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Sir Horace clanked off down the garden path and out past the gate-that-was stuck-on-top-of-the-hedge It was a nice sunny day, the kind of day when it is fun to be outside However, it is not fun to be outside with your best ghost who is leaving forever-- especially if he is going to live with Nurse Beryl Watkins I sighed I was going to have to add "best ghost gone" to the list of Things that Aunt Tabby Will Not Like When She Comes Hoe soe of Spookie Lane There was an arrow on the sign pointing down the lane, and it said:

Auction Toda 6 pns to Water Wonderland Sir Horace’s old castle was being soldToday! Suddenly I had a Big Plan--a very Big Plan But first there was so very important that I had to find And I was pretty sure I knehere it was "Stay there, " I said to Wanda and Sir Horace "I’ll be back in a ue out at Ned and Jed as I zoomed past thehost-in-the-bath-bathroom I opened Sir Horace’s treasure chest--okay, I know you shouldn’t open other people’s treasure chests without asking, but this was an eh all his dusty old papers At the botto for--the deed to his castle! Stage one of the Big Plan couessed, I will tell you whatGet-Back-Sir-Horace’s-Castle Plan

It was perfect and it went like this: I would go to the auction for Water Wonderland--which was, of course, really Sir Horace’s old castle Wanda could come too if she wanted I would show the auction people Sir Horace’s deed, which proves that he still owns his castle Then the auction people would ive Sir Horace back his castle Sir Horace could live there instead of in Nurse Watkins’s horrible alcove thingy, and Wanda and I could go and see him whenever anted to, and ould have all of his castle--or as left of it--to play in Plus, I could cross "best ghost gone" off the list of Things that Aunt Tabby Will Not Like When She Comes Home because Aunt Tabby wouldn’t even need to know that he had gone

You see, there is a secret passage from Spookie House to Sir Horace’s castle and Sir Horace could easily go between the two Sir Horace often disappears into his secret room, so Aunt Tabby wouldn’t know the difference Wanda and I could even go down the secret passage to see Sir Horace--once he had fixed its scary maze It would be fun But first I had to stop Sir Horace froe I was sure that once he had set his pointy ain I was going to have to do soan "Sir Horace, " I said "There is another birthday tradition at Spookie House " "Oh?" Sir Horace sounded a little suspicious

"If someone has a special Plan on their birthday, you have to help them with it " "Really?" "Yes If they ask you nicely " "Ah And would you be asking me nicely to help you with a special Plan on your birthday by any chance, Miss Spookie?" "Yes I would " "I thought you e--there are so many new birthday traditions this year in Spookie House " "All traditions have to be new sometime, Sir Horace " "Very true, Miss Spookie I myself remember quite a fehen they were new So what is your Plan that you require special birthday help with?" Now, I didn’t want to tell Sir Horace ht away in case he said no Sir

Horace can be a bit stubborn at tio to Nurse Watkins I would like you to come with Wanda and me to your castle " "Why?" asked Wanda

"Shhh, " I said

"I do not wish to see any FitzMaurices, " said

Sir Horace glooo Sir Horace had a bad experience at Water Wonderland when Old Morris FitzMaurice put him in a wheelbarrow and locked him in the keep "Wanda and I will make sure you don’t see any, " I told him "We will?" asked Wanda "Yes, " I said "We will Let’s get going " But I could see Wanda did not think this was a good idea "It’s a long way to walk, " she said

"We can ride our bikes " "But what about Sir Horace?" "He can ride Barry’s bike, " I said "He’s about the same size " Wanda spluttered, "Sir Horace can’t ride a bike!" "What, " asked Sir Horace, "is this bike?" "It’s a bit like a horse, " I told him "With pedals " "Very well, Miss Spookie, " said Sir Horace "I shall ride the horse-with-pedals to my castle And then to Nurse Watkins’s "

I think Sir Horace was surprised that his horse-with-pedals was more pedals than horse Wanda wheeled Barry’s bike out into Spookie Lane for hihed "Miss Wizzard, you jest, " he boomed

"That is no horse " "But these are the pedals, Sir Horace, " I said "Look " Sir Horace did not seeot on the bike and whizzed up and down the lane, he was amazed "Aha, now I see why you are called Miss Wizzard It is the wizardry that keeps you fro off that stopped her fro off, but I didn’t "No, " said Wanda "It’s riding fast That’s all "

Sir Horace did not get to be a knight for nothing He is brave I think it et on a bike, but he did Wanda and I held the back of his saddle and we showed Sir Horace how to hold the handlebars and where to put his feet on the pedals while Edernails

Fang kept running in and out of the wheels, but since he was a ghost it didn’t h it looked weird "Push the pedals, Sir Horace Push!" we said Sir Horace pushed and the bike began to move "Push harder!" Sir Horace pushed harder and the bike wobbled forward "Keep going, Sir Horace!" "Faster, Sir Horace You have to pedal faster!" Sir Horace pedaled faster Soon Wanda and I were running down Spookie Lane as fast as we could "Go, Sir Horace, go!" we yelled We let go of the saddle and he pedaled off on his own He didn’t wobble once

He zoo behind hi to catch up I felt really proud--we had taught Sir Horace to ride a bike And then Wanda said, "We never told him about the brakes " Oops By the tiotten on then of him At the end of Spookie Lane there is a sharp bend, and as we raced around the bend we nearly rode right through Ed in thehis arms I nearly fell off et run over " Edreen soap bubble "The horse-with-pedals bolted, " he wailed "It threw Sir Horace into a hedge!" We followed Edoes to the beach Soon we ca was standing guard Sticking out of the hole were Barry’s bike and Sir Horace’s feet Wanda and I grabbed one foot each and pulled Sir Horace out uite a lot of the hedge came with him--but he was still in one piece In fact he looked a lot better than the bike

Barry’s bike was not the best bike in the world and it always had a few loose parts Now it had even ht back on the bike "If you fall off a horse you ht back in the saddle, " he boomed

"Particularly if you fall off a horse-with-pedals " Wanda and I showed Sir Horace hoork the brakes and then we all set off We cycled along behind the horse-with-pedals because Sir Horace knew the way--the sandy track went past his old castle It was fun riding along behind Sir Horace Fang was really excited, and even Edmund was happy because Wanda had offered hi sidesaddle on the luggage carrier Soon we could hear the sound of seagulls and the sea

A fewbeside a wide ditch, which Sir Horace said was his old moat And then, as we cycled around a bend,the rest of Sir Horace’s castle--Hernia Hall I was really amazed, because underneath the smashed-up mushroom sheds was a whole forest of ruins, which had been there all the tireat any, but you could easily see it had been a castle At the sight of his old home, Sir Horace slammed on his brakes in surprise, catapulted over the handlebars, and flew into the old moat There was a loud thud and he landed in pieces Drat