第6章

’Hecannotdoanymoremagic，’saidAntheasuddenly，andalleyeswereturnedonher，’becauseofthevoiceofthefreepeoplewhoareshoutingforbreadandonionsandbeerandalongmid—dayrest。Ifthepeoplehadwhattheywanted，hecoulddomore。’

’Arude—spokengirl，’saidPharaoh。’Butgivethedogswhattheywant，’hesaid，withoutturninghishead。’Letthemhavetheirrestandtheirextrarations。Thereareplentyofslavestowork。’

Arichly—dressedofficialhurriedout。

’Youwillbetheidolofthepeople，’Rekh—marawhisperedjoyously；’theTempleofAmenwillnotcontaintheirofferings。’

Cyrilstruckanothermatch，andallthecourtwasoverwhelmedwithdelightandwonder。AndwhenCyriltookthecandlefromhispocketandlighteditwiththematch，andthenheldtheburningcandleupbeforetheKingtheenthusiasmknewnobounds。

’Oh，greatestofall，beforewhomsunandmoonandstarsbowdown，’saidRekh—marainsinuatingly，’amIpardoned？Ismyinnocencemadeplain？’

’Asplainasiteverwillbe，Idaresay，’saidPharaohshortly。

’Getalongwithyou。Youarepardoned。Goinpeace。’Thepriestwentwithlightningswiftness。

’Andwhat，’saidtheKingsuddenly，’isitthatmovesinthatsack？

Showme，ohstrangers。’

TherewasnothingforitbuttoshowthePsammead。

’Seizeit，’saidPharaohcarelessly。’Averycuriousmonkey。Itwillbeanicelittlenoveltyformywildbeastcollection。’

Andinstantly，theentreatiesofthechildrenavailingaslittleasthebitesofthePsammead，thoughbothbitesandentreatieswerefervent，itwascarriedawayfrombeforetheireyes。

’Oh，DObecareful！’criedAnthea。’Atleastkeepitdry！Keepitinitssacredhouse！’

Shehelduptheembroideredbag。

’It’samagiccreature，’criedRobert；’it’ssimplypriceless！’

’You’venorighttotakeitaway，’criedJaneincautiously。

’It’sashame，abarefacedrobbery，that’swhatitis！’

Therewasanawfulsilence。ThenPharaohspoke。

’Takethesacredhouseofthebeastfromthem，’hesaid，’andimprisonall。Tonightaftersupperitmaybeourpleasuretoseemoremagic。Guardthemwell，anddonottorturethem——yet！’

’Oh，dear！’sobbedJane，astheywereledaway。’Iknewexactlywhatitwouldbe！Oh，Iwishyouhadn’t！’

’Shutup，silly，’saidCyril。’YouknowyouWOULDcometoEgypt。

Itwasyourownideaentirely。Shutup。It’llbeallright。’

’Ithoughtweshouldplayballwithqueens，’sobbedJane，’andhavenoendoflarks！Andnoweverything’sgoingtobeperfectlyhorrid！’

TheroomtheywereshutupinWASaroom，andnotadungeon，astheelderoneshadfeared。That，asAntheasaid，wasonecomfort。Therewerepaintingsonthewallthatatanyothertimewouldhavebeenmostinteresting。Andasortoflowcouch，andchairs。WhentheywerealoneJanebreathedasighofrelief。

’Nowwecangethomeallright，’shesaid。

’AndleavethePsammead？’saidAntheareproachfully。

’Waitasec。I’vegotanidea，’saidCyril。Heponderedforafewmoments。Thenhebeganhammeringontheheavycedardoor。

Itopened，andaguardputinhishead。

’Stopthatrow，’hesaidsternly，’or——’

’Lookhere，’Cyrilinterrupted，’it’sverydullforyouisn’tit？justdoingnothingbutguardus。Wouldn’tyouliketoseesomemagic？We’renottooproudtodoitforyou。Wouldn’tyouliketoseeit？’

’Idon’tmindifIdo，’saidtheguard。

’Wellthen，yougetusthatmonkeyofoursthatwastakenaway，andwe’llshowyou。’

’HowdoIknowyou’renotmakinggameofme？’askedthesoldier。

’Shouldn’twonderifyouonlywantedtogetthecreaturesoastosetitonme。Idaresayitsteethandclawsarepoisonous。’

’Well，lookhere，’saidRobert。’Youseewe’vegotnothingwithus？Youjustshutthedoor，andopenitagaininfiveminutes，andwe’llhavegotamagic——oh，Idon’tknow——amagicflowerinapotforyou。’

’Ifyoucandothatyoucandoanything，’saidthesoldier，andhewentoutandbarredthedoor。

Then，ofcourse，theyhelduptheAmulet。TheyfoundtheEastbyholdingitup，andturningslowlytilltheAmuletbegantogrowbig，walkedhomethroughit，andcamebackwithageraniuminfullscarletflowerfromthestaircasewindowoftheFitzroyStreethouse。

’Well！’saidthesoldierwhenhecamein。’Ireallyam——！’

’Wecandomuchmorewonderfulthingsthanthat——oh，eversomuch，’saidAntheapersuasively，’ifweonlyhaveourmonkey。

Andhere’stwopenceforyourself。’

Thesoldierlookedatthetwopence。

’What’sthis？’hesaid。

Robertexplainedhowmuchsimpleritwastopaymoneyforthingsthantoexchangethemasthepeopleweredoinginthemarket。

Lateronthesoldiergavethecoinstohiscaptain，who，laterstill，showedthemtoPharaoh，whoofcoursekeptthemandwasmuchstruckwiththeidea。ThatwasreallyhowcoinsfirstcametobeusedinEgypt。Youwillnotbelievethis，Idaresay，butreally，ifyoubelievetherestofthestory，Idon’tseewhyyoushouldn’tbelievethisaswell。

’Isay，’saidAnthea，struckbyasuddenthought，’Isupposeit’llbeallrightaboutthoseworkmen？TheKingwon’tgobackonwhathesaidaboutthemjustbecausehe’sangrywithus？’

’Oh，no，’saidthesoldier，’yousee，he’sratherafraidofmagic。He’llkeeptohiswordrightenough。’

