Journey to the River Sea

‘No. None of the bones are broken – the backbone’s been dislodged, but I can fix that.’

He went out to shut both the lab door and the door of his office. Then he said, ‘I’m not quite clear what happened. They say that Finn’s been caught and dragged back to Westwood. But surely Maia wouldn’t have given away his hiding place?’

‘No, it wasn’t like that. Or only in a sense.’ And she told him the whole story: about the children’s plan, the way it had nearly gone wrong and the happy ending.

The professor was delighted. ‘Good, good. So Finn is safe! And of course I should have guessed that you were Bella – Bernard spoke of you as the only friend he had as a boy. Finn’s keeping out of the way, you say?’

‘For the time being – till Clovis is safely out to sea. Then he’ll sail off in the Arabella and I’m afraid Maia’s going to be upset. She has a great thirst for adventure.’

‘And you? Do you have a thirst for adventure?’ the professor asked.

‘Who doesn’t?’ said Miss Minton and shrugged. Then she took out the box in which she had packed the butterfly. ‘I wondered if you knew what this was?’

Very carefully, the professor lifted the layers of cotton wool. ‘Good heavens – don’t tell me you’ve found a Hahnet’s Swallowtail!’ He took the box over to the window. ‘But you have! And perfectly preserved!’

Miss Minton explained about the spider’s web.

‘I could get you a good price for it if you wished to sell it, they’re very rare. I know a collector in Manaus who’s been wanting one. Or I could buy it for the museum. But you’d get a better price from him.’

‘What sort of a price?’

‘In English money, about eighty pounds.’

Miss Minton stared at him. ‘But that’s almost half my yearly wage!’

‘Well that’s what it’s worth. More if you sent it to England. After all, Taverner lived by collecting and selling the things he found, and he’s not the only one.’

Miss Minton was silent, looking into the future. Could it be that a door had opened for her? She would never leave Maia, but one day ... Was it possible that she could escape from the drudgery of teaching children like the twins?

The professor, watching her, decided to strike while the iron was hot.

‘I have to go to lunch now,’ he said. ‘I know you don’t care for foreign food, but if you wish I could give you a list of the things that are worth collecting. Some of the plant resins are very valuable – and you don’t have to go after them with a net!’

‘Did I say I didn’t care for foreign food?’ said Miss Minton huffily. ‘I don’t remember saying it. In fact I didn’t say it.’

Up in the bungalow, the twins thought of nothing but the reward. When would it come, what would they do with it, how could they stop their parents from trying to get a share? Maia heard them still whispering about it when they went to bed. Sometimes their voices rose and they seemed to be on the edge of a quarrel, but then they made it up again because they saw themselves as standing alone against the world.

‘And as soon as we get it we can start getting rid of Maia.’

That was the other thing they whispered about. They had got rid of Miss Porterhouse by accusing her of stealing their things, and they had got rid of Miss Chisholm by telling their mother that she had been seen in Manaus with MEN.

They’d have to think of something different for Maia but they would do it, and once Maia went, Miss Minton would go too and they would be free.

And while the twins quarrelled about the reward, Mr and Mrs Carter quarrelled about Maia’s allowance.

‘I tell you,’ said Mr Carter, ‘I have to have this month’s allowance for Maia. It’s no good you hanging on to it like you did last month.’

‘Well, you can’t. The twins need new dancing shoes – and the dentist says they should have braces on their teeth. You know how expensive that is. You don’t want your daughters to grow up with crooked teeth, do you?’

‘If all I had to worry about was my daughters’ teeth I’d be a happy man. That swine Lima has walked out on me – my own agent! If he gangs up with Gonzales I’m finished.’

‘Perhaps if you didn’t spend our money on those ridiculous glass eyes, you wouldn’t be so hard up.’

‘Let me tell you that my collection is worth more than anything else in this house.’

‘Well, why don’t you sell it then and pay your debts? You know I only agreed to have Maia because of the money she brought. It’s I who have to put up with her, not you – you hardly see her. You hardly see your own daughters. And anyway I’ve ordered a new cockroach killer – they’re sending it out from the Army and Navy Stores in London and it’s expensive.’

‘Cockroach killer! I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous. Just throw benzene over them and set them alight.’

‘Really, Clifford – no wonder you can’t run a proper business. Benzene indeed! I shall have to write to Mr Murray and ask him for more money for the girl. She’s not worth keeping for what I get.’

She broke off because Maia had come into the room, carrying her dancing shoes, to say that the launch was ready to go Manaus.