Only a particularly bad attack of aches and pains prevented Sophie from setting out for Market Chipping that evening. But the drizzle1 in Porthaven had gotten into her bones. She lay in her cubbyhole and ached and worried about Martha. It might not be so bad, she thought. She only had to tell Martha that the suitor she was not sure about was none other than Wizard Howl. That would scare Martha off. And she would tell Martha that the way to scare Howl off was to announce that she was in love with him, and then perhaps to threaten him with aunts.
Sophie was still creaking when she got up next morning. “Curse the Witch of the Waste!” she muttered to her stick as she got it out, ready to leave. She could hear Howl singing in the bathroom as if he had never had a tantrum in his life. She tiptoed to the door as fast as she could hobble.
Howl of course came out of the bathroom before she reached it. Sophie looked at him sourly. He was all spruce and dashing, scented2 gently with apple blossom. The sunlight from the window dazzled off his gray-and-scarlet suit and made a faintly pink halo of his hair.
“I think my hair looks rather good this color,” he said.
“Do you indeed?” grumped Sophie.
“It goes with this suit,” said Howl. “You have quite a touch with your needle, don’t you? You’ve given the suit more style somehow.”
“Huh!” said Sophie.
Howl stopped with is hand on the knob above the door. “Aches and pains troubling you?” he said. “Or has something annoyed you?”
“Annoyed?” said Sophie. “Why should I be annoyed? Someone only filled the castle with rotten aspic, and deafened3 everyone in Porthaven, and scared Calcifer to a cinder4, and broke a few hundred hearts. Why should that annoy me?”
Howl laughed. “I apologize,” he said, turning the knob to red-down. “The King wants to see me today. I shall probably be kicking my heels in the Palace until evening, but I can do something for your rheumatism5 when I get aback. Don’t forget to tell Michael I left that spell for him on the bench.” He smiled sunnily at Sophie and stepped out among the spires6 of Kingsbury.
“And you think that makes it all right!” Sophie growled8 as the door shut. But the smile had mollified her. “If that smile works on me, then it’s no wonder poor Martha doesn’t know her own mind!” she muttered.
“I need another log before you go,” Calcifer reminded her.
Sophie hobbled to drop another log into the grate. Then she set off to the door again. But here Michael came running downstairs and snatched the remains9 of a loaf off the bench as he ran to the door. “You don’t mind, do you?” he said in an agitated10 way. “I’ll bring a fresh loaf when I come back. I’ve got something very urgent to see to today, but I’ll be back by evening. If the sea captain calls for his wind spell, it’s on the end of the bench, clearly labeled.” He turned the knob green-downward and jumped out onto the windy hillside, loaf clutched to his stomach. “See you!” he shouted as the castle trundled away past him and the door slammed.
“Botheration!” said Sophie. “Calcifer, how does a person open the door when there’s no one inside the castle?”
“I’ll open it for you, or Michael. Howl does it himself,” said Calcifer.
So no one would be locked out when Sophie left. She was not at all sure she would be coming back, but she did not intend to tell Calcifer. She gave Michael time to get well on the way to wherever he was going and set off for the door again. This time Calcifer stopped her.
“If you’re going to be away long,” he said, “you might leave some logs where I can reach them.”
“Can you pick up logs?” Sophie asked, intrigued11 in spite of her impatience12.
For answer, Calcifer stretched out a blue arm-shaped flame divided into green fingerlike flames at the end. It was not very long, nor did it look strong. “See? I can almost reach the hearth13,” he said proudly.
Sophie stacked a pile of logs in front of the grate so that Calcifer could at least reach the top one. “You’re not to burn them until you’ve got them in the grate,” she warned him, and she set off for the door yet again.
This time somebody knocked on it before she got there.
It was one of those days, Sophie thought. It must be the sea captain. She put up her hand to turn the knob blue-down.
“No, it’s the castle door,” Calcifer said. “But I’m not sure-”
Then it was Michael back for some reason, Sophie thought as she opened the door.
A turnip14 face leered at her. She smelled mildew15. Against the wide blue sky, a ragged16 arm ending in a stump17 of a stick wheeled round and tried to paw at her. It was a scarecrow. It was only made of sticks and rags, but it was alive, and it was trying to come in.
“Calcifer!” Sophie screamed. “Make the castle go faster!”
The stone blocks round the doorway18 crunched19 and grated. The green-brown moorland was suddenly rushing past. The scarecrow’s stick arm thumped20 on the door, and then went scraping along the wall of the castle as the castle left it behind. It wheeled its other arm round and seemed to try to clutch at the stonework. It meant to get into the castle if it could.
Sophie slammed the door shut. This, she thought, just showed how stupid it was for an eldest21 child to try and seek her fortune! That was the scarecrow she had propped22 in the hedge on her way to the castle. She had made jokes to it. Now, as if her jokes had brought it to evil life, it had followed her all the way here and tried to paw at her face. She ran to the window to see if the thing was still trying to get into the castle.
Of course, all she could see was a sunny day in Porthaven, with a dozen sails going up a dozen masts beyond the roofs opposite, and a cloud of seagulls circling the blue sky.
“That’s the difficulty of being in several places at once!” Sophie said to the human skull23 on the bench.
