“Not really,” said Sophie. “And youmustn’t worry, because Wizard Howl took me in—”

“Wizard Howl!” exclaimed Fanny. “That wicked,wicked man! Has he done this to you? Where is he? Let me athim!”

She seized her parasol and became so very warlike that Sophie hadto hold her down. Sophie did not care to think how Howl might reactif Fanny woke him by stabbing him with her parasol. “No,no!” she said. “Howl has been very kind to me.” Andthis was true, Sophie realized. Howl showed his kindness ratherstrangely, but, considering all Sophie had done to annoy him, he hadbeen very good to her indeed.

“But they say he eats women alive!” Fanny said, stillstruggling to get up.

Sophie held down her waving parasol. “He doesn’treally,” she said. “Do listen. He’s not wicked atall!” There was a bit of a fizz from the grate at this, whereCalcifer was watching with some interest. “Heisn’t!” Sophie said, to Calcifer as much as to Fanny.“In all the time I’ve been here, I’ve not seen himwork a single evil spell!” Which again was true, she knew.

“Then I have to believe you,” Fanny said, relaxing,“though I’m sure it must be your doing if he’sreformed. You always did have a way with you, Sophie. You could stopMartha’s tantrums when I couldn’t do a thing with her.And I always said it was thanks to you that Lettie only got her wayhalf of the time instead of all the time! But youshould have told me where you were, love!”

Sophie knew she should have. She had taken Martha’s view ofFanny, whole and entire, when she should have known Fanny better. Shewas ashamed.

Fanny could not wait to tell Sophie about Mr. Sacheverell Smith.She launched into a long and excited account of how she had met Mr.Smith the very week Sophie had left, and married him before the weekwas out. Sophie watched her as she talked. Being old gave her anentirely new view of Fanny. She was a lady who was still young andpretty, and she had found the hat shop as boring as Sophie did. Butshe had stuck with it and done her best, both with the shop and thethree girls—until Mr. Hatter died. Then she had suddenly been afraidshe was just like Sophie: old, with no reason, and nothing to showfor it.

“And then, with you not being there to pass it on to, thereseemed no reason not to sell the shop,” Fanny was saying, whenthere was a clatter of feet in the broom cupboard.

Michael came through, saying, “We’ve shut the shop.And look who’s here!” He was holding Martha’shand.

Martha was thinner and fairer and almost looked like herselfagain. She let go of Michael and rushed at Sophie, shouting,“Sophie, you should have told me!” while she flung herarms round her. Then she flung her arms round Fanny, just as if shehad never said all those things about her.

But this was not all. Lettie and Mrs. Fairfax came through thecupboard after Martha, carrying a hamper between them, and after themcame Percival, who looked livelier than Sophie had ever seen him.“We came over by carrier at first light,” Mrs. Fairfaxsaid, “and we brought—Bless me! It’s Fanny!” shedropped her end of the hamper and ran to hug Fanny. Lettie droppedher end and ran to hug Sophie.

In fact, there was such general hugging and exclaiming andshouting that Sophie thought it was a marvel Howl did not wake up.But she could hear him snoring even through the shouting. I shallhave to leave this evening, she thought. She was too glad to seeeveryone to consider leaving before that.

Lettie was very fond of Percival. While Michael carried the hamperto the bench and unpacked cold chickens and wines and honey puddingsfrom it, Lettie hung on to Percival’s arm in an ownerlike waythat Sophie could not quite approve of, and made him tell her all heremembered. Percival did not seem to mind. Lettie looked so lovelythat Sophie did not blame him.

“He just arrived and kept turning into a man and then intodifferent dogs and insisting that he knew me,” Lettie said toSophie. “I knew I’d never seen him before, but itdidn’t matter.” She patted Percival’s shoulder asif he were still a dog.

“But you had met Prince Justin?” Sophie said.

“Oh, yes,” Lettie said offhandedly. “Mind you,he was in disguise in a green uniform, but it was obviously him. Hewas so smooth and courtly, even when he was annoyed about the findingspells. I had to make him up two lots because they would keep showingthat Wizard Suliman was somewhere between us and Market Chipping, andhe swore that couldn’t be true. And all the time I was doingthem, he kept interrupting me, calling me ‘sweet lady’ ina sarcastic sort of way, and asking me who I was and where my familylived and how old I was. I thought it was cheek! I’d ratherhave Wizard Howl, and that’s saying something!”

By this time everyone was milling about, eating chicken andsipping wine. Calcifer seemed to be shy. He had gone down to greenflickers and nobody seemed to notice him. Sophie wanted him to meetLettie. She tried to coax him out.

“Is that really the demon who has charge of Howl’slife?” Lettie said, looking down at the green flickers ratherdisbelievingly.

Sophie looked up to assure Lettie that Calcifer was real and sawMiss Angorian standing by the door, looking shy and uncertain.“Oh, do excuse me. I’ve come at a bad time, haven’tI?” Miss Angorian said. “I just wanted to talk toHowell.”

Sophie stood up, not quite sure what to do. She was ashamed of theway she had driven Miss Angorian out before. It was only because sheknew Howl was courting Miss Angorian. On the other hand, that did notmean she had to like her.

Michael took things out of Sophie’s hands by greeting MissAngorian with a beaming smile and a shout of welcome.“Howl’s asleep at the moment,” he said. “Comeand have a glass of wine while you wait.”

“How kind,” said Miss Angorian.

But it was plain that Miss Angorian was not happy. She refusedwine and wandered nervously about, nibbling at a leg of chicken. Theroom was full of people who all knew one another very well and shewas the outsider. Fanny did not help by turning from nonstop talkwith Mrs. Fairfax and saying, “What peculiar clothes!”Martha did not help either. She had seen how admiringly Michael hadgreeted Miss Angorian. She went and made sure that Michael did nottalk to anyone but herself and Sophie. And Lettie ignored MissAngorian and went to sit on the stairs with Percival.

Miss Angorian seemed rather quickly to decide that she had hadenough. Sophie saw her at the door, trying to open it. She hurriedover, feeling very guilty. After all, Miss Angorian must have feltstrongly about Howl to have come here at all. “Pleasedon’t go yet,” Sophie said. “I’ll go and wakeHowl up.”

“Oh, no, you mustn’t do that,” Miss Angoriansaid, smiling nervously. “I’ve got a day off, andI’m quite happy to wait. I thought I’d go and exploreoutside. It’s rather stuffy in here with that funny green fireburning.”

This seemed to Sophie the perfect way to get rid of Miss Angorianwithout really getting rid of her. She politely opened the door forher. Somehow—maybe it had to do with the defenses Howl had askedMichael to keep up—the knob had got turned round to purple-down.Outside was a misty blaze of sun and the drifting banks of red andpurple flowers.

“What gorgeous rhododendrons!” Miss Angorian exclaimedin her huskiest and most throbbing voice. “I mustlook!” She sprang eagerly down into the marshy grass.

“Don’t go toward the southeast,” Sophie calledafter her.

The castle was drifting off sideways. Miss Angorian buried herbeautiful face in a cluster of white flowers. “I won’t gofar at all,” she said.

“Good gracious!” Fanny said, coming up behind Sophie.“Whatever has happened to my carriage?”

Sophie explained, as far as she could. But Fanny was so worriedthat Sophie had to turn the door orange-down and open it to show themansion drive in a much grayer day, where the footman andFanny’s coachman were sitting on the roof of the carriageeating cold sausage and playing cards. Only then would Fanny believethat her carriage had not been mysteriously spirited away. Sophie wastrying to explain, without really knowing herself, how one door couldopen on several different places, when Calcifer surged up from hislogs, roaring.