THE MAGIC CITY

BYE. NESBIT

AUTHOR OF'THE WOULD-BE-GOODS, ' 'THE AMULET, ' ETC. ETC. 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. R. MILLAR

 MACMILLAN AND CO. , LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON 1910

[Illustration: _Page 328_ _Frontispiece_

Three days later Mr. Noah arrived by elephant. ]

 TO

 BARBARA, MAURICE, AND

 STEPHEN CHANT

 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

 BY

 E. NESBIT

 WELL HALL, ELTHAM, KENT, 1910. 

CONTENTS

 CHAPTER I PAGE THE BEGINNING 1

 CHAPTER II DELIVERER OR DESTROYER 30

 CHAPTER III LOST 65

 CHAPTER IV THE DRAGON-SLAYER 94

 CHAPTER V ON THE CARPET 131

 CHAPTER VI THE LIONS IN THE DESERT 160

 CHAPTER VII THE DWELLERS BY THE SEA 187

 CHAPTER VIII UPS AND DOWNS 218

 CHAPTER IX ON THE 'LIGHTNING LOOSE' 245

 CHAPTER X THE GREAT SLOTH 272

 CHAPTER XI THE NIGHT ATTACK 302

 CHAPTER XII THE END 318

ILLUSTRATIONS

 PAGE

 Three days later Mr. Noah arrived by elephant _Frontispiece_

 'Lor', ain't it pretty!' said the parlour-maid 17

 Beyond it he could see dim piles that looked like churches and houses 27

 'Here--I say, wake up, can't you?' 33

 'Top floor, if you please, ' said the gaoler politely 49

 And behind him the clatter of hot pursuit 61

 He heard quite a loud, strong, big voice say, 'That's better' 85

 The gigantic porch lowered frowningly above him 91

 He walked on and on and on 97

 'Silence, trespasser, ' said Mr. Noah, with cold dignity 115

 Then something hard and heavy knocked him over 127

 Mr. Noah whispered ardently, 'Don't!' 139

 So, all down the wide clear floor, Lucy danced 157

 On the top of a very large and wobbly camel 169

 It was heavy work turning the lions over 179

 Slowly they came to the great gate of the castle 193

 'If your camel's not quite fresh I can mount you both' 199

 They loved looking on 211

 A long procession toiled slowly up it of animals in pairs 223

 Walked straight into the arms of Helen 243

 He induced them to build him a temple of solid gold 261

 Plunged headlong over the edge 269

 The bucket began to go up 281

 Lucy threw herself across the well parapet 287

 And all the while it had to go on turning that handle 299

 Philip felt that it was best to stop the car among the suburban groves of southernwood 307

 They leapt in and disappeared 321

CHAPTER I

THE BEGINNING

Philip Haldane and his sister lived in a little red-roofed house in alittle red-roofed town. They had a little garden and a little balcony, and a little stable with a little pony in it--and a little cart for thepony to draw; a little canary hung in a little cage in the littlebow-window, and the neat little servant kept everything as bright andclean as a little new pin. 

Philip had no one but his sister, and she had no one but Philip. Theirparents were dead, and Helen, who was twenty years older than Philip andwas really his half-sister, was all the mother he had ever known. And hehad never envied other boys their mothers, because Helen was so kind andclever and dear. She gave up almost all her time to him; she taught himall the lessons he learned; she played with him, inventing the mostwonderful new games and adventures. So that every morning when Philipwoke he knew that he was waking to a new day of joyous and interestinghappenings. And this went on till Philip was ten years old, and he hadno least shadow of a doubt that it would go on for ever. The beginningof the change came one day when he and Helen had gone for a picnic tothe wood where the waterfall was, and as they were driving back behindthe stout old pony, who was so good and quiet that Philip was allowed todrive it. They were coming up the last lane before the turning wheretheir house was, and Helen said:

'To-morrow we'll weed the aster bed and have tea in the garden. '

'Jolly, ' said Philip, and they turned the corner and came in sight oftheir white little garden gate. And a man was coming out of it--a manwho was not one of the friends they both knew. He turned and came tomeet them. Helen put her hand on the reins--a thing which she had alwaystaught Philip was _never_ done--and the pony stopped. The man, who was, as Philip put it to himself, 'tall and tweedy, ' came across in front ofthe pony's nose and stood close by the wheel on the side where Helensat. She shook hands with him, and said, 'How do you do?' in quite theusual way. But after that they whispered. Whispered! And Philip knewhow rude it is to whisper, because Helen had often told him this. Heheard one or two words, 'at last, ' and 'over now, ' and 'this evening, then. '

After that Helen said, 'This is my brother Philip, ' and the man shookhands with him--across Helen, another thing which Philip knew was notmanners, and said, 'I hope we shall be the best of friends. ' Pip said, 'How do you do?' because that is the polite thing to say. But insidehimself he said, 'I don't want to be friends with _you_. '

Then the man took off his hat and walked away, and Philip and his sisterwent home. She seemed different, somehow, and he was sent to bed alittle earlier than usual, but he could not go to sleep for a long time, because he heard the front-door bell ring and afterwards a man's voiceand Helen's going on and on in the little drawing-room under the roomwhich was his bedroom. He went to sleep at last, and when he woke up inthe morning it was raining, and the sky was grey and miserable. He losthis collar-stud, he tore one of his stockings as he pulled it on, hepinched his finger in the door, and he dropped his tooth-mug, with waterin it too, and the mug was broken and the water went into his boots. There are mornings, you know, when things happen like that. This wasone of them. 

Then he went down to breakfast, which tasted not quite so nice as usual. He was late, of course. The bacon fat was growing grey with waiting forhim, as Helen said, in the cheerful voice that had always said all thethings he liked best to hear. But Philip didn't smile. It did not seemthe sort of morning for smiling, and the grey rain beat against thewindow. 

After breakfast Helen said, 'Tea in the garden is indefinitelypostponed, and it's too wet for lessons. '

That was one of her charming ideas--that wet days should not be madeworse by lessons. 

'What shall we do?' she said; 'shall we talk about the island? Shall Imake another map of it? And put in all the gardens and fountains andswings?'

The island was a favourite play. Somewhere in the warm seas where palmtrees are, and rainbow-coloured sands, the island was said to be--theirown island, beautified by their fancy with everything they liked andwanted, and Philip was never tired of talking about it. There were timeswhen he almost believed that the island was real. He was king of theisland and Helen was queen, and no one else was to be allowed on it. Only these two. 

But this morning even the thought of the island failed to charm. Philipstraggled away to the window and looked out dismally at the soaked lawnand the dripping laburnum trees, and the row of raindrops hanging fatand full on the iron gate. 

'What is it, Pippin?' Helen asked. 'Don't tell me you're going to havehorrid measles, or red-hot scarlet fever, or noisy whooping-cough. '

She came across and laid her hand on his forehead. 

'Why, you're quite hot, boy of my heart. Tell sister, what is it?'

'_You_ tell _me_, ' said Philip slowly. 

'Tell you what, Pip?'

'You think you ought to bear it alone, like in books, and be noble andall that. But you _must_ tell me; you promised you'd never have anysecrets from me, Helen, you know you did. '

Helen put her arm round him and said nothing. And from her silence Pipdrew the most desperate and harrowing conclusions. The silence lasted. The rain gurgled in the water-pipe and dripped on the ivy. The canary inthe green cage that hung in the window put its head on one side andtweaked a seed husk out into Philip's face, then twittered defiantly. But his sister said nothing. 

'Don't, ' said Philip suddenly, 'don't break it to me; tell me straightout. '

'Tell you what?' she said again. 

'What is it?' he said. '_I_ know how these unforetold misfortuneshappen. Some one always comes--and then it's broken to the family. '

'_What_ is?' she asked. 

'The misfortune, ' said Philip breathlessly. 'Oh, Helen, I'm not a baby. Do tell me! Have we lost our money in a burst bank? Or is the landlordgoing to put bailiffs into our furniture? Or are we going to be falselyaccused about forgery, or being burglars?'

All the books Philip had ever read worked together in his mind toproduce these melancholy suggestions. Helen laughed, and instantly felta stiffening withdrawal of her brother from her arm. 

'No, no, my Pippin, dear, ' she made haste to say. 'Nothing horrid likethat has happened. '

'Then what is it?' he asked, with a growing impatience that felt like awolf gnawing inside him. 

'I didn't want to tell you all in a hurry like this, ' she saidanxiously; 'but don't you worry, my boy of boys. It's something thatmakes me very happy. I hope it will you, too. '

He swung round in the circling of her arm and looked at her with suddenecstasy. 

'Oh, Helen, dear--I know! Some one has left you a hundred thousandpounds a year--some one you once opened a railway-carriage door for--andnow I can have a pony of my very own to ride. Can't I?'

'Yes, ' said Helen slowly, 'you can have a pony; but nobody's left meanything. Look here, my Pippin, ' she added, very quickly, 'don't ask anymore questions. I'll tell you. When I was quite little like you I had adear friend I used to play with all day long, and when we grew up wewere friends still. He lived quite near us. And then he married some oneelse. And then the some one died. And now he wants me to marry him. Andhe's got lots of horses and a beautiful house and park, ' she added. 

'And where shall I be?' he asked. 

'With me, of course, wherever I am. '

'It won't be just us two any more, though, ' said Philip, 'and you saidit should be, for ever and ever. '

'But I didn't know then, Pip, dear. He's been wanting me so long----'

'Don't _I_ want you?' said Pip to himself. 

'And he's got a little girl that you'll like so to play with, ' she wenton. 'Her name's Lucy, and she's just a year younger than you. Andyou'll be the greatest friends with her. And you'll both have ponies toride, and----'

'I hate her, ' cried Philip, very loud, 'and I hate him, and I hate theirbeastly ponies. And I hate _you_!' And with these dreadful words heflung off her arm and rushed out of the room, banging the door afterhim--on purpose. 

Well, she found him in the boot-cupboard, among the gaiters and goloshesand cricket-stumps and old rackets, and they kissed and cried and huggedeach other, and he said he was sorry he had been naughty. But in hisheart that was the only thing he was sorry for. He was sorry that he hadmade Helen unhappy. He still hated 'that man, ' and most of all he hatedLucy. 

He had to be polite to that man. His sister was very fond of that man, and this made Philip hate him still more, while at the same time it madehim careful not to show how he hated him. Also it made him feel thathating that man was not quite fair to his sister, whom he loved. Butthere were no feelings of that kind to come in the way of thedetestation he felt for Lucy. Helen had told him that Lucy had fair hairand wore it in two plaits; and he pictured her to himself as a fat, stumpy little girl, exactly like the little girl in the story of 'TheSugar Bread' in the old oblong 'Shock-Headed Peter' book that hadbelonged to Helen when she was little. 

Helen was quite happy. She divided her love between the boy she lovedand the man she was going to marry, and she believed that they were bothas happy as she was. The man, whose name was Peter Graham, was happyenough; the boy, who was Philip, was amused--for she kept him so--butunder the amusement he was miserable. 

And the wedding-day came and went. And Philip travelled on a very hotafternoon by strange trains and a strange carriage to a strange house, where he was welcomed by a strange nurse and--Lucy. 

'You won't mind going to stay at Peter's beautiful house without me, will you, dear?' Helen had asked. 'Every one will be kind to you, andyou'll have Lucy to play with. '

And Philip said he didn't mind. What else could he say, without beingnaughty and making Helen cry again?

Lucy was not a bit like the Sugar-Bread child. She had fair hair, it istrue, and it was plaited in two braids, but they were very long andstraight; she herself was long and lean and had a freckled face andbright, jolly eyes. 

'I'm so glad you've come, ' she said, meeting him on the steps of themost beautiful house he had ever seen; 'we can play all sort of thingsnow that you can't play when you're only one. I'm an only child, ' sheadded, with a sort of melancholy pride. Then she laughed. '"Only" rhymeswith "lonely, " doesn't it?' she said. 

'I don't know, ' said Philip, with deliberate falseness, for he knewquite well. 

He said no more. 

Lucy tried two or three other beginnings of conversation, but Philipcontradicted everything she said. 

'I'm afraid he's very very stupid, ' she said to her nurse, an extremelytrained nurse, who firmly agreed with her. And when her aunt came to seeher next day, Lucy said that the little new boy was stupid, anddisagreeable as well as stupid, and Philip confirmed this opinion of hisbehaviour to such a degree that the aunt, who was young andaffectionate, had Lucy's clothes packed at once and carried her off fora few days' visit. 

So Philip and the nurse were left at the Grange. There was nobody elsein the house but servants. And now Philip began to know what lonelinessmeant. The letters and the picture post-cards which his sister sentevery day from the odd towns on the continent of Europe, which shevisited on her honeymoon, did not cheer the boy. They merelyexasperated him, reminding him of the time when she was all his own, andwas too near to him to need to send him post-cards and letters. 

The extremely trained nurse, who wore a grey uniform and white cap andapron, disapproved of Philip to the depths of her well-disciplinednature. 'Cantankerous little pig, ' she called him to herself. 

To the housekeeper she said, 'He is an unusually difficult anddisagreeable child. I should imagine that his education has been muchneglected. He wants a tight hand. '

She did not use a tight hand to him, however. She treated him with anindifference more annoying than tyranny. He had immense liberty of adesolate, empty sort. The great house was his to go to and fro in. Buthe was not allowed to touch anything in it. The garden was his--towander through, but he must not pluck flowers or fruit. He had nolessons, it is true; but, then, he had no games either. There was anursery, but he was not imprisoned in it--was not even encouraged tospend his time there. He was sent out for walks, and alone, for the parkwas large and safe. And the nursery was the room of all that great housethat attracted him most, for it was full of toys of the most fascinatingkind. A rocking-horse as big as a pony, the finest dolls' house youever saw, boxes of tea-things, boxes of bricks--both the wooden and theterra-cotta sorts--puzzle maps, dominoes, chessmen, draughts, every kindof toy or game that you have ever had or ever wished to have. 

And Pip was not allowed to play with any of them. 

'You mustn't touch anything, if you please, ' the nurse said, with thaticy politeness which goes with a uniform. 'The toys are Miss Lucy's. No;I couldn't be responsible for giving you permission to play with them. No; I couldn't think of troubling Miss Lucy by writing to ask her if youmay play with them. No; I couldn't take upon myself to give you MissLucy's address. '

For Philip's boredom and his desire had humbled him even to the askingfor this. 

For two whole days he lived at the Grange, hating it and every one init; for the servants took their cue from the nurse, and the child feltthat in the whole house he had not a friend. Somehow he had got the ideafirmly in his head that this was a time when Helen was not to bebothered about anything; so he wrote to her that he was quite well, thank you, and the park was very pretty and Lucy had lots of nice toys. He felt very brave and noble, and like a martyr. And he set his teethto bear it all. It was like spending a few days at the dentist's. 

And then suddenly everything changed. The nurse got a telegram. Abrother who had been thought to be drowned at sea had abruptly comehome. She must go to see him. 'If it costs me the situation, ' she saidto the housekeeper, who answered:

'Oh, well--go, then. I'll be responsible for the boy--sulky littlebrat. '

And the nurse went. In a happy bustle she packed her boxes and went. Atthe last moment Philip, on the doorstep watching her climb into thedog-cart, suddenly sprang forward. 

'Oh, Nurse!' he cried, blundering against the almost moving wheel, andit was the first time he had called her by any name. 'Nurse, do--do sayI may take Lucy's toys to play with; it _is_ so lonely here. I may, mayn't I? I may take them?'

Perhaps the nurse's heart was softened by her own happiness and thethought of the brother who was not drowned. Perhaps she was only in sucha hurry that she did not know what she was saying. At any rate, whenPhilip said for the third time, 'May I take them?' she hastilyanswered:

'Bless the child! Take anything you like. Mind the wheel, for goodness'sake. Good-bye, everybody!' waved her hand to the servants assembled atthe top of the wide steps, and was whirled off to joyous reunion withthe undrowned brother. 

Philip drew a deep breath of satisfaction, went straight up to thenursery, took out all the toys, and examined every single one of them. It took him all the afternoon. 

The next day he looked at all the things again and longed to makesomething with them. He was accustomed to the joy that comes of makingthings. He and Helen had built many a city for the dream island out ofhis own two boxes of bricks and certain other things in the house--herJapanese cabinet, the dominoes and chessmen, cardboard boxes, books, thelids of kettles and teapots. But they had never had enough bricks. Lucyhad enough bricks for anything. 

He began to build a city on the nursery table. But to build with bricksalone is poor work when you have been used to building with all sorts ofother things. 

'It looks like a factory, ' said Philip discontentedly. He swept thebuilding down and replaced the bricks in their different boxes. 

'There must be something downstairs that would come in useful, ' he toldhimself, 'and she did say, "Take what you like. "'

By armfuls, two and three at a time, he carried down the boxes of bricksand the boxes of blocks, the draughts, the chessmen, and the box ofdominoes. He took them into the long drawing-room where the crystalchandeliers were, and the chairs covered in brown holland--and the manylong, light windows, and the cabinets and tables covered with the mostinteresting things. 

He cleared a big writing-table of such useless and unimportant objectsas blotting-pad, silver inkstand, and red-backed books, and there was aclear space for his city. 

He began to build. 

A bronze Egyptian god on a black and gold cabinet seemed to be lookingat him from across the room. 

'All right, ' said Philip. 'I'll build you a temple. You wait a bit. '

The bronze god waited and the temple grew, and two silver candlesticks, topped by chessmen, served admirably as pillars for the portico. He madea journey to the nursery to fetch the Noah's Ark animals--the pair ofelephants, each standing on a brick, flanked the entrance. It lookedsplendid, like an Assyrian temple in the pictures Helen had shown him. But the bricks, wherever he built with them alone, looked mean, and likefactories or workhouses. Bricks alone always do. 

Philip explored again. He found the library. He made several journeys. He brought up twenty-seven volumes bound in white vellum with marbledboards, a set of Shakespeare, ten volumes in green morocco. These madepillars and cloisters, dark, mysterious, and attractive. More Noah's Arkanimals added an Egyptian-looking finish to the building. 

'Lor', ain't it pretty!' said the parlour-maid, who came to call him totea. 'You are clever with your fingers, Master Philip, I will say thatfor you. But you'll catch it, taking all them things. '

'That grey nurse said I might, ' said Philip, 'and it doesn't hurt thingsbuilding with them. My sister and I always did it at home, ' he added, looking confidingly at the parlour-maid. She had praised his building. And it was the first time he had mentioned his sister to any one in thathouse. 

'Well, it's as good as a peep-show, ' said the parlour-maid; 'it's justlike them picture post-cards my brother in India sends me. All thempillars and domes and things--and the animals too. I don't know how youfare to think of such things, that I don't. '

[Illustration: 'Lor', ain't it pretty!' said the parlour-maid. ]

Praise is sweet. He slipped his hand into that of the parlour-maid asthey went down the wide stairs to the hall, where tea awaited him--avery little tray on a very big, dark table. 

'He's not half a bad child, ' said Susan at her tea in the servants'quarters. 'That nurse frightened him out of his little wits with herprim ways, you may depend. He's civil enough if you speak him civil. '

'But Miss Lucy didn't frighten him, I suppose, ' said the cook; 'and lookhow he behaved to her. '

'Well, he's quiet enough, anyhow. You don't hear a breath of him frommorning till night, ' said the upper housemaid; 'seems silly-like to me. '

'You slip in and look what he's been building, that's all, ' Susan toldthem. 'You won't call him silly then. India an' pagodas ain't in it. '

They did slip in, all of them, when Philip had gone to bed. The buildinghad progressed, though it was not finished. 

'I shan't touch a thing, ' said Susan. 'Let him have it to play withto-morrow. We'll clear it all away before that nurse comes back with hercaps and her collars and her stuck-up cheek. '

So next day Philip went on with his building. He put everything you canthink of into it: the dominoes, and the domino-box; bricks and books;cotton-reels that he begged from Susan, and a collar-box and somecake-tins contributed by the cook. He made steps of the dominoes and aterrace of the domino-box. He got bits of southernwood out of the gardenand stuck them in cotton-reels, which made beautiful pots, and theylooked like bay trees in tubs. Brass finger-bowls served for domes, andthe lids of brass kettles and coffee-pots from the oak dresser in thehall made minarets of dazzling splendour. Chessmen were useful forminarets, too. 

'I must have paved paths and a fountain, ' said Philip thoughtfully. Thepaths were paved with mother-of-pearl card counters, and the fountainwas a silver and glass ash-tray, with a needlecase of filigree silverrising up from the middle of it; and the falling water was made quitenicely out of narrow bits of the silver paper off the chocolate Helenhad given him at parting. Palm trees were easily made--Helen had shownhim how to do that--with bits of larch fastened to elder stems withplasticine. There was plenty of plasticine among Lucy's toys; there wasplenty of everything. 

And the city grew, till it covered the table. Philip, unwearied, setabout to make another city on another table. This had for chief featurea great water-tower, with a fountain round its base; and now he stoppedat nothing. He unhooked the crystal drops from the great chandeliers tomake his fountains. This city was grander than the first. It had a grandtower made of a waste-paper basket and an astrologer's tower that was aphotograph-enlarging machine. 

The cities were really very beautiful. I wish I could describe themthoroughly to you. But it would take pages and pages. Besides all thethings I have told of alone there were towers and turrets and grandstaircases, pagodas and pavilions, canals made bright and water-like bystrips of silver paper, and a lake with a boat on it. Philip put intohis buildings all the things out of the doll's house that seemedsuitable. The wooden things-to-eat and dishes. The leaden tea-cups andgoblets. He peopled the place with dominoes and pawns. The handsomechessmen were used for minarets. He made forts and garrisoned them withlead soldiers. 

He worked hard and he worked cleverly, and as the cities grew in beautyand interestingness he loved them more and more. He was happy now. Therewas no time to be unhappy in. 

'I will keep it as it is till Helen comes. How she will _love_ it!' hesaid. 

The two cities were connected by a bridge which was a yard-stick he hadfound in the servants' sewing-room and taken without hindrance, for bythis time all the servants were his friends. Susan had been thefirst--that was all. 

He had just laid his bridge in place, and put Mr. And Mrs. Noah in thechief square to represent the inhabitants, and was standing rapt inadmiration of his work, when a hard hand on each of his shoulders madehim start and scream. 

It was the nurse. She had come back a day sooner than any one expectedher. The brother had brought home a wife, and she and the nurse had notliked each other; so she was very cross, and she took Philip by theshoulders and shook him, a thing which had never happened to him before. 

'You naughty, wicked boy!' she said, still shaking. 

'But I haven't hurt anything--I'll put everything back, ' he said, trembling and very pale. 

'You'll not touch any of it again, ' said the nurse. 'I'll see to that. Ishall put everything away myself in the morning. Taking what doesn'tbelong to you!'

'But you said I might take anything I liked, ' said Philip, 'so if it'swrong it's your fault. '

'You untruthful child!' cried the nurse, and hit him over the knuckles. Now, no one had ever hit Philip before. He grew paler than ever, but hedid not cry, though his hands hurt rather badly. For she had snatched upthe yard-stick to hit him with, and it was hard and cornery. 

'You are a coward, ' said Philip, 'and it is you who are untruthful andnot me. '

'Hold your tongue, ' said the nurse, and whirled him off to bed. 

'You'll get no supper, so there!' she said, angrily tucking him up. 

'I don't want any, ' said Philip, 'and I have to forgive you before thesun goes down. '

'Forgive, indeed!' said she, flouncing out. 

'When you get sorry you'll know I've forgiven you, ' Philip called afterher, which, of course, made her angrier than ever. 

Whether Philip cried when he was alone is not our business. Susan, whohad watched the shaking and the hitting without daring to interfere, crept up later with milk and sponge-cakes. She found him asleep, and shesays his eyelashes were wet. 

When he awoke he thought at first that it was morning, the room was solight. But presently he saw that it was not yellow sunlight but whitemoonshine which made the beautiful brightness. 

He wondered at first why he felt so unhappy, then he remembered howHelen had gone away and how hateful the nurse had been. And now shewould pull down the city and Helen would never see it. And he wouldnever be able to build such a beautiful one again. In the morning itwould be gone, and he would not be able even to remember how it wasbuilt. 

The moonlight was very bright. 

'I wonder how my city looks by moonlight?' he said. 

And then, all in a thrilling instant, he made up his mind to go down andsee for himself how it did look. 

He slipped on his dressing-gown, opened his door softly, and crept alongthe corridor and down the broad staircase, then along the gallery andinto the drawing-room. It was very dark, but he felt his way to a windowand undid the shutter, and there lay his city, flooded with moonlight, just as he had imagined it. 

He gazed on it for a moment in ecstasy and then turned to shut the door. As he did so he felt a slight strange giddiness and stood a moment withhis hand to his head. He turned and went again towards the city, andwhen he was close to it he gave a little cry, hastily stifled, for fearsome one should hear him and come down and send him to bed. He stood andgazed about him bewildered and, once more, rather giddy. For the cityhad, in a quick blink of light, followed by darkness, disappeared. Sohad the drawing-room. So had the chair that stood close to the table. Hecould see mountainous shapes raising enormous heights in the distance, and the moonlight shone on the tops of them. But he himself seemed to bein a vast, flat plain. There was the softness of long grass round hisfeet, but there were no trees, no houses, no hedges or fences to breakthe expanse of grass. It seemed darker in some parts than others. Thatwas all. It reminded him of the illimitable prairie of which he had readin books of adventure. 

'I suppose I'm dreaming, ' said Philip, 'though I don't see how I canhave gone to sleep just while I was turning the door handle. However----'

He stood still expecting that something would happen. In dreamssomething always does happen, if it's only that the dream comes to anend. But nothing happened now--Philip just stood there quite quietly andfelt the warm soft grass round his ankles. 

Then, as his eyes became used to the darkness of the plain, he saw someway off a very steep bridge leading up to a dark height on whose summitthe moon shone whitely. He walked towards it, and as he approached hesaw that it was less like a bridge than a sort of ladder, and that itrose to a giddy height above him. It seemed to rest on a rock far upagainst dark sky, and the inside of the rock seemed hollowed out in onevast dark cave. 

[Illustration: Beyond it he could see dim piles that looked likechurches and houses. ]

And now he was close to the foot of the ladder. It had no rungs, butnarrow ledges made hold for feet and hands. Philip remembered Jack andthe Beanstalk, and looked up longingly; but the ladder was a very verylong one. On the other hand, it was the only thing that seemed to leadanywhere, and he had had enough of standing lonely in the grassyprairie, where he seemed to have been for a very long time indeed. So heput his hands and feet to the ladder and began to go up. It was a verylong climb. There were three hundred and eight steps, for he countedthem. And the steps were only on one side of the ladder, so he had tobe extremely careful. On he went, up and on, on and up, till his feetached and his hands felt as though they would drop off for tiredness. Hecould not look up far, and he dared not look down at all. There wasnothing for it but to climb and climb and climb, and at last he saw theground on which the ladder rested--a terrace hewn in regular lines, and, as it seemed, hewn from the solid rock. His head was level with theground, now his hands, now his feet. He leaped sideways from the ladderand threw himself face down on the ground, which was cold and smoothlike marble. There he lay, drawing deep breaths of weariness and relief. 

There was a great silence all about, which rested and soothed, andpresently he rose and looked around him. He was close to an archway withvery thick pillars, and he went towards it and peeped cautiously in. Itseemed to be a great gate leading to an open space, and beyond it hecould see dim piles that looked like churches and houses. But all wasdeserted; the moonlight and he had the place, whatever it was, tothemselves. 

'I suppose every one's in bed, ' said Philip, and stood there trembling alittle, but very curious and interested, in the black shadow of thestrange arch. 

CHAPTER II

DELIVERER OR DESTROYER

Philip stood in the shadow of the dark arch and looked out. He sawbefore him a great square surrounded by tall irregular buildings. In themiddle was a fountain whose waters, silver in the moonlight, rose andfell with gentle plashing sound. A tall tree, close to the archway, castthe shadow of its trunk across the path--a broad black bar. He listened, listened, listened, but there was nothing to listen to, except the deepnight silence and the changing soft sound the fountain made. 

His eyes, growing accustomed to the dimness, showed him that he wasunder a heavy domed roof supported on large square pillars--to the rightand left stood dark doors, shut fast. 

'I will explore these doors by daylight, ' he said. He did not feelexactly frightened. But he did not feel exactly brave either. But hewished and intended to be brave, so he said, 'I will explore thesedoors. At least I think I will, ' he added, for one must not only bebrave but truthful. 

And then suddenly he felt very sleepy. He leaned against the wall, andpresently it seemed that sitting down would be less trouble, and thenthat lying down would be more truly comfortable. A bell from very veryfar away sounded the hour, twelve. Philip counted up to nine, but hemissed the tenth bell-beat, and the eleventh and the twelfth as well, because he was fast asleep cuddled up warmly in the thick quilteddressing-gown that Helen had made him last winter. He dreamed thateverything was as it used to be before That Man came and changedeverything and took Helen away. He was in his own little bed in his ownlittle room in their own little house, and Helen had come to call him. He could see the sunlight through his closed eyelids--he was keepingthem closed just for the fun of hearing her try to wake him, andpresently he would tell her he had been awake all the time, and theywould laugh together about it. And then he awoke, and he was not in hissoft bed at home but on the hard floor of a big, strange gate-house, andit was not Helen who was shaking him and saying, 'Here--I say, wake up, can't you, ' but a tall man in a red coat; and the light that dazzled hiseyes was not from the sun at all, but from a horn lantern which the manwas holding close to his face. 

'What's the matter?' said Philip sleepily. 

'That's the question, ' said the man in red. 'Come along to theguard-room and give an account of yourself, you young shaver. '

He took Philip's ear gently but firmly between a very hard finger andthumb. 

'Leave go, ' said Philip, 'I'm not going to run away. ' And he stood upfeeling very brave. 

The man shifted his hold from ear to shoulder and led Philip through oneof those doors which he had thought of exploring by daylight. It was notdaylight yet, and the room, large and bare, with an arch at each end andnarrow little windows at the sides, was lighted by horn lanterns andtall tapers in pewter candlesticks. It seemed to Philip that the roomwas full of soldiers. 

Their captain, with a good deal of gold about him and a very smart blackmoustache, got up from a bench. 

'Look what I've caught, sir, ' said the man who owned the hand onPhilip's shoulder. 

'Humph, ' said the captain, 'so it's really happened at last. '

[Illustration: 'Here--I say, wake up, can't you?']

'What has?' said Philip. 

'Why, you have, ' said the captain. 'Don't be frightened, little man. '

'I'm not frightened, ' said Philip, and added politely, 'I should be somuch obliged if you'd tell me what you mean. ' He added something whichhe had heard people say when they asked the way to the market or thepublic gardens, 'I'm quite a stranger here, ' he said. 

A jolly roar of laughter went up from the red-coats. 

'It isn't manners to laugh at strangers, ' said Philip. 

'Mind your own manners, ' said the captain sharply; 'in this countrylittle boys speak when they're spoken to. Stranger, eh? Well, we knewthat, you know!'

Philip, though he felt snubbed, yet felt grand too. Here he was in themiddle of an adventure with grown-up soldiers. He threw out his chestand tried to look manly. 

The captain sat down in a chair at the end of a long table, drew a blackbook to him--a black book covered with dust--and began to rub a rustypen-nib on his sword, which was not rusty. 

'Come now, ' he said, opening the book, 'tell me how you came here. Andmind you speak the truth. '

'I _always_ speak the truth, ' said Philip proudly. 

All the soldiers rose and saluted him with looks of deep surprise andrespect. 

'Well, nearly always, ' said Philip, hot to the ears, and the soldiersclattered stiffly down again on to the benches, laughing once more. Philip had imagined there to be more discipline in the army. 

'How did you come here?' said the captain. 

'Up the great bridge staircase, ' said Philip. 

The captain wrote busily in the book. 

'What did you come for?'

'I didn't know what else to do. There was nothing but illimitableprairie--and so I came up. '

'You are a very bold boy, ' said the captain. 

'Thank you, ' said Philip. 'I do _want_ to be. '

'What was your purpose in coming?'

'I didn't do it on purpose--I just happened to come. '

The captain wrote that down too. And then he and Philip and the soldierslooked at each other in silence. 

'Well?' said the boy. 

'Well?' said the captain. 

'I do wish, ' said the boy, 'you'd tell me what you meant by my reallyhappening after all. And then I wish you'd tell me the way home. '

'Where do you want to get to?' asked the captain. 

'The _address_, ' said Philip, 'is The Grange, Ravelsham, Sussex. '

'Don't know it, ' said the captain briefly, 'and anyhow you can't go backthere now. Didn't you read the notice at the top of the ladder?Trespassers will be prosecuted. You've got to be prosecuted beforeyou can go back anywhere. '

'I'd rather be persecuted than go down that ladder again, ' he said. 'I suppose it won't be very bad--being persecuted, I mean?'

His idea of persecution was derived from books. He thought itto be something vaguely unpleasant from which one escaped indisguise--adventurous and always successful. 

'That's for the judges to decide, ' said the captain, 'it's a seriousthing trespassing in our city. This guard is put here expressly toprevent it. '

'Do you have many trespassers?' Philip asked. The captain seemed kind, and Philip had a great-uncle who was a judge, so the word judges madehim think of tips and good advice, rather than of justice andpunishment. 

'Many trespassers indeed!' the captain almost snorted his answer. 'That's just it. There's never been one before. You're the first. Foryears and years and years there's been a guard here, because when thetown was first built the astrologers foretold that some day there wouldbe a trespasser who would do untold mischief. So it's ourprivilege--we're the Polistopolitan guards--to keep watch over the onlyway by which a trespasser could come in. '

'May I sit down?' said Philip suddenly, and the soldiers made room forhim on the bench. 

'My father and my grandfather and all my ancestors were in the guards, 'said the captain proudly. 'It's a very great honour. '

'I wonder, ' said Philip, 'why you don't cut off the end of yourladder--the top end I mean; then nobody could come up. '

'That would never do, ' said the captain, 'because, you see, there'sanother prophecy. The great deliverer is to come that way. '

'Couldn't I, ' suggested Philip shyly, 'couldn't I be the delivererinstead of the trespasser? I'd much rather, you know. '

'I daresay you would, ' said the captain; 'but people can't be deliverersjust because they'd much rather, you know. '

'And isn't any one to come up the ladder bridge except just those two?'

'We don't know; that's just it. You know what prophecies are. '

'I'm afraid I don't--exactly. '

'So vague and mixed up, I mean. The one I'm telling you about goessomething like this. 

 Who comes up the ladder stair? Beware, beware, Steely eyes and copper hair Strife and grief and pain to bear All come up the ladder stair. 

You see we can't tell whether that means one person or a lot of peoplewith steely eyes and copper hair. '

'My hair's just plain boy-colour, ' said Philip; 'my sister says so, andmy eyes are blue, I believe. '

'I can't see in this light;' the captain leaned his elbows on the tableand looked earnestly in the boy's eyes. 'No, I can't see. The otherprophecy goes:

 From down and down and very far down The king shall come to take his own; He shall deliver the Magic town, And all that he made shall be his own. Beware, take care. Beware, prepare, The king shall come by the ladder stair. 

'How jolly, ' said Philip; 'I love poetry. Do you know any more?'

'There are heaps of prophecies of course, ' said the captain; 'theastrologers must do _something_ to earn their pay. There's rather a niceone:

 Every night when the bright stars blink The guards shall turn out, and have a drink As the clock strikes two. And every night when no stars are seen The guards shall drink in their own canteen When the clock strikes two. 

