Read Online The Serpent in the Glass (The Tale of Thomas Farrell) by D.M. Andrews - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: D.M. Andrews
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‘He’ll be staying in your room — well, you won’t have need of it for a while. It’s only short term, but it’ll help with the finances.’
Jessica didn’t reply, but she looked shocked.
Mr Clear pulled out his watch again and looked at it with some concern. ‘Yes, well we do be best goin’ now or we’ll miss that train.’
‘Goodbye, Mrs Westhrop,’ Thomas said. ‘Mr Westhrop.’
Jessica’s parents smiled with some effort as Thomas and Jessica turned and followed after Stanwell Clear, who’d kindly grabbed both their suitcases leaving them just a bag each to carry. As they walked away Thomas’s ears picked up the final snatches of the Westhrop’s conversation — something about which colour gazebo would best suit the garden.
Stanwell Clear led the children to a platform where a large blue-green train awaited them. He didn’t speak until he’d put their suitcases on the luggage shelves above the seats. ‘You’ll be enjoyin’ the ol’ Manor, that you will. We should be in Edinburgh in less than five hours, and at Darkledun Manor by tea time I reckon. If there’s no leaves, that is. They can stop trains, or so I’ve ’eard.’
The compartment was large enough to seat perhaps eight to ten people, but they were the only ones in it, so they had plenty of room to stretch out their legs.
Mr Clear sat down and swung one leg over the other. ‘Now, don’t you be mindin’ if you need to catch up on some snoozin’.’
It wasn’t long before they found Mr Clear didn’t mind either; for he was very soon fast asleep and his hat — pressed against the back of his seat — in danger of lifting itself entirely from the front of his stringy grey-black fringe.
The train didn’t stop for quite some time, though it passed through many stations. Jessica had been quick to voice her concerns about a lodger. ‘He’d better not touch my things,’ she’d said soon after they were sure Mr Clear was asleep. Thomas thought it unlikely — Jessica’s ‘things’ were mainly old dolls, teddy bears and a shelf of adventure stories. She never played with the toys anymore, but she liked to keep them all neat and tidy on a small chair in the corner of her room. Perhaps she thought the new lodger might sit on them. As the journey continued, however, the conversation turned to the year ahead at Darkledun Manor. Jessica seemed to be as excited about the new school as Thomas, and for some reason that made Thomas feel very happy.
Eventually they pulled into a station and the train jolted to a halt, which caused Mr Clear to suddenly wake up and readjust his hat, which had miraculously remained balanced between the back of his seat and the back of his head for the entire journey.
‘Ah, here be the First Stop!’ Mr Clear announced, as he stood up and narrowly missed hitting his head on the luggage shelf above. ‘You stay here. The train do be stoppin’ for only a few shakes of a sheep’s tail, and I’ll be back in two. Lock the door behind me. When I come back I’ll be givin’ three short knocks followed by one knock, so you knows who it is.’
‘Erm, couldn’t we just look through the glass?’ Jessica said pointing to the window in the door. ‘And there aren’t any locks anyway.’
Stanwell Clear’s face went from one of confusion to one beaming like the new day’s sun. ‘Of course, wrong place little Miss. Got a bit confused! I’ll be back in two swishes of an ‘orse’s tail.’
Thomas and Jessica looked at each other and then back to Mr Clear as he disappeared out the door.
‘A strange character,’ Jessica said after the door slammed shut. She’d adopted the phrase from her father who always said it after he’d been speaking with Mr Philpot who occupied the house two doors away from the Westhrops’. The man lived alone, but kept three pigs, eleven chickens and a goat in his back garden.
Thomas didn’t respond to Jessica’s comment. He was trying to see where they were, but a rather
Jessica didn’t reply, but she looked shocked.
Mr Clear pulled out his watch again and looked at it with some concern. ‘Yes, well we do be best goin’ now or we’ll miss that train.’
‘Goodbye, Mrs Westhrop,’ Thomas said. ‘Mr Westhrop.’
Jessica’s parents smiled with some effort as Thomas and Jessica turned and followed after Stanwell Clear, who’d kindly grabbed both their suitcases leaving them just a bag each to carry. As they walked away Thomas’s ears picked up the final snatches of the Westhrop’s conversation — something about which colour gazebo would best suit the garden.
Stanwell Clear led the children to a platform where a large blue-green train awaited them. He didn’t speak until he’d put their suitcases on the luggage shelves above the seats. ‘You’ll be enjoyin’ the ol’ Manor, that you will. We should be in Edinburgh in less than five hours, and at Darkledun Manor by tea time I reckon. If there’s no leaves, that is. They can stop trains, or so I’ve ’eard.’
The compartment was large enough to seat perhaps eight to ten people, but they were the only ones in it, so they had plenty of room to stretch out their legs.
Mr Clear sat down and swung one leg over the other. ‘Now, don’t you be mindin’ if you need to catch up on some snoozin’.’
It wasn’t long before they found Mr Clear didn’t mind either; for he was very soon fast asleep and his hat — pressed against the back of his seat — in danger of lifting itself entirely from the front of his stringy grey-black fringe.
The train didn’t stop for quite some time, though it passed through many stations. Jessica had been quick to voice her concerns about a lodger. ‘He’d better not touch my things,’ she’d said soon after they were sure Mr Clear was asleep. Thomas thought it unlikely — Jessica’s ‘things’ were mainly old dolls, teddy bears and a shelf of adventure stories. She never played with the toys anymore, but she liked to keep them all neat and tidy on a small chair in the corner of her room. Perhaps she thought the new lodger might sit on them. As the journey continued, however, the conversation turned to the year ahead at Darkledun Manor. Jessica seemed to be as excited about the new school as Thomas, and for some reason that made Thomas feel very happy.
Eventually they pulled into a station and the train jolted to a halt, which caused Mr Clear to suddenly wake up and readjust his hat, which had miraculously remained balanced between the back of his seat and the back of his head for the entire journey.
‘Ah, here be the First Stop!’ Mr Clear announced, as he stood up and narrowly missed hitting his head on the luggage shelf above. ‘You stay here. The train do be stoppin’ for only a few shakes of a sheep’s tail, and I’ll be back in two. Lock the door behind me. When I come back I’ll be givin’ three short knocks followed by one knock, so you knows who it is.’
‘Erm, couldn’t we just look through the glass?’ Jessica said pointing to the window in the door. ‘And there aren’t any locks anyway.’
Stanwell Clear’s face went from one of confusion to one beaming like the new day’s sun. ‘Of course, wrong place little Miss. Got a bit confused! I’ll be back in two swishes of an ‘orse’s tail.’
Thomas and Jessica looked at each other and then back to Mr Clear as he disappeared out the door.
‘A strange character,’ Jessica said after the door slammed shut. She’d adopted the phrase from her father who always said it after he’d been speaking with Mr Philpot who occupied the house two doors away from the Westhrops’. The man lived alone, but kept three pigs, eleven chickens and a goat in his back garden.
Thomas didn’t respond to Jessica’s comment. He was trying to see where they were, but a rather
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