第5章

’Jimmy，’shecalled，’Jimmy！’andwavedtohim。Heheardher，andbegantocometowardsherthroughthecrowd。Theycouldseefromthebalconythesea—captainedginghiswayoutfromamongthepeople。Andhisfacewasdeadwhite，likepaper。

’Tothehills！’hecriedinaloudandterriblevoice。Andabovehisvoicecameanothervoice，louder，moreterrible——thevoiceofthesea。

Thegirlslookedseaward。

Acrossthesmoothdistanceoftheseasomethinghugeandblackrolledtowardsthetown。Itwasawave，butawaveahundredfeetinheight，awavethatlookedlikeamountain——awaverisinghigherandhighertillsuddenlyitseemedtobreakintwo——onehalfofitrushedouttoseaagain；theother——

’Oh！’criedAnthea，’thetown——thepoorpeople！’

’It’sallthousandsofyearsago，really，’saidRobertbuthisvoicetrembled。Theyhidtheireyesforamoment。Theycouldnotbeartolookdown，forthewavehadbrokenonthefaceofthetown，sweepingoverthequaysanddocks，overwhelmingthegreatstorehousesandfactories，tearinggiganticstonesfromfortsandbridges，andusingthemasbatteringramsagainstthetemples。

Greatshipsweresweptovertheroofsofthehousesanddasheddownhalfwayupthehillamongruinedgardensandbrokenbuildings。Thewatergroundbrownfishing—boatstopowderonthegoldenroofsofPalaces。

Thenthewavesweptbacktowardsthesea。

’Iwanttogohome，’criedthePsammeadfiercely。

’Oh，yes，yes！’saidJane，andtheboyswereready——butthelearnedgentlemanhadnotcome。

Thensuddenlytheyheardhimdashuptotheinnergallery，crying——

’IMUSTseetheendofthedream。’Herushedupthehigherflight。

Theothersfollowedhim。Theyfoundthemselvesinasortofturret——roofed，butopentotheairatthesides。

Thelearnedgentlemanwasleaningontheparapet，andastheyrejoinedhimthevastwaverushedbackonthetown。Thistimeitrosehigher——destroyedmore。

’Comehome，’criedthePsammead；’THAT’StheLAST，Iknowitis！

That’sthelast——overthere。’Itpointedwithaclawthattrembled。

’Oh，come！’criedJane，holdinguptheAmulet。

’IWILLSEEtheendofthedream，’criedthelearnedgentleman。

’You’llneverseeanythingelseifyoudo，’saidCyril。’Oh，JIMMY！’appealedAnthea。’I’llNEVERbringyououtagain！’

’You’llneverhavethechanceifyoudon’tgosoon，’saidthePsammead。

’IWILLseetheendofthedream，’saidthelearnedgentlemanobstinately。

Thehillsaroundwereblackwithpeoplefleeingfromthevillagestothemountains。Andevenastheyfledthinsmokebrokefromthegreatwhitepeak，andthenafaintflashofflame。Thenthevolcanobegantothrowupitsmysteriousfieryinsideparts。Theearthtrembled；ashesandsulphurshowereddown；arainoffinepumice—stonefelllikesnowonallthedryland。Theelephantsfromtheforestrusheduptowardsthepeaks；greatlizardsthirtyyardslongbrokefromthemountainpoolsandrusheddowntowardsthesea。Thesnowsmeltedandrusheddown，firstinavalanches，theninroaringtorrents。Greatrockscastupbythevolcanofellsplashingintheseamilesaway。

’Oh，thisishorrible！’criedAnthea。’Comehome，comehome！’

’Theendofthedream，’gaspedthelearnedgentleman。

’HolduptheAmulet，’criedthePsammeadsuddenly。Theplacewheretheystoodwasnowcrowdedwithmenandwomen，andthechildrenwerestrainedtightagainsttheparapet。Theturretrockedandswayed；thewavehadreachedthegoldenwall。

JanehelduptheAmulet。

’Now，’criedthePsammead，’saytheword！’

AndasJanesaiditthePsammeadleapedfromitsbagandbitthehandofthelearnedgentleman。

Atthesamemomenttheboyspushedhimthroughthearchandallfollowedhim。

Heturnedtolookback，andthroughthearchhesawnothingbutawasteofwaters，withaboveitthepeakoftheterriblemountainwithfireragingfromit。

Hestaggeredbacktohischair。

’Whataghastlydream！’hegasped。’Oh，you’rehere，my——er——dears。CanIdoanythingforyou？’

’You’vehurtyourhand，’saidAntheagently；’letmebinditup。’

Thehandwasindeedbleedingratherbadly。

ThePsammeadhadcreptbacktoitsbag。Allthechildrenwereverywhite。

’Neveragain，’saidthePsammeadlateron，’willIgointothePastwithagrown—upperson！Iwillsayforyoufour，youdodoasyou’retold。’

’Wedidn’tevenfindtheAmulet，’saidAnthealaterstill。

’Ofcourseyoudidn’t；itwasn’tthere。Onlythestoneitwasmadeofwasthere。ItfellontoashipmilesawaythatmanagedtoescapeandgottoEgypt。_I_couldhavetoldyouthat。’

’Iwishyouhad，’saidAnthea，andhervoicewasstillrathershaky。’Whydidn’tyou？’

’Youneveraskedme，’saidthePsammeadverysulkily。’I’mnotthesortofchaptogoshovingmyoarinwhereit’snotwanted。’

’MrJi—jimmy’sfriendwillhavesomethingworthhavingtoputinhisarticlenow，’saidCyrilverymuchlaterindeed。

’Nothe，’saidRobertsleepily。’ThelearnedJi—jimmywillthinkit’sadream，andit’stentoonehenevertellstheotherchapawordaboutitatall。’

Robertwasquiterightonbothpoints。Thelearnedgentlemandid。Andheneverdid。

CHAPTER10

THELITTLEBLACKGIRLANDJULIUSCAESAR

Agreatcitysweptawaybythesea，abeautifulcountrydevastatedbyanactivevolcano——thesearenotthesortofthingsyouseeeverydayoftheweek。Andwhenyoudoseethem，nomatterhowmanyotherwondersyoumayhaveseeninyourtime，suchsightsareratherapttotakeyourbreathaway。AtlantishadcertainlythiseffectonthebreathsofCyril，Robert，Anthea，andJane。

Theyremainedinabreathlessstateforsomedays。Thelearnedgentlemanseemedasbreathlessasanyone；hespentagooddealofwhatlittlebreathhehadintellingAntheaaboutawonderfuldreamhehad。’Youwouldhardlybelieve，’hesaid，’thatanyoneCOULDhavesuchadetailedvision。’

ButAntheacouldbelieveit，shesaid，quiteeasily。

Hehadceasedtotalkaboutthought—transference。Hehadnowseentoomanywonderstobelievethat。

InconsequenceoftheirbreathlessconditionnoneofthechildrensuggestedanynewexcursionsthroughtheAmulet。Robertvoicedthemoodoftheotherswhenhesaidthattheywere’fedup’withAmuletforabit。Theyundoubtedlywere。

AsforthePsammead，itwenttosandandstayedthere，wornoutbytheterrorofthefloodandtheviolentexerciseithadhadtotakeinobediencetotheinconsideratewishesofthelearnedgentlemanandtheBabylonianqueen。

Thechildrenletitsleep。Thedangeroftakingitaboutamongstrangepeoplewhomightatanymomentutterundesirablewisheswasbecomingmoreandmoreplain。

