thegrip
of
a
lasso
,
she
answered
the
boy’s
agitated
,
“
Now
we
shan’t
see
anything
more
,
”
with
—
“
Yes
we
can
,
there’s
an
outside
balcony
.
”
So
they
crowded
out
.
But
very
soon
the
girls
crept
back
.
“
I
don’t
like
sacrifices
,
”
Jane
said
.
So
she
and
Anthea
went
and
talked
to
the
priest
,
who
was
no
longer
lying
on
his
face
,
but
sitting
on
the
top
step
mopping
his
forehead
with
his
robe
,
for
it
was
a
hot
day
.
“
It’s
a
special
sacrifice
,
”
he
said
;
“
usually
it’s
only
done
on
the
justice
days
every
five
years
and
six
years
alternately
.
And
then
they
drink
the
cup
of
wine
with
some
of
the
bull’s
blood
in
it
,
and
swear
to
judge
truly
.
And
they
wear
the
sacred
blue
robe
,
and
put
out
all
the
Temple
fires
.
But
this
today
is
because
the
City’s
so
upset
by
the
odd
noises
from
the
sea
,
and
the
god
inside
the
big
mountain
speaking
with
his
thunder‐voice
.
But
all
that’s
happened
so
often
before
.
If
anything
could
make
me
uneasy
it
wouldn’t
be
that
.
”
“
What
would
it
be
?
”
asked
Jane
kindly
.
“
It
would
be
the
Lemmings
.
”
“
Who
are
they
—
enemies
?
”
“
They’re
a
sort
of
rat
;
and
every
year
they
come
swimming
over
from
the
country
that
no
man
knows
,
and
stay
here
awhile
,
and
then
swim
away
.
This
year
they
haven’t
come
.
You
know
rats
won’t
stay
on
a
ship
that’s
going
to
be
wrecked
.
If
anything
horrible
were
going
to
happen
to
us
,
it’s
my
belief
those
Lemmings
would
know
;
and
that
may
be
why
they’ve
fought
shy
of
us
.
”
“
What
do
you
call
this
country
?
”
asked
the
Psammead
,
suddenly
putting
its
head
out
of
its
bag
.
“
Atlantis
,
”
said
the
priest
.
“
Then
I
advise
you
to
get
on
to
the
highest
ground
you
can
find
.
I
remember
hearing
something
about
a
flood
here
.
Look
here
,
you
”
—
it
turned
to
Anthea
;
“
let’s
get
home
.
The
prospect’s
too
wet
for
my
whiskers
.
”
The
girls
obediently
went
to
find
their
brothers
,
who
were
leaning
on
the
balcony
railings
.
“
Where’s
the
learned
gentleman
?
”
asked
Anthea
.
“
There
he
is
—
below
,
”
said
the
priest
,
who
had
come
with
them
.
“
Your
High
Ji
—
jimmy
is
with
the
Kings
.
”
The
ten
Kings
were
no
longer
alone
.
The
learned
gentleman
—
no
one
had
noticed
how
he
got
there
—
stood
with
them
on
the
steps
of
an
altar
,
on
which
lay
the
dead
body
of
the
black
bull
.
All
the
rest
of
the
courtyard
was
thick
with
people
,
seemingly
of
all
classes
,
and
all
were
shouting
,
“
The
sea
—
the
sea
!
”
“
Be
calm
,
”
said
the
most
kingly
of
the
Kings
,
he
who
had
lassoed
the
bull
.
“
Our
town
is
strong
against
the
thunders
of
the
sea
and
of
the
sky
!
”
“
I
want
to
go
home
,
”
whined
the
Psammead
.
“
We
can’t
go
without
him
,
”
said
Anthea
firmly
.
“
Jimmy
,
”
she
called
,
“
Jimmy
!
”
and
waved
to
him
.
He
heard
her
,
and
began
to
come
towards
her
through
the
crowd
.
They
could
see
from
the
balcony
the
sea‐captain
edging
his
way
out
from
among
the
people
.
And
his
face
was
dead
white
,
like
paper
.
“
To
the
hills
!
”
he
cried
in
a
loud
and
terrible
voice
.
And
above
his
voice
came
another
voice
,
louder
,
more
terrible
—
the
voice
of
the
sea
.
The
girls
looked
seaward
.
Across
the
smooth
distance
of
the
sea
something
huge
and
black
rolled
towards
the
town
.
It
was
a
wave
,
but
a
wave
a
hundred
feet
in
height
,
a
wave
that
looked
like
a
mountain
—
a
wave
rising
higher
and
higher
till
suddenly
it
seemed
to
break
in
two
—
one
half
of
it
rushed
out
to
sea
again
;
the
other
—
“
Oh
!
”
cried
Anthea
,
“
the
town
—
the
poor
people
!
”
“
It’s
all
thousands
of
years
ago
,
really
,
”
said
Robert
but
his
voice
trembled
.
They
hid
their
eyes
for
a
moment
.
They
could
not
bear
to
look
down
,
for
the
wave
had
broken
on
the
face
of
the
town
,
sweeping
over
the
quays
and
docks
,
overwhelming
the
great
storehouses
and
factories
,
tearing
gigantic
stones
from
forts
and
bridges
,
and
using
them
as
battering
rams
against
the
temples
.
Great
ships
were
swept
over
the
roofs
of
the
houses
and
dashed
down
half‐way
up
the
hill
among
ruined
gardens
and
broken
buildings
.
The
water
ground
brown
fishing‐boats
to
powder
on
the
golden
roofs
of
Palaces
.
Then
the
wave
swept
back
towards
the
sea
.
“
I
want
to
go
home
,
”
cried
the
Psammead
fiercely
.
“
Oh
,
yes
,
yes
!
”
said
Jane
,
and
the
boys
were
ready
—
but
the
learned
gentleman
had
not
come
.
Then
suddenly
they
heard
him
dash
up
to
the
inner
gallery
,
crying
—
“
I
must
see
the
end
of
the
dream
.
”
He
rushed
up
the
higher
flight
.
The
others
followed
him
.
They
found
themselves
in
a
sort
of
turret
—
roofed
,
but
open
to
the
air
at
the
sides
.
The
learned
gentleman
was
leaning
on
the
parapet
,
and
as
they
rejoined
him
the
vast
wave
rushed
back
on
the
town
.
This
time
it
rose
higher
—
destroyed
more
.
“
Come
home
,
”
cried
the
Psammead
;
“
that’s
the
last
,
I
know
it
is
!
That’s
the
last
—
over
there
.
”
It
pointed
with
a
claw
that
trembled
.
“
Oh
,
come
!
”
cried
Jane
,
holding
up
the
Amulet
.
“
I
will
see
the
end
of
the
dream
,
”
cried
the
learned
gentleman
.
“
You’ll
never
see
anything
else
if
you
do
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
Oh
,
Jimmy
!
”
appealed
Anthea
.
“
I’ll
never
bring
you
out
again
!
”
“
You’ll
never
have
the
chance
if
you
don’t
go
soon
,
”
said
the
Psammead
.
“
I
will
see
the
end
of
the
dream
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
obstinately
.
The
hills
around
were
black
with
people
fleeing
from
the
villages
to
the
mountains
.
And
even
as
they
fled
thin
smoke
broke
from
the
great
white
peak
,
and
then
a
faint
flash
of
flame
.
Then
the
volcano
began
to
throw
up
its
mysterious
fiery
inside
parts
.
The
earth
trembled
;
ashes
and
sulphur
showered
down
;
a
rain
of
fine
pumice‐stone
fell
like
snow
on
all
the
dry
land
.
The
elephants
from
the
forest
rushed
up
towards
the
peaks
;
great
lizards
thirty
yards
long
broke
from
the
mountain
pools
and
rushed
down
towards
the
sea
.
The
snows
melted
and
rushed
down
,
first
in
avalanches
,
then
in
roaring
torrents
.
