Read Online Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cornelia Funke
Tags: Fantasy fiction, People & Places, Juvenile Fiction, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Europe, Children's stories, Books & Libraries, Inkheart, Created by pisces_abhi, Storytelling
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wrestling and dancing to the sound of the double flute....
– Herzt, Book of Minstrelsy
The day passed slowly. Meggie saw Mo only in the afternoon, when Elinor came back from doing her shopping and half an hour later gave them spaghetti with some kind of premade sauce. "I'm afraid I have no patience with toiling over a stove," she said as she put the dishes on the table.
Perhaps our friend with the furry animal can cook?"
Dustfinger merely shrugged his shoulders apologetically, sorry, I'm no use to you that way."
"Mo cooks very well," said Meggie, stirring the thin, watery sauce into her spaghetti.
"Mo's here to restore my books, not to cook for us," replied Elinor sharply. "What about you, though?"
Meggie shrugged. "I can make pancakes," she said. "Why don't you get some cookbooks? You have books of every other kind. I'm sure you'd find cookbooks a help."
Elinor didn't even deign to reply to this suggestion.
"And by the way, there's a rule for nighttime," she said, when they had all been eating in silence for a while. "I won't have candlelight in my house. Fire makes me nervous. It's far too greedy for paper."
Meggie gulped. She felt caught in the act, for of course she had brought candles with her. They were on her bedside table upstairs, where Elinor must have seen them. However, Elinor was looking not at Meggie but at Dustfinger, who was playing with a box of matches.
"I hope you'll take that rule to heart," she said to him. "Since we're obviously going to have the pleasure of your company for another night."
"Yes, if I may impose on your hospitality a little longer. I'll be off first thing in the morning, I promise." Dustfinger was still holding the matches. He didn't seem bothered by Elinor's distrustful gaze. "I'd say someone here has the wrong idea about fire," he added. "It bites like a fierce little animal, admittedly, but you can tame it." And with these words he took a match out of the box, struck it, and popped the flame into his open mouth.
Meggie held her breath as his lips closed around the burning matchstick. Dustfinger opened his mouth again, took out the spent match, smiled, and left it on his empty plate.
"You see, Elinor?" he said. "It didn't bite me. It's easier to tame than a kitten and almost as easy as a dog."
36
Elinor just wrinkled her nose, but Meggie was so amazed that she could hardly take her eyes off Dustfinger's scarred face. She looked at Mo. The little trick with the burning match didn't seem to have surprised him. He shot a warning glance at Dustfinger, who meekly put away the box of matches in his pants pocket.
"But of course I'll keep the no candles rule," he was quick to say. "That's no problem. Really."
Elinor nodded. "Good," she said. "And one more thing: If you go out again as soon as it's dark this evening, the way you did last night, you'd better not be back too late, because I switch on the burglar alarm at nine-thirty on the dot."
"Ah, then I was in luck yesterday evening." Dustfinger slipped some spaghetti into his bag. Elinor didn't notice, but Meggie did. "Yes, I do enjoy walking at night. The world's more to my liking then, not so loud, not so fast, not so crowded, and a good deal more mysterious. But I wasn't planning to walk this evening. I have other plans for tonight, and I'll have to ask you to switch this wonderful system of yours on a little later than usual."
"Oh, indeed. And why, may I ask?"
Dustfinger winked at Meggie. "Well, I've promised to put on a little show for this young lady," he said. "It begins about an hour before midnight."
"Oh yes?" Elinor dabbed some sauce off her lips with her napkin. "A little show. Why not in daylight? After all, the young lady's only twelve years old. She should be in bed at eight o'clock."
Meggie tightened her lips. She hadn't been to bed as early as eight since her fifth birthday, but she wasn't going to the trouble of explaining that to Elinor. Instead, she admired the casual way Dustfinger reacted to
– Herzt, Book of Minstrelsy
The day passed slowly. Meggie saw Mo only in the afternoon, when Elinor came back from doing her shopping and half an hour later gave them spaghetti with some kind of premade sauce. "I'm afraid I have no patience with toiling over a stove," she said as she put the dishes on the table.
Perhaps our friend with the furry animal can cook?"
Dustfinger merely shrugged his shoulders apologetically, sorry, I'm no use to you that way."
"Mo cooks very well," said Meggie, stirring the thin, watery sauce into her spaghetti.
"Mo's here to restore my books, not to cook for us," replied Elinor sharply. "What about you, though?"
Meggie shrugged. "I can make pancakes," she said. "Why don't you get some cookbooks? You have books of every other kind. I'm sure you'd find cookbooks a help."
Elinor didn't even deign to reply to this suggestion.
"And by the way, there's a rule for nighttime," she said, when they had all been eating in silence for a while. "I won't have candlelight in my house. Fire makes me nervous. It's far too greedy for paper."
Meggie gulped. She felt caught in the act, for of course she had brought candles with her. They were on her bedside table upstairs, where Elinor must have seen them. However, Elinor was looking not at Meggie but at Dustfinger, who was playing with a box of matches.
"I hope you'll take that rule to heart," she said to him. "Since we're obviously going to have the pleasure of your company for another night."
"Yes, if I may impose on your hospitality a little longer. I'll be off first thing in the morning, I promise." Dustfinger was still holding the matches. He didn't seem bothered by Elinor's distrustful gaze. "I'd say someone here has the wrong idea about fire," he added. "It bites like a fierce little animal, admittedly, but you can tame it." And with these words he took a match out of the box, struck it, and popped the flame into his open mouth.
Meggie held her breath as his lips closed around the burning matchstick. Dustfinger opened his mouth again, took out the spent match, smiled, and left it on his empty plate.
"You see, Elinor?" he said. "It didn't bite me. It's easier to tame than a kitten and almost as easy as a dog."
36
Elinor just wrinkled her nose, but Meggie was so amazed that she could hardly take her eyes off Dustfinger's scarred face. She looked at Mo. The little trick with the burning match didn't seem to have surprised him. He shot a warning glance at Dustfinger, who meekly put away the box of matches in his pants pocket.
"But of course I'll keep the no candles rule," he was quick to say. "That's no problem. Really."
Elinor nodded. "Good," she said. "And one more thing: If you go out again as soon as it's dark this evening, the way you did last night, you'd better not be back too late, because I switch on the burglar alarm at nine-thirty on the dot."
"Ah, then I was in luck yesterday evening." Dustfinger slipped some spaghetti into his bag. Elinor didn't notice, but Meggie did. "Yes, I do enjoy walking at night. The world's more to my liking then, not so loud, not so fast, not so crowded, and a good deal more mysterious. But I wasn't planning to walk this evening. I have other plans for tonight, and I'll have to ask you to switch this wonderful system of yours on a little later than usual."
"Oh, indeed. And why, may I ask?"
Dustfinger winked at Meggie. "Well, I've promised to put on a little show for this young lady," he said. "It begins about an hour before midnight."
"Oh yes?" Elinor dabbed some sauce off her lips with her napkin. "A little show. Why not in daylight? After all, the young lady's only twelve years old. She should be in bed at eight o'clock."
Meggie tightened her lips. She hadn't been to bed as early as eight since her fifth birthday, but she wasn't going to the trouble of explaining that to Elinor. Instead, she admired the casual way Dustfinger reacted to
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