Page 24 (1/2)

'Here we are,' said Miss Level, bustling over with three cups and saucers and the sugar bowl 'One for you, one for you, and one for- Oh The sugar bowl dropped froar onto the table Miss Level stared at it in horror while, in the other hand that wasn't there, a cup and saucer wobbled without visible means of support 'Shut your eyes, Miss Level!' And there was soe tone that ht! Now, you know the cup's there, you can feel your ar up 'Trust it! Your eyes are not in possession of all the facts! Now put the cup down gentlythaaat's right You can open your eyes now, but what I wants you to do, right, as a favour to me, is put the hands that you can see flat down on the table Right Good Noithout takin' those hands away, just go over to the dresser and fetch me that blue biscuit tin, will you? I'm always partial to a biscuit with my tea Thank you very much'

'Butbut I can't do that now-'

'Get past "I can't", Miss Level,' Mistress Weather-wax snapped 'Don't think about it, just do it! My tea's getting cold!' So this is witchcraft too, Tiffany thought It's like Granny Aching talking to animals It's in the voice! Sharp and soft by turns, and you use little words of co the words fill the creature's world, so that the sheepdogs obey you and the nervous sheep are calmedThe biscuit tin floated away from the dresser As it neared the old woman the lid unscrewed and hovered in the air beside it She reached in delicately 'Ooh, store-bought Teati four biscuits and quickly putting three of them in her pocket 'Very posh'

'It's terribly difficult to do this!' Miss Levelnot to think of a pink rhinoceros!'

'Well?' said Mistress Weatherwax 'What's so special about not thinking of a pink rhinoceros?'

'It's impossible not to think of one if someone tells you you mustn't,' Tiffany explained 'No it ain't,' said Mistress Weatherwax, firives you my word on that You want to take control of that brain of yours, Miss Level So you've lost a spare body? What's another body when all's said and done? Just a lot of upkeep, another mouth to feed, wear and tear on the furniturein a word, fuss Get your ht, Miss Level, and the world is your The old witch leaned down to Tiffany and whispered: 'What's that thing, lives in the sea, very sested, a bit puzzled 'Shriht The world is your shri on clothes and food, which is not to be sneezed at in these difficult tih the air, well, they'll say, "There's a witch and a half, and no ht You just hold on to that skill, Miss Level You maintain Think on what I've said And now you stay and rest We'll see to what needs doing today You just make a little list for me, and Tiff any 11 know the way'

'Well, indeed, I do feelso her hair out of her eyes with an invisible hand 'Let me seeyou could just drop in on Mr U Raddle boy, and check on Mrs Towney's bruise, and take some Number Five ointment to Mr Drover, and pay a call on old Mrs Hunter at Saucy Corner andnoho have I forgotten?' Tiffany realized she was holding her breath It had been a horrible day, and a dreadful night, but as looue was, so to be worse than either 'Ah, yes, have a ith Miss Quickly at Uttercliff, and then probably you'll need to talk to Mrs Quickly, too, and there're a few packages to be dropped off on the way, they're in my basket, all marked up And I think that's itoh, no, silly otand you need to drop in on Mr Weavall, too' Tiffany breathed out She really didn't want to She'd rather not breathe ever again

than face Mr Weavall and open an empty box 'Are you sure you'retotally yourself, Tiffany?' said Miss Level, and Tiffany leaped for this lifesaving excuse not to go 'Well, I do feel a bit-' she began, but Mistress Weatherwax interrupted with, 'She's fine, Miss Level, apart froone away from this house, I can assure you'

'Really?' said Miss Level 'I don't mean to be rude, but how can you be so certain?' Mistress Weatherwax pointed down Grain by grain, the spilled sugar was rolling across the tabletop and leaping into the sugar bowl Miss Level clasped her hands together 'Oh, Oswald/ she said, her face one huge smile, 'you've coo fro her company,' said Mistress Weatherwax as she and Tiffany turned away and took the lane through the woods 'It could be thehalf dead' Tiffany was shocked 'How can you be so cruel?'

'She'll get soh the air Respect is ot a thing She doesn't get much respect, our Miss Level' That was true People didn't respect Miss Level They liked her, in an unthinking sort of way, and that was it Mistress Weatheras right, and Tiffany wished she wasn't 'Why did you and Miss Tick send me to her, then?' she said 'Because she likes people,' said the witch, striding ahead 'She cares about 'e ones, the mothers with the runny babies and no sense, the feckless and the silly and the fools who treat her like soic - seein' all that, dealin' with all that, and still goin' on It's sittin' up all night with so away such pain as you can, comfortin' their terror, seein'

'em safely on their wayand then cleanin'

'e 'estrip the bed and wash the sheets - which is, let me tell you, no errand for the faint-hearted - and stayin' up the next night to watch over the coffin before the funeral, and then going hory in' on your door 'cos his wife's havin' difficulty givin' birth to their first child and theyour bag and going out againWe all do that, in our oay, and she does it better'n me, if I was to put my hand on my heart That is the root and heart and soul and centre of witchcraft, that is The soul and centre!' Mistress Weatherwax s out her words 'Thesoulandcentre]' Echoes carasshoppers by

the side of the track had stopped sizzling 'And Mrs Earwig,' said Mistress Weatherwax, her voice sinking to a growl, 'Mrs Earwig tells her girls it's about cosmic balances and stars and circles and colours and wands andand toys, nothing but toys!' She sniffed 'Oh, I daresay they're all very well as decoration, somethin' nice to look at while you're workin', somethin' for show, but the start and finish, the start and finish, is helpin' people when life is on the edge Even people you don't like Stars is easy, people is hard' She stopped talking It was several seconds before birds began to sing again 'Anyway, that's what I think,' she added in the tone of soone just a bit further than they , and saw that she had stopped and was standing in the lane looking like a drowned hen 'Are you all right, girl?' she said 'It waswithwhat it found in ulped 'Thatnastiness All it as me with-'

'- without the bit of you that was locked away,' said Mistress Weatherwax sharply 'Rean, struggling to get all the woe out 'The locked-up bit was the important bit,' said Mistress Weatherwax 'Learnin' how not to do things is as hard as learning how to do thes in this world if I didn't kno not to turn people into the pink balloons, too'

'Don't,' said Tiffany, shuddering 'That's e do all the tra around and doctorin' and stuff,' said Mistress Weatherwax 'Well, and because itit moves you into your centre, so's you don't wobble It anchors you Keeps you huranny with her sheep, which are to rateful as huht of yourself and found out you're bad? Hah! I've seen bad, and you don't get near it Now, are you going to stop grizzling?'

'What?' snapped Tiffany Mistress Weatherwax laughed, to Tiffany's sudden fury 'Yes, you're a witch to your boots,' she said 'You're sad, and behind that you're watching yourself being sad and thinking, Oh, poor"There, there, poor dear" Let hts then, because I want to hear froht a fairy queen armed with nothin' but a fryin' pan, not so ininup to her until they were inches apart 'And as all that about being nice to people, eh?' Overhead, leaves fell off the trees