’ThenTHAT’Sallright，’saidRobert；andAntheasaidsoftlyandcoaxingly——

’Ah，DOgetusthemonkey，andthenyou’llseesomelovelymagic。

Do——there’sanice，kindsoldier。’

’Idon’tknowwherethey’veputyourpreciousmonkey，butifI

cangetanotherchaptotakeonmydutyhereI’llseewhatIcando，’hesaidgrudgingly，andwentout。

’Doyoumean，’saidRobert，’thatwe’regoingoffwithoutevenTRYINGfortheotherhalfoftheAmulet？’

’Ireallythinkwe’dbetter，’saidAntheatremulously。’OfcoursetheotherhalfoftheAmulet’sheresomewhereorourhalfwouldn’thavebroughtushere。Idowishwecouldfindit。Itisapitywedon’tknowanyREALmagic。Thenwecouldfindout。

Idowonderwhereitis——exactly。’

Iftheyhadonlyknownit，somethingveryliketheotherhalfoftheAmuletwasverynearthem。Ithungroundtheneckofsomeone，andthatsomeonewaswatchingthemthroughachink，highupinthewall，speciallydevisedforwatchingpeoplewhowereimprisoned。Buttheydidnotknow。

Therewasnearlyanhourofanxiouswaiting。Theytriedtotakeaninterestinthepictureonthewall，apictureofharpersplayingveryoddharpsandwomendancingatafeast。Theyexaminedthepaintedplasterfloor，andthechairswereofwhitepaintedwoodwithcolouredstripesatintervals。

Butthetimewentslowly，andeveryonehadtimetothinkofhowPharaohhadsaid，’Don’ttorturethem——YET。’

’Iftheworstcomestotheworst，’saidCyril，’wemustjustbunk，andleavethePsammead。Ibelieveitcantakecareofitselfwellenough。Theywon’tkillitorhurtitwhentheyfinditcanspeakandgivewishes。They’llbuilditatemple，I

shouldn’twonder。’

’Icouldn’tbeartogowithoutit，’saidAnthea，’andPharaohsaid"Aftersupper"，thatwon’tbejustyet。AndthesoldierWAS

curious。I’msurewe’reallrightforthepresent。’

Allthesame，thesoundsofthedoorbeingunbarredseemedoneoftheprettiestsoundspossible。

’Supposehehasn’tgotthePsammead？’whisperedJane。

ButthatdoubtwassetatrestbythePsammeaditself；foralmostbeforethedoorwasopenitsprangthroughthechinkofitintoAnthea’sarms，shiveringandhunchingupitsfur。

’Here’sitsfancyovercoat，’saidthesoldier，holdingoutthebag，intowhichthePsammeadimmediatelycrept。

’Now，’saidCyril，’whatwouldyoulikeustodo？Anythingyou’dlikeustogetforyou？’

’Anylittletrickyoulike，’saidthesoldier。’Ifyoucangetastrangeflowerbloominginanearthenwarevaseyoucangetanything，Isuppose，’hesaid。’IjustwishI’dgottwomen’sloadsofjewelsfromtheKing’streasury。That’swhatI’vealwayswishedfor。’

Attheword’WISH’thechildrenknewthatthePsammeadwouldattendtoTHATbitofmagic。Itdid，andthefloorwaslitteredwithaspreadingheapofgoldandpreciousstones。

’Anyotherlittletrick？’askedCyrilloftily。’Shallwebecomeinvisible？Vanish？’

’Yes，ifyoulike，’saidthesoldier；’butnotthroughthedoor，youdon’t。’

HecloseditcarefullyandsethisbroadEgyptianbackagainstit。

’No！no！’criedavoicehighupamongthetopsofthetallwoodenpillarsthatstoodagainstthewall。Therewasasoundofsomeonemovingabove。

Thesoldierwasasmuchsurprisedasanybody。

’That’smagic，ifyoulike，’hesaid。

AndthenJanehelduptheAmulet，utteringthewordofPower。AtthesoundofitandatthesightoftheAmuletgrowingintothegreatarchthesoldierfellflatonhisfaceamongthejewelswithacryofaweandterror。

Thechildrenwentthroughthearchwithaquicknessbornoflongpractice。ButJanestayedinthemiddleofthearchandlookedback。

Theothers，standingonthedining—roomcarpetinFitzroyStreet，turnedandsawherstillinthearch。’Someone’sholdingher，’

criedCyril。’Wemustgoback。’

ButtheypulledatJane’shandsjusttoseeifshewouldcome，and，ofcourse，shedidcome。

Then，asusual，thearchwaslittleagainandtheretheyallwere。

’Oh，Idowishyouhadn’t！’Janesaidcrossly。"ItWASsointeresting。Thepriesthadcomeinandhewaskickingthesoldier，andtellinghimhe’ddoneitnow，andtheymusttakethejewelsandfleefortheirlives。’

’Anddidthey？’

’Idon’tknow。Youinterfered，’saidJaneungratefully。’I

SHOULDhavelikedtoseethelastofit。’

Asamatteroffact，noneofthemhadseenthelastofit——ifby’it’JanemeanttheadventureofthePriestandtheSoldier。

CHAPTER12

THESORRY—PRESENTANDTHEEXPELLEDLITTLEBOY

’Lookhere，saidCyril，sittingonthedining—tableandswinginghislegs；’Ireallyhavegotit。’

’Gotwhat？’wasthenotunnaturalrejoinderoftheothers。

Cyrilwasmakingaboatwithapenknifeandapieceofwood，andthegirlsweremakingwarmfrocksfortheirdolls，fortheweatherwasgrowingchilly。

’Why，don’tyousee？It’sreallynotanygoodourgoingintothePastlookingforthatAmulet。ThePast’sasfullofdifferenttimesas——astheseaisofsand。We’resimplyboundtohituponthewrongtime。WemightspendourliveslookingfortheAmuletandneverseeasightofit。Why，it’stheendofSeptemberalready。It’slikelookingforaneedlein——’

’Abottleofhay——Iknow，’interruptedRobert；’butifwedon’tgoondoingthat，whatAREwetodo？’

’That’sjustit，’saidCyrilinmysteriousaccents。’Oh，BOTHER！’

OldNursehadcomeinwiththetrayofknives，forks，andglasses，andwasgettingthetableclothandtable—napkinsoutofthechiffonierdrawer。

