CHAPTER VIII
_Aunt Janet Puts on her Best Bonnet_
A sunbeam creeping through the window and along the floor to Molly'spillow awoke her in the morning; she sat up with a start, puzzled for amoment at the unfamiliar surroundings; then she remembered--and givinga long sigh, snuggled down again for a few more minutes while shethought things over.
How strange it all seemed, just like some wonderful dream, shethought--and yet it was not a dream. Here were she and Jack in themiddle of a real, exciting adventure. An adventure in which they weretaking an important, and (she hoped) useful part. What would be theresult of their search for the Black Leaf? Would either of them findit? And what had Old Nancy meant by saying that she thought only _one_of them would be successful? Wouldn't she and Jack be allowed to searchtogether, Molly wondered. She hoped Jack wouldn't be sent to one partof the country, and she to another. She tried to recall all theinformation and warnings that had been given to them about the Pumpkin,and the more she recalled, the more difficult the task in front of themappeared to be.
Molly stretched out her arm and fumbled about in the clothes that layon a chair by the bedside; she presently drew forth the box of matches,Old Nancy's gift, and proceeded to examine this attentively, it beingher first opportunity of doing so. Just an ordinary box of matches--atleast, so it appeared--only there was no maker's name on the outside,simply a dark blue wrapper. There were a dozen matches inside--Mollycounted. "I wonder if Jack has got the same number," she thought. Thenhearing a distant clock strike seven, she put the match box back in hersatchel and sprang out of bed.
While she was dressing she noticed that the bell which had been tollingsolemnly when she fell asleep was now silent.
When Molly was ready to go downstairs she climbed on a chair and lookedout of the window into the street below, which was already alive withpeople moving to and fro on their early morning business. Everythinglooked so clean and fresh, and the sun was shining, and a breezegreeted Molly, so warm and sweetly scented that all the little doubtsand fears that had crowded in on her, trying to cloud her naturallysunny outlook, were suddenly swept clean away, and Molly felt thateverything was possible and good on such a perfect morning. She jumpedlightly to the ground and ran across the room humming.
A patch of sunshine lay on the floor by the door, and as Molly stoppedfor a second to do up her shoelace she saw a curious shadow form on thepatch. And the shadow was shaped like a pumpkin! Startled, she lookedhastily over her shoulder: but there was nothing there. And even as shelooked again at the sunlit patch, the shadow passed away.
"Why, it must have been only a cloud, passing before the sun," she toldherself, relieved. "How silly of me."
But, nevertheless, she felt suddenly depressed; she did not hum anymore and she walked slowly downstairs, instead of running with herusual quick step. In passing Jack's room, the door of which stood wideopen, she saw that the room was empty. So Jack had raced her, and wasalready downstairs.
"Yes, he's been up this last half-hour, and he's out in the back gardennow," Aunt Janet informed her. "Did you sleep well, dearie? Run out andtell your brother breakfast'll be ready in three minutes, will you,dearie?"
And Aunt Janet bustled about between the pantry and the fireplace andthe breakfast table, in the little back room. A very tempting breakfasttable it looked, too; set for five, and everything so spick and span,from the crisp brown rolls to the long glass vase filled with yellowflowers standing in the centre of the white cloth.
So Molly went in search of Jack, through the open back door into thegarden. The garden which was long and narrow, was full of bushes andflowers and little winding paths. At the farthest end stood six tallelm trees in a row, and it was here that Molly spied Jack and Glan'sfather, standing, talking earnestly together.
"Hullo, Molly," called Jack, when he saw her. "Come and look here."
Molly made her way down the garden, and saw that Jack and the old manwere both gazing down at something at the foot of one of the trees. Itwas a dark red plant-pot filled with dry soil.
"Mr--er--_he_ was just telling me--what do you think, Molly?" said Jackexcitedly. "The Black Leaf came up in this plant-pot one year!"
"Oh," Molly gasped, and gazed at the pot with awe. Such an ordinaryplant-pot it looked, with nothing at all about it to suggest that ithad ever been connected with any magic.
"Of course, missie," Glan's father explained mournfully, "it was nouse me a-picking it that year, you see, because there was no Pumpkinto pick it for. Besides," he added bitterly, "it on'y came up forspite. That's all--pure spite, I call it--just to taunt me as it were.I couldn't bide the sight of it--especially as the Pumpkin was out ofreach--in--in _your_ World."
