[47] Just as she was wishing this, the groom drew up at a small mouse-colored house crouching at the back of a long front garden. Charmain looked at it across its small iron gate and felt utterly disappointed. It was the most boring house she had ever seen. It had a window on either side of its brown front door and the mouse-colored roof came down above them like a scowl. There did not seem to be an upstairs at all.
[48] "Here we are," Aunt Sempronia said cheerfully. She got down, clattered open the little iron gate, and led the way up the path to the front door. Charmain prowled gloomily after her while the groom followed them with Charmain's two bags. The garden on either side of the path appeared to consist entirely of hydrangea bushes, blue, green-blue, and mauve.
[49] "I don't suppose you'll have to look after the garden," Aunt Sempronia said airily. I should hope not! Charmain thought. "I'm fairly sure William employs a gardener," Aunt Sempronia said.
[50] "I hope he does," Charmain said. The most she knew about gardens was the Bakers' own backyard, which contained one large mulberry tree and a rosebush, plus the window boxes where her mother grew runner beans. She knew there was earth under the plants and that the earth contained worms. She shuddered.
[51] Aunt Sempronia clattered briskly at the knocker on the brown front door and then pushed her way into the house, calling out, "Coo-ee! I've brought Charmain for you!"
[52] "Thank you kindly," said Great-Uncle William.
[53] The front door led straight into a musty living room, where Great-Uncle William was sitting in a musty, mousecolored armchair. There was a large leather suitcase beside him, as if he were all ready to depart. "Pleased to meet you, my dear," he said to Charmain.
"How do you do, sir," Charmain replied politely.
[54] Before either of them could say anything else, Aunt Sempronia said, "Well, then, I'll love you and leave you. Put her bags down there," she said to her groom. The groom obediently dumped the bags down just inside the front door and went away again. Aunt Sempronia followed him in a sizzle of expensive silks, calling, "Good-bye, both of you!" as she went.
The front door banged shut, leaving Charmain and Great-Uncle William staring at each other.
[55] Great-Uncle William was a small man and mostly bald except for some locks of fine, silvery hair streaked across his rather domed head. He sat in a stiff, bent, crumpled way that showed Charmain he was in quite a lot of pain. She was surprised to find that she felt sorry for him, but she did wish he wouldn't stare at her so steadily. It made her feel guilty. And his lower eyelids drooped from his tired blue eyes, showing the insides all red, like blood. Charmain disliked blood almost as much as she disliked earthworms.
[56] "Well, you seem a very tall, competent-looking young lady," Great-Uncle William said. His voice was tired and gentle. "The red hair is a good sign, to my mind. Very good. Do you think you can manage here while I'm gone? The place is a little disordered, I'm afraid."
[57] "I expect so," Charmain said. The musty room seemed quite tidy to her. "Can you tell me some of the things I ought to do?" Though I hope I shan't be here long, she thought. Once the king replies to my letter…
[58] "As to that," said Great-Uncle William, "the usual household things, of course, but magical. Naturally, most of it's magical. As I wasn't sure what grade of magic you'll have reached, I took some steps—"
[59] Horrors! Charmain thought. He thinks I know magic!
[60] She tried to interrupt Great-Uncle William to explain, but at that moment they were both interrupted. The front door clattered open and a procession of tall, tall elves walked quietly in. They were all most medically dressed in white, and there was no expression on their beautiful faces at all. Charmain stared at them, utterly unnerved by their beauty, their height, their neutrality, and above all, by their complete silence. One of them moved her gently aside and she stood where she was put, feeling clumsy and disorderly, while the rest clustered around Great-Uncle William with their dazzling fair heads bent over him. Charmain was not sure what they did, but in next to no time Great-Uncle William was dressed in a white robe and they were lifting him out of his chair. There were what seemed to be three red apples stuck to his head. Charmain could see he was asleep.