’It’salwaysmeal—timesjustwhenyoucometoanythinginteresting。’

’AndaniceinterestinghandfulYOU’Dbe，MasterCyril，’saidoldNurse，’ifIwasn’ttobringyourmealsuptotime。Don’tyoubegingrumblingnow，fearyougetsomethingtogrumbleAT。’

’Iwasn’tgrumbling，’saidCyrilquiteuntruly；’butitdoesalwayshappenlikethat。’

’YoudeservetoHAVEsomethinghappen，’saidoldNurse。’Slave，slave，slaveforyoudayandnight，andneverawordofthanks……’

’Why，youdoeverythingbeautifully，’saidAnthea。

’It’sthefirsttimeanyofyou’stroubledtosayso，anyhow，’

saidNurseshortly。

’What’stheuseofSAYING？’inquiredRobert。’WeEATourmealsfastenough，andalmostalwaystwohelps。THAToughttoshowyou！’

’Ah！’saidoldNurse，goingroundthetableandputtingtheknivesandforksintheirplaces；’you’reamanallover，MasterRobert。TherewasmypoorGreen，alltheyearshelivedwithmeInevercouldgetmoreoutofhimthan"It’sallright！"whenI

askedhimifhe’dfanciedhisdinner。Andyet，whenhelaya—dying，hislastwordstomewas，"Maria，youwasalwaysagoodcook！"’Sheendedwithatremblingvoice。

’Andsoyouare，’criedAnthea，andsheandJaneinstantlyhuggedher。

WhenshehadgoneoutoftheroomAntheasaid——

’Iknowexactlyhowshefeels。Now，lookhere！Let’sdoapenancetoshowwe’resorrywedidn’tthinkabouttellingherbeforewhatnicecookingshedoes，andwhatadearsheis。’

’Penancesaresilly，’saidRobert。

’Notifthepenanceissomethingtopleasesomeoneelse。I

didn’tmeanoldpeasandhairshirtsandsleepingonthestones。

Imeanwe’llmakeherasorry—present，’explainedAnthea。’Lookhere！IvoteCyrildoesn’ttellushisideauntilwe’vedonesomethingforoldNurse。It’sworseforusthanhim，’sheaddedhastily，’becauseheknowswhatitisandwedon’t。Doyouallagree？’

Theotherswouldhavebeenashamednottoagree，sotheydid。Itwasnottillquiteneartheendofdinner——muttonfrittersandblackberryandapplepie——thatoutoftheearnesttalkofthefourcameanideathatpleasedeverybodyandwould，theyhoped，pleaseNurse。

CyrilandRobertwentoutwiththetasteofapplestillintheirmouthsandthepurpleofblackberriesontheirlips——and，inthecaseofRobert，onthewristbandaswell——andboughtabigsheetofcardboardatthestationers。Thenattheplumber’sshop，thathastubesandpipesandtapsandgas—fittingsinthewindow，theyboughtapaneofglassthesamesizeasthecardboard。Themancutitwithaveryinterestingtoolthathadabitofdiamondattheend，andhegavethem，outofhisownfreegenerousness，alargepieceofputtyandasmallpieceofglue。

Whiletheywereoutthegirlshadfloatedfourphotographsofthefourchildrenofftheircardsinhotwater。Thesewerenowstuckinarowalongthetopofthecardboard。Cyrilputthegluetomeltinajampot，andputthejampotinasaucepanandsaucepanonthefire，whileRobertpaintedawreathofpoppiesroundthephotographs。Hepaintedratherwellandveryquickly，andpoppiesareeasytodoifyou’veoncebeenshownhow。ThenAntheadrewsomeprintedlettersandJanecolouredthem。Thewordswere：

’WithallourlovestoshewWelikethethigstoeat。’

Andwhenthepaintingwasdrytheyallsignedtheirnamesatthebottomandputtheglasson，andgluedbrownpaperroundtheedgeandovertheback，andputtwoloopsoftapetohangitupby。

Ofcourseeveryonesawwhentoolatethattherewerenotenoughlettersin’things’，sothemissing’n’wasputin。Itwasimpossible，ofcourse，todothewholethingoveragainforjustoneletter。

’There！’saidAnthea，placingitcarefully，faceup，underthesofa。’It’llbehoursbeforetheglue’sdry。Now，Squirrel，fireahead！’

’Well，then，’saidCyrilinagreathurry，rubbingathisglueyhandswithhispockethandkerchief。’WhatImeantosayisthis。’

Therewasalongpause。

’Well，’saidRobertatlast，’WHATisitthatyoumeantosay？’

’It’slikethis，’saidCyril，andagainstoppedshort。

’LikeWHAT？’askedJane。

’HowcanItellyouifyouwillallkeeponinterrupting？’saidCyrilsharply。

Sonoonesaidanymore，andwithwrinkledfrownshearrangedhisideas。

’Lookhere，’hesaid，’whatIreallymeanis——wecanremembernowwhatwedidwhenwewenttolookfortheAmulet。Andifwe’dfounditweshouldrememberthattoo。’

’Rather！’saidRobert。’Only，youseewehaven’t。’

’Butinthefutureweshallhave。’

’Shallwe，though？’saidJane。

’Yes——unlesswe’vebeenmadefoolsofbythePsammead。Sothen，wherewewanttogotoiswhereweshallrememberaboutwherewedidfindit。’

’Isee，’saidRobert，buthedidn’t。

’_I_don’t，’saidAnthea，whodid，verynearly。’Sayitagain，Squirrel，andveryslowly。’

’If，’saidCyril，veryslowlyindeed，’wegointothefuture——afterwe’vefoundtheAmulet——’

’Butwe’vegottofinditfirst，’saidJane。

’Hush！’saidAnthea。

’Therewillbeafuture，’saidCyril，driventogreaterclearnessbytheblankfacesoftheotherthree，’therewillbeatimeAFTERwe’vefoundit。Let’sgointoTHATtime——andthenweshallrememberHOWwefoundit。Andthenwecangobackanddothefindingreally。’

’Isee，’saidRobert，andthistimehedid，andIhopeYOUdo。

’Yes，’saidAnthea。’Oh，Squirrel，howcleverofyou！’