To-night there aren't any stars, so we have the drinks served here. It'sless trouble than going across the square to the canteen, and theprinciple's the same. Principle is the great thing with a prophecy, myboy. '

'Yes, ' said Philip. And then the far-away bell beat again. One, two. Andoutside was a light patter of feet. 

A soldier rose--saluted his officer and threw open the door. There was amoment's pause; Philip expected some one to come in with a tray andglasses, as they did at his great-uncle's when gentlemen were suddenlythirsty at times that were not meal-times. 

But instead, after a moment's pause, a dozen greyhounds stepped daintilyin on their padded cat-like feet; and round the neck of each dog wasslung a roundish thing that looked like one of the little barrels whichSt. Bernard dogs wear round their necks in the pictures. And when thesewere loosened and laid on the table Philip was charmed to see that theroundish things were not barrels but cocoa-nuts. 

The soldiers reached down some pewter pots from a high shelf--piercedthe cocoa-nuts with their bayonets and poured out the cocoa-nut milk. They all had drinks, so the prophecy came true, and what is more theygave Philip a drink as well. It was delicious, and there was as much ofit as he wanted. I have never had as much cocoa-nut milk as I wanted. Have you?

Then the hollow cocoa-nuts were tied on to the dogs' necks again and outthey went, slim and beautiful, two by two, wagging their slender tails, in the most amiable and orderly way. 

'They take the cocoa-nuts to the town kitchen, ' said the captain, 'to bemade into cocoa-nut ice for the army breakfast; waste not want not, youknow. We don't waste anything here, my boy. ' Philip had quite got overhis snubbing. He now felt that the captain was talking with him as manto man. Helen had gone away and left him; well, he was learning to dowithout Helen. And he had got away from the Grange, and Lucy, and thatnurse. He was a man among men. And then, just as he was feeling mostmanly and important, and quite equal to facing any number of judges, there came a little tap at the door of the guard-room, and a very littlevoice said:

'Oh, do please let me come in. '

Then the door opened slowly. 

'Well, come in, whoever you are, ' said the captain. And the person whocame in was--Lucy. Lucy, whom Philip thought he had got rid of--Lucy, who stood for the new hateful life to which Helen had left him. Lucy, inher serge skirt and jersey, with her little sleek fair pig-tails, andthat anxious 'I-wish-we-could-be-friends' smile of hers. Philip wasfurious. It was too bad. 

'And who is this?' the captain was saying kindly. 

'It's me--it's Lucy, ' she said. 'I came up with _him_. '

She pointed to Philip. 'No manners, ' thought Philip in bitterness. 

'No, you didn't, ' he said shortly. 

'I did--I was close behind you when you were climbing the ladder bridge. And I've been waiting alone ever since, when you were asleep and all. I_knew_ he'd be cross when he knew I'd come, ' she explained to thesoldiers. 

'I'm _not_ cross, ' said Philip very crossly indeed, but the captainsigned to him to be silent. Then Lucy was questioned and her answerswritten in the book, and when that was done the captain said:

'So this little girl is a friend of yours?'

'No, she isn't, ' said Philip violently; 'she's not my friend, and shenever will be. I've seen her, that's all, and I don't want to see heragain. '

'You _are_ unkind, ' said Lucy. 

And then there was a grave silence, most unpleasant to Philip. Thesoldiers, he perceived, now looked coldly at him. It was all Lucy'sfault. What did she want to come shoving in for, spoiling everything?Any one but a girl would have known that a guard-room wasn't the rightplace for a girl. He frowned and said nothing. Lucy had smuggled upagainst the captain's knee, and he was stroking her hair. 

'Poor little woman, ' he said. 'You must go to sleep now, so as to berested before you go to the Hall of Justice in the morning. '

They made Lucy a bed of soldiers' cloaks laid on a bench; and bearskinsare the best of pillows. Philip had a soldier's cloak and a bench, and abearskin too--but what was the good? Everything was spoiled. If Lucy hadnot come the guard-room as a sleeping-place would have been almost asgood as the tented field. But she _had_ come, and the guard-room was nobetter now than any old night-nursery. And how had she known? How hadshe come? How had she made her way to that illimitable prairie where hehad found the mysterious beginning of the ladder bridge? He went tosleep a bunched-up lump of prickly discontent and suppressed fury. 

When he woke it was bright daylight, and a soldier was saying, 'Wake up, Trespassers. Breakfast----'

'How jolly, ' thought Philip, 'to be having military breakfast. ' Then heremembered Lucy, and hated her being there, and felt once more that shehad spoiled everything. 

I should not, myself, care for a breakfast of cocoa-nut ice, peppermintcreams, apples, bread and butter and sweet milk. But the soldiers seemedto enjoy it. And it would have exactly suited Philip if he had not seenthat Lucy was enjoying it too. 

'I do hate greedy girls, ' he told himself, for he was now in that stateof black rage when you hate everything the person you are angry withdoes or says or is. 

And now it was time to start for the Hall of Justice. The guard formedoutside, and Philip noticed that each soldier stood on a sort of greenmat. When the order to march was given, each soldier quickly andexpertly rolled up his green mat and put it under his arm. And wheneverthey stopped, because of the crowd, each soldier unrolled his green mat, and stood on it till it was time to go on again. And they had to stopseveral times, for the crowd was very thick in the great squares and inthe narrow streets of the city. It was a wonderful crowd. There were menand women and children in every sort of dress. Italian, Spanish, Russian; French peasants in blue blouses and wooden shoes, workmen inthe dress English working people wore a hundred years ago. Norwegians, Swedes, Swiss, Turks, Greeks, Indians, Arabians, Chinese, Japanese, besides Red Indians in dresses of skins, and Scots in kilts andsporrans. Philip did not know what nation most of the dresses belongedto--to him it was a brilliant patchwork of gold and gay colours. Itreminded him of the fancy-dress party he had once been to with Helen, when he wore a Pierrot's dress and felt very silly in it. He noticedthat not a single boy in all that crowd was dressed as he was--in whathe thought was the only correct dress for boys. Lucy walked beside him. Once, just after they started, she said, 'Aren't you frightened, Philip?' and he would not answer, though he longed to say, 'Of coursenot. It's only girls who are afraid. ' But he thought it would be moredisagreeable to say nothing, so he said it. 

When they got to the Hall of Justice, she caught hold of his hand, andsaid:

'Oh!' very loud and sudden, 'doesn't it remind you of anything?' sheasked. 

Philip pulled his hand away and said 'No' before he remembered that hehad decided not to speak to her. And the 'No' was quite untrue, for thebuilding did remind him of something, though he couldn't have told youwhat. 

The prisoners and their guard passed through a great arch betweenmagnificent silver pillars, and along a vast corridor, lined withsoldiers who all saluted. 

'Do all sorts of soldiers salute you?' he asked the captain, 'or onlyjust your own ones?'

'It's _you_ they're saluting, ' the captain said; 'our laws tell us tosalute all prisoners out of respect for their misfortunes. '

The judge sat on a high bronze throne with colossal bronze dragons oneach side of it, and wide shallow steps of ivory, black and white. 

Two attendants spread a round mat on the top of the steps in front ofthe judge--a yellow mat it was, and very thick, and he stood up andsaluted the prisoners. ('Because of your misfortunes, ' the captainwhispered. )

The judge wore a bright yellow robe with a green girdle, and he had nowig, but a very odd-shaped hat, which he kept on all the time. 

The trial did not last long, and the captain said very little, and thejudge still less, while the prisoners were not allowed to speak at all. The judge looked up something in a book, and consulted in a low voicewith the crown lawyer and a sour-faced person in black. Then he put onhis spectacles and said:

'Prisoners at the bar, you are found guilty of trespass. The punishmentis Death--if the judge does not like the prisoners. If he does notdislike them it is imprisonment for life, or until the judge has hadtime to think it over. Remove the prisoners. '

'Oh, _don't_!' cried Philip, almost weeping. 

'I thought you weren't afraid, ' whispered Lucy. 

'Silence in court, ' said the judge. 

Then Philip and Lucy were removed. 

They were marched by streets quite different from those they had comeby, and at last in the corner of a square they came to a large housethat was quite black. 

'Here we are, ' said the captain kindly. 'Good-bye. Better luck nexttime. '

The gaoler, a gentleman in black velvet, with a ruff and a pointedbeard, came out and welcomed them cordially. 

'How do you do, my dears?' he said. 'I hope you'll be comfortable here. First-class misdemeanants, I suppose?' he asked. 

'Of course, ' said the captain. 

'Top floor, if you please, ' said the gaoler politely, and stood back tolet the children pass. 'Turn to the left and up the stairs. '

[Illustration: 'Top floor, if you please, ' said the gaoler politely. ]

The stairs were dark and went on and on, and round and round, and up andup. At the very top was a big room, simply furnished with a table, chairs, and a rocking-horse. Who wants more furniture than that?

'You've got the best view in the whole city, ' said the gaoler, 'andyou'll be company for me. What? They gave me the post of gaoler becauseit's nice, light, gentlemanly work, and leaves me time for my writing. I'm a literary man, you know. But I've sometimes found it a triflelonely. You're the first prisoners I've ever had, you see. If you'llexcuse me I'll go and order some dinner for you. You'll be contentedwith the feast of reason and the flow of soul, I feel certain. '

The moment the door had closed on the gaoler's black back Philip turnedon Lucy. 

'I hope you're satisfied, ' he said bitterly. 'This is all _your_ doing. They'd have let me off if you hadn't been here. What on earth did youwant to come here for? Why did you come running after me like that?You know I don't like you?'

'You're the hatefullest, disagreeablest, horridest boy in all theworld, ' said Lucy firmly--'there!'

Philip had not expected this. He met it as well as he could. 

'I'm not a little sneak of a white mouse squeezing in where I'm notwanted, anyhow, ' he said. 

And then they stood looking at each other, breathing quickly, both ofthem. 

'I'd rather be a white mouse than a cruel bully, ' said Lucy at last. 

'I'm not a bully, ' said Philip. 

Then there was another silence. Lucy sniffed. Philip looked round thebare room, and suddenly it came to him that he and Lucy were companionsin misfortune, no matter whose fault it was that they were imprisoned. So he said:

'Look here, I don't like you and I shan't pretend I do. But I'll call itPax for the present if you like. We've got to escape from this placesomehow, and I'll help you if you like, and you may help me if you can. '

'Thank you, ' said Lucy, in a tone which might have meant anything. 

'So we'll call it Pax and see if we can escape by the window. Theremight be ivy--or a faithful page with a rope ladder. Have you a page atthe Grange?'

'There's two stable-boys, ' said Lucy, 'but I don't think they'refaithful, and I say, I think all this is much more magic than youthink. '

'Of course I know it's magic, ' said he impatiently; 'but it's quite realtoo. '

'Oh, it's real enough, ' said she. 

They leaned out of the window. Alas, there was no ivy. Their window wasvery high up, and the wall outside, when they touched it with theirhand, felt smooth as glass. 

'_That's_ no go, ' said he, and the two leaned still farther out of thewindow looking down on the town. There were strong towers and fineminarets and palaces, the palm trees and fountains and gardens. A whitebuilding across the square looked strangely familiar. Could it be likeSt. Paul's which Philip had been taken to see when he was very little, and which he had never been able to remember? No, he could not rememberit even now. The two prisoners looked out in a long silence. Far belowlay the city, its trees softly waving in the breeze, flowers shining ina bright many-coloured patchwork, the canals that intersected the bigsquares gleamed in the sunlight, and crossing and recrossing thesquares and streets were the people of the town, coming and going abouttheir business. 

'Look here!' said Lucy suddenly, 'do you mean to say you don't know?'

'Know what?' he asked impatiently. 

'Where we are. What it is. Don't you?'

'No. No more do you. '

'Haven't you seen it all before?'

'No, of course I haven't. No more have you. '

'All right. I _have_ seen it before though, ' said Lucy, 'and so haveyou. But I shan't tell you what it is unless you'll be nice to me. ' Hertone was a little sad, but quite firm. 

'I _am_ nice to you. I told you it was Pax, ' said Philip. 'Tell me whatyou think it is. '

'I don't mean that sort of grandish standoffish Pax, but real Pax. Oh, don't be so horrid, Philip. I'm dying to tell you--but I won't if you goon being like you are. '

'_I'm_ all right, ' said Philip; 'out with it. '

'No. You've got to say it's Pax, and I will stand by you till we get outof this, and I'll always act like a noble friend to you, and I'll try mybest to like you. Of course if you can't like me you can't, but youought to try. Say it after me, won't you?'

Her tone was so kind and persuading that he found himself saying afterher, 'I, Philip, agree to try and like you, Lucy, and to stand by youtill we're out of this, and always to act the part of a noble friend toyou. And it's real Pax. Shake hands. '

'Now then, ' said he when they had shaken hands, and Lucy uttered thesewords:

'Don't you see? It's your own city that we're in, your own city that youbuilt on the tables in the drawing-room? It's all got big by magic, sothat we could get in. Look, ' she pointed out of the window, 'see thatgreat golden dome, that's one of the brass finger-bowls, and that whitebuilding's my old model of St. Paul's. And there's Buckingham Palaceover there, with the carved squirrel on the top, and the chessmen, andthe blue and white china pepper-pots; and the building we're in is theblack Japanese cabinet. '

Philip looked and he saw that what she said was true. It _was_ his city. 

'But I didn't build insides to my buildings, ' said he; 'and when did_you_ see what I built anyway?'

'The insides are part of the magic, I suppose, ' Lucy said; 'and I sawthe cities you built when Auntie brought me home last night, after you'dbeen sent to bed. And I did love them. And oh, Philip, I'm so glad it'sPax because I do think you're so _frightfully_ clever, and Auntiethought so too, building those beautiful things. And I knew nurse wasgoing to pull it all down. I begged her not to, but she was addymant, and so I got up and dressed and came down to have another look bymoonlight. And one or two of the bricks and chessmen had fallen down. Iexpect nurse knocked them down. So I built them up again as well as Icould--and I was loving it all like anything; and then the door openedand I hid under the table, and you came in. '

'Then you were there--did you notice how the magic began?'

'No, but it all changed to grass; and then I saw you a long way off, going up a ladder. And so I went after you. But I didn't let you see me. I knew you'd be so cross. And then I looked in at the guard-room door, and I did so want some of the cocoa-nut milk. '

'When did you find out it was _my_ city?'

'I thought the soldiers looked like my lead ones somehow. But I wasn'tsure till I saw the judge. Why he's just old Noah, out of the Ark. '

'So he is, ' cried Philip; 'how wonderful! How perfectly wonderful! Iwish we weren't prisoners. Wouldn't it be jolly to go all over it--intoall the buildings, to see what the insides of them have turned into?And all the other people. I didn't put _them_ in. '

'That's more magic, I expect. But--Oh, we shall find it all out intime. '

She clapped her hands. And on the instant the door opened and the gaolerappeared. 

'A visitor for you, ' he said, and stood aside to let some one else comein, some one tall and thin, with a black hooded cloak and a blackhalf-mask, such as people wear at carnival time. 

When the gaoler had shut the door and gone away the tall figure took offits mask and let fall its cloak, showing to the surprised butrecognising eyes of the children the well-known shape of Mr. Noah--thejudge. 

'How do you do?' he said. 'This is a little unofficial visit. I hope Ihaven't come at an inconvenient time. '

'We're very glad, ' said Lucy, 'because you can tell us----'

'I won't answer questions, ' said Mr. Noah, sitting down stiffly on hisyellow mat, 'but I will tell you something. We don't know who you are. But I myself think that you may be the Deliverer. '

'Both of us, ' said Philip jealously. 

'One or both. You see the prophecy says that the Destroyer's hair isred. And your hair is not red. But before I could get the populace tofeel sure of, that my own hair would be grey with thought and argument. Some people are so wooden-headed. And I am not used to thinking. I don'toften have to do it. It distresses me. '

The children said they were sorry. Philip added:

'Do tell us a little about your city. It isn't a question. We want toknow if it's magic. That isn't a question either. '

'I was about to tell you, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and I will not answerquestions. Of course it is magic. Everything in the world is magic, until you understand it. 

'And as to the city. I will just tell you a little of our history. Manythousand years ago all the cities of our country were built by a greatand powerful giant, who brought the materials from far and wide. Theplace was peopled partly by persons of his choice, and partly by a sortof self-acting magic rather difficult to explain. As soon as the citieswere built and the inhabitants placed here the life of the city began, and it was, to those who lived it, as though it had always been. Theartisans toiled, the musicians played, and the poets sang. Theastrologers, finding themselves in a tall tower evidently designed forsuch a purpose, began to observe the stars and to prophesy. '

'I know that part, ' said Philip. 

'Very well, ' said the judge. 'Then you know quite enough. Now I want toask a little favour of you both. Would you mind escaping?'

'If we only could, ' Lucy sighed. 

'The strain on my nerves is too much, ' said Mr. Noah feelingly. 'Escape, my dear children, to please me, a very old man in indifferent health andpoor spirits. '

'But how----'

'Oh, you just walk out. You, my boy, can disguise yourself in yourdressing-gown which I see has been placed on yonder chair, and I willleave my cloak for you, little girl. '

They both said 'Thank you, ' and Lucy added: 'But _how_?'

'Through the door, ' said the judge. 'There is a rule about puttingprisoners on their honour not to escape, but there have not been anyprisoners for so long that I don't suppose they put you on honour. No?You can just walk out of the door. There are many charitable persons inthe city who will help to conceal you. The front-door key turns easily, and I myself will oil it as I go out. Good-bye--thank you so much forfalling in with my little idea. Accept an old man's blessing. Onlydon't tell the gaoler. He would never forgive me. '

He got off his mat, rolled it up and went. 

'Well!' said Lucy. 

'Well!' said Philip. 

'I suppose we go?' he said. But Lucy said, 'What about the gaoler? Won'the catch it if we bolt?'

Philip felt this might be true. It was annoying, and as bad as being puton one's honour. 

'Bother!' was what he said. 

And then the gaoler came in. He looked pale and worried. 

'I am so awfully sorry, ' he began. 'I thought I should enjoy having youhere, but my nerves are all anyhow. The very sound of your voices. Ican't write a line. My brain reels. I wonder whether you'd be goodenough to do a little thing for me? Would you mind escaping?'

'But won't you get into trouble?'

'Nothing could be worse than this, ' said the gaoler, with feeling. 'Ihad no idea that children's voices were so penetrating. Go, go. Iimplore you to escape. Only don't tell the judge. I am sure he wouldnever forgive me. '

After that, what prisoner would not immediately have escaped?

The two children only waited till the sound of the gaoler's keys haddied away on the stairs, to open their door, run down the many steps andslip out of the prison gate. They walked a little way in silence. Therewere plenty of people about, but no one seemed to notice them. 

'Which way shall we go?' Lucy asked. 'I wish we'd asked him where theCharitables live. '

'I think, ' Philip began; but Lucy was not destined to know what hethought. 

There was a sudden shout, a clattering of horses' hoofs, and all thefaces in the square turned their way. 

'They've seen us, ' cried Philip. 'Run, run, run!'

He himself ran, and he ran toward the gate-house that stood at the topof the ladder stairs by which they had come up, and behind him came theshouting and clatter of hot pursuit. The captain stood in the gatewayalone, and just as Philip reached the gate the captain turned into theguard-room and pretended not to see anything. Philip had never run sofar or so fast. His breath came in deep sobs; but he reached the ladderand began quickly to go down. It was easier than going up. 

[Illustration: And behind him the clatter of hot pursuit. ]

He was nearly at the bottom when the whole ladder bridge leapt wildlyinto the air, and he fell from it and rolled in the thick grass of thatillimitable prairie. 

All about him the air was filled with great sounds, like the noise ofthe earthquakes that destroy beautiful big palaces, and factories whichare big but not beautiful. It was deafening, it was endless, it wasunbearable. 

Yet he had to bear that, and more. And now he felt a curious swellingsensation in his hands, then in his head--then all over. It wasextremely painful. He rolled over in his agony, and saw the foot of anenormous giant quite close to him. The foot had a large, flat, uglyshoe, and seemed to come out of grey, low-hanging, swaying curtains. There was a gigantic column too, black against the grey. The ladderbridge, cast down, lay on the ground not far from him. 

Pain and fear overcame Philip, and he ceased to hear or feel or knowanything. 

When he recovered consciousness he found himself under the table in thedrawing-room. The swelling feeling was over, and he did not seem to bemore than his proper size. 

He could see the flat feet of the nurse and the lower part of her greyskirt, and a rattling and rumbling on the table above told him that shewas doing as she had said she would, and destroying his city. He sawalso a black column which was the leg of the table. Every now and thenthe nurse walked away to put back into its proper place something he hadused in the building. And once she stood on a chair, and he heard thetinkling of the lustre-drops as she hooked them into their places on thechandelier. 

'If I lie very still, ' said he, 'perhaps she won't see me. But I dowonder how I got here. And what a dream to tell Helen about!'

He lay very still. The nurse did not see him. And when she had gone toher breakfast Philip crawled out. 

Yes, the city was gone. Not a trace of it. The very tables were back intheir proper places. 

Philip went back to his proper place, which, of course, was bed. 

'What a splendid dream, ' he said, as he cuddled down between the sheets, 'and now it's all over!'

Of course he was quite wrong. 

CHAPTER III

LOST

Philip went to sleep, and dreamed that he was at home again and thatHelen had come to his bedside to call him, leading a white pony that wasto be his very own. It was a pony that looked clever enough foranything, and he was not surprised when it shook hands with him; butwhen it said, 'Well, we must be moving, ' and began to try to put onPhilip's shoes and stockings, Philip called out, 'Here, I say, stopthat, ' and awoke to a room full of sunshine, but empty of ponies. 

'Oh, well, ' said Philip, 'I suppose I'd better get up. ' He looked at hisnew silver watch, one of Helen's parting presents, and saw that itmarked ten o'clock. 

'I say, you know, ' said he to the watch, 'you can't be right. ' And heshook it to encourage it to think over the matter. But the watch stillsaid 'ten' quite plainly and unmistakably. 

Now the Grange breakfast time was at eight. And Philip was certain hehad not been called. 

'This is jolly rum, ' he remarked. 'It must be the watch. Perhaps it'sstopped. '

But it hadn't stopped. Therefore it must be two hours past breakfasttime. The moment he had thought this he became extremely hungry. He gotout of bed as soon as he knew exactly how hungry he was. 

There was no one about, so he made his way to the bath-room and spent ahappy hour with the hot water and the cold water, and the brown Windsorsoap and the shaving soap and the nail brush and the flesh brush and theloofahs and the shower bath and the three sponges. He had not, so far, been able thoroughly to investigate and enjoy all these things. But nowthere was no one to interfere, and he enjoyed himself to that degreethat he quite forgot to wonder why he hadn't been called. He thought ofa piece of poetry that Helen had made for him, about the bath; and whenhe had done playing he lay on his back in water that was very hotindeed, trying to remember the poetry. The water was very nearly cold bythe time he had remembered the poetry. It was called Dreams of a GiantLife, and this was it. 

DREAMS OF A GIANT LIFE

 What was I once--in ages long ago? I look back, and I see myself. We grow So changed through changing years, I hardly see How that which I look back on could be me?[1]

 Glorious and splendid, giant-like I stood On a white cliff, topped by a darkling wood. Below me, placid, bright and sparkling, lay The equal waters of a lovely bay. White cliffs surrounded it--and calm and fair It lay asleep, in warm and silent air. 

 I stood alone--naked and strong, upright My limbs gleamed in the clear pure golden light. I saw below me all the water lie Expecting something, and that thing was I. [2]

 I leaned, I plunged, the waves splashed over me. I lay, a giant in a little sea. 

 White cliffs all round, wood-crowned, and as I lay I saw the glories of the dying day; No wind disturbed my sea; the sunlight was As though it came through windows of gold glass. The white cliffs rose above me, and around The clear sea lay, pure, perfect and profound; And I was master of the cliffs, the sea, And the gold light that brightened over me. 

 Far miles away my giant feet showed plain, Rising, like rocks out of the quiet main. On them a lighthouse could be built, to show Wayfaring ships the way they must not go. 

 I was the master of that cliff-girt sea. I splashed my hands, the waves went over me, And in the dimples of my body lay Little rock-pools, where small sea-beasts might play. 

 I found a boat, its deck was perforate; I launched it, and it dared the storms of fate. Its woollen sail stood out against the sky, Supported by a mast of ivory. 

 Another boat rode proudly to my hand, Upon its deck a thousand spears did stand; I launched it, and it sped full fierce and fast Against the boat that had the ivory mast And woollen sail and perforated deck. The two went down in one stupendous wreck!

 Beneath the waves I chased with joyous hand Upon the bed of an imagined sand The slippery brown sea mouse, that still escaped, Where the deep cave beneath my knee was shaped. Caught it at last and caged it into rest Upon the shallows of my submerged breast. 

 Then, as I lay, wrapped as in some kind arm By the sweet world of waters soft and warm, A great voice cried, from some far unseen shore, And I was not a giant any more. 

 'Come out, come out, ' cried out the voice of power, 'You've been in for a quarter of an hour. The water's cold--come, Master Pip--your head 'S all wet, and it is time you were in bed. '

 I rose all dripping from the magic sea And left the ships that had been slaves to me-- The soap-dish, with its perforated deck, The nail-brush, that had rushed to loss and wreck, The flannel sail, the tooth-brush that was mast, The sleek soap-mouse--I left them all at last. 

 I went out of that magic sea and cried Because the time came when I must be dried And leave the splendour of a giant's joy And go to bed--a little well-washed boy. 

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Never mind grammar. 

[2] This is correct grammar, but never mind. 

When he had quite remembered the poetry he had another shower-bath, andthen when he had enjoyed the hot rough towels out of the hot cupboard hewent back to his room to dress. He now felt how deeply he wanted hisbreakfast, so he dressed himself with all possible speed, evenforgetting to fasten his bootlaces properly. He was in such a hurry thathe dropped his collar-stud, and it was as he stooped to pick it up thathe remembered his dream. Do you know that was really the first time hehad thought of it. The dream--that indeed would be something to thinkabout. 

Breakfast was the really important thing. He went down very hungryindeed. 'I shall ask for my breakfast directly I get down, ' he said. 'Ishall ask the first person I meet. ' And he met no one. 

There was no one on the stairs, or in the hall, or in the dining-room, or in the drawing-room. The library and billiard-room were empty ofliving people, and the door of the nursery was locked. So then Philipmade his way into the regions beyond the baize door, where the servants'quarters were. And there was no one in the kitchen, or in the servants'hall, or in the butler's pantry, or in the scullery, or the washhouse, or the larder. In all that big house, and it was much bigger than itlooked from the front because of the long wings that ran out on eachside of its back--in all that big house there was no one but Philip. Hefelt certain of this before he ran upstairs and looked in all thebedrooms and in the little picture gallery and the music-room, and thenin the servants' bedrooms and the very attics. There were interestingthings in those attics, but Philip only remembered that afterwards. Nowhe tore down the stairs three at a time. All the room doors were open ashe had left them, and somehow those open doors frightened him more thananything else. He ran along the corridors, down more stairs, past moreopen doors and out through the back kitchen, along the moss-grown walkby the brick wall and so round by the three yew trees and the mountingblock to the stable-yard. And there was no one there. Neither coachmannor groom nor stable-boys. And there was no one in the stables, or thecoach-house, or the harness-room, or the loft. 

Philip felt that he could not go back into the house. Something terriblemust have happened. Was it possible that any one could want the Grangeservants enough to kidnap them? Philip thought of the nurse and feltthat, at least as far as she was concerned, it was _not_ possible. Orperhaps it was magic! A sort of Sleeping-Beauty happening! Only everyone had vanished instead of just being put to sleep for a hundred years. 

He was alone in the middle of the stable-yard when the thought came tohim. 

'Perhaps they're only made invisible. Perhaps they're all here andwatching me and making fun of me. '

He stood still to think this. It was not a pleasant thought. 

Suddenly he straightened his little back, and threw back his head. 

'They shan't see I'm frightened anyway, ' he told himself. And then heremembered the larder. 

'I haven't had any breakfast, ' he explained aloud, so as to be plainlyheard by any invisible people who might be about. 'I ought to have mybreakfast. If nobody gives it to me I shall take my breakfast. '

He waited for an answer. But none came. It was very quiet in thestable-yard. Only the rattle of a halter ring against a manger, thesound of a hoof on stable stones, the cooing of pigeons and the rustleof straw in the loose-box broke the silence. 

'Very well, ' said Philip. 'I don't know what _you_ think I ought to havefor breakfast, so I shall take what _I_ think. '

He drew a long breath, trying to draw courage in with it, threw back hisshoulders more soldierly than ever, and marched in through the back doorand straight to the larder. Then he took what he thought he ought tohave for breakfast. This is what he thought:

 1 cherry pie, 2 custards in cups, 1 cold sausage, 2 pieces of cold toast, 1 piece of cheese, 2 lemon cheese-cakes, 1 small jam tart (there was only one left), Butter, 1 pat. 

'What jolly things the servants have to eat, ' he said. 'I never knew. Ithought that nothing but mutton and rice grew here. '

He put all the food on a silver tray and carried it out on to theterrace, which lies between the two wings at the back of the house. Thenhe went back for milk, but there was none to be seen so he got a whitejug full of water. The spoons he couldn't find, but he found acarving-fork and a fish-slice. Did you ever try to eat cherry pie with afish-slice?

'Whatever's happened, ' said Philip to himself, through the cherry pie, 'and whatever happens it's as well to have had your breakfast. ' And hebit a generous inch off the cold sausage which he had speared with thecarving-fork. 

And now, sitting out in the good sunshine, and growing less and lesshungry as he plied fish-slice and carving-fork, his mind went back tohis dream, which began to seem more and more real. Suppose it really_had_ happened? It might have; magic things did happen, it seemed. Lookhow all the people had vanished out of the house--out of the world too, perhaps. 

'Suppose every one's vanished, ' said Philip. 'Suppose I'm the onlyperson left in the world who hasn't vanished. Then everything in theworld would belong to me. Then I could have everything that's in all thetoy shops. ' And his mind for a moment dwelt fondly on this beautifulidea. 

Then he went on. 'But suppose I vanished too? Perhaps if I were tovanish I could see the other people who have. I wonder how it's done. '

He held his breath and tried hard to vanish. Have you ever tried this?It is not at all easy to do. Philip could not do it at all. He held hisbreath and he tried and he tried, but he only felt fatter and fatter andmore and more as though in one more moment he should burst. So he lethis breath go. 

'No, ' he said, looking at his hands; 'I'm not any more invisible than Iwas before. Not so much I think, ' he added thoughtfully, looking at whatwas left of the cherry pie. 'But that dream----'

He plunged deep in the remembrance of it that was, to him, like swimmingin the waters of a fairy lake. 

He was hooked out of his lake suddenly by voices. It was like waking up. There, away across the green park beyond the sunk fence, were peoplecoming. 

'So every one hasn't vanished, ' he said, caught up the tray and took itin. He hid it under the pantry shelf. He didn't know who the people werewho were coming and you can't be too careful. Then he went out and madehimself small in the shadow of a red buttress, heard their voices comingnearer and nearer. They were all talking at once, in that quickinterested way that makes you certain something unusual has happened. 

He could not hear exactly what they were saying, but he caught thewords: 'No. '

'Of course I've asked. '

'Police. '

'Telegram. '

'Yes, of course. '

'Better make quite sure. '

Then every one began speaking all at once, and you could not hearanything that anybody said. Philip was too busy keeping behind thebuttress to see who they were who were talking. He was glad _something_had happened. 

'Now I shall have something to think about besides the nurse and mybeautiful city that she has pulled down. '

But what was it that had happened? He hoped nobody was hurt--or had doneanything wrong. The word police had always made him uncomfortable eversince he had seen a boy no bigger than himself pulled along the road bya very large policeman. The boy had stolen a loaf, Philip was told. Philip could never forget that boy's face; he always thought of it inchurch when it said 'prisoners and captives, ' and still more when itsaid 'desolate and oppressed. '

'I do hope it's not _that_, ' he said. 

And slowly he got himself to leave the shelter of the red-brick buttressand to follow to the house those voices and those footsteps that hadgone by him. 

He followed the sound of them to the kitchen. The cook was there intears and a Windsor arm-chair. The kitchenmaid, her cap all on one side, was crying down most dirty cheeks. The coachman was there, very red inthe face, and the groom, without his gaiters. The nurse was there, neatas ever she seemed at first, but Philip was delighted when a morecareful inspection showed him that there was mud on her large shoes andon the bottom of her skirt, and that her dress had a largethree-cornered tear in it. 

'I wouldn't have had it happen for a twenty-pun note, ' the coachman wassaying. 

'George, ' said the nurse to the groom, 'you go and get a horse ready. I'll write the telegram. '

'You'd best take Peppermint, ' said the coachman. 'She's the fastest. '

The groom went out, saying under his breath, 'Teach your grandmother, 'which Philip thought rude and unmeaning. 

Philip was standing unnoticed by the door. He felt that thrill--if itisn't pleasure it is more like it than anything else--which we all feelwhen something real has happened. 

But what _had_ happened. What?

'I wish I'd never come back, ' said the nurse. 'Then nobody could pretendit was _my_ fault. '

'It don't matter what they pretend, ' the cook stopped crying to say. 'The thing is what's happened. Oh, my goodness. I'd rather have beenturned away without a character than have had this happen. '

'And I'd rather _any_thing, ' said the nurse. 'Oh, my goodness me. I wishI'd never been born. '

And then and there, before the astonished eyes of Philip, she began tobehave as any nice person might--she began to cry. 

'It wouldn't have happened, ' said the cook, 'if the master hadn't beenaway. He's a Justice of the Peace, he is, and a terror to gipsies. Itwouldn't never have happened if----'

Philip could not bear it any longer. 

'_What_ wouldn't have happened if?' he asked, startling everybody to aquick jump of surprise. 

The nurse stopped crying and turned to look at him. 

'Oh, _you_!' she said slowly. 'I forgot _you_. You want your breakfast, I suppose, no matter what's happened?'

'No, I don't, ' said Philip, with extreme truth. 'I want to know what_has_ happened?'

'Miss Lucy's lost, ' said the cook heavily, 'that's what's happened. Sonow you know. You run along and play, like a good little boy, and don'tmake extry trouble for us in the trouble we're in. '

'Lost?' repeated Philip. 

'Yes, lost. I expect you're glad, ' said the nurse, 'the way you treatedher. You hold your tongue and don't let me so much as hear you breathethe next twenty-four hours. I'll go and write that telegram. '

Philip thought it best not to let any one hear him breathe. By thismeans he heard the telegram when nurse read it aloud to the cook. 

 'Peter Graham, Esq. , Hotel Wagram, Brussels. 

 Miss Lucy lost. Please come home immediately. 

 PHILKINS. 

That's all right, isn't it?'

'I don't see why you sign it Philkins. You're only the nurse--I'm thehead of the house when the family's away, and my name's Bobson, ' thecook said. 

There was a sound of torn paper. 

'There--the paper's tore. I'd just as soon your name went to it, ' saidthe nurse. 'I don't want to be the one to tell such news. '

'Oh, my good gracious, what a thing to happen, ' sighed the cook. 'Poorlittle darling!'

Then somebody wrote the telegram again, and the nurse took it out tothe stable-yard, where Peppermint was already saddled. 

'I thought, ' said Philip, bold in the nurse's absence, 'I thought Lucywas with her aunt. '

'She came back yesterday, ' said the cook. 'Yes, after you'd gone to bed. And this morning that nurse went into the night nursery and she wasn'tthere. Her bed all empty and cold, and her clothes gone. Though how thegipsies could have got in without waking that nurse is a mystery to meand ever will be. She must sleep like a pig. '

'Or the seven sleepers, ' said the coachman. 