Then, all at once, she discovered the real drawback to being an old woman. Her heart gave a leap and a little stutter, and then seemed to be trying to bang its way out f her chest. It hurt. She shook all over and her knees trembled. She rather thought she might be dying. It was all she could do to get to the chair by the hearth. She sat there panting, clutching her chest.
“Is something the matter?” Calcifer asked.
“Yes. My heart. There was a scarecrow at the door!” Sophie gasped24.
“What has a scarecrow to do with your heart?” Calcifer asked.
“It was trying to get in here. It gave me a terrible fright. And my heart-but you wouldn’t understand, you silly young demon25!” Sophie panted. “You haven’t got a heart.”
“Yes I have,” Calcifer said, as proudly as he had revealed his arm. “Down in the glowing part under the log. And don’t call me young. I’m a good million years older than you are! Can I reduce the speed of the castle now?”
“Only if the scarecrow’s gone,” said Sophie. “Has it?”
“I can’t tell,” said Calcifer. “It’s not flesh and blood, you see. I told you I couldn’t really see outside.”
Sophie got up and dragged herself to the door again, feeling ill. She opened it slowly and cautiously. Green steepness, rocks, and purple slopes whirled past, making her feel dizzy, but she took a grip on the doorframe and leaned out to look along the wall to the moorland they were leaving behind. The scarecrow was about fifty yards to the rear. It was hopping26 from clump27 to heather clump with a sinister28 sort of valiance, holding its fluttering stick arms at an angle to balance it on the hillside. As Sophie watched, the castle left it further behind. It was slow, but it was still following. She shut the door.
“It’s still there,” she said. “Hopping after us. Go faster.”
“But that upsets all my calculations,” Calcifer explained. “I was aiming to circle the hills and get back to where Michael left us in time to pick him up this evening.”
“Then go twice as fast and circle the hills twice. As long as you leave that horrible thing behind!” said Sophie.
“What a fuss!” Calcifer grumbled29. But he increased the castle’s speed. Sophie could actually, for the first time, feel it rumbling30 around her as she sat huddled31 in her chair wondering if she was dying. She did not want to die yet, before she had talked to Martha.
As the day went on, everything in the castle began to jiggle with its speed. Bottles chinked. The skull clattered32 on the bench. Sophie could hear things falling off the shelf in the bathroom and splashing into the bath where Howl’s blue-and-silver suit was still soaking. She began to feel a little better. She dragged herself to the door again and looked out, wit her hair flying in the wind. The ground was streaking33 past underneath34. The hills seemed to be spinning slowly as the castle sped across them. The grinding and rumbling nearly deafened her, and smoke was puffing35 out behind in blasts. But the scarecrow was a tiny black dot on a distant slope by then. Next time she looked, it was out of sight entirely36.
“Good. Then I shall stop for the night,” said Calcifer. “That was quite a strain.”
The rumbling died away. Things stopped jiggling. Calcifer went to sleep, in the way fires do, sinking among the logs until they were rosy37 cylinders38 plated with white ash, with only a hint of blue and green deep underneath.
Sophie felt quite spry again by then. She went and fished six packets and a bottle out of the slimy water in the bath. The packets were soaked. She did not dare leave them that way after yesterday, so she laid them on the floor and, very cautiously, sprinkled them with the stuff labeled DRYING POWER. They were dried almost instantly. This was encouraging. Sophie let the water out of the bath and tried the POWER on Howl’s suit. That dried too. It was still stained green and rather smaller than it had been, but it cheered Sophie up to find that she could put at least something right.
She felt cheerful enough to busy herself getting supper. She bundled everything on the bench into a heap round the skull at one end and began chopping onions. “At least your eyes don’t water, my friend,” she told the skull. “Count your blessings39.”
The door sprang open.
Sophie nearly cut herself in her fright, thinking it was the scarecrow again. But it was Michael. He burst jubilantly in. he dumped a loaf, a pie, and a pink-and-white-striped box on top of the onions. Then he seized Sophie round her skinny waist and danced her round the room.
“It’s all right! It’s all right!” he shouted joyfully40.
Sophie hopped41 and stumbled to keep out of the way of Michael’s boots. “Steady, steady!” she gasped, giddily trying to hold the knife where it would not cut either of them. “What is all right?”
“Lettie loves me!” Michael shouted, dancing her almost into the bathroom and then almost into the hearth. “She’s never even seen Howl! It was all a mistake!” He spun42 them both round in the middle of the room.
“Will you let me go before this knife cuts one of us!” Sophie squawked. “And perhaps explain a little.”
“Wee-oop!” Michael shouted. He whirled Sophie to the chair and dumped her into it, where she sat gasping43. “Last night I wished you’d dyed his hair blue!” he said. “I don’t mind now. When Howl said ‘Lettie Hatter,’ I even thought of dying him blue myself. You can see the way he talks. I knew he was going to drop this girl, just like all the others, as soon as he’d got her to love him. And when I thought it was my Lettie, I-Anyway, you know he said there was another fellow, and I thought that was me! So I tore down to Market Chipping today. And it was all right! Howl must be after some other girl with the same name. Lettie’s never seen him.”
“Let’s get this straight,” Sophie said dizzily. “We are talking about the Lettie Hatter who works in Cesari’s pastry44 shop, are we?”
