The Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

was worried, too. Deep lines furrowed Ezra’s brow, and his eyes were dark and troubled. But Jonathan did not dare say a word.
    Jane Fier went to the door and called, “Abigail! Supper!”
    There was no response.
    â€œWhere is that girl?” Jane wondered aloud.
    â€œShe went off to play with a friend,” Ezra said quietly. “I expect she will be back soon.”
    â€œA friend?” said Jane. “What friend?”
    â€œA little girl,” Ezra answered. He looked uncomfortable. “A sweet girl. She lives nearby.”
    Jane glanced at Jonathan. He knew she wanted him to explain to her, but he said nothing. He knew his mother was frightened, too, but she tried to hide it. “The stew is getting cold,” she said stiffly. “We shall have to start without her.”
    She dished out the chicken stew. The family began to eat. No one spoke.
    Beyond the window the sky darkened. Still no sign of Abigail.
    Jonathan glanced up, and his mother met his eyes. He turned to Ezra, who was carefully cutting the bits of chicken into smaller and smaller pieces, but not eating a single one.
    Jane Fier suddenly stood up. “Ezra, I am worried,” she said. “What could be keeping her?”
    Ezra stared out at the black sky. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.
    â€œI am going to look for her,” he said.
    â€œLet me go with you, Papa,” Jonathan asked.
    â€œNo!” Ezra snapped. “Stay with your mother and sister.”
    He threw on his hat. Then he took the lamp from its hook by the fireplace, lit it with a twig, and walked out into the darkness.
    I must go with him, Jonathan thought desperately. He does not know where to search. Only I do.
    He decided to follow Ezra.
    â€œI do not want to leave you alone, Mama,” he said. ‘But Papa needs my help.”
    Jane nodded and said, “Go with him.”
    Jonathan slipped outside, following a few paces behind the glow of his father’s lantern. The evening iky was purple, growing darker every second. A crescent moon hovered over the horizon.
    â€œAbigail!” Ezra called. “Abigail!” He began to walk town the road toward the other farmhouses, away Tom Wickham.
    He is going the wrong way, Jonathan thought in frustration. But then he saw his father stop and stand still, as if he were listening to something. Jonathan istened, too.
    There was a soft, sweet sound. Laughter. A little girl’s laughter.
    Where was it coming from?
    Ezra turned in confused circles. The laughter teemed to float on the air from all directions at once.
    The voice giggled again. Now it sounded as if it came from the village.
    Ezra walked toward it, following the sound.
    Jonathan trailed his father into the village. He had never seen it at night before. It felt emptier than ever. Ezra’s lantern cast eerie shadows on the trees and houses. The shadows made the houses seem to move md breathe.
    â€œAbigail!” Ezra called again, then stopped and istened.
    The little laugh chimed on the wind.
    â€œIs that you, Abigail?” Ezra called out. “Where are you?”
    The laugh came again, a little louder, like the tinkling of sleigh bells.
    That is not Abigail, Jonathan thought. His father seemed to realize it, too.
    â€œWho are you?” Ezra cried. “Show yourself to me!”
    The only response was another girlish giggle. Ezra moved toward it, with Jonathan right behind him.
    Staying far enough behind not to be seen, Jonathan followed his father to the graveyard. Ezra stumbled among the crooked gravestones, the little laugh teasing him, taunting him, leading him farther into the maze of headstones.
    The lantern flashed a ghoulish yellow light on the gray markers. “Abigail!” Ezra cried, his voice cracking now. “Please come out!”
    Ezra stopped again to listen, but this time there was no laughter.
    Jonathan crept up closer and stood right behind his father. Ezra did not