'But what would gipsies want her _for_?' Philip asked. 

'What do they ever want anybody for?' retorted the cook. 'Look at theheirs that's been stolen. I don't suppose there's a titled family inEngland but what's had its heir stolen, one time and another. '

'I suppose you've looked all over the house, ' said Philip. 

'I suppose we ain't deaf and dumb and blind and silly, ' said the cook. 'Here's that nurse. You be off, Mr. Philip, without you want a flea inyour ear. '

And Philip, at the word, _was_ off. He went into the long drawing-room, and shut the door. Then he got the ivory chessmen out of the Buhlcabinet, and set them out on that delightful chess-table whose chequersare of mother-of-pearl and ivory, and tried to play a game, right handagainst left. But right hand, who was white, and so moved first, alwayswon. He gave up after awhile, and put the chessmen away in their properplaces. Then he got out the big book of photographs of pictures, butthey did not seem interesting, so he tried the ivory spellicans. But hishand shook, and you know spellicans is a game you can't play when yourhand shakes. And all the time, behind the chess and the pictures and thespellicans, he was trying not to think about his dream, about how he hadclimbed that ladder stair, which was really the yard-stick, and goneinto the cities that he had built on the tables. Somehow he did not wantto remember it. The very idea of remembering made him feel guilty andwretched. 

He went and looked out of the window, and as he stood there his wish notto remember the dream made his boots restless, and in their shufflinghis right boot kicked against something hard that lay in the folds ofthe blue brocade curtain. 

He looked down, stooped, and picked up little Mr. Noah. The nurse musthave dropt it there when she cleared away the city. 

And as he looked upon those wooden features it suddenly becameimpossible not to think of the dream. He let the remembrance of it come, and it came in a flood. And with it the remembrance of what he had done. He had promised to be Lucy's noble friend, and they had run together toescape from the galloping soldiers. And he had run faster than she. Andat the top of the ladder--the ladder of safety--_he had not waited forher_. 

'Any old hero would have waited for her, and let her go first, ' he toldhimself. 'Any gentleman would--even any _man_--let alone a hero. And Ijust bunked down the ladder and forgot her. I _left_ her there. '

Remorse stirred his boots more ungently than before. 

'But it was only a dream, ' he said. And then remorse said, as he hadfelt all along that it would if he only gave it a chance:

'But suppose it wasn't a dream--suppose it was real. Suppose you _did_leave her there, my noble friend, and that's why she's lost. '

Suddenly Philip felt very small, very forlorn, very much alone in theworld. But Helen would come back. That telegram would bring her. 

Yes. And he would have to tell her that perhaps it was his fault. 

It was in vain that Philip told himself that Helen would never believeabout the city. He felt that she would. Why shouldn't she? She knewabout the fairy tales and the Arabian Nights. And she would know thatthese things _did_ happen. 

'Oh, what shall I do? What shall I do?' he said, quite loud. And therewas no one but himself to give the answer. 

'If I could only get back into the city, ' he said. 'But that hatefulnurse has pulled it all down and locked up the nursery. So I can't evenbuild it again. Oh, what _shall_ I do?'

And with that he began to cry. For now he felt quite sure that the dreamwasn't a dream--that he really _had_ got into the magic city, hadpromised to stand by Lucy, and had been false to his promise and to her. 

He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles and also--rather painfully--withMr. Noah, whom he still held. 'What shall I do?' he sobbed. 

And a very very teeny tiny voice said:

'~Put me down. ~'

'Eh?' said Philip. 

'~Put me down~, ' said the voice again. It was such a teeny tiny voicethat he could only just hear it. It was unlikely, of course, that thevoice could have been Mr. Noah's; but then whose else could it be? Onthe bare chance that it _might_ have been Mr. Noah who spoke--moreunlikely things had happened before, as you know--Philip set the littlewooden figure down on the chess-table. It stood there, wooden as ever. 

'Put _who_ down?' Philip asked. And then, before his eyes, the littlewooden figure grew alive, stooped to pick up the yellow disc of wood onwhich Noah's Ark people stand, rolled it up like a mat, put it under hisarm and began to walk towards the side of the table where Philip stood. 

He knelt down to bring his ears nearer the little live moving thing. 

'_What_ did you say?' he asked, for he fancied that Mr. Noah had againspoken. 

'~I said, what's the matter?~' said the little voice. 

'It's Lucy. She's lost and it's my fault. And I can only just hear you. It hurts my ears hearing you, ' complained Philip. 

'~There's an ear-trumpet in a box on the middle of the cabinet~, ' hecould just hear the teeny tiny voice say; '~it belonged to a great-aunt. Get it out and listen through it~. '

Philip got it out. It was an odd curly thing, and at first he could notbe sure which end he ought to put to his ear. But he tried both ends, and on the second trial he heard quite a loud, strong, big voice say:

'That's better. '

'Then it wasn't a dream last night, ' said Philip. 

'Of course it wasn't, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'Then where is Lucy?'

'In the city, of course. Where you left her. '

'But she _can't_ be, ' said Philip desperately. 'The city's all pulleddown and gone for ever. '

'The city you built in this room is pulled down, ' said Mr. Noah, 'butthe city you went to wasn't in this room. Now I put it to you--how couldit be?'

'But it _was_, ' said Philip, 'or else how could I have got into it. '

'It's a little difficult, I own, ' said Mr. Noah. 'But, you see, youbuilt those cities in two worlds. It's pulled down in _this_ world. Butin the other world it's going on. '

'I don't understand, ' said Philip. 

'I thought you wouldn't, ' said Mr. Noah; 'but it's true, for all that. Everything people make in that world goes on for ever. '

'But how was it that I got in?'

'Because you belong to both worlds. And you built the cities. So theywere yours. '

'But Lucy got in. '

'She built up a corner of your city that the nurse had knocked down. '

[Illustration: He heard quite a loud, strong, big voice say, 'That'sbetter. ']

'But _you_, ' said Philip, more and more bewildered. 'You're here. So youcan't be there. '

'But I _am_ there, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'But you're here. And you're alive here. What made you come alive?'

'Your tears, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Tears are very strong magic. No, don'tbegin to cry again. What's the matter?'

'I want to get back into the city. '

'It's dangerous. '

'I don't care. '

'You were glad enough to get away, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'I know: that's the worst of it, ' said Philip. 'Oh, isn't there any wayto get back? If I climbed in at the nursery windows and got the bricksand built it all up and----'

'Quite unnecessary, I assure you. There are a thousand doors to thatcity. '

'I wish I could find _one_, ' said Philip; 'but, I say, I thought timewas all different there. How is it Lucy is lost all this time if timedoesn't count?'

'It does count, now, ' said Mr. Noah; 'you made it count when you ranaway and left Lucy. That set the clocks of the city to the time of thisworld. '

'I don't understand, ' said Philip; 'but it doesn't matter. Show me thedoor and I'll go back and find Lucy. '

'Build something and go through it, ' said Mr. Noah. 'That's all. Yourtears are dry on me now. Good-bye. ' And he laid down his yellow mat, stepped on to it and was just a little wooden figure again. 

Philip dropped the ear-trumpet and looked at Mr. Noah. 

'I _don't_ understand, ' he said. But this at least he understood. ThatHelen would come back when she got that telegram, and that before shecame he must go into the other world and find the lost Lucy. 

'But oh, ' he said, 'suppose I _don't_ find her. I wish I hadn't builtthose cities so big! And time will go on. And, perhaps, when Helen comesback she'll find _me_ lost _too_--as well as Lucy. '

But he dried his eyes and told himself that this was not how heroesbehaved. He must build again. Whichever way you looked at it there wasno time to be lost. And besides the nurse might occur at any moment. 

He looked round for building materials. There was the chess-table. Ithad long narrow legs set round it, rather like arches. Something mightbe done with it, with books and candlesticks and Japanese vases. 

Something _was_ done. Philip built with earnest care, but also withconsiderable speed. If the nurse should come in before he had made adoor and got through it--come in and find him building again--she wasquite capable of putting him to bed, where, of course, building isimpossible. In a very little time there was a building. But how to getin. He was, alas, the wrong size. He stood helpless, and once more tearspricked and swelled behind his eyelids. One tear fell on his hand. 

'Tears are a strong magic, ' Mr. Noah had said. And at the thought thetears stopped. Still there _was_ a tear, the one on his hand. He rubbedit on the pillar of the porch. 

And instantly a queer tight thin feeling swept through him. He feltgiddy and shut his eyes. His boots, ever sympathetic, shuffled on thecarpet. Or was it the carpet? It was very thick and---- He opened hiseyes. His feet were once more on the long grass of the illimitableprairie. And in front of him towered the gigantic porch of a vastbuilding and a domino path leading up to it. 

'Oh, I am so glad, ' cried Philip among the grass. 'I couldn't have borneit if she'd been lost for ever, and all my fault. '

The gigantic porch lowered frowningly above him. What would he find onthe other side of it?

[Illustration: The gigantic porch lowered frowningly above him. ]

'I don't care. I've simply got to go, ' he said, and stepped out bravely. 'If I can't _be_ a hero I'll try to behave like one. '

And with that he stepped out, stumbling a little in the thick grass, andthe dark shadow of the porch received him. 

 . . . . . . . 

'Bother the child, ' said the nurse, coming into the drawing-room alittle later; 'if he hasn't been at his precious building game again! Ishall have to give him a lesson over this--I can see that. And I willtoo--a lesson he won't forget in a hurry. '

She went through the house, looking for the too bold builder that shemight give him that lesson. Then she went through the garden, still onthe same errand. 

Half an hour later she burst into the servants' hall and threw herselfinto a chair. 

'I don't care what happens now, ' she said. 'The house is bewitched, Ithink. I shall go the very minute I've had my dinner. '

'What's up now?' the cook came to the door to say. 

'Up?' said the nurse. 'Oh, nothing's _up_. What should there be?Everything's all right and beautiful, and just as it should be, ofcourse. '

'Miss Lucy's not found yet, of course, but that's all, isn't it?'

'All? And enough too, I should have thought, ' said the nurse. 'But as ithappens it's _not_ all. The boy's lost now. Oh, I'm not joking. He'slost I tell you, the same as the other one--and I'm off out of this bythe two thirty-seven train, and I don't care who knows it. '

'Lor!' said the cook. 

 . . . . . . . 

Before starting for the two thirty-seven train the nurse went back tothe drawing-room to destroy Philip's new building, to restore to theirproper places its books, candlesticks, vases, and chessmen. 

There we will leave her. 

CHAPTER IV

THE DRAGON-SLAYER

When Philip walked up the domino path and under the vast arch into thedarkness beyond, his heart felt strong with high resolve. His legs, however, felt weak; strangely weak, especially about the knees. Thedoorway was so enormous, that which lay beyond was so dark, and hehimself so very very small. As he passed under the little gateway whichhe had built of three dominoes with the little silver knight in armouron the top, he noticed that he was only as high as a domino, and youknow how very little that is. 

Philip went along the domino path. He had to walk carefully, for to himthe spots on the dominoes were quite deep hollows. But as they wereblack they were easy to see. He had made three arches, one beyondanother, of two pairs of silver candlesticks with silver inkstands onthe top of them. The third pair of silver candlesticks had a book onthe top of them because there were no more inkstands. And when he hadpassed through the three silver arches, he stopped. 

Beyond lay a sort of velvety darkness with white gleams in it. And ashis eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he saw that he was in agreat hall of silver pillars, gigantic silver candlesticks they seemedto be, and they went in long vistas this way and that way and every way, like the hop-poles in a hop-field, so that whichever way you turned, along pillared corridor lay in front of you. 

Philip had no idea which way he ought to go. It seemed most unlikelythat he would find Lucy in a dark hall with silver pillars. 

'All the same, ' he said, 'it's not so dark as it was, by long chalks. '

It was not. The silver pillars had begun to give out a faint soft glowlike the silver phosphorescence that lies in sea pools in summer time. 

'It's lucky too, ' he said, 'because of the holes in the floor. '

The holes were the spots on the dominoes with which the pillared hallwas paved. 

'I wonder what part of the city where Lucy is I shall come out at?'Philip asked himself. But he need not have troubled. He did not comeout at all. He walked on and on and on and on and on. He thought he waswalking straight, but really he was turning first this way and thenthat, and then the other way among the avenues of silver pillars whichall looked just alike. 

He was getting very tired, and he had been walking a long time, beforehe came to anything that was not silver pillars and velvet black underinvisible roofs, and floor paved with dominoes laid very close together. 

'Oh, I am glad!' he said at last, when he saw the pavement narrow to asingle line of dominoes just like the path he had come in by. There wasan arch too, like the arch by which he had come in. And then heperceived in a shock of miserable surprise that it was, in fact, thesame arch and the same domino path. He had come back, after all thatwalking, to the point from which he had started. It was most mortifying. So silly! Philip sat down on the edge of the domino path to rest andthink. 

'Suppose I just walk out and don't believe in magic any more?' he saidto himself. 'Helen says magic can only happen to people who believe inmagic. So if I just walked out and didn't believe as hard as ever Icould, I should be my own right size again, and Lucy would be back, andthere wouldn't _be_ any magic. '

[Illustration: He walked on and on and on. ]

'Yes, but, ' said that voice that always would come and join in wheneverPhilip was talking to himself, 'suppose Lucy _does_ believe it? Thenit'll all go on for her, whatever _you_ believe, and she _won't_ beback. Besides, you know you've _got_ to believe it, because it's true. '

'Oh, bother!' said Philip; 'I'm tired. I don't want to go on. '

'You shouldn't have deserted Lucy, ' said the tiresome voice, 'then youwouldn't have had to go back to look for her. '

'But I can't find my way. How can I find my way?'

'You know well enough. Fix your eyes on a far-off pillar and walkstraight to it, and when you're nearly there fix your eyes a littlefarther. You're bound to come out somewhere. '

'But I'm tired and it's so lonely, ' said Philip. 

'Lucy's lonely too, ' said the voice. 

'Drop it!' said Philip. And he got up and began to walk again. Also hetook the advice of that worrying voice and fixed his eyes on a distantpillar. 

'But why should I bother?' he said; 'this is a sort of dream. '

'Even if it _were_ a dream, ' said the voice, 'there are adventures init. So you may as well be adventurous. '

'Oh, all right, ' said Philip, and on he went. 

And by walking very carefully and fixing his eyes a long way off, he didat last come right through the hall of silver pillars, and saw beyondthe faint glow of the pillars the blue light of day. It shone verybrightly through a very little door, and when Philip came to that doorhe went through it without hesitation. And there he was in a big field. It was rather like the illimitable prairie, only there were greatpatches of different-coloured flowers. Also there was a path across it, and he followed the path. 

'Because, ' he said, 'I'm more likely to meet Lucy. Girls always keep topaths. They never explore. '

Which just shows how little he knew about girls. 

He looked back after a while, to see what the hall of pillars lookedlike from outside, but it was already dim in the mists of distance. 

But ahead of him he saw a great rough building, rather like Stonehenge. 

'I wish I'd come into the other city where the people are, and thesoldiers, and the greyhounds, and the cocoa-nuts, ' he told himself. 'There's nobody here at all, not even Lucy. '

The loneliness of the place grew more and more unpleasing to Philip. But he went on. It seemed more reasonable than to go back. 

'I ought to be very hungry, ' he said; 'I must have been walking forhours. ' But he wasn't hungry. It may have been the magic, or it may havebeen the odd breakfast he had had. I don't know. He spoke aloud becauseit was so quiet in that strange open country with no one in it buthimself. And no sound but the clump, clump of his boots on the path. Andit seemed to him that everything grew quieter and quieter till he couldalmost hear himself think. Loneliness, real loneliness is a dreadfulthing. I hope you will never feel it. Philip looked to right and left, and before him, and on all the wide plain nothing moved. There were thegrass and flowers, but no wind stirred them. And there was no sign thatany living person had ever trodden that path--except that there _was_ apath to tread, and that the path led to the Stonehenge building, andeven that seemed to be only a ruin. 

'I'll go as far as that anyhow, ' said Philip; 'perhaps there'll be asignboard there or something. '

There was something. Something most unexpected. Philip reached thebuilding; it was really very like Stonehenge, only the pillars weretaller and closer together and there was one high solid towering wall;turned the corner of a massive upright and ran almost into the arms, andquite on to the feet of a man in a white apron and a square paper cap, who sat on a fallen column, eating bread and cheese with a clasp-knife. 

'I beg your pardon!' Philip gasped. 

'Granted, I'm sure, ' said the man; 'but it's a dangerous thing to do, Master Philip, running sheer on to chaps' clasp-knives. '

He set Philip on his feet, and waved the knife, which had been so oftensharpened that the blade was half worn away. 

'Set you down and get your breath, ' he said kindly. 

'Why, it's _you_!' said Philip. 

'Course it is. Who should I be if I wasn't me? That's poetry. '

'But how did you get here?'

'Ah!' said the man going on with his bread and cheese, while he talkedquite in the friendliest way, 'that's telling. '

'Well, tell then, ' said Philip impatiently. But he sat down. 

'Well, you say it's me. Who be it? Give it a name. '

'You're old Perrin, ' said Pip; 'I mean, of course, I beg your pardon, you're Mr. Perrin, the carpenter. '

'And what does carpenters do?'

'Carp, I suppose, ' said Philip. 'That means they make things, doesn'tit?'

'That's it, ' said the man encouragingly; 'what sort of things now mightold Perrin have made for you?'

'You made my wheelbarrow, I know, ' said Philip, 'and my bricks. '

'Ah!' said Mr. Perrin, 'now you've got it. I made your bricks, seasonedoak, and true to the thousandth of an inch, they was. And that's how Igot here. So now you know. '

'But what are you doing here?' said Philip, wriggling restlessly on thefallen column. 

'Waiting for you. Them as knows sent me out to meet you, and give you ahint of what's expected of you. '

'Well. What _is_?' said Philip. 'I mean I think it's very kind of you. What _is_ expected?'

'Plenty of time, ' said the carpenter, 'plenty. Nothing ain't expected ofyou till towards sundown. '

'I do think it was most awfully kind of you, ' said Philip, who had nowthought this over. 

'You was kind to old Perrin once, ' said that person. 

'Was I?' said Philip, much surprised. 

'Yes; when my little girl was ailing you brought her a lot of pears offyour own tree. Not one of 'em you didn't 'ave yourself that year, MissHelen told me. And you brought back our kitten--the sandy and white onewith black spots--when it strayed. So I was quite willing to come andmeet you when so told. And knowing something of young gentlemen'speckers, owing to being in business once next door to a boys' school, Imade so bold as to bring you a snack. '

He reached a hand down behind the fallen pillar on which they sat andbrought up a basket. 

'Here, ' he said. And Philip, raising the lid, was delighted to find thathe was hungry. It was a pleasant basketful. Meat pasties, red hairygooseberries, a stone bottle of ginger-beer, a blue mug with Philip onit in gold letters, a slice of soda cake and two farthing sugar-sticks. 

'I'm sure I've seen that basket before, ' said the boy as he ate. 

'Like enough. It's the one you brought them pears down in. '

'Now look here, ' said Philip, through his seventh bite of pasty, 'you_must_ tell me how you got here. And tell me where you've got to. You'vesimply no idea how muddling it all is to me. Do tell me _everything_. Where are we, I mean, and why? And what I've got to do. And why? Andwhen? Tell me every single thing. ' And he took the eighth bite. 

'You really don't know, sir?'

'No, ' said Philip, contemplating the ninth or last bite but one. It wasa large pasty. 

'Well then. Here goes. But I was always a poor speaker, and soconsidered even by friends at cricket dinners and what not. '

'But I don't want you to speak, ' said Philip; 'just tell me. '

'Well, then. How did I get here? I got here through having made thembricks what you built this tumble-down old ancient place with. '

'_I_ built?'

'Yes, with them bricks I made you. I understand as this was the firstbuilding you ever put up. That's why it's first on the road to where youwant to get to!'

Philip looked round at the Stonehenge building and saw that it wasindeed built of enormous oak bricks. 

'Of course, ' he said, 'only I've grown smaller. '

'Or they've grown bigger, ' said Mr. Perrin; 'it's the same thing. Yousee it's like this. All the cities and things you ever built is in thiscountry. I don't know how it's managed, no more'n what you do. But so itis. And as you made 'em, you've the right to come to them--if you canget there. And you have got there. It isn't every one has the luck, I'mtold. Well, then, you made the cities, but you made 'em out of whatother folks had made, things like bricks and chessmen and books andcandlesticks and dominoes and brass basins and every sort of kind ofthing. An' all the people who helped to make all them things you used tobuild with, they're all here too. D'you see? _Making's_ the thing. If itwas no more than the lad that turned the handle of the grindstone tosharp the knife that carved a bit of a cabinet or what not, or a childthat picked a teazle to finish a bit of the cloth that's glued on to thebottom of a chessman--they're all here. They're what's called thepopulation of your cities. '

'I see. They've got small, like I have, ' said Philip. 

'Or the cities has got big, ' said the carpenter; 'it comes to the samething. I wish you wouldn't interrupt, Master Philip. You put me out. '

'I won't again, ' said Philip. 'Only do tell me just one thing. How canyou be here and at Amblehurst too?'

'We come here, ' said the carpenter slowly, 'when we're asleep. '

'Oh!' said Philip, deeply disappointed; 'it's just a dream then?'

'Not it. We come here when we're too sound asleep to dream. You gothrough the dreams and come out on the other side where everything'sreal. That's _here_. '

'Go on, ' said Philip. 

'I dunno where I was. You do put me out so. '

'Pop you something or other, ' said Philip. 

'Population. Yes. Well, all those people as made the things you made thecities of, they live in the cities and they've made the insides to thehouses. '

'What do they do?'

'Oh, they just live here. And they buy and sell and plant gardens andwork and play like everybody does in other cities. And when they go tosleep they go slap through their dreams and into the other world, andwork and play there, see? That's how it goes on. There's a lot more, butthat's enough for one time. You get on with your gooseberries. '

'But they aren't all real people, are they? There's Mr. Noah?'

'Ah, those is aristocracy, the ones you put in when you built thecities. They're our old families. Very much respected. They're all veryhigh up in the world. Came over with the Conker, as the saying is. There's the Noah family. They're the oldest of all, of course. And thedolls you've put in different times and the tin soldiers, and of courseall the Noah's ark animals is alive except when you used them forbuilding, and then they're statues. '

'But I don't see, ' said Philip, 'I really don't see how all these citiesthat I built at different times can still be here, all together and allgoing on at once, when I know they've all been pulled down. '

'Well, I'm no scholard. But I did hear Mr. Noah say once in alecture--_he's_ a speaker, if you like--I heard him say it was like whenyou take a person's photo. The person is so many inches thick throughand so many feet high and he's round and he's solid. But in the photohe's _flat_. Because everything's flat in photos. But all the same it'shim right enough. You get him into the photo. Then all you've got to dois to get 'im out again into where everything's thick and tall and roundand solid. And it's quite easy, I believe, once you know the trick. '

'Stop, ' said Philip suddenly. 'I think my head's going to burst. '

'Ah!' said the carpenter kindly. 'I felt like that at first. Lie downand try to sleep it off a bit. Eddication does go to your head somethingcrool. I've often noticed it. '

And indeed Philip was quite glad to lie down among the long grass and becovered up with the carpenter's coat. He fell asleep at once. 

An hour later he woke again, looked at the wrinkled-apple face of Mr. Perrin and began to remember. 

'I'm glad _you're_ here anyhow, ' he said to the carpenter; 'it washorribly lonely. You don't know. '

'That's why I was sent to meet you, ' said Mr. Perrin simply. 

'But how did you know?'

'Mr. Noah sent for me early this morning. Bless you, he knows all abouteverything. Says he, "You go and meet 'im and tell 'im all you can. Ifhe wants to be a Deliverer, let 'im, " says Mr. Noah. '

'But how do you begin being a Deliverer?' Philip asked, sitting up andfeeling suddenly very grand and manly, and very glad that Lucy was notthere to interfere. 

'There's lots of different ways, ' said Mr. Perrin. 'Your particularway's simple. You just got to kill the dragon. '

'A _live_ dragon?'

'Live!' said Mr. Perrin. 'Why he's all over the place and as green asgrass he is. Lively as a kitten. He's got a broken spear sticking out ofhis side, so some one must have had a try at baggin' him, some time oranother. '

'Don't you think, ' said Philip, a little overcome by this vivid picture, 'that perhaps I'd better look for Lucy first, and be a Delivererafterwards?'

'If you're _afraid_, ' said Mr. Perrin. 

'I'm not, ' said Philip doubtfully. 

'You see, ' said the carpenter, 'what you've got to consider is: are yougoing to be the hero of this 'ere adventure or ain't you? You can't 'aveit both ways. An' if you are, you may's well make up your mind, causekilling a dragon ain't the end of it, not by no means. '

'Do you mean there are more dragons?'

'Not dragons, ' said the carpenter soothingly; 'not dragons exactly. Butthere. I don't want to lower your heart. If you kills the dragon, thenafterwards there's six more hard things you've got to do. And then theymake you king. Take it or leave it. Only, if you take it we'd best bestarting. And anyhow we may as well get a move on us, because at sundownthe dragon comes out to drink and exercise of himself. You can hear himrattling all night among these 'ere ruins; miles off you can 'ear 'imof a still night. '

'Suppose I don't want to be a Deliverer, ' said Philip slowly. 

'Then you'll be a Destroyer, ' said the carpenter; 'there's only thesetwo situations vacant here at present. Come, Master Philip, sir, don'ttalk as if you wasn't going to be a man and do your duty for England, Home and Beauty, like it says in the song. Let's be starting, shall us?'

'You think I ought to be the Deliverer?'

'Ought stands for nothing, ' said Mr. Perrin. 'I think you're a going to_be_ the Deliverer; that's what I think. Come on!'

As they rose to go, Philip had a brief fleeting vision of a very smartlady in a motor veil, disappearing round the corner of a pillar. 

'Are there many motors about here?' he asked, not wishing to talk anymore about dragons just then. 

'Not a single one, ' said Mr. Perrin unexpectedly. 'Nor yet phonographs, nor railways, nor factory chimneys, nor none of them loud ugly things. Nor yet advertisements, nor newspapers, nor barbed wire. '

After that the two walked silently away from the ruin. Philip was tryingto feel as brave and confident as a Deliverer should. He remindedhimself of St. George. And he remembered that the hero _never_ fails tokill the dragon. But he still felt a little uneasy. It takes some timeto accustom yourself to being a hero. But he could not help looking overhis shoulder every now and then to see if the dragon was coming. So farit wasn't. 

'Well, ' said Mr. Perrin as they drew near a square tower with a longflight of steps leading up to it, 'what do you say?'

'I wasn't saying anything, ' said Philip. 

'I mean are you going to be the Deliverer?'

Then something in Philip's heart seemed to swell, and a choking feelingcame into his throat, and he felt more frightened than he had ever feltbefore, as he said, looking as brave as he could:

'Yes. I am. '

Perrin clapped his hands. 

And instantly from the doors of the tower and from behind it came dozensof people, and down the long steps, alone, came Mr. Noah, moving withcareful dignity and carrying his yellow mat neatly rolled under his arm. All the people clapped their hands, till Mr. Noah, standing on the thirdstep, raised his hands to command silence. 

'Friends, ' he said, 'and fellow-citizens of Polistopolis, you see beforeyou one who says that he is the Deliverer. He was yesterday arrestedand tried as a trespasser, and condemned to imprisonment. He escaped andyou all assumed that he was the Destroyer in disguise. But now he hasreturned and of his own free will he chooses to attempt theaccomplishment of the seven great deeds. And the first of these is thekilling of the great green dragon. '

The people, who were a mixed crowd of all nations, cheered loudly. 

'So now, ' said Mr. Noah, 'we will make him our knight. '

'Kneel, ' said Mr. Noah, 'in token of fealty to the Kingdom of Cities. '

Philip knelt. 

'You shall now speak after me, ' said Mr. Noah solemnly. 'Say what Isay, ' he whispered, and Philip said it. 

This was it. 'I, Philip, claim to be the Deliverer of this great nation, and I pledge myself to carry out the seven great deeds that shall provemy claim to the Deliverership and the throne. I pledge my honour to bethe champion of this city, and the enemy of its Destroyer. '

When Philip had said this, Mr. Noah drew forth a bright silver-hiltedsword and held it over him. 

'You must be knighted, ' he said; 'those among my audience who have readany history will be aware that no mere commoner can expect to conquer adragon. We must give our would-be Deliverer every chance. So I will makehim a knight. ' He tapped Philip lightly on the shoulder and said, 'Riseup, Sir Philip!'

This was really grand, and Philip felt new courage as Mr. Noah handedhim the silver sword, and all the people cheered. 

But as the cheers died down, a thin and disagreeable voice suddenlysaid:

'But _I_ claim to be the Deliverer too. '

It was like a thunderbolt. Every one stopped cheering and stood withmouth open and head turned towards the person who had spoken. And theperson who had spoken was the smartly dressed lady in the motor veil, whom Philip had seen among the ruins. 

'A trespasser! a trespasser!' cried the crowd; 'to prison with it!' andangry, threatening voices began to arise. 

'I'm no more a trespasser than he is, ' said the voice, 'and if I say Iam the Deliverer, you can't stop me. I can kill dragons or do anything_he_ can do. '

'Silence, trespasser, ' said Mr. Noah, with cold dignity. 'You shouldhave spoken earlier. At present Sir Philip occupies the position ofcandidate to the post of King-Deliverer. There is no other position opento you except that of Destroyer. '

[Illustration: 'Silence, trespasser, ' said Mr. Noah, with cold dignity. ]

'But suppose the boy doesn't do it?' said the voice behind the veil. 

'True, ' said Mr. Noah. 'You may if you choose, occupy for the presentthe position of Pretender-in-Chief to the Claimancy of theDeliverership, an office now and here created expressly for you. Theposition of Claimant to the Destroyership is also, ' he addedreflectively, 'open to you. '

'Then if he doesn't do it, ' said the veiled lady, 'I can be theDeliverer. '

'You can try, ' said Mr. Noah. 'There are a special set of tasks to beperformed if the claimant to the Deliverership be a woman. '

'What are they?' said the veiled lady. 

'If Sir Philip fails you will be duly instructed in the deeds requiredof a Deliverer who is a woman. And now, my friends, let us retire andleave Sir Philip to deal with the dragon. We shall watch anxiously fromyonder ramparts, ' he added encouragingly. 

'But isn't any one to help me?' said Philip, deeply uneasy. 

'It is not usual, ' said Mr. Noah, 'for champions to require assistancewith dragons. '

'I should think not indeed, ' said the veiled lady; 'but you're not goingthe usual way about it at all. Where's the princess, I should like toknow?'

'There isn't any princess, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'Then it won't be a proper dragon-killing, ' she said, with an angryshaking of skirts; 'that's all I can say. '

'I wish it _was_ all, ' said Mr. Noah to himself. 

'If there isn't a princess it isn't fair, ' said the veiled one; 'and Ishall consider it's my turn to be Deliverer. '

'Be silent, woman, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'Woman, indeed, ' said the lady. 'I ought to have a proper title. '

'Your title is the Pretender to the----'

'I know, ' she interrupted; 'but you forget you're speaking to a lady. You can call me the Pretenderette. '

Mr. Noah turned coldly from her and pressed two Roman candles and a boxof matches into Philip's hand. 

'When you have arranged your plans and are quite sure that you will beable to kill the dragon, light one of these. We will then have aprincess in readiness, and on observing your signal will tie her to atree, or, since this is a district where trees are rare and buildingsfrequent, to a pillar. She will be perfectly safe if you make your planscorrectly. And in any case you must not attempt to deal with the dragonwithout first lighting the Roman candle. '

'And the dragon will see it and go away. '

'Exactly, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Or perhaps he will see it and not go away. Time alone will show. The task that is without difficulties can neverreally appeal to a hero. You will find weapons, cords, nets, shields andvarious first aids to the young dragon-catcher in the vaults below thistower. Good evening, Sir Philip, ' he ended warmly. 'We wish you everysuccess. '

And with that the whole crowd began to go away. 

'_I_ know who you ought to have for princess, ' the Pretenderette said asthey went. And Mr. Noah said:

'Silence in court. '

'This isn't a court, ' said the Pretenderette aggravatingly. 

'Wherever justice is, is a court, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and I accuse you ofcontempt of it. Guards, arrest this person and take her to prison atonce. '

There was a scuffling and a shrieking and then the voices withdrewgradually, the angry voice of even the Pretenderette growing fainterand fainter till it died away altogether. 

Philip was left alone. 

His first act was to go up to the top of the tower and look out to seeif he could see the dragon. He looked east and north and south and west, and he saw the ramparts of the fort where Mr. Noah and the others werenow safely bestowed. He saw also other towers and cities in thedistance, and he saw the ruins where he had met Mr. Perrin. 

And among those ruins something was moving. Something long and jointedand green. It could be nothing but the dragon. 

'Oh, Crikey!' said Philip to himself; 'whatever shall I do? Perhaps I'dbetter see what weapons there are. '

So he ran down the stairs and down and down till he came to the vaultsof the castle, and there he found everything a dragon-killer couldpossibly need, even to a little red book called the _YoungDragon-Catcher's Vade Mecum, or a Complete Guide to the Good Sport ofDragon-Slaying_; and a pair of excellent field-glasses. 

The top of the tower seemed the safest place. It was there that he triedto read the book. The words were very long and most difficultly spelt. But he did manage to make out that all dragons sleep for one hour aftersunset. Then he heard a loud rattling sound from the ruin, and he knewit was the dragon who was making that sound, so he looked through thefield-glasses, frowning with anxiety to see what the dragon was doing. 

And as he looked he started and almost dropped the glasses, and thefrown cleared away from his forehead and he gave a sigh that was almosta sob and almost a laugh, and then he said

'That old thing!'

Then he looked again, and this is what he saw. An enormous green dragon, very long and fierce-looking, that rattled as it moved, going in and outamong the ruins, rubbing itself against the fallen pillars. And thereason Philip laughed and sighed was that he knew that dragon very wellindeed. He had known it long ago. It was the clockwork lizard that hadbeen given him the Christmas before last. And he remembered that he hadput it into one of the cities he and Helen had built together. Only now, of course, it had grown big and had come alive like all the other imagesof live things he had put in his cities. But he saw that it was still aclockwork creature. And its key was sticking out of its side. And it wasrubbing itself against the pillars so as to turn the key and wind itselfup. But this was a slow business and the winding was not half done whenthe sun set. The dragon instantly lay down and went to sleep. 

'Well, ' said Philip, 'now I've got to think. '

He did think, harder than he had ever done before. And when he hadfinished thinking he went down into the vault and got a long rope. Thenhe stood still a moment, wondering if he really were brave enough. Andthen he remembered 'Rise up, Sir Philip, ' and he knew that a knightsimply _mustn't_ be afraid. 

So he went out in the dusk towards the dragon. 

He knew it would sleep for an hour. But all the same---- And thetwilight was growing deeper and deeper. Still there was plenty of lightto find the ruin, and also to find the dragon. There it lay--about tenor twelve yards of solid dark dragon-flesh. Its metal claws gleamed inthe last of the daylight. Its great mouth was open, and its breathing, as it slept, was like the sound of the sea on a rough night. 

'Rise up, Sir Philip, ' he said to himself, and walked along close to thedragon till he came to the middle part where the key was stickingout--which Mr. Perrin had thought was a piece of an old spear with whichsome one had once tried to kill the monster. 