’ButwilltheAmuletworkbothways？’inquiredRobert。

’Itoughtto，’saidCyril，’iftime’sonlyathingummyofwhatsitsname。Anywaywemighttry。’

’Let’sputonourbestthings，then，’urgedJane。’Youknowwhatpeoplesayaboutprogressandtheworldgrowingbetterandbrighter。Iexpectpeoplewillbeawfullysmartinthefuture。’

’Allright，’saidAnthea，’weshouldhavetowashanyway，I’mallthickwithglue。’

Wheneveryonewascleananddressed，thecharmwasheldup。

’WewanttogointothefutureandseetheAmuletafterwe’vefoundit，’saidCyril，andJanesaidthewordofPower。TheywalkedthroughthebigarchofthecharmstraightintotheBritishMuseum。

Theyknewitatonce，andthere，rightinfrontofthem，underaglasscase，wastheAmulet——theirownhalfofit，aswellastheotherhalftheyhadneverbeenabletofind——andthetwowerejoinedbyapinofredstonethatformedahinge。

’Oh，glorious！’criedRobert。’Hereitis！’

’Yes，’saidCyril，verygloomily，’hereitis。Butwecan’tgetitout。’

’No，’saidRobert，rememberinghowimpossibletheQueenofBabylonhadfoundittogetanythingoutoftheglasscasesintheMuseum——exceptbyPsammeadmagic，andthenshehadn’tbeenabletotakeanythingawaywithher；’no——butwerememberwherewegotit，andwecan——’

’Oh，DOwe？’interruptedCyrilbitterly，’doYOUrememberwherewegotit？’

’No，’saidRobert，’Idon’texactly，nowIcometothinkofit。’

Nordidanyoftheothers！

’ButWHYcan’twe？’saidJane。

’Oh，_I_don’tknow，’Cyril’stonewasimpatient，’somesillyoldenchantedruleIsuppose。Iwishpeoplewouldteachyoumagicatschoolliketheydosums——orinsteadof。ItwouldbesomeusehavinganAmuletthen。’

’Iwonderhowfarweareinthefuture，’saidAnthea；theMuseumlooksjustthesame，onlylighterandbrighter，somehow。’

’Let’sgobackandtrythePastagain，’saidRobert。

’PerhapstheMuseumpeoplecouldtellushowwegotit，’saidAntheawithsuddenhope。Therewasnooneintheroom，butinthenextgallery，wheretheAssyrianthingsareandstillwere，theyfoundakind，stoutmaninaloose，bluegown，andstockingedlegs。

’Oh，they’vegotanewuniform，howpretty！’saidJane。

Whentheyaskedhimtheirquestionheshowedthemalabelonthecase。Itsaid，’Fromthecollectionof——。’Anamefollowed，anditwasthenameofthelearnedgentlemanwho，amongthemselves，andtohisfacewhenhehadbeenwiththemattheothersideoftheAmulet，theyhadcalledJimmy。

’THAT’Snotmuchgood，’saidCyril，’thankyou。’

’Howisityou’renotatschool？’askedthekindmaninblue。

’NotexpelledforlongIhope？’

’We’renotexpelledatall，’saidCyrilratherwarmly。

’Well，Ishouldn’tdoitagain，ifIwereyou，’saidtheman，andtheycouldseehedidnotbelievethem。Thereisnocompanysolittlepleasingasthatofpeoplewhodonotbelieveyou。

’Thankyouforshowingusthelabel，’saidCyril。Andtheycameaway。

AstheycamethroughthedoorsoftheMuseumtheyblinkedatthesuddengloryofsunlightandbluesky。ThehousesoppositetheMuseumweregone。Insteadtherewasabiggarden，withtreesandflowersandsmoothgreenlawns，andnotasinglenoticetotellyounottowalkonthegrassandnottodestroythetreesandshrubsandnottopicktheflowers。Therewerecomfortableseatsallabout，andarbourscoveredwithroses，andlong，trellisedwalks，alsorose—covered。Whispering，splashingfountainsfellintofullwhitemarblebasins，whitestatuesgleamedamongtheleaves，andthepigeonsthatsweptaboutamongthebranchesorpeckedonthesmooth，softgravelwerenotblackandtumbledliketheMuseumpigeonsarenow，butbrightandcleanandsleekasbirdsofnewsilver。Agoodmanypeopleweresittingontheseats，andonthegrassbabieswererollingandkickingandplaying——withverylittleonindeed。Men，aswellaswomen，seemedtobeinchargeofthebabiesandwereplayingwiththem。

’It’slikealovelypicture，’saidAnthea，anditwas。Forthepeople’sclotheswereofbright，softcoloursandallbeautifullyandverysimplymade。Nooneseemedtohaveanyhatsorbonnets，buttherewereagreatmanyJapanese—lookingsunshades。Andamongthetreeswerehunglampsofcolouredglass。

’Iexpecttheylightthoseintheevening，’saidJane。’Idowishwelivedinthefuture！’

Theywalkeddownthepath，andastheywentthepeopleonthebencheslookedatthefourchildrenverycuriously，butnotrudelyorunkindly。Thechildren，intheirturn，looked——Ihopetheydidnotstare——atthefacesofthesepeopleinthebeautifulsoftclothes。Thosefaceswereworthlookingat。Notthattheywereallhandsome，thougheveninthematterofhandsomenesstheyhadtheadvantageofanysetofpeoplethechildrenhadeverseen。Butitwastheexpressionoftheirfacesthatmadethemworthlookingat。Thechildrencouldnottellatfirstwhatitwas。

’Iknow，’saidAntheasuddenly。’They’renotworried；that’swhatitis。’

Anditwas。Everybodylookedcalm，nooneseemedtobeinahurry，nooneseemedtobeanxious，orfretted，andthoughsomedidseemtobesad，notasingleonelookedworried。

Butthoughthepeoplelookedkindeveryonelookedsointerestedinthechildrenthattheybegantofeelalittleshyandturnedoutofthebigmainpathintoanarrowlittleonethatwoundamongtreesandshrubsandmossy，drippingsprings。

Itwashere，inadeep，shadowedcleftbetweentallcypresses，thattheyfoundtheexpelledlittleboy。Hewaslyingfacedownwardonthemossyturf，andthepeculiarshakingofhisshoulderswasathingtheyhadseen，morethanonce，ineachother。SoAntheakneeleddownbyhimandsaid——

