protest outside!’ snarled the old lady. ‘You can hire yourself a lawyer and do all the protesting you want. But I’ll tell you something for free: you don’t
stand a chance. Do you know how much this man costs an hour?’
She had reached behind her to clutch the tie of her companion. She dragged him forward and pushed him sharply in the back.
‘This is Donald Lacson himself, straight from the law court. He may look like a constipated clerk, but believe me he’ll scalp you and skin you, won’t you, Mr Lacson?’
Mr Lacson gaped. He found himself standing between the Ribblestrop party and the demonic form of Lady Vyner, whose smile now hovered over his shoulder, her drool dripping onto his jacket.
‘Read it,’ she spluttered. ‘I want to hear it again. I want to watch their dreams ending, Mr Lacson, I want to hear the weeping of orphans.’
‘By the powers invested in me . . .’ mumbled Mr Lacson.
‘Louder, man!’
‘ . . . under sub-section thirty-two of the fourth statute . . .’
‘Oh, you’re half asleep! Cut to the last bit!’ She jabbed a finger at his paper, then snatched it from him. ‘
Leeches
,’ she cried, ‘
you are to leave
forthwith. You are to exit the building, which shall be closed against you
.’ It was as if she was in church, ejecting devils. ‘
Out, vile ones! Re-entering the said building will
render you liable to immediate arrest and prosecution!
Which is why we’ve got cameras!’ she laughed. ‘Listen to this bit, this is the best.
All
expenses for this
eviction shall be paid by you. The fees of Lacson and Lacson shall be paid by you. The services of specialist security guards and their expenses, shall be paid by you
. By you! Ha! Are you
understanding this, headmaster? Or do you need to sit down and have the children explain it to you? The school’s at an end; finished and dead, and I’m starting the Ribblestrop Nursing
Home. First customer arriving this evening.’
There was an awful silence.
‘I just wonder if that’s actually legal,’ said Ruskin. ‘I think we ought to have a good look at those papers.’
A large envelope came whistling through the air and split at the headmaster’s feet. Documents splayed out of it.
‘Mr Lacson,’ said Doonan. ‘I think we need a bit of give and take here and—’
He was silenced by a volley of ferocious barking. An enormous dog burst from a side passage, a security guard straining to hold onto its chain as it dragged him behind it. When the dog saw the
children, it went into a frenzy of howls and foam flew from its jowls.
Sanjay, who’d been in charge of the big cats in the circus, stepped forward, but Asilah held him back. The dog barked at him savagely.
Lady Vyner laughed again. ‘I’ve got three of these monsters,’ she cried. ‘I press this button and the dog squad’s here in seconds.’ She held up an electronic
device, which was flashing red between her fingers. Another dog appeared, this one silent but mad. It saw Sanjay and a yellow, rabid look came into its eyes. It started to snarl.
‘Are they ready to leave, m’lady?’ said the first handler, hauling the beast backwards. ‘I’m not sure I can hold ’er! They ’aven’t eaten for
days!’
‘I think so,’ said the old woman. ‘You don’t want your throats torn out, do you?’
Mr Lacson stepped forward with a piece of paper raised high above his head. The dogs came either side of him, baring teeth and gums. Lady Vyner stood back with her fists clenched, her face a
rictus of ecstasy. One guard hauled the main doors open and the children looked at one another, bewildered. The dogs barked yet more furiously.
‘Come on,’ said the headmaster.
‘We can’t give in!’ said Millie. ‘I am not leaving!’
‘Yes we can!’ he shouted, taking her arm. ‘We will not win this particular battle.’
‘But this isn’t fair!’ said Sam. ‘We’ve only just arrived.’
‘I can deal with the dogs,’ said Sanjay. ‘They’re
stand a chance. Do you know how much this man costs an hour?’
She had reached behind her to clutch the tie of her companion. She dragged him forward and pushed him sharply in the back.
‘This is Donald Lacson himself, straight from the law court. He may look like a constipated clerk, but believe me he’ll scalp you and skin you, won’t you, Mr Lacson?’
Mr Lacson gaped. He found himself standing between the Ribblestrop party and the demonic form of Lady Vyner, whose smile now hovered over his shoulder, her drool dripping onto his jacket.
‘Read it,’ she spluttered. ‘I want to hear it again. I want to watch their dreams ending, Mr Lacson, I want to hear the weeping of orphans.’
‘By the powers invested in me . . .’ mumbled Mr Lacson.
‘Louder, man!’
‘ . . . under sub-section thirty-two of the fourth statute . . .’
‘Oh, you’re half asleep! Cut to the last bit!’ She jabbed a finger at his paper, then snatched it from him. ‘
Leeches
,’ she cried, ‘
you are to leave
forthwith. You are to exit the building, which shall be closed against you
.’ It was as if she was in church, ejecting devils. ‘
Out, vile ones! Re-entering the said building will
render you liable to immediate arrest and prosecution!
Which is why we’ve got cameras!’ she laughed. ‘Listen to this bit, this is the best.
All
expenses for this
eviction shall be paid by you. The fees of Lacson and Lacson shall be paid by you. The services of specialist security guards and their expenses, shall be paid by you
. By you! Ha! Are you
understanding this, headmaster? Or do you need to sit down and have the children explain it to you? The school’s at an end; finished and dead, and I’m starting the Ribblestrop Nursing
Home. First customer arriving this evening.’
There was an awful silence.
‘I just wonder if that’s actually legal,’ said Ruskin. ‘I think we ought to have a good look at those papers.’
A large envelope came whistling through the air and split at the headmaster’s feet. Documents splayed out of it.
‘Mr Lacson,’ said Doonan. ‘I think we need a bit of give and take here and—’
He was silenced by a volley of ferocious barking. An enormous dog burst from a side passage, a security guard straining to hold onto its chain as it dragged him behind it. When the dog saw the
children, it went into a frenzy of howls and foam flew from its jowls.
Sanjay, who’d been in charge of the big cats in the circus, stepped forward, but Asilah held him back. The dog barked at him savagely.
Lady Vyner laughed again. ‘I’ve got three of these monsters,’ she cried. ‘I press this button and the dog squad’s here in seconds.’ She held up an electronic
device, which was flashing red between her fingers. Another dog appeared, this one silent but mad. It saw Sanjay and a yellow, rabid look came into its eyes. It started to snarl.
‘Are they ready to leave, m’lady?’ said the first handler, hauling the beast backwards. ‘I’m not sure I can hold ’er! They ’aven’t eaten for
days!’
‘I think so,’ said the old woman. ‘You don’t want your throats torn out, do you?’
Mr Lacson stepped forward with a piece of paper raised high above his head. The dogs came either side of him, baring teeth and gums. Lady Vyner stood back with her fists clenched, her face a
rictus of ecstasy. One guard hauled the main doors open and the children looked at one another, bewildered. The dogs barked yet more furiously.
‘Come on,’ said the headmaster.
‘We can’t give in!’ said Millie. ‘I am not leaving!’
‘Yes we can!’ he shouted, taking her arm. ‘We will not win this particular battle.’
‘But this isn’t fair!’ said Sam. ‘We’ve only just arrived.’
‘I can deal with the dogs,’ said Sanjay. ‘They’re
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