Philip fastened one end of his rope very securely to the key--howthankful he was that Helen had taught him to tie knots that were notgranny-knots. The dragon lay quite still, and went on breathing like astormy sea. Then the dragon-slayer fastened the other end of the rope tothe main wall of the ruin which was very strong and firm, and then hewent back to his tower as fast as he could and struck a match andlighted his Roman candle. 

You see the idea? It was really rather a clever one. When the dragonwoke it would find that it was held prisoner by the ropes. It would befurious and try to get free. And in its struggles it would be certain toget free, but this it could only do by detaching itself from its key. When once the key was out the dragon would be unable to wind itself upany more, and would be as good as dead. Of course Sir Philip could cutoff its head with the silver-hilted sword if Mr. Noah really wished it. 

It was, as you see, an excellent plan, as far as it went. Philip sat onthe top of his tower quite free from anxiety, and ate a few hairy redgooseberries that happened to be loose in his pocket. Within threeminutes of his lighting his Roman candle a shower of golden rain went upin the south, some immense Catherine-wheels appeared in the east, and inthe north a long line of rockets presented almost the appearance of anaurora borealis. Red fire, green fire, then rockets again. The whole ofthe plain was lit by more fireworks than Philip had ever seen, even atthe Crystal Palace. By their light he saw a procession come out of thefort, cross to a pillar that stood solitary on the plain, and tie to ita white figure. 

'The Princess, I suppose, ' said Philip; 'well, _she's_ all rightanyway. '

Then the procession went back to the fort, and then the dragon awoke. Philip could see the great creature stretching itself and shaking itsvast head as a dog does when it comes out of the water. 

'I expect it doesn't like the fireworks, ' said Philip. And he was quiteright. 

And now the dragon saw the Princess who had been placed at a convenientspot about half-way between the ruins and Philip's tower. 

It threw up its snout and uttered a devastating howl, and Philip feltwith a thrill of horror that, clockwork or no clockwork, the brute wasalive, and desperately dangerous. 

And now it had perceived that it was bound. With great heavings andthroes, with snortings and bellowings, with scratchings and tearings ofits great claws and lashings of its terrible tail, it writhed andfought to be free, and the light of thousands of fireworks illuminatedthe gigantic struggle. 

Then what Philip had known would happen, did happen. The great wall heldfast, the rope held fast, the dragon held fast. It was the key that gaveway. With an echoing grinding rusty sound like a goods train shunting ona siding, the key was drawn from the keyhole in the dragon's side andleft still fast to its rope like an anchor to a cable. 

_Left. _ For now that happened which Philip had not foreseen. He hadforgotten that before it fell asleep the dragon had partly wound itselfup. And its struggles had not used up all the winding. There was go inthe dragon yet. And with a yell of fury it set off across the plain, wriggling its green rattling length towards--the Princess. 

And now there was no time to think whether one was afraid or not. Philipwent down those tower stairs more quickly than he had ever gone downstairs in his life, and he was not bad at stairs even at ordinary times. 

He put his sword over his shoulder as you do a gun, and ran. Like thedragon he made straight for the Princess. And now it was a race betweenhim and the dragon. Philip ran and ran. His heart thumped, his feet hadthat leaden feeling that comes in nightmares. He felt as if he weredying. 

Keep on, keep on, faster, faster, you mustn't stop. Ah! that's better. He has got his second wind. He is going faster. And the dragon, or is itfancy? is going not quite so fast. 

How he did it Philip never knew. But with a last spurt he reached thepillar where the Princess stood bound. And the dragon was twenty yardsaway, coming on and on and on. 

Philip stood quite still, recovering his breath. And more and moreslowly, but with no sign of stopping, the dragon came on. Behind him, where the pillar was, Philip heard some one crying softly. 

Then the dragon was quite near. Philip took three steps forward, tookaim with his sword, shut his eyes and hit as hard as he could. Thensomething hard and heavy knocked him over, and for a time he knew nomore. 

 . . . . . . . 

When he came to himself again, Mr. Noah was giving him something nastyto drink out of a medicine glass, Mr. Perrin was patting him on theback, all the people were shouting like mad, and more fireworks thanever were being let off. Beside him lay the dragon, lifeless and still. 

[Illustration: Then something hard and heavy knocked him over. ]

'Oh!' said Philip, 'did I really do it?'

'You did indeed, ' said Mr. Noah; 'however you may succeed with the otherdeeds, you are the hero of this one. And now, if you feel well enough, prepare to receive the reward of Valour and Chivalry. '

'Oh!' said Philip, brightening, 'I didn't know there was to be areward. '

'Only the usual one, ' said Mr Noah. 'The Princess, you know. '

Philip became aware that a figure in a white veil was standing quitenear him; round its feet lay lengths of cut rope. 

'The Princess is yours, ' said Mr. Noah, with generous affability. 

'But I don't want her, ' said Philip, adding by an afterthought, 'thankyou. '

'You should have thought of that before, ' said Mr. Noah. 'You can't godoing deeds of valour, you know, and then shirking the reward. Take her. She is yours. '

'Any one who likes may have her, ' said Philip desperately. 'If she'smine, I can give her away, can't I? You must see yourself I can't bebothered with princesses if I've got all those other deeds to do. '

'That's not my affair, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Perhaps you might arrange toboard her out while you're doing your deeds. But at present she iswaiting for you to take her by the hand and raise her veil. '

'Must I?' said Philip miserably. 'Well, here goes. '

He took a small cold hand in one of his and with the other lifted, verygingerly, a corner of the veil. The other hand of the Princess drew backthe veil, and the Dragon-Slayer and the Princess were face to face. 

'Why!' cried Philip, between relief and disgust, 'it's only Lucy!'

CHAPTER V

ON THE CARPET

The Princess was just Lucy. 

'It's too bad, ' said Philip. 'I do think. ' Then he stopped short andjust looked cross. 

'The Princess and the Champion will now have their teas, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Right about face, everybody, please, and quick march. '

Philip and Lucy found themselves marching side by side through the nightmade yellow with continuous fireworks. 

You must picture them marching across a great plain of grass where manycoloured flowers grew. You see a good many of Philip's buildings hadbeen made on the drawing-room carpet at home, which was green with pinkand blue and yellow and white flowers. And this carpet had turned intograss and growing flowers, following that strange law which causedthings to change into other things, like themselves, but larger andreally belonging to a living world. 

No one spoke. Philip said nothing because he was in a bad temper. And ifyou are in a bad temper, nothing is a good thing to say. To circumvent adragon and then kill it, and to have such an adventure end in tea withLucy, was too much. And he had other reasons for silence too. And Lucywas silent because she had so much to say that she didn't know where tobegin; and besides, she could feel how cross Philip was. The crowd didnot talk because it was not etiquette to talk when taking part inprocessions. Mr. Noah did not talk because it made him out of breath towalk and talk at the same time, two things neither of which he had beendesigned to do. 

So that it was quite a silent party which at last passed through thegateway of the town and up its streets. 

Philip wondered where the tea would be--not in the prison of course. Itwas very late for tea, too, quite the middle of the night it seemed. Butall the streets were brilliantly lighted, and flags and festoons offlowers hung from all the windows and across all the streets. 

It was in the front of a big building in one of the great squares of thecity that an extra display of coloured lamps disclosed open doors andred-carpeted steps. Mr. Noah hurried up them, and turned to receivePhilip and Lucy. 

'The City of Polistopolis, ' he said, 'whose unworthy representative Iam, greets in my person the most noble Sir Philip, Knight and Slayer ofthe Dragon. Also the Princess whom he has rescued. Be pleased to enter. '

They went up the red-cloth covered steps and into a hall, very splendidwith silver and ivory. Mr. Noah stooped to a confidential question. 

'You'd like a wash, perhaps?' he said, 'and your Princess too. Andperhaps you'd like to dress up a little? Before the banquet, you know. '

'Banquet?' said Philip. 'I thought it was tea. '

'Business before pleasure, ' said Mr. Noah; 'first the banquet, then thetea. This way to the dressing-rooms. '

There were two doors side by side. On one door was painted 'Knight'sdressing-room, ' on the other 'Princess's dressing-room. '

'Look out, ' said Mr. Noah; 'the paint is wet. You see there wasn't muchtime. '

Philip found his dressing-room very interesting. The walls were entirelyof looking-glass, and on tables in the middle of the room lay all sortsof clothes of beautiful colours and odd shapes. Shoes, stockings, hats, crowns, armour, swords, cloaks, breeches, waistcoats, jerkins, trunkhose. An open door showed a marble bath-room. The bath was sunk in thefloor as the baths of luxurious Roman Empresses used to be, and asnowadays baths sometimes are, in model dwellings. (Only I am told thatsome people keep their coals in the baths--which is quite uselessbecause coals are always black however much you wash them. )

Philip undressed and went into the warm clear water, greenish betweenthe air and the marble. Why is it so pleasant to have a bath, and sotiresome to wash your hands and face in a basin? He put on his shirt andknickerbockers again, and wandered round the room looking at the clotheslaid out there, and wondering which of the wonderful costumes would bereally suitable for a knight to wear at a banquet. After considerablehesitation he decided on a little soft shirt of chain-mail that madejust a double handful of tiny steel links as he held it. But adifficulty arose. 

'I don't know how to put it on, ' said Philip; 'and I expect the banquetis waiting. How cross it'll be. '

He stood undecided, holding the chain mail in his hands, when his eyesfell on a bell handle. Above it was an ivory plate, and on it in blackletters the word Valet. Philip rang the bell. 

Instantly a soft tap at the door heralded the entrance of a person whomPhilip at the first glance supposed to be a sandwich man. But the secondglance showed that the oblong flat things which he wore were notsandwich-boards, but dominoes. The person between them bowed low. 

'Oh!' said Philip, 'I rang for the valet. '

'I am not the valet, ' said the domino-enclosed person, who seemed to bein skintight black clothes under his dominoes, 'I am the Master of theRobes. I only attend on really distinguished persons. Double-six, atyour service, Sir. Have you chosen your dress?'

'I'd like to wear the armour, ' said Philip, holding it out. 'It seemsthe right thing for a Knight, ' he added. 

'Quite so, sir. I confirm your opinion. '

He proceeded to dress Philip in a white tunic and to fasten the coat ofmail over this. 'I've had a great deal of experience, ' he said; 'youcouldn't have chosen better. You see, I'm master of the subject ofdress. I am able to give my whole mind to it; my own dress being fixedby law and not subject to changes of fashion leaves me free to think forothers. And I think deeply. But I see that you can think for yourself. '

You have no idea how jolly Philip looked in the mail coat and mailedhood--just like a Crusader. 

At the doorway of the dressing-room he met Lucy in a short white dressand a coronal of pearls round her head. 'I always wanted to be a fairy, 'she said. 

'Did you have any one to dress you?' he asked. 

'Oh no!' said Lucy calmly. 'I always dress myself. '

'Ladies have the advantage there, ' said Double-six, bowing and walkingbackwards. 'The banquet is spread. '

It turned out to be spread on three tables, one along each side of agreat room, and one across the top of the room, on a dais--such a tableas that high one at which dons and distinguished strangers sit in theHalls of colleges. 

Mr. Noah was already in his place in the middle of the high table, andLucy and Philip now took their places at each side of him. The table wasspread with all sorts of nice-looking foods and plates of apink-and-white pattern very familiar to Philip. They were, in fact, ashe soon realised, the painted wooden plates from his sister's old dolls'house. There was no food just in front of the children, only a greatempty bowl of silver. 

Philip fingered his knife and fork; the pattern of those also wasfamiliar to him. They were indeed the little leaden ones out of thedolls' house knife-basket of green and silver filagree. He hungrilywaited. Servants in straight yellow dresses and red masks and caps werebeginning to handle the dishes. A dish was handed to him. A beautifuljelly it looked like. He took up his spoon and was just about to helphimself, when Mr. Noah whispered ardently, 'Don't!' and as Philip lookedat him in astonishment he added, still in a whisper, 'Pretend, can'tyou? Have you never had a pretending banquet?' But before he had caughtthe whisper, Philip had tried to press the edge of the leaden spoon intothe shape of jelly. And he felt that the jelly was quite hard. He wentthrough the form of helping himself, but it was just nothing that he puton his plate. And he saw that Mr. Noah and Lucy and all the other guestsdid the same. Presently another dish was handed to him. There was nochanging of plates. 'They _needn't_, ' Philip thought bitterly. This timeit was a fat goose, not carved, and now Philip saw that it was attachedto its dish with glue. Then he understood. 

(You know the beautiful but uneatable feasts which are given you in awhite cardboard box with blue binding and fine shavings to pack thedishes and keep them from breaking? I myself, when I was little, hadsuch a banquet in a box. There were twelve dishes: a ham, brown andshapely; a pair of roast chickens, also brown and more anatomical thanthe ham; a glazed tongue, real tongue-shape, none of your tinned roundmysteries; a dish of sausages; two handsome fish, a little blue, perhaps; a joint of beef, ribs I think, very red as to the lean and verywhite in the fat parts; a pork pie, delicately bronzed like a travellerin Central Africa. For sweets I had shapes, shapes of beauty, a jellyand a cream; a Swiss roll too, and a plum pudding; asparagus there wasalso and a cauliflower, and a dish of the greenest peas in all this greyworld. This was my banquet outfit. I remember that the woodenness of itall depressed us wonderfully; the oneness of dish and food baffled allmake-believe. With the point of nurse's scissors we prised the viandsfrom the platters. But their wooden nature was unconquerable. One couldnot pretend to eat a whole chicken any better when it was detached fromits dish, and the sausages were one solid block. And when you licked thejelly it only tasted of glue and paint. And when we tried to re-roastthe chickens at the nursery grate, they caught fire, and then they smeltof gasworks and india-rubber. But I am wandering. When you remember thethings that happened when you were a child, you could go on writingabout them for ever. I will put all this in brackets, and then you neednot read it if you don't want to. )

[Illustration: Mr. Noah whispered ardently, 'Don't!']

But those painted wooden foods adhering firmly to their dishes were thekind of food of which the banquet now offered to Philip and Lucy wascomposed. Only they had more dishes than I had. They had as well aturkey, eight raspberry jam tarts, a pine-apple, a melon, a dish ofoysters in the shell, a piece of boiled bacon and a leg of mutton. Butall were equally wooden and uneatable. 

Philip and Lucy, growing hungrier and hungrier, pretended with sinkinghearts to eat and enjoy the wooden feast. Wine was served in thoselittle goblets which they knew so well, where the double glassesrestrained and contained a red fluid which _looked_ like wine. They didnot want wine, but they were thirsty as well as hungry. 

Philip wondered what the waiters were. He had plenty of time to wonderwhile the long banquet went on. It was not till he saw a group of themstanding stiffly together at the end of the hall that he knew they mustbe the matches with which he had once peopled a city, no otherinhabitants being at hand. 

When all the dishes had been handed, speeches happened. 

'Friends and fellow-citizens, ' Mr. Noah began, and went on to say howbrave and clever Sir Philip was, and how likely it was that he wouldturn out to be the Deliverer. Philip did not hear all this speech. Hewas thinking of things to eat. 

Then every one in the hall stood and shouted, and Philip found that hewas expected to take his turn at speech-making. He stood up tremblingand wretched. 

'Friends and fellow-citizens, ' he said, 'thank you very much. I want tobe the Deliverer, but I don't know if I can, ' and sat down again amidroars of applause. 

Then there was music, from a grated gallery. And then--I cannot begin totell you how glad Lucy and Philip were--Mr. Noah said, once more in awhisper, 'Cheer up! the banquet is over. _Now_ we'll have tea. '

'Tea' turned out to be bread and milk in a very cosy, blue-silk-linedroom opening out of the banqueting-hall. Only Lucy, Philip and Mr. Noahwere present. Bread and milk is very good even when you have to eat itwith the leaden spoons out of the dolls'-house basket. When it was muchlater Mr. Noah suddenly said 'good-night, ' and in a maze of sleepyrepletion (look that up in the dicker, will you?) the children went tobed. Philip's bed was of gold with yellow satin curtains, and Lucy's wasmade of silver, with curtains of silk that were white. But the metalsand colours made no difference to their deep and dreamless sleep. 

And in the morning there was bread and milk again, and the two of themhad it in the blue room without Mr. Noah. 

'Well, ' said Lucy, looking up from the bowl of white floating cubes, 'doyou think you're getting to like me any better?'

'_No_, ' said Philip, brief and stern like the skipper in the song. 

'I wish you would, ' said Lucy. 

'Well, I can't, ' said Philip; 'but I do want to say one thing. I'm sorryI bunked and left you. And I did come back. '

'I know you did, ' said Lucy. 

'I came back to fetch you, ' said Philip, 'and now we'd better get alonghome. '

'You've got to do seven deeds of power before you can get home, ' saidLucy. 

'Oh! I remember, Perrin told me, ' said he. 

'Well, ' Lucy went on, 'that'll take ages. No one can go out of thisplace _twice_ unless he's a King-Deliverer. You've gone out_once_--without _me_. Before you can go again you've got to do sevennoble deeds. '

'I killed the dragon, ' said Philip, modestly proud. 

'That's only one, ' she said; 'there are six more. ' And she ate bread andmilk with firmness. 

'Do you like this adventure?' he asked abruptly. 

'It's more interesting than anything that ever happened to me, ' shesaid. 'If you were nice I should like it awfully. But as it is----'

'I'm sorry you don't think I'm nice, ' said he. 

'Well, what do _you_ think?' she said. 

Philip reflected. He did not want not to be nice. None of us do. Thoughyou might not think it to see how some of us behave. True politeness, heremembered having been told, consists in showing an interest in otherpeople's affairs. 

'Tell me, ' he said, very much wishing to be polite and nice. 'Tell mewhat happened after I--after I--after you didn't come down the ladderwith me. '

'Alone and deserted, ' Lucy answered promptly, 'my sworn friend havinghooked it and left me, I fell down, and both my hands were full ofgravel, and the fierce soldiery surrounded me. '

'I thought you were coming just behind me, ' said Philip, frowning. 

'Well, I wasn't. '

'And then. '

'Well, then---- You _were_ silly not to stay. They surrounded me--thesoldiers, I mean--and the captain said, "Tell me the truth. Are you aDestroyer or a Deliverer?" So, of course, I said I wasn't a destroyer, whatever I was; and then they took me to the palace and said I could bea Princess till the Deliverer King turned up. They said, ' she giggledgaily, 'that my hair was the hair of a Deliverer and not of a Destroyer, and I've been most awfully happy ever since. Have you?'

'No, ' said Philip, remembering the miserable feeling of having been acoward and a sneak that had come upon him when he found that he hadsaved his own skin and left Lucy alone in an unknown and dangerousworld; 'not exactly happy, I shouldn't call it. '

'It's beautiful being a Princess, ' said Lucy. 'I wonder what your nextnoble deed will be. I wonder whether I could help you with it?' Shelooked wistfully at him. 

'If I'm going to do noble deeds I'll do them. I don't want any help, thank you, especially from girls, ' he answered. 

'I wish you did, ' said Lucy, and finished her bread and milk. 

Philip's bowl also was empty. He stretched arms and legs and neck. 

'It is rum, ' he said; 'before this began I never thought a thing likethis _could_ begin, did you?'

'I don't know, ' she said, 'everything's very wonderful. I've always beenexpecting things to be more wonderful than they ever have been. You getsort of hints and nudges, you know. Fairy tales--yes, and dreams, youcan't help feeling they must mean _something_. And your sister and mydaddy; the two of them being such friends when they were little, andthen parted and then getting friends again;--_that's_ like a story in adream, isn't it? And your building the city and me helping. And my daddybeing such a dear darling and your sister being such a darling dear. Itdid make me think beautiful things were sort of likely. Didn't it you?'

'No, ' said Philip; 'I mean yes, ' he said, and he was in that momentnearer to liking Lucy than he had ever been before; 'everything's verywonderful, isn't it?'

'Ahem!' said a respectful cough behind them. 

They turned to meet the calm gaze of Double-six. 

'If you've quite finished breakfast, Sir Philip, ' he said, 'Mr. Noahwould be pleased to see you in his office. '

'Me too?' said Lucy, before Philip could say, 'Only me, I suppose?'

'You may come too, if you wish it, your Highness, ' said Double-six, bowing stiffly. 

They found Mr. Noah very busy in a little room littered with papers; hewas sitting at a table writing. 

'Good-morning, Princess, ' he said, 'good-morning, Sir Philip. You see mevery busy. I am trying to arrange for your next labour. '

'Do you mean my next deed of valour?' Philip asked. 

'We have decided that all your deeds need not be deeds of valour, ' saidMr. Noah, fiddling with a pen. 'The strange labours of Hercules, youremember, were some of them dangerous and some merely difficult. I havedecided that difficult things shall count. There are several things thatreally _need_ doing, ' he went on half to himself. 'There's the fruitsupply, and the Dwellers by the sea, and---- But that must wait. We tryto give you as much variety as possible. Yesterday's was an out-dooradventure. To-day's shall be an indoor amusement. I say to-day's but Iconfess that I think it not unlikely that the task I am now about to setthe candidate for the post of King-Deliverer, the task, I say, which Iam now about to set you, may, quite possibly, occupy some days, if notweeks of your valuable time. '

'But our people at home, ' said Philip. 'It isn't that I'm afraid, reallyand truly it isn't, but they'll go out of their minds, not knowingwhat's become of us. Oh, Mr. Noah! do let us go back. '

'It's all right, ' said Mr. Noah. 'However long you stay here time won'tmove with them. I thought I'd explained that to you. '

'But you said----'

'I said you'd set our clocks to the time of _your_ world when youdeserted your little friend. But when you had come back for her, andrescued her from the dragon, the clocks went their own time again. There's only just that time missing that happened between your cominghere the second time and your killing the dragon. '

'I see, ' said Philip. But he didn't. I only hope _you_ do. 

'You can take your time about this new job, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and you mayget any help you like. I shan't consider you've failed till you've beenat it three months. After that the Pretenderette would be entitled to_her_ chance. '

'If you're quite sure that the time here doesn't count at home, ' saidPhilip, 'what is it, please, that we've got to do?'

'The greatest intellects of our country have for many ages occupiedthemselves with the problem which you are now asked to solve, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Your late gaoler, Mr. Bacon-Shakespeare, has written no less thantwenty-seven volumes, all in cypher, on this very subject. But as he hasforgotten what cypher he used, and no one else ever knew it, his volumesare of but little use to us. '

'I see, ' said Philip. And again he didn't. 

Mr. Noah rose to his full height, and when he stood up the childrenlooked very small beside him. 

'Now, ' he said, 'I will tell you what it is that you must do. I shouldlike to decree that your second labour should be the tidying up of thisroom--_all_ these papers are prophecies relating to the Deliverer--butit is one of our laws that the judge must not use any public matter forhis own personal benefit. So I have decided that the next labour shallbe the disentangling of the Mazy Carpet. It is in the Pillared Hall ofPublic Amusements. I will get my hat and we will go there at once. Ican tell you about it as we go. '

And as they went down streets and past houses and palaces all of whichPhilip could now dimly remember to have built at some time or other, Mr. Noah went on:

'It is a very beautiful hall, but we have never been able to use it forpublic amusement or anything else. The giant who originally built thiscity placed in this hall a carpet so thick that it rises to your knees, and so intricately woven that none can disentangle it. It is far toothick to pass through any of the doors. It is your task to remove it. '

'Why that's as easy as easy, ' said Philip. 'I'll cut it in bits andbring out a bit at a time. '

'That would be most unfortunate for you, ' said Mr. Noah. 'I filed onlythis morning a very ancient prophecy:

 'He who shall the carpet sever, By fire or flint or steel, Shall be fed on orange pips for ever, And dressed in orange peel. 

You wouldn't like that, you know. '

'No, ' said Philip grimly, 'I certainly shouldn't. '

'The carpet must be _unravelled_, unwoven, so that not a thread isbroken. Here is the hall. '

They went up steps--Philip sometimes wished he had not been so fond ofbuilding steps--and through a dark vestibule to an arched door. Lookingthrough it they saw a great hall and at its end a raised space, moresteps, and two enormous pillars of bronze wrought in relief with figuresof flying birds. 

'Father's Japanese vases, ' Lucy whispered. 

The floor of the room was covered by the carpet. It was loosely butdifficultly woven of very thick soft rope of a red colour. When I saydifficultly, I mean that it wasn't just straight-forward in the weaving, but the threads went over and under and round about in such a determinedand bewildering way that Philip felt--and said--that he would ratheruntie the string of a hundred of the most difficult parcels than tacklethis. 

'Well, ' said Mr. Noah, 'I leave you to it. Board and lodging will beprovided at the Provisional Palace where you slept last night. Allcitizens are bound to assist when called upon. Dinner is at one. _Good_-morning!'

Philip sat down in the dark archway and gazed helplessly at the twistedstrands of the carpet. After a moment of hesitation Lucy sat down too, clasped her arms round her knees, and she also gazed at the carpet. Theyhad all the appearance of shipwrecked mariners looking out over a greatsea and longing for a sail. 

'Ha ha--tee hee!' said a laugh close behind them. They turned. And itwas the motor-veiled lady, the hateful Pretenderette, who had crept upclose behind them, and was looking down at them through her veil. 

'What do you want?' said Philip severely. 

'I want to laugh, ' said the motor lady. 'I want to laugh at _you_. AndI'm going to. '

'Well go and laugh somewhere else then, ' Philip suggested. 

'Ah! but this is where I want to laugh. You and your carpet! You'llnever do it. You don't know how. But _I_ do. '

'Come away, ' whispered Lucy, and they went. The Pretenderette followedslowly. Outside, a couple of Dutch dolls in check suits were passing, arm in arm. 

'Help!' cried Lucy suddenly, and the Dutch dolls paused and took theirhats off. 

'What is it?' the taller doll asked, stroking his black paintedmoustache. 

'Mr. Noah said all citizens were bound to help us, ' said Lucy a littlebreathlessly. 

'But of course, ' said the shorter doll, bowing with stiff courtesy. 

'Then, ' said Lucy, 'will you _please_ take that motor person away andput her somewhere where she can't bother till we've done the carpet?'

'Delighted, ' exclaimed the agreeable Dutch strangers, darted up thesteps and next moment emerged with the form of the Pretenderette betweenthem, struggling indeed, but struggling vainly. 

'You need not have the slightest further anxiety, ' the taller Dutchmansaid; 'dismiss the incident from your mind. We will take her to the hallof justice. Her offence is bothering people in pursuit of their duty. The sentence is imprisonment for as long as the botheree chooses. Good-morning. '

'Oh, _thank you_!' said both the children together. 

When they were alone, Philip said--and it was not easy to say it:

'That was jolly clever of you, Lucy. I should never have thought of it. '

'Oh, that's nothing, ' said Lucy, looking down. 'I could do more thanthat. '

'What?' he asked. 

'I could unravel the carpet, ' said Lucy, with deep solemnity. 

'But it's me that's got to do it, ' Philip urged. 

'Every citizen is bound to help, if called in, ' Lucy reminded him. 'AndI suppose a princess _is_ a citizen. '

'Perhaps I can do it by myself, ' said Philip. 

'Try, ' said Lucy, and sat down on the steps, her fairy skirts spreadingout round her like a white double hollyhock. 

He tried. He went back and looked at the great coarse cables of thecarpet. He could see no end to the cables, no beginning to his task. AndLucy just went on sitting there like a white hollyhock. And time wenton, and presently became, rather urgently, dinner-time. 

So he went back to Lucy and said:

'All right, you can show me how to do it, if you like. '

But Lucy replied:

'Not much! If you want me to help you with _this_, you'll have topromise to let me help in all the other things. And you'll have to _ask_me to help--ask me politely too. '

'I shan't then, ' said Philip. But in the end he had to--politely also. 

'With pleasure, ' said Lucy, the moment he asked her, and he could seeshe had been making up what she should answer, while he was making uphis mind to ask. 'I shall be delighted to help you in this and all theother tasks. Say yes. '

'Yes, ' said Philip, who was very hungry. 

'"In this and all the other tasks" say. '

'In this and all the other tasks, ' he said. 'Go on. How can we do it?'

'It's _crochet_, ' Lucy giggled. 'It's a little crochet mat I'd made ofred wool; and I put it in the hall that night. You've just got to findthe end and pull, and it all comes undone. You just want to find the endand pull. '

'It's too heavy for us to pull. '

'Well, ' said Lucy, who had certainly had time to think everything out, 'you get one of those twisty round things they pull boats out of the seawith, and I'll find the end while you're getting it. '

She ran up the steps and Philip looked round the buildings on the otherthree sides of the square, to see if any one of them looked like acapstan shop, for he understood, as of course you also have done, that acapstan was what Lucy meant. 

On a building almost opposite he read, 'Naval Necessaries SupplyCompany, ' and he ran across to it. 

'Rather, ' said the secretary of the company, a plump sailor-doll, whenPhilip had explained his needs. 'I'll send a dozen men over at once. Only too proud to help, Sir Philip. The navy is always keen on helpingvalour and beauty. '

'I want to be brave, ' said Philip, 'but I'd rather not be beautiful. '

'Of course not, ' said the secretary; and added surprisingly, 'I meantthe Lady Lucy. '

'Oh!' said Philip. 

So twelve bluejackets and a capstan outside the Hall of PublicAmusements were soon the centre of a cheering crowd. Lucy had found theend of the rope, and two sailors dragged it out and attached it to thecapstan, and then--round and round with a will and a breathlesschanty--the carpet was swiftly unravelled. Dozens of eager helpers stoodon the parts of the carpet which were not being unravelled, to keep itsteady while the pulling went on. 

The news of Philip's success spread like wild-fire through the city, andthe crowds gathered thicker and thicker. The great doors beyond thepillars with the birds on them were thrown open, and Mr. Noah and theprincipal citizens stood there to see the end of the unravelling. 

'Bravo!' said every one in tremendous enthusiasm. 'Bravo! Sir Philip. '

'It wasn't me, ' said Philip difficultly, when the crowd paused forbreath; 'it was Lucy thought of it. '

'Bravo! Bravo!' shouted the crowd louder than ever. 'Bravo, for the LadyLucy! Bravo for Sir Philip, the modest truth-teller!'

[Illustration: So, all down the wide clear floor, Lucy danced. ]

'Bravo, my dear, ' said Mr. Noah, waving his hat and thumping Lucy on theback. 

'I'm awfully glad I thought of it, ' she said; 'that makes two deeds SirPhilip's done, doesn't it? Two out of the seven. '

'Yes, indeed, ' said Mr. Noah enthusiastically. 'I must make him abaronet now. His title will grow grander with each deed. There's an oldprophecy that the person who finds out how to unravel the carpet must bethe first to dance in the Hall of Public Amusements. 

 'The clever one, the noble one, Who makes the carpet come undone, Shall be the first to dance a measure Within the Hall of public pleasure. 

I suppose public _amusement_ was too difficult a rhyme even for thesehighly-skilled poets, our astrologers. You, my child, seem to have beenwell inspired in your choice of a costume. Dance, then, my Lady Lucy, and let the prophecy be fulfilled. '

So, all down the wide clear floor of the Hall of Public Amusement, Lucydanced. And the people of the city looked on and applauded, Philip withthe rest. 

CHAPTER VI

THE LIONS IN THE DESERT

'But why?' asked Philip at dinner, which was no painted wonder of woodenmake-believe, but real roast guinea-fowl and angel pudding, 'Why do youonly have wooden things to eat at your banquets?'

'Banquets are extremely important occasions, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and realfood--food that you can eat and enjoy--only serves to distract the mindfrom the serious affairs of life. Many of the most successful caterersin your world have grasped this great truth. '

'But why, ' Lucy asked, 'do you have the big silver bowls with nothing inthem?'

Mr. Noah sighed. 'The bowls are for dessert, ' he said. 

'But there isn't any dessert _in_ them, ' Lucy objected. 

'No, ' said Mr. Noah, sighing again, 'that's just it. There is nodessert. There has never been any dessert. Will you have a little moreangel pudding?'

It was quite plain to Lucy and Philip that Mr. Noah wished to change thesubject, which, for some reason, was a sad one, and with true politenessthey both said 'Yes, please, ' to the angel pudding offer, though theyhad already had quite as much as they really needed. 

After dinner Mr. Noah took them for a walk through the town, 'to see thefactories, ' he said. This surprised Philip, who had been taught not tobuild factories with his bricks because factories were so ugly, but thefactories turned out to be pleasant, long, low houses, with tall Frenchwindows opening into gardens of roses, where people of all nations madebeautiful and useful things, and loved making them. And all the peoplewho were making them looked clean and happy. 

'I wish we had factories like those, ' Philip said. 'Our factories _are_so ugly. Helen says so. '

'That's because all your factories are _money_ factories, ' said Mr. Noah, 'though they're called by all sorts of different names. Every onehere has to make something that isn't just money or _for_money--something useful _and_ beautiful. '

'Even you?' said Lucy. 

'Even I, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'What do you make?' the question was bound to come. 

'Laws, of course, ' Mr. Noah answered in some surprise. 'Didn't you knowI was the Chief Judge?'

'But laws can't be useful and beautiful, can they?'

'They can certainly be useful, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and, ' he added withmodest pride, 'my laws are beautiful. What do you think of this?"Everybody must try to be kind to everybody else. Any one who has beenunkind must be sorry and say so. "'

'It seems all right, ' said Philip, 'but it's not exactly beautiful. '

'Oh, don't you think so?' said Mr. Noah, a little hurt; 'it mayn't_sound_ beautiful perhaps--I never could write poetry--but it's quitebeautiful when people do it. '

'Oh, if you mean your laws are beautiful when they're _kept_, ' saidPhilip. 

'Beautiful things can't be beautiful when they're broken, of course, 'Mr. Noah explained. 'Not even laws. But ugly laws are only beautifulwhen they _are_ broken. That's odd, isn't it? Laws are very trickythings. '

'I say, ' Philip said suddenly, as they climbed one of the steep flightsof steps between trees in pots, 'couldn't we do another of the deedsnow? I don't feel as if I'd really done anything to-day at all. It wasLucy who did the carpet. Do tell us the next deed. '

'The next deed, ' Mr. Noah answered, 'will probably take some time. There's no reason why you should not begin it to-day if you like. It isa deed peculiarly suited to a baronet. I don't know why, ' he addedhastily; 'it may be that it is the only thing that baronets are goodfor. I shouldn't wonder. The existence of baronets, ' he added musingly, 'has always seemed to the thoughtful to lack justification. Perhaps thisdeed which you will begin to-day is the wise end to which baronets weredesigned. '

'Yes, I daresay, ' said Philip; 'but what is the end?'

'I don't know, ' Mr. Noah owned, 'but I'll tell you what the _deed_ is. You've got to journey to the land of the Dwellers by the Sea and, by anymeans that may commend itself to you, slay their fear. '

Philip naturally asked what the Dwellers by the Sea were afraid of. 

'That you will learn from them, ' said Mr. Noah; 'but it is a very greatfear. '

'Is it something we shall be afraid of _too_?' Lucy asked. And Philip atonce said, 'Oh, then she really did mean to come, did she? But shewasn't to if she was afraid. Girls weren't expected to be brave. '

'They _are_, here, ' said Mr. Noah, 'the girls are expected to be braveand the boys kind. '

'Oh, ' said Philip doubtfully. And Lucy said:

'Of course I meant to come. You know you promised. '

So that was settled. 

'And now, ' said Mr. Noah, rubbing his hands with the cheerful air of onewho has a great deal to do and is going to enjoy doing it, 'we must fityou out a proper expedition, for the Dwellers by the Sea are a very longway off. What would you like to ride on?'

'A horse, ' said Philip, truly pleased. He said horse, because he did notwant to ride a donkey, and he had never seen any one ride any animal butthese two. 

