but,
”
Anthea
ventured
,
“
all
that’s
what
the
whole
charm
can
do
.
There’s
something
that
the
half
we’ve
got
can
win
off
its
own
bat
—
isn’t
there
?
”
She
appealed
to
the
Psammead
.
It
nodded
.
“
Yes
,
”
it
said
;
“
the
half
has
the
power
to
take
you
anywhere
you
like
to
look
for
the
other
half
.
”
This
seemed
a
brilliant
prospect
till
Robert
asked
—
“
Does
it
know
where
to
look
?
”
The
Psammead
shook
its
head
and
answered
,
“
I
don’t
think
it’s
likely
.
”
“
Do
you
?
”
“
No.
”
“
Then
,
”
said
Robert
,
“
we
might
as
well
look
for
a
needle
in
a
bottle
of
hay
.
Yes
—
it
is
bottle
,
and
not
bundle
,
Father
said
so
.
”
“
Not
at
all
,
”
said
the
Psammead
briskly
;
“
you
think
you
know
everything
,
but
you
are
quite
mistaken
.
The
first
thing
is
to
get
the
thing
to
talk
.
”
“
Can
it
?
”
Jane
questioned
.
Jane’s
question
did
not
mean
that
she
thought
it
couldn’t
,
for
in
spite
of
the
parlour
furniture
the
feeling
of
magic
was
growing
deeper
and
thicker
,
and
seemed
to
fill
the
room
like
a
dream
of
a
scented
fog
.
“
Of
course
it
can
.
I
suppose
you
can
read
.
”
“
Oh
yes
!
”
Every
one
was
rather
hurt
at
the
question
.
“
Well
,
then
—
all
you’ve
got
to
do
is
to
read
the
name
that’s
written
on
the
part
of
the
charm
that
you’ve
got
.
And
as
soon
as
you
say
the
name
out
loud
the
thing
will
have
power
to
do
—
well
,
several
things
.
”
There
was
a
silence
.
The
red
charm
was
passed
from
hand
to
hand
.
“
There’s
no
name
on
it
,
”
said
Cyril
at
last
.
“
Nonsense
,
”
said
the
Psammead
;
“
what’s
that
?
”
“
Oh
,
that
!
”
said
Cyril
,
“
it’s
not
reading
.
It
looks
like
pictures
of
chickens
and
snakes
and
things
.
”
This
was
what
was
on
the
charm
—
“
I’ve
no
patience
with
you
,
”
said
the
Psammead
;
“
if
you
can’t
read
you
must
find
some
one
who
can
.
A
priest
now
?
”
“
We
don’t
know
any
priests
,
”
said
Anthea
;
“
we
know
a
clergyman
—
he’s
called
a
priest
in
the
prayer‐book
,
you
know
—
but
he
only
knows
Greek
and
Latin
and
Hebrew
,
and
this
isn’t
any
of
those
—
I
know
.
”
The
Psammead
stamped
a
furry
foot
angrily
.
“
I
wish
I’d
never
seen
you
,
”
it
said
;
“
you
aren’t
any
more
good
than
so
many
stone
images
.
Not
so
much
,
if
I’m
to
tell
the
truth
.
Is
there
no
wise
man
in
your
Babylon
who
can
pronounce
the
names
of
the
Great
Ones
?
”
“
There’s
a
poor
learned
gentleman
upstairs
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
we
might
try
him
.
He
has
a
lot
of
stone
images
in
his
room
,
and
iron‐looking
ones
too
—
we
peeped
in
once
when
he
was
out
.
Old
Nurse
says
he
doesn’t
eat
enough
to
keep
a
canary
alive
.
He
spends
it
all
on
stones
and
things
.
”
“
Try
him
,
”
said
the
Psammead
,
“
only
be
careful
.
If
he
knows
a
greater
name
than
this
and
uses
it
against
you
,
your
charm
will
be
of
no
use
.
Bind
him
first
with
the
chains
of
honour
and
upright
dealing
.
And
then
ask
his
aid
—
oh
,
yes
,
you’d
better
all
go
;
you
can
put
me
to
sand
as
you
go
upstairs
.
I
must
have
a
few
minutes’
peace
and
quietness
.
”
So
the
four
children
hastily
washed
their
hands
and
brushed
their
hair
—
this
was
Anthea’s
idea
—
and
went
up
to
knock
at
the
door
of
the
“
poor
learned
gentleman
,
”
and
to
“
bind
him
with
the
chains
of
honour
and
upright
dealing
.
”
CHAPTER
III
THE
PAST
THE
learned
gentleman
had
let
his
dinner
get
quite
cold
.
It
was
mutton
chop
,
and
as
it
lay
on
the
plate
it
looked
like
a
brown
island
in
the
middle
of
a
frozen
pond
,
because
the
grease
of
the
gravy
had
become
cold
,
and
consequently
white
.
It
looked
very
nasty
,
and
it
was
the
first
thing
the
children
saw
when
,
after
knocking
three
times
and
receiving
no
reply
,
one
of
them
ventured
to
turn
the
handle
and
softly
to
open
the
door
.
The
chop
was
on
the
end
of
a
long
table
that
ran
down
one
side
of
the
room
.
The
table
had
images
on
it
and
queer‐shaped
stones
,
and
books
.
And
there
were
glass
cases
fixed
against
the
wall
behind
,
with
little
strange
things
in
them
.
The
cases
were
rather
like
the
ones
you
see
in
jewellers’
shops
.
The
“
poor
learned
gentleman
”
was
sitting
at
a
table
in
the
window
,
looking
at
something
very
small
which
he
held
in
a
pair
of
fine
pincers
.
He
had
a
round
spy‐glass
sort
of
thing
in
one
eye
—
which
reminded
the
children
of
watchmakers
,
and
also
of
the
long
snail’s
eyes
of
the
Psammead
.
The
gentleman
was
very
long
and
thin
,
and
his
long
,
thin
boots
stuck
out
under
the
other
side
of
his
table
.
He
did
not
hear
the
door
open
,
and
the
children
stood
hesitating
.
At
last
Robert
gave
the
door
a
push
,
and
they
all
started
back
,
for
in
the
middle
of
the
wall
that
the
door
had
hidden
was
a
mummy‐case
—
very
,
very
,
very
big
—
painted
in
red
and
yellow
and
green
and
black
,
and
the
face
of
it
seemed
to
look
at
them
quite
angrily
.
You
know
what
a
mummy‐case
is
like
,
of
course
?
If
you
don’t
you
had
better
go
to
the
British
Museum
at
once
and
find
out
.
Anyway
,
it
is
not
at
all
the
sort
of
thing
that
you
expect
to
meet
in
a
top‐floor
front
in
Bloomsbury
,
looking
as
though
it
would
like
to
know
what
business
you
had
there
.
So
everyone
said
,
“
Oh
!
”
rather
loud
,
and
their
boots
clattered
as
they
stumbled
back
.
The
learned
gentleman
took
the
glass
out
of
his
eye
and
said
—
“
I
beg
your
pardon
,
”
in
a
very
soft
,
quiet
pleasant
voice
—
the
voice
of
a
gentleman
who
has
been
to
Oxford
.
“
It’s
us
that
beg
yours
,
”
said
Cyril
politely
.
“
We
are
sorry
to
disturb
you
.
”
“
Come
in
,
”
said
the
gentleman
,
rising
—
with
the
most
distinguished
courtesy
,
Anthea
told
herself
.
“
I
am
delighted
to
see
you
.
Won’t
you
sit
down
?
No
,
not
there
;
allow
me
to
move
that
papyrus
.
