Midsummer Day dawned. About the same moment that itdid, Howl crashed in through the door with such noise that Sophieshot up in her cubbyhole, convinced that the Witch was hot on hisheels.

“They think so much about me that they always play withoutme!” Howl bellowed. Sophie realized that he was only trying tosing Calcifer’s saucepan song and lay down again, whereuponHowl fell over the chair and caught his foot in the stool so that itshot across the room. After that, he tried to go upstairs through thebroom cupboard, and then the yard. This seemed to puzzle him alittle. But finally he discovered the stairs, all except the bottomone, and fell up them on his face. The whole castle shook.

“What’s the matter?” Sophie asked, sticking herhead through the banister.

“Rugby Club Reunion,” Howl replied with thick dignity.“Didn’t know I used to fly up the wing for my university,did you, Mrs. Nose?”

“If you were trying to fly, you must have forgottenhow,” Sophie said.

“I was born to strange sights,” said Howl,“things invisible to see, and I was just on my way to bed whenyou interrupted me. I know where all the past years are, and whocleft the Devil’s foot.”

“Go to bed, you fool,” Calcifer said sleepily.“You’re drunk.”

“Who, me?” said Howl. “I assure you, my friends,that I am cone sold stober.” He got up and stalked upstairs,feeling for the wall as if he thought it might escape him unless hekept in touch with it. His bedroom door did escape him. “What alie that was!” Howl remarked as he walked into the wall.“My shining dishonesty will be the salvation of me.” Hewalked into the wall several times more, in several different places,before he discovered his bedroom door and crashed his way through it.Sophie could hear him falling about, saying that his bed wasdodging.

“He is quite impossible!” Sophie said, and she decidedto leave at once.

Unfortunately, the noise Howl made woke Michael up, and Percival,who was sleeping on the floor in Michael’s room. Michael camedownstairs, saying that they were so thoroughly awake that they mightas well go out and gather the flowers for the Midsummer garlandswhile the day was still cool. Sophie was not sorry to go out into theplace of flowers for one last time. There was a warm, milky haze outthere, filled with the scent and half-hidden colors. Sophie thumpedalong, testing the squashy ground with her stick and listening to thewhirrings and twitters of the thousands of birds, feeling trulyregretful. She stroked a moist satin lily and fingered one of theragged purple flowers with long, powdery stamens. She looked back atthe tall black castle breathing the mist behind them. She sighed.

“He made it much better,” Percival remarked as he putan armful of hibiscus into Michael’s floating bath.

“Who did?” said Michael.

“Howl,” said Percival. “There were only bushesat first, and they were quite small and dry.”

“You remember being here before?” Michael askedexcitedly. He had by no means given up his idea that Percival mightbe Prince Justin.

“I think I was here with the Witch,” Percival saiddoubtfully.

They fetched two bathloads of flowers. Sophie noticed that whenthey came in the second time, Michael spun the knob over the doorseveral times. That must have something to do with keeping the Witchout. Then of course there were the Midsummer garlands to make. Thattook a long time. Sophie had meant to leave Michael and Percival to dothat, but Michael was too busy asking Percival cunning questions andPercival was very slow at the work. Sophie knew what made Michaelexcited. There was a sort of air about Percival, as if heexpected something to happen soon. It made Sophie wonder just howmuch in the power of the Witch he still was. She had to make most ofthe garlands. Any thoughts she might have had about staying andhelping Howl against the Witch vanished. Howl, who could have madeall the garlands just by waving his hand, was now snoring so loudlyshe could hear him right through the shop.

They were so long making the garlands that it was time to open theshop before they had finished. Michael fetched them bread and honey,and they ate while they dealt with the tremendous first rush ofcustomers. Although Midsummer Day, in the way of holidays, had turnedout to be a gray and chilly day in Market Chipping, half the towncame, dressed in fine holiday clothes, to buy flowers and garlandsfor the festival. There was the usual jostling crowd out in thestreet. So many people came into the shop that it was getting onmidday before Sophie finally stole away up the stairs and through thebroom cupboard. They had taken so much money, Sophie thought as shestole about, packing up some food and her old clothes in a bundle,that Michael’s hoard under the hearthstone would be ten timesthe size.

“Have you come to talk to me?” asked Calcifer.

“In a moment,” Sophie said, crossing room with herbundle behind her back. She did not want Calcifer raising an outcryabout that contract.

She stretched out her hand to unhook her stick from the chair, andsomebody knocked at the door. Sophie stuck, with her hand stretchedout, looked inquiringly at Calcifer.

“It’s the mansion door,” said Calcifer.“Flesh and blood and harmless.”

The knocking came again. This always happens when I try to leave!Sophie thought. She turned the knob orange-down and opened thedoor.

There was a carriage in the drive beyond the statues, pulled by agoodish pair of horses. Sophie could see it round the edges of thevery large footman who had been doing the knocking.

“Mrs. Sacheverell Smith to call upon the newoccupants,” said the footman.

How very awkward! Sophie thought. It was the result ofHowl’s new paint and curtains. “We’re not ath—” she began. But Mrs. Sacheverell Smith swept the footmanaside and came in.

“Wait with the carriage, Theobald,” she said to thefootman as she sailed past Sophie, folding her parasol.

It was Fanny—Fanny looking wonderfully prosperous in cream silk.She was wearing the cream silk hat trimmed with roses, which Sophieremembered only too well. She remembered what she had said to thathat as she trimmed it: “You are going to have to marrymoney.” And it was quite clear from the look of her that Fannyhad.

“Oh, dear!” said Fanny, looking round. “Theremust be some mistake. This is the servants quarters!”

“Well—er—we’re not quite moved in yet, Madam,”Sophie said, and wondered how Fanny would feel if she knew that theold hat shop was only just beyond the broom cupboard.

Fanny turned round and gaped at Sophie. “Sophie!” she exclaimed. “Oh, good gracious,child, what’s happened to you? You look about ninety! Have youbeen very ill?” And, to Sophie’s surprise, Fanny threwaside her hat and her parasol and all of her grand manner and flungher arms round Sophie and wept. “Oh, I didn’t now what had happened to you!” she sobbed. “I went toMartha and I sent to Lettie, and neither of them knew. They changedplaces, silly girls, did you know? But nobody knew a thing about you!I’ve reward out still. And here you are, working as a servant,when you could be living in luxury up the hill with me and Mr.Smith!”

Sophie found she was crying as well. She hurriedly dropped herbundle and led Fanny to the chair. She pulled the stool up and satbeside Fanny, holding her hand. By this time they were both laughingas well as crying. They were most powerfully glad to see one anotheragain.

“It’s a long story,” Sophie said after Fanny hadasked her six times what happened to her. “When I looked in themirror and saw myself like this, it was such a shock that I sort ofwandered away—”

“Overwork,” Fanny said wretchedly. “HowI’ve blamed myself!”