Carbonel and Calidor Read Online Free PDF Page B

possibly do, even if we find his wretched Calidor? Nothing, except tell him to be a good pussy and go home to mummy and daddy. Not me!’
    â€˜If only Carbonel had explained a bit more before we were interrupted,’ went on Rosemary unhappily. ‘And what about the Golden Gew-Gaw? He said if it got into the wrong hands it might be a “deadly danger”, and we’ve no idea how it works.’
    John took the ring from his pocket, and held it gingerly in the hollow of his palm, where the red stone glowed like a living coal.
    â€˜By the barmy way you went on when you put it on at the bus stop, I can believe him!’ he said. ‘And how do you know that we aren’t “the wrong hands”? We haven’t the faintest idea what it does.’
    â€˜Except it lets us hear Carbonel when he talks,’ said Rosemary obstinately. She frowned, and then said urgently, ‘John, I’ve just thought of something! Miss Dibdin’s parcel — do you think that was it?’
    â€˜Which was what?’ asked John impatiently.
    â€˜The purple cracker! Do you think that could possibly have been the mysterious parcel? I told you it was lying loose on top of the pink crackers as though it didn’t belong. Well, whoever put it there must have thought that she would open the box and find it!’
    â€˜You mean the queer old man? Good grief! I wonder if you’re right?’
    â€˜Don’t you remember, Miss Dibdin said what a long time he was at the back of the shop doing up the parcel?’ went on Rosemary.
    â€˜And that was why he cackled fit to “do himself a mischief”,’ went on John. ‘When he said it would reach Fairfax Market at the very same time that Miss Dibdin did. She was carrying it home herself after all, and she didn’t know!’ He exploded with laughter, but Rosemary was frowning.
    â€˜But how could it be a Do-It-Yourself Kit?’ she said. ‘Do what yourself?’
    â€˜Why, magic of course! That must be what her hobby was! A witch’s hat and a magic ring would be ...’ He broke off when he found he was talking to empty air. Rosemary had rushed out into the passage where she had obediently hung up her coat. Her muffled voice came from outside.
    â€˜I’m sure it’s here somewhere. I shoved it in my coat pocket when the bus came.’
    She returned with a handful of crumpled paper, which was all that was left of the purple cracker. Very carefully she smoothed it out among the supper knives and forks. The paper hat was there. She gave a sigh of relief. It had been screwed into a ball, but was still recognizable.
    â€˜And we’ve got the ring,’ said John. ‘I suppose we’d better take them both to Fairfax Market tomorrow, and explain to Miss Dibdin what happened. But wait a minute ...’ He stopped, and then went on with a frown: ‘Didn’t Miss Dibdin say something about the instructions how to use the things being in the parcel too?’
    Rosemary went hurriedly through every inch of the crumpled paper again. ‘Well, I can’t see anything that looks like instructions here,’ she said.
    â€˜Crikey! What do we do now?’ said John. ‘I suppose the whole lot is useless, the ring and the hat, without knowing how to use them. I don’t much like the idea of telling Miss Dibdin what’s happened, even if it wasn’t our fault.’
    â€˜Anyway, we can’t go to Fairfax Market tomorrow,’ said Rosemary. ‘Don’t you remember? Dad is taking us to the airport to watch the aeroplanes.’
    â€˜Ooh, yes, we don’t want to miss that,’ said John. ‘I tell you what. Supposing we keep everything absolutely safe until we get to Highdown. It’s such a little place, we are sure to bump into Miss Dibdin some time or other. She may not want callers, but I bet she’ll be glad to see us if we’ve got the Golden Gew-Gaw, even if we