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man replied, and the crowd were nodding and laughing. I wriggled and squirmed but his fingers were wrapped tight around my wrist. I couldn’t get away, and Agnes was nowhere to be seen. “You’re coming home with me, dirty thief.” I hoped wherever Agnes was, she heard him. “I’ll make an honest man out of you. A few weeks work, I would say, is a fair price for trying to steal my best rain cape.”
    “You’re just making young folk work for nothing, Gaunt.” The woman with the flower, who had shouted out before, wasn’t backing down.
    My captor glared at her like she was dirt. She just glared straight back at him, then spat on the ground at his feet. I felt him tighten his grip. Tears welled up in my eyes. Then he marched me off, Elsie skipping about me like a yapping dog and that cursed black cape flung over his shoulder flappinglike a mad crow.
    My feet were cut and sore. We were heading up the lane. I knew the way. We were going back to the big house. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “He’s a common thief,” the big man announced to the world, dragging me along like I was his naughty dog.
    “Aye, a bloomin’ common thief,” echoed Elsie, who seemed to be having the time of her life. “He’s getting hard labour,” she shouted, “starting today!”
    I was being hauled across the field towards the big house when I heard three whistles coming from up a tree. I felt a burst of hope. That was Agnes. She was following me.
    The big iron gates were in sight. Elsie ran ahead and clanged a bell. A boy came running out with a bunch of keys. Right away I knew it was the same boy that I had knocked over, the one who had opened the gates before. He flashed me a look, then, as he swung open the gates, he winked at me. He only looked about thirteen. He kept nodding to the big man and saluting. “I’ve hired a new coal man,” my captor announced, frogmarching me through the gates. “He’s a dirty thief and there’ll be no hobnobbing with him, you hear?”
    The gate boy nodded his head and muttered, “Yes, sir.”
    The big man pushed me into the house and through a door, into a room lined with bookshelves. There was a big leather desk and a chair. It was hard to concentrate on what was happening because it was so weird to be back where I’d been with Will and Robbie and to remember the shelves all falling down and the books rotting. “Terms and conditions are these,” the man began, like he was spitting out the words. He drummed his fingers on the table. “You work hard for me and in return I give you a roof over your thieving head, food and a blanket to lay your thieving head down on at night. Steal as much as a lump of sugar and it’ll be rat-infested jail foryou.” He flashed me a threatening look. “Nobody, but nobody, makes a fool out of me. Do you understand?”
    I nodded. I felt miserable.
    “What’s that in your pocket, thief?” he demanded. “Turn it out!” He’d seen the shape of the ring. With a heavy feeling inside, I pulled it out. “Where did you steal this?” he roared, swiping it. Things were going from very bad to worse. I’d never get home without that ring. And it was Mum’s wedding ring. I couldn’t speak. “This will be your bond,” he said with a snarl, pocketing it. “If you break the terms and conditions, or if you try to run away, you forfeit the ring – it becomes mine. Do you understand?”
    I nodded.
    “Good,” he said. Then he twirled the ends of his long moustache. “Welcome to Gaunt House. Gaunt’s my name.” He was practically stabbing himself in his puffed-up chest. “‘The Master’” to you.” Then, “Noble!” he bellowed.
    I shuddered. What a roar!
    “Right here, sir.” The boy must have been standing at the ready behind the door.
    Gaunt pointed to me, “Put him on fire duty, and if Mrs Buchan needs help he can lend a hand where required. He can be,” he looked me up and down, “the lad o parts.” He laughed at that and I shivered,