“Of course we are!” Michael said jubilantly. “I’ve loved her ever since she started work there, and I almost couldn’t believe when she said she loved me. She had hundreds of admirers. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Howl was one of them. I’m so relieved! I got you a cake from Cesari’s to celebrate. Where did I put it? Oh, here it is.”
He thrust the pink-and-white box at Sophie. Onion fell off it into her lap.
“How old are you, my child?” Sophie asked.
“Fifteen last May Day,” said Michael. “Calcifer sent fireworks up from the castle. Didn’t you, Calcifer? Oh, he’s asleep. You’re probably thinking I’m too young to be engaged-I’ve still got three years of my apprenticeship45 to run, and Lettie’s got even longer-but we promised one another, and we don’t mind waiting.”
Then Michael was about the right age for Martha, Sophie thought. And she knew by now he was a nice, steady lad with a career as a wizard ahead of him. Bless Martha’s heart! When she thought back to that bewildering May Day, she realized that Michael had been one of that shouting group leaning on the counter in front of Martha. But Howl had been outside in Market Square.
“Are you sure your Lettie was telling the truth about Howl?” she asked anxiously.
“Positive,” said Michael. “I know when she’s lying. She stops twiddling her thumbs.”
“She does too!” said Sophie, chuckling46.
“How do you know?” Michael asked in surprise.
“Because she’s my sis-ter- sister’s granddaughter,” said Sophie, “and as a small girl she was not always terribly truthful47. But she’s quite young and-er…Well, suppose she changes as she grows. She-er-may not look quite the same in a year or so.”
“Neither will I,” said Michael. “People our age change all the time. It won’t worry us. She’ll still be Lettie.”
In a manner of speaking, Sophie thought. “But suppose she was telling the truth,” she went on anxiously, “and she just knew Howl under a false name?”
“Don’t worry, I thought of that!” said Michael. “I described Howl-you must admit he’s pretty recognizable-and she really hadn’t seen him or his wretched guitar. I didn’t even have to tell her he doesn’t know how to play the thing. She never set eyes on him, and she twiddled her thumbs all the time she said she hadn’t.”
“That’s a relief!” Sophie said, lying stiffly back in her chair. And it certainly was a relief about Martha. But it was not much of a relief, because Sophie was positive that the only other Lettie Hatter in the district was the real one. If there had been another, someone would have come into the hat shop and gossiped about it. It sounded like strong-minded Lettie, not giving in to Howl. What worried Sophie was that Lettie had told Howl her real name. She might not be sure about him, but she liked him enough to trust him with an important secret like that.
“Don’t look so anxious!” Michael laughed, leaning on the back of the chair. “Have a look at the cake I brought you.”
As Sophie started opening the box, it dawned on her that Michael had gone from seeing her as a natural disaster to actually liking48 her. She was so pleased and grateful that she decided49 to tell Michael the whole truth about Lettie and Martha and herself too. It was only fair to let him know the sort of family he meant to marry into. The box came open. It was Cesari’s most luscious50 cake, covered in cream and cherries and little curls of chocolate. “Oh!” said Sophie.
The square knob over the door clicked round to red-blob-down of its own accord and Howl came in. “What a marvelous cake! My favorite kind,” he said. “”Where did you get it?”
“I-er-I called in at Cesari’s,” Michael said in a sheepish, self-conscious way. Sophie looked up at Howl. Something was always going to interrupt her when she decided to say she was under a spell. Even a wizard, it seemed.
“It looks worth the walk,” Howl said, inspecting the cake. “I’ve heard Cesari’s is better that any of the cake shops in Kingsbury. Stupid of me never to have been in the place. And is that a pie I see on the bench?” He went over to look. “Pie in a bed of raw onions. Human skull looking put-upon.” He picked up the skull and knocked an onion ring out of its eyesocket. “I see Sophie has been busy again. Couldn’t you have restrained her, my friend?”
The skull yattered its teeth at him. Howl looked startled and put it down hastily.
“Is something the matter?” Michael asked. He seemed to know the signs.
“There is,” said Howl. “I shall have to find someone to blacken my name to the King.”
“Was there something wrong with the wagon51 spell?” said Michael.
“No. It worked perfectly52. That’s the trouble,” Howl said, restlessly twiddling an onion ring on one finger. “The King’s trying to pin me down to do something else now. Calcifer, if we’re not very careful, he’s going to appoint me Royal Magician.” Calcifer did not answer. Howl roved back to the fireside and realized Calcifer was asleep. “Wake him up, Michael,” he said. “I need to consult him.”
Michael threw two logs on Calcifer and called him. Nothing happened, apart from a thin spire7 of smoke.
“Calcifer!” Howl shouted. That did no good either. Howl gave Michael a mystified look and picked up the poker53, which was something Sophie had never seen him do before. “Sorry, Calcifer,” he said, jabbing under the unburned logs. “Wake up!”
One thick black cloud of smoke rolled up, and stopped. “Go away,” Calcifer grunted54. “I’m tired.”
At this, Howl looked thoroughly55 alarmed. “What’s wrong with him? I’ve never known him like this before!”
“I think it was the scarecrow,” Sophie said.
