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Fenoglio got up and went over to her ‘There, there!’ he said, putting his ar her bury her face in his jacket It was h fabric and s!’ he whispered to Meggie ‘After all, I invented these villains It’ll be an odd thing if I can’t get rid of theie raised her face, ith tears, and looked at him hopefully, but the old man shook his head ‘Later Now, tell me whatto do with the way he reads aloud?’

Meggie nodded and wiped the tears fro soave her a handkerchief A few crumbs of tobacco fell from it when she blew her nose ‘A friend? Capricorn has no friends’ The old ie felt him suddenly take a deep breath

‘Who is it?’ she asked, but Fenoglio just mopped a tear off her cheek

‘Someone I hope you’ll never meet except between the covers of a book,’ he said evasively Then he turned and began pacing up and down ‘Capricorn will be back soon,’ he added ‘I must think how best to confront him’

But Capricorn did not come Darkness fell outside, and still no one had fetched the to eat It grew cold when the night air cah the hole in the wall, and they huddled side by side on the hard floor to keep warlio asked at soer likes winding him up about it’

‘Good,’ lio But he would say no more

33

Capricorn’s Maid

As I never sawwhat they were like, were unreasonably derived froave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man with curly black hair Froiana Wife of the Above’ I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly

Charles Dickens,

Great Expectations

Dustfinger set out when the night could grow no darker The sky was overcast, with not a single star shining Only the moon showed occasionally between the clouds, as thin as a slice of lelad of such darkness, but the boy ju brushed his face

‘For heaven’s sake, I should have left you with the er snapped as Farid clutched his arive us away yet with your teeth chattering like that Look ahead of you That’s what ought to scare you – guns, not ghosts’

Before thee The new floodlights poured light as bright as day over the grey houses

‘And they say that this electricity of theirs is a blessing!’ whispered Dustfinger as they skirted the car park A bored-looking guard was strolling round aainst the truck in which Cockerell had brought the goats back that afternoon, and put on a pair of earphones

‘Excellent! An army could er ‘If Basta were here he’d discipline the man for that – shut hi to eat’

‘Why don’t we go over the rooftops?’ All the fear had gone froun didn’t alarer could only shake his head over such foolishness But the rooftop idea wasn’t stupid A vine that hadn’t been pruned for years grew up one of the houses beside the car park As soon as the guard wandered over to the other side of the area, swaying in tier clambered up its woody branches The boy climbed even better than he did, and proudly offered him a hand once he was up on the roof They moved on stealthily like stray cats, past chiled doards and left everything behind thele caed to catch it just in time, before the terracotta tile could fall and break in the street below

When they reached the square where the church and Capricorn’s house stood they let theutter For a few breathless er ducked behind a stack of euards Both the square itself and the narrow alley to one side of Capricorn’s house were bathed in light A black cat was sitting on the edge of the well outside the church Basta’s heart would probably have er was uards outside Capricorn’s house Two of the by the entrance It was one of these, a so in a town up in the north, just as he was about to give his last show He and two coed the fire-eater back here, where Capricorn had, in his own characteristic way, questioned hiuing, and as they were so absorbed Dustfinger plucked up his courage, took a few rapid steps, and disappeared down the alley beside Capricorn’s house Farid followed him, as soundless as his own shadow co which e hall, a disused monastery or a school All the ere dark, and there were no other guards to be seen in the alley But Dustfinger reuards liked to lurk in dark doorways, invisible as ravens at night in their black suits Indeed, Dustfinger knew ale He had walked these streets often enough since Capricorn brought hiue and the book Whenever he felt the sharp pangs of homesickness he had come back here to his old enemies, where he didn’t feel quite so out of place Even his fear of Basta’s knife couldn’t keep hier picked up a flat stone, beckoned Farid to his side, and threw the stone down the alley Nothinghis rounds Dustfinger hurried to the high wall behind which Capricorn’s garden lay: vegetable beds, fruit trees and herbs, protected by the wall from the cold wind that soer had often entertained the hts in the garden, no guards either – who’d steal vegetables? – and only a door with a grating over it, a door that was locked at night, that led fro kennels lay beyond the wall too, but when Dustfinger swung his had not coer expected, and Basta obviously hadn’t got new dogs yet Stupid of hinalled to the boy to follow him, and stole past the carefully tended beds until he had reached the back door with the grating The boy looked at hier just laid a finger to his lips and looked up at one of the s on the second floor The shutters, black as night, were open Dustfinger mewed in so lifelike a fashion that several cats answered, but nothing er cursed under his breath, listened to the sounds of the night for a moment, then imitated the shrill cry of a bird of prey Farid jumped and pressed close to the wall of the house This ti did move behind the upstairs oer waved to her she waved back – and then quickly disappeared