AndtherearepleasantthingstobedoneinLondonwithoutanyaidfromAmuletsorPsammeads。Youcan，forinstancevisittheTowerofLondon，theHousesofParliament，theNationalGallery，theZoologicalGardens，thevariousParks，theMuseumsatSouthKensington，MadameTussaud’sExhibitionofWaxworks，ortheBotanicalGardensatKew。YoucangotoKewbyriversteamer——andthisisthewaythatthechildrenwouldhavegoneiftheyhadgoneatall。Onlytheyneverdid，becauseitwaswhentheywerediscussingthearrangementsforthejourney，andwhattheyshouldtakewiththemtoeatandhowmuchofit，andwhatthewholethingwouldcost，thattheadventureoftheLittleBlackGirlbegantohappen。

ThechildrenweresittingonaseatinStJames’sPark。Theyhadbeenwatchingthepelicanrepulsingwithcarefuldignitytheadvancesoftheseagullswhoarealwayssoanxioustoplaygameswithit。Thepelicanthinks，veryproperly，thatithasn’tthefigureforgames，soitspendsmostofitstimepretendingthatthatisnotthereasonwhyitwon’tplay。

ThebreathlessnesscausedbyAtlantiswaswearingoffalittle。

Cyril，whoalwayswantedtounderstandallabouteverything，wasturningthingsoverinhismind。

’I’mnot；I’monlythinking，’heansweredwhenRobertaskedhimwhathewassogrumpyabout。’I’lltellyouwhenI’vethoughtitallout。’

’Ifit’sabouttheAmuletIdon’twanttohearit，’saidJane。

’Nobodyaskedyouto，’retortedCyrilmildly，’andIhaven’tfinishedmyinsidethinkingaboutityet。Let’sgotoKewinthemeantime。’

’I’drathergoinasteamer，’saidRobert；andthegirlslaughed。

’That’sright，’saidCyril，’BEfunny。Iwould。’

’Well，hewas，rather，’saidAnthea。

’Iwouldn’tthink，Squirrel，ifithurtsyouso，’saidRobertkindly。

’Oh，shutup，’saidCyril，’orelsetalkaboutKew。’

’Iwanttoseethepalmsthere，’saidAntheahastily，’toseeifthey’reanythingliketheonesontheislandwhereweunitedtheCookandtheBurglarbytheReverendHalf—Curate。’

Alldisagreeablenesswassweptawayinapleasanttideofrecollections，and’Doyouremember……？’theysaid。’Haveyouforgotten……？’

’Myhat！’remarkedCyrilpensively，asthefloodofreminiscenceebbedalittle；’wehavehadsometimes。’

’Wehavethat，’saidRobert。

’Don’tlet’shaveanymore，’saidJaneanxiously。

’That’swhatIwasthinkingabout，’Cyrilreplied；andjustthentheyheardtheLittleBlackGirlsniff。Shewasquiteclosetothem。

Shewasnotreallyalittleblackgirl。Shewasshabbyandnotveryclean，andshehadbeencryingsomuchthatyoucouldhardlysee，throughthenarrowchinkbetweenherswollenlids，howverybluehereyeswere。Itwasherdressthatwasblack，anditwastoobigandtoolongforher，andsheworeaspeckledblack—ribbonedsailorhatthatwouldhavefittedamuchbiggerheadthanherlittleflaxenone。Andshestoodlookingatthechildrenandsniffing。

’Oh，dear！’saidAnthea，jumpingup。’Whateveristhematter？’

Sheputherhandonthelittlegirl’sarm。Itwasrudelyshakenoff。

’Youleavemebe，’saidthelittlegirl。’Iain’tdoingnothingtoyou。’

’Butwhatisit？’Antheaasked。’Hassomeonebeenhurtingyou？’

’What’sthattoyou？’saidthelittlegirlfiercely。’YOU’REallright。’

’Comeaway，’saidRobert，pullingatAnthea’ssleeve。’She’sanasty，rudelittlekid。’

’Oh，no，’saidAnthea。’She’sonlydreadfullyunhappy。Whatisit？’sheaskedagain。

’Oh，YOU’REallright，’thechildrepeated；’YOUain’tagoin’totheUnion。’

’Can’twetakeyouhome？’saidAnthea；andJaneadded，’Wheredoesyourmotherlive？’

’Shedon’tlivenowheres——she’sdead——sonow！’saidthelittlegirlfiercely，intonesofmiserabletriumph。Thensheopenedherswolleneyeswidely，stampedherfootinfury，andranaway。

Sherannofurtherthantothenextbench，flungherselfdownthereandbegantocrywithouteventryingnotto。

Anthea，quiteatonce，wenttothelittlegirlandputherarmsastightasshecouldroundthehunched—upblackfigure。

’Oh，don’tcryso，dear，don’t，don’t！’shewhisperedunderthebrimofthelargesailorhat，nowverycrookedindeed。’TellAntheaallaboutit；Anthea’llhelpyou。There，there，dear，don’tcry。’

Theothersstoodatadistance。Oneortwopassers—bystaredcuriously。

Thechildwasnowonlycryingpartofthetime；therestofthetimesheseemedtobetalkingtoAnthea。

PresentlyAntheabeckonedCyril。

’It’shorrible！’shesaidinafuriouswhisper，’herfatherwasacarpenterandhewasasteadyman，andnevertouchedadropexceptonaSaturday，andhecameuptoLondonforwork，andtherewasn’tany，andthenhedied；andhernameisImogen，andshe’sninecomenextNovember。Andnowhermother’sdead，andshe’stostaytonightwithMrsShrobsall——that’salandladythat’sbeenkind——andtomorrowtheRelievingOfficeriscomingforher，andshe’sgoingintotheUnion；thatmeanstheWorkhouse。It’stooterrible。Whatcanwedo？’

’Let’saskthelearnedgentleman，’saidJanebrightly。

AndasnooneelsecouldthinkofanythingbetterthewholepartywalkedbacktoFitzroyStreetasfastasitcould，thelittlegirlholdingtighttoAnthea’shandandnownotcryinganymore，onlysniffinggently。

Thelearnedgentlemanlookedupfromhiswritingwiththesmilethathadgrownmucheasiertohimthanitusedtobe。Theywerequiteathomeinhisroomnow；itreallyseemedtowelcomethem。

Eventhemummy—caseappearedtosmileasifinitsdistantsuperiorancientEgyptianwayitwereratherpleasedtoseethemthannot。

AntheasatonthestairswithImogen，whowasninecomenextNovember，whiletheotherswentinandexplainedthedifficulty。

Thelearnedgentlemanlistenedwithgraveattention。

’Itreallydoesseemratherroughluck，’Cyrilconcluded，’becauseI’veoftenheardaboutrichpeoplewhowantedchildrenmostawfully——thoughIknow_I_nevershould——buttheydo。Theremustbesomebodywho’dbegladtohaveher。’

’Gipsiesareawfullyfondofchildren，’Roberthopefullysaid。

’They’realwaysstealingthem。Perhapsthey’dhaveher。’

’She’squiteanicelittlegirlreally，’Janeadded；’shewasonlyrudeatfirstbecausewelookedjollyandhappy，andshewasn’t。Youunderstandthat，don’tyou？’

’Yes，’saidhe，absentlyfingeringalittleblueimagefromEgypt。’Iunderstandthatverywell。Asyousay，theremustbesomehomewhereshewouldbewelcome。’Hescowledthoughtfullyatthelittleblueimage。

Antheaoutsidethoughttheexplanationwastakingaverylongtime。

ShewassobusytryingtocheerandcomfortthelittleblackgirlthatshenevernoticedthePsammeadwho，rousedfromsleepbyhervoice，hadshakenitselffreeofsand，andwascomingcrookedlyupthestairs。Itwasclosetoherbeforeshesawit。Shepickeditupandsettleditinherlap。

