The Velvet Room Read Online Free Page B

supposed she looked like a Village girl. She moved her arm quickly to cover the rip at the waist of her dress.
    “Yes, I live at the Village,” she said. “But we just moved in yesterday. I don’t know much about it.”
    The woman nodded. When they reached the back of the little stone house, she said, “I thought you might like to meet the rest of my family. But perhaps I should introduce myself first. I’m called Bridget. And what is your name?”
    “I’m Robin, Robin Williams. Don’t you…I mean should I call you just Bridget?”
    “That will be fine. I don’t bother with the rest of my name much any more.”
    The back door of the stone cottage opened into a small yard of hard-packed earth, which was surrounded by gardens on both sides. To the rear were two small sheds which opened into fenced animal yards. The earthen floor of the little back yard had been swept clean, and a weathered rocking chair sat in the shade of an apricot tree near the house. On a bench near the back door Robin noticed a big ball of black and gray fur. The lady named Bridget patted the ball of fur, and it rolled apart and sat up — two separate animals. One was a large gray cat, but the other was — Robin gasped with surprise.
    “A raccoon!” she cried. “May I touch him?”
    Bridget nodded. The raccoon regarded Robin calmly and twitched his long thin nose at her outstretched hand. His black mask gave him a wicked look, but just now he seemed mostly sleepy. After a moment he keeled over against the gray cat and went back to sleep.
    “His name is Pythias,” Bridget said.
    Robin thought for a moment. “Then the cat must be Damon.”
    “Excellent, my dear. Not many children would know that nowadays.” Robin wondered if she meant, not many Village children. “Where did you learn about Damon and Pythias?”
    “I read about them,” Robin said. “A long time ago. I read all the time when I can get the books. Did the cat really save his life?”
    “Oh, many times. You see, Damon is a dog chaser. He found out when he was just a kitten that dogs are afraid of cats that won’t run. And he’s been chasing them ever since. There are some dogs that come around here quite often, and they like nothing better than to tree poor Pythias. But they’re scared to death of Damon. He’s broken up more raccoon hunts than I can count.”
    They both laughed. Robin scratched Damon’s head, and he leaned against her and purred with a roar like a motor. He had a huge head and a smug flat face. You could see why the dogs ran. He looked very full of strength and self-confidence. “I wonder why he likes Pythias?” she asked.
    “They grew up together,” Bridget said. “They were both babies when I got them. Now perhaps you’d like to meet Betty.” They started toward the sheds, but the speckled hens were following so close, it was hard to keep from stepping on them. Robin tried patting one. Its stiff wing feathers made it feel hollow. It clucked hysterically, but it didn’t try to run away.
    “I’ve never seen such tame chickens,” Robin said. “Why aren’t they afraid?”
    “Most anything can be tamed if you have time and patience, and I have plenty of both,” Bridget answered. “Now here’s Betty, one of the most important members of my family.”
    A white goat with brown and black spots emerged from the shed. Robin had always thought that goats were ugly, but Betty had a delicate deerlike face, and her brown ears were neatly trimmed in black. She put her head over the fence and nibbled at Robin’s arm. When Robin jerked her arm away, Bridget smiled.
    “That’s just her way of saying ‘hello.’ You needn’t worry about being bitten. Goats have no upper teeth except at the back of the jaw. I wonder if you would like to help me tether Betty out for the day? Do you see her chain hanging just under the eaves beside the back door? And we’ll need the stake and hammer on the bench below it.”
    Robin ran to the house and was back in