Night Birds On Nantucket by Joan Aiken Read Free Book Online

home?’
    â€˜Helped with the housework.’
    â€˜Well I done that too. But I played arterwards.’
    â€˜After I’d done my tasks Mamma used to let me sit on her lap while she read the Bible,’ said Penitence. Her composure faltered. ‘If – if I’d been extra good, she used – she used to sing a h-hymn –’
    Here, breaking down altogether, Penitence threw herself on the bed, buried her head in the quilt and cried. She cried very much indeed.
    Dido looked at her worriedly. There was little consolation to offer. Foolish, Mrs Casket may have been, but her daughter had plainly thought the world of her.
    â€˜Don’t take on so,’ Dido said after a while, with awkward sympathy. ‘Want a hankersniff? I’ve got one.’
    But as Penitence made no reply, just went on crying and shivering and choking, Dido sat down on the floor by her, feeling oddly grown-up and capable and protective, and put an arm round her.
    â€˜Cheer up,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll keep an eye on you. It won’t work out so bad. You’ll see.’
    The small silvery head rubbed against her.
    â€˜Will you? Will you really?’
    â€˜That I will.’
    â€˜And when we get home to Nantucket? Will you stay with me then? So’s Papa don’t leave me all alone with Aunt Tribulation? I’d die if I was to be looked after by a dragon. Please?
Please!
’
    The thin arms came round Dido’s neck in a tight hug, so that she could hardly breathe.
    â€˜Well – maybe,’ Dido said reluctantly. ‘Just for a little while. You know, I dessay your Auntie Trib ain’t so dragonish really. But till your pa gets you fixed up with somebody else –’
    â€˜Oh, you are kind! You’re so much braver than I am.I’m scared of
everything
. But you’ve even been in the
sea!
If you’ll – if you’ll stay with me it will be much better. Will you promise?’
    â€˜All right,’ Dido said, sighing.
    â€˜Would you – would you sing something now? That song you were singing before?’
    â€˜All right,’ said Dido again. She began to sing in a small gruff voice:
    â€˜Who’ll buy my sweet lavender?
    Three bunches a penny!
    Fresh picked in Sevenoaks this morning,
    Three bunches a penny!’
    She stroked the tousled head. It lay heavily on her shoulder, and before long drooped in sleep.
    Dido sat and stared at the lamp, which they had forgotten to turn out. Presently its yellow flame swelled and wavered in a blur of tears. Resolutely she blinked them away. It was stupid to be homesick when she knew her family wouldn’t be missing her much anyway, if at all.

4
Encouraging Pen – the Galapagos – gamming with the
Martha –
Mr Slighcarp’s strange behaviour
–
round the Horn and back to New Bedford
    â€˜ PSST! HEY! CAP’N – Cap’n Casket! Will you step this-away?’
    Captain casket started, as Dido’s voice roused him from his usual sad reverie; he turned and saw her standing behind him.
    Making sure that no one could overhear she came close to him and hissed conspiratorially:
    â€˜I’ve done it! She’s out!’
    Captain Casket appeared thunderstruck.
    â€˜On deck?’
    â€˜No, no, no, gaffer. Not yet. Give us time. But she’s out in the cabin eatin’ of plum-duff and a-playin’ hopscotch. I’ll have her on deck one o’ these days, though, s’long as you don’t come creating and badgering.’
    â€˜Thee is a remarkable child,’ Captain Casket said solemnly.
    â€˜I say though,’ Dido went on, ‘what ’bout this Auntie Trib, then? She fair gives young Pen the horrors. Penthinks she’s a dragon. It’ll be all my work for Habakkuk if Pen finds Auntie Trib’s going to have charge of her in Nantucket; she’ll snib herself up in the pantry again before you can say whale-o!’
    Captain Casket looked