Page 28 (1/2)

“And she was the Crown Princess of Glass Town and Angria plus heir to the throne,” Mr Bud whined “If one of those can up and vanish like , you won’t find a couple of nobodies stuck down the cushions”

Charlotte pushed her hair back away fro She locked eyes with her sister Victoria? she mouthed Anne’s Victoria? Emily shook her head She didn’t know Anne never shared her secret Princess with the rest of thea under the blankets to herself so that Branwell could not hear and drag her perfect girl into the bigger story andAnne cry

“Well, of course ill!” E off curls of the horrid tallowy stuff with both hands Then, she had theat it with the toffee hammer she’d swiped from Bestminster’s tea service The melted parquet did look rather like toffee But her hae nicely to let her through, thank you kindly Still, the problehter , that’s what “I don’t think Brunty’s much of a runner, you know And Anne’s only little; she’ll slow the”

Mr Bud and Mr Tree shook their heads

“Nothing travels faster than bad news,” Mr Tree said His silver muttonchops quivered in sympathy “And Brunty’s is the baddest news there is Bad news hasn’t got to obey the usual laws of velocity and inertia and traffic police It justphet! Arrives Before you do Might as well try to catch up to the sunrise”

Mr Bud patted E, but it caot tunnels and vaults and all sorts of wor under the city It’s like old cheese down there, pet”

“And he had thatthat thingthethe Thingy!” Mr Tree shuddered, his bookend-shoulders rattling

Charlotte stopped stabbing at the floor with Mr Bud’s saber “What was it? Don’t you know?”

The editors stared at their shoes, quite unaccusto like it! It’s dash good at wrecking floors, that’s clear! Who knohat else it does? P’raps Brunts can just give it a tap and they’ll all coina!”

“Boney!” cried Charlotte and Emily

“What’s Regina?” Emily added in after

Mr Bud and Mr Tree frowned into their chests “Wellyes?” Mr Tree shrugged “The capital of Gondal That’s where old Brunty will be headed Unless he beelines it to Verdopolis It would be faster, I suppose”

“But Verdopolis is in Glass Town,” Ereatest city The one they’d planned out over and over Anything wonderful they read about froypt, Balh, the Alhambra in Spain, the Great Wall of China, even the Colosseum in Rome Branwell had drawn them over and over until they really did almost look like the real ones She knew exactly where Verdopolis lay on the map and it wasn’t in Gondal “It’s ouryour capital!”

“Verdopolis isdisputed,” Mr Tree said darkly “After he overran Northangerland and Zaed the Isle of Dreams, Napoleon claiht through Ascension Island Right through the city of cities, the jewel in Glass Town’s glass crown!”

Mr Bud clenched his braided jaw “Then Wellington said: It inkin’ well does not, it runs right where it always ran, through the Calabar Wood down the Mountains of the Moon to the sea Kindly stay on your side of it, yeah? Old Boney stuck his nose in the air and nobly replied: nuh uh Then Wellington stuck his up there and said: does so So then that sack of kneecaps took half the city by force, right up to the river and the Great Wall Started building fortresses and fashionable housing down the left bank and sticking his tongue out at our li on it, aren’t I? Thatto the ancient law entitled: You Can’t Stop Me, Ha Ha!”