Read Online Duncton Tales by William Horwood - Free Book Online

so far — I know that for sure. And six is nomole’s number. Seven’s the thing and a Seventh Book there’ll be. You can have all of this, Miss Privet, every last text, because it won’t be anything in the end. But the Book of Silence, that’s the one.”
    The normal look of good-natured cynicism on Pumpkin’s face had been replaced by a look of awed excitement as he imagined seeing in reality the thing of which he spoke.
    “It’s somewhere, as you said, or perhaps waiting to be scribed, but it’s near, it’s near. I would give my whole life for the honour of touching that last Book just for a moment. I mean it! Do you know. I thought there was something more about you than met the eye; a lot more. You’re a bit of a one, Miss Privet, aren’t you!”
    “Am I?” she said, a little coyly.
    “And I suppose I’d be pushing my luck if I asked you what made you interested in the Book of Silence in the first place?”
    “You would, Pumpkin, yes, you would,” said Privet, retreating to her old self.
    Pumpkin grinned, so good-naturedly that Privet could not help smiling back. Somehow both of them sensed that they had formed a bond that day, or perhaps more accurately a pact, and that it concerned the Book of Silence, and that if ever the Stone honoured either of them with the task of fulfilling it they would not hesitate to do so, whatever it might cost.
    “Miss …’ began Pumpkin, suddenly nervous. A whisper of Dark Sound had come into the tunnel where they stanced. Moles desperate. Moles in fear.
    “Miss …’ he said again.
    “It’s all right,” said Privet, suddenly strong, “Dark Sound will not hurt you if you have faith in the Stone, or not at this distance. It’s all right, Pumpkin — if ever the Stone asks that of you it will give you the strength you need.”
    “Will it?” he whispered, shaking his head. “I’m just an aide. Miss Privet, nothing more and nothing less.”
    It was her turn to grin.
    “There’s something more about you than meets the eye too,” she said. And Pumpkin laughed, and the moment passed, but not the memory of their tacit exchange which had to do with the discovery of the Book of Silence.

    January passed into February with Stour still a mystery, and, as she got to know the library and the Duncton system better, other mysteries began making their presence felt as well.
    One of these was the curious fact that there were far fewer ancient texts in the stacks than she might have expected, and she realized that if what Pumpkin had said was true then these probably now formed part of Stour’s personal library. But why would he who was so committed to seeing that other moles had texts made available to them, want to make ancient texts unavailable in the Library of which he was Master? It did not make sense. Meanwhile, however, she must continue to make her way in the Library as best she could, getting on with the tedious task of copying texts from Modern which held no interest for her at all, whilst hoping change would come.
    But at least in mid-February, when the task of copying for springtime distribution was nearly over, her real skills began to emerge. A question concerning a partially scrivened script came up, to which she was able to provide an answer, and it became apparent that her knowledge of older scripts, particularly those emanating from the north, was thorough and sound.
    She began to work as a librarian-aide to Sturne, then the Keeper of Rules, and in that capacity was able to help clear up some problems with the much-copied and corrupted text of the Prendine Rule which, with careful scholarship, she was able to show was a merging of two Rules of different dates, and widely different places.
    Obscure though such work was, and unimportant to the main thrust of Modern research in the Library, it established for Privet a reputation for accuracy and dedication, and led her to be chosen to work on the much bigger task of the elucidation of the Farndon