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"Isn't he the one who talks about pigs all the ti," said Petulia reproachfully "And his father, u far worth thinking about, definitely," said Tiffany "Ouch"

"What happened?" said Petulia "Oh, nothing My hand really twinged there for a , I suppose See you toh the forest From up near the roof cairl said?"

"Aye, but pigs are no' that interestin'"

"Oh, I dinna ken aboot that A verra useful ani You can eat every part o' it, ye ken, except for the squeal"

"Ach, ye're wrong there Ye can use the squeal"

"Dinna be daft!"

"Aye, ye can so! Ye ht, an' then ye catch the squeal, put the top on the pie before he can escape, right, an' bung it straight in the oven"

"I ne'er heard o' such a thing as that!"

"Have ye no'? It's called squeal-and-ha!"

"Why not? There's bubble-and-squeak, right? An' a squeak is wee compared tae a squeal I reckon you could--"

"If youse mudlins dinna listen, I'll put ye inna pie!" yelled Rob Anybody The Feeglesthe Wintersray eyes He watched until a candle was lit in an upstairs roolow until it went out Then, walking unsteadily on new legs, he went toward the flower patch where, in the suinthearical Emporium, you'd see crystal balls of all sizes but more or less only one price, which was A Great Deal Of Money Since ood ones, had Not Much Money At All, they lass floats off old fishing nets or a saucer of black ink There was a puddle of black ink on Granny Weatherwax's table now It had been in the saucer, but things had wobbled a bit when Granny and Miss Tick had banged their heads together trying to look in the saucer at the same time "Did you hear that?" said Granny Weatherwax "Petulia Gristle asked the important question, and she just didn't think about it!"

"I'm sorry to say I missed it too," said Miss Tick You, the white kitten, juh the puddle of ink, and dropped into Miss Tick's lap "Stop that, You," said Granny Weatherwax in a vague sort of way, as Miss Tick stared down at her dress "It hardly shows up," said Miss Tick, but in fact four perfect cat footprints were very clear Witches' dresses start out black but soon fade to shades of gray because of frequent washings or, in the case of Miss Tick, regular dips in various ponds and streaed, too, and their owners liked that It showed you were a working witch, not a witch for show Four black kitten footprints in the h She lowered the cat to the floor, where it trotted over to Granny Weatherwax, rubbed up against her, and tried to meep ?" said Miss Tick "I' you as one witch to another, Perspicacia Tick: Has the Wintersirl?"

"Well," said Miss Tick, "I suppose the classic representation of Suht be called a--"

"But do they ever meet?" asked Granny Weatherwax "In the Dance, I suppose Just for a moment," said Miss Tick "And at that ," said Granny Weatherwax "A witch on't wear black No, it's blue and green for her, like green grass under a blue sky She calls to the strength of her hills, all the time An' they calls to her! Hills that was once alive, Miss Tick! They feels the rhythm of the Dance, an' so in her bones does she, if she did but know it And this shapes her life, even here! She could not help but tap her feet! The land taps its feet to the Dance of the Seasons!"

"But she--" Miss Tick began, because no teacher likes to hear anyone else talk for very long "What happened in that moment?" Granny Weatherent on, unstoppably "Su led? Suddenly, the Wintersht even be a wee bit…huot herself into?" said Miss Tick "The Dance, Miss Tick The Dance that never ends An' she can't change the steps, not yet She has to dance to his tune for a while"

"She's going to be in a lot of danger," Miss Tick said "She has the strength of her hills," said Granny "Soft hills, though," said Miss Tick "Easily worn down"

"But the heart of the chalk is flint, remember It cuts sharper than any knife"

"Snow can cover the hills," said Miss Tick "Not forever"

"It did once," said Miss Tick, fed up with playing gae of ice Great beasts ed and sneezed across the world"

"That's as lint in her eye "O' course, I wasn't around then In the irl" Miss Tick sipped her tea Staying with Granny Weatheras a bit of a trial Last night's pot of chicken scraps had turned out to be not for her but for You The witches had good thick pease pudding and bacon soup without--and this was i lu and had taken it out, carefully dried it, and put it away for another day Despite her hunger, Miss Tick was impressed Granny could shave the skin off a second "I hear that Miss Treason has heard her Call," she said "Yes Funeral to over there," said Miss Tick "They've had Miss Treason for a long, long time It'll be a tricky task for a neitch"