Big Change for Stuart Read Online Free PDF Page B

it.
    â€˜Whatever’s the matter?’ asked April as he blinked at the object in his hand.
    Stuart held up the star so she could see it. One of the six spokes had completely disappeared.
    She stared for a moment, open-mouthed. ‘So what happens if you put it back in the socket again?’
    Stuart tried it. ‘Nothing,’ he said, taking the star out for a second time. ‘So that must mean you can only do each adventure once.’
    April nodded. ‘One down,’ she said softly. ‘Five to go.’

THE OPENING OF the exhibition was a bit low-key; only a few people bothered to follow the handmade sign in the foyer, and most of them were related to either Stuart or April. Inside the room, the only note of celebration was a table with some feeble refreshments.
    â€˜Good thing I’m not hungry,’ whispered April, grimacing at the plate of plain biscuits and single bowl of crisps before returning to where her parents were looking at the Cabinet of Blood.
    Stuart sipped from his cup of watery squash, and watched the guests amble between the exhibits.
    Stuart’s father was being escorted round by Rod Felton, and although the two men
appeared
to be looking at the Arch of Mirrors, Stuart could hear scraps of Latin floating across the room, and the curator seemed to be miming a Roman sword fight.
    April returned to the table and took three biscuits and a huge handful of crisps.
    â€˜I thought you said you weren’t hungry,’ said Stuart.
    She glowered at him.
    â€˜Oh,’ said Stuart. ‘You’re not April, are you?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜June?’
    â€˜I’m
May
!’ she screeched indignantly. ‘Are you
blind
?’
    She stalked off towards her sisters and began a whispered conversation with them. Dark looks were cast at Stuart.
    He turned away and ate a crisp or two. He couldn’t help getting the triplets mixed up – they had the same faces, the same hair and they wore the same sort of clothes. Other than April’s glasses there wasn’t a single way of telling them apart, yet they went mad if you pointed that out. If they really wanted people to know who was who, he thought, then they should dress in different colours.
    â€˜Excuse me?’ A soft-voiced man was peering down at Stuart. ‘I see from your badge that you’re the curator. Though you seem kind of young for that.’
    â€˜I’m ten,’ said Stuart.
    â€˜OK. Well, I’d like to be shown around the exhibition. Is that at all possible?’
    Stuart nodded. ‘Are you American?’ he asked.
    â€˜Canadian. Maxwell Lacey – good to meet you.’ They shook hands. Maxwell Lacey was wearing an expensive-looking jacket and emerald cufflinks. He looked about the same age as Stuart’s father, but had a large black moustache and neatly brushed pale grey hair. ‘So how did you get to be in charge?’ he asked Stuart.
    â€˜Partly because I found the tricks in the first place, and partly because Teeny-tiny Tony Horten was my great-uncle.’
    â€˜Really? Well, isn’t that something!’
    Maxwell Lacey paused by the first exhibit. He leaned over the rope and gazed at the great bronze throne surrounded by intricately worked flowers and tendrils, and then switched his attention to the little card pinned to the wall next to it.

    â€˜We didn’t have a lot of time to write the cards,’ said Stuart apologetically, ‘and we still haven’t worked out how the trick operates, so the second sentence is a bit of a guess. We’re going to have another go tomorrow.’
    â€˜And by “we”, you mean …’
    â€˜Me and April. One of the triplets over there.’
    â€˜And is April also related to Tony Horten?’
    â€˜No, that’s just me.’
    â€˜I see.’
    They moved on to the Arch of Mirrors. ‘We didn’t have a lot of time to look at this one, either,’ said Stuart