Obsidian Pebble Read Online Free PDF Page A

with elfin features, short dark hair and a constantly intense expression. Her clothes were shapeless and fashionably drab and she’d gone for “backwards through a hedge” as a hairstyle, with great success. Her chosen subject at the university was history of art, though Oz hadn’t seen her show much interest in Penwurt at all, which to him seemed full of all sorts of interesting history as well as art.
    â€œIt is Halloween,” Ellie said.
    â€œYeah, and we were in the orphanage and we heard this—ow!” Ruff’s sharp exclamation of pain was the result of Oz’s shoed foot meeting with his ankle.
    â€œOwl,” Oz said in a flash of brilliant inspiration. “Hooting, you know.”
    â€œAnd we were having a discussion about the house and decided to find out a bit more about it,” Ellie explained, taking her lead from Oz.
    Lucy Bishop stared at them blankly.
    â€œThe Bunthorpe Encounter? You must have heard of it?” Ellie added.
    Caleb’s eyes crinkled in an almost smile, which he disguised under a hand massaging his cheek. He was thin with longish brown hair and always looked to Oz as if he needed a shave. But even though he hardly ever smiled and had a deep furrow in his forehead that lent him a slightly fierce look, Oz still felt that there was a softer centre under the stern exterior—though it was sometimes quite hard to find.
    â€œThe old place spook you a bit, then, did it?” Caleb asked.
    â€œSort of,” Ruff muttered through clenched teeth as he rubbed his other foot against his sore ankle.
    â€œYou two are working late,” Oz said to deflect attention away from Ruff’s grimacing.
    â€œAre you sure your mother approves of you wandering about at all hours like this?” Lucy Bishop said crossly.
    â€œIt was Mrs. Chambers that made us our feast,” explained Ellie.
    â€œKids should be in bed at this time of night.”
    â€œHang on, this is Oz’s house—” Ruff’s voice rose in protest.
    But Oz cut him off. “Sorry if we’ve interrupted something.”
    â€œYou haven’t,” Caleb said calmly. “We were just discussing an essay that Lucy is having problems with, but we can do that another time.”
    Lucy Bishop pushed herself away from the table and stood. “Of course we can,” she said pointedly. “No rush. No pressure. I have all the time in the world.”
    She didn’t look at any of them as she stomped out of the room.
    â€œWho threw her toys out of the buzzard pram?” Ruff asked after she’d gone.
    â€œShe’s just a bit tired,” Caleb explained. “And you three look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
    No one answered.
    Caleb studied the three of them. “Look, I’m about to turn in, but how about I make us all a hot chocolate first? Good antidote for the jitters.”
    â€œI’m in,” Ruff said quickly.
    No one was surprised by that.
    They followed Caleb down some wooden stairs that led to the ground floor of the east wing which, in grander times, had been the servants’ quarters. Three minutes later, they were sitting at the table in the kitchen Caleb shared with the other tenants, sipping hot chocolate from steaming mugs. One of Mrs. Chambers’ rules was that Oz was not to bother the paying guests too much. Since Lucy Bishop wore the constant look of someone who’d just opened the door of a sewerage plant by mistake, and the third tenant was another student of about the same age as her called Tim Perkins, who seemed altogether a bit too chirpy for his own good, Oz had found it no hardship. But with Caleb, it was different. He’d known Oz’s dad well and although he kept a polite distance as a lodger, Oz had always found him a brilliant source of information on just about anything.
    â€œIf it’s Bunthorpe you want to know about,” Caleb said, “you might try A Short History of