve been wanting to know all this time.”

Georgina added her vigorous nod. “Even you must admit that it’s starting to look as if a real person is doing this. And that’s a very good sign because …”

“A real person?” Walter cried. “What does that mean?”

“It means not a ghost, or one of your old spirits!” Georgina had begun to lose her patience.

“A real person is someone we can handle,” Poco explained. “We can make a real plan to find out who it is.”

“Or even who she is,” Georgina said. “Because who else but a mother would keep all this stuff?”

For one moment Walter’s eyes showed pure fright on their pale surfaces. Then he pulled his cap down and hid them from view. “No plans,” he said. “I don’t want any plans.”

“But why?” Poco and Georgina couldn’t believe it. “Don’t you want to know?”

“No.”

“Walter! Why?”

He would not answer. “I’m going home,” he announced, and put his treasures into the bag. “I need to see if there were any messages today. They’ve been coming slower, and I’m beginning to think …”

“Walter, wait!” Georgina and Poco followed him outside, stepping squarely on Juliette, who was asleep on the mat.

“I’m beginning to think there might not be many more. So please don’t come to see the Match Girl,” Walter told them as he went down the walk. “It’s very important. She must be left alone.”

“You can’t order us to do that!” Georgina cried. “The Match Girl belongs to us as much as you.”

Poco ran after him. “And what about the flowers …?”

“Stay away!” Walter shrieked in a strange, wild voice. “Stay away or you’ll end up wrecking everything.”

Never had Walter Kew acted so rude and crazy. After he rushed off, Poco and Georgina stared at each other, and then at Juliette, who had retreated to a corner of the porch to lick her wounds.

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