Read The Serpent in the Glass (The Tale of Thomas Farrell) for Free Online Page A

seen them before; perhaps in a picture in all the tourist literature Jessica had been reading and waving in front of him during the car journey.
    Thomas looked back at the building and saw the tower he’d first seen from the car park. ‘What’s in the tower, Miss McGritch?’
    Miss McGritch’s face became even more serious than it already was. ‘The tower is out of bounds.’
    Miss McGritch didn’t see fit to elaborate, but led them back inside to the assembly hall, and then through the kitchen and laundry area, pausing briefly to explain that all students were expected to do their own laundry. She showed them one classroom, a bland room with small wooden desks and plastic chairs surrounded by walls painted in the same cream colour as the corridors, before leading them out of the block and up the wide flight of stairs they’d seen on the way in.
    ‘To the left is the girls’ dormitories, to the right, the boys’ rooms,’ she said, as they reached the landing. She allowed them a quick peek into one of the rooms: a bed, wardrobe, chest-of-drawers, chair and small table all fit tidily into a small space not much larger than the Westhrops’ loft. The room wasn’t much compared to the average bedroom of many boys his age, but to Thomas it was like a palace. Thomas had never had a proper bed of his own to sleep in.
    Miss McGritch’s office — the door of which bore the sign Housekeeper — sat on the landing between the entrance to the girls’ and boys’ dormitories. As they passed it, Miss McGritch stopped and shifted her gaze to a glass-panelled room filled with bookshelves that sat on the other side of the landing. ‘You will wait in the library over there while I check to see if Mr Trevelyan and your parents are ready to have you return. Perhaps you will take the time to educate yourselves a little?’
    Jessica wasted no time in exploring the library. It seemed to be her remedy for forgetting about whatever it was she was upset about. The library wasn’t enormous, though larger than the one they had at their junior school. The low bookcases, various chairs, small tables and several stands for lighter books had been spread out across the wide landing overlooking the entrance hall below. There was a row of shelves dedicated to science, a row on technology, another on history, languages, and quite a few other subjects too. Jessica had found a shelf holding some big and old-looking books.
    Thomas remained by the stands, his thoughts more upon speaking to Mr Trevelyan about his father than on books or the tour of the school. He ran his finger across a nearby shelf holding a small selection of novels, but he wasn’t really looking at the books. Eventually he sat down. It was only then that he realized that Jessica stood looking out across the entrance hall to the large window set high in the wall above the door to the Manor. She hugged a large book to her chest.
    Thomas leant back in his chair. ‘Did you find a good book?’
    Jessica didn’t turn around. ‘It’s beautiful.’
    ‘What’s it called?’ Thomas couldn’t see the book’s title from where he sat.
    ‘I think Scotland’s a beautiful place, don’t you Thomas?’ she asked.
    Jessica still faced the window. Thomas realized she wasn’t talking about the book, but about what she could see out of the window.
    ‘Yeah, I guess,’ Thomas said.
    ‘It’s a nice school too. I think you should accept the Headmaster’s invitation.’ Jessica sounded as if her thoughts were miles away. Perhaps she was homesick?
    Thomas could see no reason not to accept. The school was a link to his father, or at least to those who must have known his father. Mr Westhrop would probably decide for him anyway. But why was Jessica acting so strangely? ‘I guess I will.’
    Jessica turned to face him. ‘You don’t seem to care very much either way!’ She dropped the book down heavily on a nearby table.
    Just at that moment Miss McGritch appeared in the entrance hall below