Fantasy fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction; Twins -- Juvenile fiction
“Of course, he was another of them. What a stupid girl I was to trust
him,” she exclaimed. “But where has my bracelet gone! Wait a minute
please,” she continued, in reply to Mrs Jennet’s excited questioning.
“I’ll tell you all about it in a minute.” She climbed down from the
tree and searched about in the grass beneath. “Ah, here it is!” she
cried, and snatched up her bracelet, only to drop it again instantly,
as if it were red-hot coals. For on the inner side of the bracelet she
saw the remains of a dull grey powder still clinging to it. “So that’s
how he did it!” Molly nodded to herself. “That explains things.”
She understood now that the watchmaker was another spy employed by the
Pumpkin, and the bracelet which she had accepted from him had contained
this magic powder which had rubbed off on to her arm, and sent her to
sleep. The old watchmaker was evidently relying on the powder acting
quickly, and Molly, overwhelmed by sleep, being compelled to rest by
the side of the road—or somewhere where the Pumpkin could easily
catch her. Luckily for Molly, she had had enough will power to fight
her way to a place of safety; and luckily, also, the bracelet had
slipped off and so gradually she had regained consciousness again.
Molly had had a very narrow escape, and she felt decidedly bewildered
as to the best way of winning through the difficulties around her. Of
one thing she felt certain, she must be very distrustful of everything
and everybody—except, of course, where people were recommended to
her by some one she could trust. So far, all the links in her chain
of friends had proved good and true; Glan—Old Nancy—Aunt Janet—The
Goblin—Miss Marigold—Mr Papingay—Mrs Rose—and now, Mrs Jennet. She
could trust Mrs Jennet, surely.
Mrs Jennet was bubbling over with curiosity about the stain and the
bracelet, and Molly answering some of her numerous questions, asked her
to lend her the umbrella for a minute. Mrs Jennet watched breathlessly
while Molly dug a little hole with the point, then picked up the
bracelet on the tip of the umbrella and dropped it in the hole and
piled earth and stones on it.
“It might only bring trouble to some one else if I leave it here,” she
said.
Then she accepted Mrs Jennet’s kind and vigorous invitation to go home
with her and ‘have a bite of something’ before proceeding on her way.
As they walked along Molly told her companion a little of what had
already taken place, and what had happened to Jack. At which Mrs Jennet
protested loudly and even wept a little; then stood still in the middle
of the roadway while she told Molly all the horrible things she would
like to do to the Pumpkin if she caught him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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