The Magnificent Lizzie Brown and the Ghost Ship by Vicki Lockwood

Author:Vicki Lockwood [Lockwood, Vicki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction; Stone Arch Books; The Magnificent Lizzie Brown; psychic ability; circus; criminals; London (England)-history-19th century; mystery and detective stories; Great Britain-history-19th century; action & adventure/general; family/alternative family; social issues/new experience; social issues/friendship; social issues/emotions & feelings; 9781434298065; 9781623702090; 9781496502155; 9781623705831
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2015-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Only a few yards away from her, Johnson, the groundskeeper, held Hari firmly by the collar and was lifting him up onto his tiptoes. Hari’s face was flushed, and Lizzie knew instantly that the man was choking him.

“I’m going to send for the police,” Johnson growled. “No circus for you. I can spot the likes of you a mile off.”

Lizzie scrambled to her feet and ran to him. “Let him breathe! You’re strangling him!”

Johnson relaxed his grip a little, but didn’t let the boy go.

Hari clutched at his throat, gasping. “Lizzie … get Fitzy …”

“What are you doing to him?” Lizzie yelled. “Stop it!”

The groundskeeper blinked in surprise at Lizzie’s fury. “I’m doing my job,” he protested. “I found this little weasel snooping around in the gardens, up to no good.”

“You’re a rotten liar. You’re just picking on him ’cause he’s Indian!” Lizzie shouted.

Johnson’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out of it. Lizzie thought he looked like an ugly fish.

“I reckon he’s the thief who stole Lady Susannah’s jewels,” the groundskeeper finally managed to grunt. “And I can prove it.”

“You’re crazy,” Hari managed to say. “You’ve had it in for me since we came here. Admit it.”

“I saw you shovin’ something black in your pocket!” Johnson shouted, shaking Hari like a terrier with a rabbit. “It was a bit of her ladyship’s jet, wasn’t it? You stashed it out here, didn’t you?”

“No!”

“Prove it, then,” Johnson said triumphantly. “Turn out your pockets.”

Hari tried to wriggle free, but Johnson held his collar tightly and grabbed his arm for good measure.

“Come on, Hari,” Lizzie said, giving Johnson a glare that could burn through steel. “You’d better do as he says. I know you didn’t steal nothing.”

“No! I won’t do it!” Hari yelled. “He can’t make me.”

Lizzie stepped forward, wondering why Hari had said that. Surely he didn’t have anything to hide.

“Oh, I can make you, all right!” Johnson set off toward the castle, hauling Hari with him. “I’ll drag you in front of the Maharaja, and you can tell him why you’ve got your pockets full of his fiancée’s jewels. Then we’ll see what’s what!”

Lizzie ran along behind the groundskeeper as he hauled Hari all the way to the front doors. He shoved them open with his shoulder, revealing a startled balding man in the hallway — the chief butler, Collins. Lizzie recognized him from the grand dinner.

“Fetch the Maharaja, Collins,” Johnson barked. “I think he’ll want to see what this little brat has been squirreling away while his back was turned.”

“Right away,” the butler muttered through his teeth. He gave Lizzie and Hari a distasteful look. “Perhaps the children could be taken to wait outside?”

“They won’t get up to any mischief with me here to watch ’em,” Johnson said, glowering.

“We’re not thieves,” Hari snapped at him. “You’ll see.”

“Not another word out of either of you, or I’ll crack your heads together!” the groundskeeper snapped.

Collins rolled his eyes and disappeared up the great sweeping staircase. Lizzie stood quivering with anger at Johnson being so brutal and stupid.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.