’Whatisit？’askedtheblackchild。’Isitacatoraorgan—monkey，orwhat？’

AndthenAntheaheardthelearnedgentlemansay——

’Yes，Iwishwecouldfindahomewheretheywouldbegladtohaveher，’andinstantlyshefeltthePsammeadbegintoblowitselfoutasitsatonherlap。

ShejumpedupliftingthePsammeadinherskirt，andholdingImogenbythehand，rushedintothelearnedgentleman’sroom。

’Atleastlet’skeeptogether，’shecried。’Allholdhands——quick！’

ThecirclewaslikethatformedfortheMulberryBushorRing—o’—Roses。AndAntheawasonlyabletotakepartinitbyholdinginherteeththehemofherfrockwhich，thussupported，formedabagtoholdthePsammead。

’Isitagame？’askedthelearnedgentlemanfeebly。Nooneanswered。

Therewasamomentofsuspense；thencamethatcuriousupside—down，inside—outsensationwhichonealmostalwaysfeelswhentransportedfromoneplacetoanotherbymagic。Alsotherewasthatdizzydimnessofsightwhichcomesontheseoccasions。

Themistcleared，theupside—down，inside—outsensationsubsided，andtherestoodthesixinaring，asbefore，onlytheirtwelvefeet，insteadofstandingonthecarpetofthelearnedgentleman’sroom，stoodongreengrass。Abovethem，insteadoftheduskyceilingoftheFitzroyStreetfloor，wasapalebluesky。Andwherethewallshadbeenandthepaintedmummy—case，weretalldarkgreentrees，oaksandashes，andinbetweenthetreesandunderthemtangledbushesandcreepingivy。Therewerebeech—treestoo，buttherewasnothingunderthembuttheirowndeadreddriftedleaves，andhereandthereadelicategreenfern—frond。

Andtheretheystoodinacirclestillholdinghands，asthoughtheywereplayingRing—o’—RosesortheMulberryBush。justsixpeoplehandinhandinawood。Thatsoundssimple，butthenyoumustrememberthattheydidnotknowWHEREthewoodwas，andwhat’smore，theydidn’tknowWHENthenwoodwas。Therewasacurioussortoffeelingthatmadethelearnedgentlemansay——

’Anotherdream，dearme！’andmadethechildrenalmostcertainthattheywereinatimeaverylongwhileago。AsforlittleImogen，shesaid，’Oh，my！’andkepthermouthverymuchopenindeed。

’Wherearewe？’CyrilaskedthePsammead。

’InBritain，’saidthePsammead。

’Butwhen？’askedAntheaanxiously。

’Abouttheyearfifty—fivebeforetheyearyoureckontimefrom，’

saidthePsammeadcrossly。’Isthereanythingelseyouwanttoknow？’itadded，stickingitsheadoutofthebagformedbyAnthea’sbluelinenfrock，andturningitssnail’seyestorightandleft。’I’vebeenherebefore——it’sverylittlechanged。’

’Yes，butwhyhere？’askedAnthea。

’Yourinconsideratefriend，’thePsammeadreplied，’wishedtofindsomehomewheretheywouldbegladtohavethatunattractiveandimmaturefemalehumanbeingwhomyouhavepickedup——graciousknowshow。InMegatheriumdaysproperlybrought—upchildrendidn’ttalktoshabbystrangersinparks。Yourthoughtlessfriendwantedaplacewheresomeonewouldbegladtohavethisundesirablestranger。Andnowhereyouare！’

’Iseeweare，’saidAntheapatiently，lookingroundonthetallgloomoftheforest。’ButwhyHERE？WhyNOW？’

’Youdon’tsupposeanyonewouldwantachildlikethatinYOUR

times——inYOURtowns？’saidthePsammeadinirritatedtones。

’You’vegotyourcountryintosuchamessthatthere’snoroomforhalfyourchildren——andnoonetowantthem。’

’That’snotourdoing，youknow，’saidAntheagently。

’Andbringingmeherewithoutanywaterprooforanything，’saidthePsammeadstillmorecrossly，’wheneveryoneknowshowdampandfoggyAncientBritainwas。’

’Here，takemycoat，’saidRobert，takingitoff。Antheaspreadthecoatonthegroundand，puttingthePsammeadonit，foldeditroundsothatonlytheeyesandfurryearsshowed。

’There，’shesaidcomfortingly。’Nowifitdoesbegintolooklikerain，Icancoveryouupinaminute。Nowwhatarewetodo？’

Theotherswhohadstoppedholdinghandscrowdedroundtoheartheanswertothisquestion。Imogenwhisperedinanawedtone——

’Can’ttheorganmonkeytalkneither！Ithoughtitwasonlyparrots！’

’Do？’repliedthePsammead。’Idon’tcarewhatyoudo！’AnditdrewheadandearsintothetweedcoveringofRobert’scoat。

Theotherslookedateachother。

’It’sonlyadream，’saidthelearnedgentlemanhopefully；

’somethingissuretohappenifwecanpreventourselvesfromwakingup。’

Andsureenough，somethingdid。

Thebroodingsilenceofthedarkforestwasbrokenbythelaughterofchildrenandthesoundofvoices。

’Let’sgoandsee，’saidCyril。

’It’sonlyadream，’saidthelearnedgentlemantoJane，whohungback；’ifyoudon’tgowiththetideofadream——ifyouresist——youwakeup，youknow。’

Therewasasortofbreakintheundergrowththatwaslikeasillyperson’sideaofapath。TheywentalongthisinIndianfile，thelearnedgentlemanleading。

Quitesoontheycametoalargeclearingintheforest。Therewereanumberofhouses——hutsperhapsyouwouldhavecalledthem——withasortofmudandwoodfence。

’It’sliketheoldEgyptiantown，’whisperedAnthea。

Anditwas，rather。

Somechildren，withnoclothesonatall，wereplayingwhatlookedlikeRing—o’—RosesorMulberryBush。Thatistosay，theyweredancingroundinaring，holdinghands。Onagrassybankseveralwomen，dressedinblueandwhiterobesandtunicsofbeast—skinssatwatchingtheplayingchildren。

ThechildrenfromFitzroyStreetstoodonthefringeoftheforestlookingatthegames。Onewomanwithlong，fairbraidedhairsatalittleapartfromtheothers，andtherewasalookinhereyesasshefollowedtheplayofthechildrenthatmadeAntheafeelsadandsorry。

’Noneofthoselittlegirlsisherownlittlegirl，’thoughtAnthea。

Thelittleblack—cladLondonchildpulledatAnthea’ssleeve。

’Look，’shesaid，’thatonethere——she’spreciouslikemother；

mother’s’airwassomethinklovely，whenshe’adtimetocombitout。Motherwouldn’tnevera—beatmeifshe’dlived’ere——I

don’tsupposethere’se’erapublicnearerthanEpping，doyou，Miss？’

Inhereagernessthechildhadsteppedoutoftheshelteroftheforest。Thesad—eyedwomansawher。Shestoodup，herthinfacelightedupwitharadiancelikesunrise，herlong，leanarmsstretchedtowardstheLondonchild。

’Imogen！’shecried——atleastthewordwasmorelikethatthananyotherword——’Imogen！’

Therewasamomentofgreatsilence；thenakedchildrenpausedintheirplay，thewomenonthebankstaredanxiously。

’Oh，itISmother——itIS！’criedImogen—from—London，andrushedacrosstheclearedspace。Sheandhermotherclungtogether——soclosely，sostronglythattheystoodaninstantlikeastatuecarvedinstone。

Thenthewomencrowdedround。’ItISmyImogen！’criedthewoman。

’Ohitis！Andshewasn’teatenbywolves。She’scomebacktome。Tellme，mydarling，howdidyouescape？Wherehaveyoubeen？Whohasfedandclothedyou？’