'That's right, ' Mr. Noah said, patting him on the back. 'I _was_ soafraid you'd ask for a bicycle. And there's a dreadful law here--it wasmade by mistake, but there it is--that if any one asks for machinerythey have to have it and keep on using it. But as to a horse. Well, I'mnot sure. You see, you have to ride right across the pebbly waste, andit's a good three days' journey. But come along to the stables. '

You know the kind of stables they would be? The long shed with stallssuch as you had, when you were little, for your little wooden horses andcarts? Only there were not only horses here, but every sort of animalthat has ever been ridden on. Elephants, camels, donkeys, mules, bulls, goats, zebras, tortoises, ostriches, bisons, and pigs. And in the laststall of all, which was not of common wood but of beaten silver, stoodthe very Hippogriff himself, with his long, white mane and his long, white tail, and his gentle, beautiful eyes. His long, white wings werefolded neatly on his satin-smooth back, and how he and the stall gothere was more than Philip could guess. All the others were Noah's Arkanimals, alive, of course, but still Noah's Arky beyond possibility ofmistake. But the Hippogriff was not Noah's Ark at all. 

'He came, ' Mr. Noah explained, 'out of a book. One of the books you usedto build your city with. '

'Can't we have _him_?' Lucy said; 'he looks such a darling. ' And theHippogriff turned his white velvet nose and nuzzled against her inaffectionate acknowledgment of the compliment. 

'Not if you both go, ' Mr. Noah explained. 'He cannot carry more than oneperson at a time unless one is an Earl. No, if I may advise, I shouldsay go by camel. '

'Can the camel carry two?'

'Of course. He is called the ship of the desert, ' Mr. Noah informedthem, 'and a ship that wouldn't carry more than one would be simplysilly. '

So _that_ was settled. Mr. Noah himself saddled and bridled the camel, which was a very large one, with his own hands. 

'Let me see, ' he said, standing thoughtful with the lead rope in hishand, 'you'll be wanting dogs--'

'I _always_ want dogs, ' said Philip warmly. 

'--to use in emergencies. ' He whistled and two Noah's Ark dogs leapedfrom their kennels to their chains' end. They were dachshunds, very longand low, and very alike except that one was a little bigger and a littlebrowner than the other. 

'This is your master and that's your mistress, ' Mr. Noah explained tothe dogs, and they fawned round the children. 

'Then you'll want things to eat and things to drink and tents andumbrellas in case of bad weather, and---- But let's turn down thisstreet; just at the corner we shall find exactly what we want. '

It was a shop that said outside 'Universal Provider. Expeditions fittedout at a moment's notice. Punctuality and dispatch. ' The shopkeeper cameforward politely. He was so exactly like Mr. Noah that the children knewwho he was even before he said, 'Well, father, ' and Mr. Noah said, 'Thisis my son: he has had some experience in outfits. '

'What have you got to start with?' the son asked, getting to business atonce. 

'Two dogs, two children, and a camel, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Yes, I know it'scustomary to have two of everything, but I assure you, my dear boy, thatone camel is as much as Sir Philip can manage. It is indeed. '

Mr. Noah's son very dutifully supposed that his father knew best andwillingly agreed to provide everything that was needed for theexpedition, including one best-quality talking parrot, and to deliverall goods, carefully packed, within half an hour. 

 . . . . . . . 

So now you see Philip, and Lucy who still wore her fairy dress, packedwith all their belongings on the top of a very large and wobbly camel, and being led out of the city by the usual procession, with seven bandsof music all playing 'See the Conquering Hero goes, ' quite a differenttune from the one you know, which has a name a little like that. 

The camel and its load were rather a tight fit for the particulargateway that they happened to go out by, and the children had to stoopto avoid scraping their heads against the top of the arch. But they gotthrough all right, and now they were well on the road which was reallylittle more than a field path running through the flowery meadow countrywhere the dragon had been killed. They saw the Stonehenge ruins and thebig tower far away to the left, and in front lay the vast andinteresting expanse of the Absolutely Unknown. 

The sun was shining--there was a sun, and Mr. Noah had told thechildren that it came out of the poetry books, together with rain andflowers and the changing seasons--and in spite of the strange, almost-tumble-no-it's-all-right-but-you'd-better-look-out way in whichthe camel walked, the two travellers were very happy. The dogs boundedalong in the best of spirits, and even the camel seemed less a prey thanusual to that proud melancholy which you must have noticed in yourvisits to the Zoo as his most striking quality. 

It was certainly very grand to ride on a camel, and Lucy tried not tothink how difficult it would be to get on and off. The parrot wasinteresting too. It talked extremely well. Of course you understandthat, if you can only make a parrot understand, it can tell youeverything you want to know about other animals; because it understands_their_ talk quite naturally and without being made. The present parrotdeclined ordinary conversation, and when questioned only recited poetryof a rather dull kind that went on and on. 'Arms and the man I sing' itbegan, and then something about haughty Juno. Its voice was soothing, and riding on the camel was not unlike being rocked in a very bumpetycradle. The children were securely seated in things like paddedpanniers, and they had had an exciting day. As the sun set, which it didquite soon, the parrot called out to the nearest dog, 'I say, Max, they're asleep. '

[Illustration: On the top of a very large and wobbly camel. ]

'I don't wonder, ' said Max. 'But it's all right. Humpty knows the way. '

'Keep a civil tongue in your head, you young dog, can't you?' said thecamel grumpily. 

'Don't be cross, darling, ' said the other dog, whose name was Brenda, 'and be sure you stop at a really first-class oasis for the night. But Iknow we can trust _you_, dear. '

The camel muttered that it was all very well, but his voice was notquite as cross as before. 

After that the expedition went on in silence through the deepeningtwilight. 

A tumbling, shaking, dumping sensation, more like a soft railwayaccident than anything else, awakened our travellers, and they foundthat the camel was kneeling down. 

'Off you come, ' said the parrot, 'and make the fire and boil thekettle. '

'Polly put the kettle on, ' Lucy said absently, as she slid down to theground; to which the parrot replied, 'Certainly not. I wish you wouldn'trake up that old story. It was quite false. I never did put a kettle on, and I never will. '

Why should I describe to you the adventure of camping at an oasis in adesert? You must all have done it many times; or if you have not doneit, you have read about it. You know all about the well and the palmtrees and the dates and things. They had cocoa for supper. It was greatfun, and they slept soundly and awoke in the morning with a heart forany fate, as a respectable poet puts it. 

The next day was just the same as the first, only instead of goingthrough fresh green fields, the way lay through dry yellow desert. Andagain the children slept, and again the camel chose an oasis withremarkable taste and judgment. But the second night was not at all thesame as the first. For in the middle of it the parrot awakened Philip bybiting his ear, and then hopping to a safe distance from his awakeningfists and crying out, 'Make up the camp fire--look alive. It's lions. 'The dogs were whining and barking, and Brenda was earnestly trying toclimb a palm tree. Max faced the danger, it is true, but he seemed tohave no real love of sport. 

Philip sprang up and heaped dead palm scales and leaves on the dyingfire. It blazed up and something moved beyond the bushes. Philipwondered whether those pairs of shining things, like strayed stars, thathe saw in the darkness, could really be the eyes of lions. 

'What a nuisance these lions are to be sure, ' said the parrot. 'No, theywon't come near us while the fire's burning, but really, they ought tobe put down by law. '

'Why doesn't somebody kill them?' Lucy asked. She had wakened whenPhilip did, and, after a meditative minute, had helped with the palmscales and things. 

'It's not so easy, ' said the parrot; 'nobody knows how to do it. Howwould _you_ kill a lion?'

'_I_ don't know, ' said Philip; but Lucy said, 'Are they Noah's Arklions?'

'Of course they are, ' said Polly; 'all the books with lions in them arekept shut up. '

'I know how you could kill Noah's Ark lions if you could catch them, 'Lucy said. 

'It's easy enough to catch them, ' said Polly; 'an hour after dawn theygo to sleep, but it's unsportsmanlike to kill game when it's asleep. '

'I'm going to think, if you don't mind, ' Lucy announced, and sat downvery near the fire. 'It's just the opposite of the dragon, ' she saidafter a minute. The parrot nodded and there was a long silence. Thensuddenly Lucy jumped up. 

'I know, ' she cried, 'oh--I really _do_ know. And it won't hurt themeither. I don't a bit mind killing things, but I do hate hurting them. There's plenty of rope, I know. '

There was. 

'Then when it's dawn we'll tie them up and then you'll see. '

'I think you might tell _me_, ' said Philip, injured. 

'No--they may understand what we say. Polly does. '

Philip made a natural suggestion. But Lucy replied that it was notmanners to whisper, and the parrot said that it should think not indeed. 

So, sitting by the fire, all faces turned to where those strange twinstars shone and those strange hidden movements and rustlings stirred, the expedition waited for the dawn. Brenda had given up thetree-climbing idea, and was cuddling up as close to Lucy as possible. The camel, who had been trembling with fear all the while, tried tocuddle up to Philip, which would have been easier if it had been asmaller kind instead of being, as it was, what Mr. Noah's son, theUniversal Provider, had called, 'an out size in camels. '

And presently dawn came, not slow and silvery as dawns come here, butsudden and red, with strong level lights and the shadows of the palmtrees stretching all across the desert. 

In broad daylight it did not seem so hard to have to go and look for thelions. They all went--even the camel pulled himself together to join thelion-hunt, and Brenda herself decided to come rather than be left alone. 

The lions were easily found. There were only two of them, of course, andthey were lying close together, each on its tawny side on the sandydesert at the edge of the oasis. 

Very gently the ropes, with slip knots, were fitted over their heads, and the other end of the rope passed round a palm tree. Other ropesround the trees were passed round what would have been the waists of thelions if lions had such things as waists. 

'Now!' whispered Lucy, and at once all four ropes were pulled tight. Thelions struggled, but only in their sleep. And soon they were still. Thenwith more and more ropes their legs and tails were made fast. 

'And that's all right, ' said Lucy, rather out of breath. 'Where'sPolly?'

'Here, ' replied that bird from a neighbouring bush. 'I thought I shouldonly be in the way if I kept close to you. But I longed to lend a clawin such good work. Can I help _now_?'

'Will you please explain to the dogs?' said Lucy. 'It's their turn now. The only way I know to kill Noah's Ark lions is to _lick the paint off_and break their legs. And if the dogs lick all the paint off their legsthey won't feel it when we break them. '

Polly hastened to explain to the dogs, and then turned again to Lucy. 

'They asked if you're sure the ropes will hold, and I've told them ofcourse. So now they're going to begin. I only hope the paint won't makethem ill. '

'It never did me, ' said Lucy. 'I sucked the dove quite clean one Sunday, and it wasn't half bad. Tasted of sugar a little and eucalyptus oil likethey give you when you've got a cold. Tell them that, Polly. '

Polly did, and added, 'I will recite poetry to them to hearten them totheir task. '

'Do, ' said Philip heartily, 'it may make them hurry up. But perhapsyou'd better tell them that we shall pinch their tails if they happen togo to sleep. '

Then the children had a cocoa-and-date breakfast. (All expeditions seemto live mostly on cocoa, and when they come back they often write to thecocoa makers to say how good it was and they don't know what they wouldhave done without it. ) And the noble and devoted dogs licked and lickedand licked, and the paint began to come off the lions' legs likeanything. It was heavy work turning the lions over so as to get at theother or unlicked side, but the expedition worked with a will, and thelions resisted but feebly, being still asleep, and, besides, weak fromloss of paint. And the dogs had a drink given them and were patted andpraised, and set to work again. And they licked and licked for hours andhours. And in the end all the paint was off the lions' legs, and Philipchopped them off with the explorer's axe which that experiencedProvider, Mr. Noah's son, had thoughtfully included in the outfit of theexpedition. And as he chopped the chips flew, and Lucy picked one up, and it was _wood_, just wood and nothing else, though when they hadtied it up it had been real writhing resisting lion-leg and no mistake. And when all the legs were chopped off, Philip put his hand on a lionbody, and that was wood too. So the lions were dead indeed. 

[Illustration: It was heavy work turning the lions over. ]

'It seems a pity, ' he said. 'Lions are such jolly beasts when they arealive. '

'I never cared for lions myself, ' said Polly; and Lucy said, 'Nevermind, Phil. It didn't hurt them anyway. '

And that was the first time she ever called him Phil. 

'All right, Lu, ' said Philip. 'It was jolly clever of you to think of itanyhow. '

And that was the first time he ever called her Lu. 

 . . . . . . . 

They saw the straight pale line of the sea for a long time before theycame to the place of the Dwellers by the Sea. For these people had builttheir castle down on the very edge of the sea, and the Pebbly Waste roseand rose to a mountain that hid their castle from the eyes of thecamel-riders who were now drawing near to the scene of their next deed. The Pebbly Waste was all made of small slippery stones, and the childrenunderstood how horrid a horse would have found it. Even the camelwent very slowly, and the dogs no longer frisked and bounded, butwent at a foot's pace with drooping ears and tails. 

'I should call a halt, if I were you, ' said Polly. 'We shall all be thebetter for a cup of cocoa. And besides----'

Polly refused to explain this dark hint and only added, 'Look out forsurprises. '

'I thought, ' said Philip, draining the last of his second mug of cocoa, 'I thought there were no birds in the desert except you, and you're morea person than a bird. But look there. '

Far away across the desert a moving speck showed, high up in the blueair. It grew bigger and bigger, plainly coming towards the camp. It wasas big as a moth now, now as big as a teacup, now as big as an eagle, and----

'But it's got four legs, ' said Lucy. 

'Yes, ' said the parrot; 'it would have, you know. It is the Hippogriff. '

It was indeed that magnificent wonder. Flying through the air with longsweeps of his great white wings, the Hippogriff drew nearer and nearer, bearing on his back--what?

'It's the Pretenderette, ' cried Lucy, and at the same moment Philipsaid, 'It's that nasty motor thing. '

It was. The Hippogriff dropped from the sky to the desert below assoftly as a butterfly alighting on a flower, and stood there in all hisgracious whiteness. And on his back was the veiled motor lady. 

'So glad I've caught you up, ' she said in that hateful voice of hers;'now we can go on together. '

'I don't see what you wanted to come at all for, ' said Philipdownrightly. 

'Oh, _don't_ you?' she said, sitting up there on the Hippogriff with herhorrid motor veil fluttering in the breeze from the now hidden sea. 'Why, of course, I have a right to be present at all experiments. Thereought to be some responsible grown-up person to see that you really dowhat you're sure to say you've done. '

'Do you mean that we're liars?' Philip asked hotly. 

'I don't mean to _say_ anything about it, ' the Pretenderette answeredwith an unpleasant giggle, 'but a grown-up person ought to be present. 'She added something about a parcel of birds and children. And the parrotruffled his feathers till he looked twice his proper size. 

Philip said he didn't see it. 

'Oh, but _I_ do, ' said the Pretenderette; 'if you fail, then it's myturn, and I might very likely succeed the minute after you'd failed. Sowe'll all go on comfortably together. _Won't_ that be nice?'

A speechless despair seemed to have fallen on the party. Nobody spoke. The children looked blank, the dogs whined, the camel put on hishaughtiest sneer, and the parrot fidgeted in his fluffed-out featherdress. 

'Let's be starting, ' said the motor lady. 'Gee-up, pony!' A shiver ranthrough every one present. That a Pretenderette should dare to speak soto a Hippogriff!

Suddenly the parrot spread its wings and flew to perch on Philip'sshoulder. It whispered in his ear. 

'Whispering is not manners, I know, ' it said, 'but your own generousheart will excuse me. "Parcel of birds and children. " Doesn't your bloodboil?'

Philip thought it did. 

'Well, then, ' said the bird impatiently, 'what are we waiting for?You've only got to say the word and I'll take her back by the ear. '

'I wish you would, ' said Philip from the heart. 

'Nothing easier, ' said the parrot, 'the miserable outsider! Intrudinginto _our_ expedition! I advise you to await my return here. Or if I amnot back by the morning there will be no objection to your calling, about noon, on the Dwellers. I can rejoin you there. Good-bye. '

It stroked his ear with a gentle and kindly beak and flew into the airand circled three times round the detested motor lady's head. 

'Get away, ' she cried, flapping her hands furiously; 'call your sillyPoll-parrot off, can't you?' And then she screamed, 'Oh! it's got holdof my ear!'

'Oh, don't hurt her, ' said Lucy. 

'I will not hurt her;' the parrot let the ear go on purpose to say this, and the Pretenderette covered both ears with her hands. 'You person inthe veil, I shall take hold again in a moment. And it will hurt you muchless if the Hippogriff and I happen to be flying in the same direction. See? If I were you I should just say "Go back the way you came, please, "to the Hippogriff, and then I shall hardly hurt you at all. Don't thinkof getting off. If you do, the dogs will have you. Keep your hands overyour ears if you like. I know you can hear me well enough. Now I amgoing to take hold of you again. Keep your hands where they are. I'm notparticular to an ear or so. A nose will do just as well. '

The person on the Hippogriff put both hands to her nose. Instantly theparrot had her again by the ear. 

'Go back the way you came, ' she cried; 'but I'll be even with youchildren yet. '

The Hippogriff did not move. 

'Let go my ear, ' screamed the lady. 

'You'll have to say please, you know, ' said Philip; 'not to the bird, Idon't mean that: that's no good. But to the Hippogriff. '

'_Please_ then, ' said the lady in a burst of temper, and instantly thewhite wings parted and spread and the Hippogriff rose in the air. Pollylet the ear go for the moment to say:

'I shan't hurt her so long as she behaves, ' and then took hold again andhis little grey wings and the big white wings of the Hippogriff wentsailing away across the desert. 

'What a treasure of a parrot?' said Philip. But Lucy said:

'Who _is_ that Pretenderette? Why is she so horrid to us when every oneelse is so nice?'

'I don't know, ' said Philip, 'hateful old thing. '

'I can't help feeling as if I knew her quite well, if I could onlyremember who she is. '

'Do you?' said Philip. 'I say, let's play noughts and crosses. I've gota notebook and a bit of pencil in my pocket. We might play till it'stime to go to sleep. '

So they played noughts and crosses on the Pebbly Waste, and behind themthe parrot and the Hippogriff took away the tiresome one, and in frontof them lay the high pebble ridge that was like a mountain, and beyondthat was the unknown and the adventure and the Dwellers and the deed tobe done. 

CHAPTER VII

THE DWELLERS BY THE SEA

You soon get used to things. It seemed quite natural and homelike toPhilip to be wakened in bright early out-of-door's morning by the gentlebeak of the parrot at his ear. 

'You got back all right then, ' he said sleepily. 

'It was rather a long journey, ' said the parrot, 'but I thought itbetter to come back by wing. The Hippogriff offered to bring me; he isthe soul of courteous gentleness. But he was tired too. ThePretenderette is in gaol for the moment, but I'm afraid she'll get outagain; we're so unused to having prisoners, you see. And it's no useputting _her_ on her honour, because----'

'Because she hasn't any, ' Philip finished. 

'I wouldn't say _that_, ' said the parrot, 'of anybody. I'd only say wehaven't come across it. What about breakfast?'

'How meals do keep happening, ' said Lucy, yawning; 'it seems only a fewminutes since supper. And yet here we are, hungry again!'

'Ah!' said the parrot, 'that's what people always feel when they have toget their meals themselves!'

When the camel and the dogs had been served with breakfast, the childrenand the parrot sat down to eat. And there were many questions to ask. The parrot answered some, and some it didn't answer. 

'But there's one thing, ' said Lucy, 'I do most awfully want to know. About the Hippogriff. How did it get out of the book?'

'It's a long story, ' said the parrot, 'so I'll tell it shortly. That's avery good rule. Tell short stories longly and long stories shortly. Manyyears ago, in repairing one of the buildings, the masons removed thesupports of one of the books which are part of the architecture. Thebook fell. It fell open, and out came the Hippogriff. Then they sawsomething struggling under the next page and lifted it, and out came amegatherium. So they shut the book and built it into the wall again. '

'But how did the megawhatsitsname and the Hippogriff come to be theproper size?'

'Ah! that's one of the eleven mysteries. Some sages suppose that thecountry gave itself a sort of shake and everything settled down intothe size it ought to be. I think myself that it's the air. The momentyou breathe this enchanted air you become the right size. _You_ did, youknow. '

'But why did they shut the book?'

'It was a book of beasts. Who knows what might have come out next? Atiger perhaps. And ravening for its prey as likely as not. '

'I see, ' said Philip; 'and of course beasts weren't really _needed_, because of there being all the Noah's Ark ones. '

'Yes, ' said the parrot, 'so they shut the book. '

'But the weather came out of books?'

'That was another book, a poetry book. It had only one cover, soeverything that was on the last page got out naturally. We got a lot outof that page, rain and sun and sky and clouds, mountains, gardens, roses, lilies, flowers in general, "Blossoms of delight" they werecalled in the book and trees and the sea, and the desert and silver andiron--as much of all of them as anybody could possibly want. There areno limits to poets' imaginations, you know. '

'I see, ' said Lucy, and took a large bite of cake. 'And where did youcome from, Polly, dear?'

'I, ' said the parrot modestly, 'came out of the same book as theHippogriff. We were on the same page. My wings entitled me to associatewith him, of course, but I have sometimes thought they just put me in asa contrast. My smallness, his greatness; my red and green, his white. '

'I see, ' said Lucy again, 'and please will you tell us----'

'Enough of this, ' said the parrot; 'business before pleasure. You havebegun the day with the pleasures of my conversation. You will have towork very hard to pay for this privilege. '

So they washed up the breakfast things in warm water obligingly providedby the camel. 

'And now, ' said the parrot, 'we must pack up and go on our way todestroy the fear of the Dwellers by the Sea. '

'I wonder, ' Brenda said to Max in an undertone, 'I wonder whether itwouldn't be best for dear little dogs to lose themselves? We could turnup later, and be so _very_ glad to be found. '

'But why?' Max asked. 

'I've noticed, ' said Brenda, sidling up to him with eageraffectionateness, 'that wherever there's fear there's something to beafraid of, even if it's only your fancy. It would be dreadful for dearlittle dogs to be afraid, Max, wouldn't it? So undignified. '

'My dear, ' said Max heavily, 'I could give seven noble reasons for beingfaithful to our master. But I will only give you one. There is nothingto eat in the desert, and nothing to drink. '

'You always were so noble, dearest, ' said Brenda; 'so different frompoor little me. I've only my affectionate nature. I know I'm only asilly little thing. '

So when the camel lurched forward and the parrot took wing, the dogsfollowed closely. 

'Dear faithful things, ' said Lucy. 'Brenda! Max! Nice dogs!'

And the dogs politely responding, bounded enthusiastically. 

The journey was not long. Quite soon they found a sort of ravine orgully in the cliff, and a path that led through it. And then they wereon the beach, very pebbly with small stones, and there was the home ofthe Dwellers by the Sea; and beyond it, broad and blue and beautiful, the sea by which they dwelt. 

The Dwelling seemed to be a sort of town of rounded buildings more likelime-kilns than anything else, with arched doors leading to darkinsides. They were all built of tiny stones, such as lay on the beach. Beyond the huts or houses towered the castle, a vast rough structurewith towers and arches and buttresses and bastions and glacis andbridges and a great moat all round it. 

'But I never built a city like that, did you?' Lucy asked as they drewnear. 

'No, ' Philip answered; 'at least--do you know, I do believe it's thesand castle Helen and I built last summer at Dymchurch. And those hutsare the moulds I made of my pail--with the edges worn off, you know. '

Towards the castle the travellers advanced, the camel lurching like aboat on a rough sea, and the dogs going with cat-like delicacy over thestones. They skirted large pools and tall rocks seaweed covered. Along aroad broad enough for twelve chariots to have driven on it abreast, slowly they came to the great gate of the castle. And as they gotnearer, they saw at every window heads leaning out; every battlement, every terrace, was crowded with figures. And when they were quite near, by throwing their heads very far back, so that their necks felt quitestiff for quite a long time afterwards, the children could see that allthose people seemed quite young, and seemed to have very odd anddelightful clothes--just a garment from shoulder to knee made, as itseemed, of dark fur. 

[Illustration: Slowly they came to the great gate of the castle. ]

'What lots of them there are, ' said Philip; 'where did they come from?'

'Out of a book, ' said the parrot; 'but the authorities were very promptthat time. Only a line and a half got out. 

 'Happy troops Of gentle islanders. 

Those are the islanders. '

'Then why, ' asked Philip naturally, 'aren't they on an island?'

'There's only one island, and no one is allowed on that except twopeople who never go there. But the islanders are happy even if theydon't live on an island--always happy, except for the great fear. '

Here the travellers began to cross one of the bridges across the moat, the bridge, in fact, which led to the biggest arch of all. It was a veryrough arch, like the entrance to a cave. 

And from out its dark mouth came a little crowd of people. 

'They're savages, ' said Lucy, shrinking till she seemed only an extrahump on the camel's back. 

They were indeed of a dark complexion, sunburnt in fact, but their faceswere handsome and kindly. They waved friendly hands and smiled in themost agreeable and welcoming way. 

The tallest islander stepped out from the crowd. He was about as big asPhilip. 

'They're not savages, ' said Philip; 'don't be a donkey. They're justchildren. '

'Hush!' said the parrot; 'the Lord High Islander is now about to beginthe state address of welcome!'

He was. And this was the address. 

'How jolly of you to come. Do get down off that camel and come indoorsand have some grub. Jim, you might take that camel round to the stableand rub him down a bit. You'd like to keep the dogs with you, of course. And what about the parrot?'

'Thanks awfully, ' Philip responded, and slid off the camel, followed byLucy; 'the parrot will make his own mind up--he always does. '

They all trooped into the hall of the castle which was more like a cavethan a hall and very dark, for the windows were little and high up. AsLucy's eyes got used to the light she perceived that the clothes of theislanders were not of skins but of seaweed. 

'I asked you in, ' said the Lord High Islander, a jolly-looking boy ofabout Philip's age, 'out of politeness. But really it isn't dinner time, and the meet is in half an hour. So, unless you're really hungry----?'

The children said 'Not at all!'

'You hunt, of course?' the Lord High Islander said; 'it's really theonly sport we get here, except fishing. Of course we play games and allthat. I do hope you won't be dull. '

'We came here on business, ' the parrot remarked--and the happy islanderscrowded round to see him, remarking--'these are Philip and Lucy, claimants to the Deliverership. They are doing their deeds, you know, 'the parrot ended. 

Lucy whispered, 'It's really _Philip_ who is the claimant, not me; onlythe parrot's so polite. '

The Lord High Islander frowned. 'We can talk about that afterwards, ' hesaid; 'it's a pity to waste time now. '

'What do you hunt?' Philip asked. 

'All the different kinds of graibeeste and the vertoblancs; and theblugraiwee, when we can find him, ' said the Lord High Islander. 'Buthe's very scarce. Pinkuggers are more common, and much bigger, ofcourse. Well, you'll soon see. If your camel's not quite fresh I canmount you both. What kind of animal do you prefer?'

'What do you ride?' Philip asked. 

It appeared that the Lord High Islander rode a giraffe, and Philiplonged to ride another. But Lucy said she would rather ride what shewas used to, thank you. 

When they got out into the courtyard of the castle, they found it fullof a crowd of animals, any of which you may find in the Zoo, or in yourold Noah's ark if it was a sufficiently expensive one to begin with, andif you have not broken or lost too many of the inhabitants. Each animalhad its rider and the party rode out on to the beach. 

'What _is_ it they hunt?' Philip asked the parrot, who had perched onhis shoulder. 

'All the little animals in the Noah's ark that haven't any names, ' theparrot told him. 'All those are considered fair game. Hullo!blugraiwee!' it shouted, as a little grey beast with blue spots startedfrom the shelter of a rock and made for the cover of a patch of giantseaweed. Then all sorts of little animals got up and scurried off intoplaces of security. 

'There goes a vertoblanc, ' said the parrot, pointing to a bright greenanimal of uncertain shape, whose breast and paws were white, 'andthere's a graibeeste. '

The graibeeste was about as big as a fox, and had rabbit's ears and theunusual distinction of a tail coming out of his back just half-waybetween one end of him and the other. But there are graibeestes of allsorts and shapes. 

[Illustration: 'If your camel's not quite fresh I can mount youboth. ']

You know when people are making the animals for Noah's arks they makethe big ones first, elephants and lions and tigers and so on, and paintthem as nearly as they can the right colours. Then they get weary ofcopying nature and begin to paint the animals pink and green andchocolate colour, which in nature is not the case. These are thechockmunks, and vertoblancs and the pinkuggers. And presently the makersget sick of the whole business and make the animals any sort of shapeand paint them all one grey--these are the graibeestes. And at the veryend a guilty feeling of having been slackers comes over the makers ofthe Noah's arks, and they paint blue spots on the last and littlest ofthe graibeestes to ease their consciences. This is the blugraiwee. 

'Tally Ho! Hark forrad! Yoicks!' were some of the observations now to beheard on every side as the hunt swept on, the blugraiwee well ahead. Dogs yapped, animals galloped, riders shouted, the sun shone, the seasparkled, and far ahead the blugraiwee ran, extended to his full lengthlike a grey straight line. He was killed five miles from the castleafter a splendid run. And when a pinkugger had been secured and half adozen graibeeste, the hunt rode slowly home. 

'We only hunt to kill and we only kill for food, ' the Lord High Islandersaid. 

'But, ' said Philip, 'I thought Noah's ark animals turned into wood whenthey were dead?'

'Not if you kill for food. The intention makes all the difference. I hada plum-cake intention when we put up the blugraiwee, the pinkugger Imade a bread and butter intention about, and the graibeestes I intendedfor rice pudding and prunes and toffee and ices and all sorts of oddthings. So, of course, when we come to cut them up they'll _be_ what Iintended. '

'I see, ' said Philip, jogging along on his camel. 'I say, ' he added, 'you don't mind my asking--how is it you're all children here?'

'Well, ' said the Lord High Islander, 'it's ancient history, so I don'tsuppose it's true. But they say that when the government had to makesure that we should always be _happy_ troops of gentle islanders, theydecided that the only way was for us to be children. And we do have themost ripping time. And we do our own hunting and cooking and wash up ourown plates and things, and for heavy work we have the M. A. 's. They'remen who've had to work at sums and history and things at College so hardthat they want a holiday. So they come here and work for us, and if anyof us do want to learn anything, the M. A. 's are handy to have about theplace. It pleases them to teach anything, poor things. They live in thehuts. There's always a long list waiting for their turn. Oh yes, theywear the seaweed dress the same as we do. And they hunt on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They hunt big game, the fierce ambergris who isgrey with a yellow stomach and the bigger graibeestes. Now we'll havedinner the minute we get in, and then we must talk about It. '

The game was skinned and cut up in the courtyard, and the intentions ofthe Lord High Islander had certainly been carried out. For theblugraiwee was plum-cake, and the other animals just what was needed. 

And after dinner the Lord High Islander took Lucy and Philip up on tothe top of the highest tower, and the three lay in the sun eating toffeeand gazing out over the sea at the faint distant blue of the island. 

'The island where we aren't allowed to go, ' as the Lord High Islandersadly pointed out. 

'Now, ' said Lucy gently, 'you won't mind telling us what you're afraidof? Don't mind telling us. _We're_ afraid too; we're afraid of all sortsof things quite often. '

'Speak for yourself, ' said Philip, but not unkindly. 'I'm not so jollyoften afraid as you seem to think. Go ahead, my Lord. '

'You might as well call me Billy, ' said the Lord High Islander; 'it's myname. '

'Well, Billy, then. What is it you're afraid of?'

'I hate being afraid, ' said Billy angrily. 'Of course I know no true boyis afraid of anything except doing wrong. One of the M. A. 's told methat. But the M. A. 's are afraid too. '

'What of?' Lucy asked, glancing at the terrace below, where already theshadows were lengthening; 'it'll be getting dark soon. I'd much ratherknow what you're afraid of while it's daylight. '

'What we're afraid of, ' said Billy abruptly, 'is the sea. Suppose agreat wave came and washed away the castle, and the huts, and the M. A. 'sand all of us?'

'But it never _has_, has it?' Lucy asked. 

'No, but everything must have a beginning. I know that's true, becauseanother of the M. A. 's told it me. '

'But why don't you go and live somewhere inland?'

'Because we couldn't live away from the sea. We're islanders, you know;we couldn't bear not to be near the sea. And we'd rather be afraid ofit, than not have it to be afraid of. But it upsets the government, because we ought to be _happy_ troops of gentle islanders, and you can'tbe quite happy if you're afraid. That's why it's one of your deeds totake away our fear. '

'It sounds jolly difficult, ' said Philip; 'I shall have to think, ' headded desperately. So he lay and thought with Max and Brenda asleep byhis side and the parrot preening its bright feathers on the parapet ofthe tower, while Lucy and the Lord High Islander played cat's cradlewith a long thread of seaweed. 

'It's supper time, ' said Billy at last. 'Have you thought of anything?'

'Not a single thing, ' said Philip. 

'Well, don't swat over it any more, ' said Billy; 'just stay with us andhave a jolly time. You're sure to think of something. Or else Lucy will. We'll act charades to-night. '

They did. The rest of the islanders were an extremely jolly lot, and allthe M. A. 's came out of their huts to be audience. It was a charmingevening, and ended up with hide-and-seek all over the castle. 

To wake next morning on a bed of soft, dry, sweet-smelling seaweed, andto know that the day was to be spent in having a good time with thejolliest set of children she had ever met, was delightful to Lucy. Philip's delight was dashed by the knowledge that he must, sooner orlater, _think_. But the day passed most agreeably. They all bathed inthe rock pools, picked up shell-fish for dinner, played rounders in theafternoon, and in the evening danced to the music made by the M. A. 's whomost of them carried flutes in their pockets, and who were all veryflattered at being asked to play. 

So the pleasant days went on. Every morning Philip said to himself, 'Nowto-day I really _must_ think of something, ' and every night he said, 'Ireally ought to have thought of something. ' But he never could think ofanything to take away the fear of the gentle islanders. 

It was on the sixth night that the storm came. The wind blew and the searoared and the castle shook to its very foundations. And Philip, awakened by the noise and the shaking, sat up in bed and understood whatthe fear was that spoiled the happiness of the Dwellers by the Sea. 

'Suppose the sea did sweep us all away, ' he said; 'and they haven't evengot a boat. '

And then, when he was quite far from expecting it, he did think ofsomething. And he went on thinking about it so hard that he couldn'tsleep any more. 

And in the morning he said to the parrot:

'I've thought of something. And I'm not going to tell the others. But Ican't do it all by myself. Do you think you could get Perrin for me?'

'I will try with pleasure, ' replied the obliging bird, and flew offwithout further speech. 

That afternoon, just as a picnic tea was ending, a great shadow fell onthe party, and next moment the Hippogriff alighted with Mr. Perrin andthe parrot on its back. 

'Oh, _thank_ you, ' said Philip, and led Mr. Perrin away and began totalk to him in whispers. 

'No, sir, ' Mr. Perrin answered suddenly and aloud. 'I'm sorry, but Icouldn't think of it. '

'Don't you know _how_?' Philip asked. 

'I know everything as is to be known in my trade, ' said Mr. Perrin, 'butcarpentry's one thing, and manners is another. Not but what I knowmanners too, which is why I won't be a party to no such a thing. '

'But you don't understand, ' said Philip, trying to keep up with Mr. Perrin's long strides. 'What I want to do is for you to build a Noah'sark on the top of the highest tower. Then when the sea's rough and thewind blows, all the Sea-Dwellers can just get into their ark and thenthey'll be quite safe whatever happens. '

'You said all that afore, ' said Mr. Perrin, 'and I wonder at you, so Ido. '

'I thought it was _such_ a good idea, ' said poor Philip in gloom. 