”
He
cleared
a
chair
,
and
stood
smiling
and
looking
kindly
through
his
large
,
round
spectacles
.
“
He
treats
us
like
grown‐ups
,
”
whispered
Robert
,
“
and
he
doesn’t
seem
to
know
how
many
of
us
there
are
.
”
“
Hush
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
it
isn’t
manners
to
whisper
.
You
say
,
Cyril
—
go
ahead
.
”
“
We’re
very
sorry
to
disturb
you
,
”
said
Cyril
politely
,
“
but
we
did
knock
three
times
,
and
you
didn’t
say
‘Come
in
,
’
or
‘Run
away
now
,
’
or
that
you
couldn’t
be
bothered
just
now
,
or
to
come
when
you
weren’t
so
busy
,
or
any
of
the
things
people
do
say
when
you
knock
at
doors
,
so
we
opened
it
.
We
knew
you
were
in
because
we
heard
you
sneeze
while
we
were
waiting
.
”
“
Not
at
all
,
”
said
the
gentleman
;
“
do
sit
down
.
”
“
He
has
found
out
there
are
four
of
us
,
”
said
Robert
,
as
the
gentleman
cleared
three
more
chairs
.
He
put
the
things
off
them
carefully
on
the
floor
.
The
first
chair
had
things
like
bricks
that
tiny
,
tiny
birds’
feet
have
walked
over
when
the
bricks
were
soft
,
only
the
marks
were
in
regular
lines
.
The
second
chair
had
round
things
on
it
like
very
large
,
fat
,
long
,
pale
beads
.
And
the
last
chair
had
a
pile
of
dusty
papers
on
it
.
The
children
sat
down
.
“
We
know
you
are
very
,
very
learned
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
and
we
have
got
a
charm
,
and
we
want
you
to
read
the
name
on
it
,
because
it
isn’t
in
Latin
or
Greek
,
or
Hebrew
,
or
any
of
the
languages
we
know
—
”
“
A
thorough
knowledge
of
even
those
languages
is
a
very
fair
foundation
on
which
to
build
an
education
,
”
said
the
gentleman
politely
.
“
Oh
!
”
said
Cyril
blushing
,
“
but
we
only
know
them
to
look
at
,
except
Latin
—
and
I’m
only
in
Cæsar
with
that
.
”
The
gentleman
took
off
his
spectacles
and
laughed
.
His
laugh
sounded
rusty
,
Cyril
thought
,
as
though
it
wasn’t
often
used
.
“
Of
course
!
”
he
said
.
“
I’m
sure
I
beg
your
pardon
.
I
think
I
must
have
been
in
a
dream
.
You
are
the
children
who
live
downstairs
,
are
you
not
?
Yes
.
I
have
seen
you
as
I
have
passed
in
and
out
.
And
you
have
found
something
that
you
think
to
be
an
antiquity
,
and
you’ve
brought
it
to
show
me
?
That
was
very
kind
.
I
should
like
to
inspect
it
.
”
“
I’m
afraid
we
didn’t
think
about
your
liking
to
inspect
it
,
”
said
the
truthful
Anthea
.
“
It
was
just
for
us
because
we
wanted
to
know
the
name
on
it
—
”
“
Oh
,
yes
—
and
,
I
say
,
”
Robert
interjected
,
“
you
won’t
think
it
rude
of
us
if
we
ask
you
first
,
before
we
show
it
,
to
be
bound
in
the
what‐do‐you‐call‐it
of
—
”
“
In
the
bonds
of
honour
and
upright
dealing
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
I’m
afraid
I
don’t
quite
follow
you
,
”
said
the
gentleman
,
with
gentle
nervousness
.
“
Well
,
it’s
this
way
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
We’ve
got
part
of
a
charm
.
And
the
Sammy
—
I
mean
,
something
told
us
it
would
work
,
though
it’s
only
half
a
one
;
but
it
won’t
work
unless
we
can
say
the
name
that’s
on
it
.
But
,
of
course
,
if
you’ve
got
another
name
that
can
lick
ours
,
our
charm
will
be
no
go
;
so
we
want
you
to
give
us
your
word
of
honour
as
a
gentleman
—
though
I’m
sure
,
now
I’ve
seen
you
,
that
it’s
not
necessary
;
but
still
I’ve
promised
to
ask
you
,
so
we
must
.
Will
you
please
give
us
your
honourable
word
not
to
say
any
name
stronger
than
the
name
on
our
charm
?
”
The
gentleman
had
put
on
his
spectacles
again
and
was
looking
at
Cyril
through
them
.
He
now
said
:
“
Bless
me
!
”
more
than
once
,
adding
,
“
Who
told
you
all
this
?
”
“
I
can’t
tell
you
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
I’m
very
sorry
,
but
I
can’t
.
”
Some
faint
memory
of
a
far‐off
childhood
must
have
come
to
the
learned
gentleman
just
then
,
for
he
smiled
.
“
I
see
,
”
he
said
.
“
It
is
some
sort
of
game
that
you
are
engaged
in
?
Of
course
!
Yes
!
Well
,
I
will
certainly
promise
.
Yet
I
wonder
how
you
heard
of
the
names
of
power
?
”
“
We
can’t
tell
you
that
either
,
”
said
Cyril
;
and
Anthea
said
,
“
Here
is
our
charm
,
”
and
held
it
out
.
With
politeness
,
but
without
interest
,
the
gentleman
took
it
.
But
after
the
first
glance
all
his
body
suddenly
stiffened
,
as
a
pointer’s
does
when
he
sees
a
partridge
.
“
Excuse
me
,
”
he
said
in
quite
a
changed
voice
,
and
carried
the
charm
to
the
window
.
He
looked
at
it
;
he
turned
it
over
.
He
fixed
his
spy‐glass
in
his
eye
and
looked
again
.
No
one
said
anything
.
Only
Robert
made
a
shuffling
noise
with
his
feet
till
Anthea
nudged
him
to
shut
up
.
At
last
the
learned
gentleman
drew
a
long
breath
.
“
Where
did
you
find
this
?
”
he
asked
.
“
We
didn’t
find
it
.
We
bought
it
at
a
shop
.
Jacob
Absalom
the
name
is
—
not
far
from
Charing
Cross
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
We
gave
seven‐and‐sixpence
for
it
,
”
added
Jane
.
“
It
is
not
for
sale
,
I
suppose
?
You
do
not
wish
to
part
with
it
?
I
ought
to
tell
you
that
it
is
extremely
valuable
—
extraordinarily
valuable
,
I
may
say
.
”
“
Yes
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
we
know
that
,
so
of
course
we
want
to
keep
it
.
”
“
Keep
it
carefully
,
then
,
”
said
the
gentleman
impressively
;
“
and
if
ever
you
should
wish
to
part
with
it
,
may
I
ask
you
to
give
me
the
refusal
of
it
?
”
“
The
refusal
?
”
“
I
mean
,
do
not
sell
it
to
anyone
else
until
you
have
given
me
the
opportunity
of
buying
it
.
”
“
All
right
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
we
won’t
.
But
we
don’t
want
to
sell
it
.
We
want
to
make
it
do
things
.
”
“
I
suppose
you
can
play
at
that
as
well
as
at
anything
else
,
”
said
the
gentleman
;
“
but
I’m
afraid
the
days
of
magic
are
over
.
”
“
They
aren’t
really
,
”
said
Anthea
earnestly
.
“
You’d
see
they
aren’t
if
I
could
tell
you
about
our
last
summer
holidays
.
Only
I
mustn’t
.
Thank
you
very
much
.
And
can
you
read
the
name
?
”
“
Yes
,
I
can
read
it
.
