I and Sproggy Read Online Free Page A

snapped. Rosalie caught the vibes and tiptoed into Adam’s room and under his bed.
    â€œLucky little creep,” he said to himself, wishing he could join her.
    â€œHello, hello,” Adam’s father cried as they opened the door. Adam crouched behind his mother, glad for the first time in his life that he was small.
    His mother murmured, “So glad. Delighted. And this must be—”
    â€œI’m Arabella,” the tall thin lady said to Adam, grasping his hand in hers. Her fingers were long and dry. It was like shaking hands with a spider, Adam thought.
    â€œAnd this is Sproggy,” Adam’s father said, putting his arm around Sproggy. “Darling,” he said to her, “this is Adam!” The grownups stood in a half circle, smiling down at the little ones getting to know each other. He never called me darling, Adam thought.
    â€œHow simply super to meet you!” Sproggy said cheerfully. Adam kept his hands behind his back so she couldn’t get hold of him. If she did, he felt, there was no telling what might happen.
    Sproggy was arrayed in a sea of blue denim. Denim jacket, denim shoes, blue jeans, even a denim backpack. Her hair was orange. She seemed to him a formidable older woman.
    â€œIt’s perfectly charming of you to have us,” Arabella said. “We’ve so been looking forward to meeting you all.”
    Adam’s mother smiled and passed the nuts. “And do have a deviled egg,” she said. “Adam.” He passed the deviled eggs. Either they or the plate were slippery because one landed smack in the middle of the rug. Yolk side up, fortunately. “No harm done,” Sproggy said, picking it up and popping it in her mouth. His mother laughed delightedly.
    If I had done that, Adam thought.
    They discussed the weather, and the city, which they found fascinating, and the high cost of everything.
    â€œVery pricey, that,” Arabella kept saying. “But Dick and I,” she said, “are so pleased with how nicely Sproggy’s been settling in. Aren’t we, darling?” she asked Adam’s father.
    All eyes, including Adam’s, turned on Sproggy, who was rooting around in her backpack. “Do you play chess?” she asked Adam. “I’ve just learned, and I’m awfully keen on it.”
    Adam didn’t play.
    â€œWhat a pity,” Sproggy said.
    â€œAdam dear,” his mother said, “will you give me a hand for a minute?”
    â€œI don’t care what you say,” he complained when they were out of earshot, “she’s not my age. She’s a teen-ager. I bet she’s a teen-ager.”
    â€œGirls grow faster than boys up to a point,” his mother said, taking things out of the oven.
    â€œMa,” Adam said, “please. Just let’s get this over with, all right?”
    â€œMummy sent me in to ask if I might help,” Sproggy said at the kitchen door. She got to carry in the rolls. Adam burned his hand on a casserole dish. Everyone allowed as how they’d never had such a delicious lunch.
    â€œIt’s time for Rosalie’s walk,” Adam said after the table had been cleared. He avoided his mother’s eye and made a complicated business of fastening the dog’s leash to her collar.
    â€œWhat a dear little dog,” Sproggy said, patting Rosalie. One thing Rosie couldn’t stand was to have a stranger touch her. She began to wheeze. In moments of stress Rosalie frequently developed asthma.
    â€œWhy don’t you take Sproggy with you?” Adam’s father suggested. “Show her around.”
    â€œGive me a break, Dad,” Adam wanted to say. And didn’t.
    â€œThat would be lovely,” Arabella agreed. “Just don’t stay out too long, though. I have heaps of things to do.”
    Sproggy stood beside him in the elevator. She was half a head taller than he. Easily. Maybe more.
    â€œHow old are you?” he