Thief of Always Read Free Page A

later."
          Hearing this, Harvey wondered what grief it was Mrs. Griffin had known or seen to make her so mournful.
          "I'm sorry," she said, covering her melancholy with a tiny smile. "You didn't come here to listen to my dirges. You came to enjoy yourself, didn't you?"
          "I guess I did," Harvey said.
          "So let me tempt you with some treats."
          Harvey sat himself down at the kitchen table, and within sixty seconds Mrs. Griffin had set a dozen plates of food in front of him: hamburgers, hot dogs and fried chicken; mounds of buttered potatoes; apple, cherry and mud pies, ice cream and whipped cream; grapes, tangerines and a plate of fruits he couldn't even name.
          He set to eating with gusto, and was devouring his second slice of pie when a freckled girl with long, frizzy blond hair and huge, blue-green eyes ambled in.
          "You must be Harvey," she said.
          "How did you know?"
          "Wendell told me."
          "How did he know?"
          She shrugged. "He just heard. I'm Lulu, by the way."
          "Did you just arrive?"
          "No. I've been here for ages. Longer than Wendell. But not as long as Mrs. Griffin. Nobody's been here as long as she has. Isn't that right?"
          "Almost," said Mrs. Griffin, a little mysteriously. "Do you want something to eat, sweetie?"
          Lulu shook her head. "No thanks. I haven't got much of an appetite at the moment."
          She nevertheless sat down opposite Harvey, stuck her thumb in the mud pie, and licked it clean.
          "Who invited you here?" she asked.
          "A guy called Rictus."
          "Oh yeah. The one with the grin?"
          "That's him."
          "He's got a sister and two brothers," she went on.
          "You've met them then?"
          "Not all of them," Lulu admitted. "They keep themselves to themselves. But you'll meet one or two of them sooner or later."
          "I...don't think I'll be staying," Harvey said. "I mean my mom and dad don't even know I'm here."
          "Sure they do," Lulu replied. "They just didn't tell you about it." This confused Harvey, and he said so. "Call your mom and dad," Lulu suggested. "Ask 'em."
          "Can I do that?" he wondered.
          "Of course you can," Mrs. Griffin replied. "The phone's in the hallway."
          Carrying a spoonful of ice cream with him, Harvey went to the phone and dialed. At first there was a whining sound on the line, as though a wind were in the wires. Then, as it cleared, he heard his mom say: "Who is this?"
          "Before you start yelling-" he began.
          "Oh, honey," his mom cooed. "Did you arrive?"
          "Arrive?"
          "You are at the Holiday House, I hope."
          "Yes, I am. But-"
          "Oh, good. I was worried maybe you'd lost your way. Do you like it there?"
          "You knew I was coming?" Harvey said, catching Lulu's eye.
          I told you, she mouthed.
          "Of course we knew," his mom went on. "We invited Mr. Rictus to show you the place. You looked so sad, you poor lamb. We thought you needed a little fun."
          "Really?" said Harvey, astonished by this turn of events.
          "We just want you to enjoy yourself," his mom went on. "So you stay just as long as you want."
          "What about school?" he said.
          "You deserve a little time off," came the reply. "Don't you worry about anything. Just have a good time."
          "I will, Mom."
          "'Bye, honey."
          "Bye."
          Harvey came away from the conversation shaking his head in amazement.
          "You were right," he said to Lulu. "They arranged everything."
          "So now you don't have to feel guilty," said Lulu. "Well, I guess I'll see you around later, huh?"
          And with that she ambled away.
          "If you're finished eating," Mrs. Griffin said, "I'll show you to your