’Idon’tknownothink，’saidImogen。

’Poorchild！’whisperedthewomenwhocrowdedround，’theterrorofthewolveshasturnedherbrain。’

’ButyouknowME？’saidthefair—hairedwoman。

AndImogen，clingingwithblack—clothedarmstothebareneck，answered——

’Oh，yes，mother，IknowYOUright’nough。’

’Whatisit？Whatdotheysay？’thelearnedgentlemanaskedanxiously。

’Youwishedtocomewheresomeonewantedthechild，’saidthePsammead。’Thechildsaysthisishermother。’

’Andthemother？’

’Youcansee，’saidthePsammead。

’Butisshereally？Herchild，Imean？’

’Whoknows？’saidthePsammead；’buteachonefillstheemptyplaceintheother’sheart。Itisenough。’

’Oh，’saidthelearnedgentleman，’thisisagooddream。Iwishthechildmightstayinthedream。’

ThePsammeadblewitselfoutandgrantedthewish。SoImogen’sfuturewasassured。Shehadfoundsomeonetowanther。

’Ifonlyallthechildrenthatnoonewants，’beganthelearnedgentleman——butthewomaninterrupted。Shecametowardsthem。

’Welcome，all！’shecried。’IamtheQueen，andmychildtellsmethatyouhavebefriendedher；andthisIwellbelieve，lookingonyourfaces。Yourgarbisstrange，butfacesIcanread。Thechildisbewitched，Iseethatwell，butinthisshespeakstruth。Isitnotso？’

Thechildrensaiditwasn’tworthmentioning。

IwishyoucouldhaveseenallthehonoursandkindnesseslavishedonthechildrenandthelearnedgentlemanbythoseancientBritons。

Youwouldhavethought，toseethem，thatachildwassomethingtomakeafussabout，notabitofrubbishtobehustledaboutthestreetsandhiddenawayintheWorkhouse。Itwasn’tasgrandastheentertainmentatBabylon，butsomehowitwasmoresatisfying。

’Ithinkyouchildrenhavesomewonderfulinfluenceonme，’saidthelearnedgentleman。’IneverdreamedsuchdreamsbeforeI

knewyou。’

ItwaswhentheywerealonethatnightunderthestarswheretheBritonshadspreadaheapOfdriedfernforthemtosleepon，thatCyrilspoke。

’Well，’hesaid，’we’vemadeitallrightforImogen，andhadajollygoodtime。Ivotewegethomeagainbeforethefightingbegins。’

’Whatfighting？’askedJanesleepily。

’Why，JuliusCaesar，youlittlegoat，’repliedherkindbrother。

’Don’tyouseethatifthisistheyearfifty—five，JuliusCaesarmayhappenatanymoment。’

’IthoughtyoulikedCaesar，’saidRobert。

’SoIdo——inthehistory。Butthat’sdifferentfrombeingkilledbyhissoldiers。’

’IfwesawCaesarwemightpersuadehimnotto，’saidAnthea。

’YOUpersuadeCAESAR，’Robertlaughed。

Thelearnedgentleman，beforeanyonecouldstophim，said，’I

onlywishwecouldseeCaesarsometime。’

And，ofcourse，injustthelittletimethePsammeadtooktoblowitselfoutforwish—giving，thefive，orsixcountingthePsammead，foundthemselvesinCaesar’scamp，justoutsideCaesar’stent。AndtheysawCaesar。ThePsammeadmusthavetakenadvantageoftheloosewordingofthelearnedgentleman’swish，foritwasnotthesametimeofdayasthatonwhichthewishhadbeenutteredamongthedriedferns。Itwassunset，andthegreatmansatonachairoutsidehistentgazingovertheseatowardsBritain——everyoneknewwithoutbeingtoldthatitwastowardsBritain。Twogoldeneaglesonthetopofpostsstoodoneachsideofthetent，andontheflapsofthetentwhichwasverygorgeoustolookatwerethelettersS。P。Q。R。

ThegreatmanturnedunchangedonthenewcomerstheaugustglancethathehadturnedonthevioletwatersoftheChannel。Thoughtheyhadsuddenlyappearedoutofnothing，Caesarnevershowedbythefaintestmovementofaneyelid，bytheleasttighteningofthatfirmmouth，thattheywerenotsomelongexpectedembassy。

Hewavedacalmhandtowardsthesentinels，whosprangweaponsinhandtowardsthenewcomers。

’Back！’hesaidinavoicethatthrilledlikemusic。’SincewhenhasCaesarfearedchildrenandstudents？’

Tothechildrenheseemedtospeakintheonlylanguagetheyknew；butthelearnedgentlemanheard——inratherastrangeaccent，butquiteintelligibly——thelipsofCaesarspeakingintheLatintongue，andinthattongue，alittlestiffly，heanswered——

’Itisadream，OCaesar。’

’Adream？’repeatedCaesar。’Whatisadream？’

’This，’saidthelearnedgentleman。

’Notit，’saidCyril，’it’sasortofmagic。Wecomeoutofanothertimeandanotherplace。’

’AndwewanttoaskyounottotroubleaboutconqueringBritain，’

saidAnthea；’it’sapoorlittleplace，notworthbotheringabout。’

’AreyoufromBritain？’theGeneralasked。’Yourclothesareuncouth，butwellwoven，andyourhairisshortasthehairofRomancitizens，notlonglikethehairofbarbarians，yetsuchI

deemyoutobe。’’We’renot，’saidJanewithangryeagerness；

’we’renotbarbariansatall。Wecomefromthecountrywherethesunneversets，andwe’vereadaboutyouinbooks；andourcountry’sfulloffinethings——StPaul’s，andtheTowerofLondon，andMadameTussaud’sExhibition，and——’Thentheothersstoppedher。

’Don’ttalknonsense，’saidRobertinabitterundertone。

Caesarlookedatthechildrenamomentinsilence。Thenhecalledasoldierandspokewithhimapart。Thenhesaidaloud——

’Youthreeelderchildrenmaygowhereyouwillwithinthecamp。

FewchildrenareprivilegedtoseethecampofCaesar。Thestudentandthesmallergirl—childwillremainherewithme。’

Nobodylikedthis；butwhenCaesarsaidathingthatthingwasso，andtherewasanendtoit。Sothethreewent。

LeftalonewithJaneandthelearnedgentleman，thegreatRomanfounditeasyenoughtoturntheminsideout。Butitwasnoteasy，evenforhim，tomakeheadortailoftheinsidesoftheirmindswhenhehadgotatthem。

Thelearnedgentlemaninsistedthatthewholethingwasadream，andrefusedtotalkmuch，onthegroundthatifhedidhewouldwakeup。

Jane，closelyquestioned，wasfullofinformationaboutrailways，electriclights，balloons，men—of—war，cannons，anddynamite。

’Anddotheyfightwithswords？’askedtheGeneral。

’Yes，swordsandgunsandcannons。’

Caesarwantedtoknowwhatgunswere。

’Youfirethem，’saidJane，’andtheygobang，andpeoplefalldowndead。’

’Butwhataregunslike？’

Janefoundthemhardtodescribe。

’ButRoberthasatoyoneinhispocket，’shesaid。Sotheotherswererecalled。

TheboysexplainedthepistoltoCaesarveryfully，andhelookedatitwiththegreatestinterest。Itwasatwo—shillingpistol，theonethathaddonesuchgoodserviceintheoldEgyptianvillage。

’Ishallcausegunstobemade，’saidCaesar，’andyouwillbedetainedtillIknowwhetheryouhavespokenthetruth。IhadjustdecidedthatBritainwasnotworththebotherofinvading。

