Read Online Jasper and the Green Marvel by Deirdre Madden - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Deirdre Madden
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Bags, on their way home from the folly, stuffing themselves with soft fruit in the kitchen garden.
‘Those wretched creatures! Why can’t they behave themselves? Why won’t they be good?’ he moaned, which, I’m sure you will agree, was a bit much coming from the likes of Jasper.
As soon as he was ready, he crept downstairs, hoping not to be seen. He had decided that he was going to search for the Green Marvel, and he was going to begin in the library. This might seem like an odd place to start, but Jasper had his reasons. When he had had his own big house, he had also had a library – not that he cared anything for books or reading. In fact, books meant so little to him that he used to cut out the bits with all the words, leaving just the surrounding frame of paper, so that it still looked like a book when it was shut, but actually had a big hole in the middle where he could hide things. The thought occurred to him that perhaps someone in Haverford-Snuffley Hall had had the same idea, and that that was where the Green Marvel was hidden. (And I can tell you now that it wasn’t.)
In any case, Jasper spent the rest of the afternoon down in the library, simply taking books off the shelves, opening them and then putting them back. It took a long time becausethere were hundreds of them. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn’t notice when the library door quietly opened, and Mrs Knuttmegg stood there, looking in. To begin with, her eyes grew round with amazement as she watched Jasper engaged in his strange task, but gradually they changed again, and grew narrow with suspicion. Still Jasper leafed through the books and still she watched him, and when at last she did slip away again, he didn’t see her leave.
20 Georgiana Is Upset
‘You might have mentioned the bridge.’
‘The bridge!’ Nelly said. ‘Gosh, I completely forgot to tell you about that.’ It was night-time, and they had all gathered together again in Georgiana’s room. ‘If we’d known about the bridge, we wouldn’t have had to swim there,’ Bags said.
‘It was cold,’ Rags added. ‘It was horrible. We almost drowned.’
‘You poor things,’ Georgiana said soothingly. ‘You were both so brave.’ She was sitting on the sofa in her flouncy dress, surrounded in the same soft, pearly glow of light that they hadnoticed on the first evening. She leaned down and stared at them with her wondrous green eyes, and then she patted them both quickly on the heads. ‘Good boys!’
Rags and Bags were thrilled by this unexpected kindness. No one was ever nice to them. People used to scream and run away when they saw them, or even threw things at them, so they were dazzled by this attention.
‘Did you like the folly?’ Georgiana asked. ‘Isn’t it the most wonderful place?’
‘I couldn’t quite see the point of it myself,’ Rags admitted, and Bags nodded his head in agreement.
‘I used to think it was a very good place to meet people,’ Georgiana said. ‘It’s quiet and far away from the house, so if you wanted to sneak off, and see somebody you weren’t supposed to be with, you could do it and no one would ever know.’ There was a strange expression on her face as she said this, wistful and a little bit sad, and the rats thought it made her look evenlovelier than she usually did.
‘Never mind all that,’ said Nelly, who was beginning to get impatient. ‘What about the Green Marvel? Did you find the jewel?’
‘No,’ Rags replied, ‘but we did find this.’
Bags produced the note they had found under the stone. Nelly moved to take it, but Bags reached past her and gave it to Georgiana.
‘Thank you, my dear,’ the ghost said, as she unfolded it. ‘Another clue. Now let me see.’ She looked at the page and then she said, ‘Maybe I don’t need to read this one aloud.’
‘Of course you do,’ Nelly insisted. ‘Go on, what is it?’ Still Georgiana hesitated, but then she read from the page in her hand in
‘Those wretched creatures! Why can’t they behave themselves? Why won’t they be good?’ he moaned, which, I’m sure you will agree, was a bit much coming from the likes of Jasper.
As soon as he was ready, he crept downstairs, hoping not to be seen. He had decided that he was going to search for the Green Marvel, and he was going to begin in the library. This might seem like an odd place to start, but Jasper had his reasons. When he had had his own big house, he had also had a library – not that he cared anything for books or reading. In fact, books meant so little to him that he used to cut out the bits with all the words, leaving just the surrounding frame of paper, so that it still looked like a book when it was shut, but actually had a big hole in the middle where he could hide things. The thought occurred to him that perhaps someone in Haverford-Snuffley Hall had had the same idea, and that that was where the Green Marvel was hidden. (And I can tell you now that it wasn’t.)
In any case, Jasper spent the rest of the afternoon down in the library, simply taking books off the shelves, opening them and then putting them back. It took a long time becausethere were hundreds of them. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn’t notice when the library door quietly opened, and Mrs Knuttmegg stood there, looking in. To begin with, her eyes grew round with amazement as she watched Jasper engaged in his strange task, but gradually they changed again, and grew narrow with suspicion. Still Jasper leafed through the books and still she watched him, and when at last she did slip away again, he didn’t see her leave.
20 Georgiana Is Upset
‘You might have mentioned the bridge.’
‘The bridge!’ Nelly said. ‘Gosh, I completely forgot to tell you about that.’ It was night-time, and they had all gathered together again in Georgiana’s room. ‘If we’d known about the bridge, we wouldn’t have had to swim there,’ Bags said.
‘It was cold,’ Rags added. ‘It was horrible. We almost drowned.’
‘You poor things,’ Georgiana said soothingly. ‘You were both so brave.’ She was sitting on the sofa in her flouncy dress, surrounded in the same soft, pearly glow of light that they hadnoticed on the first evening. She leaned down and stared at them with her wondrous green eyes, and then she patted them both quickly on the heads. ‘Good boys!’
Rags and Bags were thrilled by this unexpected kindness. No one was ever nice to them. People used to scream and run away when they saw them, or even threw things at them, so they were dazzled by this attention.
‘Did you like the folly?’ Georgiana asked. ‘Isn’t it the most wonderful place?’
‘I couldn’t quite see the point of it myself,’ Rags admitted, and Bags nodded his head in agreement.
‘I used to think it was a very good place to meet people,’ Georgiana said. ‘It’s quiet and far away from the house, so if you wanted to sneak off, and see somebody you weren’t supposed to be with, you could do it and no one would ever know.’ There was a strange expression on her face as she said this, wistful and a little bit sad, and the rats thought it made her look evenlovelier than she usually did.
‘Never mind all that,’ said Nelly, who was beginning to get impatient. ‘What about the Green Marvel? Did you find the jewel?’
‘No,’ Rags replied, ‘but we did find this.’
Bags produced the note they had found under the stone. Nelly moved to take it, but Bags reached past her and gave it to Georgiana.
‘Thank you, my dear,’ the ghost said, as she unfolded it. ‘Another clue. Now let me see.’ She looked at the page and then she said, ‘Maybe I don’t need to read this one aloud.’
‘Of course you do,’ Nelly insisted. ‘Go on, what is it?’ Still Georgiana hesitated, but then she read from the page in her hand in
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