Howl swiveled around on his knees and leveled his glass-marble eyes at her. “What have you done now?” He went on staring while Sophie explained. “A scarecrow?” he said. “Calcifer agreed to speed up the castle because of a scarecrow? Dear Sophie, do please tell me how you bully56 a fire demon into being that obliging. I’d dearly love to know!”
“I didn’t bully him,” said Sophie. “It gave me a turn and he was sorry for me.”
“It gave her a turn and Calcifer was sorry for her,” Howl repeated. “My good Sophie, Calcifer is never sorry for anyone. Anyway, I hope you enjoy raw onions and cold pie for your supper, because you’ve almost put Calcifer out.”
“There’s the cake,” Michael said, trying to make peace.
The food did seem to improve Howl’s temper, although he kept casting anxious looks at the unburning logs in the hearth all the time they were eating. The pie was good cold, and the onions were quite tasty when Sophie had soaked them in vinegar. The cake was superb. While they were eating it, Michael risked asking Howl what the King had wanted.
“Nothing definite yet,” Howl said gloomily. “But he was sounding me out about his brother, quiet ominously57. Apparently58 they had a good old argument before Prince Justin stormed off, and people are talking. The King obviously wanted me to volunteer to look for his brother. And like a fool I went and said I didn’t think Wizard Suliman was dead, and that made matters worse.”
“Why do you want to slither out of looking for the Prince?” Sophie demanded. “Don’t you think you can find him?”
“Rude as well as a bully, aren’t you?” Howl said. He had still not forgiven her about Calcifer. “I want to get out of it because I know I can find him, if you must know. Justin was great buddies59 with Suliman, and the argument was because he told the King he was going to look for him. He didn’t think the King should have sent Suliman to the Waste in the first place. Now, even you must know there is a certain lady in the Waste who is very bad news. She promised to fry me alive last year, and she sent out a curse after me that I’ve only avoided so far because I had the sense to give her a false name.”
Sophie was almost awed60. “You mean you jilted the Witch of the Waste?”
Howl cut himself another lump of cake, looking sad and honorable. “That is not the way to put it. I admit, I thought I was fond of her for a time. She is in some ways a very sad lady, very unloved. Every man in Ingary is scared stiff of her. You ought to know how that feels, Sophie dear.”
Sophie’s mouth opened in utter indignation. Michael said quickly, “Do you think we should move the castle? That’s why you invented it, wasn’t it?”