”
“
Will
you
tell
it
us
?
”
“
The
name
,
”
said
the
gentleman
,
“
is
Ur
Hekau
Setcheh
.
”
“
Ur
Hekau
Setcheh
,
”
repeated
Cyril
.
“
Thanks
awfully
.
I
do
hope
we
haven’t
taken
up
too
much
of
your
time
.
”
“
Not
at
all
,
”
said
the
gentleman
.
“
And
do
let
me
entreat
you
to
be
very
,
very
careful
of
that
most
valuable
specimen
.
”
They
said
“
thank
you
”
in
all
the
different
polite
ways
they
could
think
of
,
and
filed
out
of
the
door
and
down
the
stairs
.
Anthea
was
last
.
Half‐way
down
to
the
first
landing
she
turned
and
ran
up
again
.
The
door
was
still
open
,
and
the
learned
gentleman
and
the
mummy‐case
were
standing
opposite
to
each
other
,
and
both
looked
as
though
they
had
stood
like
that
for
years
.
The
gentleman
started
when
Anthea
put
her
hand
on
his
arm
.
“
I
hope
you
won’t
be
cross
and
say
it’s
not
my
business
,
”
she
said
,
“
but
do
look
at
your
chop
!
Don’t
you
think
you
ought
to
eat
it
?
Father
forgets
his
dinner
sometimes
when
he’s
writing
,
and
Mother
always
says
I
ought
to
remind
him
if
she’s
not
at
home
to
do
it
herself
,
because
it’s
so
bad
to
miss
your
regular
meals
.
So
I
thought
perhaps
you
wouldn’t
mind
my
reminding
you
,
because
you
don’t
seem
to
have
anyone
else
to
do
it
.
”
She
glanced
at
the
mummy‐case
;
it
certainly
did
not
look
as
though
it
would
ever
think
of
reminding
people
of
their
meals
.
The
learned
gentleman
looked
at
her
for
a
moment
before
he
said
—
“
Thank
you
,
my
dear
.
It
was
a
kindly
thought
.
No
,
I
haven’t
anyone
to
remind
me
about
things
like
that
.
”
He
sighed
,
and
looked
at
the
chop
.
“
It
looks
very
nasty
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
Yes
,
”
he
said
,
“
it
does
.
I’ll
eat
it
immediately
,
before
I
forget
.
”
As
he
ate
it
he
sighed
more
than
once
.
Perhaps
because
the
chop
was
nasty
,
perhaps
because
he
longed
for
the
charm
which
the
children
did
not
want
to
sell
,
perhaps
because
it
was
so
long
since
anyone
cared
whether
he
ate
his
chops
or
forgot
them
.
Anthea
caught
the
others
at
the
stair‐foot
.
They
woke
the
Psammead
,
and
it
taught
them
exactly
how
to
use
the
word
of
power
,
and
to
make
the
charm
speak
.
I
am
not
going
to
tell
you
how
this
is
done
,
because
you
might
try
to
do
it
.
And
for
you
any
such
trying
would
be
almost
sure
to
end
in
disappointment
.
Because
in
the
first
place
it
is
a
thousand
million
to
one
against
your
ever
getting
hold
of
the
right
sort
of
charm
,
and
if
you
did
,
there
would
be
hardly
any
chance
at
all
of
your
finding
a
learned
gentleman
clever
enough
and
kind
enough
to
read
the
word
for
you
.
The
children
and
the
Psammead
crouched
in
a
circle
on
the
floor
—
in
the
girls’
bedroom
,
because
in
the
parlour
they
might
have
been
interrupted
by
old
Nurse’s
coming
in
to
lay
the
cloth
for
tea
—
and
the
charm
was
put
in
the
middle
of
the
circle
.
The
sun
shone
splendidly
outside
,
and
the
room
was
very
light
.
Through
the
open
window
came
the
hum
and
rattle
of
London
,
and
in
the
street
below
they
could
hear
the
voice
of
the
milkman
.
When
all
was
ready
,
the
Psammead
signed
to
Anthea
to
say
the
word
.
And
she
said
it
.
Instantly
the
whole
light
of
all
the
world
seemed
to
go
out
.
The
room
was
dark
.
The
world
outside
was
dark
—
darker
than
the
darkest
night
that
ever
was
.
And
all
the
sounds
went
out
too
,
so
that
there
was
a
silence
deeper
than
any
silence
you
have
ever
even
dreamed
of
imagining
.
It
was
like
being
suddenly
deaf
and
blind
,
only
darker
and
quieter
even
than
that
.
But
before
the
children
had
got
over
the
sudden
shock
of
it
enough
to
be
frightened
,
a
faint
,
beautiful
light
began
to
show
in
the
middle
of
the
circle
,
and
at
the
same
moment
a
faint
,
beautiful
voice
began
to
speak
.
The
light
was
too
small
for
one
to
see
anything
by
,
and
the
voice
was
too
small
for
you
to
hear
what
it
said
.
You
could
just
see
the
light
and
just
hear
the
voice
.
But
the
light
grew
stronger
.
It
was
greeny
,
like
glow‐worms’
lamps
,
and
it
grew
and
grew
till
it
was
as
though
thousands
and
thousands
of
glow‐worms
were
signalling
to
their
winged
sweethearts
from
the
middle
of
the
circle
.
And
the
voice
grew
,
not
so
much
in
loudness
as
in
sweetness
(
though
it
grew
louder
,
too
)
,
till
it
was
so
sweet
that
you
wanted
to
cry
with
pleasure
just
at
the
sound
of
it
.
It
was
like
nightingales
,
and
the
sea
,
and
the
fiddle
,
and
the
voice
of
your
mother
when
you
have
been
a
long
time
away
,
and
she
meets
you
at
the
door
when
you
get
home
.
And
the
voice
said
—
“
Speak
.
What
is
it
that
you
would
hear
?
”
I
cannot
tell
you
what
language
the
voice
used
.
I
only
know
that
everyone
present
understood
it
perfectly
.
If
you
come
to
think
of
it
,
there
must
be
some
language
that
everyone
could
understand
,
if
we
only
knew
what
it
was
.
Nor
can
I
tell
you
how
the
charm
spoke
,
nor
whether
it
was
the
charm
that
spoke
,
or
some
presence
in
the
charm
.
The
children
could
not
have
told
you
either
.
Indeed
,
they
could
not
look
at
the
charm
while
it
was
speaking
,
because
the
light
was
too
bright
.
They
looked
instead
at
the
green
radiance
on
the
faded
Kidderminster
carpet
at
the
edge
of
the
circle
.
They
all
felt
very
quiet
,
and
not
inclined
to
ask
questions
or
fidget
with
their
feet
.
For
this
was
not
like
the
things
that
had
happened
in
the
country
when
the
Psammead
had
given
them
their
wishes
.
That
had
been
funny
somehow
,
and
this
was
not
.
It
was
something
like
Arabian
Nights
magic
,
and
something
like
being
in
church
.
No
one
cared
to
speak
.
It
was
Cyril
who
said
at
last
—
“
Please
we
want
to
know
where
the
other
half
of
the
charm
is
.
”
“
The
part
of
the
Amulet
which
is
lost
,
”
said
the
beautiful
voice
,
“
was
broken
and
ground
into
the
dust
of
the
shrine
that
held
it
.
It
and
the
pin
that
joined
the
two
halves
are
themselves
dust
,
and
the
dust
is
scattered
over
many
lands
and
sunk
in
many
seas
.
”
“
Oh
,
I
say
!
”
murmured
Robert
,
and
a
blank
silence
fell
.
“
Then
it’s
all
up
?
