TO
　　DrWallisBudgeoftheBritishMuseumasasmalltokenofgratitudeforhisunfailingkindnessandhelpinthemakingofitCONTENTS
　　1。ThePsammead2。TheHalfAmulet3。ThePast4。EightThousandYearsAgo5。TheFightintheVillage6。TheWaytoBabylon7。’TheDeepestDungeonBelowtheCastleMoat’
　　8。TheQueeninLondon9。Atlantis10。TheLittleBlackGirlandJuliusCaesar11。BeforePharaoh12。TheSorry—PresentandtheExpelledLittleBoy13。TheShipwreckontheTinIslands14。TheHeart’sDesireCHAPTER1
　　THEPSAMMEAD
　　Therewereoncefourchildrenwhospenttheirsummerholidaysinawhitehouse，happilysituatedbetweenasandpitandachalkpit。
　　Onedaytheyhadthegoodfortunetofindinthesandpitastrangecreature。Itseyeswereonlonghornslikesnail’seyes，anditcouldmovetheminandoutliketelescopes。Ithadearslikeabat’sears，anditstubbybodywasshapedlikeaspider’sandcoveredwiththicksoftfur——andithadhandsandfeetlikeamonkey’s。Ittoldthechildren——whosenameswereCyril，Robert，Anthea，andJane——thatitwasaPsammeadorsand—fairy。
　　（PsammeadispronouncedSammy—ad。）Itwasold，old，old，anditsbirthdaywasalmostattheverybeginningofeverything。Andithadbeenburiedinthesandforthousandsofyears。Butitstillkeptitsfairylikeness，andpartofthisfairylikenesswasitspowertogivepeoplewhatevertheywishedfor。Youknowfairieshavealwaysbeenabletodothis。Cyril，Robert，Anthea，andJanenowfoundtheirwishescometrue；but，somehow，theynevercouldthinkofjusttherightthingstowishfor，andtheirwishessometimesturnedoutveryoddlyindeed。IntheendtheirunwisewishingslandedtheminwhatRobertcalled’averytightplaceindeed’，andthePsammeadconsentedtohelpthemoutofitinreturnfortheirpromisenevernevertoaskittograntthemanymorewishes，andnevertotellanyoneaboutit，becauseitdidnotwanttobebotheredtogivewishestoanyoneeveranymore。AtthemomentofpartingJanesaidpolitely——
　　’Iwishweweregoingtoseeyouagainsomeday。’
　　AndthePsammead，touchedbythisfriendlythought，grantedthewish。ThebookaboutallthisiscalledFiveChildrenandIt，anditendsupinamosttiresomewaybysaying——
　　’ThechildrenDIDseethePsammeadagain，butitwasnotinthesandpit；itwas——butImustsaynomore——’
　　ThereasonthatnothingmorecouldbesaidwasthatIhadnotthenbeenabletofindoutexactlywhenandwherethechildrenmetthePsammeadagain。OfcourseIknewtheywouldmeetit，becauseitwasabeastofitsword，andwhenitsaidathingwouldhappen，thatthinghappenedwithoutfail。HowdifferentfromthepeoplewhotellusaboutwhatweatheritisgoingtobeonThursdaynext，inLondon，theSouthCoast，andChannel！
　　ThesummerholidaysduringwhichthePsammeadhadbeenfoundandthewishesgivenhadbeenwonderfulholidaysinthecountry，andthechildrenhadthehighesthopesofjustsuchanotherholidayforthenextsummer。ThewinterholidayswerebeguiledbythewonderfulhappeningsofThePhoenixandtheCarpet，andthelossofthesetwotreasureswouldhaveleftthechildrenindespair，butforthesplendidhopeoftheirnextholidayinthecountry。
　　Theworld，theyfelt，andindeedhadsomereasontofeel，wasfullofwonderfulthings——andtheywerereallythesortofpeoplethatwonderfulthingshappento。Sotheylookedforwardtothesummerholiday；butwhenitcameeverythingwasdifferent，andvery，veryhorrid。FatherhadtogoouttoManchuriatotelegraphnewsaboutthewartothetiresomepaperhewrotefor——theDailyBellower，orsomethinglikethat，wasitsname。
　　AndMother，poordearMother，wasawayinMadeira，becauseshehadbeenveryill。AndTheLamb——Imeanthebaby——waswithher。
