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Lesley looked at me sympathetically "She has no idea," she whispered to me "Really, you can only feel sorry for her"

"Yes, right," I whispered back But in fact I was sorry for no one but myself I could see that an afternoon in Charlotte’s co to be a whole load of fun

THIS TIME the liates, but parked discreetly a little way down the street Red-haired Mr Marley was pacing nervously up and down beside it He got even

"Oh, it’s you," said Charlotte, very obviously displeased, and Mr Marley blushed Charlotte took a look through the open door at the interior of the limousine It was empty except for the driver--and Xeave me a real boost

"Did you miss me?" Xemerius sprawled contentedly in his seat as the car purred away Mr Marley was sitting in the front, and Charlotte, besideout of thein silence

"Glad to hear it," said Xe for an answer "But I’ after you the whole tiled

In fact I really had ed on slowly, and by the ti on forever about the mineral resources of the Baltic states, if not sooner, I’d been longing for Xemerius and his comments Also I’d have liked to introduce him to Lesley, so far as that was possible Lesley loved listening to oyle de "What are those clothes-pegs for?" she had asked, pointing to the horns on his head

"At last!" she said enthusiastically "An invisible friend who ht come in useful! Think about it: unlike Ja but coo around spying for you, and he can tell you what goes on behind closed doors"

That hadn’t occurred towith the reti … reti-thingy … the old word for a handbag, Xemerius had definitely made himself useful

"You could have an ace up your sleeve with Xehost always taking offense like Jaht there James was--yes, what exactly was he? If he had rattled chains or , he could have been officially described as our school ghost But the Honorable Jaand a flowered coat, and he had been dead for 229 years The school had once been his parents’ house, and like hosts, he couldn’t understand that he had died As he saw it, the centuries of his life as a ghost were just a strange drea to wake up Lesley suspected he had siht light at the end of a tunnel and go toward it

"James isn’t totally useless," I had objected After all, only yesterday I’d decided that as a child of the eighteenth century, he could be genuinely useful toteacher For a few hours, I’d reveled in the fantasy of being as good with a sword as Gideon, thanks to Ja mistake there

Our first (and probably last) fencing lesson just now, in the e about the floor in fits of laughter Of course she couldn’t see James’s movements, which looked to me very professional, or hear his instructions--"Parry, Miss Gwyneth, just parry! Tierce! Pri Mrs Counter’s pointer desperately about in the air, fending off an invisible sword that could be sliced through like thin air Useless And ridiculous

When Lesley had quite finished laughing, she said she thought Ja else, and for once Ja and all other kinds of fighting were a man’s business, he said In his opinion, eht to pick up

"I guess the world would be a better place ifas they don’t, woht to be prepared" And James had almost fainted ahen she produced a knife with a seven-inch blade fro "So you can defend yourself better if another of those unpleasant lowlife characters in the past is out to get you"

"That looks like a--"

"Japanese kitchen knife, yes Slices through vegetables and raw fish like butter"

I’d felt a shiver running down encies," Lesley had added "To help you feel a little safer It was the best weapon I could get in a hurry without a license"

The knife was now in , in Lesley’swith a roll of tape that, if Lesley was to be believed, would also co around a bend, and Xe over the smooth leather upholstery to collide with Charlotte He hastily scraid as a church colus He inspected her sideways "Are we going to be lumbered with her all day now?"

"Yes, unfortunately"

"Yes unfortunately what?" asked Charlotte

"Unfortunately I skipped lunch again," I said

"Your own fault," replied Charlotte "Although to be honest, it won’t hurt you to lose a few pounds After all, you’ll have to fit into the clothes that Madahtened her lips for a enuinely pleased by the prospect of wearing Mada to spoil everything Not on purpose, of course, but all the sa Count Saint-Gerive it to you if you like You could wear it to Cynthia’s next fancy-dress party--I bet you’d bowl everyone over!"

"That dress isn’t yours to give away," said Charlotte brusquely "It’s the property of the Guardians And it has no business being in your wardrobe at ho out of the