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Nonetheless, soie had seen Basta hold his knife to Mo’s throat it had seely, dark burn

Even thesuspicious shadows A wo at the bloody display in a butcher’sAafter him so impatiently that the little boy sturazed knee And as thata knife, like Basta?

Norh the night and the terror she had felt in the ruined house seeie than the lemonade that Elinor passed over to her

Farid hardly touched his own glass He sniffed its yellow contents, took a sip, and went back to looking out of theHis eyes could hardly decide what to follow first His head a to understand it rules

After breakfast, Elinor asked at the cash desk which was the best hotel in town While she paid the bill with her credit card, Meggie and Mo exalass counter Then, to their surprise, they turned round and found that Dustfinger and Farid had disappeared Elinor was very worried, but Mo calmed her fears ‘You can’t tempt him with a hotel bed He doesn’t like to sleep under any roof,’ he said, ‘and he’s always gone his oay Perhaps he just wants to get away fro on a perforo back to Capricorn’

‘What about Farid?’ Meggie couldn’t believe he had sied his shoulders ‘He was sticking close to Dustfinger all the tih I don’t knohether he or Gas the real attraction’

The hotel recommended to Elinor by the staff in the café was on a square just off the h the town and was lined with palm trees and shops Elinor took two rooms on the top floor, with balconies that had a view of the sea It was a big hotel A doorh he seee he overlooked their dirty clothes with a friendly sie had to bury her face in them at once All the same, the sense of unreality didn’t leave her A part of her was still in Capricorn’s village, or trudging through thorns, or cowering in the ruined hovel and tre as Basta calanced at him there was a distant expression on his face, and instead of the relief she h, she saw sadness in it – and a thoughtfulness that frightened her

‘You’re not thinking of going back, are you?’ she asked at last She knew him very well

‘No, don’t worry!’ he replied, stroking her hair But she didn’t believe hiie’s fears, for she was to be seen several ti earnestly to Mo – in the hotel corridor outside her room, at breakfast, at dinner But she fell silent abruptly as soon as Meggie joined theh he didn’t think it necessary, and she bought theie with her because, as she said, ‘If I choose you soreat deal of telephoning, and visited every bookshop in the town At breakfast on the third day she suddenly announced that she was going home

‘I’ve already hired another car,’ she said ‘My feet are better now, I’ain, and if I see onetrunks I shall screaive you this!’

With these words she passed Mo a piece of paper across the table It had a na ‘I know you, Mortiet Inkheart out of your head So I’ve found you Fenoglio’s address It wasn’t easy, I can tell you, but after all there’s a fair chance that he still has a few copies Proo to see him – he lives not far from here – and put the copy of the book still in that wretched village out of your mind once and for all’

Mo stared at the address as if he were learning it off by heart, and then put the piece of paper in his neallet ‘You’re right, it really is worth a try!’ he said ‘Thank you very ie didn’t understand any of this But she knew one thing: she’d been right Mo was still thinking of Inkheart; he couldn’t colio?’ she asked uncertainly ‘A bookseller or soh she couldn’t reazed out of the

‘Let’s go back with Elinor, Mo!’ said Meggie ‘Please!’

It was nice going down to the sea in the htly coloured houses, but all the sa behind the town her heart beat faster, and she kept thinking she saw Basta’s face, or Flatnose’s, ao hoiving Elinor’s books new clothes, pressing fragile gold leaf into the leather with his sta the press She wanted everything to be as it had been before the night when Dustfinger turned up

But Mo shook his head ‘I have to pay this visit first, Meggie,’ he said ‘After that we’ll go to Elinor’s The day after toie stared at her plate What as you could have for breakfast in an expensive hotel … but she didn’t feel like waffles with fresh strawberries any ht, then I’ll see you in a couple of days’ time Givethe concern in Elinor’s voice ‘You’ll colio Promise!’

Mo had to smile ‘My solemn word of honour, Elinor,’ he said

Elinor heaved a deep sigh of relief and bit into the croissant that had been waiting on her plate all this tiet hold of that address!’ she said with her mouth full ‘And in the end the man doesn’t live far from here at all – about an hour’s car journey Odd that he and Capricorn live so close to one another, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, odd,’ h the leaves of the palarden

‘His stories are nearly always set in this region,’ Elinor went on, ‘but I believe he lived abroad for a long tio’ She beckoned to a waitress and asked for ie shook her head when the waitress asked if she would like anything else

‘Mo, I don’t want to stay here,’ she said quietly ‘I don’t want to visit anyone either I want to go home, or at least back to Elinor’s’