"What would have happened if you _had_ picked it?" asked Jack.
"Nothing would have happened. At the end of the thirteen days it wouldhave withered away, and the plant might not have come up again,perhaps--but I don't know about that. Still, if it hadn't, what shouldwe have done this year when we do want it? Eh?"
"Yes," said Molly. "It is a good job you didn't pick it, because,supposing it didn't come up again--I suppose there would have been nohope of getting rid of the Pumpkin this time?"
"Unless Old Nancy had discovered another spell," suggested Jack.
The old man shook his head dismally, and ran his fingers through hisbeard.
"No," he said. "I had a feeling--in my bones--that we should need theBlack Leaf some day. I always said the Pumpkin would return from--from_your_ World. And then--and then those dreams I had----"
"Oh, why didn't the Leaf come up in your plant-pot this year!" sighedMolly.
"Things never happen like that," mumbled Glan's father.
"They do sometimes," said Molly.
But the old man only shook his head.
"There's Aunt Janet calling us to breakfast," said Molly. "I was sentout to fetch you. Come along!" And she led the way back indoors again,followed by the other two.
"Now, what have you been doing in the garden?" cried Aunt Janet,catching sight of the three serious faces. "Looking at that oldplant-pot again, I'll be bound. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,"she said, shaking her head at Glan's father. "Brooding over thatmiserable old pot--before breakfast, and on such a lovely morning too.If I had my way I'd smash the ugly old thing up and have done withit--though really I believe you enjoy it"--she disregarded the oldman's reproachful glance, and clapped some plates on the table a littleimpatiently. "What good does it do, brooding over things that are pastand gone and can't be helped! It's the future we can help, and it's thefuture we should give our thought to, and make it better than the past.Glan! Glan! Where's Glan! Call Glan, somebody. He's in the shop!"
But Glan had heard, and appeared at that moment through theglass-windowed door that led from the parlour to the shop.
"Good-morning all, good-morning," he cried, beaming and rubbing hishands together. "What a perfect morning, to be sure. And did the littlelady and her brother rest well after the strenuous time they hadyesterday?"
"Very well, thank you," said Molly.
"Slept like a top," said Jack.
"Ah, that's right," said Glan, taking his place at the table, roundwhich the others were already seated. "And what is this our good Aunthas provided? Scrambled eggs! Excellent, excellent indeed. What aperfect morning. Who could feel sad at heart on a day like this!"
He seemed in great spirits, and started to hum as he helped himselfto salt, while his father rolled his eyes up leaving only the whitesvisible, to signify his despair at the incurable cheerfulness of hisson.
"Come, come now, and how is father this morning?" Glan continued,pushing his father's chair closer to the table and tucking a servietteunder his fathers chin, for all the world as if he were a baby in ahigh chair.
"He's been at that old plant-pot again," said Aunt Janet.
"Bad wicked man," smiled Glan, wagging his spoon at his Father, whoreceived all Glan's bantering remarks with the same stolid expression,and without the f
licker of a smile. Jack marvelled at Glan'sperseverance with his Father, when his attempts to cheer him up werealways without success. He began to doubt whether the old man _could_smile, and tried to imagine him doing so--but failed.
"After breakfast," said Glan, "if he is very good and promises not topick the currants out of the buns, Father shall mind the shop while thelittle lady and her brother, and Aunt Janet, and yours faithfully, puton their best bonnets with the bead trimmings, and their elastic-sidedboots, and brown cotton gloves"--he gave an elaborate wink at AuntJanet--"and sally forth to learn what plans are afoot, and to find outwhat portion of the country we are each to search."
"Will Jack and I be allowed to go together?" asked Molly, anxiously.
"Certainly, if you wish," said Glan.
"Of course we'd rather, wouldn't we, Moll?" said Jack.
And she assented quickly, hoping at the same time that now they wouldprobably both win--or fail together.
When breakfast was finished, and while Aunt Janet went to put on herbead-trimmed bonnet, and elastic-sided boots, and brown cotton gloves,Glan showed the two children over the shop. It contained a mosttempting array of sugared cakes and buns and pastries and bread--all ofwhich Glan told them he made himself, in the bakehouse at the side ofthe shop. The shop was sweet and clean, like the rest of the house, andthe sight of Glan, in his white cap and overall, standing behind thecounter and beaming cheerfully around him was a sight to lighten theheart of anyone--except Glan's father.