“That depends on Calcifer.” Howl looked over his shoulder at the barely smoking logs again. “I must say, if I think of the King and the Witch both after me, I get a craving61 for planting the castle on a nice, frowning rock a thousand miles away.”
Michael obviously wished he had not spoken. Sophie could see he was thinking that a thousand miles away was a terribly long way from Martha. “But what happens to your Lettie Hatter,” she said to Howl, “if you up and move?”
“I expect that will be all over by then,” Howl said absently. “But if I could only think of a way to get the King off my back…I know!” He lifted his fork, with a melting hunk of cream and cake on it, and pointed62 it at Sophie. “You can blacken my name to the King. You can pretend to be my old mother and plead for your blue-eyed boy.” He gave Sophie the smile which had no doubt charmed the Witch of the Waste and possibly Lettie too, firing it along the fork, across the cream, straight into Sophie’s eyes, dazzlingly. “If you can bully Calcifer, the King should give you no trouble at all.”
Sophie stared through the dazzle and said nothing. This, she thought, was where she slithered out. She was leaving. It was too bad about Calcifer’s contract. She had had enough of Howl. First green slime, then glaring at her for something Calcifer had done quite freely, and now this! Tomorrow she would slip off to Upper Folding and tell Lettie all about it.
第7章树篱间的稻草人
若非她全身痛得非常厉害，苏菲当天傍晚就跑到马克奇平去了，但是避难港的阴雨令她的老骨头痛不可遏。她躺在她的小窝里，身上疼着，心里则担心着玛莎。情形或许不会太糟，她想。她只需告诉玛莎，她还不太确定要不要接受的那个追求者不是别人，正是豪尔巫师，那应该就足以将玛莎吓跑。接着她会告诉玛莎，只要宣称她爱上了豪尔，豪尔就会落跑，要不，也可以拿三姑六婆来吓唬他。
第二天早晨，苏菲起床时全身仍然痛着。“诅咒那个荒地女巫！”她边拿出拐杖准备出门，边对着它咕哝。她可以听到豪尔在浴室里唱歌，一副他一辈子从未发过脾气的模样。她尽快地拐着脚，悄悄走到门边。
但是豪尔在她走到门口前，就由浴室出来了。苏菲对他怒目而视。他看起来干净又时髦，身上有淡淡的苹果花味道。由窗口照射进来的阳光，衬得他那一身灰红色的外套分外好看，并在他金发上映出一环粉红。
“我觉得我头发这个颜色还蛮好看的。”他说。
“是吗？”苏菲没好气地回答。
“和这套衣服蛮配的。”豪尔说：“你的女红还真不是盖的！好象让这套衣服变得很有型。”
“哼！”苏菲以鼻子回答。
豪尔握着门把停下来：“你是风湿痛吗？还是谁招惹你了？”
“惹我？”苏菲回道：“我干吗被惹毛？不过是某人让城堡里充满了臭肉汁，害避难港的所有人耳聋，把卡西法吓成煤渣，让几百个女孩心碎而已。我干吗要被惹出火气！”
豪尔大笑：“对不起啦！”将门转到红色朝下。“国王今天要见我，我今天大概会在宫里待到傍晚。不过，等我回来时，可以为你的风湿症想办法。我在工作台上给他留了一个咒语。”他对着苏菲粲然一笑，然后一脚踏向金斯别利城上空的无数个尖塔。
“你以为这样就没事了吗！”苏菲对着关上的门咆哮，但是那微笑令她的怒气缓和下来。她喃喃地说：“如果那个微笑能对我有这样的影响力，就难怪可怜的玛莎会搞不清自己真正的心意了。”
“你走前记得给我加根木头。”卡西法提醒她。
苏菲拐着脚走过去，给它加一根木头，然后再度对着门走去，但是麦可却在这时冲下楼来，由工作台上匆匆抓过一截吃剩的面包后，冲到门边。“你不介意让我先走吧？”他声音里透着着急：“我回来时会带一条新的土司回来。我今天有很紧急的事得处理，不过我傍晚就会回来。如果船长要风的咒语，那就放在工作台的边边上，上面标明得很清楚。”
他将门把转到绿色朝下，对着有风的山丘跳下去，面包紧按在肚子上，城堡由他身边转开，门关上的刹那，他大叫道：“再见！”
“有够罗嗦！”苏菲嘟哝着：“卡西法，城堡里没人时，门怎么开呀？”
“我可以替你和麦可开门，豪尔则自己会开。”卡西法回答。
这样当她外出时，就不怕其他人会被门锁在门外了。她其实不太确定自己还会不会回来，但是她并不打算告诉卡西法。算算麦可已差不多到达他打算要去的地方了，她再度往门口走去，这次是卡西法阻止了她。
“如果你要很久才回来，”它说：“你最好放一些木头在我够得到的地方。”
“你可以拿起木头？”苏菲虽然不耐，却被引起了好奇心。
卡西法伸出一只手臂壮的蓝色火焰，尾端有五条绿色、手指模样的火。手臂不长，看来也不强壮。“看吧，我几乎可以够到壁炉前的地面哩！”它骄傲地说。
苏菲在炉架前方堆了一堆燃木，让卡西法至少能够到最上面的木头。“一定要放到炉架上才开始烧哦！”她往门口边走边叮咛着。
但是这回她还没走到门口，却听到有人在外头敲门。
真是注定要诸事不顺的一天！苏菲想着，一定是船长来了。她伸手将门把转到蓝色向下。
“不，是城堡的大门，”卡西法说：“但是我不确定……”