　　AndAuntEmma，whowasMother’ssister，hadsuddenlymarriedUncleReginald，whowasFather’sbrother，andtheyhadgonetoChina，whichismuchtoofaroffforyoutoexpecttobeaskedtospendtheholidaysin，howeverfondyourauntandunclemaybeofyou。SothechildrenwereleftinthecareofoldNurse，wholivedinFitzroyStreet，neartheBritishMuseum，andthoughshewasalwaysverykindtothem，andindeedspoiledthemfarmorethanwouldbegoodforthemostgrown—upofus，thefourchildrenfeltperfectlywretched，andwhenthecabhaddrivenoffwithFatherandallhisboxesandgunsandthesheepskin，withblanketsandthealuminiummess—kitinsideit，thestoutestheartquailed，andthegirlsbrokedownaltogether，andsobbedineachother’sarms，whiletheboyseachlookedoutofoneofthelonggloomywindowsoftheparlour，andtriedtopretendthatnoboywouldbesuchamuffastocry。
　　IhopeyounoticethattheywerenotcowardlyenoughtocrytilltheirFatherhadgone；theyknewhehadquiteenoughtoupsethimwithoutthat。Butwhenhewasgoneeveryonefeltasifithadbeentryingnottocryallitslife，andthatitmustcrynow，ifitdiedforit。Sotheycried。
　　Tea——withshrimpsandwatercress——cheeredthemalittle。Thewatercresswasarrangedinahedgeroundafatglasssalt—cellar，atastefuldevicetheyhadneverseenbefore。Butitwasnotacheerfulmeal。
　　AfterteaAntheawentuptotheroomthathadbeenFather’s，andwhenshesawhowdreadfullyhewasn’tthere，andrememberedhoweveryminutewastakinghimfurtherandfurtherfromher，andnearerandnearertothegunsoftheRussians，shecriedalittlemore。ThenshethoughtofMother，illandalone，andperhapsatthatverymomentwantingalittlegirltoputeau—de—cologneonherhead，andmakehersuddencupsoftea，andshecriedmorethanever。AndthensherememberedwhatMotherhadsaid，thenightbeforeshewentaway，aboutAntheabeingtheeldestgirl，andabouttryingtomaketheothershappy，andthingslikethat。
　　Soshestoppedcrying，andthoughtinstead。Andwhenshehadthoughtaslongasshecouldbearshewashedherfaceandcombedherhair，andwentdowntotheothers，tryingherbesttolookasthoughcryingwereanexerciseshehadneverevenheardof。
　　Shefoundtheparlourindeepestgloom，hardlyrelievedatallbytheeffortsofRobert，who，tomakethetimepass，waspullingJane’shair——nothard，butjustenoughtotease。
　　’Lookhere，’saidAnthea。’Let’shaveapalaver。’ThisworddatedfromtheawfuldaywhenCyrilhadcarelesslywishedthattherewereRedIndiansinEngland——andtherehadbeen。Thewordbroughtbackmemoriesoflastsummerholidaysandeveryonegroaned；theythoughtofthewhitehousewiththebeautifultangledgarden——lateroses，asters，marigold，sweetmignonette，andfeatheryasparagus——ofthewildernesswhichsomeonehadoncemeanttomakeintoanorchard，butwhichwasnow，asFathersaid，’fiveacresofthistleshauntedbytheghostsofbabycherry—trees’。Theythoughtoftheviewacrossthevalley，wherethelime—kilnslookedlikeAladdin’spalacesinthesunshine，andtheythoughtoftheirownsandpit，withitsfringeofyellowygrassesandpale—stringy—stalkedwildflowers，andthelittleholesinthecliffthatwerethelittlesand—martins’littlefrontdoors。Andtheythoughtofthefreefreshairsmellingofthymeandsweetbriar，andthescentofthewood—smokefromthecottagesinthelane——andtheylookedroundoldNurse’sstuffyparlour，andJanesaid——
　　’Oh，howdifferentitallis！’
