Arabel and Mortimer Read Online Free Page A
Author: Joan Aiken
laid an egg," Arabel said.
Anyway, at this point Mr. Spicer, the steward who was in charge of the games room, came in, and when he discovered that Mortimer and Isabella between them had swallowed seventeen Ping-Pong balls, he said that was quite enough, and they had better go and play somewhere else or there would be none left for the other passengers.
They went and played with the fruit machines for a while, as Mortimer loved putting coins into slots. But nobody won anything, and presently they ran out of cash. Also, Mortimer was discovered posting a whole lot of potato crisps into a letter box labeled SUGGESTIONS.
"It's supposed to be for people who have good ideas for entertainment," said Henry.
"Now your father will think people want more potato crisps," said Arabel.
"Or not so many," said Henry. "Let's go out onto the promenade deck. We can get out through these sliding doors."
"Oughtn't we to put on our raincoats?" said Arabel, who wasn't sure that Mortimer wanted to go outside.
Isabella definitely didn't want to go; she flew off in the direction of Lady Dunnage's cabin.
"It's only fog," said Henry. "Fog doesn't wet you."
Out on the big triangular deck to the rear of the games room everything looked very misty and mysterious. When Arabel and Henry walked right to the back, they could see the ship's wake, creaming away into the fog like two rows of white knitting. Arabel held tight on to Mortimer's leg in case he should be tempted to try flying. The ship was going so fast that if he did she was afraid he might be left behind. But Mortimer displayed no wish to fly; on the contrary, he did not seem at all interested in the sea. He huddled against Arabel's ear and muttered, "Hek-hek-hek," which was his way of informing her that he wanted to put on his tie.
As it happened, Arabel had the tie in her cardigan pocket. She pulled it out and waved it up and down in the cold, damp, foggy air until it was cool enough to satisfy Mortimer. Then she carefully wrapped it round and round him and walked along the deck carrying him wrapped up like a caterpillar in a cocoon with his eyes shut.
"I'm afraid he's not enjoying the trip very much," she said.
"He'll like it better when the weather gets hotter," Henry said.
They had come to a big flat square in the middle of the deck with a handle on it.
"What's that?" said Arabel. "It looks like the cover of a cheese dish."
"It is a cover," Henry said. "The swimming pool's under there. When the weather gets hot, they lift off that cover with a hoist and we can swim. The water's heated."
"I hope it gets warmer soon," said Arabel. "It isn't very hot now."
A few people were sitting out in deck chairs, but they were all wrapped up in thick rugs, like Mortimer in his tie.
Mr. Spicer came out with a trayful of steaming cups and handed them round to the people in the chairs.
"What's that?" Arabel asked.
"Hot beef tea and cream crackers," said Henry.
Mortimer sniffed, opened one eye, and poked Arabel's ear to inform her that he wanted to try a cup of hot beef tea; however, when he had tasted a beakful of the stuff he decided that he did not like it and spat it out, making a very vulgar noise which caused all the ladies and gentlemen in the deck chairs to raise their eyebrows. He poked the cream cracker in among the folds of his tie.
Arabel and Henry walked on quickly, up some stairs, and along a narrower part of the deck toward the front end of the ship. Mortimer huddled down inside his tie and shut his eyes again.
"What are all those small boats hanging up there in a row?" Arabel asked.
"They're the lifeboats," Henry told her. "If the ship was wrecked, or someone fell overboard, they'd unhook the boats and slide them down those sloping things, which are called davits, into the sea."
"There don't seem to be very many boats; are there enough for all the passengers?" Arabel said.
"Each one holds thirty people and there are fifteen on each side."
"But how many people are
Anyway, at this point Mr. Spicer, the steward who was in charge of the games room, came in, and when he discovered that Mortimer and Isabella between them had swallowed seventeen Ping-Pong balls, he said that was quite enough, and they had better go and play somewhere else or there would be none left for the other passengers.
They went and played with the fruit machines for a while, as Mortimer loved putting coins into slots. But nobody won anything, and presently they ran out of cash. Also, Mortimer was discovered posting a whole lot of potato crisps into a letter box labeled SUGGESTIONS.
"It's supposed to be for people who have good ideas for entertainment," said Henry.
"Now your father will think people want more potato crisps," said Arabel.
"Or not so many," said Henry. "Let's go out onto the promenade deck. We can get out through these sliding doors."
"Oughtn't we to put on our raincoats?" said Arabel, who wasn't sure that Mortimer wanted to go outside.
Isabella definitely didn't want to go; she flew off in the direction of Lady Dunnage's cabin.
"It's only fog," said Henry. "Fog doesn't wet you."
Out on the big triangular deck to the rear of the games room everything looked very misty and mysterious. When Arabel and Henry walked right to the back, they could see the ship's wake, creaming away into the fog like two rows of white knitting. Arabel held tight on to Mortimer's leg in case he should be tempted to try flying. The ship was going so fast that if he did she was afraid he might be left behind. But Mortimer displayed no wish to fly; on the contrary, he did not seem at all interested in the sea. He huddled against Arabel's ear and muttered, "Hek-hek-hek," which was his way of informing her that he wanted to put on his tie.
As it happened, Arabel had the tie in her cardigan pocket. She pulled it out and waved it up and down in the cold, damp, foggy air until it was cool enough to satisfy Mortimer. Then she carefully wrapped it round and round him and walked along the deck carrying him wrapped up like a caterpillar in a cocoon with his eyes shut.
"I'm afraid he's not enjoying the trip very much," she said.
"He'll like it better when the weather gets hotter," Henry said.
They had come to a big flat square in the middle of the deck with a handle on it.
"What's that?" said Arabel. "It looks like the cover of a cheese dish."
"It is a cover," Henry said. "The swimming pool's under there. When the weather gets hot, they lift off that cover with a hoist and we can swim. The water's heated."
"I hope it gets warmer soon," said Arabel. "It isn't very hot now."
A few people were sitting out in deck chairs, but they were all wrapped up in thick rugs, like Mortimer in his tie.
Mr. Spicer came out with a trayful of steaming cups and handed them round to the people in the chairs.
"What's that?" Arabel asked.
"Hot beef tea and cream crackers," said Henry.
Mortimer sniffed, opened one eye, and poked Arabel's ear to inform her that he wanted to try a cup of hot beef tea; however, when he had tasted a beakful of the stuff he decided that he did not like it and spat it out, making a very vulgar noise which caused all the ladies and gentlemen in the deck chairs to raise their eyebrows. He poked the cream cracker in among the folds of his tie.
Arabel and Henry walked on quickly, up some stairs, and along a narrower part of the deck toward the front end of the ship. Mortimer huddled down inside his tie and shut his eyes again.
"What are all those small boats hanging up there in a row?" Arabel asked.
"They're the lifeboats," Henry told her. "If the ship was wrecked, or someone fell overboard, they'd unhook the boats and slide them down those sloping things, which are called davits, into the sea."
"There don't seem to be very many boats; are there enough for all the passengers?" Arabel said.
"Each one holds thirty people and there are fifteen on each side."
"But how many people are
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