Free The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones Page B

Johnny underwent no change at all – except from guilt to annoyance.
    “You see!” he said disgustedly. “You can’t believe a word Malcolm says.”
    “What do you think he did do?” Caspar said.
    They heard Malcolm himself coming upstairs just then, trailing wearily from step to step. They looked at one another and had the same idea at the same moment. Without needing to exchange a word, they got up, crept to the open door, and waited on either side of it out of sight. The moment Malcolm passed the top stair and his shadow fell through the doorway, they darted out andpounced. There was a squalling, indignant struggle, and they got him into their room. Johnny shut the door and stood with his back to it. Caspar took hold of Malcolm and pinned him by the upper arms against the wall.
    “What do you want?” said Malcolm. “Let go, can’t you!”
    “When you come clean,” said Caspar. “What did you really do with Parv. pulv .?”
    “I don’t know. I’m tired. Let go,” said Malcolm.
    “Not until you tell us,” said Johnny.
    “What makes you think I’m going to tell you?” countered Malcolm.
    “Because we won’t let you go until you do,” said Caspar.
    There was a short time of deadlock. Malcolm leant defiantly against the wall, and Caspar leant on his arms to hold him there and wondered what he could do to scare Malcolm into confessing. Then Malcolm said, with great loftiness, “You wouldn’t understand if I did tell you. You’ve no idea of system, or controlling your experiments, or even keeping your ideas in order. All you do is muddle about and hope. It’s no wonder you haven’t made the discoveries that I have. I bet you didn’t even realise that it’s always the things on the lower layer that are odd. But I’ve come to that conclusion, because I’m systematic.”
    This exasperated Johnny and Caspar. They saw well enough that Malcolm had no intention of telling them what he had done with Parv. pulv. and was just trying to distract their attention.
    “Stop waffling,” said Johnny. “And tell us.”
    “Can you see any reason,” said Malcolm, “why I should share my discoveries with you, Melchior?”
    Johnny, to be quite honest, could see no reason at all. Which meant that Caspar was forced to say, “Because we’re going to make you tell us. What have you found out?”
    “Nothing I’m going to tell you,” said Malcolm.
    Caspar lifted Malcolm away from the wall and banged him back, so that his irritatingly tidy head thumped against the plaster. “What other chemicals do things?” he asked menacingly.
    At that moment, Douglas, outside on the landing, said, “Hey, Malcolm!”
    Caspar and Johnny both jumped, because they had not heard Douglas come upstairs. Malcolm looked at Caspar, coolly and jeeringly, and Caspar looked back, daring Malcolm to shout for help.
    “Malcolm?” said Douglas again. They waited tensely while Douglas went into the room across the landing and came out again. Then Douglas said, “Oh drat!” and went galloping away downstairs. As soon as he had gone, Caspar felt suddenly tired to death of the whole matter. He wanted to yawn in Malcolm’s face. Instead, he let go of him. Malcolm, with dignity, straightened his tie and went towards the door.
    But Johnny at that moment thought of a very good reason why Malcolm should share at least one discovery with them. “You tell us about Parv. pulv .,” he said. “You’d never have known anything could happen at all, if Douglas hadn’t seen Gwinny flying.” And he did not move from in front of the door.
    Malcolm stopped. There was not so much difference between his size and Johnny’s, and Johnny was burly. “I dare say we’d have worked it out,” he said loftily.
    “Yes. We ,” said Johnny. “Don’t pretend Douglas isn’t helping you.”
    “So what?” said Malcolm. “Don’t tell me you’re working entirely alone, Melchior. And there are three of you.”
    “But Douglas is older,” said Johnny. “So