The Boggart by Susan Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

blossoms.
    Suddenly Tommy grasped Emily’s arm. He said softly, “Look!”
    From the water beyond them a head rose, a dog-shaped head, glistening and wet. Water dripped from its whiskers. Another rose beside it, and a dark bulky body with sloping shoulders hoisted itself up onto the rock in the sunshine. Great dark eyes were looking straight at Emily. She gazed back, spellbound.
    Jessup cried joyously, “Seals!”
    Almost before the word was out of his mouth the seals had slipped back into the water and disappeared.
    â€œThey have special ways of closing their nostrils,” said Jessup, excited. “They can stay underwater for twenty minutes, without coming up for air!”
    Emily thought with rueful affection: You care more about the facts and figures than about watching the seals. “They have eyes like people,” she said dreamily. She smiled at Tommy.
    The seals did not come out of the sea again. The children walked back along the rocks, the castle rising ahead of them. Tommy said in an odd, husky voice, “They came up to see you. I have never known them come so fast, for anyone but Mr. MacDevon. He used to say they were his kin.”
    Emily paused. She said cautiously, “My great-great-uncle said he was related to seals?”
    â€œDo you not believe it?” Tommy said.
    Emily thought of the big dark eyes, looking at her. She said, “I don’t know.”
    Jessup was not listening. His mind was still darting about in its usual unpredictable fashion. He said suddenly to Tommy, “Do you live in the shop?”
    â€œOn top of it,” Tommy said.
    â€œD’you know Morse code?”
    â€œNot very well,” Tommy said guardedly. “Why?”
    â€œThe shop faces my bedroom window, in the castle. We could talk to each other, with flashlights.”
    Tommy looked blank. “What’s a flashlight?”
    â€œYou don’t have flashlights? ” Jessup said. “Jeeze! A cylinder, like, with batteries inside it, and a light bulb behind glass at one end —”
    Tommy’s blue eyes glinted dangerously. “We have a thing in Scotland that’s a cylinder too. Very thin, made of wood, with graphite in the center. We call it a pencil.”
    Jessup hooted. “You think we don’t have pencils ?”
    â€œ You think we don’t have flashlights? ” Tommy snapped. “That’s just American dialect. In the English language they’re called torches.”
    Emily said mildly, “Actually we’re Canadians.”
    The words dropped like a damp blanket over the heat the boys were beginning to generate, and they gaped at her. Then Tommy grinned. “Hey, Canadian Jessup,” he said. “If you’re really a computer whiz, how about coming to show me how to use mine?”
    Jessup’s face lit up. He said happily, “You bet!”
    Mrs. Cameron was counting out stamps at the post-office counter when they went into the shop. Tommy said, “D’you need me, Mum? Jessup’s going to teach the computer how to speak American.”
    Emily sighed. “Canadian,” she said.
    â€œThat’s nice,” said Mrs. Cameron vaguely. “Oh, Emily dear — will you tell your parents Mr. Maconochie will be here at ten tomorrow morning, to discuss the sale?”
    Emily stared at her. “What sale?”
    â€œD ARLING, ” said Maggie patiently, “how on earth could we possibly keep the castle?
    â€œYou wanted to,” Emily said accusingly to her father.
    Robert looked unhappy, and tugged his beard. “I’d need to be a millionaire, Em.”
    â€œToronto is a long way away,” Mr. Maconochie said, looking down sympathetically at Emily. “It is hard to take care of a place halfway across the world.” He had a deep voice, but soft and quiet, surprising in so tall a man. His face was long and lined, with thinning silver hair above it, and his dark business