”
said
Cyril
at
last
;
“
it’s
no
use
our
looking
for
a
thing
that’s
smashed
into
dust
,
and
the
dust
scattered
all
over
the
place
.
”
“
If
you
would
find
it
,
”
said
the
voice
,
“
You
must
seek
it
where
it
still
is
,
perfect
as
ever
.
”
“
I
don’t
understand
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
In
the
Past
you
may
find
it
,
”
said
the
voice
.
“
I
wish
we
may
find
it
,
”
said
Cyril
.
The
Psammead
whispered
crossly
,
“
Don’t
you
understand
?
The
thing
existed
in
the
Past
.
If
you
were
in
the
Past
,
too
,
you
could
find
it
.
It’s
very
difficult
to
make
you
understand
things
.
Time
and
space
are
only
forms
of
thought
.
”
“
I
see
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
No
,
you
don’t
,
”
said
the
Psammead
,
“
and
it
doesn’t
matter
if
you
don’t
,
either
.
What
I
mean
is
that
if
you
were
only
made
the
right
way
,
you
could
see
everything
happening
in
the
same
place
at
the
same
time
.
Now
do
you
see
?
”
“
I’m
afraid
I
don’t
,
”
said
Anthea
;
“
I’m
sorry
I’m
so
stupid
.
”
“
Well
,
at
any
rate
,
you
see
this
.
That
lost
half
of
the
Amulet
is
in
the
Past
.
Therefore
it’s
in
the
Past
we
must
look
for
it
.
I
mustn’t
speak
to
the
charm
myself
.
Ask
it
things
!
Find
out
!
”
“
Where
can
we
find
the
other
part
of
you
?
”
asked
Cyril
obediently
.
“
In
the
Past
,
”
said
the
voice
.
“
What
part
of
the
Past
?
”
“
I
may
not
tell
you
.
If
you
will
choose
a
time
,
I
will
take
you
to
the
place
that
then
held
it
.
You
yourselves
must
find
it
.
”
“
When
did
you
see
it
last
?
”
asked
Anthea
—
“
I
mean
,
when
was
it
taken
away
from
you
?
”
The
beautiful
voice
answered
—
“
That
was
thousands
of
years
ago
.
The
Amulet
was
perfect
then
,
and
lay
in
a
shrine
,
the
last
of
many
shrines
,
and
I
worked
wonders
.
Then
came
strange
men
with
strange
weapons
and
destroyed
my
shrine
,
and
the
Amulet
they
bore
away
with
many
captives
.
But
of
these
,
one
,
my
priest
,
knew
the
word
of
power
,
and
spoke
it
for
me
,
so
that
the
Amulet
became
invisible
,
and
thus
returned
to
my
shrine
,
but
the
shrine
was
broken
down
,
and
ere
any
magic
could
rebuild
it
,
one
spoke
a
word
before
which
my
power
bowed
down
and
was
still
.
And
the
Amulet
lay
there
,
still
perfect
,
but
enslaved
.
Then
one
coming
with
stones
to
rebuild
the
shrine
,
dropped
a
hewn
stone
on
the
Amulet
as
it
lay
,
and
one
half
was
sundered
from
the
other
.
I
had
no
power
to
seek
for
that
which
was
lost
.
And
there
being
none
to
speak
the
word
of
power
,
I
could
not
rejoin
it
.
So
the
Amulet
lay
in
the
dust
of
the
desert
many
thousand
years
,
and
at
last
came
a
small
man
,
a
conqueror
with
an
army
,
and
after
him
a
crowd
of
men
who
sought
to
seem
wise
,
and
one
of
these
found
half
the
Amulet
and
brought
it
to
this
land
.
But
none
could
read
the
name
.
So
I
lay
still
.
And
this
man
dying
and
his
son
after
him
,
the
Amulet
was
sold
by
those
who
came
after
to
a
merchant
,
and
from
him
you
bought
it
,
and
it
is
here
,
and
now
,
the
name
of
power
having
been
spoken
,
I
also
am
here
.
”
This
is
what
the
voice
said
.
I
think
it
must
have
meant
Napoleon
by
the
small
man
,
the
conqueror
.
Because
I
know
I
have
been
told
that
he
took
an
army
to
Egypt
,
and
that
afterwards
a
lot
of
wise
people
went
grubbing
in
the
sand
,
and
fished
up
all
sorts
of
wonderful
things
,
older
than
you
would
think
possible
.
And
of
these
I
believe
this
charm
to
have
been
one
,
and
the
most
wonderful
one
of
all
.
Everyone
listened
:
and
everyone
tried
to
think
.
It
is
not
easy
to
do
this
clearly
when
you
have
been
listening
to
the
kind
of
talk
I
have
told
you
about
.
At
last
Robert
said
—
“
Can
you
take
us
into
the
Past
—
to
the
shrine
where
you
and
the
other
thing
were
together
.
If
you
could
take
us
there
,
we
might
find
the
other
part
still
there
after
all
these
thousands
of
years
.
”
“
Still
there
?
silly
!
”
said
Cyril
.
“
Don’t
you
see
,
if
we
go
back
into
the
Past
it
won’t
be
thousands
of
years
ago
.
It
will
be
now
for
us
—
won’t
it
?
”
He
appealed
to
the
Psammead
,
who
said
—
“
You’re
not
so
far
off
the
idea
as
you
usually
are
!
”
“
Well
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
will
you
take
us
back
to
when
there
was
a
shrine
and
you
were
safe
in
it
—
all
of
you
?
”
“
Yes
,
”
said
the
voice
.
“
You
must
hold
me
up
,
and
speak
the
word
of
power
,
and
one
by
one
,
beginning
with
the
first‐born
,
you
shall
pass
through
me
into
the
Past
.
But
let
the
last
that
passes
be
the
one
that
holds
me
,
and
let
him
not
lose
his
hold
,
lest
you
lose
me
,
and
so
remain
in
the
Past
for
ever
.
”
“
That’s
a
nasty
idea
,
”
said
Robert
.
“
When
you
desire
to
return
,
”
the
beautiful
voice
went
on
,
“
hold
me
up
towards
the
East
,
and
speak
the
word
.
Then
,
passing
through
me
,
you
shall
return
to
this
time
and
it
shall
be
the
present
to
you
.
”
“
But
how
—
”
A
bell
rang
loudly
.
“
Oh
crikey
!
”
exclaimed
Robert
,
“
that’s
tea
!
Will
you
please
make
it
proper
daylight
again
so
that
we
can
go
down
.
And
thank
you
so
much
for
all
your
kindness
.
”
“
We’ve
enjoyed
ourselves
very
much
indeed
,
thank
you
!
”
added
Anthea
politely
.
The
beautiful
light
faded
slowly
.
The
great
darkness
and
silence
came
and
these
suddenly
changed
to
the
dazzlement
of
day
and
the
great
soft
,
rustling
sound
of
London
,
that
is
like
some
vast
beast
turning
over
in
its
sleep
.
The
children
rubbed
their
eyes
,
the
Psammead
ran
quickly
to
its
sandy
bath
,
and
the
others
went
down
to
tea
.
And
until
the
cups
were
actually
filled
tea
seemed
less
real
than
the
beautiful
voice
and
the
greeny
light
.
After
tea
Anthea
persuaded
the
others
to
allow
her
to
hang
the
charm
round
her
neck
with
a
piece
of
string
.
“
It
would
be
so
awful
if
it
got
lost
,
”
she
said
:
“
it
might
get
lost
anywhere
,
you
know
,
and
it
would
be
rather
beastly
for
us
to
have
to
stay
in
the
Past
for
ever
and
ever
,
wouldn’t
it
?