那就是麦可为了什么理由跑回来？她边想边伸手开门。
一张萝卜脸在门口对她睨视，她可以闻到一股霉味。背对着广大的蓝空，一根连在木杆上的破旧褴褛的手臂兜转过来，对她挥呀挥的。那是一个稻草人！它不过是木杆和破布制成的，却有生命，而且想要进来。
“卡西法！”苏菲尖叫起来：“让城堡动快一点！”
门旁的石块发出嘎嘎声及摩擦声，绿褐色的湿地景色突然一下就飞逝过去。先是听到稻草人的手臂在门上敲打，接着是城堡飞离它时，稻草人的手臂划过城墙的声音。它旋过另一只手，试着抓住石壁，一副想尽办法进来的样子。
苏菲把门关得死紧，她想着，这真是证明了当老人妄想要出来闯天下，是多么愚蠢！那是她来城堡的途中插在树篱间的稻草人。她跟它开玩笑，结果仿佛那些玩笑话真的让它活了过来似的，它竟然一路跟过来，还试着要抓她的脸。她冲到窗口，看它是不是还在那里想办法要进来。
但是她唯一能见到的，是避难港普照的阳光。越过对面屋顶，可以看到许多船帆正在被升上桅杆，成群的海鸥在蓝天中巡弋飞翔。
“一下子跑这么多地方就是这么错乱！”苏菲跟工作台上的骷髅说。
就在那一刹那，她突然发现变老的最大坏处是什么。她的先是剧烈地跳了一下，接着不规则地跳了几下，然后就好象要一路冲出她的胸膛似的。好痛！她全身发抖，膝盖抖个不停。她真觉得自己快死了，她唯一能做的，是挣扎着到炉边的椅子上坐下。她坐着喘气，双手抓住胸口。
“有什么不对吗？”卡西法问她。
“是的，我的心脏。还有，门口有个稻草人。”边说边喘气。
“稻草人跟你的心脏有什么关系？”卡西法问道。
“它想进来。它真是把我吓坏了，我的心脏就……算了，你不会懂的，你这个傻呼呼的、年轻的小火魔！”她继续喘着气。“你又没有心脏。”
“我有的！”卡西法说。语气跟它上次秀出它的手臂时一样骄傲。“就在木头底下发亮的地方。还有，别说我年轻，我可是比你老上几百万岁！我可以把城堡的速度降下来了吗？”
“如果稻草人走掉了才可以。”苏菲问道。：“它走了没？”
“不知道耶，”卡西法回答：“它不是血肉之躯。我无法真正看到外头。”
苏菲站起来，勉强拖着脚步走到门边，觉得身体很不舒服。她慢慢地、小心翼翼地开门。绿色的陡坡、岩石以及紫色的缓坡快速地由眼前略过，这另她头昏。但是她紧抓住门框，探首外望，尤其是朝向飞离的湿地方向。稻草人在他们深厚约五十码处，单脚跳着，跳过树丛，以一种非比寻常的勇猛追赶着，两只鼓动着的手臂，张成一个特定的角度，以便在山坡上保持平衡。苏菲目送着它越离越远。它虽然速度很慢，但仍然固执地跟着。苏菲将门关上。
“它还在，”苏菲说：“跳着在后面追赶我们。再快一点。”
“但是那会把我所有的计算搞乱，”卡西法跟她解释：“我原先计划绕着群山飞一圈后，回到麦可离开的地方，好赶上傍晚接他回家。”
“那就把速度加快一倍，绕两次好了。重点是要能把那可怕的家伙甩开。”苏菲说。
“你实在是小题大做！”但是抱怨归抱怨，卡西法还是加快了城堡的速度。这是第一次，苏菲真正感受到整个城堡在震动。她缩在椅子上头，想说自己会不会就这样死去？她还不想死！至少在跟玛莎谈过之前不想。
飞着飞着，城堡里所有的东西都随着高速晃动。瓶子叮当作响，骷髅头也在工作台上嘎嘎响。苏菲可以听到浴室里的东西有架上扑通扑通地掉到浴缸里，豪尔那件银蓝色的外衣还在浴缸里泡着呢！慢慢地，她感觉好一些了，再度拖着脚步来到门边往外探看，头发被风吹得飘扬起来。土地在下头快速流过，山丘仿佛在慢速旋转，震耳的隆隆声响几乎要令她耳聋，烟则大量地向后喷出。但是，稻草人已经成为远处缓坡上的一个小点，过一会她再看时，它已经完全消失了。
“好极了！那我要停下来休息了。”卡西法说：“有够累的！”
隆隆声渐渐消失，东西也不再震动。卡西法开始睡觉，像一般的火一样，沉到木头里去，木头的颜色成为带着白色灰烬的玫瑰色，只有最下头还剩一丁点蓝与绿。
苏菲的精神都回来了。她到浴室里去，从浴缸黏答答的水里捞起六个小包和一个瓶子。小包都浸湿了。经过昨天的事件后，她不敢对它们不加处理。她将它们在地上摆开，小心地洒上一个标有‘干燥粉’的粉剂，它们几乎马上就干了，真是另人兴奋！她泄掉浴缸里的水，将粉试倒在豪尔的衣服上。咦，也干了！虽然上头还有绿色的捂渍，而且也缩水缩得厉害，苏菲还是很高兴她终于做对了一件事。
因为心情不错，她开始忙着给自己弄晚餐。她把工作台上的东西全收起来，把台子边端的骷髅摆好，然后开始切洋葱。“知道你的眼睛不会掉泪，”她跟骷髅说：“你应该觉得庆幸。”
门突然开了。
苏菲吓得差点切到自己的手指，她还以为稻草人又来了，但是进来的是麦可。他喜洋洋地冲近来，将一条土司、一个派饼，和一个有粉红色和白色条纹的盒子丢到洋葱上，然后抓住苏菲的细腰满屋子乱转，跳起舞来。
“没事了！没事了！”他高兴地大叫。
苏菲跳着，步伐蹒跚，努力要避开麦可的靴子。“慢慢来，慢慢来，”她喘着气，被转得头昏眼花，同时还得把刀子拿好，免得割到人。“什么事没事了？”
“乐蒂爱的是我！”麦可大叫，差点带着她跳进浴室，又差点跳进壁炉。“她从未见过豪尔！事情完全是误会一场！”他带着她在屋子中间转圈圈。
“你可不可以在这把刀子割伤人之前将我放开？”苏菲叫道：“然后稍微给我解释一下。”
“没问题！”他将苏菲转到椅子处，将她放开，苏菲坐着直喘气。“昨晚我恨不得你把他的头发染成蓝色。”他说：“现在则无所谓了。当豪尔提到‘乐蒂.海特’时，我甚至考虑要自己动手把他染成蓝色。看他说话的态度就知道了，我知道一旦他赢得她的芳心，他就会像对待所有其他女孩一样，将她甩了。我一想到那对象是我的乐蒂就……总之，你也记得豪尔说她有另一个追求者，我以为那是指我，所以我今天赶去马克奇平。结果没事！豪尔追的一定是另一个同名同性的女孩，因为乐蒂从未见过豪尔。”
苏菲听得头昏昏的。“有件事我还没搞清楚。我们现在谈的是在希赛利糕饼店工作的乐蒂，对不对？”
“当然！”麦可快乐地说：“她一开始在那儿工作，我就爱上她了。当她跟我说她爱我时，我几乎不敢相信。她的追求者怕有几百个！如果豪尔也是其中之一的话，我一点也不会觉得惊讶。我现在终于放心了！我帮你由希赛利带一块蛋糕回来庆祝。我把它放哪儿去了？啊，在这里。”
他把那个粉红色及白色的盒子塞给苏菲，碎洋葱由盒子上掉到苏菲的裙子上。
“孩子，你多大？”苏菲问他。
“五月节刚满十五岁。”麦可回答道：“卡西法从城堡发射了烟火。对不对，卡西法？噢，它睡着了。你大概会觉得我还小，不该就这样定下来——我还得做三年学徒，乐蒂则更久。可是我们都跟对方承诺了，我们不介意等待。”
这么说，麦可的年龄和玛莎还挺配的，苏菲想着。而这镇子相处下来，她也知道他是一个人很好、很稳重，将来会有巫师生涯的少年。玛莎真是运气不错！她回想起那个令人迷惘的五月节，原来麦可就在那一群挤在玛莎柜台前吼叫的人群里，但是当时豪尔也在方形市场现身……