Butwhatyoutellmedecidesmethatitisverymuchworthwhile。’

’Butit’sallnonsense，’saidAnthea。’Britainisjustasavagesortofisland——allfogsandtreesandbigrivers。Butthepeoplearekind。WeknowalittlegirltherenamedImogen。Andit’snouseyourmakinggunsbecauseyoucan’tfirethemwithoutgunpowder，andthatwon’tbeinventedforhundredsofyears，andwedon’tknowhowtomakeit，andwecan’ttellyou。Dogostraighthome，dearCaesar，andletpoorlittleBritainalone。’

’Butthisothergirl—childsays——’saidCaesar。

’AllJane’sbeentellingyouiswhatit’sgoingtobe，’Antheainterrupted，’hundredsandhundredsofyearsfromnow。’

’Thelittleoneisaprophetess，eh？’saidCaesar，withawhimsicallook。’Ratheryoungforthebusiness，isn’tshe？’

’Youcancallheraprophetessifyoulike，’saidCyril，’butwhatAntheasaysistrue。’

’Anthea？’saidCaesar。’That’saGreekname。’

’Verylikely，’saidCyril，worriedly。’Isay，Idowishyou’dgiveupthisideaofconqueringBritain。It’snotworthwhile，reallyitisn’t！’

’Onthecontrary，’saidCaesar，’whatyou’vetoldmehasdecidedmetogo，ifit’sonlytofindoutwhatBritainisreallylike。

Guards，detainthesechildren。’

’Quick，’saidRobert，’beforetheguardsbegindetaining。WehadenoughofthatinBabylon。’

JanehelduptheAmuletawayfromthesunset，andsaidtheword。

Thelearnedgentlemanwaspushedthroughandtheothersmorequicklythaneverbeforepassedthroughthearchbackintotheirowntimesandthequietdustysitting—roomofthelearnedgentleman。

ItisacuriousfactthatwhenCaesarwasencampedonthecoastofGaul——somewherenearBoulogneitwas，Ibelieve——hewassittingbeforehistentintheglowofthesunset，lookingoutoverthevioletwatersoftheEnglishChannel。Suddenlyhestarted，rubbedhiseyes，andcalledhissecretary。Theyoungmancamequicklyfromwithinthetent。

’Marcus，’saidCaesar。’Ihavedreamedaverywonderfuldream。

SomeofitIforget，butIrememberenoughtodecidewhatwasnotbeforedetermined。TomorrowtheshipsthathavebeenbroughtroundfromtheLigerisshallbeprovisioned。Weshallsailforthisthree—corneredisland。First，wewilltakebuttwolegions。

This，ifwhatwehaveheardbetrue，shouldsuffice。Butifmydreambetrue，thenahundredlegionswillnotsuffice。ForthedreamIdreamedwasthemostwonderfulthatevertormentedthebrainevenofCaesar。AndCaesarhasdreamedsomestrangethingsinhistime。’

’Andifyouhadn’ttoldCaesarallthatabouthowthingsarenow，he’dneverhaveinvadedBritain，’saidRoberttoJaneastheysatdowntotea。

’Oh，nonsense，’saidAnthea，pouringout；’itwasallsettledhundredsofyearsago。’

’Idon’tknow，’saidCyril。’Jam，please。ThisabouttimebeingonlyathingummyofthoughtisveryconfusIng。Ifeverythinghappensatthesametime——’

’ItCAN’T！’saidAntheastoutly，’thepresent’sthepresentandthepast’sthepast。’

’Notalways，’saidCyril。

’WhenwewereinthePastthepresentwasthefuture。Nowthen！’

headdedtriumphantly。

AndAntheacouldnotdenyit。

’Ishouldhavelikedtoseemoreofthecamp，’saidRobert。

’Yes，wedidn’tgetmuchforourmoney——butImogenishappy，that’sonething，’saidAnthea。’WeleftherhappyinthePast。

I’veoftenseenaboutpeoplebeinghappyinthePast，inpoetrybooks。Iseewhatitmeansnow。’

’It’snotabadidea，’saidthePsammeadsleepily，puttingitsheadoutofitsbagandtakingitinagainsuddenly，’beingleftinthePast。’

Everyonerememberedthisafterwards，when——

CHAPTER11

BEFOREPHARAOH

ItwasthedayaftertheadventureofJuliusCaesarandtheLittleBlackGirlthatCyril，burstingintothebathroomtowashhishandsfordinner（youhavenoideahowdirtytheywere，forhehadbeenplayingshipwreckedmarinersallthemorningontheleadsatthebackofthehouse，wherethewater—cisternis），foundAnthealeaningherelbowsontheedgeofthebath，andcryingsteadilyintoit。

’Hullo！’hesaid，withbrotherlyconcern，’what’supnow？

Dinner’llbecoldbeforeyou’vegotenoughsalt—waterforabath。’

’Goaway，’saidAntheafiercely。’Ihateyou！Ihateeverybody！’

Therewasastrickenpause。

’_I_didn’tknow，’saidCyriltamely。

’Nobodyeverdoesknowanything，’sobbedAnthea。

’Ididn’tknowyouwerewaxy。Ithoughtyou’djusthurtyourfingerswiththetapagainlikeyoudidlastweek，’Cyrilcarefullyexplained。

’Oh——fingers！’sneeredAntheathroughhersniffs。

’Here，dropit，Panther，’hesaiduncomfortably。’Youhaven’tbeenhavingaroworanything？’

’No，’shesaid。’Washyourhorridhands，forgoodness’sake，ifthat’swhatyoucamefor，orgo。’

Antheawassoseldomcrossthatwhenshewascrosstheotherswerealwaysmoresurprisedthanangry。

Cyriledgedalongthesideofthebathandstoodbesideher。Heputhishandonherarm。

’Dryup，do，’hesaid，rathertenderlyforhim。And，findingthatthoughshedidnotatoncetakehisadviceshedidnotseemtoresentit，heputhisarmawkwardlyacrosshershouldersandrubbedhisheadagainstherear。

’There！’hesaid，inthetoneofoneadministeringapricelesscureforallpossiblesorrows。’Now，what’sup？’

’Promiseyouwon’tlaugh？’

’Idon’tfeellaughishmyself，’saidCyril，dismally。

’Well，then，’saidAnthea，leaningherearagainsthishead，’it’sMother。’

’What’sthematterwithMother？’askedCyril，withapparentwantofsympathy。’Shewasallrightinherletterthismorning。’

’Yes；butIwantherso。’

’You’renottheonlyone，’saidCyrilbriefly，andthebrevityofhistoneadmittedagooddeal。

’Oh，yes，’saidAnthea，’Iknow。Weallwantherallthetime。

ButIwanthernowmostdreadfully，awfullymuch。Ineverwantedanythingsomuch。ThatImogenchild——thewaytheancientBritishQueencuddledherup！AndImogenwasn’tme，andtheQueenwasMother。Andthenherletterthismorning！AndaboutTheLamblikingthesaltbathing！Andshebathedhiminthisverybaththenightbeforeshewentaway——oh，oh，oh！’

Cyrilthumpedherontheback。

’Cheerup，’hesaid。’YouknowmyinsidethinkingthatIwasdoing？Well，thatwaspartlyaboutMother。We’llsoongetherback。Ifyou’llchuckit，likeasensiblekid，andwashyourface，I’lltellyouaboutit。That’sright。Youletmegettothetap。Can’tyoustopcrying？ShallIputthedoor—keydownyourback？’

’That’sfornoses，’saidAnthea，’andI’mnotakidanymorethanyouare，’butshelaughedalittle，andhermouthbegantogetbackintoitspropershape。Youknowwhatanoddshapeyourmouthgetsintowhenyoucryinearnest。

