Witch Silver Read Free Page B

very lucky, Neil,” his mother added. “If your Uncle David and Aunt Muriel hadn’t left the house to us, we would never have been able to afford anything as grand as this,” she pointed out gently.
    “I know,” Neil muttered, “it’s just that we don’t know anybody here.”
    “It’ll work out fine, Neil,” his father smiled, “and once you start at Netherfield, you’ll get to know lots of boys your own age.”
    “And girls,” Clara added. “It’ll be funny being boarders, though.”
    “That won’t be for long,” her mother assured her, with a quick look at her husband. “Dad’s contract finishes at Christmas so you’ll only be boarders for a term. And since your old school’s marked down for closure, it’s pointless, really, starting at a new school in Edinburgh for just one term, isn’t it?”
    “I suppose so,” Clara admitted.
    “Don’t forget that you’ll be spending Saturdays and Sundays here with us,” her father smiled, ruffling her hair. “We’ll be down more or less every weekend to check up on the builders, and sort out any problems.”
    “Why don’t you both go upstairs and have a look at your rooms,” their mother suggested with a twinkle in her eyes. “I forgot to tell you that the painter finished them yesterday. Oh, and I’ve left some carpet samples on the chest in the upstairs hall so that you can choose a colour you like,” she called after them as both children raced up the stairs in sudden excitement.
    “How have you been managing on your own then, Janet?” John MacLean asked as he followed his wife into the living room and looked round appreciatively at the polished woodwork,gleaming windows and cheerful chintz sofas grouped round the huge fireplace. It was a comfortable room and he could imagine relaxing in front of a roaring blaze of logs when winter came and snow blocked the roads.
    His wife put her finger to her lips and, walking over to the door, shut it carefully.
    John raised his eyebrows. “Why the secrecy?” he asked, half laughing.
    “Can I ask you a question first?” she asked seriously.
    “Of course! Fire away!”
    “Are you wearing your firestone?”
    “Wearing my firestone!” he repeated blankly. Of all the questions she could have asked, this was the last he’d have thought of; for firestones were the magic stones the MacArthurs had given them so that they could fly on magic carpets and merge with people, birds and animals.
    “Are you?” she insisted.
    “Well, no,” he replied. “I’m not. You know perfectly well that I don’t wear it all the time. Neither do you, for that matter.”
    “I know,” she said, wringing her hands. “I wish I’d thought of it before. I’d have asked you to bring mine down with you today.”
    “Whatever for?” Her husband looked baffled. “There’s no magic here … is there?”
    “Well, there might be. I hate to say it, John,” she said hesitantly , for she knew how much he loved the house, “but there’s something really strange going on.”
    “Strange?” he frowned questioningly. “What, here? In the house?”
    Janet nodded. “I think it’s haunted,” she said firmly. “I’m not imagining it,” she added quickly as he opened his mouth to scoff at the notion. “There are definitely ghosts around. They’re not in the room at the moment,” she added. “I can tellwhen they’re nearby. There’s a … sort of a different feel to the atmosphere whenever they come in.”
    “Ghosts?” her husband repeated. “Are you sure? I mean, David and Muriel never said anything about the house being haunted.”
    “Quite sure. It’s weird, really. They … they seem to realize that I can feel them in the room and when I come in they … well, they slip away and go somewhere else. I get the impression that they’re looking for something.”
    “How very odd,” he frowned, putting an arm round her. “Bear up, Janet. We’ll sort it out, don’t worry. Now, tell me all about it.”
    “It