Great
rocks
cast
up
by
the
volcano
fell
splashing
in
the
sea
miles
away
.
“
Oh
,
this
is
horrible
!
”
cried
Anthea
.
“
Come
home
,
come
home
!
”
“
The
end
of
the
dream
,
”
gasped
the
learned
gentleman
.
“
Hold
up
the
Amulet
,
”
cried
the
Psammead
suddenly
.
The
place
where
they
stood
was
now
crowded
with
men
and
women
,
and
the
children
were
strained
tight
against
the
parapet
.
The
turret
rocked
and
swayed
;
the
wave
had
reached
the
golden
wall
.
Jane
held
up
the
Amulet
.
“
Now
,
”
cried
the
Psammead
,
“
say
the
word
!
”
And
as
Jane
said
it
the
Psammead
leaped
from
its
bag
and
bit
the
hand
of
the
learned
gentleman
.
At
the
same
moment
the
boys
pushed
him
through
the
arch
and
all
followed
him
.
He
turned
to
look
back
,
and
through
the
arch
he
saw
nothing
but
a
waste
of
waters
,
with
above
it
the
peak
of
the
terrible
mountain
with
fire
raging
from
it
.
He
staggered
back
to
his
chair
.
“
What
a
ghastly
dream
!
”
he
gasped
.
“
Oh
,
you’re
here
,
my
—
er
—
dears
.
Can
I
do
anything
for
you
?
”
“
You’ve
hurt
your
hand
,
”
said
Anthea
gently
;
“
let
me
bind
it
up
.
”
The
hand
was
indeed
bleeding
rather
badly
.
The
Psammead
had
crept
back
to
its
bag
.
All
the
children
were
very
white
.
“
Never
again
,
”
said
the
Psammead
later
on
,
“
will
I
go
into
the
Past
with
a
grown‐up
person
!
I
will
say
for
you
four
,
you
do
do
as
you’re
told
.
”
“
We
didn’t
even
find
the
Amulet
,
”
said
Anthea
later
still
.
“
Of
course
you
didn’t
;
it
wasn’t
there
.
Only
the
stone
it
was
made
of
was
there
.
It
fell
on
to
a
ship
miles
away
that
managed
to
escape
and
got
to
Egypt
.
I
could
have
told
you
that
.
”
“
I
wish
you
had
,
”
said
Anthea
,
and
her
voice
was
still
rather
shaky
.
“
Why
didn’t
you
?
”
“
You
never
asked
me
,
”
said
the
Psammead
very
sulkily
.
“
I’m
not
the
sort
of
chap
to
go
shoving
my
oar
in
where
it’s
not
wanted
.
”
“
Mr
Ji‐jimmy’s
friend
will
have
something
worth
having
to
put
in
his
article
now
,
”
said
Cyril
very
much
later
indeed
.
“
Not
he
,
”
said
Robert
sleepily
.
“
the
learned
Ji‐jimmy
will
think
it’s
a
dream
,
and
it’s
ten
to
one
he
never
tells
the
other
chap
a
word
about
it
at
all
.
”
Robert
was
quite
right
on
both
points
.
The
learned
gentleman
did
.
And
he
never
did
.
CHAPTER
X
THE
LITTLE
BLACK
GIRL
AND
JULIUS
CÆSAR
A
GREAT
City
swept
away
by
the
sea
,
a
beautiful
country
devastated
by
an
active
volcano
—
these
are
not
the
sort
of
things
you
see
every
day
of
the
week
.
And
when
you
do
see
them
,
no
matter
how
many
other
wonders
you
may
have
seen
in
your
time
,
such
sights
are
rather
apt
to
take
your
breath
away
.
Atlantis
had
certainly
this
effect
on
the
breaths
of
Cyril
,
Robert
,
Anthea
,
and
Jane
.
They
remained
in
a
breathless
state
for
some
days
.
The
learned
gentleman
seemed
as
breathless
as
anyone
;
he
spent
a
good
deal
of
what
little
breath
he
had
in
telling
Anthea
about
a
wonderful
dream
he
had
.
“
You
would
hardly
believe
,
”
he
said
,
“
that
anyone
could
have
such
a
detailed
vision
.
”
But
Anthea
could
believe
it
,
she
said
,
quite
easily
.
He
had
ceased
to
talk
about
thought‐transference
.
He
had
now
seen
too
many
wonders
to
believe
that
.
In
consequence
of
their
breathless
condition
none
of
the
children
suggested
any
new
excursions
through
the
Amulet
.
Robert
voiced
the
mood
of
the
others
when
he
said
that
they
were
“
fed
up
”
with
Amulet
for
a
bit
.
They
undoubtedly
were
.
As
for
the
Psammead
,
it
went
to
sand
and
stayed
there
,
worn
out
by
the
terror
of
the
flood
and
the
violent
exercise
it
had
had
to
take
in
obedience
to
the
inconsiderate
wishes
of
the
learned
gentleman
and
the
Babylonian
queen
.
The
children
let
it
sleep
.
The
danger
of
taking
it
about
among
strange
people
who
might
at
any
moment
utter
undesirable
wishes
was
becoming
more
and
more
plain
.
And
there
are
pleasant
things
to
be
done
in
London
without
any
aid
from
Amulets
or
Psammeads
.
You
can
,
for
instance
visit
the
Tower
of
London
,
the
Houses
of
Parliament
,
the
National
Gallery
,
the
Zoological
Gardens
,
the
various
Parks
,
the
Museums
at
South
Kensington
,
Madame
Tussaud’s
Exhibition
of
Waxworks
,
or
the
Botanical
Gardens
at
Kew
.
You
can
go
to
Kew
by
a
river
steamer
—
and
this
is
the
way
that
the
children
would
have
gone
if
they
had
gone
at
all
.
Only
they
never
did
,
because
it
was
when
they
were
discussing
the
arrangements
for
the
journey
,
and
what
they
should
take
with
them
to
eat
and
how
much
of
it
,
and
what
the
whole
thing
would
cost
,
that
the
adventure
of
the
Little
Black
Girl
began
to
happen
.
The
children
were
sitting
on
a
seat
in
St.
James’s
Park
.
They
had
been
watching
the
pelican
repulsing
with
careful
dignity
the
advances
of
the
seagulls
who
are
always
so
anxious
to
play
games
with
it
.
The
pelican
thinks
,
very
properly
,
that
it
hasn’t
the
figure
for
games
,
so
it
spends
most
of
its
time
pretending
that
that
is
not
the
reason
why
it
won’t
play
.
The
breathlessness
caused
by
Atlantis
was
wearing
off
a
little
.
Cyril
,
who
always
wanted
to
understand
all
about
everything
,
was
turning
things
over
in
his
mind
.
“
I’m
not
;
I’m
only
thinking
,
”
he
answered
when
Robert
asked
him
what
he
was
so
grumpy
about
.
“
I’ll
tell
you
when
I’ve
thought
it
all
out
.
”
“
If
it’s
about
the
Amulet
I
don’t
want
to
hear
it
,
”
said
Jane
.
“
Nobody
asked
you
to
,
”
retorted
Cyril
mildly
,
“
and
I
haven’t
finished
my
inside
thinking
about
it
yet
.
Let’s
go
to
Kew
in
the
meantime
.
”
“
I’d
rather
go
in
a
steamer
,
”
said
Robert
;
and
the
girls
laughed
.
“
That’s
right
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
be
funny
.
I
would
.
”
“
Well
,
he
was
,
rather
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
I
wouldn’t
think
,
Squirrel
,
if
it
hurts
you
so
,
”
said
Robert
kindly
.
“
Oh
,
shut
up
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
or
else
talk
about
Kew
.
”
“
I
want
to
see
the
palms
there
,
”
said
Anthea
hastily
,
“
to
see
if
they’re
anything
like
the
ones
on
the
island
where
we
united
the
Cook
and
the
Burglar
by
the
Reverend
Half‐Curate
.