“你确定乐蒂跟你说的是实话？”她着急地问。
“错不了的，”麦可说：“她说谎的话，我看得出，她会停止绕她的拇指。”
“没错，她就是这样。”苏菲咯咯地笑。
“你怎会知道？”麦可非常惊讶。
“因为她是我的妹……妹妹的孙女儿。”苏菲说：“她小时候并不是很诚实。不过她还小……呃、恩……如果她长大后变了个样呢？她、呃……搞不好过个一年，长相就会变化……”
“我也是啊！”麦可说：“我们这个年龄的人一天到晚都在变。我们才不担心这个。不管怎么变她还是乐蒂。”
就某种意义而言，苏菲想着。“但是，”她着急地往下问：“也有可能她说的虽然是实话，但豪尔给她的确是假名？”
“别担心！我都想过了。”麦可说：“我跟她描述豪尔的长相——你得承认他很好认。但是乐蒂真的从未见过他和他把那烂吉他。所以我也无需告诉她，他对吉他其实根本是一窍不通。她从未见过他！她跟我说的时候，拇指绕个不停。”
“谢天谢地！”苏菲叹了一口气，僵硬地躺回椅子上，这样就不用为玛莎担心了。但是事情还没完哩！因为苏菲很确定另一个乐蒂.海特一定是指真正的乐蒂。如果镇上有人跟乐蒂同名同性的话，早有人会到帽子店里来八卦了。听起来很像是个倔强的乐蒂不对豪尔屈服。但苏菲担心的是，乐蒂居然跟豪尔说她的真名。她或许不确定自己是不是爱他，但她一定是喜欢他到某个程度，并且也信任他，才会把这么重要的秘密告诉他。
“别这样一脸担心的好不好！”麦可笑起来，倚着椅背说：“看看我给你带了什么样的蛋糕。”
苏菲开始动手打开盒子，她心里突然想到，麦可刚开始时简直视她为洪水猛兽，现在却真正地接纳她了。她既高兴又感激，心里决定要把关于玛莎、乐蒂以及自己的事都老老实实告诉他，让他知道他将来要结婚的对象的家庭是什么样子，这样对他才公平。盒子打开了，里面是希赛利最豪华的蛋糕，上面覆盖着奶油、樱桃和小小的巧克力卷。“噢！”苏菲惊叹道。
就在这时，门柄响了一下，转到红色向下，接着豪尔走了进来：“好棒的蛋糕！是我最喜欢的！”他吼道：“哪儿买的？”
“呃，我去希赛利买的。”麦可有些不好意思地说，苏菲抬起头来看着豪尔。每次当她下决心要说出她被人下了咒语时，总会被一些事情干扰或打断。现在可好了，连巫师都来搅局！
“走这一趟看来很值得啊！”豪尔边说边看着蛋糕。“我听说希赛利的蛋糕比金斯别利城所有的糕饼店都来得好吃。我从不曾光顾那家点，看来是个错误。工作台上那个是派饼吗？”他走过去看。“把派饼放在一堆生洋葱之间？骷髅好象也受不了那股味了。”他拿起骷髅头，敲掉粘在眼窝上的一环洋葱，对骷髅说：“苏菲又在找事忙了。朋友，你就不能帮着劝阻她一下吗？”
骷髅双排牙齿互碰，喀喀作响。豪尔吓了一跳，很快将它放下。
“有什么不对劲吗？”麦可似乎对他的表情知之甚详。
“有的，”豪尔说：“我得找个人去国王面前抹黑我。”
“马车咒语出了什么差错吗？”麦可问。
“不，那咒语的结果很完美。但麻烦也就出在这里，”豪尔边说边不停地旋转食指上的洋葱圈。“现在国王想逼我去做别的事。卡西法，我们不小心点的话，他就要任命我做皇家魔法师了。”卡西法没法回答。豪尔踱到炉边，发现卡西法在睡觉。“麦可，把它叫起来，我得跟它商量商量。”
麦可丢了两根木头下去，并呼唤它。但是除了一缕细细的烟之外，什么都没发生。
“卡西法！”豪尔大叫，但还是没用。豪尔对麦可投过不可思议的眼神，然后做了一件苏菲从没见过他做过的事——他弯身拿起火钳。“卡西法，对不起了！”边说边将火钳伸到未燃的木头下戳弄。“起来！”
一阵黑色的浓烟窜起，随即停住。“走开！”卡西法呻吟道：“我很累！”
豪尔听了，脸色一下变的十分凝重。“它怎么了？我从没见过它这样。”
“我想是因为稻草人的缘故。”苏菲说。
跪在地上的豪尔以膝盖为轴，呼地一下转过身来，玻璃珠似的眼睛直直望进她的双眼。
“你又干了什么好事了？”苏菲在解释时，他的目光仍然丝毫没有放松。“稻草人？卡西法会因为一个稻草人而同意加快城堡的速度？亲爱的苏菲，你最好告诉我你是如何威胁火魔，让它居然肯乖乖听你摆布？我真的很想知道！”
“我没有威胁它。”苏菲说：“我被那稻草人吓坏了，卡西法可怜我才这么做。”
“被稻草人吓坏了，所以卡西法可怜你……”豪尔重复着：“好苏菲，卡西法从不同情人的。总之，希望你会喜欢拿洋葱和冷饼派当晚餐，因为你差点把卡西法弄熄了！”
“还有蛋糕。”麦可说，试着当和事老。
食物似乎令豪尔的气消了一些，但是整个用餐期间，他不时焦虑地看着壁炉里未燃的木头。派饼冷着吃也挺可口，洋葱经苏菲在醋里浸泡后也变得相当好吃，蛋糕则好吃得要命。吃蛋糕时，麦可鼓起勇气问豪尔，国王到底要什么。
“还没什么最后的决定，”豪尔忧心忡忡地说：“不过他曾就他弟弟的事征询我的意见。此事大大不妙！显然贾斯丁王子负气离家之前他们曾大吵一架，所以人们有些闲言闲语。国王显然希望我能主动提出去寻找他弟弟。而我这个笨蛋到了王宫，偏又说什么我不认为苏利曼巫师已经死了，结果事情只有更糟。”
“你为什么想从搜寻王子的工作开溜？”苏菲逼问他：“难道你认为自己会找不到他？”
“你不只会欺负人，还很无礼！”豪尔说。他还没原谅她对卡西法所做的事。“如果你一定要知道的话，我不想去是因为我知道我可以找到他。贾斯丁和苏利曼是好朋友，贾斯丁所以和国王吵架，是因为他告诉国王他要去找苏利曼，他认为国王一开始就不该让苏利曼去荒地。好，我想就连你也一定知道，荒地有个很坏的女士。去年她发誓要将我活活油炸，还送了一个咒语来追杀我。我之所以能够逃掉，是因为我够谨慎，给她的是假名。”
苏菲简直不敢相信。“你是说，你甩了荒地女巫？”
豪尔又切了一块蛋糕，表情悲伤中带着真诚。“话不该这么说。我承认有一阵子我以为自己是喜欢她的。就某方面而言，她是一个很悲伤的女人，没人爱她。印格利国的每个男人都怕她怕得要死。亲爱的苏菲，你应该知道那是什么样的感觉。”
苏菲觉得受了天大的侮辱，张大最准备抗议。麦可很快接口：“你认为我们应该把城堡迁走吗？你当初就是因为这样才造出这座承包的吗？”
“那要看卡西法了。”豪尔的视线越过麦可的肩膀，再次看着几乎连烟都冒不起来的木头。“如果国王和女巫两人都要找我的话，我真的想把城堡搬到千里之外，停在一大块美丽的岩石上面。”
麦可显然很后悔问了这个问题。苏菲可以推测到他正在想的是，千里之外？那样就要离玛莎好远好远了。“你真搬了的话，你的乐蒂.海特怎么办？”她问豪尔。