　　Itwas。OldNursehadbeeninthehabitoflettinglodgings，tillFathergaveherthechildrentotakecareof。Andherroomswerefurnished’forletting’。Nowitisaveryoddthingthatnooneeverseemstofurnisharoom’forletting’inabitthesamewayasonewouldfurnishitforlivingin。Thisroomhadheavydarkredstuffcurtains——thecolourthatbloodwouldnotmakeastainon——withcoarselacecurtainsinside。Thecarpetwasyellow，andviolet，withbitsofgreyandbrownoilclothinoddplaces。Thefireplacehadshavingsandtinselinit。Therewasaveryvarnishedmahoganychiffonier，orsideboard，withalockthatwouldn’tact。Therewerehardchairs——fartoomanyofthem——withcrochetantimacassarsslippingofftheirseats，allofwhichslopedthewrongway。Thetableworeaclothofacruelgreencolourwithayellowchain—stitchpatternroundit。Overthefireplacewasalooking—glassthatmadeyoulookmuchuglierthanyoureallywere，howeverplainyoumightbetobeginwith。
　　Thentherewasamantelboardwithmaroonplushandwoolfringethatdidnotmatchtheplush；adrearyclocklikeablackmarbletomb——itwassilentasthegravetoo，forithadlongsinceforgottenhowtotick。Andtherewerepaintedglassvasesthatneverhadanyflowersin，andapaintedtambourinethatnooneeverplayed，andpaintedbracketswithnothingonthem。
　　’Andmaple—framedengravingsoftheQueen，theHousesofParliament，thePlainsofHeaven，andofablunt—nosedwoodman’sflatreturn。’
　　Thereweretwobooks——lastDecember’sBradshaw，andanoddvolumeofPlumridge’sCommentaryonThessalonians。Therewere——butI
　　cannotdwelllongeronthispainfulpicture。Itwasindeed，asJanesaid，verydifferent。
　　’Let’shaveapalaver，’saidAntheaagain。
　　’Whatabout？’saidCyril，yawning。
　　’There’snothingtohaveANYTHINGabout，’saidRobertkickingthelegofthetablemiserably。
　　’Idon’twanttoplay，’saidJane，andhertonewasgrumpy。
　　Antheatriedveryhardnottobecross。Shesucceeded。
　　’Lookhere，’shesaid，’don’tthinkIwanttobepreachyorabeastinanyway，butIwanttowhatFathercallsdefinethesituation。Doyouagree？’
　　’Fireahead，’saidCyrilwithoutenthusiasm。
　　’Wellthen。Weallknowthereasonwe’restayinghereisbecauseNursecouldn’tleaveherhouseonaccountofthepoorlearnedgentlemanonthetop—floor。AndtherewasnooneelseFathercouldentrusttotakecareofus——andyouknowit’stakenalotofmoney，Mother’sgoingtoMadeiratobemadewell。’
　　Janesniffedmiserably。
　　’Yes，Iknow，’saidAntheainahurry，’butdon’tlet’sthinkabouthowhorriditallis。Imeanwecan’tgotothingsthatcostalot，butwemustdoSOMETHING。AndIknowthereareheapsofthingsyoucanseeinLondonwithoutpayingforthem，andI
　　thoughtwe’dgoandseethem。Weareallquiteoldnow，andwehaven’tgotTheLamb——’
　　Janesniffedharderthanbefore。
　　’Imeannoonecansay"No"becauseofhim，dearpet。AndI
　　thoughtweMUSTgetNursetoseehowquiteoldweare，andletusgooutbyourselves，orelseweshallneverhaveanysortofatimeatall。AndIvoteweseeeverythingthereis，andlet’sbeginbyaskingNursetogiveussomebitsofbreadandwe’llgotoStJames’sPark。Thereareducksthere，Iknow，wecanfeedthem。OnlywemustmakeNurseletusgobyourselves。’
　　’Hurrahforliberty！’saidRobert，’butshewon’t。’
　　’Yesshewill，’saidJaneunexpectedly。’_I_thoughtaboutthatthismorning，andIaskedFather，andhesaidyes；andwhat’smorehetoldoldNursewemight，onlyhesaidwemustalwayssaywherewewantedtogo，andifitwasrightshewouldletus。’
　　’ThreecheersforthoughtfulJane，’criedCyril，nowrousedatlastfromhisyawningdespair。’Isay，let’sgonow。’
　　Sotheywent，oldNurseonlybeggingthemtobecarefulofcrossings，andtoaskapolicemantoassistinthemoredifficultcases。Buttheywereusedtocrossings，fortheyhadlivedinCamdenTownandknewtheKentishTownRoadwherethetramsrushupanddownlikemadatallhoursofthedayandnight，andseemasthough，ifanything，theywouldratherrunoveryouthannot。
　　Theyhadpromisedtobehomebydark，butitwasJuly，sodarkwouldbeverylateindeed，andlongpastbedtime。