'Oh, the _idea's_ all right, ' said Mr. Perrin; 'there ain't nothing tocomplain of 'bout the _idea_. '

'Then what _is_ wrong?' Philip asked impatiently. 

'You've come to the wrong shop, ' said Mr. Perrin slowly. 'I ain't theman to take away another chap's job, not if he was to be in the humblestway of business; but when it comes to slapping the government in theface, well, there, Master Pip, I wouldn't have thought it of you. It'sas much as my place is worth. '

'Look here, ' said Philip, stopping short in despair, 'will you tell mestraight out why you won't help me?'

'I'm not a-going to go building arks, at my time of life, ' said Mr. Perrin. 'Mr. Noah'd break his old heart, so he would, if I was to takeon his job over his head. '

'Oh, you mean I ought to ask him?'

''Course you ought to ask him. I don't mind lending a hand under hisdirections, acting as foreman like, so as to make a good job of it. Butit's him you must give your order to. '

The parrot and the Hippogriff between them managed to get Mr. Noah tothe castle by noon of the next day. 

'Would you have minded, ' Philip immediately asked him, 'if I'd had anark built without asking you to do it?'

'Well, ' said Mr. Noah mildly, 'I might have been a little hurt. I havehad some experience, you know, my Lord. '

'Why do you call me that?' Philip asked. 

'Because you are, of course. Your deed of slaying the lions counts oneto you, and by virtue of it you are now a Baron. I congratulate you, Lord Leo, ' said Mr. Noah. 

He approved of Philip's idea, and he and Perrin were soon busy makingplans, calculating strains and selecting materials. 

Then Philip made a speech to the islanders and explained his idea. Therewas a great deal of cheering and shouting, and every one agreed that anark on the topmost tower would meet a long-felt want, and that when oncethat ark was there, fear would for ever be a stranger to every gentleisland heart. 

And now the great work of building began. Mr. Perrin kindly consented toact as foreman and set to work a whole army of workmen--the M. A. 's ofcourse. And soon the sound of saw and hammer mingled with the plash ofwaves and cries of sea-birds, and gangs of stalwart M. A. 's in theirseaweed tunics bent themselves to the task of shaping great timbers andhoisting them to the top of the highest tower, where other gangs, underMr. Noah's own eye, reared a scaffolding to support the ark while thebuilding went on. 

The children were not allowed to help, but they loved looking on, andalmost felt that, if they looked on earnestly enough, they must, in somestrange mysterious way, be actually helping. You know the feeling, Idaresay. 

The Hippogriff, who was stabled in the castle, flew up to wherever hewas wanted, to assist in the hauling. Mr. Noah only had to whisper themagic word in his ear and up he flew. But what that magic word was thechildren did not know, though they asked often enough. 

And now at last the ark was finished, the scaffolding was removed, andthere was the great Noah's ark, firmly planted on the topmost tower. Itwas a perfect example of the ark-builder's craft. Its boat part waspainted a dull red, its sides and ends were blue with black windows, andits roof was bright scarlet, painted in lines to imitate tiles. No leastdetail was neglected. Even to the white bird painted on the roof, whichyou must have noticed in your own Noah's ark. 

[Illustration: They loved looking on. ]

A great festival was held, speeches were made, and every one who hadlent a hand in the building, even the humblest M. A. , was crowned witha wreath of fresh pink and green seaweed. Songs were sung, and thelaureate of the Sea-Dwellers, a young M. A. With pale blue eyes and nochin, recited an ode beginning--

 Now that we have our Noble Ark No more we tremble in the dark When the great seas and the winds cry out, For we are safe without a doubt. 

 At undue risings of the tide Within our Ark we'll safely hide, And bless the names of those who thus Have built a painted Ark for us. 

There were three hundred and seventeen more lines, very much like these, and every one said it was wonderful, and the laureate was a genius, andhow did he do it, and what brains, eh? and things like that. 

And Philip and Lucy had crowns too. The Lord High Islander made a voteof thanks to Philip, who modestly replied that it was nothing, really, and anybody could have done it. And a spirit of gladness spread aboutamong the company so that every one was smiling and shaking hands witheverybody else, and even the M. A. 's were making little polite old jokes, and slapping each other on the back and calling each other 'old chap, 'which was not at all their habit in ordinary life. The whole castle wasdecorated with garlands of pink and green seaweed like the wreaths thatpeople were wearing, and the whole scene was the gayest and happiest youcan imagine. 

And then the dreadful thing happened. 

Philip and Lucy were standing in their seaweed tunics, for of coursethey had, since the first day, worn the costume of the country, on theplatform in the courtyard. Mr. Noah had just said, 'Well, then, we willenjoy this enjoyable day to the very end and return to the cityto-morrow, ' when a shadow fell on the group. It was the Hippogriff, andon its back was--some one. Before any one could see who that some onewas, the Hippogriff had flown low enough for that some one to catchPhilip by his seaweed tunic and to swing him off his feet and on to theHippogriff's back. Lucy screamed, Mr. Perrin said, 'Here, I say, none ofthat, ' and Mr. Noah said, 'Dear me!' And they all reached out theirhands to pull Philip back. But they were all too late. 

'I won't go. Put me down, ' Philip shouted. They all heard that. And alsothey heard the answer of the person on the Hippogriff--the person whohad snatched Philip on to its back. 

'Oh, won't you, my Lord? We'll soon see about that, ' the person said. 

Three people there knew that voice, four counting Philip, six countingthe dogs. The dogs barked and growled, Mr. Noah said 'Drop it;' and Lucyscreamed, 'Oh no! oh no! it's that Pretenderette. ' The parrot, withgreat presence of mind, flew up into the air and attacked the ear of thePretenderette, for, as old books say, it was indeed that unprincipledcharacter who had broken from prison and once more stolen theHippogriff. But the Pretenderette was not to be caught twice by the sameparrot. She was ready for the bird this time, and as it touched her earshe caught it in her motor veil which she must have loosened beforehand, and thrust it into a wicker cage that hung ready from the saddle of theHippogriff who hovered on his wide white wings above the crowd of facesupturned. 

'Now we shall see her face, ' Lucy thought, for she could not get rid ofthe feeling that if she could only see the Pretenderette's face shewould recognise it. But the Pretenderette was too wily to look downunveiled. She turned her face up, and she must have whispered the magicword, for the Hippogriff rose in the air and began to fly away withincredible swiftness across the sea. 

'Oh, what shall I do?' cried Lucy, wringing her hands. You have oftenheard of people wringing their hands. Lucy, I assure you, really didwring hers. 'Oh! Mr. Noah, what will she do with him? Where will shetake him? What shall I do? How can I find him again?'

'I deeply regret, my dear child, ' said Mr. Noah, 'that I find myselfquite unable to answer any single one of your questions. '

'But can't I go after him?' Lucy persisted. 

'I am sorry to say, ' said Mr. Noah, 'that we have no boats; thePretenderette has stolen our one and only Hippogriff, and none of ourcamels can fly. '

'But what can I _do_?' Lucy stamped her foot in her agony of impatience. 

'Nothing, my child, ' Mr. Noah aggravatingly replied, 'except to go tobed and get a good night's rest. To-morrow we will return to the cityand see what can be done. We must consult the oracle. '

'But can't we go _now_, ' said Lucy, crying. 

'No oracle is worth consulting till it's had its night's rest, ' said Mr. Noah. 'It is a three days' journey. If we started now--see it is alreadydusk--we should arrive in the middle of the night. We will start earlyin the morning. '

But early in the morning there was no starting from the castle of theDwellers by the Sea. There was indeed no one to start, and there was nocastle to start from. 

A young blugraiwee, peeping out of its hole after a rather disturbednight to see whether any human beings were yet stirring or whether itmight venture out in search of yellow periwinkles, which are itsfavourite food, started, pricked its spotted ears, looked again, and, disdaining the cover of the rocks, walked boldly out across the beach. For the beach was deserted. There was no one there. No Mr. Noah, noLucy, no gentle islanders, no M. A. 's--and what is more there were nohuts and there was no castle. All was smooth, plain, bare sea-combedbeach. 

For the sea had at last risen. The fear of the Dwellers had beenjustified. Whether the sea had been curious about the ark no one knows, no one will ever know. At any rate the sea had risen up and swept awayfrom the beach every trace of the castle, the huts and the folk who hadlived there. 

A bright parrot, with a streamer of motor veiling hanging to one claw, called suddenly from the clear air to the little blugraiwee. 

'What's up?' the parrot asked; 'where's everything got to?'

'I don't know, I'm sure, ' said the little blugraiwee; 'these humanthings are always coming and going. Have some periwinkles? They're veryfine this morning after the storm, ' it said. 

CHAPTER VIII

UPS AND DOWNS

We left Lucy in tears and Philip in the grasp of the hatefulPretenderette, who, seated on the Hippogriff, was bearing him awayacross the smooth blueness of the wide sea. 

'Oh, Mr. Noah, ' said Lucy, between sniffs and sobs, 'how _can_ she! You_did_ say the Hippogriff could only carry one!'

'One ordinary human being, ' said Mr. Noah gently; 'you forget that dearPhilip is now an earl. '

'But do you really think he's safe?' Lucy asked. 

'Yes, ' said Mr. Noah. 'And now, dear Lucy, no more questions. Since yourarrival on our shores I have been gradually growing more accustomed tobeing questioned, but I still find it unpleasant and fatiguing. Desist, I entreat. '

So Lucy desisted and every one went to bed, and, for crying is verytiring, to sleep. But not for long. 

Lucy was awakened in her bed of soft dry seaweed by the sound of thecastle alarm bell, and by the blaring of trumpets and the shouting ofmany voices. A bright light shone in at the window of her room. Shejumped up and ran to the window and leaned out. Below lay the greatcourtyard of the castle, a moving sea of people on which hundreds oftorches seemed to float, and the sound of shouting rose in the air asfoam rises in the wind. 

'The Fear! The Fear!' people were shouting. 'To the ark! to the ark!'And the black night that pressed round the castle was loud with the wildroar of waves and the shriek of a tumultuous wind. 

Lucy ran to the door of her room. But suddenly she stopped. 

'My clothes, ' she said. And dressed herself hastily. For she perceivedthat her own petticoats and shoes were likely to have better wearingqualities than seaweed could possess, and if they were all going to takerefuge in the ark, she felt she would rather have her own clothes on. 

'Mr. Noah is sure to come for me, ' she most sensibly told herself. 'AndI'll get as many clothes on as I can. ' Her own dress, of course, hadbeen left at Polistopolis, but the ballet dress would be better than theseaweed tunic. When she was dressed she ran into Philip's room androlled his clothes into a little bundle and carried it under her arm asshe ran down the stairs. Half-way down she met Mr. Noah coming up. 

'Ah! you're ready, ' he said; 'it is well. Do not be alarmed, my Lucy. The tide is rising but slowly. There will be time for every one toescape. All is in train, and the embarkation of the animals is even nowin progress. There has been a little delay in sorting the beasts intopairs. But we are getting on. The Lord High Islander is showingremarkable qualities. All the big animals are on board; the pigs werebeing coaxed on as I came up. And the ant-eaters are having a latesupper. Do not be alarmed. '

'I can't help being alarmed, ' said Lucy, slipping her free hand into Mr. Noah's, 'but I won't cry or be silly. Oh, I do wish Philip was here. '

'Most unreasonable of girl children, ' said Mr. Noah; 'we are in dangerand you wish him to be here to share it?'

'Oh, we _are_ in danger, are we?' said Lucy quickly. 'I thought you saidI wasn't to be alarmed. '

'No more you are, ' said Mr. Noah shortly; 'of course you're in danger. But there's me. And there's the ark. What more do you want?'

'Nothing, ' Lucy answered in a very small voice, and the two made theirway to a raised platform overlooking the long inclined road which led upto the tower on which the ark had been built. A long procession toiledslowly up it of animals in pairs, urged and goaded by the M. A. 's underthe orders of the Lord High Islander. 

The wild wind blew the flames of the torches out like golden streamers, and the sound of the waves was like thunder on the shore. 

Down below other M. A. 's were busy carrying bales tied up in seaweed. Seen from above the busy figures looked like ants when you kick into anant-hill and the little ant people run this way and that way and everyway about their little ant businesses. 

The Lord High Islander came in pale and serious, with all the calmcompetence of Napoleon at a crisis. 

'Sorry to have to worry you, sir, ' he said to Mr. Noah, 'but of courseyour experience is invaluable just now. I can't remember what bears eat. Is it hay or meat?'

'It's buns, ' said Lucy. 'I beg your pardon, Mr. Noah. Of course I oughtto have waited for you to say. '

'In my ark, ' said Mr. Noah, 'buns were unknown and bears were fedentirely on honey, the providing of which kept our pair of bees fullyemployed. But if you are sure bears _like_ buns we must always behumane, dear Lucy, and study the natural taste of the animals in ourcharge. '

'They love them, ' said Lucy. 

'Buns and honey, ' said the Lord Islander; 'and what about bats?'

'I don't know what bats eat, ' said Mr. Noah; 'I believe it was settledafter some discussion that they don't eat cats. But what they _do_ eatis one of the eleven mysteries. You had better let the bats fast. '

'They _are_, sir, ' said the Lord High Islander. 

'And is all going well? Shall I come down and lend a personal eye?'

'I think I'm managing all right, sir, ' said the Lord High Islandermodestly. 'You see it's a great honour for me. The M. A. 's are carryingin the provisions, the boys are stowing them and also herding thebeasts. They are very good workers, sir. '

'Are you frightened?' Lucy whispered, as he turned to go back to hisoverseeing. 

[Illustration: A long procession toiled slowly up it of animals inpairs. ]

'Not I, ' said the Lord High Islander. 'Don't you understand that I'vebeen promoted to be Lord Vice-Noah of Polistarchia? And of course thehearts of all Vice-Noahs are strangers to fear. But just think what adifficult thing Fear would have been to be a stranger to if you andPhilip hadn't got us the ark!'

'It was Philip's doing, ' said Lucy; 'oh, _do_ you think he's all right?'

'I think his heart is a stranger to fear, naturally, ' said the Lord HighIslander, 'so he's certain to be all right. '

When the last of the animals had sniffed and snivelled its way into theark--it was a porcupine with a cold in its head--the islanders, theM. A. 's, Lucy and Mr. Noah followed. And when every one was in, the doorof the ark was shut from inside by an ingenious mechanical contrivanceworked by a more than usually intelligent M. A. 

You must not suppose that the inside of the ark was anything like theinside of your own Noah's ark, where all the animals are put in anyhow, all mixed together and wrong way up as likely as not. That, with liveanimals and live people, would, as you will readily imagine, be quiteuncomfortable. The inside of the ark which had been built under thedirection of Mr. Noah and Mr. Perrin was not at all like that. It wasmore like the inside of a big Atlantic liner than anything else I canthink of. All the animals were stowed away in suitable stalls, and therewere delightful cabins for all those for whom cabins were suitable. Theislanders and the M. A. 's retired to their cabins in perfect order, andLucy and Mr. Noah, Mr. Perrin and the Lord High Islander gathered in thesaloon, which was large and had walls and doors of inlaidmother-of-pearl and pink coral. It was lighted by glass globes filledwith phosphorus collected by an ingenious process invented by another ofthe M. A. 's. 

'And now, ' said Mr. Noah, 'I beg that anxiety may be dismissed fromevery mind. If the waters subside, they leave us safe. If they rise, asI confidently expect them to do, our ark will float, and we still aresafe. In the morning I will take soundings and begin to steer a course. We will select a suitable spot on the shore, land and proceed to theHidden Places, where we will consult the oracle. A little refreshmentbefore we retire for what is left of the night? A captain's biscuitwould perhaps not be inappropriate?' He took a tin from a locker andhanded it round. 

'That's A1, sir, ' said the Lord High Islander, munching. 'What a headyou have for the right thing. '

'All practice, ' said Mr. Noah modestly. 

'Thank you, ' said Lucy, taking a biscuit; 'I wish. . . . '

The sentence was never finished. With a sickening suddenness the floorof the saloon heaved up under their feet, a roaring surging batteringsound broke round them; the saloon tipped over on one side and the wholeparty was thrown on the pink silk cushions of the long settee. A shudderseemed to run through the ark from end to end, and 'What is it? Oh! whatis it?' cried Lucy as the ark heeled over the other way and theunfortunate occupants were thrown on to the opposite set of cushions. (It really _was_, now, rather like what you imagine the inside of yourNoah's ark must be when you put in Mr. Noah and his family and a fewhastily chosen animals and shake them all up together. )

'It's the sea, ' cried the Lord High Islander; 'it's the great Fear comeupon us! And I'm not afraid!' He drew himself up as well as he could inhis cramped position, with Mr. Noah's elbow pinning his shoulder downand Mr. Perrin's boot on his ear. 

With a shake and a shiver the ark righted itself, and the floor of thesaloon got flat again. 

'It's all right, ' said Mr. Perrin, resuming control of his boot; 'goodworkmanship, it do tell. She ain't shipped a drop, Mr. Noah, sir. '

'It's all right, ' said Mr. Noah, taking his elbow to himself andstanding up rather shakily on his yellow mat. 

 'We're afloat, we're afloat On the dark rolling tide; The ark's water-tight And the crew are inside. 

 'Up, up with the flag Let it wave o'er the sea; We're afloat, we're afloat-- And what else should we be?'

'_I_ don't know, ' said Lucy; 'but there isn't any flag, is there?'

'The principle's the same, ' said Mr. Noah; 'but I'm afraid we didn'tthink of a flag. '

'_I_ did, ' said Mr. Perrin; 'it's only a Jubilee hankey'--he drew itslowly from his breast-pocket, a cotton Union Jack it was--'but it shallwave all right. But not till daylight, I think, sir. Discretion's thebetter part of--don't you think, Mr. Noah, sir? Wouldn't do to open theark out of hours, so to speak!'

'Just so, ' said Mr. Noah. 'One, two, three! Bed!'

The ark swayed easily on a sea not too rough. The saloon passengersstaggered to their cabins. And silence reigned in the ark. 

 * * * * * *

I am sorry to say that the Pretenderette dropped the wicker cagecontaining the parrot into the sea--an unpardonable piece of cruelty andrevenge; unpardonable, that is, unless you consider that she did notreally know any better. The Hippogriff's white wings swept on; Philip, now laid across the knees of the Pretenderette (a most undignifiedattitude for any boy, and I hope none of you may be placed in such aposition), screamed as the cage struck the water, and, 'Oh, Polly!' hecried. 

'All right, ' the parrot answered; 'keep your pecker up!'

'What did it say?' the Pretenderette asked. 

'Something about peck, ' said Philip upside down. 

'Ah!' said the Pretenderette with satisfaction, 'he won't do any morepecking for some time to come. ' And the wide Hippogriff wings swept onover the wide sea. 

Polly's cage fell and floated. And it floated alone till the dawn, when, with wheelings and waftings and cries, the gulls came from far and nearto see what this new strange thing might be that bobbed up and down intheir waters in the light of the new-born day. 

'Hullo!' said Polly in bird-talk, clinging upside down to the top barsof the cage. 

'Hullo, yourself, ' replied the eldest gull; 'what's up? And who are you?And what are you doing in that unnatural lobster pot?'

'I conjure you, ' said the parrot earnestly, 'I conjure you by our commonbirdhood to help me in my misfortune. '

'No gull who _is_ a gull can resist that appeal, ' said the master of thesea birds; 'what can we do, brother-bird?'

'The matter is urgent, ' said Polly, but quite calmly. 'I am getting verywet and I dislike salt water. It is bad for my plumage. May I give anorder to your followers, bird-brother?'

'Give, ' said the master gull, with a graceful wheel and whirl of hissplendid wings. 

'Let four of my brothers raise this detested trap high above the waves, 'said the parrot, 'and let others of you, with your brave strong beaks, break through the bars and set me free. '

'Delighted, ' said the master gull; 'any little thing, you know, ' and hisown high-bred beak was the first to take hold of the cage, whichpresently the gulls lifted in the air and broke through, setting theparrot free. 

'Thank you, brother-birds, ' the parrot said, shaking wet wings andspreading them; 'one good turn deserves another. The beach yonder waswhite with cockles but yesterday. '

'Thank you, brother-bird, ' they all said, and flew fleetly cocklewards. 

And that was how the parrot got free from the cage and went back to theshore to have that little talk with the blugraiwee which I told youabout in the last chapter. 

 * * * * * *

The ark was really very pleasant by daylight with the sun shining in atits windows. The sun shone outside as well, of course, and the UnionJack waved cheerfully in the wind. Breakfast was served on the terraceat the end of the ark--you know--that terrace where the boat part turnsup. It was a very nice breakfast, and the sea was quite smooth--a quiteperfect sea. This was rather fortunate, for there was nothing else. Seaon every side of the ark. No land at all. 

'However shall we find the way, ' Lucy asked the Lord High Islander, 'with nothing but sea?'

'Oh, ' he answered, 'that's all the better, really. Mr. Noah steers muchbetter when there's no land in sight. It's all practice, you know. '

'And when we come in sight of land, will he steer badly then?'

'Oh, anybody can steer then, ' said Billy; 'you if you like. ' So it wasLucy who steered the ark into harbour, under Mr. Noah's directions. Arksare very easy to steer if you only know the way. Of course arks are notlike other vessels; they require neither sails nor steam engines, noroars to make them move. The very arkishness of the ark makes it movejust as the steersman wishes. He only has to say 'Port, ' 'Starboard, ''Right ahead, ' 'Slow' and so on, and the ark (unlike many people I know)immediately does as it is told. So steering was easy and pleasant; onejust had to keep the ark's nose towards the distant domes and pinnaclesof a town that shone and glittered on the shore a few miles away. Andthe town grew nearer and nearer, and the black streak that was thepeople of the town began to show white dots that were the people'sfaces. And then the ark was moored against a quay side, and a friendlypopulace cheered as Mr. Noah stepped on to firm land, to be welcomed bythe governor of the town and a choice selection of eminent citizens. 

'It's quite an event for them, ' said Mr. Perrin. 'They don't have muchhappening here. A very lazy lot they be, almost as bad as Somnolentia. '

'What makes them lazy?' Lucy asked. 

'It's owing to the onions and potatoes growing wild in these parts, Ibelieve, ' said the Lord High Islander. 'They get enough to eat withoutworking. And the onions make them sleepy. '

They talked apart while Mr. Noah was arranging things with the Governorof the town, who had come down to the harbour in a hurry and a flurryand a furry gown. 

'I've arranged everything, ' said Mr. Noah at last. 'The islanders andthe M. A. 's and the animals are to be allowed to camp in the public parktill we've consulted the oracle and decided what's to be done with them. They must live somewhere, I suppose. Life has become much too eventfulfor me lately. However there are only three more deeds for the Earl ofArk to do, and then perhaps we shall have a little peace and quietness. '

'The Earl of Ark?' Lucy repeated. 

'Philip, you know. I do wish you'd try to remember that he's an earlnow. Now you and I must take camel and be off. '

And now came seven long days of camel travelling, through desert andforest and over hill and through valley, till at last Lucy and Mr. Noahcame to the Hidden Place where the oracle is, and where that is I maynot tell you--because it's one of the eleven mysteries. And I must nottell you what the oracle is because that is another of the mysteries. But I may tell you that if you want to consult the oracle you have to goa long way between rows of round pillars, rather like those in Egyptiantombs. And as you go it gets darker and darker, and when it is quitedark you see a little, little light a very long way off, and you hearvery far away, a beautiful music, and you smell the scent of flowersthat do not grow in any wood or field or garden of this earth. Mixedwith this scent is the scent of incense and of old tapestried rooms, where no one has lived for a very long time. And you remember all thesad and beautiful things you have ever seen or heard, and you fall downon the ground and hide your face in your hands and call on the oracle, and if you are the right sort of person the oracle answers you. 

Lucy and Mr. Noah waited in the dark for the voice of the oracle, and atlast it spoke. Lucy heard no words, only the most beautiful voice in theworld speaking softly, and so sweetly and finely and bravely that atonce she felt herself brave enough to dare any danger, and strong enoughto do any deed that might be needed to get Philip out of the clutches ofthe base Pretenderette. All the tiredness of her long journey fadedaway, and but for the thought that Philip needed her, she would havebeen content to listen for ever to that golden voice. Everything else inthe world faded away and grew to seem worthless and unmeaning. Only thesoft golden voice remained and the grey hard voice that said, 'You'vegot to look after Philip, you know!' And the two voices together made aharmony more beautiful than you will find in any of Beethoven's sonatas. Because Lucy knew that she should follow the grey voice, and rememberthe golden voice as long as she lived. 

But something was tiresomely pulling at her sleeve, dragging her awayfrom the wonderful golden voice. Mr. Noah was pulling her sleeve andsaying, 'Come away, ' and they turned their backs on the little light andthe music and the enchanting perfumes, and instantly the voice stoppedand they were walking between dusky pillars towards a far grey speck ofsunlight. 

It was not till they were once more under the bare sky that Lucy said:

'What did it say?'

'You must have heard, ' said Mr. Noah. 

'I only heard the voice and what it meant. I didn't understand thewords. But the voice was like dreams and everything beautiful I've everthought of. '

'I thought it a wonderfully straight-forward business-like oracle, 'said Mr. Noah briskly; 'and the voice was quite distinct and I rememberevery word it said. '

(Which just shows how differently the same thing may strike two people. )

'What did it say?' Lucy asked, trotting along beside him, stillclutching Philip's bundle, which through all these days she had neverlet go. 

And Mr. Noah gravely recited the following lines. I agree with him that, for an oracle, they were extremely straightforward. 

 'You had better embark Once again in the Ark, And sailing from dryland Make straight for the Island. '

'Did it _really_ say that?' Lucy asked. 

'Of course it did, ' said Mr. Noah; 'that's a special instruction to me, but I daresay you heard something quite different. The oracle doesn'tsay the same thing to every one, of course. Didn't you get any specialinstruction?'

'Only to try to be brave and good, ' said Lucy shyly. 

'Well, then, ' said Mr. Noah, 'you carry out your instructions and I'llcarry out mine. '

'But what's the use of going to the island if you can't land when youget there?' Lucy insisted. 'You know only two people can land there, and we're not them, are we?'

'Oh, if you begin asking what's the use, we shan't get anywhere, ' saidMr. Noah. 'And more than half the things you say are questions. '

 * * * * * *

I'm sorry this chapter is cut up into bits with lines of stars, butstars are difficult to avoid when you have to tell about a lot ofdifferent things happening all at once. That is why it is much betteralways to keep your party together if you can. And I have allowed mineto get separated so that Philip, the parrot and the rest of the companyare going through three sets of adventures all at the same time. This ismost trying for me, and fully accounts for the stars. Which I hopeyou'll excuse. However. 

We now come back by way of the stars to Philip wrong way up inthe clutches of the Pretenderette. She had breathed the magic wordin the Hippogriff's ear, but she had not added any special order. So the Hippogriff was entirely its own master as far as the choiceof where it was to go was concerned. It tossed its white mane aftercircling three times between air and sky, made straight for theIsland-where-you-mayn't-go. The Pretenderette didn't know that it wasthe Island-where-you-mayn't-go, and as they got nearer and she couldsee plainly its rainbow-coloured sands, its palms and its waterfalls, its cool green thickets and many tinted flowers and glowing fruits, itseemed to her that she might do worse than land there and rest for alittle while. For even the most disagreeable people get tiredsometimes, and the Pretenderette had had a hard day of it. So she madeno attempt to check the Hippogriff or alter its course. And when theHippogriff was hovering but a few inches from the grass of the mostbeautiful of the island glades, she jerked Philip roughly off her kneeand he fell all in a heap on the ground. With great presence of mindour hero--if he isn't a hero by now he never will be--picked himselfup and bolted into the bushes. No rabbit could have bolted moreinstantly and fleetly. 

'I'll teach you, ' said the furious Pretenderette, preparing to alight. She looked down to find a soft place to jump on. And then she saw thatevery blade of grass was a tiny spear of steel, and every spear waspointed at her. She made the Hippogriff take her to another glade--morelittle steel spears. To the rainbow sands--but on looking at them shesaw that they were quivering quicksands. Wherever green grass had grownthe spears now grew; and wherever the sand was it was a terrible trap ofquicksand. She tried to dismount in a little pool, but fortunately forher she noticed in time that what shone in it so silvery was not waterbut white-hot molten metal. 

'What a nasty place, ' said the Pretenderette; 'I don't know that I couldhave chosen a nastier place to leave that naughty child in. He'll knowwho's master by the time I send to fetch him back to prison. Here, you, get back to Polistopolis as fast as you can. See? Please, I mean, ' sheadded, and then she spoke the magic word. 

Philip was peeping through the bushes close by, and he heard that magicword (I dare not tell you what it is) and he saw for the first time theface of the Pretenderette. And he trembled and shivered in his bushylurking-place. For the Pretenderette was the only really unpleasantperson Philip had ever met in the world. It was Lucy's nurse, the nursewith the grey dress and the big fat feet, who had been so cross to himand had pulled down his city. 

'How on earth, ' Philip wondered to himself, 'did she get _here_? And howon earth shall I get away from her?' He had not seen the spears and thequicksands and the molten metal, and he was waiting unhappily for her toalight, and for a game of hide and seek to begin, which he was not atall anxious to play. 

Even as he wondered, the Hippogriff spread wings and flew away. AndPhilip was left alone on the island. But what did that matter? It wasmuch better to be alone than with that Pretenderette. And for Philipthere were no white-hot metal and spears and snares of quicksand, onlydewy grass and sweet flowers and trees and safety and delight. 

'If only Lucy were here, ' he said. 

When he was quite sure that the Pretenderette was really gone, he cameout and explored the island. It had on it every kind of flower and fruitthat you can think of, all growing together. There were gold oranges andwhite orange flowers, pink apple-blossom and red apples, cherries andcherry-blossom, strawberry flowers and strawberries, all growingtogether, wild and sweet. 

At the back of his mind Philip remembered that he had, at some time orother, heard of an island where fruit and blossoms grew together at thesame time, but that was all he could remember. He passed through thelovely orchards and came to a lake. It was frozen. And he rememberedthat, in the island he had heard of, there was a lake ready for skatingeven when the flowers and fruit were on the trees. Then he came to alittle summer-house built all of porcupine quills like Helen's pen-box. 

And then he knew. All these wonders were on the island that he and Helenhad invented long ago--the island that she used to draw maps of. 

'It's our very own island, ' he said, and a glorious feeling of being athome glowed through him, warm and delightful. 'We said no one else mightcome here! That's why the Pretenderette couldn't land. And why they callit the Island-where-you-mayn't-go. I'll find the bun tree and havesomething to eat, and then I'll go to the boat-house and get out the_Lightning Loose_ and go back for Lucy. I do wish I could bring herhere. But of course I can't without asking Helen. '

The _Lightning Loose_ was the magic yacht Helen had invented for theisland. 

He soon found a bush whose fruit was buns, and a jam-tart tree grew nearit. You have no idea how nice jam tarts can taste till you have gatheredthem yourself, fresh and sticky, from the tree. They are as sticky ashorse-chestnut buds, and much nicer to eat. 

As he went towards the boat-house he grew happier and happier, recognising, one after the other, all the places he and Helen hadplanned and marked on the map. He passed by the marble and gold housewith _King's Palace_ painted on the door. He longed to explore it: butthe thought of Lucy drove him on. As he went down a narrow leafywoodland path towards the boat-house, he passed the door of the dearlittle thatched cottage (labelled _Queen's Palace_) which was the houseHelen had insisted that she liked best for her very own. 

'How pretty it is; I wish Helen was here, ' he said; 'she helped to makeit. I should never have thought of it without her. She ought to behere, ' he said. With that he felt very lonely, all of a sudden, and verysad. And as he went on, wondering whether in all this magic world theremight not somehow be some magic strong enough to bring Helen there tosee the island that was their very own, and to give her consent to hisbringing Lucy to it, he turned a corner in the woodland path, and walkedstraight into the arms of--Helen. 

[Illustration: Walked straight into the arms of Helen. ]

CHAPTER IX

ON THE 'LIGHTNING LOOSE'

'But how did you get here?' said Philip in Helen's arms on the island. 

'I just walked out at the other side of a dream, ' she said; 'how could Inot come, when the door was open and you wanted me so?'

And Philip just said, 'Oh, Helen!' He could not find any other words, but Helen understood. She always did. 

'Come, ' she said, 'shall we go to your Palace or mine? I want my supper, and we'll have our own little blue-and-white tea-set. Yes, I know you'vehad your supper, but it'll be fun getting mine, and perhaps you'll behungry again before we've got it. '

They went to the thatched cottage that was Helen's palace, becausePhilip had had almost as much of large buildings as he wanted for alittle while. The cottage had a wide chimney and an open hearth; andthey sat on the hearth and made toast, and Philip almost forgot that hehad ever had any adventures and that the toast was being made on ahearth whose blue wood-smoke curled up among the enchanting tree-tops ofa magic island. 

And before they went to bed he had told her all about everything. 

'Oh, I am so glad you came!' he said over and over again; 'it is so easyto tell you _here_, with all the magic going on. I don't think I ever_could_ have told you at the Grange with the servants all about, andthe--I mean Mr. Graham, and all the things as not magic as they couldpossibly be. Oh, Helen! where _is_ Mr. Graham; won't he hate your comingaway from him?'

'He's gone through a dream door too, ' she said, 'to see Lucy. Only hedoesn't know he's really gone. He'll think it's a dream, and he'll tellme about it when we both wake up. '

'When did you go to sleep?' said Philip. 

'At Brussels. That telegram hasn't come yet. '

'I don't understand about time, ' said Philip firmly, 'and I never shall. I say, Helen, I was just looking for the _Lightning Loose_, to go off inher on a voyage of discovery and find Lucy. '

'I don't think you need, ' she said; 'I met a parrot on the island justbefore I met you and it was saying poetry to itself. '

'It would be, ' said Philip, 'if it was alive. I'm glad it _is_ alive, though. What was it saying?'

'It was something like this, ' she said, putting a log of wood on thefire:

 'Philip and Helen Have the island to dwell in, Hooray. They said of the island, "It's your land and my land!" Hooray. Hooray. Hooray. 

 'And till the ark Comes out of the dark There those two may stay For a happy while, and Enjoy their island Until the Giving Day. Hooray. 

 'And then they will hear the giving voice, They will hear and obey, And when people come Who need a home, They'll give the island away. Hooray. 

 'The island with flower And fruit and bower, Forest and river and bay, Their very own island They'll sigh and smile and They'll give their island away. '

'What nonsense!' said Philip, 'I never will. '

'All right, my Pipkin, ' said Helen cheerfully; 'I only told you just toshow that you're expected to stay here. "Philip and Helen have theisland to dwell in. " And now, what about bed?'

They spent a whole week on the island. It was exactly all that theycould wish an island to be; because, of course, they had made itthemselves, and of course they knew exactly what they wanted. I can'tdescribe that week. I only know that Philip will never forget it. Justthink of all the things you could do on a magic island if you were therewith your dearest dear, and you'll know how Philip spent his time. 

He enjoyed every minute of every hour of every day, and, best thing ofall, that week made him understand, as nothing else could have done, that Helen still belonged to him, and that her marriage to Mr. Grahamhad not made her any the less Philip's very own Helen. 

And then came a day when Philip, swinging in a magnolia tree, looked outto sea and cried out, 'A sail! a sail! Oh, Helen, here's the ark! Nowit's all over. Let's have Lucy to stay with us, and send the otherpeople away, ' he added, sliding down the tree-trunk with his face veryserious. 

