Doctor Who_ Daemons - Barry Letts [4]
'What could be wrong?'
'I don't know.' The Doctor walked over to the window and stared at the blossom on the apple trees in the garden. 'Aquarius... Devil's End... Beltane...' he muttered to himself. 'Come on, come on. Think!'
His reveries were broken by Sergeant Benton. 'Hey look, Doctor. Something going on...'
Something indeed was going on. In full view of the television cameras, a Fury in homeweave cloak, good strong brogues and pince-nez was beating Harry the floor manager about the head and body with an old green umbrella. Miss Hawthorne had arrived.
'Now come on, love,' he exclaimed, dodging a fresh onslaught, 'be a good girl and buzz off... ouch!'
He was saved from further damage by the advent of Alastair Fergus from the barrow. 'It's okay, Harry,' called Alastair as the Professor also emerged.
Miss Hawthorne pulled her arm free and marched across to them. 'I have come here to protest!' she announced grimly. 'And protest I shall.' The Professor mumbled ominously.
Alastair turned and spoke into the camera... 'This is Miss Olive Hawthorne, a prominent local resident who is very much opposed to the dig. Professor Horner. I believe you two have already met?'
The Professor erupted. 'Met? I'll say we've met. The daft woman's been pestering me for weeks.'
Miss Hawthorne's pince-nez flashed dangerously in the cold sunlight. 'I've merely been trying to make you see reason. I was obviously wasting my time. You are a dunderhead, sir!'
Viewers with colour television were fascinated to see Professor Horner turn a novel shade of purple as he struggled to find a suitable reply. Hastily, Alastair intervened. 'Miss Hawthorne, will you tell the viewers why you are so against this excavation?'
Miss Hawthorne looked straight into the camera. 'Because this man is tampering with forces he does not understand.'
A movement made Jo look round. Without knowing it, the Doctor was nodding his head in vigorous agreement.
The Professor regained his speech. 'Poppycock!' he exploded.
Miss Hawthorne turned on him. 'You will bring disaster upon yourself and upon the whole area if you persist!'
'Balderdash!'
'Death and destruction await you. Believe me, I know.'
Once more Alastair Fergus jumped in. 'Ah, but that's just it, you see. Why should we believe you and how do you know?'
His charming smile froze as Miss Hawthorne turned a piercing eye on him. 'Because,' she said, 'I am a witch.'
The Professor's anger suddenly subsided. He grinned almost in triumph. 'You see?' he said, 'I told you she was daft.'
'I tell you, I'm a witch. A white witch, of course. And that's why you should listen to me. I know .'
With a sense of overwhelming relief, Alastair caught sight of Harry waving his arm in a circle, giving a 'wind-up' signal. 'Well, thank you very much, Miss Hawthorne, for a most interesting...'
But Miss Hawthorne was by no means ready to 'wind-up'. 'I have cast the runes,' she announced dramatically. 'I have consulted the talisman of Mercury; it is written in the stars, when Beltane is come, tread softly, for lo, the Prince himself is nigh.'
'You see,' said the Professor. 'Mad as a hatter!'
'The Prince?' enquired Alastair nervously.
'The Prince of Evil,' declaimed Miss Hawthorne 'The Dark One; the Horned Beast...'
All at once, the Doctor tore his eyes from the screen as if forcing himself to awaken from a hideous nightmare. Turning on his heel, he strode to the door. 'Come on, Jo,' he said, urgently.
'Where to?' she asked, scrambling to her feet.
'Devil's End, of course. The woman's quite right. We must stop that lunatic before it's too late...'
2 The New Vicar
Montmorency Vere de Vere Winstanley—Monty to his friends in the 'county' and addressed as 'Squire' by Devil's End—leaned forward, turned off his television and chuckled. Good for Miss Hawthorne! She had kept her end up well. Wretched London chappies taking over the place. You'd think they owned it.
He tapped out his pipe and rose ponderously to his feet. Hastily averting his eyes from his too plump reflection in the doors