"Joseph Delaney - The Spook's Curse" - читать интересную книгу автора (Delaney Joseph)

Once close to the tree, the mason slipped the hook into the ring in the centre of the stone and it was
lifted off the cart. Whether or not it would fit precisely, weтАЩd have to wait and see. The mason had
certainly fitted the ring correctly because the stone hung horizontally from the chain in perfect balance.

It was lowered into a position about two paces from the edge of the pit. Then the mason gave me the
bad news.

His youngest daughter was very ill with a fever, the one that had swept right through the County,
confining the Spook to his bed. His wife was by her bedside and he had to get back right away.

тАШIтАЩm sorry,тАЩ he said, meeting my eyes properly for the first time. тАШBut the stoneтАЩs a good тАШun and youтАЩll
have no problems. I can promise you thatтАЩ

I believed him. HeтАЩd done his best and had worked on the stone at short notice, when heтАЩd rather
have been with his daughter. So I paid him and sent him on his way with the SpookтАЩs thanks, my thanks
and best wishes for the recovery of his daughter.
 Then I turned back to the business in hand. As well as chiselling stone, masons are experts at
positioning it so IтАЩd rather heтАЩd stayed in case anything went wrong. Still, the rigger and mate were good
at their job. All I had to do was keep calm and be careful not to make any silly mistakes.

First I had to work fast and coat the sides of the pit with the glue; then, finally, the underside of the
stone, just before it was lowered into position.

I climbed down into the pit and, using a brush and working by the light of a lantern held by the riggerтАЩs
mate, I got to work. It was a careful process. I couldnтАЩt afford to miss the tiniest spot because that would
be enough to let the boggart escape. And with the pit only being six feet deep rather than the regulation
nine, I had to be extra careful.

The mixture keyed itself into the soil as I worked, which was good, because it wouldnтАЩt easily crack
and flake off as the soil dried out in summer. The bad thing was that it was difficult to judge just how
much to apply so that a thick enough outer coat was left on the soil. The Spook had told me that it was
something that would come with experience. Up to now heтАЩd been there to check my work and add a
few finishing touches. Now, I would have to do the job right myself. First time.

Finally I climbed out of the pit and attended to its upper edge. The top thirteen inches, the thickness of
the stone, were longer and broader than the pit itself, so there was a ledge for the stone to rest on without
leaving the slightest crack for the boggart to slip through. This needed very careful attention because it
was where the stone made its seal with the ground.

As I finished there was a flash of lightning and, seconds later, a heavy rumble of thunder. The storm
had moved almost directly overhead.

I went back to the barn to get something important from my bag. It was what the Spook called a
тАШbait-dishтАЩ. Made out of metal, it was specially crafted for the job and had three small holes drilled at
equal distances from each other, close to its rim. I eased it out, polished it on my sleeve, then ran to the
church to tell the doctor that we were ready.

As I opened the door there was a strong smell of tar and, just left of the altar, a small fire was blazing.
Over it, on a metal tripod, a pot bubbled and spat. Dr Sherdley was going to use the tar to stop the
bleeding. Painting the stump with it would also prevent the rest of the leg from going bad afterwards.