”
All
disagreeableness
was
swept
away
in
a
pleasant
tide
of
recollections
,
and
’Do
you
remember
...
?
”
they
said
.
“
Have
you
forgotten
...
?
”
“
My
hat
!
”
remarked
Cyril
pensively
,
as
the
flood
of
reminiscence
ebbed
a
little
;
“
we
have
had
some
times
.
”
“
We
have
that
,
”
said
Robert
.
“
Don’t
let’s
have
any
more
,
”
said
Jane
anxiously
.
“
That’s
what
I
was
thinking
about
,
”
Cyril
replied
;
and
just
then
they
heard
the
Little
Black
Girl
sniff
.
She
was
quite
close
to
them
.
She
was
not
really
a
little
black
girl
.
She
was
shabby
and
not
very
clean
,
and
she
had
been
crying
so
much
that
you
could
hardly
see
,
through
the
narrow
chink
between
her
swollen
lids
,
how
very
blue
her
eyes
were
.
It
was
her
dress
that
was
black
,
and
it
was
too
big
and
too
long
for
her
,
and
she
wore
a
speckled
black‐ribboned
sailor
hat
that
would
have
fitted
a
much
bigger
head
than
her
little
flaxen
one
.
And
she
stood
looking
at
the
children
and
sniffing
.
“
Oh
,
dear
!
”
said
Anthea
,
jumping
up
.
“
Whatever
is
the
matter
?
”
She
put
her
hand
on
the
little
girl’s
arm
.
It
was
rudely
shaken
off
.
“
You
leave
me
be
,
”
said
the
little
girl
.
“
I
ain’t
doing
nothing
to
you
.
”
“
But
what
is
it
?
”
Anthea
asked
.
“
Has
some
one
been
hurting
you
?
”
“
What’s
that
to
you
?
”
said
the
little
girl
fiercely
.
“
You’re
all
right
.
”
“
Come
away
,
”
said
Robert
,
pulling
at
Anthea’s
sleeve
.
“
She’s
a
nasty
,
rude
little
kid
.
”
“
Oh
,
no
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
She’s
only
dreadfully
unhappy
.
What
is
it
?
”
she
asked
again
.
“
Oh
,
you’re
all
right
,
”
the
child
repeated
;
“
you
ain’t
agoin’
to
the
Union
.
”
“
Can’t
we
take
you
home
?
”
said
Anthea
;
and
Jane
added
,
“
Where
does
your
mother
live
?
”
“
She
don’t
live
nowheres
—
she’s
dead
—
so
now
!
”
said
the
little
girl
fiercely
,
in
tones
of
miserable
triumph
.
Then
she
opened
her
swollen
eyes
widely
,
stamped
her
foot
in
fury
,
and
ran
away
.
She
ran
no
further
than
to
the
next
bench
,
flung
herself
down
there
and
began
to
cry
without
even
trying
not
to
.
Anthea
,
quite
at
once
,
went
to
the
little
girl
and
put
her
arms
as
tight
as
she
could
round
the
hunched‐up
black
figure
.
“
Oh
,
don’t
cry
so
,
dear
,
don’t
,
don’t
!
”
she
whispered
under
the
brim
of
the
large
sailor
hat
,
now
very
crooked
indeed
.
“
Tell
Anthea
all
about
it
;
Anthea’ll
help
you
.
There
,
there
,
dear
,
don’t
cry
.
”
The
others
stood
at
a
distance
.
One
or
two
passers‐by
stared
curiously
.
The
child
was
now
only
crying
part
of
the
time
;
the
rest
of
the
time
she
seemed
to
be
talking
to
Anthea
.
Presently
Anthea
beckoned
Cyril
.
“
It’s
horrible
!
”
she
said
in
a
furious
whisper
,
“
her
father
was
a
carpenter
and
he
was
a
steady
man
,
and
never
touched
a
drop
except
on
a
Saturday
,
and
he
came
up
to
London
for
work
,
and
there
wasn’t
any
,
and
then
he
died
;
and
her
name
is
Imogen
,
and
she’s
nine
come
next
November
.
And
now
her
mother’s
dead
,
and
she’s
to
stay
tonight
with
Mrs
Shrobsall
—
that’s
a
landlady
that’s
been
kind
—
and
tomorrow
the
Relieving
Officer
is
coming
for
her
,
and
she’s
going
into
the
Union
;
that
means
the
Workhouse
.
It’s
too
terrible
.
What
can
we
do
?
”
“
Let’s
ask
the
learned
gentleman
,
”
said
Jane
brightly
.
And
as
no
one
else
could
think
of
anything
better
the
whole
party
walked
back
to
Fitzroy
Street
as
fast
as
it
could
,
the
little
girl
holding
tight
to
Anthea’s
hand
and
now
not
crying
any
more
,
only
sniffing
gently
.
The
learned
gentleman
looked
up
from
his
writing
with
the
smile
that
had
grown
much
easier
to
him
than
it
used
to
be
.
They
were
quite
at
home
in
his
room
now
;
it
really
seemed
to
welcome
them
.
Even
the
mummy‐case
appeared
to
smile
as
if
in
its
distant
superior
ancient
Egyptian
way
it
were
rather
pleased
to
see
them
than
not
.
Anthea
sat
on
the
stairs
with
Imogen
,
who
was
nine
come
next
November
,
while
the
others
went
in
and
explained
the
difficulty
.
The
learned
gentleman
listened
with
grave
attention
.
“
It
really
does
seem
rather
rough
luck
,
”
Cyril
concluded
,
“
because
I’ve
often
heard
about
rich
people
who
wanted
children
most
awfully
—
though
I
know
I
never
should
—
but
they
do
.
There
must
be
somebody
who’d
be
glad
to
have
her
.
”
“
Gipsies
are
awfully
fond
of
children
,
”
Robert
hopefully
said
.
“
They’re
always
stealing
them
.
Perhaps
they’d
have
her
.
”
“
She’s
quite
a
nice
little
girl
really
,
”
Jane
added
;
“
she
was
only
rude
at
first
because
we
looked
jolly
and
happy
,
and
she
wasn’t
.
You
understand
that
,
don’t
you
?
”
“
Yes
,
”
said
he
,
absently
fingering
a
little
blue
image
from
Egypt
.
“
I
understand
that
very
well
.
As
you
say
,
there
must
be
some
home
where
she
would
be
welcome
.
”
He
scowled
thoughtfully
at
the
little
blue
image
.
Anthea
outside
thought
the
explanation
was
taking
a
very
long
time
.
She
was
so
busy
trying
to
cheer
and
comfort
the
little
black
girl
that
she
never
noticed
the
Psammead
who
,
roused
from
sleep
by
her
voice
,
had
shaken
itself
free
of
sand
,
and
was
coming
crookedly
up
the
stairs
.
It
was
close
to
her
before
she
saw
it
.
She
picked
it
up
and
settled
it
in
her
lap
.
“
What
is
it
?
”
asked
the
black
child
.
“
Is
it
a
cat
or
a
organ‐monkey
,
or
what
?
”
And
then
Anthea
heard
the
learned
gentleman
say
—
“
Yes
,
I
wish
we
could
find
a
home
where
they
would
be
glad
to
have
her
,
”
and
instantly
she
felt
the
Psammead
begin
to
blow
itself
out
as
it
sat
on
her
lap
.
She
jumped
up
lifting
the
Psammead
in
her
skirt
,
and
holding
Imogen
by
the
hand
,
rushed
into
the
learned
gentleman’s
room
.
“
At
least
let’s
keep
together
,
”
she
cried
.
“
All
hold
hands
—
quick
!
”
The
circle
was
like
that
formed
for
the
Mulberry
Bush
or
Ring
o’
Roses
.
