William The Outlaw Read Online Free PDF Page B

things . . . an’ I had most orful pains an’—’
    ‘He must have made a little image of you in wax, Ginger,’ said Joan with an air of deep wisdom, ‘and stuck pins into it. That’s what they do . . . I expect he thinks
you’re dead now. That’s why he said “You wait”!’
    They did not scoff at her any longer.
    ‘Well, I was nearly dead yesterday all right,’ said Ginger. ‘I’ve never had such orful pains. Jus’ like pins running into me.’
    ‘They were pins running into you, Ginger,’ said Joan simply. ‘We’d better keep right away from him now or he’ll be turning us into
something.’
    ‘Like to turn him into something,’ said Ginger who was still feeling vindictive towards the supposed author of his gastric trouble.
    But Joan shook her head. ‘No,’ said Joan, ‘we must keep right out of his way. You don’t know what they can do – magicians and people like that.’
    ‘ I do,’ groaned Ginger.
    So they went for a walk and held races and played Red Indians and sailed boats on the pond and climbed trees – but there was little zest in any of these pursuits. Their thoughts were with
Mr Galileo Simpkins the magician as he stirred his concoctions and uttered his spells and gazed upon his bottled victims and stuck pins into the waxen images of his foes.
    ‘Let’s jus’ go ’n look at him again,’ said William, when they met in the afternoon. ‘We won’t go near enough for him to see us but – but
let’s jus’ go ’n see what he’s doin’! ’
    ‘ You can,’ said Ginger bitterly. ‘He’s not stuck pins into you an’ given you orful pains. Why, I’m still feelin’ ill with it. We
had trifle again for lunch an’ I can’t eat more’n three helpin’s of it.’
    ‘No, we’d better not go near him again,’ said Joan shaking her head, her eyes wide.
    But William did not agree with them.
    ‘I only want jus’ to look at him again an’ see what he’s doin’. I’m goin’, anyway.’
    So they all went.
    They had decided to creep down through the field behind the Red House to the road and thence through the hole in the hedge to the sheltering cluster of bushes that commanded
the magician’s room, but they had not so far to go before they saw him. It was a fine afternoon and Mr Galileo Simpkins had taken his detective novel and gone into the field just behind his
house. And there he was when the Outlaws stopped at the gate of the field, lying on the bank in the shade, reading. He was feeling at peace with all the world. He did not see the five faces that
gazed at him over the gate of the field and then disappeared. He went on dozing happily over his novel. He’d had a very happy morning. Though none of his experiments had come out still
he’d much enjoyed doing them. He’d thought once of that boy with the impertinent face and felt glad that he’d frightened him away so successfully. He’d seen no signs of him
since. That was what you had to do with boys – scare them off, or you got no peace at all . . . Very nice warm sun . . . very exciting novel . . .
    Meanwhile the Outlaws crept past the field and were standing talking excitedly in the road.
    ‘Did you see ?’ gasped Ginger, ‘jus’ sittin’ an’ readin’ ornery jus’ as if he hadn’t been stickin’ pins into me all last
night.’
    ‘Let’s go home,’ pleaded Joan. ‘You – you don’t know what he’ll do.’
    ‘No,’ said William, ‘now he’s all right readin’ in that field let’s go into his room an’ look at his things.’
    There was a murmur of dissent.
    ‘All right,’ said William, ‘you needn’t. I’m jolly well goin’.’
    So they all went.
    It was certainly thrilling to creep through the window and stand in the terrible room with the knowledge that at any minute the Magician might return, change them into frogs
and cork them up in bottles.
    ‘Wonder if I can find the wax thing of me he was sticking pins into last night,’ said Ginger looking round the