’What’sthematter？’

’I’mexpelledfromschool，’saidtheboybetweenhissobs。

Thiswasserious。Peoplearenotexpelledforlightoffences。

’Doyoumindtellinguswhatyou’ddone？’

’I——Itoreupasheetofpaperandthrewitaboutintheplayground，’saidthechild，inthetoneofoneconfessinganunutterablebaseness。’Youwon’ttalktomeanymorenowyouknowthat，’headdedwithoutlookingup。

’Wasthatall？’askedAnthea。

’It’saboutenough，’saidthechild；’andI’mexpelledforthewholeday！’

’Idon’tquiteunderstand，’saidAnthea，gently。Theboyliftedhisface，rolledover，andsatup。

’Why，whoeveronearthareyou？’hesaid。

’We’restrangersfromafarcountry，’saidAnthea。’Inourcountryit’snotacrimetoleaveabitofpaperabout。’

’Itishere，’saidthechild。’Ifgrown—upsdoitthey’refined。

Whenwedoitwe’reexpelledforthewholeday。’

’Well，but，’saidRobert，’thatjustmeansaday’sholiday。’

’YouMUSTcomefromalongwayoff，’saidthelittleboy。’A

holiday’swhenyouallhaveplayandtreatsandjolliness，allofyoutogether。Onyourexpelleddaysnoone’llspeaktoyou。

Everyoneseesyou’reanExpellederoryou’dbeinschool。’

’Supposeyouwereill？’

’Nobodyis——hardly。Iftheyare，ofcoursetheywearthebadge，andeveryoneiskindtoyou。Iknowaboythatstolehissister’sillnessbadgeandworeitwhenhewasexpelledforaday。HEgotexpelledforaweekforthat。Itmustbeawfulnottogotoschoolforaweek。’

’DoyouLIKEschool，then？’askedRobertincredulously。

’OfcourseIdo。It’stheloveliestplacethereis。Ichoserailwaysformyspecialsubjectthisyear，therearesuchsplendidmodelsandthings，andnowIshallbeallbehindbecauseofthattorn—uppaper。’

’Youchooseyourownsubject？’askedCyril。

’Yes，ofcourse。WhereDIDyoucomefrom？Don’tyouknowANYTHING？’

’No，’saidJanedefinitely；’soyou’dbettertellus。’

’Well，onMidsummerDayschoolbreaksupandeverything’sdecoratedwithflowers，andyouchooseyourspecialsubjectfornextyear。Ofcourseyouhavetosticktoitforayearatleast。Thenthereareallyourothersubjects，ofcourse，reading，andpainting，andtherulesofCitizenship。’

’Goodgracious！’saidAnthea。

’Lookhere，’saidthechild，jumpingup，’it’snearlyfour。Theexpellednessonlylaststillthen。Comehomewithme。Motherwilltellyouallabouteverything。’

’Willyourmotherlikeyoutakinghomestrangechildren？’askedAnthea。

’Idon’tunderstand，’saidthechild，settlinghisleatherbeltoverhishoney—colouredsmockandsteppingoutwithhardlittlebarefeet。’Comeon。’

Sotheywent。

Thestreetswerewideandhardandveryclean。Therewerenohorses，butasortofmotorcarriagethatmadenonoise。TheThamesflowedbetweengreenbanks，andthereweretreesattheedge，andpeoplesatunderthem，fishing，forthestreamwasclearascrystal。Everywherethereweregreentreesandtherewasnosmoke。Thehousesweresetinwhatseemedlikeonegreengarden。

Thelittleboybroughtthemtoahouse，andatthewindowwasagood，brightmother—face。Thelittleboyrushedin，andthroughthewindowtheycouldseehimhugginghismother，thenhiseagerlipsmovingandhisquickhandspointing。

Aladyinsoftgreenclothescameout，spokekindlytothem，andtookthemintotheoddesthousetheyhadeverseen。Itwasverybare，therewerenoornaments，andyeteverysinglethingwasbeautiful，fromthedresserwithitsrowsofbrightchina，tothethicksquaresofEastern—lookingcarpetonthefloors。Ican’tdescribethathouse；Ihaven’tthetime。AndIhaven’thearteither，whenIthinkhowdifferentitwasfromourhouses。Theladytookthemalloverit。Theoddestthingofallwasthebigroominthemiddle。Ithadpaddedwallsandasoft，thickcarpet，andallthechairsandtableswerepadded。Therewasn’tasinglethinginitthatanyonecouldhurtitselfwith。

’Whatever’sthisfor？——lunatics？’askedCyril。

Theladylookedveryshocked。

’No！It’sforthechildren，ofcourse，’shesaid。’Don’ttellmethatinyourcountrytherearenochildren’srooms。’

’Therearenurseries，’saidAntheadoubtfully，’butthefurniture’sallcorneryandhard，likeotherrooms。’

’Howshocking！’saidthelady；’youmustbeVERYmuchbehindthetimesinyourcountry！Why，thechildrenaremorethanhalfofthepeople；it’snotmuchtohaveoneroomwheretheycanhaveagoodtimeandnothurtthemselves。’

’Butthere’snofireplace，’saidAnthea。

’Hot—airpipes，ofcourse，’saidthelady。’Why，howcouldyouhaveafireinanursery？Achildmightgetburned。’

’Inourcountry，’saidRobertsuddenly，’morethan3，000childrenareburnedtodeatheveryyear。Fathertoldme，’headded，asifapologizingforthispieceofinformation，’oncewhenI’dbeenplayingwithfire。’

Theladyturnedquitepale。

’Whatafrightfulplaceyoumustlivein！’shesaid。’What’sallthefurniturepaddedfor？’Antheaasked，hastilyturningthesubject。

’Why，youcouldn’thavelittletotsoftwoorthreerunningaboutinroomswherethethingswerehardandsharp！Theymighthurtthemselves。’

Robertfingeredthescaronhisforeheadwherehehadhititagainstthenurseryfenderwhenhewaslittle。