’Lookhere，’saidCyril，workingthesoaproundandroundbetweenhishandsinathickslimeofgreysoapsuds。’I’vebeenthinking。We’veonlyjustPLAYEDwiththeAmuletsofar。We’vegottoworkitnow——WORKitforallit’sworth。Anditisn’tonlyMothereither。There’sFatheroutthereallamongthefighting。Idon’thowlaboutit，butITHINK——Oh，botherthesoap！’Thegrey—linedsoaphadsquirtedoutunderthepressureofhisfingers，andhadhitAnthea’schinwithasmuchforceasthoughithadbeenshotfromacatapult。

’Therenow，’shesaidregretfully，’nowIshallhavetowashmyface。’

’You’dhavehadtodothatanyway，’saidCyrilwithconviction。

’Now，myidea’sthis。Youknowmissionaries？’

’Yes，’saidAnthea，whodidnotknowasingleone。

’Well，theyalwaystakethesavagesbeadsandbrandy，andstays，andhats，andbraces，andreallyusefulthings——thingsthesavageshaven’tgot，andneverheardabout。Andthesavageslovethemfortheirkindgenerousness，andgivethempearls，andshells，andivory，andcassowaries。Andthat’stheway——’

’Waitasec，’saidAnthea，splashing。’Ican’thearwhatyou’resaying。Shellsand——’

’Shells，andthingslikethat。Thegreatthingistogetpeopletoloveyoubybeinggenerous。Andthat’swhatwe’vegottodo。

NexttimewegointothePastwe’llregularlyfitouttheexpedition。YourememberhowtheBabylonianQueenfrozeontothatpocket—book？Well，we’lltakethingslikethat。AndoffertheminexchangeforasightoftheAmulet。’

’Asightofitisnotmuchgood。’

’No，silly。But，don’tyousee，whenwe’veseenitweshallknowwhereitis，andwecangoandtakeitinthenightwheneverybodyisasleep。’

’Itwouldn’tbestealing，wouldit？’saidAntheathoughtfully，’becauseitwillbesuchanawfullylongtimeagowhenwedoit。

Oh，there’sthatbellagain。’

Assoonasdinnerwaseaten（itwastinnedsalmonandlettuce，andajamtart），andtheclothclearedaway，theideawasexplainedtotheothers，andthePsammeadwasarousedfromsand，andaskedwhatitthoughtwouldbegoodmerchandisewithwhichtobuytheaffectionofsay，theAncientEgyptians，andwhetheritthoughttheAmuletwaslikelytobefoundintheCourtofPharaoh。

Butitshookitshead，andshotoutitssnail’seyeshopelessly。

’I’mnotallowedtoplayinthisgame，’itsaid。’OfcourseI

COULDfindoutinaminutewherethethingwas，onlyImayn’t。

ButImaygosofarastoownthatyourideaoftakingthingswithyouisn’tabadone。AndIshouldn’tshowthemallatonce。

Takesmallthingsandconcealthemcraftilyaboutyourpersons。’

Thisadviceseemedgood。SoonthetablewaslitteredoverwiththingswhichthechildrenthoughtlikelytointeresttheAncientEgyptians。Antheabroughtdolls，puzzleblocks，awoodentea—service，agreenleathercasewithNecessairewrittenonitingoldletters。AuntEmmahadoncegivenittoAnthea，andithadthencontainedscissors，penknife，bodkin，stiletto，thimble，corkscrew，andglove—buttoner。Thescissors，knife，andthimble，andpenknifewere，ofcourse，lost，buttheotherthingswerethereandasgoodasnew。Cyrilcontributedleadsoldiers，acannon，acatapult，atin—opener，atie—clip，andatennisball，andapadlock——nokey。Robertcollectedacandle（’Idon’tsupposetheyeversawaself—fittingparaffinone，’hesaid），apennyJapanesepin—tray，arubberstampwithhisfather’snameandaddressonit，andapieceofputty。

Janeaddedakey—ring，thebrasshandleofapoker，apotthathadheldcold—cream，asmokedpearlbuttonoffherwintercoat，andakey——nolock。

’Wecan’ttakeallthisrubbish，’saidRobert，withsomescorn。

’Wemustjusteachchooseonething。’

Theafternoonpassedveryagreeablyintheattempttochoosefromthetablethefourmostsuitableobjects。Butthefourchildrencouldnotagreewhatwassuitable，andatlastCyrilsaid——

’Lookhere，let’seachbeblindfoldedandreachout，andthefirstthingyoutouchyoustickto。’

Thiswasdone。

Cyriltouchedthepadlock。

AntheagottheNecessaire。

Robertclutchedthecandle。

Janepickedupthetie—clip。

’It’snotmuch，’shesaid。’Idon’tbelieveAncientEgyptiansworeties。’

’Nevermind，’saidAnthea。’Ibelieveit’sluckiernottoreallychoose。Inthestoriesit’salwaysthethingthewood—cutter’ssonpicksupintheforest，andalmostthrowsawaybecausehethinksit’snogood，thatturnsouttobethemagicthingintheend；orelsesomeone’slostit，andheisrewardedwiththehandoftheKing’sdaughterinmarriage。’

’Idon’twantanyhandsinmarriage，thankyou。’saidCyrilfirmly。

’Noryetme，’saidRobert。’It’salwaystheendoftheadventureswhenitcomestothemarriagehands。’

’AREweready？’saidAnthea。

’ItISEgyptwe’regoingto，isn’tit？——niceEgypt？’saidJane。

’Iwon’tgoanywhereIdon’tknowabout——likethatdreadfulbig—wavyburning—mountaincity，’sheinsisted。

ThenthePsammeadwascoaxedintoitsbag。’Isay，’saidCyrilsuddenly，’I’mrathersickofkings。Andpeoplenoticeyousoinpalaces。BesidestheAmulet’ssuretobeinaTemple。Let’sjustgoamongthecommonpeople，andtrytoworkourselvesupbydegrees。WemightgettakenonasTempleassistants。’

’Likebeadles，’saidAnthea，’orvergers。TheymusthavesplendidchancesofstealingtheTempletreasures。’

’Righto！’wasthegeneralrejoinder。Thecharmwasheldup。Itgrewbigonceagain，andonceagainthewarmgoldenEasternlightglowedsoftlybeyondit。

Asthechildrensteppedthroughitloudandfuriousvoicesrangintheirears。TheywentsuddenlyfromthequietofFitzroyStreetdining—roomintoaveryangryEasterncrowd，acrowdmuchtooangrytonoticethem。Theyedgedthroughittothewallofahouseandstoodthere。Thecrowdwasofmen，women，andchildren。Theywereofallsortsofcomplexions，andpicturesofthemmighthavebeencolouredbyanychildwithashillingpaint—box。Thecoloursthatchildwouldhaveusedforcomplexionswouldhavebeenyellowochre，redochre，lightred，sepia，andindianink。Buttheirfaceswerepaintedalready——blackeyebrowsandlashes，andsomeredlips。Thewomenworeasortofpinaforewithshoulderstraps，andloosethingswoundroundtheirheadsandshoulders。Themenworeverylittleclothing——fortheyweretheworkingpeople——andtheEgyptianboysandgirlsworenothingatall，unlessyoucountthelittleornamentshungonchainsroundtheirnecksandwaists。Thechildrensawallthisbeforetheycouldhearanythingdistinctly。

