A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window Read Online Free PDF Page B

Violet Baudelaire. May I help you?" "Put the old woman on the phone, orphan," the voice said, and Violet froze, realizing it was Captain Sham. Quickly, she stole a glance at Aunt Josephine, who was now watching Violet nervously. "I'm sorry," Violet said into the phone. "You must have the wrong number." "Don't play with me, you wretched girl-" Captain Sham started to say, but Violet hung up the phone, her heart pounding, and turned to Aunt Josephine. "Someone was asking for the Hopalong Dancing School," she said, lying quickly. "I told them they had the wrong number." "What a brave girl you are," Aunt Josephine murmured. "Picking up the phone like that." "It's actually very safe," Violet said. "Haven't you ever answered the phone, Aunt Josephine?" Klaus asked. "Ike almost always answered it," Aunt Josephine said, "and he used a special glove for safety. But now that I've seen you answer it, maybe I'll give it a try next time somebody calls." The phone rang, and Aunt Josephine jumped again. "Goodness," she said, "I didn't think it would ring again so soon. What an adventurous evening!" Violet stared at the phone, knowing it was Captain Sham calling back. "Would you like me to answer it again?" she asked. "No, no," Aunt Josephine said, walking toward the small ringing phone as if it were a big barking dog. "I said I'd try it, and I will." She took a deep breath, reached out a nervous hand, and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said. "Yes, this is she. Oh, hello, Captain Sham. How lovely to hear your voice." Aunt Josephine listened for a moment, and then blushed bright red. "Well, that's very nice of you to say, Captain Sham, but-what? Oh, all right. That's very nice of you to say, Julio. What? What? Oh, what a lovely idea. But please hold on one moment." Aunt Josephine held a hand over the receiver and faced the three children. "Violet, Klaus, Sunny, please go to your room," she said. "Captain Sham-I mean Julio, he asked me to call him by his first name-is planning a surprise for you children, and he wants to discuss it with me." "We don't want a surprise," Klaus said. "Of course you do," Aunt Josephine said. "Now run along so I can discuss it without your eavesdropping." "We're not eavesdropping," Violet said, "but I think it would be better if we stayed here." "Perhaps you are confused about the meaning of the word 'eavesdropping,'" Aunt Josephine said. "It means 'listening in.' If you stay here, you will be eavesdropping. Please go to your room." "We know what eavesdropping means," Klaus said, but he followed his sisters down the hallway to their room. Once inside, they looked at one another in silent frustration. Violet put aside pieces of the toy caboose that she had planned to examine that evening to make room on her bed for the three of them to lie beside one another and frown at the ceiling. "I thought we'd be safe here," Violet said glumly. "I thought that anybody who was frightened of realtors would never be friendly to Count Olaf, no matter how he was disguised." "Do you think that he actually let leeches chew off his leg," Klaus wondered, shuddering, "just to hide his tattoo?" "Choin!" Sunny shrieked, which probably meant "That seems a little drastic, even for Count Olaf." "I agree with Sunny," Violet said. "I think he told that tale about leeches just to make Aunt Josephine feel sorry for him." "And it sure worked," Klaus said, sighing. "After he told her that sob story, she fell for his disguise hook, line, and sinker." "At least she isn't as trusting as Uncle Monty," Violet pointed out. "He let Count Olaf move right into the house." "At least then we could keep an eye on him," Klaus replied. "Ober!" Sunny remarked, which meant something along the lines of "Although we still didn't save Uncle Monty." "What do you think he's up to this time?" Violet asked. "Maybe he plans to take us out in one of his boats and drown us in the lake." "Maybe he wants to push this whole house off the mountain," Klaus said, "and blame it