”
CHAPTER
IV
EIGHT
THOUSAND
YEARS
AGO
NEXT
morning
Anthea
got
old
Nurse
to
allow
her
to
take
up
the
“
poor
learned
gentleman’s
”
breakfast
.
He
did
not
recognize
her
at
first
,
but
when
he
did
he
was
vaguely
pleased
to
see
her
.
“
You
see
I’m
wearing
the
charm
round
my
neck
,
”
she
said
;
“
I’m
taking
care
of
it
—
like
you
told
us
to
.
”
“
That’s
right
,
”
said
he
;
“
did
you
have
a
good
game
last
night
?
”
“
You
will
eat
your
breakfast
before
it’s
cold
,
won’t
you
?
”
said
Anthea
.
“
Yes
,
we
had
a
splendid
time
.
The
charm
made
it
all
dark
,
and
then
greeny
light
,
and
then
it
spoke
.
Oh
!
I
wish
you
could
have
heard
it
—
it
was
such
a
darling
voice
—
and
it
told
us
the
other
half
of
it
was
lost
in
the
Past
,
so
of
course
we
shall
have
to
look
for
it
there
!
”
The
learned
gentleman
rubbed
his
hair
with
both
hands
and
looked
anxiously
at
Anthea
.
“
I
suppose
it’s
natural
—
youthful
imagina‐
tion
and
so
forth
,
”
he
said
.
“
Yet
someone
must
have
...
Who
told
you
that
some
part
of
the
charm
was
missing
?
”
“
I
can’t
tell
you
,
”
she
said
.
“
I
know
it
seems
most
awfully
rude
,
especially
after
you
being
so
kind
about
telling
us
the
name
of
power
,
and
all
that
,
but
really
,
I’m
not
allowed
to
tell
anybody
anything
about
the
—
the
—
the
person
who
told
me
.
You
won’t
forget
your
breakfast
,
will
you
?
”
The
learned
gentleman
smiled
feebly
and
then
frowned
—
not
a
cross‐frown
,
but
a
puzzle‐frown
.
“
Thank
you
,
”
he
said
,
“
I
shall
always
be
pleased
if
you’ll
look
in
—
any
time
you’re
passing
you
know
—
at
least
...
”
“
I
will
,
”
she
said
;
“
goodbye
.
I’ll
always
tell
you
anything
I
may
tell
.
”
He
had
not
had
many
adventures
with
children
in
them
,
and
he
wondered
whether
all
children
were
like
these
.
He
spent
quite
five
minutes
in
wondering
before
he
settled
down
to
the
fifty‐second
chapter
of
his
great
book
on
“
the
Secret
Rites
of
the
Priests
of
Amen
Rā
.
”
It
is
no
use
to
pretend
that
the
children
did
not
feel
a
good
deal
of
agitation
at
the
thought
of
going
through
the
charm
into
the
Past
.
That
idea
,
that
perhaps
they
might
stay
in
the
Past
and
never
get
back
again
,
was
anything
but
pleasing
.
Yet
no
one
would
have
dared
to
suggest
that
the
charm
should
not
be
used
;
and
though
each
was
in
its
heart
very
frightened
indeed
,
they
would
all
have
joined
in
jeering
at
the
cowardice
of
any
one
of
them
who
should
have
uttered
the
timid
but
natural
suggestion
,
“
Don’t
let’s
!
”
It
seemed
necessary
to
make
arrangements
for
being
out
all
day
,
for
there
was
no
reason
to
suppose
that
the
sound
of
the
dinner‐bell
would
be
able
to
reach
back
into
the
Past
,
and
it
seemed
unwise
to
excite
old
Nurse’s
curiosity
when
nothing
they
could
say
—
not
even
the
truth
—
could
in
any
way
satisfy
it
.
They
were
all
very
proud
to
think
how
well
they
had
understood
what
the
charm
and
the
Psammead
had
said
about
Time
and
Space
and
things
like
that
,
and
they
were
perfectly
certain
that
it
would
be
quite
impossible
to
make
old
Nurse
understand
a
single
word
of
it
.
So
they
merely
asked
her
to
let
them
take
their
dinner
out
into
Regent’s
Park
—
and
this
,
with
the
implied
cold
mutton
and
tomatoes
,
was
readily
granted
.
“
You
can
get
yourselves
some
buns
or
sponge‐cakes
,
or
whatever
you
fancy‐like
,
”
said
old
Nurse
,
giving
Cyril
a
shilling
.
“
Don’t
go
getting
jam‐tarts
,
now
—
so
messy
at
the
best
of
times
,
and
without
forks
and
plates
ruination
to
your
clothes
,
besides
your
not
being
able
to
wash
your
hands
and
faces
afterwards
.
”
So
Cyril
took
the
shilling
,
and
they
all
started
off
.
They
went
round
by
the
Tottenham
Court
Road
to
buy
a
piece
of
waterproof
sheeting
to
put
over
the
Psammead
in
case
it
should
be
raining
in
the
Past
when
they
got
there
.
For
it
is
almost
certain
death
to
a
Psammead
to
get
wet
.
The
sun
was
shining
very
brightly
,
and
even
London
looked
pretty
.
Women
were
selling
roses
from
big
baskets‐full
,
and
Anthea
bought
four
roses
,
one
each
,
for
herself
and
the
others
.
They
were
red
roses
and
smelt
of
summer
—
the
kind
of
roses
you
always
want
so
desperately
at
about
Christmas‐time
when
you
can
only
get
mistletoe
,
which
is
pale
right
through
to
its
very
scent
,
and
holly
which
pricks
your
nose
if
you
try
to
smell
it
.
So
now
everyone
had
a
rose
in
its
buttonhole
,
and
soon
everyone
was
sitting
on
the
grass
in
Regent’s
Park
under
trees
whose
leaves
would
have
been
clean
,
clear
green
in
the
country
,
but
here
were
dusty
and
yellowish
,
and
brown
at
the
edges
.
“
We’ve
got
to
go
on
with
it
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
and
as
the
eldest
has
to
go
first
,
you’ll
have
to
be
last
,
Jane
.
You
quite
understand
about
holding
on
to
the
charm
as
you
go
through
,
don’t
you
,
Pussy
?
”
“
I
wish
I
hadn’t
got
to
be
last
,
”
said
Jane
.
“
You
shall
carry
the
Psammead
if
you
like
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
That
is
,
”
she
added
,
remembering
the
beast’s
queer
temper
,
“
if
it’ll
let
you
.
”
The
Psammead
,
however
,
was
unexpectedly
amiable
.
“
I
don’t
mind
,
”
it
said
,
“
who
carries
me
,
so
long
as
it
doesn’t
drop
me
.
I
can’t
bear
being
dropped
.
”
Jane
with
trembling
hands
took
the
Psammead
and
its
fish‐basket
under
one
arm
.
The
charm’s
long
string
was
hung
round
her
neck
.
Then
they
all
stood
up
.
Jane
held
out
the
charm
at
arm’s
length
,
and
Cyril
solemnly
pronounced
the
word
of
power
.
As
he
spoke
it
the
charm
grew
tall
and
broad
,
and
he
saw
that
Jane
was
just
holding
on
to
the
edge
of
a
great
red
arch
of
very
curious
shape
.
The
opening
of
the
arch
was
small
,
but
Cyril
saw
that
he
could
go
through
it
.
All
round
and
beyond
the
arch
were
the
faded
trees
and
trampled
grass
of
Regent’s
Park
,
where
the
little
ragged
children
were
playing
Ring
o’
Roses
.
But
through
the
opening
of
it
shone
a
blaze
of
blue
and
yellow
and
red
.
