the corner was a skeleton, on its back, knees bent, head propped against the wall.
She put her hand to her mouth and was about to scream, then thought better of it. She would force herself to remain cool.
“You see?” Hoggle was squinting up at her. “This Labyrinth is a dangerous place. No place for a little girl.”
She looked at him. Who was he calling little?
He nodded at the skeleton. “That’s how you’ll end up if you keep going. In an oubliette, like him. Lot of bad memories in the Labyrinth, I can tell you. What you got to do, little missy, is get out of here.”
“But I must find my baby brother.”
“Forget all that. Now it so happens,” Hoggle said, scratching his cheek with a forefinger, “that I knows a shortcut out of the whole Labyrinth from here.”
“No,” she said at once. “I’m not giving up now. I’ve come too far. I’ve done too well.”
He nodded, and in a smooth voice assured her, “You’ve been wonderful.” He shook his head, and made a sucking noise on his teeth. “But this is only the edge of the Labyrinth. You’ve hardly started. From here on in, it gets worse.”
There was something in his confidential tone that made Sarah suspicious. “Why are you so concerned about me?” she asked him.
“What?” Hoggle sounded aggrieved. “I am. That’s all. Nice young girl … terrible black oubliette …”
“Listen,” Sarah interrupted him, “you like jewelry, don’t you?”
He pursed his face. “Why?” he asked slowly.
“You’ve got some very nice pieces.” She pointed to the chain of ornaments dangling from his belt. In the torchlight she could not be sure, but she fancied that a smirking little blush was on his whiskery cheek.
“Thank you,” he said.
“If you’ll help me through the Labyrinth …” She took a break. “… I’ll give you …” she slipped her bracelet off. It was only a cheap plastic thing, not one of the special ones that her mother had given her, and which she wore only when she was going out. “… this,” she concluded, holding it out to him.
“Hm.” Hoggle licked his lips and eyed the bracelet appraisingly.
“You like it, don’t you?” She could see that he did. He also had an eye for the ring on her finger. That had no intrinsic value either, though Sarah was fond of it because her mother had worn it when playing Hermione in The Winter’s Tale .
“So-so,” Hoggle said. “Tell you what. You give me the bracelet and here’s what I’ll do. I’ll show you the way out of the whole Labyrinth. How’s that?”
“You were going to do that in any case,” she pointed out.
“Yes,” he replied. “That’s what would make it a particularly nice gesture on your part.” He held his hand out.
“Oh, no!” Sarah withdrew the bracelet abruptly. “For this you must show me the way in. The whole way.”
Hoggle snorted. “What makes the little miss so certain I knows my way through it?”
“Well,” she answered, “you got here, didn’t you?”
“What?” Hoggle clucked, shaking his head. “Yes, yes, but … I told you, this is just the fringe of it all. You’ve got nowhere yet. Come on, where’s your common sense? You don’t want to go farther than this. Really. You’ve done all you can, and more. You have proved you’re a smart, brave girl, and you don’t deserve what would become of you in here.” He glanced pointedly at the skeleton, which seemed to be jiggling in the flicker of the torchlight. “No, no, you deserve to be saved from that. I’ll say that much for you. So — how about it?” He gazed up at her with eyes of piggy shrewdness from beneath his sprouting eyebrows.
She looked back at him candidly. Whatever his game was, he played it badly. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling at him. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “If you won’t take me all the way through the Labyrinth, just take me as far as you can. And then I’ll try to do the rest of
She put her hand to her mouth and was about to scream, then thought better of it. She would force herself to remain cool.
“You see?” Hoggle was squinting up at her. “This Labyrinth is a dangerous place. No place for a little girl.”
She looked at him. Who was he calling little?
He nodded at the skeleton. “That’s how you’ll end up if you keep going. In an oubliette, like him. Lot of bad memories in the Labyrinth, I can tell you. What you got to do, little missy, is get out of here.”
“But I must find my baby brother.”
“Forget all that. Now it so happens,” Hoggle said, scratching his cheek with a forefinger, “that I knows a shortcut out of the whole Labyrinth from here.”
“No,” she said at once. “I’m not giving up now. I’ve come too far. I’ve done too well.”
He nodded, and in a smooth voice assured her, “You’ve been wonderful.” He shook his head, and made a sucking noise on his teeth. “But this is only the edge of the Labyrinth. You’ve hardly started. From here on in, it gets worse.”
There was something in his confidential tone that made Sarah suspicious. “Why are you so concerned about me?” she asked him.
“What?” Hoggle sounded aggrieved. “I am. That’s all. Nice young girl … terrible black oubliette …”
“Listen,” Sarah interrupted him, “you like jewelry, don’t you?”
He pursed his face. “Why?” he asked slowly.
“You’ve got some very nice pieces.” She pointed to the chain of ornaments dangling from his belt. In the torchlight she could not be sure, but she fancied that a smirking little blush was on his whiskery cheek.
“Thank you,” he said.
“If you’ll help me through the Labyrinth …” She took a break. “… I’ll give you …” she slipped her bracelet off. It was only a cheap plastic thing, not one of the special ones that her mother had given her, and which she wore only when she was going out. “… this,” she concluded, holding it out to him.
“Hm.” Hoggle licked his lips and eyed the bracelet appraisingly.
“You like it, don’t you?” She could see that he did. He also had an eye for the ring on her finger. That had no intrinsic value either, though Sarah was fond of it because her mother had worn it when playing Hermione in The Winter’s Tale .
“So-so,” Hoggle said. “Tell you what. You give me the bracelet and here’s what I’ll do. I’ll show you the way out of the whole Labyrinth. How’s that?”
“You were going to do that in any case,” she pointed out.
“Yes,” he replied. “That’s what would make it a particularly nice gesture on your part.” He held his hand out.
“Oh, no!” Sarah withdrew the bracelet abruptly. “For this you must show me the way in. The whole way.”
Hoggle snorted. “What makes the little miss so certain I knows my way through it?”
“Well,” she answered, “you got here, didn’t you?”
“What?” Hoggle clucked, shaking his head. “Yes, yes, but … I told you, this is just the fringe of it all. You’ve got nowhere yet. Come on, where’s your common sense? You don’t want to go farther than this. Really. You’ve done all you can, and more. You have proved you’re a smart, brave girl, and you don’t deserve what would become of you in here.” He glanced pointedly at the skeleton, which seemed to be jiggling in the flicker of the torchlight. “No, no, you deserve to be saved from that. I’ll say that much for you. So — how about it?” He gazed up at her with eyes of piggy shrewdness from beneath his sprouting eyebrows.
She looked back at him candidly. Whatever his game was, he played it badly. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling at him. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “If you won’t take me all the way through the Labyrinth, just take me as far as you can. And then I’ll try to do the rest of
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