The Librarian, whose name was Mrs Agnesssi spelt with three 's's, was a young, slim and beautiful lady. Her face was partially concealed by large glasses which were rumoured to enable her to read faster. She could invariably be found at her desk, wielding a big stamp which she stamped onto every page of every book. It was believed to be her way of marking books and keeping track of the pages she'd read, but nobody knew for sure.
The group of friends tried to wheedle past her. “We'll be so careful, and so quiet,” promised Muko, “that you won't even know we're here”.
“No. My rules are not made to be broken,” Mrs Agnesssi declared peremptorily.
It should be noted that while the three 's's of the librarian's name were highly unusual, there was a meaning behind them. The first 's' belonged to the normal spelling of the famous mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi who was also in fact working in the library, making handbooks for children. The second 's' of the name had a very appealing significance: it stood for 'sympathetic' because Mrs Agnesssi always had a ready ear for children who came to her with their problems, and would