And
Anthea
was
only
able
to
take
part
in
it
by
holding
in
her
teeth
the
hem
of
her
frock
which
,
thus
supported
,
formed
a
bag
to
hold
the
Psammead
.
“
Is
it
a
game
?
”
asked
the
learned
gentleman
feebly
.
No
one
answered
.
There
was
a
moment
of
suspense
;
then
came
that
curious
upside‐down
,
inside‐out
sensation
which
one
almost
always
feels
when
transported
from
one
place
to
another
by
magic
.
Also
there
was
that
dizzy
dimness
of
sight
which
comes
on
these
occasions
.
The
mist
cleared
,
the
upside‐down
,
inside‐out
sensation
subsided
,
and
there
stood
the
six
in
a
ring
,
as
before
,
only
their
twelve
feet
,
instead
of
standing
on
the
carpet
of
the
learned
gentleman’s
room
,
stood
on
green
grass
.
Above
them
,
instead
of
the
dusky
ceiling
of
the
Fitzroy
Street
floor
,
was
a
pale
blue
sky
.
And
where
the
walls
had
been
and
the
painted
mummy‐case
,
were
tall
dark
green
trees
,
oaks
and
ashes
,
and
in
between
the
trees
and
under
them
tangled
bushes
and
creeping
ivy
.
There
were
beech‐trees
too
,
but
there
was
nothing
under
them
but
their
own
dead
red
drifted
leaves
,
and
here
and
there
a
delicate
green
fern‐frond
.
And
there
they
stood
in
a
circle
still
holding
hands
,
as
though
they
were
playing
Ring
o’
Roses
or
the
Mulberry
Bush
.
Just
six
people
hand
in
hand
in
a
wood
.
That
sounds
simple
,
but
then
you
must
remember
that
they
did
not
know
where
the
wood
was
,
and
what’s
more
,
they
didn’t
know
when
then
wood
was
.
There
was
a
curious
sort
of
feeling
that
made
the
learned
gentleman
say
—
“
Another
dream
,
dear
me
!
”
and
made
the
children
almost
certain
that
they
were
in
a
time
a
very
long
while
ago
.
As
for
little
Imogen
,
she
said
,
“
Oh
,
my
!
”
and
kept
her
mouth
very
much
open
indeed
.
“
Where
are
we
?
”
Cyril
asked
the
Psammead
.
“
In
Britain
,
”
said
the
Psammead
.
“
But
when
?
”
asked
Anthea
anxiously
.
“
About
the
year
fifty‐five
before
the
year
you
reckon
time
from
,
”
said
the
Psammead
crossly
.
“
Is
there
anything
else
you
want
to
know
?
”
it
added
,
sticking
its
head
out
of
the
bag
formed
by
Anthea’s
blue
linen
frock
,
and
turning
its
snail’s
eyes
to
right
and
left
.
“
I’ve
been
here
before
—
it’s
very
little
changed
.
”
“
Yes
,
but
why
here
?
”
asked
Anthea
.
“
Your
inconsiderate
friend
,
”
the
Psammead
replied
,
“
wished
to
find
some
home
where
they
would
be
glad
to
have
that
unattractive
and
immature
female
human
being
whom
you
have
picked
up
—
gracious
knows
how
.
In
Megatherium
days
properly
brought‐up
children
didn’t
talk
to
shabby
strangers
in
parks
.
Your
thoughtless
friend
wanted
a
place
where
some
one
would
be
glad
to
have
this
undesirable
stranger
.
And
now
here
you
are
!
”
“
I
see
we
are
,
”
said
Anthea
patiently
,
looking
round
on
the
tall
gloom
of
the
forest
.
“
But
why
here
?
Why
now
?
”
“
You
don’t
suppose
anyone
would
want
a
child
like
that
in
your
times
—
in
your
towns
?
”
said
the
Psammead
in
irritated
tones
.
“
You’ve
got
your
country
into
such
a
mess
that
there’s
no
room
for
half
your
children
—
and
no
one
to
want
them
.
”
“
That’s
not
our
doing
,
you
know
,
”
said
Anthea
gently
.
“
And
bringing
me
here
without
any
waterproof
or
anything
,
”
said
the
Psammead
still
more
crossly
,
“
when
every
one
knows
how
damp
and
foggy
Ancient
Britain
was
.
”
“
Here
,
take
my
coat
,
”
said
Robert
,
taking
it
off
.
Anthea
spread
the
coat
on
the
ground
and
,
putting
the
Psammead
on
it
,
folded
it
round
so
that
only
the
eyes
and
furry
ears
showed
.
“
There
,
”
she
said
comfortingly
.
“
Now
if
it
does
begin
to
look
like
rain
,
I
can
cover
you
up
in
a
minute
.
Now
what
are
we
to
do
?
”
The
others
who
had
stopped
holding
hands
crowded
round
to
hear
the
answer
to
this
question
.
Imogen
whispered
in
an
awed
tone
—
“
Can’t
the
organ
monkey
talk
neither
!
I
thought
it
was
only
parrots
!
”
“
Do
?
”
replied
the
Psammead
.
“
I
don’t
care
what
you
do
!
”
And
it
drew
head
and
ears
into
the
tweed
covering
of
Robert’s
coat
.
The
others
looked
at
each
other
.
“
It’s
only
a
dream
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
hopefully
;
“
something
is
sure
to
happen
if
we
can
prevent
ourselves
from
waking
up
.
”
And
sure
enough
,
something
did
.
The
brooding
silence
of
the
dark
forest
was
broken
by
the
laughter
of
children
and
the
sound
of
voices
.
“
Let’s
go
and
see
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
It’s
only
a
dream
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
to
Jane
,
who
hung
back
;
“
if
you
don’t
go
with
the
tide
of
a
dream
—
if
you
resist
—
you
wake
up
,
you
know
.
”
There
was
a
sort
of
break
in
the
undergrowth
that
was
like
a
silly
person’s
idea
of
a
path
.
They
went
along
this
in
Indian
file
,
the
learned
gentleman
leading
.
Quite
soon
they
came
to
a
large
clearing
in
the
forest
.
There
were
a
number
of
houses
—
huts
perhaps
you
would
have
called
them
—
with
a
sort
of
mud
and
wood
fence
.
“
It’s
like
the
old
Egyptian
town
,
”
whispered
Anthea
.
And
it
was
,
rather
.
Some
children
,
with
no
clothes
on
at
all
,
were
playing
what
looked
like
Ring
o’
Roses
or
Mulberry
Bush
.
That
is
to
say
,
they
were
dancing
round
in
a
ring
,
holding
hands
.
On
a
grassy
bank
several
women
,
dressed
in
blue
and
white
robes
and
tunics
of
beast‐skins
sat
watching
the
playing
children
.
The
children
from
Fitzroy
Street
stood
on
the
fringe
of
the
forest
looking
at
the
games
.
One
woman
with
long
,
fair
braided
hair
sat
a
little
apart
from
the
others
,
and
there
was
a
look
in
her
eyes
as
she
followed
the
play
of
the
children
that
made
Anthea
feel
sad
and
sorry
.
“
None
of
those
little
girls
is
her
own
little
girl
,
”
thought
Anthea
.
The
little
black‐clad
London
child
pulled
at
Anthea’s
sleeve
.
“
Look
,
”
she
said
,
“
that
one
there
—
she’s
precious
like
mother
;
mother’s
’air
was
somethink
lovely
,
when
she
’ad
time
to
comb
it
out
.
Mother
wouldn’t
never
a‐beat
me
if
she’d
lived
’ere
—
I
don’t
suppose
there’s
e’er
a
public
nearer
than
Epping
,
do
you
,
Miss
?
”
In
her
eagerness
the
child
had
stepped
out
of
the
shelter
of
the
forest
.
The
sad‐eyed
woman
saw
her
.
She
stood
up
,
her
thin
face
lighted
up
with
a
radiance
like
sunrise
,
her
long
,
lean
arms
stretched
towards
the
London
child
.