Cyril
drew
a
long
breath
and
stiffened
his
legs
so
that
the
others
should
not
see
that
his
knees
were
trembling
and
almost
knocking
together
.
“
Here
goes
!
”
he
said
,
and
,
stepping
up
through
the
arch
,
disappeared
.
Then
followed
Anthea
.
Robert
,
coming
next
,
held
fast
,
at
Anthea’s
suggestion
,
to
the
sleeve
of
Jane
,
who
was
thus
dragged
safely
through
the
arch
.
And
as
soon
as
they
were
on
the
other
side
of
the
arch
there
was
no
more
arch
at
all
and
no
more
Regent’s
Park
either
,
only
the
charm
in
Jane’s
hand
,
and
it
was
its
proper
size
again
.
They
were
now
in
a
light
so
bright
that
they
winked
and
blinked
and
rubbed
their
eyes
.
During
this
dazzling
interval
Anthea
felt
for
the
charm
and
pushed
it
inside
Jane’s
frock
,
so
that
it
might
be
quite
safe
.
When
their
eyes
got
used
to
the
new
wonderful
light
the
children
looked
around
them
.
The
sky
was
very
,
very
blue
,
and
it
sparkled
and
glittered
and
dazzled
like
the
sea
at
home
when
the
sun
shines
on
it
.
They
were
standing
on
a
little
clearing
in
a
thick
,
low
forest
;
there
were
trees
and
shrubs
and
a
close
,
thorny
,
tangly
undergrowth
.
In
front
of
them
stretched
a
bank
of
strange
black
mud
,
then
came
the
browny‐yellowy
shining
ribbon
of
a
river
.
Then
more
dry
,
caked
mud
and
more
greeny‐browny
jungle
.
The
only
things
that
told
that
human
people
had
been
there
were
the
clearing
,
a
path
that
led
to
it
,
and
an
odd
arrangement
of
cut
reeds
in
the
river
.
They
looked
at
each
other
.
“
Well
!
”
said
Robert
,
“
this
is
a
change
of
air
!
”
It
was
.
The
air
was
hotter
than
they
could
have
imagined
,
even
in
London
in
August
.
“
I
wish
I
knew
where
we
were
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
Here’s
a
river
,
now
—
I
wonder
whether
it’s
the
Amazon
or
the
Tiber
,
or
what
.
”
“
It’s
the
Nile
,
”
said
the
Psammead
,
looking
out
of
the
fish‐bag
.
“
Then
this
is
Egypt
,
”
said
Robert
,
who
had
once
taken
a
geography
prize
.
“
I
don’t
see
any
crocodiles
,
”
Cyril
objected
.
His
prize
had
been
for
natural
history
.
The
Psammead
reached
out
a
hairy
arm
from
its
basket
and
pointed
to
a
heap
of
mud
at
the
edge
of
the
water
.
“
What
do
you
call
that
?
”
it
said
;
and
as
it
spoke
the
heap
of
mud
slid
into
the
river
just
as
a
slab
of
badly
mixed
mortar
will
slip
from
a
bricklayer’s
trowel
.
“
Oh
!
”
said
everybody
.
There
was
a
crashing
among
the
reeds
on
the
other
side
of
the
water
.
“
And
there’s
a
river‐horse
!
”
said
the
Psammead
,
as
a
great
beast
like
an
enormous
slaty‐blue
slug
showed
itself
against
the
black
bank
on
the
far
side
of
the
stream
.
“
It’s
a
hippopotamus
,
”
said
Cyril
;
“
it
seems
much
more
real
somehow
than
the
one
at
the
Zoo
,
doesn’t
it
?
”
“
I’m
glad
it’s
being
real
on
the
other
side
of
the
river
,
”
said
Jane
.
And
now
there
was
a
crackling
of
reeds
and
twigs
behind
them
.
This
was
horrible
.
Of
course
it
might
be
another
hippopotamus
,
or
a
crocodile
,
or
a
lion
—
or
,
in
fact
,
almost
anything
.
“
Keep
your
hand
on
the
charm
,
Jane
,
”
said
Robert
hastily
.
“
We
ought
to
have
a
means
of
escape
handy
.
I’m
dead
certain
this
is
the
sort
of
place
where
simply
anything
might
happen
to
us
.
”
“
I
believe
a
hippopotamus
is
going
to
happen
to
us
,
”
said
Jane
—
“
a
very
,
very
big
one
.
”
They
had
all
turned
to
face
the
danger
.
“
Don’t
be
silly
little
duffers
,
”
said
the
Psammead
in
its
friendly
,
informal
way
;
“
it’s
not
a
river‐horse
.
It’s
a
human
.
”
It
was
.
It
was
a
girl
—
of
about
Anthea’s
age
.
Her
hair
was
short
and
fair
,
and
though
her
skin
was
tanned
by
the
sun
,
you
could
see
that
it
would
have
been
fair
too
if
it
had
had
a
chance
.
She
had
every
chance
of
being
tanned
,
for
she
had
no
clothes
to
speak
of
,
and
the
four
English
children
,
carefully
dressed
in
frocks
,
hats
,
shoes
,
stockings
,
coats
,
collars
,
and
all
the
rest
of
it
,
envied
her
more
than
any
words
of
theirs
or
of
mine
could
possibly
say
.
There
was
no
doubt
that
hers
was
the
right
costume
for
that
climate
.
She
carried
a
pot
on
her
head
,
of
red
and
black
earthenware
.
She
did
not
see
the
children
,
who
shrank
back
against
the
edge
of
the
jungle
,
and
she
went
forward
to
the
brink
of
the
river
to
fill
her
pitcher
.
As
she
went
she
made
a
strange
sort
of
droning
,
humming
,
melancholy
noise
all
on
two
notes
.
Anthea
could
not
help
thinking
that
perhaps
the
girl
thought
this
noise
was
singing
.
The
girl
filled
the
pitcher
and
set
it
down
by
the
river
brink
.
Then
she
waded
into
the
water
and
stooped
over
the
circle
of
cut
reeds
.
She
pulled
half
a
dozen
fine
fish
out
of
the
water
within
the
reeds
,
killing
each
as
she
took
it
out
,
and
threading
it
on
a
long
osier
that
she
carried
.
Then
she
knotted
the
osier
,
hung
it
on
her
arm
,
picked
up
the
pitcher
,
and
turned
to
come
back
.
And
as
she
turned
she
saw
the
four
children
.
The
white
dresses
of
Jane
and
Anthea
stood
out
like
snow
against
the
dark
forest
background
.
She
screamed
and
the
pitcher
fell
,
and
the
water
was
spilled
out
over
the
hard
mud
surface
and
over
the
fish
,
which
had
fallen
too
.
Then
the
water
slowly
trickled
away
into
the
deep
cracks
.
“
Don’t
be
frightened
,
”
Anthea
cried
,
“
we
won’t
hurt
you
.
”
“
Who
are
you
?
”
said
the
girl
.
Now
,
once
for
all
,
I
am
not
going
to
be
bothered
to
tell
you
how
it
was
that
the
girl
could
understand
Anthea
and
Anthea
could
understand
the
girl
.
You
,
at
any
rate
,
would
not
understand
me
,
if
I
tried
to
explain
it
,
any
more
than
you
can
understand
about
time
and
space
being
only
forms
of
thought
.
You
may
think
what
you
like
.
Perhaps
the
children
had
found
out
the
universal
language
which
everyone
can
understand
,
and
which
wise
men
so
far
have
not
found
.
You
will
have
noticed
long
ago
that
they
were
singularly
lucky
children
,
and
they
may
have
had
this
piece
of
luck
as
well
as
others
.