　　TheystartedtowalktoStJames’sPark，andalltheirpocketswerestuffedwithbitsofbreadandthecrustsoftoast，tofeedtheduckswith。Theystarted，Irepeat，buttheynevergotthere。
　　BetweenFitzroyStreetandStJames’sParkthereareagreatmanystreets，and，ifyougotherightwayyouwillpassagreatmanyshopsthatyoucannotpossiblyhelpstoppingtolookat。Thechildrenstoppedtolookatseveralwithgold—laceandbeadsandpicturesandjewelleryanddresses，andhats，andoystersandlobstersintheirwindows，andtheirsorrowdidnotseemnearlysoimpossibletobearasithaddoneinthebestparlouratNo。
　　300，FitzroyStreet。
　　Presently，bysomewonderfulchanceturnofRobert’s（whohadbeenvotedCaptainbecausethegirlsthoughtitwouldbegoodforhim——andindeedhethoughtsohimself——andofcourseCyrilcouldn’tvoteagainsthimbecauseitwouldhavelookedlikeameanjealousy），theycameintothelittleinterestingcriss—crossystreetsthatheldthemostinterestingshopsofall——theshopswherelivethingsweresold。Therewasoneshopwindowentirelyfilledwithcages，andallsortsofbeautifulbirdsinthem。Thechildrenweredelightedtilltheyrememberedhowtheyhadoncewishedforwingsthemselves，andhadhadthem——andthentheyfelthowdesperatelyunhappyanythingwithwingsmustbeifitisshutupinacageandnotallowedtofly。
　　’Itmustbefairlybeastlytobeabirdinacage，’saidCyril。
　　’Comeon！’
　　Theywenton，andCyriltriedtothinkoutaschemeformakinghisfortuneasagold—diggeratKlondyke，andthenbuyingallthecagedbirdsintheworldandsettingthemfree。Thentheycametoashopthatsoldcats，butthecatswereincages，andthechildrencouldnothelpwishingsomeonewouldbuyallthecatsandputthemonhearthrugs，whicharetheproperplacesforcats。
　　Andtherewasthedog—shop，andthatwasnotahappythingtolookateither，becauseallthedogswerechainedorcaged，andallthedogs，bigandlittle，lookedatthefourchildrenwithsadwistfuleyesandwaggedbeseechingtailsasiftheyweretryingtosay，’Buyme！buyme！buyme！andletmegoforawalkwithyou；oh，dobuyme，andbuymypoorbrotherstoo！Do！do！
　　do！’Theyalmostsaid，’Do！do！do！’plaintotheear，astheywhined；allbutonebigIrishterrier，andhegrowledwhenJanepattedhim。
　　’Grrrrr，’heseemedtosay，ashelookedatthemfromthebackcornerofhiseye——’YOUwon’tbuyme。Nobodywill——ever——Ishalldiechainedup——andIdon’tknowthatIcarehowsoonitis，either！’
　　Idon’tknowthatthechildrenwouldhaveunderstoodallthis，onlyoncetheyhadbeeninabesiegedcastle，sotheyknewhowhatefulitistobekeptinwhenyouwanttogetout。
　　Ofcoursetheycouldnotbuyanyofthedogs。Theydid，indeed，askthepriceofthevery，verysmallest，anditwassixty—fivepounds——butthatwasbecauseitwasaJapanesetoyspanielliketheQueenoncehadherportraitpaintedwith，whenshewasonlyPrincessofWales。Butthechildrenthought，ifthesmallestwasallthatmoney，thebiggestwouldrunintothousands——sotheywenton。
　　Andtheydidnotstopatanymorecatordogorbirdshops，butpassedthemby，andatlasttheycametoashopthatseemedasthoughitonlysoldcreaturesthatdidnotmuchmindwheretheywere——suchasgoldfishandwhitemice，andsea—anemonesandotheraquariumbeasts，andlizardsandtoads，andhedgehogsandtortoises，andtamerabbitsandguinea—pigs。Andtheretheystoppedforalongtime，andfedtheguinea—pigswithbitsofbreadthroughthecage—bars，andwonderedwhetheritwouldbepossibletokeepasandy—coloureddouble—lopinthebasementofthehouseinFitzroyStreet。
　　’Idon’tsupposeoldNursewouldmindVERYmuch，’saidJane。
　　’Rabbitsaremostawfullytamesometimes。Iexpectitwouldknowhervoiceandfollowherallabout。’