'But we can't, dear, ' Helen reminded him. 'The island's ours, you know;and as long as it's ours no one else can land on it. We made it likethat, you know. '

'Then they can't land?'

'No, ' said Helen. 

'Can't we change the rule and let them land?'

'No, ' said Helen. 

'Oh, it _is_ a pity, ' Philip said; 'because the island is the place forislanders, isn't it?'

'Yes, ' said Helen, 'and there's no fear of the sea here; you remember wemade it like that when we made the island?'

'Yes, ' said Philip. 'Oh, Helen, I _don't_ want to. '

'Then don't, ' said Helen. 

'Ah, but I _do_ want to, too. '

'Then do, ' said she. 

'But don't you see, when you want to and don't want to at the same time, what _are_ you to do? There are so many things to think of. '

'When it's like that, there's one thing you mustn't think of, ' she said. 

'What?' Philip asked. 

'Yourself, ' she said softly. 

There was a silence, and then Philip suddenly hugged his sister and shehugged him. 

'I'll give it to them, ' he said; 'it's no use. I know I ought to. Ishall only be uncomfortable if I don't. '

Helen laughed. 'My boy of boys!' she said. And then she looked sad. 'Boyof my heart, ' she said, 'you know it's not only giving up our island. Ifwe give it away I must go. It's the only place that there's a door intoout of my dreams. '

'I can't let you go, ' he said. 

'But you've got your deeds to do, ' she said, 'and I can't help you inthose. Lucy can help you, but I can't. You like Lucy now, don't you?'

'Oh, I don't mind her, ' said Philip; 'but it's _you_ I want, Helen. '

'Don't think about that, ' she urged. 'Think what the islanders want. Think what it'll be to them to have the island, to live here always, safe from the fear!'

'There are three more deeds, ' said Philip dismally; 'I don't think Ishall ever want any more adventures as long as I live. '

'You'll always want them, ' she said, laughing at him gently, 'always. And now let's do the thing handsomely and give them a splendid welcome. Give me a kiss and then we'll gather heaps of roses. '

So they kissed each other. But Philip was very unhappy indeed, thoughhe felt that he was being rather noble and that Helen thought so too, which was naturally a great comfort. 

There had been a good deal more of this talk than I have set down. Philip and Helen had hardly had time to hang garlands of pink rosesalong the quayside where the _Lightning Loose_, that perfect yacht, layat anchor, before the blunt prow of the ark bumped heavily against thequayside--and the two, dropping the rest of the roses, waved and smiledto the group on the ark's terrace. 

The first person to speak was Mr. Perrin, who shouted, 'Here we areagain!' like a clown. 

Then Lucy said, 'We know we can't land, but the oracle said come and wecame. ' She leaned over the bulwark to whisper, 'Who's that perfect duckyou've got with you?'

Philip answered aloud:

'This is my sister Helen--Helen this is Lucy. '

The two looked at each other, and then Helen held out her hands and sheand Lucy kissed each other. 

'I knew I should like you, ' Lucy whispered, 'but I didn't know I shouldlike you quite so much. '

Mr. Noah and Mr. Perrin were both bowing to Helen, a little stiffly butvery cordially all the same, and quite surprisingly without surprise. And the Lord High Islander was looking at her with his own friendlyjolly schoolboy grin. 

'If you will embark, ' said Mr. Noah politely, 'we can return to themainland, and I will explain to you your remaining deeds. '

'Tell them, Pip, ' said Helen. 

'We don't want to embark--at present, ' said Philip shyly. 'We want youto land. '

'No one may land on the island save two, ' said Mr. Noah. 'I am glad youare the two. I feared one of the two might be the Pretenderette. '

'Not much, ' said Philip. 'It's Helen's and mine. We made it. And we wantto give it to the islanders to keep. For their very own, ' he added, feeling that it would be difficult for any one to believe that such aglorious present was really being made just like that, without speeches, as if it had been a little present of a pencil sharpener or a peg-top. 

He was right. 

'To keep?' said the Lord High Islander; 'for our very own? Always?'

'Yes, ' said Philip. 'And there's no fear here. You'll _really_ be "happytroops" now. '

For a moment nobody said anything, though all the faces wereexpressive. Then the Lord High Islander spoke. 

'Well, ' he said, 'of all the brickish bricks----' and could say no more. 

'There are lots of houses, ' said Philip, 'and room for all the animals, and the island is thirty miles round, so there's lots of room for theanimals and everything. ' He felt happier than he had ever done in hislife. Giving presents is always enjoyable, and this was such a big andbeautiful present, and he loved it so. 

'I always did say Master Pip was a gentleman, and I always shall, ' Mr. Perrin remarked. 

'I congratulate you, ' said Mr. Noah, 'and I am happy to announce thatyour fifth deed is now accomplished. You remember our empty silverfruit-dishes? Your fifth deed was to be the supplying of Polistarchiawith fruit. This island is the only place in the kingdom where fruitgrows. The ark will serve to convey the fruit to the mainland, and theperformance of this deed raises you to the rank of Duke. '

'Philip, you're a dear, ' said Lucy in a whisper. 

'Shut up, ' said Philip fiercely. 

'Three cheers, ' said a familiar voice, 'for the Duke of Donors. '

'Three cheers, ' repeated the Lord High Islander, 'for the Duke ofDonors. '

What a cheer! All the islanders cheered and the M. A. 's and Lucy and Mr. Perrin and Mr. Noah, and from the inside of the ark came enthusiasticbarkings and gruntings and roarings and squeakings--as the animals ofcourse joined in as well as they could. Thousands of gulls, circling onwhite wings in the sun above, added their screams to the general chorus. And when the sound of the last cheer died away, a little near familiarvoice said:

'Well done, Philip! I'm proud of you. '

It was the parrot who, perched on the rigging of the _Lightning Loose_, had started the cheering. 

'So that's all right, ' it said, fluttered on to Philip's shoulder andadded, 'I've heard you calling for me on the island all the week. But Ifelt I needed a rest. I've been talking too much. And thatPretenderette. And that cage. I assure you I needed a little time to getover my adventures. '

'We have all had our adventures, ' said Mr. Noah gently. And Helen said:

'Won't you land and take possession of the island? I'm sure we arelonging to hear each other's adventures. '

'You first, ' said Mr. Noah to the Lord High Islander, who stepped ashorevery gravely. 

When Helen saw him come forward, she suddenly kissed Philip, and as theLord High Islander's foot touched the shore of that enchanted island, she simply and suddenly vanished. 

'Oh!' cried Philip, 'I wish I hadn't. ' And his mouth trembled as girls'mouths do if they are going to cry. 

'The more a present costs you, the more it's worth, ' said Mr. Noah. 'This has cost you so much, it's the most splendid present in theworld. '

'I know, ' said Philip; 'make yourselves at home, won't you?' he justmanaged to say. And then he found he could not say any more. He justturned and went into the forest. And when he was alone in a green glade, he flung himself down on his face and lay a long time without moving. Ithad been such a happy week. And he was so tired of adventures. 

When at last he sniffed with an air of finality and raised his head, thefirst thing he saw was Lucy, sitting quite still with her back to him. 

'Hullo!' he said rather crossly, 'what are you doing here?'

'Saying the multiplication table, ' said Lucy promptly and turned herhead, 'so as not even to think about you. And I haven't even onceturned round. I knew you wanted to be alone. But I wanted to be herewhen you'd done being alone. See? I've got something to say to you. '

'Fire ahead, ' said Philip, still grumpy. 

'I think you're perfectly splendid, ' said Lucy very seriously, 'and Iwant it to be real pax for ever. And I'll help you in the rest of theadventures. And if you're cross, I'll try not to mind. Napoleon wascross sometimes, I believe, ' she added pensively, 'and Julius Caesar. '

'Oh, that's all right, ' said Philip very awkwardly. 

'Then we're going to be real chums?'

'Oh yes, if you like. Only--I don't mind just this once; and it wasdecent of you to come and sit there with your back to me--only I hategas. '

'Yes, ' said Lucy obediently, 'I know. Only sometimes you feel you mustgas a little or burst of admiration. And I've got your proper clothes ina bundle. I've been carrying them about ever since the islanders' castlewas washed away. Here they are. '

She produced the bundle. And this time Philip was really touched. 

'Now I _do_ call that something like, ' he said. 'The seaweed dress isall right here, but you never know what you may have to go through whenyou're doing adventures. There might be thorns or snakes or anything. I'm jolly glad to get my boots back too. I say, come on. Let's go toHelen's palace and get a banquet ready. I know there'll have to be abanquet. There always is, here. I know a first-rate bun-tree quite nearhere. '

'The cocoa-nut-ice plants looked beautiful as I came along, ' said Lucy. 'What a lovely island it is. And you made it!'

'No gas, ' said Philip warningly. 'Helen and I made it. '

'She's the dearest darling, ' said Lucy. 

'Oh, well, ' said Philip with resignation, 'if you must gas, gas abouther. '

The banquet was all that you can imagine of interesting and magnificent. And Philip was, of course, the hero of the hour. And when the banquetwas finished and the last guest had departed to its own house--for thehouses on the island were of course all ready to be occupied, furnishedto the last point of comfort, with pin-cushions full of pins in everyroom, Mr. Noah and Lucy and Philip sat down on the terrace steps amongthe pink roses for a last little talk. 

'Because, ' said Philip, 'we shall start the first thing in the morning. So please will you tell me now what the next deed is that I have todo?'

'Will you go by ark?' Mr. Noah asked, rolling up his yellow mat to makean elbow rest and leaning on it; 'I shall be delighted. '

'I thought, ' said Philip, 'we might go in the _Lightning Loose_. I'venever sailed her yet, you know. Do you think I _could_?'

'Of course you can, ' said Mr. Noah; 'and if not, Lucy can show you. Yourcharming yacht is steered on precisely the same principle as the ark. And in this land all the winds are favourable. You will find the yachtsuitably provisioned. And I may add that you can go most of the way toyour next deed by water--first the sea and then the river. '

'And what, ' asked Philip, 'is the next deed?'

'In the extreme north of Polistarchia, ' said Mr. Noah instructively, 'lies a town called Somnolentia. It used to be called Briskford inhappier days. A river then ran through the town, a rapid river thatbrought much gold from the mountains. The people used to work very hardto keep the channel clear of the lumps of gold which continuallythreatened to choke it. Their fields were then well-watered andfruitful, and the inhabitants were cheerful and happy. But when theHippogriff was let out of the book, a Great Sloth got out too. Evadingall efforts to secure him, the Great Sloth journeyed northward. He is avery large and striking animal, and by some means, either fear oradmiration, he obtained a complete ascendancy over the inhabitants ofBriskford. He induced them to build him a temple of solid gold, andwhile they were doing this the river bed became choked up and the streamwas diverted into another channel far from the town. Since then theplace is fallen into decay. The fields are parched and untilled. Suchwater as the people need for drinking is drawn by great labour from awell. Washing has become shockingly infrequent. '

'Are we to teach the dirty chaps to wash?' asked Philip in disgust. 

'Do not interrupt, ' said Mr. Noah. 'You destroy the thread of mynarrative. Where was I?'

'Washing infrequent, ' said Lucy; 'but if the fields are dried up, whatdo they live on?'

'Pine-apples, ' replied Mr. Noah, 'which grow freely and do not need muchwater. Gathering these is the sole industry of this degraded people. Pine-apples are not considered a fruit but a vegetable, ' he addedhastily, seeing another question trembling on Philip's lips. 'Whateverof their waking time can be spared from the gathering and eating of thepine-apples is spent in singing choric songs in honour of the GreatSloth. And even this time is short, for such is his influence on theSomnolentians that when he sleeps they sleep too, and, ' added Mr. Noahimpressively, 'he sleeps almost all the time. Your deed is to devisesome means of keeping the Great Sloth awake and busy. And I think you'vegot your work cut out. When you've disposed of the Great Sloth you canreport yourself to me here. I shall remain here for some little time. Ineed a holiday. The parrot will accompany you. It knows its way about aswell as any bird in the land. Good-night. And good luck! You will excusemy not being down to breakfast. '

And the next morning, dewy-early, Philip and Lucy and the parrot wentaboard the yacht and loosed her from her moorings, and Lucy showedPhilip how to steer, and the parrot sat on the mast and called outinstructions. 

They made for the mouth of a river. ('I never built a river, ' saidPhilip. 'No, ' said the parrot, 'it came out of the poetry book. ') Andwhen they were hungry they let down the anchor and went into the cabinfor breakfast. And two people sprang to meet them, almost knockingLucy down with the violence of their welcome. The two people were Maxand Brenda. 

[Illustration: He induced them to build him a temple of solid gold. ]

'Oh, you dear dogs, ' Lucy cried, and Philip patted them, one with eachhand, 'how did you get here?'

'It was a little surprise of Mr. Noah's, ' said the parrot. 

Max and Brenda whined and barked and gushed. 

'I wish we could understand what they're saying, ' said Lucy. 

'If you only knew the magic word that the Hippogriff obeys, ' said theparrot, 'you could say it, and then you'd understand all animal talk. Only, of course, I mustn't tell it you. It's one of the elevenmysteries. '

'But I know it, ' said Philip, and at once breathed the word in the tinysilky ear of Brenda and then in the longer silkier ear of Max, andinstantly--

'Oh, my dears!' they heard Brenda say in a softly shrill excited voice;'oh, my dearie dears! We _are_ so pleased to see you. I'm only a poorlittle faithful doggy; I'm not clever, you know, but my affectionatenature makes me almost mad with joy to see my dear master and mistressagain. '

'Very glad to see you, sir, ' said Max with heavy politeness. 'I hopeyou'll be comfortable here. There's no comfort for a dog like being withhis master. '

And with that he sat down and went to sleep, and the others hadbreakfast. It is rather fun cooking in yachts. And there was somethingnew and charming in Brenda's delicate way of sitting up and begging andsaying at the same time, 'I do _hate_ to bother my darling master andmistress, but if you _could_ spare another _tiny_ bit of bacon--Oh, _thank you_, how good and generous you are!'

They sailed the yacht successfully into the river which presently raninto the shadow of a tropical forest. Also out of a book. 

'You might go on during the night, ' said the parrot, 'if the dogs wouldsteer under my directions. You could tie one end of a rope to theircollars and another to the helm. It's easier than turning spits. '

'Delighted!' said Max; 'only, of course, it's understood that we sleepthrough the day?'

'Of course, ' said everybody. So that was settled. And the children wentto bed. 

It was in the middle of the night that the parrot roused Philip with hisusual gentle beak-touch. Then--

'Wake up, ' it said; 'this is not the right river. It's not the rightdirection. Nothing's right. The ship's all wrong. I'm very much afraidsome one has been opening a book and this river has got out. '

Philip hurried out on deck, and by the light of the lamps from thecabin, gazed out at the banks of the river. At least he looked for them. But there weren't any banks. Instead, steep and rugged cliffs rose oneach side, and overhead, instead of a starry sky, was a great archedroof of a cavern glistening with moisture and dark as a raven'sfeathers. 

'We must turn back, ' said Philip. 'I don't like this at all. '

'Unfortunately, ' said the parrot, 'there is no room to turn back, andthe _Lightning Loose_ is not constructed for going backwards. '

'Oh, dear, ' whispered Brenda, 'I wish we hadn't come. Dear little dogsought to be taken comfortable care of and not be sent out on nasty shipsthat can't turn back when it's dangerous. '

'My dear, ' said Max with slow firmness, 'dear little dogs can't helpthemselves now. So they had better look out for chances of helping theirmasters. '

'But what can we _do_, then?' said Philip impatiently. 

'I fear, ' said the parrot, 'that we can do nothing but go straight on. If this river is in a book it will come out somewhere. No river in abook ever runs underground and stays there. '

'I shan't wake Lucy, ' said Philip; 'she might be frightened. '

'You needn't, ' said Lucy, 'she's awake, and she's no more frightenedthan you are. '

('You hear that, ' said Max to Brenda; 'you take example by her, mydear!')

'But if we are going the wrong way, we shan't reach the Great Sloth, 'Lucy went on. 

'Sooner or later, one way or another, we shall come to him, ' said theparrot; 'and time is of no importance to a Great Sloth. '

It was now very cold, and our travellers were glad to wrap themselves inthe flags of all nations with which the yacht was handsomely provided. Philip made a sort of tabard of the Union Jack and the old Royal Arms ofEngland, with the lilies and leopards; and Lucy wore the Japanese flagas a shawl. She said the picture of the sun on it made her feel warm. But Philip shivered under his complicated crosses and lions, as the_Lightning Loose_ swept on over the dark tide between the dark walls andunder the dark roof of the cavern. 

'Cheer up, ' said the parrot. 'Think what a lot of adventures you'rehaving that no one else has ever had: think what a lot of things you'llhave to tell the other boys when you go to school. '

'The other boys wouldn't believe a word of it, ' said Philip in gloom. 'Iwouldn't unless I knew it was true. '

'What I think is, ' said Lucy, watching the yellow light from the lampsrushing ahead along the roof, 'that we shan't want to tell people. It'llbe just enough to know it ourselves and talk about it, just Philip andme together. '

'Well, as to that----' the parrot was beginning doubtfully, when hebroke off to exclaim:

'Do my claws deceive me or is there a curious vibration, and noticeableacceleration of velocity?'

'Eh?' said Philip, which is not manners, and he knew it. 

'He means, ' said Max stolidly, 'aren't we going rather fast and ratherwobbly?'

We certainly were. The _Lightning Loose_ was going faster and fasteralong that subterranean channel, and every now and then gave a lurch anda shiver. 

'Oh!' whined Brenda; 'this is a dreadful place for dear little dogs!'

'Philip!' said Lucy in a low voice, 'I know something is going tohappen. Something dreadful. We _are_ friends, aren't we?'

'Yes, ' said Philip firmly. 

'Then I wish you'd kiss me. '

'I can like you just as much without that, ' said Philip uneasily. 'Kissing people--it's silly, don't you think?'

'Nobody's kissed me since daddy went away, ' she said, 'except Helen. Andyou don't mind kissing Helen. She _said_ you were going to adopt me foryour sister. '

'Oh! all right, ' said Philip, and put his arm round her and kissed her. She felt so little and helpless and bony in his arm that he suddenlyfelt sorry for her, kissed her again more kindly and then, withdrawinghis arm, thumped her hearteningly on the back. 

'Be a man, ' he said in tones of comradeship and encouragement. 'I'mperfectly certain nothing's going to happen. We're just going through atunnel, and presently we shall just come out into the open air again, with the sky and the stars going on as usual. '

He spoke this standing on the prow beside Lucy, and as he spoke sheclutched his arm. 

'Oh, look, ' she breathed, 'oh, listen!'

He listened. And he heard a dull echoing roar that got louder andlouder. And he looked. The light of the lamps shone ahead on the darkgleaming water, and then quite suddenly it did not shine on the waterbecause there was no longer any water for it to shine on. Only greatempty black darkness. A great hole, ahead, into which the stream poureditself. And now they were at the edge of the gulf. The _Lightning Loose_gave a shudder and a bound and hung for what seemed a long moment on theedge of the precipice down which the underground river was pouringitself in a smooth sleek stream, rather like poured treacle, over whatfelt like the edge of everything solid. 

[Illustration: Plunged headlong over the edge. ]

The moment ended, and the little yacht, with Philip and Lucy and theparrot and the two dogs, plunged headlong over the edge into the darkunknown abyss below. 

'It's all right, Lu, ' said Philip in that moment. 'I'll take care ofyou. '

And then there was silence in the cavern--only the rushing sound of thegreat waterfall echoed in the rocky arch. 

CHAPTER X

THE GREAT SLOTH

You have heard of Indians shooting rapids in their birch-bark canoes?And perhaps you have yourself sailed a toy boat on a stream, and made adam of clay, and waited with more or less patience till the water rosenearly to the top, and then broken a bit of your dam out and made awaterfall and let your boat drift over the edge of it. You know how itgoes slowly at first, then hesitates and sweeps on more and morequickly. Sometimes it upsets; and sometimes it shudders and strains andtrembles and sways to one side and to the other, and at last rightsitself and makes up its mind, and rushes on down the stream, usually tobe entangled in the clump of rushes at the stream's next turn. This iswhat happened to that good yacht, the _Lightning Loose_. She shot overthe edge of that dark smooth subterranean waterfall, hung a longbreathless moment between still air and falling water, slid down like aflash, dashed into the stream below, shuddered, reeled, righted herselfand sped on. You have perhaps been down the water chute at Earl's Court?It was rather like that. 

'It's--it's all right, ' said Philip, in a rather shaky whisper. 'She'sgoing on all right. '

'Yes, ' said Lucy, holding his arm very tight; 'yes, I'm sure she's goingon all right. '

'Are we drowned?' said a trembling squeak. 'Oh, Max, are we reallydrowned?'

'I don't think so, ' Max replied with caution. 'And if we are, my dear, we cannot undrown ourselves by screams. '

'Far from it, ' said the parrot, who had for the moment been renderedquite speechless by the shock. And you know a parrot is not madespeechless just by any little thing. 'So we may just as well try tobehave, ' it said. 

The lamps had certainly behaved, and behaved beautifully; through thewild air of the fall, the wild splash as the _Lightning Loose_ struckthe stream below, the lamps had shone on, seemingly undisturbed. 

'An example to us all, ' said the parrot. 

'Yes, but, ' said Lucy, 'what are we to do?'

'When adventures take a turn one is far from expecting, one does whatone can, ' said the parrot. 

'And what's that?'

'Nothing, ' said the parrot. 'Philip has relieved Max at the helm and issteering a straight course between the banks--if you can call thembanks. There is nothing else to be done. '

There plainly wasn't. The _Lightning Loose_ rushed on through thedarkness. Lucy reflected for a moment and then made cocoa. This was realheroism. It cheered every one up, including the cocoa-maker herself. Itwas impossible to believe that anything dreadful was going to happenwhen you were making that soft, sweet, ordinary drink. 

'I say, ' Philip remarked when she carried a cup to him at the wheel, 'I've been thinking. All this is out of a book. Some one must have letit out. I know what book it's out of too. And if the whole story got outof the book we're all right. Only we shall go on for ages and climb outat last, three days' journey from Trieste. '

'I see, ' said Lucy, and added that she hated geography. 'Drink yourcocoa while it's hot, ' she said in motherly accents, and 'what book isit?'

'It's _The Last Cruise of the Teal_, ' he said. 'Helen gave it me justbefore she went away. It's a ripping book, and I used it for the roofof the outer court of the Hall of Justice. I remember it perfectly. Thechaps on the _Teal_ made torches of paper soaked in paraffin. '

'We haven't any, ' said Lucy; 'besides our lamps light everything up allright. Oh! there's Brenda crying again. She hasn't a shadow of pluck. '

She went quickly to the cabin where Max was trying to cheer Brenda byremarks full of solid good sense, to which Brenda paid no attentionwhatever. 

'I knew how it would be, ' she kept saying in a whining voice; 'I toldyou so from the beginning. I wish we hadn't come. I want to go home. Oh!what a dreadful thing to happen to dear little dogs. '

'Brenda, ' said Lucy firmly, 'if you don't stop whining you shan't haveany cocoa. '

Brenda stopped at once and wagged her tail appealingly. 

'Cocoa?' she said, 'did any one say cocoa? My nerves are so delicate. Iknow I'm a trial, dear Max, it's no use your pretending I'm not, butthere is nothing like cocoa for the nerves. Plenty of sugar, please, dear Lucy. Thank you _so_ much! Yes, it's _just_ as I like it. '

'There will be other things to eat by and by, ' said Lucy. 'People whowhine won't get any. '

'I'm sure nobody would _dream_ of whining, ' said Brenda. 'I know I'm toosensitive; but you can do anything with dear little dogs by kindness. And as for whining--do you know it's a thing I've never been subject to, from a child, never. Max will tell you the same. '

Max said nothing, but only fixed his beautiful eyes hopefully on thecocoa jug. 

And all the time the yacht was speeding along the underground stream, beneath the vast arch of the underground cavern. 

'The worst of it is we may be going ever so far away from where we wantto get to, ' said Philip, when Max had undertaken the steering again. 

'All roads, ' remarked the parrot, 'lead to Somnolentia. And besides theship is travelling due north--at least so the ship's compass states, andI have no reason as yet for doubting its word. '

'Hullo!' cried more than one voice, and the ship shot out of the darkcavern into a sheet of water that lay spread under a white dome. Thestream that had brought them there seemed to run across one side of thispool. Max, directed by the parrot, steered the ship into smooth water, where she lay at rest at last in the very middle of this greatunderground lake. 

'_This_ isn't out of _The Cruise of the Teal_, ' said Philip. 'They musthave shut that book. '

'I think it's out of a book about Mexico or Peru or Ingots or somegeographical place, ' said Lucy; 'it had a green-and-gold binding. Ithink you used it for the other end of the outer justice court. And ifyou did, this dome's solid silver, and there's a hole in it, and underthis dome there's untold treasure in gold incas. '

'What's incas?'

'Gold bars, I believe, ' said Lucy; 'and Mexicans come down through thehole in the roof and get it, and when enemies come they flood it withwater. It's flooded now, ' she added unnecessarily. 

'I wish adventures had never been invented, ' said Brenda. 'No, dearLucy, I am not whining. Far from it. But if a dear little dog mightsuggest it, we should all be better in a home, should we not?'

All eyes now perceived a dark hole in the roof, a round hole exactly inthe middle of the shining dome. And as they gazed the dark hole becamelight. And they saw above them a white shining disk like a very largeand very bright moon. It was the light of day. 

'Some one has opened the trap-door, ' said Lucy. 'The Ingots alwaysclosed their treasure-vaults with trap-doors. '

The bright disk was obscured; confused shapes broke its shiningroundness. Then another disk, small and very black appeared in themiddle of it; the black disk grew larger and larger and larger. It wascoming down to them. Slowly and steadily it came; now it reached thelevel of the dome, now it hung below it; down, down, down it came, pastthe level of their eager eyes and splashed in the water close by theship. It was a large empty bucket. The rope which held it was jerkedfrom above; the bucket dipped and filled and was drawn up again slowlyand steadily till it disappeared in the hole in the roof. 

'Quick, ' said the parrot, 'get the ship exactly under the hole, and nexttime the bucket comes down you can go up in it. '

'This is out of the _Arabian Nights_, I think, ' said Lucy, when theyacht was directly under the hole in the roof. 'But who is it that keepson opening the books? Somebody must be pulling Polistopolis down. '

'The Pretenderette, I shouldn't wonder, ' said Philip gloomily. 'Sheisn't the Deliverer, so she must be the Destroyer. Nobody else can getinto Polistarchia, you know. '

'There's me. '

'Oh, you're Deliverer too. '

'Thank you, ' said Lucy gratefully. 'But there's Helen. '

'She was only on the Island, you know; she couldn't come toPolistarchia. Look out!'

The bucket was descending again, and instead of splashing in the waterit bumped on the deck. 

'You go first, ' said Philip to Lucy. 

'And you, ' said Max to Brenda. 

'Oh, I'll go first if you like, ' said Philip. 

'Yes, ' said Max, 'I'll go first if you like, Brenda. '

You see Philip felt that he ought to give Lucy the first chance ofescaping from the poor _Lightning Loose_. Yet he could not be at allsure what it was that she would be escaping to. And if there was dangeroverhead, of course he ought to be the one to go first to face it. Andthe worthy Max felt the same about Brenda. 

And Lucy felt just the same as they did. I don't know what Brenda felt. She whined a little. Then for one moment Lucy and Philip stood on thedeck each grasping the handle of the bucket and looking at each other, and the dogs looked at them, and the parrot looked at every one in turn. An impatient jerk and shake of the rope from above reminded them thatthere was no time to lose. 

Lucy decided that it was more dangerous to go than to stay, just at thesame moment when Philip decided that it was more dangerous to stay thanto go, so when Lucy stepped into the bucket Philip helped her eagerly. Max thought the same as Philip, and I am afraid Brenda agreed with them. At any rate she leaped into Lucy's lap and curled her long length roundjust as the rope tightened and the bucket began to go up. Brendascreamed faintly, but her scream was stifled at once. 

'I'll send the bucket down again the moment I get up, ' Lucy called out;and a moment later, 'it feels awfully jolly, like a swing. '

And so saying she was drawn up into the hole in the roof of the dome. Then a sound of voices came down the shaft, a confused sound; theanxious little party on the _Lightning Loose_ could not make out anydistinct words. They all stood staring up, expecting, waiting for thebucket to come down again. 

'I hate leaving the ship, ' said Philip. 

'You shall be the last to leave her, ' said the parrot consolingly; 'thatis if we can manage about Max without your having to sit on him in thebucket if he gets in first. '

'But how about you?' said Philip. 

[Illustration: The bucket began to go up. ]

A little arrogantly the parrot unfolded half a bright wing. 

'Oh!' said Philip enlightened and reminded. 'Of course! And you mighthave flown away at any time. And yet you stuck to us. I say, you know, that was jolly decent of you. '

'Not at all, ' said the parrot with conscious modesty. 

'But it was, ' Philip insisted. 'You might have---- hullo!' cried Philip. The bucket came down again with a horrible rush. They held their breathsand looked to see the form of Lucy hurtling through the air. But no, thebucket swung loose a moment in mid-air, then it was hastily drawn up, and a hollow metallic clang echoed through the cavern. 

'Brenda!' the cry was wrung from the heart of the sober self-containedMax. 

'My wings and claws!' exclaimed the parrot. 

'Oh, bother!' said Philip. 

There was some excuse for these expressions of emotion. The white diskoverhead had suddenly disappeared. Some one up above had banged the liddown. And all the manly hearts were below in the cave, and brave Lucyand helpless Brenda were above in a strange place, whose dangers thosebelow could only imagine. 

'I wish _I'd_ gone, ' said Philip. 'Oh, I _wish_ I'd gone. '

'Yes, indeed, ' said Max, with a deep sigh. 

'I feel a little faint, ' said the parrot; 'if some one would make a cupof cocoa. '

Thus did the excellent bird seek to occupy their minds in that firstmoment of disaster. And it was well that the captain and crew were thussaved from despair. For before the kettle boiled, the lid of the shaftopened about a foot and something largeish, roundish and lumpish fellheavily and bounced upon the deck of the _Lightning Loose_. 

It was a pine-apple, fresh, ripe and juicy. On its side was carved inlarge letters of uncertain shape the one word 'WAIT. '

It was good advice and they took it. Really I do not see what else theycould have done in any case. And they ate the pine-apple. And presentlyevery one felt extremely sleepy. 

'Waiting is one of those things that you can do as well asleep as awake, or even better, ' said the parrot. 'Forty winks will do us all the goodin the world. ' He put his head under his wing where he sat on thebinnacle. 

'May I turn in alongside you, sir?' Max asked. 'I shan't feel thedreadful loneliness so much then. '

So Philip and Max curled up together on the deck, warmly covered withthe spare flags of all nations, and the forty winks lasted for the spaceof a good night's rest--about ten hours, in fact. So ten hours' waitingwas got through quite easily. But there was more waiting to do afterthey woke up, and that was not so easy. 

 . . . . . . . 

When Lucy, sitting in the bucket with Brenda in her lap, felt the bucketlifted from the deck and swung loose in the air, it was as much as shecould do to refrain from screaming. Brenda _did_ scream, as you know, but Lucy stifled the sound in the folds of her frock. 

Lucy bit her lips, made a great effort and called out that remark aboutthe bucket-swing, just as though she were quite comfortable. It was verybrave of her and helped her to go on being brave. 

The bucket drew slowly up and up and up and passed from the silver domeinto the dark shaft above. Lucy looked up. Yes, it was daylight thatshowed at the top of the shaft, and the rope was drawing her up towardsit. Suppose the rope broke? Brenda was quite quiet now. She saidafterwards that she must have fainted. And now the light was nearer andnearer. Now Lucy was in it, for the bucket had been drawn right up, andhands were reached out to draw it over the side of what seemed like awell. At that moment Lucy saw in a flash what might happen if the ownersof the hands, in their surprise, let go the bucket and the windlass. Shecaught Brenda in her hands and threw the dog out on to the dry ground, and threw herself across the well parapet. Just in time, for a shout ofsurprise went up and the bucket went down, clanging against the wellsides. The hands _had_ let go. 

Lucy clambered over the well side slowly, and when her feet stood onfirm ground she saw that the hands were winding up the bucket again, andthat it came very easily. 

'Oh, don't!' she said. 'Let it go right down! There are some more peopledown there. '

'Sorry, but it's against the rules. The bucket only goes down this wellforty times a day. And that was the fortieth time. '

They pulled the bucket in and banged down the lid of the well. Some onepadlocked it and put the key in his pocket. And Lucy and he stood facingeach other. He was a little round-headed man in a curious stiff redtunic, and there was something about the general shape of him and histunic which reminded Lucy of something, only she could not rememberwhat. Behind him stood two others, also red-tunicked and round-headed. 

[Illustration: Lucy threw herself across the well parapet. ]

Brenda crouched at Lucy's feet and whined softly, and Lucy waited forthe strangers to speak. 

'You shouldn't do that, ' said the red-tunicked man at last, 'it was agreat shock to us, your bobbing up as you did. It will keep us awake atnight, just remembering it. '

'I'm sorry, ' said Lucy. 

'You should always come into strange towns by the front gate, ' said theman; 'try to remember that, will you? Good-night. '

'But you're not going off like this, ' said Lucy. 'Let me write a noteand drop it down to the others. Have you a bit of pencil, and paper?'

'No, ' said the strange people, staring at her. 

'Haven't you anything I can write on?' Lucy asked them. 

'There's nothing here but pine-apples, ' said one of them at last. 

So she cut a pine-apple from among the hundreds that grew among therocks near by, and carved 'WAIT' on it with her penknife. 

'Now, ' she said, 'open that well lid. '

'It's as much as our lives are worth, ' said the leader. 

'No it isn't, ' said Lucy; 'there's no law against dropping pine-applesinto the well. You know there isn't. It isn't like drawing water. And ifyou don't I shall set my little dog at you. She is very fierce. '

Brenda was so flattered that she showed her teeth and growled. 

'Oh, very well, ' said the stranger; 'anything to avoid fuss. '

When the well lid was padlocked down again, Lucy said:

'What country is this?' though she was almost sure, because of thepine-apples, that it was Somnolentia. And when they had said that wordshe said:

'Now I'll tell you something. The Deliverer is coming up that well nexttime you draw water. He is coming to deliver you from the bondage of theGreat Sloth. '

'It is true, ' said the red round-headed leader, 'that we are in bondage. And the Great Sloth wearies us with the singing of choric songs when welong to be asleep. But none can deliver us. There is no hope. There isnothing good but sleep. And of that we have never enough. '

'Oh, dear, ' said Lucy despairingly, 'aren't there any women here? Theyalways have more sense than men. '

'What you say is rude as well as untrue, ' said the red leader; 'but toavoid fuss we will lead you and your fierce dog to the huts of thewomen. And then perhaps you will allow us to go to sleep. '

The huts were poor and mean, little fenced-in corners in the ruins ofwhat had once been a great and beautiful city, with gardens and streams;but now the streams were dry and nothing grew in the gardens but weedsand pine-apples. 

But the women--who all wore green tunics of the same stiff shape as themen's--were not quite so sleepy as their husbands. They brought Lucyfresh pine-apples to eat, and were dreamily interested in the cut of herclothes and the begging accomplishments of Brenda. And from the womenshe learned several things about the Somnolentians. They all wore thesame shaped tunics, only the colours differed. The women's were green, the drawers of water wore red, the attendants of the Great Sloth woreblack, and the pine-apple gatherers wore yellow. 