“
Imogen
!
”
she
cried
—
at
least
the
word
was
more
like
that
than
any
other
word
—
“
Imogen
!
”
There
was
a
moment
of
great
silence
;
the
naked
children
paused
in
their
play
,
the
women
on
the
bank
stared
anxiously
.
“
Oh
,
it
is
mother
—
it
is
!
”
cried
Imogen‐from‐London
,
and
rushed
across
the
cleared
space
.
She
and
her
mother
clung
together
—
so
closely
,
so
strongly
that
they
stood
an
instant
like
a
statue
carved
in
stone
.
Then
the
women
crowded
round
.
“
It
is
my
Imogen
!
”
cried
the
woman
.
“
Oh
it
is
!
And
she
wasn’t
eaten
by
wolves
.
She’s
come
back
to
me
.
Tell
me
,
my
darling
,
how
did
you
escape
?
Where
have
you
been
?
Who
has
fed
and
clothed
you
?
”
“
I
don’t
know
nothink
,
”
said
Imogen
.
“
Poor
child
!
”
whispered
the
women
who
crowded
round
,
“
the
terror
of
the
wolves
has
turned
her
brain
.
”
“
But
you
know
me
?
”
said
the
fair‐haired
woman
.
And
Imogen
,
clinging
with
black‐clothed
arms
to
the
bare
neck
,
answered
—
“
Oh
,
yes
,
mother
,
I
know
you
right
’nough
.
”
“
What
is
it
?
What
do
they
say
?
”
the
learned
gentleman
asked
anxiously
.
“
You
wished
to
come
where
some
one
wanted
the
child
,
”
said
the
Psammead
.
“
The
child
says
this
is
her
mother
.
”
“
And
the
mother
?
”
“
You
can
see
,
”
said
the
Psammead
.
“
But
is
she
really
?
Her
child
,
I
mean
?
”
“
Who
knows
?
”
said
the
Psammead
;
“
but
each
one
fills
the
empty
place
in
the
other’s
heart
.
It
is
enough
.
”
“
Oh
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
,
“
this
is
a
good
dream
.
I
wish
the
child
might
stay
in
the
dream
.
”
The
Psammead
blew
itself
out
and
granted
the
wish
.
So
Imogen’s
future
was
assured
.
She
had
found
some
one
to
want
her
.
“
If
only
all
the
children
that
no
one
wants
,
”
began
the
learned
gentleman
—
but
the
woman
interrupted
.
She
came
towards
them
.
“
Welcome
,
all
!
”
she
cried
.
“
I
am
the
Queen
,
and
my
child
tells
me
that
you
have
befriended
her
;
and
this
I
well
believe
,
looking
on
your
faces
.
Your
garb
is
strange
,
but
faces
I
can
read
.
The
child
is
bewitched
,
I
see
that
well
,
but
in
this
she
speaks
truth
.
Is
it
not
so
?
”
The
children
said
it
wasn’t
worth
mentioning
.
I
wish
you
could
have
seen
all
the
honours
and
kindnesses
lavished
on
the
children
and
the
learned
gentleman
by
those
ancient
Britons
.
You
would
have
thought
,
to
see
them
,
that
a
child
was
something
to
make
a
fuss
about
,
not
a
bit
of
rubbish
to
be
hustled
about
the
streets
and
hidden
away
in
the
workhouse
.
It
wasn’t
as
grand
as
the
entertainment
at
Babylon
,
but
somehow
it
was
more
satisfying
.
“
I
think
you
children
have
some
wonderful
influence
on
me
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
.
“
I
never
dreamed
such
dreams
before
I
knew
you
.
”
It
was
when
they
were
alone
that
night
under
the
stars
where
the
Britons
had
spread
a
heap
of
dried
fern
for
them
to
sleep
on
,
that
Cyril
spoke
.
“
Well
,
”
he
said
,
“
we’ve
made
it
all
right
for
Imogen
,
and
had
a
jolly
good
time
.
I
vote
we
get
home
again
before
the
fighting
begins
.
”
“
What
fighting
?
”
asked
Jane
sleepily
.
“
Why
,
Julius
Cæsar
,
you
little
goat
,
”
replied
her
kind
brother
.
“
Don’t
you
see
that
if
this
is
the
year
fifty‐five
,
Julius
Cæsar
may
happen
at
any
moment
.
”
“
I
thought
you
liked
Cæsar
,
”
said
Robert
.
“
So
I
do
—
in
the
history
.
But
that’s
different
from
being
killed
by
his
soldiers
.
”
“
If
we
saw
Cæsar
we
might
persuade
him
not
to
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
You
persuade
Cæsar
,
”
Robert
laughed
.
The
learned
gentleman
,
before
anyone
could
stop
him
,
said
,
“
I
only
wish
we
could
see
Cæsar
some
time
.
”
And
,
of
course
,
in
just
the
little
time
the
Psammead
took
to
blow
itself
out
for
wish‐giving
,
the
five
,
or
six
counting
the
Psammead
,
found
themselves
in
Cæsar’s
camp
,
just
outside
Cæsar’s
tent
.
And
they
saw
Cæsar
.
The
Psammead
must
have
taken
advantage
of
the
loose
wording
of
the
learned
gentleman’s
wish
,
for
it
was
not
the
same
time
of
day
as
that
on
which
the
wish
had
been
uttered
among
the
dried
ferns
.
It
was
sunset
,
and
the
great
man
sat
on
a
chair
outside
his
tent
gazing
over
the
sea
towards
Britain
—
every
one
knew
without
being
told
that
it
was
towards
Britain
.
Two
golden
eagles
on
the
top
of
posts
stood
on
each
side
of
the
tent
,
and
on
the
flaps
of
the
tent
which
was
very
gorgeous
to
look
at
were
the
letters
S.P.Q.R.
The
great
man
turned
unchanged
on
the
newcomers
the
august
glance
that
he
had
turned
on
the
violet
waters
of
the
Channel
.
Though
they
had
suddenly
appeared
out
of
nothing
,
Cæsar
never
showed
by
the
faintest
movement
of
an
eyelid
,
by
the
least
tightening
of
that
firm
mouth
,
that
they
were
not
some
long
expected
embassy
.
He
waved
a
calm
hand
towards
the
sentinels
,
who
sprang
weapons
in
hand
towards
the
newcomers
.
“
Back
!
”
he
said
in
a
voice
that
thrilled
like
music
.
“
Since
when
has
Cæsar
feared
children
and
students
?
”
To
the
children
he
seemed
to
speak
in
the
only
language
they
knew
;
but
the
learned
gentleman
heard
—
in
rather
a
strange
accent
,
but
quite
intelligibly
—
the
lips
of
Cæsar
speaking
in
the
Latin
tongue
,
and
in
that
tongue
,
a
little
stiffly
,
he
answered
—
“
It
is
a
dream
,
O
Cæsar
.
”
“
A
dream
?
”
repeated
Cæsar
.
“
What
is
a
dream
?
”
“
This
,
”
said
the
learned
gentleman
.
“
Not
it
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
it’s
a
sort
of
magic
.
We
come
out
of
another
time
and
another
place
.
”
“
And
we
want
to
ask
you
not
to
trouble
about
conquering
Britain
,
”
said
Anthea
;
“
it’s
a
poor
little
place
,
not
worth
bothering
about
.
”
“
Are
you
from
Britain
?
”
the
General
asked
.
“
Your
clothes
are
uncouth
,
but
well
woven
,
and
your
hair
is
short
as
the
hair
of
Roman
citizens
,
not
long
like
the
hair
of
barbarians
,
yet
such
I
deem
you
to
be
.
”
“
We’re
not
,
”
said
Jane
with
angry
eagerness
;
“
we’re
not
barbarians
at
all
.