’Butdoeseveryonehaveroomslikethis，poorpeopleandall？’

askedAnthea。

’There’saroomlikethiswhereverthere’sachild，ofcourse，’

saidthelady。’Howrefreshinglyignorantyouare！——no，Idon’tmeanignorant，mydear。Ofcourse，you’reawfullywellupinancientHistory。ButIseeyouhaven’tdoneyourDutiesofCitizenshipCourseyet。’

’Butbeggars，andpeoplelikethat？’persistedAnthea’andtrampsandpeoplewhohaven’tanyhomes？’

’Peoplewhohaven’tanyhomes？’repeatedthelady。’IreallyDON’Tunderstandwhatyou’retalkingabout。’

’It’salldifferentinourcountry，’saidCyrilcarefully；andI

havereaditusedtobedifferentinLondon。Usedn’tpeopletohavenohomesandbegbecausetheywerehungry？Andwasn’tLondonveryblackanddirtyonceuponatime？AndtheThamesallmuddyandfilthy？Andnarrowstreets，and——’

’Youmusthavebeenreadingveryold—fashionedbooks，’saidthelady。’Why，allthatwasinthedarkages！MyhusbandcantellyoumoreaboutitthanIcan。HetookAncientHistoryasoneofhisspecialsubjects。’

’Ihaven’tseenanyworkingpeople，’saidAnthea。

’Why，we’reallworkingpeople，’saidthelady；’atleastmyhusband’sacarpenter。’

’Goodgracious！’saidAnthea；’butyou’realady！’

’Ah，’saidthelady，’thatquaintoldword！Well，myhusbandWILLenjoyatalkwithyou。Inthedarkageseveryonewasallowedtohaveasmokychimney，andthosenastyhorsesalloverthestreets，andallsortsofrubbishthrownintotheThames。

And，ofcourse，thesufferingsofthepeoplewillhardlybearthinkingof。It’sverylearnedofyoutoknowitall。DidyoumakeAncientHistoryyourspecialsubject？’

’Notexactly，’saidCyril，ratheruneasily。’WhatistheDutiesofCitizenshipCourseabout？’

’Don’tyouREALLYknow？Aren’tyoupretending——justforfun？

Reallynot？Well，thatcourseteachesyouhowtobeagoodcitizen，whatyoumustdoandwhatyoumayn’tdo，soastodoyourfullshareoftheworkofmakingyourtownabeautifulandhappyplaceforpeopletolivein。There’saquitesimplelittlethingtheyteachthetinychildren。Howdoesitgo……？

’ImustnotstealandImustlearn，NothingisminethatIdonotearn。

ImusttryinworkandplayTomakethingsbeautifuleveryday。

Imustbekindtoeveryone，Andneverletcruelthingsbedone。

Imustbebrave，andImusttryWhenIamhurtnevertocry，AndalwayslaughasmuchasIcan，AndbegladthatI’mgoingtobeamanToworkformylivingandhelptherestAndneverdolessthanmyverybest。’

’That’sveryeasy，’saidJane。’_I_couldrememberthat。’

’That’sonlytheverybeginning，ofcourse，’saidthelady；

’thereareheapsmorerhymes。There’stheonebeginning——

’ImustnotlitterthebeautifulstreetWithbitsofpaperorthingstoeat；

Imustnotpickthepublicflowers，TheyarenotMINE，buttheyareOURS。’

’And"thingstoeat"remindsme——areyouhungry？Wells，runandgetatrayofnicethings。’

’Whydoyoucallhim"Wells"？’askedRobert，astheboyranoff。

’It’safterthegreatreformer——surelyyou’veheardofHIM？Helivedinthedarkages，andhesawthatwhatyououghttodoistofindoutwhatyouwantandthentrytogetit。Uptothenpeoplehadalwaystriedtotinkerupwhatthey’dgot。We’vegotagreatmanyofthethingshethoughtof。Then"Wells"meansspringsofclearwater。It’sanicename，don’tyouthink？’

HereWellsreturnedwithstrawberriesandcakesandlemonadeonatray，andeverybodyateandenjoyed。

’Now，Wells，’saidthelady，’runofforyou’llbelateandnotmeetyourDaddy。’

Wellskissedher，wavedtotheothers，andwent。

’Lookhere，’saidAntheasuddenly，’wouldyouliketocometoOUR

country，andseewhatit’slike？Itwouldn’ttakeyouaminute。’

Theladylaughed。ButJaneheldupthecharmandsaidtheword。

’Whatasplendidconjuringtrick！’criedthelady，enchantedwiththebeautiful，growingarch。

’Gothrough，’saidAnthea。

Theladywent，laughing。Butshedidnotlaughwhenshefoundherself，suddenly，inthedining—roomatFitzroyStreet。

’Oh，whataHORRIBLEtrick！’shecried。’Whatahateful，dark，uglyplace！’

Sherantothewindowandlookedout。Theskywasgrey，thestreetwasfoggy，adismalorgan—grinderwasstandingoppositethedoor，abeggarandamanwhosoldmatcheswerequarrellingattheedgeofthepavementonwhosegreasyblacksurfacepeoplehurriedalong，hasteningtogettotheshelteroftheirhouses。

’Oh，lookattheirfaces，theirhorriblefaces！’shecried。

’What’sthematterwiththemall？’

’They’repoorpeople，that’sall，’saidRobert。

’Butit’sNOTall！They’reill，they’reunhappy，they’rewicked！

Oh，dostopit，there’sdearchildren。It’svery，veryclever。

Somesortofmagic—lanterntrick，Isuppose，likeI’vereadof。

ButDOstopit。Oh！theirpoor，tired，miserable，wickedfaces！’

Thetearswereinhereyes。AntheasignedtoJane。Thearchgrew，theyspokethewords，andpushedtheladythroughitintoherowntimeandplace，whereLondoniscleanandbeautiful，andtheThamesrunsclearandbright，andthegreentreesgrow，andnooneisafraid，oranxious，orinahurry。Therewasasilence。Then——

’I’mgladwewent，’saidAnthea，withadeepbreath。

’I’llneverthrowpaperaboutagainaslongasIlive，’saidRobert。

’Motheralwaystoldusnotto，’saidJane。

’IwouldliketotakeuptheDutiesofCitizenshipforaspecialsubject，’saidCyril。’IwonderifFathercouldputmethroughit。Ishallaskhimwhenhecomeshome。’