"It's fortunate that your Father can look after the place while you areout," remarked Molly. "But I thought you said he was taken back andgiven a place at Court, didn't you? I thought that was why he wore avelvet robe and keys."
"Quite right," said Glan, "but it is only a very unimportant position.You see, he's getting old--he only has to turn up at Court everyTuesday and Friday. It keeps him amused. On his free days he doesall sorts of things to fill up his time.... Ah, here he comes," hecontinued, as his Father shuffled into the shop. "Now, be very careful,Father, and look after everything nicely while we're away, won't you?And here--you'd better wear this or you'll spoil that lovely velvetrobe."
And Glan whipped off his white apron and made his Father put it on.This, over his gorgeous velvet robe, gave him a comical appearancewhich was by no means lessened by the melancholy expression on hisface. Glan gave a chuckle. With arms akimbo he surveyed his Father withhis head on one side, then he chuckled again. Such an irresistible,infectious chuckle it was that Jack and Molly, despite their effortsnot to, started to laugh. Glan went on chuckling and laughing, and oncehaving started the three of them continued laughing and could not stop,until the tears came into their eyes, and Jack had a stitch in hisside, and Aunt Janet appeared, all ready to start, to see what all thenoise was about.
"Poor old Father ... it's too bad to laugh ... but really ... really..." and Glan dried his eyes on the sleeve of his white overall, andstarted to laugh again.
But Glan's Father could see nothing to laugh at, and had continueddusting the scales slowly and methodically all the time.
"These jam puffs are two a penny, aren't they?" he asked, quiteunconscious of the figure he presented.
"Does your Father ever laugh?" Jack asked, as soon as they were outsidethe shop.
"Never to my knowledge," said Aunt Janet, "and I've kept house for himthese twenty years."
"I've seen him smile--twice--as far as I can remember," replied Glan."But that was a long time ago.... Perhaps he'll _laugh_ one of thesedays--when we find the Black Leaf?"
They made their way down the street and into the market square, whichpresented a very different appearance in the daylight from the sleepy,peaceful look it had worn last night in the moonlight. Now it was awakeand all was bustle and hurry, with shops open, and people passing toand fro.
"Where did you say we were going first?" asked Jack.
"I didn't say," said Glan, "but I should think you might guess by AuntJanet's bonnet that it's somewhere very special."
"We're going to the Palace, dearies," Aunt Janet broke in.
"To the Palace!" exclaimed the children.
"And shall we see the King?" Molly added.
"Of course," said Glan.
At this moment their attention was attracted by the sound of peoplerunning and shouting, and they saw that a big crowd was rapidlygathering round the market cross. "What is it?" "What's the matter?"people near by were asking each other, and unable to get informationthey would rush off and join the jostling, excited mob in order to findout for themselves.
"Wait here a moment," said Glan, "and I'll go and see. Don't follow meor we shall lose each other in the crowd. I won't be long."
And leaving the children and Aunt Janet standing outside a quaintlittle tea-shop, he dashed forward and was quickly lost to sight inthe surging mass of people that were rushing onward to the marketcross. Everyone was simmering with excitement, and Jack and Molly hadgreat difficulty in obeying Glan's instructions to wait outside for himthere, especially whenever a shout or groan of sympathy or indignationrose above the murmuring of the crowd, and told them that somethingunusual was taking place.
But they waited, and in a few minutes they saw Glan making his way backthrough the outskirts of the crowd. He hurried toward them, his faceunusually grave.
"Come along," he said, taking each of the children by an arm andhastening them away before they could ask any questions; and he signedto Aunt Janet, who followed behind them as quickly as possible. "Don'tlook back. It's no use. We can't do anything to help. It's one of thePumpkin's victims, some poor fellow caught by him outside the Citywalls."
"What has he done to him?" Jack managed to gasp out.
"Made both his arms disappear, and covered his face with a horriblegrey stain. The man looks awful. I'm glad you didn't see him--we cando nothing to help ... except one thing," said Glan.
"The Black Leaf?" asked Molly.
"The only thing," said Glan.