We
come
from
the
country
where
the
sun
never
sets
,
and
we’ve
read
about
you
in
books
;
and
our
country’s
full
of
fine
things
—
St
Paul’s
,
and
the
Tower
of
London
,
and
Madame
Tussaud’s
Exhibition
,
and
—
”
Then
the
others
stopped
her
.
“
Don’t
talk
nonsense
,
”
said
Robert
in
a
bitter
undertone
.
Cæsar
looked
at
the
children
a
moment
in
silence
.
Then
he
called
a
soldier
and
spoke
with
him
apart
.
Then
he
said
aloud
—
“
You
three
elder
children
may
go
where
you
will
within
the
camp
.
Few
children
are
privileged
to
see
the
camp
of
Cæsar
.
The
student
and
the
smaller
girl‐child
will
remain
here
with
me
.
”
Nobody
liked
this
;
but
when
Cæsar
said
a
thing
that
thing
was
so
,
and
there
was
an
end
to
it
.
So
the
three
went
.
Left
alone
with
Jane
and
the
learned
gentleman
,
the
great
Roman
found
it
easy
enough
to
turn
them
inside
out
.
But
it
was
not
easy
,
even
for
him
,
to
make
head
or
tail
of
the
insides
of
their
minds
when
he
had
got
at
them
.
The
learned
gentleman
insisted
that
the
whole
thing
was
a
dream
,
and
refused
to
talk
much
,
on
the
ground
that
if
he
did
he
would
wake
up
.
Jane
,
closely
questioned
,
was
full
of
information
about
railways
,
electric
lights
,
balloons
,
men‐of‐war
,
cannons
,
and
dynamite
.
“
And
do
they
fight
with
swords
?
”
asked
the
General
.
“
Yes
,
swords
and
guns
and
cannons
.
”
Cæsar
wanted
to
know
what
guns
were
.
“
You
fire
them
,
”
said
Jane
,
“
and
they
go
bang
,
and
people
fall
down
dead
.
”
“
But
what
are
guns
like
?
”
Jane
found
them
hard
to
describe
.
“
But
Robert
has
a
toy
one
in
his
pocket
,
”
she
said
.
So
the
others
were
recalled
.
The
boys
explained
the
pistol
to
Cæsar
very
fully
,
and
he
looked
at
it
with
the
greatest
interest
.
It
was
a
two‐shilling
pistol
,
the
one
that
had
done
such
good
service
in
the
old
Egyptian
village
.
“
I
shall
cause
guns
to
be
made
,
”
said
Cæsar
,
“
and
you
will
be
detained
till
I
know
whether
you
have
spoken
the
truth
.
I
had
just
decided
that
Britain
was
not
worth
the
bother
of
invading
.
But
what
you
tell
me
decides
me
that
it
is
very
much
worth
while
.
”
“
But
it’s
all
nonsense
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
Britain
is
just
a
savage
sort
of
island
—
all
fogs
and
trees
and
big
rivers
.
But
the
people
are
kind
.
We
know
a
little
girl
there
named
Imogen
.
And
it’s
no
use
your
making
guns
because
you
can’t
fire
them
without
gunpowder
,
and
that
won’t
be
invented
for
hundreds
of
years
,
and
we
don’t
know
how
to
make
it
,
and
we
can’t
tell
you
.
Do
go
straight
home
,
dear
Cæsar
,
and
let
poor
little
Britain
alone
.
”
“
But
this
other
girl‐child
says
—
”
said
Cæsar
.
“
All
Jane’s
been
telling
you
is
what
it’s
going
to
be
,
”
Anthea
interrupted
,
“
hundreds
and
hundreds
of
years
from
now
.
”
“
The
little
one
is
a
prophetess
,
eh
?
”
said
Cæsar
,
with
a
whimsical
look
.
“
Rather
young
for
the
business
,
isn’t
she
?
”
“
You
can
call
her
a
prophetess
if
you
like
,
”
said
Cyril
,
“
but
what
Anthea
says
is
true
.
”
“
Anthea
?
”
said
Cæsar
.
“
That’s
a
Greek
name
.
”
“
Very
likely
,
”
said
Cyril
,
worriedly
.
“
I
say
,
I
do
wish
you’d
give
up
this
idea
of
conquering
Britain
.
It’s
not
worth
while
,
really
it
isn’t
!
”
“
On
the
contrary
,
”
said
Cæsar
,
“
what
you’ve
told
me
has
decided
me
to
go
,
if
it’s
only
to
find
out
what
Britain
is
really
like
.
Guards
,
detain
these
children
.
”
“
Quick
,
”
said
Robert
,
“
before
the
guards
begin
detaining
.
We
had
enough
of
that
in
Babylon
.
”
Jane
held
up
the
Amulet
away
from
the
sunset
,
and
said
the
word
.
The
learned
gentleman
was
pushed
through
and
the
others
more
quickly
than
ever
before
passed
through
the
arch
back
into
their
own
times
and
the
quiet
dusty
sitting‐room
of
the
learned
gentleman
.
It
is
a
curious
fact
that
when
Cæsar
was
encamped
on
the
coast
of
Gaul
—
somewhere
near
Boulogne
it
was
,
I
believe
—
he
was
sitting
before
his
tent
in
the
glow
of
the
sunset
,
looking
out
over
the
violet
waters
of
the
English
Channel
.
Suddenly
he
started
,
rubbed
his
eyes
,
and
called
his
secretary
.
The
young
man
came
quickly
from
within
the
tent
.
“
Marcus
,
”
said
Cæsar
.
“
I
have
dreamed
a
very
wonderful
dream
.
Some
of
it
I
forget
,
but
I
remember
enough
to
decide
what
was
not
before
determined
.
Tomorrow
the
ships
that
have
been
brought
round
from
the
Ligeris
shall
be
provisioned
.
We
shall
sail
for
this
three‐cornered
island
.
First
,
we
will
take
but
two
legions
.
This
,
if
what
we
have
heard
be
true
,
should
suffice
.
But
if
my
dream
be
true
,
then
a
hundred
legions
will
not
suffice
.
For
the
dream
I
dreamed
was
the
most
wonderful
that
ever
tormented
the
brain
even
of
Cæsar
.
And
Cæsar
has
dreamed
some
strange
things
in
his
time
.
”
“
And
if
you
hadn’t
told
Cæsar
all
that
about
how
things
are
now
,
he’d
never
have
invaded
Britain
,
”
said
Robert
to
Jane
as
they
sat
down
to
tea
.
“
Oh
,
nonsense
,
”
said
Anthea
,
pouring
out
;
“
it
was
all
settled
hundreds
of
years
ago
.
”
“
I
don’t
know
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
Jam
,
please
.
This
about
time
being
only
a
thingummy
of
thought
is
very
confusIng
.
If
everything
happens
at
the
same
time
—
”
“
It
can’t
!
”
said
Anthea
stoutly
,
“
the
present’s
the
present
and
the
past’s
the
past
.
”
“
Not
always
,
”
said
Cyril
.
“
When
we
were
in
the
Past
the
present
was
the
future
.
Now
then
!
”
he
added
triumphantly
.
And
Anthea
could
not
deny
it
.
“
I
should
have
liked
to
see
more
of
the
camp
,
”
said
Robert
.
“
Yes
,
we
didn’t
get
much
for
our
money
—
but
Imogen
is
happy
,
that’s
one
thing
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
We
left
her
happy
in
the
Past
.
I’ve
often
seen
about
people
being
happy
in
the
Past
,
in
poetry
books
.
I
see
what
it
means
now
.
”
“
It’s
not
a
bad
idea
,
”
said
the
Psammead
sleepily
,
putting
its
head
out
of
its
bag
and
taking
it
in
again
suddenly
,
“
being
left
in
the
Past
.
