“We’ll head for Horshaw,” I told her. “I’m going to give you the same test that my master gave me and all his other apprentices.”

“I can’t say I’m looking forward to it,” Jenny said, “but I’ll do my best. Whatever I face can’t be as bad as being in the tree hanging by my feet with that beast drinking my blood and biting me.”

She was certainly correct there, but in the tree she had been tied up and in no position to run. First of all, I needed to know if she could hear the ghasts. And second, if she would simply run. It was no good taking on an apprentice who fled at the first sign of danger.

10

The Haunted House

I handed Jenny my bag. “You’ll be carrying this from now on,” I told her. “It’s one of the jobs apprentices have to do.”

I was quite capable of carrying my own bag, but I was following in my master’s footsteps, upholding the traditions that he’d learned from his own master, Henry Horrocks.

She smiled, but then pulled a face when she felt its weight. “What’s inside this—the kitchen sink?” she asked. “When do I get my own bag and a staff?”

“Pass the test, and I’ll give you a temporary staff until we get a chance to have one made for you. . . . By the way,” I said mischievously, “a spook reserves the right to give his apprentice a new name. So which one would you prefer? I have three: Pixie, Buttercup, or Nettle?”

She didn’t reply. Obviously she didn’t appreciate my sense of humor.

So I made my expression stern. “Now come on—follow me and don’t dawdle. We’ve quite a few miles to cover before sunset.”

Jenny gave me a hard stare, and a look of annoyance flickered across her face. She was proud, and no doubt didn’t like being spoken to like that. But she didn’t say anything. I realized I’d told her not to dawdle—and that made me smile to myself. It was one of the expressions that John Gregory had always used.

Of course Jenny didn’t see my smile. I’d set off at a furious pace, leaving her stumbling along several steps behind. That was another thing my master always used to do. Maybe he did it to set an example when he was in a hurry, but it certainly made it hard to keep up when carrying a heavy bag. I knew that only too well.

I had done these things almost without thinking, following my master’s lead. But I knew that I would have to find my own way of working. I suspected that it was always hardest with the first apprentice. After that, it would become progressively easier.

Or at least I hoped so!

We reached the pit village of Horshaw just as it was getting dark. I had adjusted my pace from time to time to ensure that we arrived at dusk. I’m sure that’s what John Gregory used to do with each of the apprentices he tested.