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‘It’s all right, you can tellHe’s er sat down on the deckchair His rucksack was on the grass next to hi out of it

‘I sain,’ said Meggie

‘Did you?’ Dustfinger leaned back, closing his eyes His hair looked even paler in the sunlight ‘So did I He’s in the rucksack It’s the time of day when he sleeps’

‘I ie didn’t take her eyes off Dustfinger’s face as she said this, but it didn’t hts couldn’t be read on his brow, in the saer’s face was a closed book, and Meggie had the feeling that if anyone tried reading it he would rap their knuckles ‘He was sitting on a letter,’ she went on ‘On a capital N I saw his horns’

‘Really?’ Dustfinger didn’t even open his eyes ‘And do you knohich of her thousands of shelves that book-nored his question ‘Why does Gwin look like the animal in the book?’ she asked ‘Did you really stick those horns on hier opened his eyes and blinked up at the sun

‘H at the sky A few clouds were drifting over Elinor’s house The sun disappeared behind one of thely mark

‘Does your father often read aloud to you, Meggie?’ asked Dustfinger

Meggie looked at him suspiciously Then she knelt down beside the rucksack and stroked Gwin’s silky tail ‘No,’ she said ‘But he taught me to read when I was five’

‘Ask hier ‘And don’t let him put you off with excuses’

‘What do youcross ‘He doesn’t like reading aloud, that’s all’

Dustfinger s out of the deckchair, he put one hand into the rucksack ‘Ah, that feels like a nice full stoht I hope he’s not been plundering a nest again Perhaps it’s just Elinor’s rolls and eggs’ Gwin’s tail twitched back and forth almost like a cat’s