”
Every
one
remembered
this
afterwards
,
when
—
CHAPTER
XI
BEFORE
PHARAOH
IT
was
the
day
after
the
adventure
of
Julius
Cæsar
and
the
Little
Black
Girl
that
Cyril
,
bursting
into
the
bathroom
to
wash
his
hands
for
dinner
(
you
have
no
idea
how
dirty
they
were
,
for
he
had
been
playing
shipwrecked
mariners
all
the
morning
on
the
leads
at
the
back
of
the
house
,
where
the
water‐cistern
is
)
,
found
Anthea
leaning
her
elbows
on
the
edge
of
the
bath
,
and
crying
steadily
into
it
.
“
Hullo
!
”
he
said
,
with
brotherly
concern
,
“
what’s
up
now
?
Dinner’ll
be
cold
before
you’ve
got
enough
salt‐water
for
a
bath
.
”
“
Go
away
,
”
said
Anthea
fiercely
.
“
I
hate
you
!
I
hate
everybody
!
”
There
was
a
stricken
pause
.
“
I
didn’t
know
,
”
said
Cyril
tamely
.
“
Nobody
ever
does
know
anything
,
”
sobbed
Anthea
.
“
I
didn’t
know
you
were
waxy
.
I
thought
you’d
just
hurt
your
fingers
with
the
tap
again
like
you
did
last
week
,
”
Cyril
carefully
explained
.
“
Oh
—
fingers
!
”
sneered
Anthea
through
her
sniffs
.
“
Here
,
drop
it
,
Panther
,
”
he
said
uncomfortably
.
“
You
haven’t
been
having
a
row
or
anything
?
”
“
No
,
”
she
said
.
“
Wash
your
horrid
hands
,
for
goodness’
sake
,
if
that’s
what
you
came
for
,
or
go
.
”
Anthea
was
so
seldom
cross
that
when
she
was
cross
the
others
were
always
more
surprised
than
angry
.
Cyril
edged
along
the
side
of
the
bath
and
stood
beside
her
.
He
put
his
hand
on
her
arm
.
“
Dry
up
,
do
,
”
he
said
,
rather
tenderly
for
him
.
And
,
finding
that
though
she
did
not
at
once
take
his
advice
she
did
not
seem
to
resent
it
,
he
put
his
arm
awkwardly
across
her
shoulders
and
rubbed
his
head
against
her
ear
.
“
There
!
”
he
said
,
in
the
tone
of
one
administering
a
priceless
cure
for
all
possible
sorrows
.
“
Now
,
what’s
up
?
”
“
Promise
you
won’t
laugh
?
”
“
I
don’t
feel
laughish
myself
,
”
said
Cyril
,
dismally
.
“
Well
,
then
,
”
said
Anthea
,
leaning
her
ear
against
his
head
,
“
it’s
Mother
.
”
“
What’s
the
matter
with
Mother
?
”
asked
Cyril
,
with
apparent
want
of
sympathy
.
“
she
was
all
right
in
her
letter
this
morning
.
”
“
Yes
;
but
I
want
her
so
.
”
“
You’re
not
the
only
one
,
”
said
Cyril
briefly
,
and
the
brevity
of
his
tone
admitted
a
good
deal
.
“
Oh
,
yes
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
I
know
.
We
all
want
her
all
the
time
.
But
I
want
her
now
most
dreadfully
,
awfully
much
.
I
never
wanted
anything
so
much
.
That
Imogen
child
—
the
way
the
ancient
British
Queen
cuddled
her
up
!
And
Imogen
wasn’t
me
,
and
the
Queen
wasn’t
Mother
.
And
then
her
letter
this
morning
!
And
about
The
Lamb
liking
the
salt
bathing
!
And
she
bathed
him
in
this
very
bath
the
night
before
she
went
away
—
oh
,
oh
,
oh
!
”
Cyril
thumped
her
on
the
back
.
“
Cheer
up
,
”
he
said
.
“
You
know
my
inside
thinking
that
I
was
doing
?
Well
,
that
was
partly
about
Mother
.
We’ll
soon
get
her
back
.
If
you’ll
chuck
it
,
like
a
sensible
kid
,
and
wash
your
face
,
I’ll
tell
you
about
it
.
That’s
right
.
You
let
me
get
to
the
tap
.
Can’t
you
stop
crying
?
Shall
I
put
the
door‐key
down
your
back
?
”
“
That’s
for
noses
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
and
I’m
not
a
kid
any
more
than
you
are
,
”
but
she
laughed
a
little
,
and
her
mouth
began
to
get
back
into
its
proper
shape
.
You
know
what
an
odd
shape
your
mouth
gets
into
when
you
cry
in
earnest
.
“
Look
here
,
”
said
Cyril
,
working
the
soap
round
and
round
between
his
hands
in
a
thick
slime
of
grey
soapsuds
.
“
I’ve
been
thinking
.
We’ve
only
just
played
with
the
Amulet
so
far
.
We’ve
got
to
work
it
now
—
work
it
for
all
it’s
worth
.
And
it
isn’t
only
Mother
either
.
There’s
Father
out
there
all
among
the
fighting
.
I
don’t
howl
about
it
,
but
I
think
—
Oh
,
bother
the
soap
!
”
The
grey‐lined
soap
had
squirted
out
under
the
pressure
of
his
fingers
,
and
had
hit
Anthea’s
chin
with
as
much
force
as
though
it
had
been
shot
from
a
catapult
.
“
There
now
,
”
she
said
regretfully
,
“
now
I
shall
have
to
wash
my
face
.
”
“
You’d
have
had
to
do
that
anyway
,
”
said
Cyril
with
conviction
.
“
Now
,
my
idea’s
this
.
You
know
missionaries
?
”
“
Yes
,
”
said
Anthea
,
who
did
not
know
a
single
one
.
“
Well
,
they
always
take
the
savages
beads
and
brandy
,
and
stays
,
and
hats
,
and
braces
,
and
really
useful
things
—
things
the
savages
haven’t
got
,
and
never
heard
about
.
And
the
savages
love
them
for
their
kind
generousness
,
and
give
them
pearls
,
and
shells
,
and
ivory
,
and
cassowaries
.
And
that’s
the
way
—
”
“
Wait
a
sec
,
”
said
Anthea
,
splashing
.
“
I
can’t
hear
what
you’re
saying
.
Shells
and
—
”
“
Shells
,
and
things
like
that
.
The
great
thing
is
to
get
people
to
love
you
by
being
generous
.
And
that’s
what
we’ve
got
to
do
.
Next
time
we
go
into
the
Past
we’ll
regularly
fit
out
the
expedition
.
You
remember
how
the
Babylonian
Queen
froze
on
to
that
pocket‐book
?
Well
,
we’ll
take
things
like
that
.
And
offer
them
in
exchange
for
a
sight
of
the
Amulet
.
”
“
A
sight
of
it
is
not
much
good
.
”
“
No
,
silly
.
But
,
don’t
you
see
,
when
we’ve
seen
it
we
shall
know
where
it
is
,
and
we
can
go
and
take
it
in
the
night
when
everybody
is
asleep
.
”
“
It
wouldn’t
be
stealing
,
would
it
?
”
said
Anthea
thoughtfully
,
“
because
it
will
be
such
an
awfully
long
time
ago
when
we
do
it
.
Oh
,
there’s
that
bell
again
.
”
As
soon
as
dinner
was
eaten
(
it
was
tinned
salmon
and
lettuce
,
and
a
jam
tart
)
,
and
the
cloth
cleared
away
,
the
idea
was
explained
to
the
others
,
and
the
Psammead
was
aroused
from
sand
,
and
asked
what
it
thought
would
be
good
merchandise
with
which
to
buy
the
affection
of
say
,
the
Ancient
Egyptians
,
and
whether
it
thought
the
Amulet
was
likely
to
be
found
in
the
Court
of
Pharaoh
.
But
it
shook
its
head
,
and
shot
out
its
snail’s
eyes
hopelessly
.
“
I’m
not
allowed
to
play
in
this
game
,
”
it
said
.
