Recalling his harsh judgment of Samkim and Arula, the old squirrel shrugged uneasily. "Well, they do look rather pitiful, Mother Abbess, but I think the decision is finally yours."
Dingeye's voice quivered with emotion, and he went limp in the Foremole's strong grasp, shaking his paws in despair.
"The decision is yores. 'E's right, lady. Turn us out, back inter the crool world. We should never 'ave darkened yer doorstep, two misfortune wretches such as us!"
Despite his size, Thrugg was softhearted, and he sniffed aloud. "Stow that kind o' talk, matey. Our Abbess ain't got an 'eart made o' stone!"
Thrugg's words seemed to make up the Abbess's mind, and she nodded decisively. "All right, you can stay. But remember this: whilst you are guests at Redwall you must behave, mind your manners and keep your paws to yourselves. Is that clear?"
Dingeye and Thura broke away from their keepers. Falling on all fours, they began kissing the hem of the Abbess's robe.
Trying not to grimace with distaste, she shook them off. "Here, Samkim and Arula, I've a job for you. These two creatures are your responsibility while they are with us. If you need any help, ask Thrugg or Foremole. Dear me, how I wish Redwall had a badger Mother again. Right, back to work, Redwallers. There is much to be done if we want a good Nameday tomorrow!"
The Abbeydwellers were dispersing as the squirrel and the mole introduced themselves.
"I'm Samkim and this is Arula."
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Brian Jacques
"Pleased ter make yer acquaintance, young'n's. I'm Din-geye, this is me mucker Thura. Righto, where do we eat an1 sleep?''
The odor of unwashed stoats made Arula wrinkle her nose. "Nay nay, zurrs. 'Ee'll be worken awhoil afore it be toim to eat an' sleepen. Us'ns be agoin' to 'elp in 'ee kitchens, a-cooken an' a-baken."
Thura brightened at the mention of food. "Cookin 'n' bakin', that sounds all right ter me, mucker!"
Samkim blanched. He, too, had caught the unsavory whiff from the ragged pair. He grabbed both by their paws. "Not so fast, friends. First you must take a bath and get clean smocks!"
Dingeye and Thura recoiled in horror.
"Bath? Not me, mucker. It ain't 'ealthy!"
"Dingeye's right, young un, bathin'd be the death of us!"
Samkim gave a broad wink to Thrugg and Foremole. "Perhaps you would like to take our friends for a stroll by the Abbey pond? It's lovely in the summer."
A short time later two clean smocks lay on the grass at the pond's edge. Foremole stood menacing the stoats with a long window pole, Thrugg was in the water with a block of soap and a scrubbing brush. Dingeye and Thura clung to each other in panic as Foremole prodded them pondward with the pole. "Coom on, durtybeasts. Washen woant kill 'ee, hurr hum" "Mercy, yer Honor. That stuffs waterit's all wet!" "Aye, an' there's a fish monster in there. I can see it!" Playfully Thrugg splashed water at them. "Bless yer filthy 'earts, mateys, he don't mind if you don't. Get yer paws wet now. Come on, this is the best lilac an' heather soap. Sink me if you don't come out smellin' like two pretty flowers!" There was a final shriek of terror as Foremole pushed them in with the window pole, and stood menacing them with it. "Naow do 'ee be still whoil Maister Thrugg scrubbs you'm mucky ol' necks." The otter went to it with a will, ducking and scouring.
Stdamandastron
37
"Owoch oo oo! Soap's in me eye, sir. I'm blinded. 'Elp/elp!"
"Waaa! Water's gone up me nose. Please, sir, no m Glubbublub!"
Friar Bellows was as wide as he was high. The tubby mouse
looked up from trimming pie crust and winked.at Samkim
and Arula. "Hoho, what can I do for you two Hddle rips
today?"
Arula tied on an apron. "Hurr, zurr Bellers,'ee were agoin'
t' show us'ns 'ow to make a Curtail cake, doant 'ee amem-
ber?"
The Friar gave them each a honeyed damson from a big
jar. "So I did, so I did. Hmm, you must have clean paws to
make a Great Hall cake. Let me see them."
He inspected the two pair of freshly scrubbed paws. "Very
good, very good! Hmm, righto, climb up on these stools and
check the ingredients with me. Here's the list." "Arrowroot and pollen flour." "Chopped chesknutters an' 'unneyed damsens." "Very good, very good. Sugared violets and raspberries." "Flaked beechnuts, dried plums and rosehip syrup." "Woild buttercup cream, hurr, an' blackb'rry cream, zurr." "Very good, very good. Almond paste, greensap milk and
young crystallized maple leaves. That seems to be the lot!" As they mixed the ingredients, Friar Bellows kept an eye
on them, while at the same time overseeing other kitchen
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Solamandostron
39
helpers. Bellows seldom missed a detail of any kind.
"Brother Hal, watch that dandelion custard, it's coming to the boil. Very good, very good. Rub the arrowroot and the pollen flour together, dribbling greensap milk in slowly like thus. Very good, very good. Dumble! You're supposed to be chopping those candied chestnuts up, not gobbling them. I'll whack your tail off with a frying pan, my laddo! Now, add the flaked beechnuts, saving a few to scatter on the almond paste, and put a few more dried plums in. Arula, line the bottom of the baking dish with a dusting of pollen flour. Right. PJace the honeyed damsons and raspberries so, one damson, one raspberry, in nice neat rows. Very good, very good! How's the leek and cheese flan coming along, Sister Nasturtium ... ? Dumble! What have I told you?"
When the Great Hall cake was mixed and set in its dish the two companions slid it far into the oven with long wooden paddles. Magnificent aromas of bilberry scones, hazelnut muffins and oatrose turnovers assailed their nostrils from the top shelves of the four-tiered oven. They washed cake mixture from their paws as Friar Bellows explained the next step.
"Very good, very good, you two! The cake will be baked and taken out to cool. Once it is firm enough, here is what you do: slice it longways three times, bottom layer spread with rosehip syrup and sugared violets, place next layer lightly on topthis one will be spread with blackberry cream sprinkled with crystallized maple leaves. Next layer lightly on topthat's the secret, lightlyspread with almond paste scattered with flaked beechnuts. Very good, very good. Pay attention now. Top layer, spread thick with wild buttercup cream, dash on some chopped chestnuts, then a light coat of rosehip syrup to give it that lovely faint pinkish color, and presto! There we will have a Great Hall cake. Very good, very good!"
As the kitchens were very hot and crowded, Mrs. Faith Spinney had prepared a light lunch of summer salad and mint-cream wafers near the gatehouse wall. The workers ate gratefully, some lounging in the sun upon the grass, others
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Brian Jacques
sitting on the wallstairs in the shade.
Samkim and Arula sat on the grass with Dingeye and Thura, chuckling gleefully as the stoats recited the catalog of atrocities perpetrated upon them since their arrival.
"On me oath, muckers, I don't know which was the worst-est, starvin' an' trampin' outside or gettin' dragged in ter this Redhall place. It's a crool life, I teli yer!"
"Yer right there, Dingeye. Call that 'ospitality, gettin' near drownded by a fierce waterdog, nearly et by a monster fish, an' 'avin' flowery soap stuffed up yer nose. Hah! An' that's besides bein' bopped on the bonnet by a mole with a pole."
"Yer right, mucker. If I'm not dead with flooenzer from gettin' a bath by nightfall, me name ain't stoat!"