A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket Page A

extension cord and thought it was a hallucination. Klaus stood looking at the cage and thought that it must be a phantasm. And Sunny peered in through the bars and prayed that it was some combination of the two. The youngsters stared at the tiny, filthy room, and stared at the cage, but it took them several minutes before they believed that the Quagmires were no longer inside. "They're gone," Violet said. "They're gone, and it's all my fault!" She threw her welding torch into the corner of the tiny room, where it sizzled against the floor. She turned to her siblings, and they could see, by the white glow of their tongs, that their older sister was beginning to cry. "My invention was supposed to save them," she said mournfully, "and now Gunther has snatched them away. I'm a terrible inventor, and a horrible friend." Klaus threw his welding torch into the corner, and gave his sister a hug. "You're the best inventor I know," he said, "and your invention was a good one. Listen to those welding torches sizzle. The time just wasn't ripe for your invention, that's all." "What's that supposed to mean?" Violet said miserably. Sunny threw the last welding torch into the corner, and took off her oven mitt so she could pat her sister comfortingly on the ankle. "Noque, noque," she said, which meant "There, there." "All it means," Klaus said, "is that you invented something that wasn't handy at this particular time. It's not your fault that we didn't rescue them--it's Gunther's." "I guess I know that," Violet said, wiping her eyes. "I'm just sad that the time wasn't ripe for my invention. Who knows if we will ever see our friends again?" "We will," Klaus said. "Just because the time isn't right for your inventing skills, doesn't meant it isn't ripe for my researching skills." "Dwestall," Sunny said sadly, which meant "All the research in the world can't help Duncan and Isadora now." "That's where you're wrong, Sunny," Klaus replied. "Gunther might have snatched them, but we know where he's taking them--to Veblen Hall. He's going to hide them inside one of the items at the In Auction, remember?" "Yes," Violet said, "but which one?" "If we climb back up to the penthouse," Klaus said, "and go to the Squalor library, I think I can figure it out." "Meotze," Sunny said, which meant "But the Squalor library has only those snooty books on what's in and what's out." "You're forgetting the recent addition to the library," Klaus said. "Esme told us that Gunther had left a copy of the In Auction catalog, remember? Wherever he's planning to hide the Quagmires, it'll be listed in the catalog. If we can figure out which item he's hiding them in--" "We can get them out of there," Violet finished, "before he auctions them off. That's a brilliant idea, Klaus!" "It's no less brilliant than inventing welding torches," Klaus said. "I just hope the time is ripe this time." "Me too," Violet said. "After all, it's our only--" "Vinung," Sunny said, which meant "Don't say it," and her sister nodded in agreement. There was no use in saying it was their only hope, and getting them as anxious as they were before, so without another word the Baudelaires hoisted themselves back up on their makeshift rope and began climbing back up to the Squalor penthouse. The darkness closed in on them again, and the children began to feel as if their whole lives had been spent in this deep and shadowy pit, instead of in a variety of locations ranging from a lumbermill in Paltryville to a cave on the shores of Lake Lachrymose to the Baudelaire mansion, which sat in charred remains just a few blocks away from Dark Avenue. But rather than think about all of the shadowy places in the Baudelaire past, or the shadowiest place that they were climbing through now, the three siblings tried to concentrate on the brighter places in the Baudelaire future. They thought of the penthouse apartment, which drew closer and closer to them as they climbed. They thought of the Squalor library, which could