Or
it
may
have
been
that
...
but
why
pursue
the
question
further
?
The
fact
remains
that
in
all
their
adventures
the
muddle‐headed
inventions
which
we
call
foreign
languages
never
bothered
them
in
the
least
.
They
could
always
understand
and
be
under‐
stood
.
If
you
can
explain
this
,
please
do
.
I
daresay
I
could
understand
your
explanation
,
though
you
could
never
understand
mine
.
So
when
the
girl
said
,
“
Who
are
you
?
”
everyone
understood
at
once
,
and
Anthea
replied
—
“
We
are
children
—
just
like
you
.
Don’t
be
frightened
.
Won’t
you
show
us
where
you
live
?
”
Jane
put
her
face
right
into
the
Psammead’s
basket
,
and
burrowed
her
mouth
into
its
fur
to
whisper
—
“
Is
it
safe
?
Won’t
they
eat
us
?
Are
they
cannibals
?
”
The
Psammead
shrugged
its
fur
.
“
Don’t
make
your
voice
buzz
like
that
,
it
tickles
my
ears
,
”
it
said
rather
crossly
.
“
You
can
always
get
back
to
Regent’s
Park
in
time
if
you
keep
fast
hold
of
the
charm
,
”
it
said
.
The
strange
girl
was
trembling
with
fright
.
Anthea
had
a
bangle
on
her
arm
.
It
was
a
sevenpenny‐halfpenny
trumpery
brass
thing
that
pretended
to
be
silver
;
it
had
a
glass
heart
of
turquoise
blue
hanging
from
it
,
and
it
was
the
gift
of
the
maid‐of‐all‐work
at
the
Fitzroy
Street
house
.
“
Here
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
this
is
for
you
.
That
is
to
show
we
will
not
hurt
you
.
And
if
you
take
it
I
shall
know
that
you
won’t
hurt
us
.
”
The
girl
held
out
her
hand
.
Anthea
slid
the
bangle
over
it
,
and
the
girl’s
face
lighted
up
with
the
joy
of
possession
.
“
Come
,
”
she
said
,
looking
lovingly
at
the
bangle
;
“
it
is
peace
between
your
house
and
mine
.
”
She
picked
up
her
fish
and
pitcher
and
led
the
way
up
the
narrow
path
by
which
she
had
come
,
and
the
others
followed
.
“
This
is
something
like
!
”
said
Cyril
,
trying
to
be
brave
.
“
Yes
!
”
said
Robert
,
also
assuming
a
boldness
he
was
far
from
feeling
,
“
this
really
and
truly
is
an
adventure
!
Its
being
in
the
Past
makes
it
quite
different
from
the
Phœnix
and
Carpet
happenings
.
”
The
belt
of
thick
,
growing
acacia
trees
and
shrubs
—
mostly
prickly
and
unpleasant‐looking
—
seemed
about
half
a
mile
across
.
The
path
was
narrow
and
the
wood
dark
.
At
last
,
ahead
,
daylight
shone
through
the
boughs
and
leaves
.
The
whole
party
suddenly
came
out
of
the
wood’s
shadow
into
the
glare
of
the
sunlight
that
shone
on
a
great
stretch
of
yellow
sand
,
dotted
with
heaps
of
grey
rocks
where
spiky
cactus
plants
showed
gaudy
crimson
and
pink
flowers
among
their
shabby
,
sand‐peppered
leaves
.
Away
to
the
right
was
something
that
looked
like
a
grey‐brown
hedge
,
and
from
beyond
it
blue
smoke
went
up
to
the
bluer
sky
.
And
over
all
the
sun
shone
till
you
could
hardly
bear
your
clothes
.
“
That
is
where
I
live
,
”
said
the
girl
pointing
.
“
I
won’t
go
,
”
whispered
Jane
into
the
basket
,
“
unless
you
say
it’s
all
right
.
”
The
Psammead
ought
to
have
been
touched
by
this
proof
of
confidence
.
Perhaps
,
however
,
it
looked
upon
it
as
a
proof
of
doubt
,
for
it
merely
snarled
—
“
If
you
don’t
go
now
I’ll
never
help
you
again
.
”
“
Oh
,
”
whispered
Anthea
,
“
dear
Jane
,
don’t
!
Think
of
Father
and
Mother
and
all
of
us
getting
our
heart’s
desire
.
And
we
can
go
back
any
minute
.
Come
on
!
”
“
Besides
,
”
said
Cyril
,
in
a
low
voice
,
“
the
Psammead
must
know
there’s
no
danger
or
it
wouldn’t
go
.
It’s
not
so
over
and
above
brave
itself
.
Come
on
!
”
This
Jane
at
last
consented
to
do
.
As
they
got
nearer
to
the
browny
fence
they
saw
that
it
was
a
great
hedge
about
eight
feet
high
,
made
of
piled‐up
thorn
bushes
.
“
What’s
that
for
?
”
asked
Cyril
.
“
To
keep
out
foes
and
wild
beasts
,
”
said
the
girl
.
“
I
should
think
it
ought
to
,
too
,
”
said
he
.
“
Why
,
some
of
the
thorns
are
as
long
as
my
foot
.
”
There
was
an
opening
in
the
hedge
,
and
they
followed
the
girl
through
it
.
A
little
way
further
on
was
another
hedge
,
not
so
high
,
also
of
dry
thorn
bushes
,
very
prickly
and
spiteful‐looking
,
and
within
this
was
a
sort
of
village
of
huts
.
There
were
no
gardens
and
no
roads
.
Just
huts
built
of
wood
and
twigs
and
clay
,
and
roofed
with
great
palm‐leaves
,
dumped
down
anywhere
.
The
doors
of
these
houses
were
very
low
,
like
the
doors
of
dog‐kennels
.
The
ground
between
them
was
not
paths
or
streets
,
but
just
yellow
sand
trampled
very
hard
and
smooth
.
In
the
middle
of
the
village
there
was
a
hedge
that
enclosed
what
seemed
to
be
a
piece
of
ground
about
as
big
as
their
own
garden
in
Camden
Town
.
No
sooner
were
the
children
well
within
the
inner
thorn
hedge
than
dozens
of
men
and
women
and
children
came
crowding
round
from
behind
and
inside
the
huts
.
The
girl
stood
protectingly
in
front
of
the
four
children
,
and
said
—
“
They
are
wonder‐children
from
beyond
the
desert
.
They
bring
marvellous
gifts
,
and
I
have
said
that
it
is
peace
between
us
and
them
.
”
She
held
out
her
arm
with
the
Lowther
Arcade
bangle
on
it
.
The
children
from
London
,
where
nothing
now
surprises
anyone
,
had
never
before
seen
so
many
people
look
so
astonished
.
They
crowded
round
the
children
,
touching
their
clothes
,
their
shoes
,
the
buttons
on
the
boys’
jackets
,
and
the
coral
of
the
girls’
necklaces
.
“
Do
say
something
,
”
whispered
Anthea
.
“
We
come
,
”
said
Cyril
,
with
some
dim
remembrance
of
a
dreadful
day
when
he
had
had
to
wait
in
an
outer
office
while
his
father
interviewed
a
solicitor
,
and
there
had
been
nothing
to
read
but
the
Daily
Telegraph
—
“
we
come
from
the
world
where
the
sun
never
sets
.
And
peace
with
honour
is
what
we
want
.
We
are
the
great
Anglo‐Saxon
or
conquering
race
.
Not
that
we
want
to
conquer
you
,
”
he
added
hastily
.