And as Lucy sat at the door of the hut and watched the people in thesefour colours going lazily about among the ruins she suddenly knew whatthey were, and she exclaimed:

'I know what you are; you're Halma men. '

Instantly every man within earshot made haste to get away, and the womenwhispered, 'Hush! It is death to breathe that name. '

'But why?' Lucy asked. 

'Halma was the great captain of our race, ' said the woman, 'and theGreat Sloth fears that if we hear his name it will rouse us and we shallbreak from bondage and become once more a free people. '

Lucy determined that they should hear that name pretty often; but beforeshe could speak it again the woman sighed, and remarking 'The GreatSloth sleeps, ' fell asleep then and there over the pine-apple she waspeeling. A vast silence settled on the city, and next moment Lucy alsoslept. She slept for hours. 

 . . . . . . . 

It took her some time to find the keeper of the padlock key, and whenshe had found him he refused to use it. Nothing would move him, not eventhe threat of the fierceness of Brenda. 

At last, almost in despair, Lucy suddenly remembered a word of power. 

'I command you to open the well and let down the bucket, ' she said. 'Icommand you by the great name of Halma. '

'It is death to speak that name, ' said the keeper of the key, lookingover his shoulder anxiously. 

'It is life to speak that name, ' said Lucy. 'Halma! Halma! Halma! If youdon't open that well I'll carve the name on a pine-apple and send it inon the golden tray with the Great Sloth's dinner. '

'It would have the lives of hundreds for that, ' said the keeper inhorror. 

'Open the well then, ' said Lucy. 

 . . . . . . . 

They all held a council as soon as Philip and Max had been safely drawnup in the bucket, and Lucy told them all she knew. 

'I think whatever we do we ought to be quick, ' said Lucy; 'that GreatSloth is dangerous. I'm sure it is. It's sent already to say I am to bebrought to its presence to sing songs to it while it goes to sleep. Itdoesn't mind me because it knows I'm not the Deliverer. And if you'lllet me, I believe I can work everything all right. But if it knowsyou're here, it'll be much harder. '

The degraded Halma men were watching them from a distance, in whisperinggroups. 

'I shall go and sing to the Great Sloth, ' she said, 'and you must goabout and say the name of power to every one you meet, and tell themyou're the Deliverer. Then if my idea doesn't come off, we mustoverpower the Great Sloth by numbers and . . . . You just go about saying"Halma!"--see?'

'While you do the dangerous part? Likely!' said Philip. 

'It's not dangerous. It never hurts the people who sing--never, ' saidLucy. 'Now I'm going. '

And she went before Philip could stop her. 

'Let her go, ' said the parrot; 'she is a wise child. '

The temple of the Great Sloth was built of solid gold. It had beautifulpillars and doorways and windows and courts, one inside the other, eachpaved with gold flagstones. And in the very middle of everything was alarge room which was entirely feather-bed. There the Great Sloth passedits useless life in eating, sleeping and listening to music. 

Outside the moorish arch that led to this inner room Lucy stopped andbegan to sing. She had a clear little voice and she sang 'Jockey to theFair, ' and 'Early one morning, ' and then she stopped. 

And a great sleepy slobbery voice came out from the room and said:

'Your songs are in very bad taste. Do you know no sleepy songs?'

'Your people sing you sleepy songs, ' said Lucy. 'What a pity they can'tsing to you all the time. '

'You have a sympathetic nature, ' said the Great Sloth, and it came outand leaned on the pillar of its door and looked at her with sleepyinterest. It was enormous, as big as a young elephant, and it walked onits hind legs like a gorilla. It was very black indeed. 

'It _is_ a pity, ' it said; 'but they say they cannot live withoutdrinking, so they waste their time in drawing water from the wells. '

'Wouldn't it be nice, ' said Lucy, 'if you had a machine for drawingwater. Then they could sing to you all day--if they chose. '

'If _I_ chose, ' said the Great Sloth, yawning like a hippopotamus. 'I amsleepy. Go!'

'No, ' said Lucy, and it was so long since the Great Sloth had heard thatword that the shock of the sound almost killed its sleepiness. 

'_What_ did you say?' it asked, as if it could not believe its largeears. 

'I said "No, "' said Lucy. 'I mean that you are so great and grand youhave only to wish for anything and you get it. '

'Is that so?' said the Great Sloth dreamily and like an American. 

'Yes, ' said Lucy with firmness. 'You just say, "I wish I had a machineto draw up water for eight hours a day. " That's the proper length for aworking day. Father says so. '

'Say it all again, and slower, ' said the creature. 'I didn't quite catchwhat you said. '

Lucy repeated the words. 

'If that's all. . . . ' said the Great Sloth; 'now say it again, veryslowly indeed. '

Lucy did so and the Great Sloth repeated after her:

'I wish I had a machine to draw up water for eight hours a day. '

'Don't, ' it said angrily, looking back over its shoulder into thefeather-bedded room, 'don't, I say. Where are you shoving to? Who areyou? What are you doing in my room? Come out of it. '

Something did come out of the room, pushing the Great Sloth away fromthe door. And what came out was the vast feather-bed in enormous rollsand swellings and bulges. It was being pushed out by something so bigand strong that it was stronger that the Great Sloth itself, and pushedthat mountain of lazy sloth-flesh half across its own inner courtyard. Lucy retreated before its advancing bulk and its extreme rage. 

'Push me out of my own feather-bedroom, would it?' said the Sloth, nowhardly sleepy at all. 'You wait till I get hold of it, whatever it is. '

The whole of the feather-bed was out in the courtyard now, and the GreatSloth climbed slowly back over it into its room to find out who haddared to outrage its Slothful Majesty. 

Lucy waited, breathless with hope and fear, as the Great Sloth blunderedback into the inner room of its temple. It did not come out again. There was a silence, and then a creaking sound and the voice of theGreat Sloth saying:

'No, no, no, I won't. Let go, I tell you. ' Then more sounds of creakingand the sound of metal on metal. 

She crept to the arch and peeped round it. 

The room that had been full of feather-bed was now full of wheels andcogs and bands and screws and bars. It was full, in fact, of a large andcomplicated machine. And the handle of that machine was being turned bythe Great Sloth itself. 

'Let me go, ' said the Great Sloth, gnashing its great teeth. 'I won'twork!'

'You must, ' said a purring voice from the heart of the machinery. 'Youwished for me, and now you have to work me eight hours a day. It is thelaw'; it was the machine itself which spoke. 

'I'll break you, ' said the Sloth. 

'I am unbreakable, ' said the machine with gentle pride. 

'This is your doing, ' said the Sloth, turning its furious eyes on Lucyin the doorway. 'You wait till I catch you!' And all the while it had togo on turning that handle. 

'Thank you, ' said Lucy politely; 'I think I will not wait. And I shallhave eight hours' start, ' she added. 

Even as she spoke a stream of clear water began to run from the pumpingmachine. It slid down the gold steps and across the golden court. Lucyran out into the ruined square of the city shouting:

'Halma! Halma! Halma! To me, Halma's men!'

And the men, already excited by Philip, who had gone about saying thatname of power without a moment's pause all the time Lucy had been in thegolden temple, gathered round her in a crowd. 

'Quick!' she said; 'the Great Sloth is pumping water up for you. He willpump for eight hours a day. Quick! dig a channel for the water to runin. The Deliverer, ' she pointed to Philip, 'has given you back yourriver. '

Some ran to look out old rusty half-forgotten spades and picks. Butothers hesitated and said:

'The Great Sloth will work for eight hours, and then it will be free towork vengeance on us. '

'I will go back, ' said Lucy, 'and explain to it that if it does notbehave nicely you will all wish for machine guns, and it knows nowthat if people wish for machinery they have to use it. It will beawake now for eight hours and if you all work for eight hours a dayyou'll soon have your city as fine as ever. And there's one new law. Every time the clock strikes you must all say "Halma!" aloud, every oneof you, to remind yourselves of your great destiny, and that you are nolonger slaves of the Great Sloth. '

[Illustration: And all the while it had to go on turning that handle. ]

She went back and explained machine guns very carefully to the nowhard-working Sloth. When she came back all the men were at work digginga channel for the new river. 

The women and children crowded round Lucy and Philip. 

'Ah!' said the oldest woman of all, 'now we shall be able to wash inwater. I've heard my grandmother say water was very pleasant to wash in. I never thought I should live to wash in water myself. '

'Why?' Lucy asked. 'What do you wash in?'

'Pine-apple juice, ' said a dozen voices, 'when we _do_ wash!'

'But that must be very sticky, ' said Lucy. 

'It is, ' said the oldest woman of all; 'very!'

CHAPTER XI

THE NIGHT ATTACK

The Halma men were not naturally lazy. They were, in the days before thecoming of the Great Sloth, a most energetic and industrious people. Nowthat the Sloth was obliged to work eight hours a day, the weight of itsconstant and catching sleepiness was taken away, and the people set towork in good earnest. (I did explain, didn't I, that the Great Sloth'ssleepiness really was catching, like measles?)

So now the Halma men were as busy as ants. Some dug the channel for thenew stream, some set to work to restore the buildings, while othersweeded the overgrown gardens and ploughed the deserted fields. The headHalma man painted in large letters on a column in the market-place thesewords:

'This city is now called by its ancient name of Briskford. Any citizenfound calling it Somnolentia will not be allowed to wash in water for aweek. '

The head-man was full of schemes, the least of which was the lighting ofthe town by electricity, the power to be supplied by the Great Sloth. 

'He can't go on pumping eight hours a day, ' said the head-man; 'I caneasily adjust the machine to all sorts of other uses. '

In the evening a banquet was (of course) given to the Deliverers. Thebanquet was all pine-apple and water, because there had been no time tomake or get anything else. But the speeches were very flattering; andPhilip and Lucy were very pleased, more so than Brenda, who did not likepine-apple and made but little effort to conceal her disappointment. Maxaccepted bits of pine-apple, out of politeness, and hid them among thefeet of the guests so that nobody's feelings should be hurt. 

'I don't know how we're to get back to the island, ' said Philip nextday, 'now we've lost the _Lightning Loose_. '

'I think we'd better go back by way of Polistopolis, ' said Lucy, 'andfind out who's been opening the books. If they go on they may let simplyanything out. And if the worst comes to the worst, perhaps we could getsome one to help us to open the _Teal_ book again and get the _Teal_out to cross to the island in. '

'Lu, ' said Philip with feeling, 'you're clever, really clever. No, I'mnot kidding. I mean it. And I'm sorry I ever said you were only a girl. But how are we to get to Polistopolis?'

It was a difficult problem. The head-man could offer no suggestions. Itwas Brenda who suggested asking the advice of the Great Sloth. 

'He is such a fine figure of an animal, ' she said admiringly; 'sohandsome and distinguished-looking. I am sure he must have a reallygreat mind. I always think good looks go with really great minds, don'tyou, dear Lucy?'

'We might as well, ' said Philip, 'if no one can think of anything else. '

No one could. So they decided to take Brenda's advice. 

Now that the Sloth worked every day it was not nearly so disagreeable asit had been when it slept so much. 

The children approached it at the dinner hour and it listened patientlyif drowsily to their question. When it had quite done, it reflected--orseemed to reflect; perhaps it had fallen asleep--until the town clockstruck one, the time for resuming work. Then it got up and slouchedtowards its machine. 

'Cucumbers, ' it said, and began to turn the handle of its wheel. Theyhad to wait till tea-time to ask it what it meant, for in that town therule about not speaking to the man at the wheel was strictly enforced. 

'Cucumbers, ' the Sloth repeated, and added a careful explanation. 'Yousit on the end of any young cucumber which points in the desireddirection, and when it has grown to its full length--say sixteeninches--why, then you are sixteen inches on your way. '

'But that's not much, ' said Lucy. 

'Every little helps, ' said the Sloth; 'more haste less speed. Then youwait till the cucumber seeds, and, when the new plants grow, you selectthe earliest cucumber that points in the desired direction and take yourseat on it. By the end of the cucumber season you will be anothersixteen--or with luck seventeen--inches on your way. Thirty-two inchesin all, almost a yard. And thus you progress towards your goal, slowlybut surely, like in politics. '

'Thank you very much, ' said Philip; 'we will think it over. '

But it did not need much thought. 

'If we could get a motor car!' said Philip. 'If you can get machines bywishing for them. . . . '

'The very thing, ' said Lucy, 'let's find the head-man. _We_ mustn't wishfor a motor or we should have to go on using it. But perhaps there'ssome one here who'd like to drive a motor--for his living, you know?'

There was. A Halma man, with an inborn taste for machinery, had longpined to leave the gathering of pine-apples to others. He was induced towish for a motor and a B. S. A. Sixty horse-power car snorted suddenly inthe place where a moment before no car was. 

'Oh, the luxury! This is indeed like home, ' sighed Brenda, curling up onthe air-cushions. 

And the children certainly felt a gloriously restful sensation. Nothingto be done; no need to think or bother. Just to sit quiet and be borneswiftly on through wonderful cities, all of which Philip vaguelyremembered to have seen, small and near, and built by his own hands andHelen's. 

And so, at last, they came close to Polistopolis. Philip never couldtell how it was that he stopped the car outside the city. It must havebeen some quite unaccountable instinct, because naturally, you know, when you are not used to being driven in motors, you like to dash up tothe house you are going to, and enjoy your friends' enjoyment of thegrand way in which you have travelled. But Philip felt--in that quitecertain and quite unexplainable way in which you do feel thingssometimes--that it was best to stop the car among the suburban groves ofsouthernwood, and to creep into the town in the disguise afforded bymotor coats, motor veils and motor goggles. (For of course all these hadcome with the motor car when it was wished for, because no motor car iscomplete without them. )

[Illustration: Philip felt that it was best to stop the car among thesuburban groves of southernwood. ]

They said good-bye warmly to the Halma motor man, and went quietlytowards the town, Max and Brenda keeping to heel in the mostpraiseworthy way, and the parrot nestling inside Philip's jacket, for itwas chilled by the long rush through the evening air. 

And now the scattered houses and spacious gardens gave place to thestreets of Polistopolis, the capital of the kingdom. And the streetswere strangely deserted. The children both felt--in that quite certainand unexplainable way--that it would be unwise of them to go to theplace where they had slept the last time they were in that city. 

The whole party was very tired. Max walked with drooping tail, andBrenda was whining softly to herself from sheer weariness andweak-mindedness. The parrot alone was happy--or at least contented. Because it was asleep. 

At the corner of a little square planted with southernwood-trees intubs, Philip called a halt. 

'Where shall we go?' he said; 'let us put it to the vote. '

And even as he spoke, he saw a dark form creeping along in the shadow ofthe houses. 

'Who goes there?' Philip cried with proper spirit, and the answersurprised him, all the more that it was given with a kind of desperatebravado. 

'I go here; I, Plumbeus, Captain of the old Guard of Polistopolis. '

'Oh, it's you!' cried Philip; 'I _am_ glad. You can advise us. Where canwe go to sleep? Somehow or other I don't care to go to the house wherewe stayed before. '

The captain made no answer. He simply caught at the hands of Lucy andPhilip, dragged them through a low arched doorway and, as soon as thelong lengths of Brenda and Max had slipped through, closed the door. 

'Safe, ' he said in a breathless way, which made Philip feel that safetywas the last thing one could count on at that moment. 

'Now, speak low, who knows what spies may be listening? I am a plainman. I speak as I think. You came out of the unknown. You may be theDeliverer or the Destroyer. But I am a judge of faces--always was froma boy--and I cannot believe that this countenance of apple-cheekedinnocence is that of a Destroyer. '

Philip was angry and Lucy was furious. So he said nothing. And she said:

'Apple-cheeked yourself!' which was very rude. 

'I see that you are annoyed, ' said the captain in the dark, where, ofcourse, he could see nothing; 'but in calling your friend apple-cheekedI was merely offering the highest compliment in my power. The absence offruit in this city is, I suppose, the reason why our compliments arelike that. I believe poets say "sweet as a rose"--_we_ say "sweet as anorange. " May I be allowed unreservedly to apologise?'

'Oh, that's all right, ' said Philip awkwardly. 

'And to ask whether you _are_ the Deliverer?'

'I hope so, ' said Philip modestly. 

'Of course he is, ' said the parrot, putting its head out from the frontof Philip's jacket; 'and he has done six deeds out of the sevenalready. '

'It is time that deeds were done here, ' said the captain. 'I'll make alight and get you some supper. I'm in hiding here; but the walls arethick and all the shutters are shut. '

He bolted a door and opened the slide of a dark lantern. 

'Some of us have taken refuge in the old prison, ' he said; 'it's neverused, you know, so her spies don't infest it as they do every other partof the city. '

'Whose spies?'

'The Destroyer's, ' said the captain, getting bread and milk out of acupboard; 'at least, if you're the Deliverer she must be that. But shesays she's the Deliverer. '

He lighted candles and set them on the table as Lucy asked eagerly:

'What Destroyer? Is it a horrid woman in a motor veil?'

'You've guessed it, ' said the captain gloomily. 

'It's that Pretenderette, ' said Philip. 'Does Mr. Noah know? What hasshe been doing?'

'Everything you can think of, ' said the captain; 'she says she's Queen, and that she's done the seven deeds. And Mr. Noah doesn't know, becauseshe's set a guard round the city, and no message can get out or in. '

'The Hippogriff?' said Lucy. 

'Yes, of course I thought of that, ' said the captain. 'And so did she. She's locked it up and thrown the key into one of the municipal wells. '

'But why do the guards obey her?' Philip asked. 

'They're not _our_ guards, of course, ' the captain answered. 'They'restrange soldiers that she got out of a book. She got the people to pulldown the Hall of Justice by pretending there was fruit in the giganticbooks it's built with. And when the book was opened these soldiers camemarching out. The Sequani and the Aedui they call themselves. And whenyou've finished supper we ought to hold a council. There are a lot of ushere. All sorts. Distinctions of rank are forgotten in times of publicperil. '

Some twenty or thirty people presently gathered in that round room fromwhose windows Philip and Lucy had looked out when they were firstimprisoned. There were indeed all sorts, match-servants, domino-men, soldiers, china-men, Mr. Noah's three sons and his wife, a pirate and acouple of sailors. 

'What book, ' Philip asked Lucy in an undertone, 'did she get thesesoldiers out of?'

'Caesar, I think, ' said Lucy. 'And I'm afraid it was my fault. Iremember telling her about the barbarians and the legions and thingsafter father had told me--when she was my nurse, you know. She's veryclever at thinking of horrid things to do, isn't she?'

The council talked for two hours, and nobody said anything worthmentioning. When every one was quite tired out, every one went to bed. 

It was Philip who woke in the night in the grasp of a sudden idea. 

'What is it?' asked Max, rousing himself from his warm bed at Philip'sfeet. 

'I've thought of something, ' said Philip in a low excited voice. 'I'mgoing to have a night attack. '

'Shall I wake the others?' asked Max, ever ready to oblige. 

Philip thought a moment. Then:

'No, ' he said, 'it's rather dangerous; and besides I want to do it allby myself. Lucy's done more than her share already. Look out, Max; I'mgoing to get up and go out. '

He got up and he went out. There was a faint greyness of dawn now whichshowed him the great square of the city on which he and Lucy had lookedfrom the prison window, a very long time ago as it seemed. He foundwithout difficulty the ruins of the Hall of Justice. 

And among the vast blocks scattered on the ground was one that seemed ofgrey marble, and bore on its back in gigantic letters of gold the words_De Bello Gallico_. 

Philip stole back to the prison and roused the captain. 

'I want twenty picked men, ' he said, 'without boots--and at once. '

He got them, and he led them to the ruins of the Justice Hall. 

'Now, ' he said, 'raise the cover of this book; only the cover, not anyof the pages. '

The men set their shoulders to the marble slab that was the book's coverand heaved it up. And as it rose on their shoulders Philip spoke softly, urgently. 

'Caesar, ' he said, 'Caesar!'

And a voice answered from under the marble slab. 

'Who calls?' it said. 'Who calls upon Julius Caesar?'

And from the space below the slab, as it were from a marble tomb, a thinfigure stepped out, clothed in toga and cloak and wearing on its head acrown of bays. 

'_I_ called, ' said Philip in a voice that trembled a little. 'There's noone but you who can help. The barbarians of Gaul hold this city. I callon great Caesar to drive them away. No one else can help us. '

Caesar stood for a moment silent in the grey twilight. Then he spoke. 

'I will do it, ' he said; 'you have often tried to master Caesar andalways failed. Now you shall be no more ashamed of that failure, for youshall see Caesar's power. Bid your slaves raise the leaves of my book tothe number of fifteen. '

It was done, and Caesar turned towards the enormous open book. 

'Come forth!' he said. 'Come forth, my legions!'

Then something in the book moved suddenly, and out of it, as out of anopen marble tomb, came long lines of silent armed men, ranged themselvesin ranks, and, passing Caesar, saluted. And still more came, and moreand more, each with the round shield and the shining helmet and thejavelins and the terrible short sword. And on their backs were thepackages they used to carry with them into war. 

'The Barbarians of Gaul are loose in this city, ' said the voice of thegreat commander; 'drive them before you once more as you drove them ofold. '

'Whither, O Caesar?' asked one of the Roman generals. 

'Drive them, O Titus Labienus, ' said Caesar, 'back into that bookwherein I set them more than nineteen hundred years ago, and from whichthey have dared to escape. Who is their leader?' he asked of Philip. 

'The Pretenderette, ' said Philip; 'a woman in a motor veil. '

'Caesar does not war with women, ' said the man in the laurel crown; 'lether be taken prisoner and brought before me. '

Low-voiced, the generals of Caesar's army gave their commands, and withincredible quietness the army moved away, spreading itself out in alldirections. 

'She has caged the Hippogriff, ' said Philip; 'the winged horse, and wewant to send him with a message. '

'See that the beast is freed, ' said Caesar, and turned to Plumbeus thecaptain. 'We be soldiers together, ' he said. 'Lead me to the main gate. It is there that the fight will be fiercest. ' He laid a hand on thecaptain's shoulder, and at the head of the last legion, Caesar and thecaptain of the soldiers marched to the main gate. 

CHAPTER XII

THE END

Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy. 

'I hate you, ' she said briefly, and Philip understood. 

'I couldn't help it, ' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself. '

And Lucy understood. 

'And besides, ' he said, 'I was coming back for you. Don't be snarkyabout it, Lu. I've called up Caesar himself. And you shall see himbefore he goes back into the book. Come on; if we're sharp we can hidein the ruins of the Justice Hall and see everything. I noticed there wasa bit of the gallery left standing. Come on. I want you to think whatmessage to send by the Hippogriff to Mr. Noah. '

'Oh, you needn't trouble about that, ' said Lucy in an off-hand manner. 'I sent the parrot off _ages_ ago. '

'And you never told me! Then I think that's quits; don't you?'

Lucy had a short struggle with herself (you know those unpleasant anddifficult struggles, I am sure!) and said:

'Right-o!'

And together they ran back to the Justice Hall. 

The light was growing every moment, and there was now a sound ofmovement in the city. Women came down to the public fountains to drawwater, and boys swept the paths and doorsteps. That sort of work goes oneven when barbarians are surrounding a town. And the ordinary sounds ofa town's awakening came to Lucy and Philip as they waited; crowing cocksand barking dogs and cats mewing faintly for the morning milk. But itwas not for those sounds that Lucy and Philip were waiting. 

So through those homely and familiar sounds they listened, listened, listened; and very gradually, so that they could neither of them havesaid at any moment 'Now it has begun, ' yet quite beyond mistake thesound for which they listened was presently loud in their ears. And itwas the sound of steel on steel; the sound of men shouting in thebreathless moment between sword-stroke and sword-stroke; the cry ofvictory and the wail of defeat. 

And, presently, the sound of feet that ran. 

And now a man shot out from a side street and ran across the squaretowards the Palace of Justice where Lucy and Philip were hidden in thegallery. And now another and another all running hard and making for theruined hall as hunted creatures make for cover. Rough, big, blond, theirlong hair flying behind them, and their tunics of beast-skins flappingas they ran, the barbarians fled before the legions of Caesar. The greatmarble-covered book that looked like a marble tomb was still open, itscover and fifteen leaves propped up against the tall broken columns ofthe gateway of the Justice Hall. Into that open book leapt the firstbarbarian, leapt and vanished, and the next after him and the next, andthen, by twos and threes and sixes and sevens, they leapt in anddisappeared, amid gasping and shouting and the nearing sound of thebucina and of the trumpets of Rome. 

Then from all quarters of the city the Roman soldiers came trooping, andas the last of the barbarians plunged headlong into the open book, theRomans formed into ordered lines and waited, while a man might countten. Then, advancing between their ranks, came the spare form and thinface of the man with the laurel crown. 

[Illustration: They leapt in and disappeared. ]

Twelve thousand swords flashed in air and wavered a little like reeds inthe breeze, then steadied themselves, and the shout went up from twelvethousand throats:

'Ave Caesar!'

And without haste and without delay the Romans filed through the ruinsto the marble-covered book, and two by two entered it and disappeared. Each as he passed the mighty conqueror saluted him with proud mutereverence. 

When the last soldier was hidden in the book, Caesar looked round him, alittle wistfully. 

'I must speak to him; I must, ' Lucy cried; 'I _must_. Oh, what a darlinghe is!'

She ran down the steps from the gallery and straight to Caesar. Hesmiled when she reached him, and gently pinched her ear. Fancy goingthrough the rest of your life hearing all the voices of the worldthrough an ear that has been pinched by Caesar!

'Oh, thank you! thank you!' said Philip; 'how splendid you are. I'llswot up my Latin like anything next term, so as to read about you. '

'Are they all in?' Lucy asked. 'I do hope nobody was hurt. '

Caesar smiled. 

'A most unreasonable wish, my child, after a great battle!' he said. 'But for once the unreasonable is the inevitable. Nobody was hurt. Yousee it was necessary to get every man back into the book just as he leftit, or what would the schoolmasters have done? There remain now only myown guard who have in charge the false woman who let loose thebarbarians. And here they come. '

Surrounded by a guard with drawn swords the Pretenderette advancedslowly. 

'Hail, woman!' said Caesar. 

'Hail, whoever you are!' said the Pretenderette very sulkily. 

'I hail, ' said Caesar, 'your courage. '

Philip and Lucy looked at each other. Yes, the Pretenderette hadcourage: they had not thought of that before. All the attempts she hadmade against them--she alone in a strange land--yes, these neededcourage. 

'And I demand to know how you came here?'

'When I found he'd been at his building again, ' she said, pointing acontemptuous thumb at Philip, 'I was just going to pull it down, and Iknocked down a brick or two with my sleeve, and not thinking what I wasdoing I built them up again; and then I got a bit giddy and the wholething seemed to begin to grow--candlesticks and bricks and dominoes andeverything, bigger and bigger and bigger, and I looked in. It was as bigas a church by this time, and I saw that boy losing his way among thecandlestick pillars, and I followed him and I listened. And I thought Icould be as good a Deliverer as anybody else. And the motor veil that Iwas going to catch the 2. 37 train in was a fine disguise. '

'You tried to injure the children, ' Caesar reminded her. 

'I don't want to say anything to make you let me off, ' said thePretenderette, 'but at the beginning I didn't think any of it was real. I thought it was a dream. You can let your evil passions go in a dreamand it don't hurt any one. '

'It hurts you, ' Caesar said. 

'Oh! that's no odds, ' said the Pretenderette scornfully. 

'You sought to injure and confound the children at every turn, ' saidCaesar, 'even when you found that things were real. '

'I saw there was a chance of being Queen, ' said the Pretenderette, 'andI took it. Seems to me you've no occasion to talk if you're JuliusCaesar, the same as the bust in the library. You took what you could getright enough in your time, when all's said and done. '

'I hail, ' said Caesar again, 'your courage. '

'You needn't trouble, ' she said, tossing her head; 'my game's up now, and I'll speak my mind if I die for it. You don't understand. You'venever been a servant, to see other people get all the fat and you allthe bones. What you think it's like to know if you'd just been born in agentleman's mansion instead of in a model workman's dwelling you'd havebeen brought up as a young lady and had the openwork silk stockings andthe lace on your under-petticoats. '

'You go too deep for me, ' said Caesar, with the ghost of a smile. 'I nowpronounce your sentence. But life has pronounced on you a sentence worsethan any I can give you. Nobody loves you. '

'Oh, you old silly, ' said the Pretenderette in a burst of angry tears, 'don't you see that's just why everything's happened?'

'You are condemned, ' said Caesar calmly, 'to make yourself beloved. Youwill be taken to Briskford, where you will teach the Great Sloth to likehis work and keep him awake for eight play-hours a day. In the intervalsof your toil you must try to get fond of some one. The Halma people arekind and gentle. You will not find them hard to love. And when the GreatSloth loves his work and the Halma people are so fond of you that theyfeel they cannot bear to lose you, your penance will be over and you cango where you will. '

'You know well enough, ' said the Pretenderette, still tearful andfurious, 'that if that ever happened I shouldn't want to go anywhereelse. '

'Yes, ' said Caesar slowly, 'I know. '

Lucy would have liked to kiss the Pretenderette and say she was sorry, but you can't do that when it is all other people's fault and _they_aren't sorry. And besides, before all these people, it would have lookedlike showing off. You know, I am sure, exactly how Lucy felt. 

The Pretenderette was led away. And now Caesar stood facing thechildren, his hands held out in farewell. The growing light of earlymorning transfigured his face, and to Philip it suddenly seemed to bemost remarkably like the face of That Man, Mr. Peter Graham, whom Helenhad married. He was just telling himself not to be a duffer when Lucycried out in a loud cracked-sounding voice, 'Daddy, oh, Daddy!' andsprang forward. 

And at that moment the sun rose above the city wall, and its raysgleamed redly on the helmet and the breastplate and the shield and thesword of Caesar. The light struck at the children's eyes like a blow. Dazzled, they closed their eyes and when they opened them, blinking andconfused, Caesar was gone and the marble book was closed--for ever. 

 . . . . . . . 

Three days later Mr. Noah arrived by elephant, and the meeting betweenhim and the children is, as they say, better imagined than described. Especially as there is not much time left now for describing anything. Mr. Noah explained that the freeing of Polistopolis from thePretenderette and the barbarians counted as the seventh deed and thatPhilip had now attained the rank of King, the deed of the Great Slothhaving given him the title of Prince of Pine-apples. His expression ofgratitude and admiration were of the warmest, and Philip felt that itwas rather ungrateful of him to say, as he couldn't help saying:

'Now I've done all the deeds, mayn't I go back to Helen?'

'All in good time, ' said Mr. Noah; 'I will at once set about thearrangements for your coronation. '

The coronation was an occasion of unexampled splendour. There was abanquet (of course) and fireworks, and all the guns fired salutes andthe soldiers presented arms, and the ladies presented bouquets. And atthe end Mr. Noah, with a few well-chosen words which brought tears toall eyes, placed the gold crown of Polistarchia upon the brow of Philip, where its diamonds and rubies shone dazzlingly. 

There was an extra crown for Lucy, made of silver and pearls and palesilvery moonstones. 

You have no idea how the Polistarchians shouted. 

'And now, ' said Mr. Noah when it was all over, 'I regret to inform youthat we must part. Polistarchia is a Republic, and of course in arepublic kings and queens are not permitted to exist. Partings arepainful things. And you had better go at once. '

He was plainly very much upset. 

'This is very sudden, ' said Philip. 

And Lucy said, 'I do think it's silly. How shall we get home? All in ahurry, like this?'

'How did you get here?'

'By building a house and getting into it. '

'Then build your own house. Oh, we have models of all the houses youwere ever in. The pieces are all numbered. You only have to put themtogether. '

He led them to a large room behind the hall of Public Amusements andtook down from a shelf a stout box labelled 'The Grange. ' On another boxPhilip saw 'Laburnum Cottage. '

Mr. Noah, kneeling on his yellow mat, tumbled the contents of the boxout on the floor, and Philip and Lucy set to work to build a house withthe exquisitely finished little blocks and stones and beams and windowsand chimneys. 

'I cannot bear to see you go, ' said Mr. Noah. 'Good-bye, good-bye. Remember me sometimes!'

'We shall never forget you, ' said the children, jumping up hugging him. 

'Good-bye!' said the parrot who had followed them in. 

'Good-bye, good-bye!' said everybody. 

'I wish the _Lightning Loose_ was not lost, ' Philip even at this partingmoment remembered to say. 

'She isn't, ' said Mr. Noah. 'She flew back to the island directly youleft her. Sails are called wings, are they not? White wings that nevergrow weary, you know. Relieved of your weight, the faithful yacht flewhome like any pigeon. '

'Hooray!' said Philip. 'I couldn't bear to think of her rotting away ina cavern. '

'I wish Max and Brenda had come to say good-bye, ' said Lucy. 

'It is not needed, ' said Mr. Noah mysteriously. And then everybody saidgood-bye again, and Mr. Noah rolled up his yellow mat, put it under hisarm again, and went--for ever. 

The children built the Grange, and when the beautiful little model ofthat house was there before them, perfect, they stood still a moment, looking at it. 

'I wish we could be two people each, ' said Lucy, 'and one of each of usgo home and one of each of us stay here. Oh!' she cried suddenly, andsnatched at Philip's arm. For a slight strange giddiness had suddenlycaught her. Philip too swayed a little uncertainly and stood a momentwith his hand to his head. The children gazed about them bewildered andstill a little giddy. The room was gone, the model of the Grange wasgone. Over their heads was blue sky, under their feet was green grass, and in front stood the Grange itself, with its front door wide open andon the steps Helen and Mr. Peter Graham. 

That telegram had brought them home. 

 . . . . . . . 

You will wonder how Lucy explained where she had been when she was lost. She never did explain. There are some things, as you know, that cannotbe explained. But the curious thing is that no one ever asked for anexplanation. The grown-ups must have thought they knew all about it, which, of course, was very far from being the truth. 

When the four people on the doorstep of the Grange had finished sayinghow glad they were to see each other--that day on the steps when Philipand Lucy came back from Polistarchia, Helen and Mr. Peter Graham cameback from Belgium--Helen said:

'And we've brought you each the loveliest present. Fetch them, Peter, there's a dear. '

Mr. Peter Graham went to the stable-yard and came back followed by twolong tan dachshunds, who rushed up to the children frisking and fawningin a way they well knew. 

'Why Max! why Brenda!' cried Philip. 'Oh, Helen! are they for us?'

'Yes, dear, of course they are, ' said Helen; 'but how did you know theirnames?'

That was one of the things which Philip could not tell, then. 

But he told Helen the whole story later, and she said it was wonderful, and how clever of him to make all that up, and that when he was a man hewould be able to be an author and to write books. 

'And do you know, ' she said, 'I _did_ dream about the island--quite along dream, only when I woke up I could only remember that I'd beenthere and seen you. But no doubt I dreamed about Mr. Noah and all therest of it as well, only I forgot it. '

 . . . . . . . 

And Max and Brenda of course loved every one. Their characters werequite unchanged. Only the children had forgotten the language ofanimals, so that conversation between them and the dogs was for everimpossible. But Max and Brenda understand every word you say--any onecan see that. 

 . . . . . . . 

You want to know what became of the redheaded, steely-eyed nurse, thePretenderette, who made so much mischief and trouble? Well, I supposeshe is still living with the Halma folk, teaching the Great Sloth tolike his work and learning to be fond of people--which is the only wayto be happy. At any rate no one that I know of has ever seen her againanywhere else. 

THE END

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Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired. 

The ~ symbol in the text form is used to indicate a much smaller type inthe original for a much smaller voice. 

Page 80, "delightfull" was changed to "delightful". (that delightfulchess-table)

Page 265, "cocoanut" changed to "cocoa-nut" to conform to the rest oftext. (cocoa-nut-ice plants)