• The Black Umbrellas •

They went into the house. It was filled with beautiful Victorian furniture and very cold.

“This way to the kitchen,” Miss Hawkline said. “I’ll cook up some breakfast. You boys look as if you could use some ham and eggs.”

“I’m going upstairs to change,” Magic Child said. She vanished up a curved mahogany staircase into the upper reaches of the house. Greer and Cameron watched after her until she was gone. Then they followed Miss Hawkline into the kitchen. It was very pleasant trailing after her. She had taken her coat off and she was wearing a long white dress with a high lace collar.

She had exactly the same kind of body that Magic Child had. Greer and Cameron could imagine her without any clothes on, looking exactly like Magic Child which was a very good way to look.

“I’ll cook some breakfast and then tell you what we want done. It’s a long trip here from Portland. I’m glad that you came. I think we’ll all turn out to be friends.”

The kitchen was immense. There was a large window and you could look out and see the snow and the frost on the ground. A hot fire was burning in the stove and it was warm and comfortable in the kitchen.

Greer and Cameron sat down in chairs at the table and Miss Hawkline poured them cups of strong black coffee from a huge pot on the stove.

Then she got a ham and sliced off some big pieces and got them cooking on the stove. Some biscuits were made very quickly and put into the oven to bake. Greer and Cameron couldn’t remember anybody making biscuits that fast and getting them into the oven so quickly.

Miss Hawkline was very skillful with her kitchen as she was with all the things of her life. She didn’t say much as she went about cooking breakfast. Once she asked them if they liked Portland and they said that they did.

Greer and Cameron watched her very carefully, thinking about her every move, wondering what was going to happen next, knowing that this was all the beginning of some pretty strange adventures.

They looked casual, relaxed, not in a hurry at all, as if what had happened so far and this strange house perched over some ice caves with frost on the ground in summer were every day occurrences with them.

Cameron had brought the trunk full of guns into the house with them. He had left the trunk in the front hall next to a large elephant foot full of black umbrellas.