“我想，那件事在那之前应该就会结束了。”豪尔心不在焉地回答：“如果我能想出一个让国王主动放手的方法……有了！”他举起手上的叉子，上面还插着一大块正在溶化的奶油和蛋糕，将叉子指向苏菲。“你，你去国王那里抹黑我。你可以假装是我妈妈，为你蓝眼珠的儿子求情。”他抛给苏菲一个微笑。无疑地，荒地女巫，可能连乐蒂都是被这个微笑所迷惑。那微笑随着伸出的叉子，越过奶油和蛋糕，直直进入苏菲的眼睛，令人眼花缭乱。
“如果你能威吓住卡西法的话，国王根本就没啥好怕的。”
苏菲直瞪回去，一言不发。够了，她想，到此为止，姑娘要走人了！虽然对卡西法的契约感到抱歉，但是她在也受不了豪尔这个人了！先是绿色黏液，然后又为了卡西法处于自愿帮她一事，对她怒目相向，现在又加上这么一桩！明天她就要离开，去上福丁把事情一五一十地说给乐蒂知道。
收听单词发音 |
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drizzle
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| v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨 | |
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scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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deafened
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| 使聋( deafen的过去式和过去分词 )； 使隔音 | |
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cinder
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| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
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rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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intrigued
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| adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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turnip
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| n.萝卜，芜菁 | |
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mildew
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| n.发霉；v.（使）发霉 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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streaking
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| n.裸奔（指在公共场所裸体飞跑）v.快速移动( streak的现在分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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cylinders
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| n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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apprenticeship
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| n.学徒身份；学徒期 | |
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chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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truthful
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| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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luscious
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| adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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buddies
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| n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人 | |
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awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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