Read Online The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Garth Nix, Joan Aiken, Andi Watson, Lizza Aiken - Free Book Online Page B
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous stories, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Family Life, Short Stories, Short Stories (Single Author), Families
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shawl over her shoulders.
"Ah,” she said in a brisk but kind voice, “you don't know me yet, child, I am your new governess. Come, come, where are your manners? I should see a nice curtsy."
"How do you do,” said Harriet, curtsying automatically.
"I hope we shall get along very well,” the old lady continued. “Strict but kind is my motto, and always ladylike behavior. If you want an example of that , you have only to look up to our dear queen, who is such a pattern of all the virtues."
"Yes,” said Harriet absently, looking at her enormous cameo brooch, velvet neckband and elastic-sided boots. The governess reminded her of the old yellow photographs in her grandmother's house.
"But now, child,” said the old lady, “you must be going for your afternoon rest. It is nearly two o'clock. Later we shall begin to know each other better. By the way, I have not yet told you my name. It is Miss Allison. Now run along, and don't let me find you chattering to your brother during the rest hour."
"No, Miss Allison,” said Harriet mechanically, and such was the governess’ spell over her that she turned round and did indeed go straight back to bed and sleep.
Next morning at breakfast Harriet was silent, as if stunned. However, her father and brother talked all the time, and her silence was not noticed.
Later, when she and Mark were sitting in a quarry, eating the eleven o'clock installment of their lunch (chocolate and buns), Mark said:
"What's happened to you? Toothache?"
"No. Mark,” Harriet said, “do you remember the other day when Mother said something about my practicing ‘ Lieber Augustin, ’ and I hadn't, and we thought it must have been the wireless?
"Well, I think we've got a ghost in the house.” And she told him the story of her last night's adventure.
Odd events were not uncommon in the Armitage family, so Mark did not, as many brothers would have done, say, “Rats, you're trying to pull my leg.” He sat reflecting for a while. Then he said: “What did you say her name was?"
"Miss Allison."
"And she was dressed in a sort of Victorian costume?"
"Yes. I don't know what sort of time exactly—it might be anything from 1840 to 1900 I should think,” said Harriet vaguely, “but, oh yes, she did say something about looking up to our dear queen as a pattern of propriety. It sounded like Queen Victoria."
"I do hope we see her again,” said Mark. “It sounds as if her day and night were the exact opposite of ours, if she told you to go and rest at two in the morning."
Harriet agreed with this. “And another thing,” she said, “I believe she's only visible in the complete dark. Because at first she was sitting in the moonlight playing the piano—at least I suppose she was—and I couldn't see her at all till she stepped out of the light into the darkness."
"Well, well, we'll have to start picketing her. I supposed she gets up when it gets dark."
"Nonsense,” said Harriet, “that wouldn't be till after ten. You never heard of a governess getting up at ten, did you? No, I bet she gets up in the light , just as we get up in the dark in winter."
"Anyway we'll have to have one of us watching for her at night,” Mark went on. “We'll have to do it in shifts and get some sleep in the daytime. We'd better start now."
"Let's have lunch first."
So they ate their picnic and then dutifully lay back on the springy turf and closed their eyes. But it was not a great success, for one or the other of them kept bouncing up with brilliant ideas on ghost-governesses. They agreed that it would be best if they both watched together the first night in case she turned out not to be the mild inoffensive creature that she had appeared to Harriet. They also agreed to take pencils and notebooks with them, in case she took advantage of her governess-hood and started teaching. Besides, they might learn something interesting.
At last they did achieve an intermittent doze, in the hot sun and the silence, and lay
"Ah,” she said in a brisk but kind voice, “you don't know me yet, child, I am your new governess. Come, come, where are your manners? I should see a nice curtsy."
"How do you do,” said Harriet, curtsying automatically.
"I hope we shall get along very well,” the old lady continued. “Strict but kind is my motto, and always ladylike behavior. If you want an example of that , you have only to look up to our dear queen, who is such a pattern of all the virtues."
"Yes,” said Harriet absently, looking at her enormous cameo brooch, velvet neckband and elastic-sided boots. The governess reminded her of the old yellow photographs in her grandmother's house.
"But now, child,” said the old lady, “you must be going for your afternoon rest. It is nearly two o'clock. Later we shall begin to know each other better. By the way, I have not yet told you my name. It is Miss Allison. Now run along, and don't let me find you chattering to your brother during the rest hour."
"No, Miss Allison,” said Harriet mechanically, and such was the governess’ spell over her that she turned round and did indeed go straight back to bed and sleep.
Next morning at breakfast Harriet was silent, as if stunned. However, her father and brother talked all the time, and her silence was not noticed.
Later, when she and Mark were sitting in a quarry, eating the eleven o'clock installment of their lunch (chocolate and buns), Mark said:
"What's happened to you? Toothache?"
"No. Mark,” Harriet said, “do you remember the other day when Mother said something about my practicing ‘ Lieber Augustin, ’ and I hadn't, and we thought it must have been the wireless?
"Well, I think we've got a ghost in the house.” And she told him the story of her last night's adventure.
Odd events were not uncommon in the Armitage family, so Mark did not, as many brothers would have done, say, “Rats, you're trying to pull my leg.” He sat reflecting for a while. Then he said: “What did you say her name was?"
"Miss Allison."
"And she was dressed in a sort of Victorian costume?"
"Yes. I don't know what sort of time exactly—it might be anything from 1840 to 1900 I should think,” said Harriet vaguely, “but, oh yes, she did say something about looking up to our dear queen as a pattern of propriety. It sounded like Queen Victoria."
"I do hope we see her again,” said Mark. “It sounds as if her day and night were the exact opposite of ours, if she told you to go and rest at two in the morning."
Harriet agreed with this. “And another thing,” she said, “I believe she's only visible in the complete dark. Because at first she was sitting in the moonlight playing the piano—at least I suppose she was—and I couldn't see her at all till she stepped out of the light into the darkness."
"Well, well, we'll have to start picketing her. I supposed she gets up when it gets dark."
"Nonsense,” said Harriet, “that wouldn't be till after ten. You never heard of a governess getting up at ten, did you? No, I bet she gets up in the light , just as we get up in the dark in winter."
"Anyway we'll have to have one of us watching for her at night,” Mark went on. “We'll have to do it in shifts and get some sleep in the daytime. We'd better start now."
"Let's have lunch first."
So they ate their picnic and then dutifully lay back on the springy turf and closed their eyes. But it was not a great success, for one or the other of them kept bouncing up with brilliant ideas on ghost-governesses. They agreed that it would be best if they both watched together the first night in case she turned out not to be the mild inoffensive creature that she had appeared to Harriet. They also agreed to take pencils and notebooks with them, in case she took advantage of her governess-hood and started teaching. Besides, they might learn something interesting.
At last they did achieve an intermittent doze, in the hot sun and the silence, and lay
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