“And you, little lord?” said big Ranni, turning to the still-sulky boy.
“Well — I promise too,” said Paul. “But there isn’t any real danger, I’m sure!”
Paul was wrong. There was danger — but not the kind that anyone guessed.
Blind Beowald, the Goatherd
Two days later a great mist came over Killimooin and not even Ranni and Pilescu dared to ride out on their ponies, although they had said that they would take the children exploring round about.
“No one can see his way in such a mist,” said Ranni, looking out of the window. “The clouds lie heavy over the valley below us. Up here the mist is so thick that we might easily leave the mountain path and go crashing down the mountain-side.”
“It’s so disappointing,” sighed Paul. “What can we do instead?”
Yamen put her head in at the door as she passed. “You can come down to tea with Tooku and me,” she invited. “We will have something nice for you, and you shall ask us all the things you want to know.”
“Oh, good,” said Jack. “We’ll ask all about the Secret Forest. Maybe they know tales about that! That will be exciting.”
Tea-time down in the big kitchen of the castle was great fun. An enormous fire glowed on the big hearth, and over it hung a black pot in which the soup for the evening meal was slowly simmering. A grand tea was spread on the wooden table, and the children enjoyed it. There were no thin sandwiches, no dainty buns and biscuits, no cream cakes — but, instead, there were hunks of new-made bread, baked by Yamen that morning, crisp rusks with golden butter, honey from the wild bees, and a queer, rich cake with a bitter-sweet taste that was delicious.