“
We
only
want
to
look
at
your
houses
and
your
—
well
,
at
all
you’ve
got
here
,
and
then
we
shall
return
to
our
own
place
,
and
tell
of
all
that
we
have
seen
so
that
your
name
may
be
famed
.
”
Cyril’s
speech
didn’t
keep
the
crowd
from
pressing
round
and
looking
as
eagerly
as
ever
at
the
clothing
of
the
children
.
Anthea
had
an
idea
that
these
people
had
never
seen
woven
stuff
before
,
and
she
saw
how
wonderful
and
strange
it
must
seem
to
people
who
had
never
had
any
clothes
but
the
skins
of
beasts
.
The
sewing
,
too
,
of
modern
clothes
seemed
to
astonish
them
very
much
.
They
must
have
been
able
to
sew
themselves
,
by
the
way
,
for
men
who
seemed
to
be
the
chiefs
wore
knickerbockers
of
goat‐skin
or
deer‐skin
,
fastened
round
the
waist
with
twisted
strips
of
hide
.
And
the
women
wore
long
skimpy
skirts
of
animals’
skins
.
The
people
were
not
very
tall
,
their
hair
was
fair
,
and
men
and
women
both
had
it
short
.
Their
eyes
were
blue
,
and
that
seemed
odd
in
Egypt
.
Most
of
them
were
tattooed
like
sailors
,
only
more
roughly
.
“
What
is
this
?
What
is
this
?
”
they
kept
asking
touching
the
children’s
clothes
curiously
.
Anthea
hastily
took
off
Jane’s
frilly
lace
collar
and
handed
it
to
the
woman
who
seemed
most
friendly
.
“
Take
this
,
”
she
said
,
“
and
look
at
it
.
And
leave
us
alone
.
We
want
to
talk
among
ourselves
.
”
She
spoke
in
the
tone
of
authority
which
she
had
always
found
successful
when
she
had
not
time
to
coax
her
baby
brother
to
do
as
he
was
told
.
The
tone
was
just
as
successful
now
.
The
children
were
left
together
and
the
crowd
retreated
.
It
paused
a
dozen
yards
away
to
look
at
the
lace
collar
and
to
go
on
talking
as
hard
as
it
could
.
The
children
will
never
know
what
those
people
said
,
though
they
knew
well
enough
that
they
,
the
four
strangers
,
were
the
subject
of
the
talk
.
They
tried
to
comfort
themselves
by
remembering
the
girl’s
promise
of
friendliness
,
but
of
course
the
thought
of
the
charm
was
more
comfortable
than
anything
else
.
They
sat
down
on
the
sand
in
the
shadow
of
the
hedged‐round
place
in
the
middle
of
the
village
,
and
now
for
the
first
time
they
were
able
to
look
about
them
and
to
see
something
more
than
a
crowd
of
eager
,
curious
faces
.
They
here
noticed
that
the
women
wore
necklaces
made
of
beads
of
different
coloured
stone
,
and
from
these
hung
pendants
of
odd
,
strange
shapes
,
and
some
of
them
had
bracelets
of
ivory
and
flint
.
“
I
say
,
”
said
Robert
,
“
what
a
lot
we
could
teach
them
if
we
stayed
here
!
”
“
I
expect
they
could
teach
us
something
too
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
Did
you
notice
that
flint
bracelet
the
woman
had
that
Anthea
gave
the
collar
to
?
That
must
have
taken
some
making
.
Look
here
,
they’ll
get
suspicious
if
we
talk
among
ourselves
,
and
I
do
want
to
know
about
how
they
do
things
.
Let’s
get
the
girl
to
show
us
round
,
and
we
can
be
thinking
about
how
to
get
the
Amulet
at
the
same
time
.
Only
mind
,
we
must
keep
together
.
”
Anthea
beckoned
to
the
girl
,
who
was
standing
a
little
way
off
looking
wistfully
at
them
,
and
she
came
gladly
.
“
Tell
us
how
you
make
the
bracelets
,
the
stone
ones
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
With
other
stones
,
”
said
the
girl
;
“
the
men
make
them
;
we
have
men
of
special
skill
in
such
work
.
”
“
Haven’t
you
any
iron
tools
?
”
“
Iron
,
”
said
the
girl
,
“
I
don’t
know
what
you
mean
.
”
It
was
the
first
word
she
had
not
understood
.
“
Are
all
your
tools
of
flint
?
”
asked
Cyril
.
“
Of
course
,
”
said
the
girl
,
opening
her
eyes
wide
.
I
wish
I
had
time
to
tell
you
of
that
talk
.
The
English
children
wanted
to
hear
all
about
this
new
place
,
but
they
also
wanted
to
tell
of
their
own
country
.
It
was
like
when
you
come
back
from
your
holidays
and
you
want
to
hear
and
to
tell
everything
at
the
same
time
.
As
the
talk
went
on
there
were
more
and
more
words
that
the
girl
could
not
understand
,
and
the
children
soon
gave
up
the
attempt
to
explain
to
her
what
their
own
country
was
like
,
when
they
began
to
see
how
very
few
of
the
things
they
had
always
thought
they
could
not
do
without
were
really
at
all
necessary
to
life
.
The
girl
showed
them
how
the
huts
were
made
—
indeed
,
as
one
was
being
made
that
very
day
she
took
them
to
look
at
it
.
The
way
of
building
was
very
different
from
ours
.
The
men
stuck
long
pieces
of
wood
into
a
piece
of
ground
the
size
of
the
hut
they
wanted
to
make
.
These
were
about
eight
inches
apart
;
then
they
put
in
another
row
about
eight
inches
away
from
the
first
,
and
then
a
third
row
still
further
out
.
Then
all
the
space
between
was
filled
up
with
small
branches
and
twigs
,
and
then
daubed
over
with
black
mud
worked
with
the
feet
till
it
was
soft
and
sticky
like
putty
.
The
girl
told
them
how
the
men
went
hunting
with
flint
spears
and
arrows
,
and
how
they
made
boats
with
reeds
and
clay
.
Then
she
explained
the
reed
thing
in
the
river
that
she
had
taken
the
fish
out
of
.
It
was
a
fish‐trap
—
just
a
ring
of
reeds
set
up
in
the
water
with
only
one
little
opening
in
it
,
and
in
this
opening
,
just
below
the
water
,
were
stuck
reeds
slanting
the
way
of
the
river’s
flow
,
so
that
the
fish
,
when
they
had
swum
sillily
in
,
sillily
couldn’t
get
out
again
.
She
showed
them
the
clay
pots
and
jars
and
platters
,
some
of
them
ornamented
with
black
and
red
patterns
,
and
the
most
wonderful
things
made
of
flint
and
different
sorts
of
stone
,
beads
,
and
ornaments
,
and
tools
and
weapons
of
all
sorts
and
kinds
.
“
It
is
really
wonderful
,
”
said
Cyril
patronizingly
,
“
when
you
consider
that
it’s
all
eight
thousand
years
ago
—
”
“
I
don’t
understand
you
,
”
said
the
girl
.
“
It
isn’t
eight
thousand
years
ago
,
”
whispered
Jane
.
“
It’s
now
—
and
that’s
just
what
I
don’t
like
about
it
.
I
say
,
do
let’s
get
home
again
before
anything
more
happens
.
You
can
see
for
yourselves
the
charm
isn’t
here
.
”
“
What’s
in
that
place
in
the
middle
?
”
asked
Anthea
,
struck
by
a
sudden
thought
,
and
pointing
to
the
fence
.
“
That’s
the
secret
sacred
place
,
”
said
the
girl
in
a
whisper
.
“
No
one
knows
what
is
there
.
There
are
many
walls
,
and
inside
the
insidest
one
