I Capture the Castle Read Online Free PDF Page A

hard on candles. I reckoned I had two hours of light in mine, but a bit of wick fell in and now it is a melted mass. (I wonder how King Alfred got on with his clock-candles when that happened.) I have called Thomas to see if I can have his, but he is still doing his homework. I shall have to go to the kitchen— I have a secret cache of ends there. And I will be noble and have a companionable chat with Topaz, on the way down. I am back. Something rather surprising happened. When I got to the kitchen, Heloise woke and barked and Stephen came to his door to see what was the matter. I called out that it was only me and he dived back into his room. I found my candle-end and had just knelt down by Heloise’s basket to have a few words with her (she had a particularly nice warm-clean-dog smell after being asleep) when out he came again, wearing his coat over his nightshirt.
    “It’s all right,” I called, “I’ve got what I wanted.”
    Just then, the door on the kitchen stairs swung to, so that we were in darkness except for the pale square at the window. I groped my way across the kitchen and humped into the table. Then Stephen took my arm and guided me to the foot of the stairs.
    “I can manage now,” I said-we were closer to the window and there was quite a lot of the queer, shrouded moonlight coming in.
    He still kept hold of my arm.
    “I want to ask you something, Miss Cassandra,” he said.
    “I want to know if you’re ever hungry-I mean when there’s nothing for you to eat.”
    I would probably have answered “I certainly am,” but I noticed how strained and anxious his voice was. So I said:
    “Well, there generally is something or other, isn’t there his Of course, it would be nicer to have lots of exciting food, but I do get enough. Why did you suddenly want to know?”
    He said he had been lying awake thinking about it and that he couldn’t bear me to be hungry.
    “If ever you are, you tell me,” he said, “and I’ll manage something.”
    I thanked him very much and reminded him he was going to help us all with his wages.
    “Yes, that’ll be something,” he said.
    “But you tell me if you don’t get enough. Good night, Miss Cassandra.” As I went upstairs I was glad I hadn’t admitted that I was ever uncomfortably hungry, because as he steals Herrick for me, I should think he might steal food. It was rather a dreadful thought but somehow comforting.
    Father was just arriving from the gatehouse. He didn’t show any signs of having had his feelings hurt.
    He remarked that he’d kept four chapters of his book to read in bed.
    “And great strength of mind it required,” he added.
    Topaz looked rather depressed.
    I found Rose lying in the dark because Thomas had borrowed her candle to finish his homework by. She said she didn’t mind as her book had turned out too pretty to be bearable.
    I lit my candle-end and stuck it on the melted mass in the candlestick. I had to crouch low in bed to get enough light to write by. I was just ready to start again, when I saw Rose look round to make sure that I had closed the door of Buffer. Then she said:
    “Did you think of anything when Miss Marcy said Scoatney Hall was being re-opened? I thought of the beginning of Pride and Prejudice where Mrs.
    Bennet says “Netherfield Park is let at last.” And then Mr. Bennet goes over to call on the rich new owner.”
    “Mr. Bennet didn’t owe him any rent,” I said.
    “Father wouldn’t go anyway. How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel!”
    I said I’d rather be in a Charlotte Bronte.
    “Which would be nicest-Jane with a touch of Charlotte, or Charlotte with a touch of Jane?”
    This is the kind of discussion I like very much but I wanted to get on with my journal, so I just said:
    “Fifty per cent each way would be perfect,” and started to write determinedly. Now it is nearly midnight. I feel rather like a Bronte myself, writing by the light of a guttering candle with my fingers so numb I can hardly