Catweazle

peace and tranquillity, and a little bit of England,’
said the photographer, and she went into the cottage with the others.
    ‘People!’
snorted Catweazle, getting to his feet.
    ‘What’s
wrong with people?’ said Carrot, carrying the sack for him as they moved away.
    ‘They
make my head buzz.’
    ‘That’s
because you’re not used to them.’
    ‘No,
and do not want to be.’
    Carrot
stopped. ‘You’re used to me though, aren’t you?’
    Catweazle
didn’t answer.
    ‘So
what do you think of me?’
    ‘Think
of you?’ said Catweazle, looking puzzled. ‘But you are here.’
    ‘But
when I’m not here?’ asked Carrot.
    ‘Then I
do not think of you,’ said Catweazle.
    There
was a long silence as they walked along, the sack clanking on Carrot’s back.
    It’s
not good to be alone,’ he said. ‘You’re alone too much.’
    ‘I
lived alone in my own time.’
    ‘This
is your own time,’ said Carrot, getting angry. ‘Can’t you see? Here and now!’
    Catweazle
looked at the boy’s face and slowly shook his head.
    ‘Here
and now I am,’ he said. ‘There and then, I want to be.’
    ‘But
it’s a dream, Catweazle.’
    ‘Nettleface!’
said Catweazle, gesturing round him. ‘This is the dream.’
    They
arrived at the base of the water tower and he took the sack from Carrot.
    ‘Leave
me,’ he said.
    ‘But
I’ll help you up with them,’ said Carrot.
    ‘Nay,’
said the old magician.
    ‘What’s
the matter? Why can’t I come up?’
    ‘There
is a circle of power round Saburac,’ said Catweazle looking up at the rusty
water tank.
    ‘What
for? You’re being very mysterious. Is it another spell?’
    ‘All is
prepared. Farewell, brother.’
    ‘I
don’t know what’s got into you today,’ said Carrot. ‘I’ll see you later.’
    Catweazle
watched until the boy was out of sight and then he shook his head. ‘See me
later?’ he muttered.
    A new
batch of two thousand chicks had arrived when Carrot got back to the farm and
Sam was busily supervising their unloading. Mr Bennet returned from showing Mrs
Derringer the way back to Tollington Hall, where she and Maud were staying, and
everybody worked hard to get the chicks safely into the brooders.
    During
the afternoon, while Sam and Carrot were busy cleaning out one of the sheds,
they heard a car coming down the lane.
    ‘Hear
that?’ said Sam excitedly. ‘That’s a Merci’
    With a
final throbbing roar and a squeak from the brakes a beautiful snow-white sports
car pulled up in the yard. The strange gobbling cry rose from the turkey pens.
    ‘It’s
Edward, isn’t it?’ said Mrs Derringer as she and her assistant climbed out.
‘We’ve come to see your Pa again. About the cottage.’
    ‘Isn’t
this super!’ said Carrot admiring the car.
    ‘With
some women it’s hats but with me it’s sports cars,’ said Mrs Derringer
complacently.
    Maud
pursed her lips and said nothing.
    ‘Oh, by
the way, Edward,’ said Mrs Derringer, getting a photo from the glove
compartment, ‘have you ever seen this man before?’
    Carrot gasped.
It was an enlargement of Catweazle caught peering through the window of the
ruined cottage.
    ‘Something
wrong?’ said Mrs Derringer.
    ‘Er,
no,’ said Carrot.
    ‘I took
him this morning when I photographed the cottage. I said I’d seen him, didn’t I
Maud? So I developed the picture and there he was.’
    Sam
went by, pausing to admire the car, so Carrot quickly held the enlargement to
his chest.
    ‘Do you
know him?’ asked Mrs Derringer, who had not been a reporter for nothing.
    ‘Well,
yes, sort of,’ said Carrot, breathing a sigh of relief as Sam went back to his
work.
    ‘Who is
he?’ said Mrs Derringer.
    ‘I
don’t really know,’ said Carrot. ‘He’s a sort of hermit.’
    ‘Lovely!
D’you think he would pose?’
    ‘Pose?’
    ‘I want
to take pictures of him for my new book.’
    ‘Oh, I
don’t think he’d like that very much,’ said Carrot hastily.
    Mr
Bennet came out of the farmhouse and waved to the two ladies. Mrs Derringer
smiled her wide American smile. ‘See if you can find him for me,’ she said and left
Carrot gaping at the enlargement in his hand. After all he’d done to keep
Catweazle hidden! ‘I must warn him,’ thought Carrot and ran off through the
farmyard.
    When he
reached Castle Saburac he gave his usual whistle and then hurriedly climbed the
ladder. As he reached the top Catweazle’s head appeared through the inspection
hole.
    ‘You
will spoil all. All!’ he