Everyonewasshoutingso。

Butavoicesoundedabovetheothervoices，andpresentlyitwasspeakinginasilence。

’Comradesandfellowworkers，’itsaid，anditwasthevoiceofatall，coppery—colouredmanwhohadclimbedintoachariotthathadbeenstoppedbythecrowd。Itsownerhadbolted，mutteringsomethingaboutcallingtheGuards，andnowthemanspokefromit。’Comradesandfellowworkers，howlongarewetoendurethetyrannyofourmasters，wholiveinidlenessandluxuryonthefruitofourtoil？Theyonlygiveusabaresubsistencewage，andtheyliveonthefatoftheland。Welabourallourlivestokeeptheminwantonluxury。Letusmakeanendofit！’

Aroarofapplauseansweredhim。

’Howareyougoingtodoit？’criedavoice。

’Youlookout，’criedanother，’oryou’llgetyourselfintotrouble。’

’I’veheardalmosteverysinglewordofthat，’whisperedRobert，’inHydeParklastSunday！’

’Letusstrikeformorebreadandonionsandbeer，andalongermid—dayrest，’thespeakerwenton。’Youaretired，youarehungry，youarethirsty。Youarepoor，yourwivesandchildrenarepiningforfood。Thebarnsofthericharefulltoburstingwiththecornwewant，thecornourlabourhasgrown。Tothegranaries！’

’Tothegranaries！’criedhalfthecrowd；butanothervoiceshoutedclearabovethetumult，’ToPharaoh！TotheKing！Let’spresentapetitiontotheKing！Hewilllistentothevoiceoftheoppressed！’

Foramomentthecrowdswayedonewayandanother——firsttowardsthegranariesandthentowardsthepalace。Then，witharushlikethatofanimprisonedtorrentsuddenlysetfree，itsurgedalongthestreettowardsthepalace，andthechildrenwerecarriedwithit。AntheafounditdifficulttokeepthePsammeadfrombeingsqueezedveryuncomfortably。

Thecrowdsweptthroughthestreetsofdull—lookinghouseswithfewwindows，veryhighup，acrossthemarketwherepeoplewerenotbuyingbutexchanginggoods。InamomentarypauseRobertsawabasketofonionsexchangedforahaircombandfivefishforastringofbeads。Thepeopleinthemarketseemedbetteroffthanthoseinthecrowd；theyhadfinerclothes，andmoreofthem。

Theywerethekindofpeoplewho，nowadays，wouldhavelivedatBrixtonorBrockley。

’What’sthetroublenow？’alanguid，large—eyedladyinacrimped，half—transparentlinendress，withherblackhairverymuchbraidedandpuffedout，askedofadate—seller。

’Oh，theworking—men——discontentedasusual，’themananswered。

’Listentothem。Anyonewouldthinkitmatteredwhethertheyhadalittlemoreorlesstoeat。Dregsofsociety！’saidthedate—seller。

’Scum！’saidthelady。

’AndI’veheardTHATbefore，too，’saidRobert。

Atthatmomentthevoiceofthecrowdchanged，fromangertodoubt，fromdoubttofear。Therewereothervoicesshouting；

theyshouteddefianceandmenace，andtheycamenearerveryquickly。Therewastherattleofwheelsandthepoundingofhoofs。Avoiceshouted，’Guards！’

’TheGuards！TheGuards！’shoutedanothervoice，andthecrowdofworkmentookupthecry。’TheGuards！Pharaoh’sGuards！’

Andswayingalittleoncemore，thecrowdhungforamomentasitwerebalanced。Thenasthetramplinghoofscamenearertheworkmenfleddispersed，upalleysandintothecourtsofhouses，andtheGuardsintheirembossedleatherchariotssweptdownthestreetatthegallop，theirwheelsclatteringoverthestones，andtheirdark—coloured，bluetunicsblownopenandbackwiththewindoftheirgoing。

’SoTHATriot’sover，’saidthecrimped—linen—dressedlady；

’that’sablessing！AnddidyounoticetheCaptainoftheGuard？

Whataveryhandsomemanhewas，tobesure！’

Thefourchildrenhadtakenadvantageofthemoment’spausebeforethecrowdturnedtofly，toedgethemselvesanddrageachotherintoanarcheddoorway。

Nowtheyeachdrewalongbreathandlookedattheothers。

’We’rewelloutofTHAT，’saidCyril。

’Yes，’saidAnthea，’butIdowishthepoormenhadn’tbeendrivenbackbeforetheycouldgettotheKing。Hemighthavedonesomethingforthem。’

’NotifhewastheoneintheBiblehewouldn’t，’saidJane。’Hehadahardheart。’’Ah，thatwastheMosesone，’Antheaexplained。’TheJosephonewasquitedifferent。IshouldliketoseePharaoh’shouse。Iwonderwhetherit’sliketheEgyptianCourtintheCrystalPalace。’

’IthoughtwedecidedtotrytogettakenoninaTemple，’saidCyrilininjuredtones。

’Yes，butwe’vegottoknowsomeonefirst。Couldn’twemakefriendswithaTempledoorkeeper——wemightgivehimthepadlockorsomething。Iwonderwhicharetemplesandwhicharepalaces，’

Robertadded，glancingacrossthemarket—placetowhereanenormousgatewaywithhugesidebuildingstoweredtowardsthesky。Torightandleftofitwereotherbuildingsonlyalittlelessmagnificent。

’DidyouwishtoseekouttheTempleofAmenRa？’askedasoftvoicebehindthem，’ortheTempleofMut，ortheTempleofKhonsu？’

Theyturnedtofindbesidethemayoungman。Hewasshavedcleanfromheadtofoot，andonhisfeetwerelightpapyrussandals。

Hewasclothedinalinentunicofwhite，embroideredheavilyincolours。Hewasgaywithanklets，bracelets，andarmletsofgold，richlyinlaid。Heworearingonhisfinger，andhehadashortjacketofgoldembroiderysomethingliketheZouavesoldierswear，andonhisneckwasagoldcollarwithmanyamuletshangingfromit。Butamongtheamuletsthechildrencouldseenoneliketheirs。

’Itdoesn’tmatterwhichTemple，’saidCyrilfrankly。

’Tellmeyourmission，’saidtheyoungman。’IamadivinefatheroftheTempleofAmenRaandperhapsIcanhelpyou。’

’Well，’saidCyril，’we’vecomefromthegreatEmpireonwhichthesunneversets。’

’Ithoughtsomehowthatyou’dcomefromsomeodd，out—of—the—wayspot，’saidthepriestwithcourtesy。

’Andwe’veseenagoodmanypalaces。WethoughtweshouldliketoseeaTemple，forachange，’saidRobert。

ThePsammeadstirreduneasilyinitsembroideredbag。

’HaveyoubroughtgiftstotheTemple？’askedthepriestcautiously。

’WeHAVEgotsomegifts，’saidCyrilwithequalcaution。’Youseethere’smagicmixedupinit。Sowecan’ttellyoueverything。Butwedon’twanttogiveourgiftsfornothing。’

’Bewarehowyouinsultthegod，’saidtheprieststernly。’I

alsocandomagic。Icanmakeawaxenimageofyou，andIcansaywordswhich，asthewaximagemeltsbeforethefire，willmakeyoudwindleawayandatlastperishmiserably。’

’Pooh！’saidCyrilstoutly，’that’snothing。_I_canmakeFIRE

itself！’

’Ishouldjollywellliketoseeyoudoit，’saidthepriestunbelievingly。

’Well，youshall，’saidCyril，’nothingeasier。Juststandcloseroundme。’

’Doyouneednopreparation——nofasting，noincantations？’Thepriest’stonewasincredulous。

’Theincantation’squiteshort，’saidCyril，takingthehint；

’andasforfasting，it’snotneededinMYsortofmagic。UnionJack，PrintingPress，Gunpowder，RuleBritannia！Come，Fire，attheendofthislittlestick！’

