The Silver Casket Read Online Free Page A

like.”
    Stanley looked confused. Daisy joined him at the door and they glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.
    â€œThe name’s Phinn. The folks would like to see you,” the man said, confusing Stanley further. “So when you’re ready, come along.”
    And he clomped down the path in his clogged feet and walked back across the moor.
    Mrs. Carelli was behind Stanley now. She placed warm hands across his shoulders.
    â€œDon’t worry, Stanley. They are good people. They were the first ones on the
island, and they gave this place to us. Sometimes they are here for months, and sometimes only days. But this time they come for you. Among other things they bring help and they bring hope. We may have a fight on our hands, but all is not lost. Not yet.”

    They looked out to sea and wondered what would next appear over the horizon.
    â€œThe pirates are coming,” said Stanley. “And we cannot keep them at bay forever.”
    â€œGo and see the travelers, Stanley. They may hold the answer to our problems,”
suggested Mrs. Carelli.
    Stanley went to get himself ready. In half an hour he would be climbing up to the moor.

7
    The Glass Ball
    â€œWill you come with me, Daisy?” asked Stanley, wrapping his coat around him.
    â€œOf course,” she replied, and they made their way out of the kitchen door and across the back lawn to the rusted gate. They trod the beaten track on to the moor, where the home of the travelers spread out before them.

    As they drew near they could see that there were more tents pitched around the central one and that the fire was still burning. Small children ran in and out of the wagons, and lank dogs with missing legs meandered aimlessly around the camp.

    Stanley remembered his first encounters with the dogs of Crampton Rock: all of them with lost limbs, and all of them escaped victims of the werewolf. Here was a sure sign that the travelers were no strangers to this peculiar island.

    A group of people were standing around in a ring, and in the middle two giant men were boxing each other bravely with bare hands.
    It was strange to see so much activity out on the moor.
    But when Stanley and Daisy came close, everything stopped. People turned and looked, putting down their tools or whatever they were holding. The children stopped playing and the boxers lowered their fists.
    They all came forward and held out their hands to Stanley. Phinn appeared again. He stood on a wheel of one of the wagons and addressed everyone.
    â€œThis young man is Stanley Buggles. He banished the curse of the wolf from these lands, killing the beast that took our brothers and leaving us free to settle here whenever we please.”

    The crowd cheered and the people shook Stanley’s hand and ruffled his hair. One of the boxers picked him up and carried him above his head. They arrived at one of the tents and Phinn followed, bringing Daisy with him.
    The boxer placed Stanley back on his feet and held out a giant hand. “My name is Bartley. My brother was taken from me by the wolf, and I wear his memory on my heart. Thank you, boy,” he said. “I will be forever grateful to you.”
    He had the biggest, strongest hands that Stanley had ever seen, yet he seemed as gentle as it was possible to imagine.
    Inside the tent, an old woman sat at a small table. A length of fabric was thrown over it, concealing its legs and lower section. On top there was an object covered in a velvet cloth.
Two halves of a barrel were placed at her side to form a pair of seats.
    She invited the guests to sit down and be comfortable, and someone brought a strange drink that boiled with smoke. They didn’t dare ask what was in it, but they drank it and licked their lips and asked for more.
    â€œMy name is Greta,” said the old woman. She had a soft, gentle voice and she was old and craggy. “We want to help you, Stanley. You are a friend of the gypsies now, and your