“
Of
course
I
could
find
out
in
a
minute
where
the
thing
was
,
only
I
mayn’t
.
But
I
may
go
so
far
as
to
own
that
your
idea
of
taking
things
with
you
isn’t
a
bad
one
.
And
I
shouldn’t
show
them
all
at
once
.
Take
small
things
and
conceal
them
craftily
about
your
persons
.
”
This
advice
seemed
good
.
Soon
the
table
was
littered
over
with
things
which
the
children
thought
likely
to
interest
the
Ancient
Egyptians
.
Anthea
brought
dolls
,
puzzle
blocks
,
a
wooden
tea‐service
,
a
green
leather
case
with
Nécessaire
written
on
it
in
gold
letters
.
Aunt
Emma
had
once
given
it
to
Anthea
,
and
it
had
then
contained
scissors
,
penknife
,
bodkin
,
stiletto
,
thimble
,
corkscrew
,
and
glove‐buttoner
.
The
scissors
,
knife
,
and
thimble
,
and
penknife
were
,
of
course
,
lost
,
but
the
other
things
were
there
and
as
good
as
new
.
Cyril
contributed
lead
soldiers
,
a
cannon
,
a
catapult
,
a
tin‐opener
,
a
tie‐clip
,
and
a
tennis
ball
,
and
a
padlock
—
no
key
.
Robert
collected
a
candle
(
“
I
don’t
suppose
they
ever
saw
a
self‐fitting
paraffin
one
,
”
he
said
)
,
a
penny
Japanese
pin‐tray
,
a
rubber
stamp
with
his
father’s
name
and
address
on
it
,
and
a
piece
of
putty
.
Jane
added
a
key‐ring
,
the
brass
handle
of
a
poker
,
a
pot
that
had
held
cold‐cream
,
a
smoked
pearl
button
off
her
winter
coat
,
and
a
key
—
no
lock
.
“
We
can’t
take
all
this
rubbish
,
”
said
Robert
,
with
some
scorn
.
“
We
must
just
each
choose
one
thing
.
”
The
afternoon
passed
very
agreeably
in
the
attempt
to
choose
from
the
table
the
four
most
suitable
objects
.
But
the
four
children
could
not
agree
what
was
suitable
,
and
at
last
Cyril
said
—
“
Look
here
,
let’s
each
be
blindfolded
and
reach
out
,
and
the
first
thing
you
touch
you
stick
to
.
”
This
was
done
.
Cyril
touched
the
padlock
.
Anthea
got
the
Nécessaire
.
Robert
clutched
the
candle
.
Jane
picked
up
the
tie‐clip
.
“
It’s
not
much
,
”
she
said
.
“
I
don’t
believe
Ancient
Egyptians
wore
ties
.
”
“
Never
mind
,
”
said
Anthea
.
“
I
believe
it’s
luckier
not
to
really
choose
.
In
the
stories
it’s
always
the
thing
the
wood‐cutter’s
son
picks
up
in
the
forest
,
and
almost
throws
away
because
he
thinks
it’s
no
good
,
that
turns
out
to
be
the
magic
thing
in
the
end
;
or
else
some
one’s
lost
it
,
and
he
is
rewarded
with
the
hand
of
the
King’s
daughter
in
marriage
.
”
“
I
don’t
want
any
hands
in
marriage
,
thank
you
.
”
said
Cyril
firmly
.
“
Nor
yet
me
,
”
said
Robert
.
“
It’s
always
the
end
of
the
adventures
when
it
comes
to
the
marriage
hands
.
”
“
Are
we
ready
?
”
said
Anthea
.
“
It
is
Egypt
we’re
going
to
,
isn’t
it
?
—
nice
Egypt
?
”
said
Jane
.
“
I
won’t
go
anywhere
I
don’t
know
about
—
like
that
dreadful
big‐wavy
burning‐mountain
city
,
”
she
insisted
.
Then
the
Psammead
was
coaxed
into
its
bag
.
“
I
say
,
”
said
Cyril
suddenly
,
“
I’m
rather
sick
of
kings
.
And
people
notice
you
so
in
palaces
.
Besides
the
Amulet’s
sure
to
be
in
a
Temple
.
Let’s
just
go
among
the
common
people
,
and
try
to
work
ourselves
up
by
degrees
.
We
might
get
taken
on
as
Temple
assistants
.
”
“
Like
beadles
,
”
said
Anthea
,
“
or
vergers
.
They
must
have
splendid
chances
of
stealing
the
Temple
treasures
.
”
“
Righto
!
”
was
the
general
rejoinder
.
The
charm
was
held
up
.
It
grew
big
once
again
,
and
once
again
the
warm
golden
Eastern
light
glowed
softly
beyond
it
.
As
the
children
stepped
through
it
loud
and
furious
voices
rang
in
their
ears
.
They
went
suddenly
from
the
quiet
of
Fitzroy
Street
dining‐room
into
a
very
angry
Eastern
crowd
,
a
crowd
much
too
angry
to
notice
them
.
They
edged
through
it
to
the
wall
of
a
house
and
stood
there
.
The
crowd
was
of
men
,
women
,
and
children
.
They
were
of
all
sorts
of
complexions
,
and
pictures
of
them
might
have
been
coloured
by
any
child
with
a
shilling
paint‐box
.
The
colours
that
child
would
have
used
for
complexions
would
have
been
yellow
ochre
,
red
ochre
,
light
red
,
sepia
,
and
indian
ink
.
But
their
faces
were
painted
already
—
black
eyebrows
and
lashes
,
and
some
red
lips
.
The
women
wore
a
sort
of
pinafore
with
shoulder
straps
,
and
loose
things
wound
round
their
heads
and
shoulders
.
The
men
wore
very
little
clothing
—
for
they
were
the
working
people
—
and
the
Egyptian
boys
and
girls
wore
nothing
at
all
,
unless
you
count
the
little
ornaments
hung
on
chains
round
their
necks
and
waists
.
The
children
saw
all
this
before
they
could
hear
anything
distinctly
.
Every
one
was
shouting
so
.
But
a
voice
sounded
above
the
other
voices
,
and
presently
it
was
speaking
in
a
silence
.
“
Comrades
and
fellow
workers
,
”
it
said
,
and
it
was
the
voice
of
a
tall
,
coppery‐coloured
man
who
had
climbed
into
a
chariot
that
had
been
stopped
by
the
crowd
.
Its
owner
had
bolted
,
muttering
something
about
calling
the
Guards
,
and
now
the
man
spoke
from
it
.
“
Comrades
and
fellow
workers
,
how
long
are
we
to
endure
the
tyranny
of
our
masters
,
who
live
in
idleness
and
luxury
on
the
fruit
of
our
toil
?
They
only
give
us
a
bare
subsistence
wage
,
and
they
live
on
the
fat
of
the
land
.
We
labour
all
our
lives
to
keep
them
in
wanton
luxury
.
Let
us
make
an
end
of
it
!
”
A
roar
of
applause
answered
him
.
“
How
are
you
going
to
do
it
?
”
cried
a
voice
.
“
You
look
out
,
”
cried
another
,
“
or
you’ll
get
yourself
into
trouble
.
”
“
I’ve
heard
almost
every
single
word
of
that
,
”
whispered
Robert
,
“
in
Hyde
Park
last
Sunday
!
”
“
Let
us
strike
for
more
bread
and
onions
and
beer
,
and
a
longer
mid‐day
rest
,
”
the
speaker
went
on
.
“
You
are
tired
,
you
are
hungry
,
you
are
thirsty
.
You
are
poor
,
your
wives
and
children
are
pining
for
food
.
The
barns
of
the
rich
are
full
to
bursting
with
the
corn
we
want
,
the
corn
our
labour
has
grown
.
To
the
granaries
!
”
“
To
the
granaries
!
”
cried
half
the
crowd
;
but
another
