This reassuring thought would have been enough to keep Sophiewalking all night, had not a sudden familiar uneasiness swept overher. Her ears had caught a distant tock, tock, tock. She lookedsharply under the low sun. And there, on the road which wound awaybehind the stone gate, was a distant figure with outstretched arms,hopping, hopping.

Sophie picked up her skirts, whirled around, and sped back the wayshe had come. Dust and gravel flew up round her in clouds. Percivalwas standing forlornly in the drive beside the bucket and thewatering can. Sophie seized him and dragged him behind the nearesttree.

“Is something wrong?” he said.

“Quiet! It’s that dratted scarecrow again,”Sophie gasped. She shut her eyes. “We’re not here,”she said. “You can’t find us. Go away. Go away fast,fast, fast!”

“But why?—” said Percival.

“Shut up! Not here, not here, not here!” Sophie saiddesperately. She opened one eye. The scarecrow, almost between thegateposts, was standing still, swaying uncertainly.“That’s right,” said Sophie. “We’re nothere. Go away fast. Twice as fast, three times as fast, ten times asfast. Go away!”

And the scarecrow hesitantly swayed round on its stick and beganto hop back up the road. After the first few hops it was going ingiant leaps, faster and faster, just as Sophie had told it to. Sophiehardly breathed, and did not let go of Percival’s sleeve untilthe scarecrow was out of sight.

“What’s wrong with it?” said Percival.“Why didn’t you want it?”

Sophie shuddered. Since the scarecrow was out on the road, she didnot dare leave now. She picked up the watering can and stumped backto the mansion. A fluttering caught her eye as she went. She lookedup at the building. The flutter was from long white curtains blowingfrom an open French window beyond the statues of the terrace. Thestatues were now clean white stone, and she could see curtains atmost of the windows, and glass too. The shutters were now foldedproperly beside them, newly painted white. Not a green stain nor ablister marked the new creamy plaster of the house front. The frontdoor was a masterpiece of black paint and gold scrollwork, centeringon a gilded lion with a ring in its mouth for a doorknocker.

“Huh!” said Sophie.

She resisted the temptation to go in through the open window andexplore. That was what Howl wanted her to do. She marched straight tothe front door, seized the golden doorknob, and threw the door openwith a crash. Howl and Michael were at the bench hastily dismantlinga spell. Part of it must have been to change the mansion, but therest, as Sophie well knew, had to be a listening-in spell of somekind. As Sophie stormed in, both their faces shot nervously roundtoward her. Calcifer instantly plunged down under his logs.

“Keep behind me, Michael,” said Howl.

“Eavesdropper!” Sophie shouted.“Snooper!”

“What’s wrong?” Howl said. “Do you wantthe shutters black and gold too?”

“You barefaced—” Sophie stuttered. “Thatwasn’t the only thing you heard! You—you—How long have youknown I was—I am—?”

“Under a spell?” said Howl. “Well,now—”

“I told him,” Michael said, looking nervously roundHowl. “My Lettie—”

“You!” Sophie shrieked.

“The other Lettie let the cat out of the bag too,”Howl said quickly. “You know she did. And Mrs. Fairfax talked agreat deal that day. There was a time when everyone seemed to betelling me. Even Calcifer did—when I asked him. But did you honestlythink I don’t know my own business well enough not to spot astrong spell like that when I see it? I had several goes at taking itoff you when you weren’t looking. But nothing seems to work. Itook you to Mrs. Pentstemmon, hoping she could do something, but sheevidently couldn’t. I came to the conclusion that you likedbeing in disguise.”

“Disguise!”Sophie yelled.

Howl laughed at her. “It must be, since you’re doingit yourself,” he said. “What a strange family you are! Isyour name really Lettie too?”

This was too much for Sophie. Percival edged nervously in justthen, carrying the half-full bucket of weed-killer. Sophie droppedher can, seized the bucket from him, and threw it at Howl. Howlducked. Michael dodged the bucket. The weed-killer went up in a sheetof sizzling green flame from floor to ceiling. The bucket clangedinto the sink, where all the remaining flowers died instantly.

“Ow!” said Calcifer from under his logs. “Thatwas strong.”

Howl carefully picked the skull out from under the smoking brownremains of the flowers and dried it on one of his sleeves. “Ofcourse it was strong,” he said. “Sophie never does thingsby halves.” The skull, as Howl wiped it, became bright newwhite, and the sleeve he was using developed a faded blue-and-silverpatch. Howl set the skull on the bench and looked at his sleeveruefully.

Sophie had half a mind to stump straight out of the castle again,and away down the drive. But there was that scarecrow. She settledfor stumping to the chair instead, where she sat and fell into a deepsulk. I’m not going to speak to any of them! she thought.

“Sophie,” Howl said, “I did my best.Haven’t you noticed that your aches and pains have been betterlately? Or do you enjoy having those too?” Sophie did notanswer. Howl gave her up and turned to Percival. “I’mglad to see you have some brain after all,” he said. “Youhad me worried.”

“I really don’t remember very much,” Percivalsaid. But he stopped behaving like a half-wit. He picked the guitarup and tuned it. He had it sounding much nicer in seconds.

“My sorrow revealed,” Howl said pathetically. “I wasborn an unmusical Welshman. Did you tell Sophie all of it? Or do youreally know what the Witch was trying to find out?”

“She wanted to know about Wales,” said Percival.

“I thought that was it,” Howl said soberly. “Ah,well.” He went away into the bathroom, where he was gone forthe next two hours. During that time Percival played a number oftunes on the guitar in a slow, thoughtful way, as if he was teachinghimself how to, while Michael crawled about the floor with a smokingrag, trying to get rid of the weed-killer. Sophie sat in the chairand said not a word. Calcifer kept bobbing up and peeping at her, andgoing down again under his logs.

Howl came out of the bathroom with his suit glossy black, his hairglossy white, in a cloud of steam smelling of gentians. “I maybe back quite late,” he said to Michael. “It’sgoing to be Midsummer Day after midnight, and the Witch may well trysomething. So keep all the defenses up, and remember all I told you,please.”

“All right,” Michael said, putting the steamingremains of the rag in the sink.

Howl turned to Percival. “I think I know what’shappened to you,” he said. “It’s going to be a fairjob sorting you out, but I’ll have a go tomorrow after I getback.” Howl went to the door and stopped with this hand stillon the knob. “Sophie, are you still not talking to me?”he asked miserably.

Sophie knew Howl could sound unhappy in heaven if it suited him.And he had just used her to get information out of Percival.“No!” she snarled.

Howl sighed and went out. Sophie looked up and saw that the knobwas pointing black-down. That does it! she thought. I don’tcare if it is Midsummer Day tomorrow! I’m leaving.