Hehadpulledamatchfromhispocket，andasheendedtheincantationwhichcontainednowordsthatitseemedlikelytheEgyptianhadeverheardhestoopedinthelittlecrowdofhisrelationsandthepriestandstruckthematchonhisboot。Hestoodup，shieldingtheflamewithonehand。

’See？’hesaid，withmodestpride。’Here，takeitintoyourhand。’

’No，thankyou，’saidthepriest，swiftlybacking。’Canyoudothatagain？’

’Yes。’

’ThencomewithmetothegreatdoublehouseofPharaoh。Helovesgoodmagic，andhewillraiseyoutohonourandglory。

There’snoneedofsecretsbetweeninitiates，’hewentonconfidentially。’Thefactis，Iamoutoffavouratpresentowingtoalittlematteroffailureofprophecy。ItoldhimabeautifulprincesswouldbesenttohimfromSyria，and，lo！awomanthirtyyearsoldarrived。ButsheWASabeautifulwomannotsolongago。Timeisonlyamodeofthought，youknow。’

Thechildrenthrilledtothefamiliarwords。

’Soyouknowthattoo，doyou？’saidCyril。

’Itispartofthemysteryofallmagic，isitnot？’saidthepriest。’NowifIbringyoutoPharaohthelittleunpleasantnessIspokeofwillbeforgotten。AndIwillaskPharaoh，theGreatHouse，SonoftheSun，andLordoftheSouthandNorth，todecreethatyoushalllodgeintheTemple。Thenyoucanhaveagoodlookround，andteachmeyourmagic。AndIwillteachyoumine。’

Thisideaseemedgood——atleastitwasbetterthananyotherwhichatthatmomentoccurredtoanybody，sotheyfollowedthepriestthroughthecity。

Thestreetswereverynarrowanddirty。Thebesthouses，thepriestexplained，werebuiltwithinwallstwentytotwenty—fivefeethigh，andsuchwindowsasshowedinthewallswereveryhighup。Thetopsofpalm—treesshowedabovethewalls。Thepoorpeople’shouseswerelittlesquarehutswithadoorandtwowindows，andsmokecomingoutofaholeintheback。

’ThepoorEgyptianshaven’timprovedsoverymuchintheirbuildingsincethefirsttimewecametoEgypt，’whisperedCyriltoAnthea。

Thehutswereroofedwithpalmbranches，andeverywheretherewerechickens，andgoats，andlittlenakedchildrenkickingaboutintheyellowdust。Ononeroofwasagoat，whohadclimbedupandwaseatingthedrypalm—leaveswithsnortsandhead—tossingsofdelight。Overeveryhousedoorwassomesortoffigureorshape。

’Amulets，’thepriestexplained，’tokeepofftheevileye。’

’Idon’tthinkmuchofyour"niceEgypt"，’RobertwhisperedtoJane；’it’ssimplynotapatchonBabylon。’

’Ah，youwaittillyouseethepalace，’Janewhisperedback。

Thepalacewasindeedmuchmoremagnificentthananythingtheyhadyetseenthatday，thoughitwouldhavemadebutapoorshowbesidethatoftheBabylonianKing。Theycametoitthroughagreatsquarepillareddoorwayofsandstonethatstoodinahighbrickwall。Theshutdoorswereofmassivecedar，withbronzehinges，andwerestuddedwithbronzenails。Atthesidewasalittledoorandawicketgate，andthroughthisthepriestledthechildren。Heseemedtoknowawordthatmadethesentriesmakewayforhim。

Insidewasagarden，plantedwithhundredsofdifferentkindsoftreesandfloweringshrubs，alakefulloffish，withbluelotusflowersatthemargin，andducksswimmingaboutcheerfully，andlooking，asJanesaid，quitemodern。

’Theguard—chamber，thestore—houses，thequeen’shouse，’saidthepriest，pointingthemout。

Theypassedthroughopencourtyards，pavedwithflatstones，andthepriestwhisperedtoaguardatagreatinnergate。

’Wearefortunate，’hesaidtothechildren，’PharaohisevennowintheCourtofHonour。Now，don’tforgettobeovercomewithrespectandadmiration。Itwon’tdoanyharmifyoufallflatonyourfaces。Andwhateveryoudo，don’tspeakuntilyou’respokento。’

’Thereusedtobethatruleinourcountry，’saidRobert，’whenmyfatherwasalittleboy。’

AttheouterendofthegreathallacrowdofpeoplewerearguingwithandevenshovingtheGuards，whoseemedtomakeitarulenottoletanyonethroughunlesstheywerebribedtodoit。Thechildrenheardseveralpromisesoftheutmostrichness，andwonderedwhethertheywouldeverbekept。

Allroundthehallwerepillarsofpaintedwood。Theroofwasofcedar，gorgeouslyinlaid。Abouthalf—wayupthehallwasawide，shallowstepthatwentrightacrossthehall；thenalittlefartheronanother；andthenasteepflightofnarrowersteps，leadingrightuptothethroneonwhichPharaohsat。Hesatthereverysplendid，hisredandwhitedoublecrownonhishead，andhissceptreinhishand。Thethronehadacanopyofwoodandwoodenpillarspaintedinbrightcolours。Onalow，broadbenchthatranallroundthehallsatthefriends，relatives，andcourtiersoftheKing，leaningonrichly—coveredcushions。

Thepriestledthechildrenupthestepstilltheyallstoodbeforethethrone；andthen，suddenly，hefellonhisfacewithhandsoutstretched。Theothersdidthesame，AntheafallingverycarefullybecauseofthePsammead。

’Raisethem，’saidthevoiceofPharaoh，’thattheymayspeaktome。’

TheofficersoftheKing’shouseholdraisedthem。

’Whoarethesestrangers？’Pharaohasked，andaddedverycrossly，’Andwhatdoyoumean，Rekh—mara，bydaringtocomeintomypresencewhileyourinnocenceisnotestablished？’

’Oh，greatKing，’saidtheyoungpriest，’youaretheveryimageofRa，andthelikenessofhissonHorusineveryrespect。Youknowthethoughtsoftheheartsofthegodsandofmen，andyouhavedivinedthatthesestrangersarethechildrenofthechildrenofthevileandconqueredKingsoftheEmpirewherethesunneversets。TheyknowamagicnotknowntotheEgyptians。

AndtheycomewithgiftsintheirhandsastributetoPharaoh，inwhoseheartisthewisdomofthegods，andonhislipstheirtruth。’

’Thatisallverywell，’saidPharaoh，’butwherearethegifts？’

Thechildren，bowingaswellastheycouldintheirembarrassmentatfindingthemselvesthecentreofinterestinacirclemoregrand，moregoldenandmorehighlycolouredthantheycouldhaveimaginedpossible，pulledoutthepadlock，theNecessaire，andthetie—clip。’Butit’snottributeallthesame，’Cyrilmuttered。’Englanddoesn’tpaytribute！’

Pharaohexaminedallthethingswithgreatinterestwhenthechiefofthehouseholdhadtakenthemuptohim。’DeliverthemtotheKeeperoftheTreasury，’hesaidtoonenearhim。Andtothechildrenhesaid——

’Asmalltribute，truly，butstrange，andnotwithoutworth。Andthemagic，ORekh—mara？’

’Theseunworthysonsofaconquerednation……’beganRekh—mara。

’Nothingofthekind！’Cyrilwhisperedangrily。

’……ofavileandconquerednation，canmakefiretospringfromdrywood——inthesightofall。’

’Ishouldjollywellliketoseethemdoit，’saidPharaoh，justasthepriesthaddone。

SoCyril，withoutmoreado，didit。

’Domoremagic，’saidtheKing，withsimpleappreciation。