The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict (The Mysterious Benedict Society) by Trenton Lee Stewart

Author:Trenton Lee Stewart [Stewart, Trenton Lee]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure - General, Juvenile Fiction / Family / General, Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues - Friendship
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2012-04-10T00:00:00+00:00

It had turned out to be an enjoyable morning, therefore, and Nicholas was feeling more than a little triumphant. Yet at the same time, somewhere in the shadows of his mind, a voice was asking “What next?” The incident reminded him that he could never let his guard down, not even for a moment. As long as he lived at the Manor, he could never relax, and he would never be completely safe.

It would have been bad enough even without the Spiders. Look at poor Vern, for instance. Not only was he forced to wear the dunce cap because of his nightmare, he’d been given extra chores for the day. And then, because he’d “accidentally” locked Nicholas in the basement, he was given extra chores for the entire week. The punishment was awfully harsh, Nicholas thought. For him, losing so much free time would have been torture. All that lost reading time!

Reading was exactly what Nicholas was doing that afternoon when Vern came into the library with a feather duster. The pitiful boy puttered miserably about without meeting anyone’s eye, his dunce cap giving his head the ridiculous look of an upside-down ice-cream cone. From time to time Vern glanced out through the open doorway, and each time he did, he saw Mr. Collum’s stern face looking back at him through the entranceway mirror, and in evident terror he redoubled his efforts with the duster.

Nicholas observed all this with a mixture of pity and amusement, though only with part of his attention, for as usual he was deeply engrossed in his reading. As he stood at the shelves, however, he slowly became aware of the fact that Vern was sidling toward him, dusting the books nearer and nearer to Nicholas. He felt vaguely irritated—surely Vern could have picked other places to dust just then—and in fact was about to suggest as much, when he saw Vern slip a small, folded piece of paper into the empty space on the shelf from which Nicholas had taken his current book. He saw Vern cast a frightened glance at him before quickly sidling away again.

Nicholas sighed. No doubt it was a threat from the Spiders, or some sort of warning or ultimatum. He was tempted not even to look at it, but as always curiosity got the better of him. He unfolded the slip of paper and read: I am relly sorry for locking that door I had no choise. And with a start, he realized that the note was from Vern himself. Turning around, he saw Vern scurrying out of the library without looking back.

What do you know, he thought. Someone around here actually has a conscience.

On an impulse, Nicholas put away his book and hurried out into the entranceway, thinking that if no one else was around, he might persuade Vern to talk to him. He could use another ally, even if it had to be a secret one.

He met with no such luck, however. The entranceway was already empty, and Nicholas saw no one in the east or west passage.

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