’Ifwe’dfoundtheAmulet，FathercouldbehomeNOW，’saidAnthea，’andMotherandTheLamb。’

’Let’sgointothefutureAGAIN，’suggestedJanebrightly。

’Perhapswecouldrememberifitwasn’tsuchanawfulwayoff。’

Sotheydid。Thistimetheysaid，’Thefuture，wheretheAmuletis，notsofaraway。’

Andtheywentthroughthefamiliararchintoalarge，lightroomwiththreewindows。Facingthemwasthefamiliarmummy—case。

Andatatablebythewindowsatthelearnedgentleman。Theyknewhimatonce，thoughhishairwaswhite。Hewasoneofthefacesthatdonotchangewithage。InhishandwastheAmulet——completeandperfect。

Herubbedhisotherhandacrosshisforeheadinthewaytheyweresousedto。

’Dreams，dreams！’hesaid；’oldageisfullofthem！’

’You’vebeenindreamswithusbeforenow，’saidRobert，’don’tyouremember？’

’Ido，indeed，’saidhe。TheroomhadmanymorebooksthantheFitzroyStreetroom，andfarmorecuriousandwonderfulAssyrianandEgyptianobjects。’ThemostwonderfuldreamsIeverhadhadyouinthem。’

’Where，’askedCyril，’didyougetthatthinginyourhand？’

’Ifyouweren’tjustadream，’heanswered，smiling，you’drememberthatyougaveittome。’

’Butwheredidwegetit？’Cyrilaskedeagerly。

’Ah，youneverwouldtellmethat，’hesaid，’Youalwayshadyourlittlemysteries。Youdearchildren！WhatadifferenceyoumadetothatoldBloomsburyhouse！IwishIcoulddreamyouoftener。

Nowyou’regrownupyou’renotlikeyouusedtobe。’

’Grownup？’saidAnthea。

Thelearnedgentlemanpointedtoaframewithfourphotographsinit。

’Thereyouare，’hesaid。

Thechildrensawfourgrown—uppeople’sportraits——twoladies，twogentlemen——andlookedonthemwithloathing。

’ShallwegrowuplikeTHAT？’whisperedJane。’Howperfectlyhorrid！’

’Ifwe’reeverlikethat，wesha’n’tknowit’shorrid，Iexpect，’

Antheawithsomeinsightwhisperedback。’Yousee，yougetusedtoyourselfwhileyou’rechanging。It’s——it’sbeingsosuddenmakesitseemsofrightfulnow。’

Thelearnedgentlemanwaslookingatthemwithwistfulkindness。

’Don’tletmeundreamyoujustyet，’hesaid。Therewasapause。

’DoyourememberWHENwegaveyouthatAmulet？’Cyrilaskedsuddenly。

’Youknow，oryouwouldifyouweren’tadream，thatitwasonthe3rdDecember，1905。IshallneverforgetTHATday。’

’Thankyou，’saidCyril，earnestly；’oh，thankyouverymuch。’

’You’vegotanewroom，’saidAnthea，lookingoutofthewindow，’andwhatalovelygarden！’

’Yes，’saidhe，’I’mtoooldnowtocareevenaboutbeingneartheMuseum。Thisisabeautifulplace。Doyouknow——Icanhardlybelieveyou’rejustadream，youdolooksoexactlyreal。

Doyouknow……’hisvoicedropped，’IcansayittoYOU，though，ofcourse，ifIsaidittoanyonethatwasn’tadreamthey’dcallmemad；therewassomethingaboutthatAmuletyougaveme——somethingverymysterious。’

’Therewasthat，’saidRobert。

’Ah，Idon’tmeanyourprettylittlechildishmysteriesaboutwhereyougotit。Butaboutthethingitself。First，thewonderfuldreamsIusedtohave，afteryou’dshownmethefirsthalfofit！Why，mybookonAtlantis，thatIdid，wasthebeginningofmyfameandmyfortune，too。AndIgotitalloutofadream！Andthen，"BritainattheTimeoftheRomanInvasion"——thatwasonlyapamphlet，butitexplainedalotofthingspeoplehadn’tunderstood。’

’Yes，’saidAnthea，’itwould。’

’Thatwasthebeginning。Butafteryou’dgivenmethewholeoftheAmulet——ah，itwasgenerousofyou！——then，somehow，Ididn’tneedtotheorize，IseemedtoKNOWabouttheoldEgyptiancivilization。Andtheycan’tupsetmytheories’——herubbedhisthinhandsandlaughedtriumphantly——’theycan’t，thoughthey’vetried。Theories，theycallthem，butthey’remorelike——Idon’tknow——morelikememories。IKNOWI’mrightaboutthesecretritesoftheTempleofAmen。’

’I’msogladyou’rerich，’saidAnthea。’Youweren’t，youknow，atFitzroyStreet。’

’IndeedIwasn’t，’saidhe，’butIamnow。Thisbeautifulhouseandthislovelygarden——Idiginitsometimes；youremember，youusedtotellmetotakemoreexercise？Well，IfeelIoweitalltoyou——andtheAmulet。’

’I’msoglad，’saidAnthea，andkissedhim。Hestarted。

’THATdidn’tfeellikeadream，’hesaid，andhisvoicetrembled。

’Itisn’texactlyadream，’saidAntheasoftly，’it’sallpartoftheAmulet——it’sasortofextraspecial，realdream，dearJimmy。’

’Ah，’saidhe，’whenyoucallmethat，IknowI’mdreaming。Mylittlesister——Idreamofhersometimes。Butit’snotreallikethis。DoyourememberthedayIdreamedyoubroughtmetheBabylonishring？’

’Werememberitall，’saidRobert。’DidyouleaveFitzroyStreetbecauseyouweretoorichforit？’

’Oh，no！’hesaidreproachfully。’YouknowIshouldneverhavedonesuchathingasthat。Ofcourse，IleftwhenyouroldNursediedand——what’sthematter！’

’OldNurseDEAD？’saidAnthea。’Oh，NO！’

’Yes，yes，it’sthecommonlot。It’salongtimeagonow。’

JanehelduptheAmuletinahandthattwittered。

’Come！’shecried，’oh，comehome！Shemaybedeadbeforewegetthere，andthenwecan’tgiveittoher。Oh，come！’

