6
" Caddy came home on Friday evening. Perfectly Harmless Patrick brought her in his battered old car...
"Crikey, Caddy!" said Indigo, and he disappeared upstairs to tell Rose.
Eve murmured, "Sweet," rather doubtfully.
Sarah said, not doubtfully at all, "Horrendous! The worst yet. Rock bottom."
"He had a very difficult childhood," said Caddy....
"Who didn't?" asked Saffron unsympathetically. "Gosh, he's ancient, Caddy! Look, he's going bald! All that long trailing stuff is just a disguise!"
"If I was going bald," said Sarah, "I would face the fact and have it all shaved off."
"Well, I thought Mummy would like him," said Caddy defensively. "...Anyway, I can always take him back."
"I think you're going to have to, Caddy darling," said Eve... "Hello, Rose darling! Come in and see what Caddy has brought home to show us!"
She escaped, and Rose, who had already heard the news from Indigo, glanced at Patrick and began laughing.
"See?" said Sarah. "Rose knows! Absolutely rock bottom! You cannot be serious, Caddy!"
"Oh, stop looking at him!" said Caddy, uncomfortably. "I'll find something to cover him up with in a minute!"
"How long are you leaving him there for?" asked Rose.
"Just until Sunday," said Caddy, trying to sound casual.
"Till Sunday!" repeated Saffron. "So is Micheal dumped?"
"Of course he isn't!" said Caddy indignantly. "I've never dumped anyone!"
"Start!" said Saffron. "Otherwise they just pile up, taking up the sofas... "
― Hilary McKay , Indigo's Star (Casson Family, #2)
8
" Is this your holiday homework?" asked Sarah. "Don't do it, Rose! And Eve will write you a note to say it's iniquitous to give eight-year-olds homework. You will, won't you, Eve?"
"I could never spell 'iniquitous,' Sarah darling!"
"Hot concrete," said Rose mournfully, prodding her porridge.
"Write this," ordered Saffron. "'The ancient Egyptians are all dead. Their days are very quiet.' Porridge is meant to look like hot concrete. Eat it up.... Read the next question!"...
"What would you say if you bumped into Tutankhamen in the street?"
"'Sorry!'" said Sarah at once. "Put that."
"We have to answer in proper sentences."
"'Sorry, but it was your fault! You were walking sideways! "
― Hilary McKay , Indigo's Star (Casson Family, #2)
12
" There are all sorts of families," Tom's grandmother had remarked, and over the following few weeks Tom became part of the Casson family, as Micheal and Sarah and Derek-from-the-camp had done before him.
He immediately discovered that being a member of the family was very different from being a welcome friend. If you were a Casson family member, for example, and Eve drifted in from the shed asking, "Food? Any ideas? Or shall we not bother?" then you either joined in the search of the kitchen cupboards or counted the money in the housekeeping jam jar and calculated how many pizzas you could afford. Also, if you were a family member you took care of Rose, helped with homework (Saffron and Sarah were very strict about homework), unloaded the washing machine, learned to fold up Sarah's wheelchair, hunted for car keys, and kept up the hopeful theory that in the event of a crisis Bill Casson would disengage himself from his artistic life in London and rush home to help. "
― Hilary McKay , Indigo's Star (Casson Family, #2)