’Ah，don’tletthedreamendnow！’pleadedthelearnedgentleman。

’Itmust，’saidAntheafirmly，andkissedhimagain。

’Whenitcomestopeopledying，’saidRobert，’good—bye！I’msogladyou’rerichandfamousandhappy。’

’DOcome！’criedJane，stampinginheragonyofimpatience。Andtheywent。OldNursebroughtinteaalmostassoonastheywerebackinFitzroyStreet。Asshecameinwiththetray，thegirlsrushedatherandnearlyupsetherandit。

’Don’tdie！’criedJane，’oh，don’t！’andAntheacried，’Dear，ducky，darlingoldNurse，don’tdie！’

’Lord，loveyou！’saidNurse，’I’mnotagoin’todieyetawhile，pleaseHeaven！Whateveronearth’sthematterwiththechicks？’

’Nothing。Onlydon’t！’

Sheputthetraydownandhuggedthegirlsinturn。Theboysthumpedheronthebackwithheartfeltaffection。

’I’maswellaseverIwasinmylife，’shesaid。’Whatnonsenseaboutdying！You’vebeenasittingtoolonginthedusk，that’swhatitis。Regularblindman’sholiday。Leavegoofme，whileIlightthegas。’

Theyellowlightilluminatedfourpalefaces。’Wedoloveyouso，’Antheawenton，’andwe’vemadeyouapicturetoshowyouhowweloveyou。Getitout，Squirrel。’

Theglazedtestimonialwasdraggedoutfromunderthesofaanddisplayed。

’Theglue’snotdryyet，’saidCyril，’lookout！’

’Whatabeauty！’criedoldNurse。’Well，Inever！Andyourpicturesandthebeautifulwritingandall。Well，Ialwaysdidsayyourheartswasintherightplace，ifabitcarelessattimes。Well！Ineverdid！Idon’tknowasIwaseverpleasedbetterinmylife。’

Shehuggedthemall，oneaftertheother。Andtheboysdidnotmindit，somehow，thatday。

’Howisitwecanrememberallaboutthefuture，NOW？’AntheawokethePsammeadwithlaboriousgentlenesstoputthequestion。

’Howisitwecanrememberwhatwesawinthefuture，andyet，whenweWEREinthefuture，wecouldnotrememberthebitofthefuturethatwaspastthen，thetimeoffindingtheAmulet？’

’Why，whatasillyquestion！’saidthePsammead，’ofcourseyoucannotrememberwhathasn’thappenedyet。’

’ButtheFUTUREhasn’thappenedyet，’Antheapersisted，’andwerememberthatallright。’

’Oh，thatisn’twhat’shappened，mygoodchild，’saidthePsammead，rathercrossly，’that’spropheticvision。Andyourememberdreams，don’tyou？Sowhynotvisions？Youneverdoseemtounderstandthesimplestthing。’

Itwenttosandagainatonce。

AntheacreptdowninhernightgowntogiveonelastkisstooldNurse，andonelastlookatthebeautifultestimonialhanging，byitstapes，itsgluenowfirmlyset，inglazedgloryonthewallofthekitchen。

’Good—night，blessyourlovingheart，’saidoldNurse，’ifonlyyoudon’tcatchyourdeather—cold！’

CHAPTER13

THESHIPWRECKONTHETINISLANDS

’Blueandred，’saidJanesoftly，’makepurple。’

’Notalwaystheydon’t，’saidCyril，’ithastobecrimsonlakeandPrussianblue。IfyoumixVermilionandIndigoyougetthemostloathsomeslatecolour。’

’Sepia’sthenastiestcolourinthebox，Ithink，’saidJane，suckingherbrush。

Theywereallpainting。Nurseintheflushofgratefulemotion，excitedbyRobert’sborderofpoppies，hadpresentedeachofthefourwithashillingpaint—box，andhadsupplementedthegiftwithapileofoldcopiesoftheIllustratedLondonNews。

’Sepia，’saidCyrilinstructively，’ismadeoutofbeastlycuttlefish。’

’Purple’smadeoutofafish，aswellasoutofredandblue，’

saidRobert。’Tyrianpurplewas，Iknow。’

’Outoflobsters？’saidJanedreamily。’They’reredwhenthey’reboiled，andbluewhentheyaren’t。Ifyoumixedliveanddeadlobstersyou’dgetTyrianpurple。’

’_I_shouldn’tliketomixanythingwithalivelobster，’saidAnthea，shuddering。

’Well，therearen’tanyotherredandbluefish，’saidJane；

’you’dhaveto。’

’I’drathernothavethepurple，’saidAnthea。

’TheTyrianpurplewasn’tthatcolourwhenitcameoutofthefish，noryetafterwards，itwasn’t，’saidRobert；’itwasscarletreally，andRomanEmperorsworeit。Anditwasn’tanynicecolourwhilethefishhadit。Itwasayellowish—whiteliquidofacreamyconsistency。’

’Howdoyouknow？’askedCyril。

’Ireadit，’saidRobert，withthemeekprideofsuperiorknowledge。

’Where？’askedCyril。

’Inprint，’saidRobert，stillmoreproudlymeek。

’Youthinkeverything’strueifit’sprinted，’saidCyril，naturallyannoyed，’butitisn’t。Fathersaidso。Quitealotofliesgetprinted，especiallyinnewspapers。’

’Yousee，asithappens，’saidRobert，inwhatwasreallyaratherannoyingtone，’itwasn’tanewspaper，itwasinabook。’

’HowsweetChinesewhiteis！’saidJane，dreamilysuckingherbrushagain。

’Idon’tbelieveit，’saidCyriltoRobert。

’Haveasuckyourself，’suggestedRobert。

’Idon’tmeanabouttheChinesewhite。Imeanaboutthecreamfishturningpurpleand——"

’Oh！’criedAnthea，jumpingupveryquickly，’I’mtiredofpainting。Let’sgosomewherebyAmulet。Isaylet’sletIT

choose。’

CyrilandRobertagreedthatthiswasanidea。Janeconsentedtostoppaintingbecause，asshesaid，Chinesewhite，thoughcertainlysweet，givesyouaqueerfeelinginthebackofthethroatifyoupaintwithittoolong。