　　’She’dtumbleoverittwentytimesaday，’saidCyril；’nowasnake——’
　　’Therearen’tanysnakes，saidRoberthastily，’andbesides，I
　　nevercouldcottontosnakessomehow——Iwonderwhy。’
　　’Wormsareasbad，’saidAnthea，’andeelsandslugs——Ithinkit’sbecausewedon’tlikethingsthathaven’tgotlegs。’
　　’Fathersayssnakeshavegotlegshiddenawayinsideofthem，’
　　saidRobert。
　　’Yes——andhesaysWE’VEgottailshiddenawayinsideus——butitdoesn’teitherofitcometoanythingREALLY，’saidAnthea。’I
　　hatethingsthathaven’tanylegs。’
　　’It’sworsewhentheyhavetoomany，’saidJanewithashudder，’thinkofcentipedes！’
　　Theystoodthereonthepavement，acauseofsomeinconveniencetothepassersby，andthusbeguiledthetimewithconversation。
　　Cyrilwasleaninghiselbowonthetopofahutchthathadseemedemptywhentheyhadinspectedthewholeedificeofhutchesonebyone，andhewastryingtoreawakentheinterestofahedgehogthathadcurleditselfintoaballearlierintheinterview，whenasmall，softvoicejustbelowhiselbowsaid，quietly，plainlyandquiteunmistakably——notinanysqueakorwhinethathadtobetranslated——butindownrightcommonEnglish——
　　’Buyme——do——pleasebuyme！’
　　Cyrilstartedasthoughhehadbeenpinched，andjumpedayardawayfromthehutch。
　　’Comeback——oh，comeback！’saidthevoice，ratherlouderbutstillsoftly；’stoopdownandpretendtobetyingupyourbootlace——Iseeit’sundone，asusual。’
　　Cyrilmechanicallyobeyed。Hekneltononekneeonthedry，hotdustypavement，peeredintothedarknessofthehutchandfoundhimselffacetofacewith——thePsammead！
　　Itseemedmuchthinnerthanwhenhehadlastseenit。Itwasdustyanddirty，anditsfurwasuntidyandragged。Ithadhuncheditselfupintoamiserablelump，anditslongsnail’seyesweredrawninquitetightsothattheyhardlyshowedatall。
　　’Listen，’saidthePsammead，inavoicethatsoundedasthoughitwouldbegintocryinaminute，’Idon’tthinkthecreaturewhokeepsthisshopwillaskaveryhighpriceforme。I’vebittenhimmorethanonce，andI’vemademyselflookascommonasIcan。
　　He’sneverhadaglancefrommybeautiful，beautifuleyes。TelltheothersI’mhere——buttellthemtolookatsomeofthoselow，commonbeastswhileI’mtalkingtoyou。Thecreatureinsidemustn’tthinkyoucaremuchaboutme，orhe’llputapriceuponmefar，farbeyondyourmeans。Irememberinthedearolddayslastsummeryouneverhadmuchmoney。Oh——IneverthoughtI
　　shouldbesogladtoseeyou——Ineverdid。’Itsniffed，andshotoutitslongsnail’seyesexpresslytodropatearwellawayfromitsfur。’TelltheothersI’mhere，andthenI’lltellyouexactlywhattodoaboutbuyingme。’Cyriltiedhisbootlaceintoahardknot，stoodupandaddressedtheothersinfirmtones——
　　’Lookhere，’hesaid，’I’mnotkidding——andIappealtoyourhonour，’anappealwhichinthisfamilywasnevermadeinvain。
　　’Don’tlookatthathutch——lookatthewhiterat。NowyouarenottolookatthathutchwhateverIsay。’
　　Hestoodinfrontofittopreventmistakes。
　　’Nowgetyourselvesreadyforagreatsurprise。Inthathutchthere’sanoldfriendofours——DON’Tlook！——Yes；it’sthePsammead，thegoodoldPsammead！itwantsustobuyit。Itsaysyou’renottolookatit。Lookatthewhiteratandcountyourmoney！Onyourhonourdon’tlook！’
　　Theothersrespondednobly。Theylookedatthewhiterattilltheyquitestaredhimoutofcountenance，sothathewentandsatuponhishindlegsinafarcornerandhidhiseyeswithhisfrontpaws，andpretendedhewaswashinghisface。
　　Cyrilstoopedagain，busyinghimselfwiththeotherbootlaceandlistenedforthePsammead’sfurtherinstructions。
　　’Goin，’saidthePsammead，’andaskthepriceoflotsofotherthings。Thensay，"Whatdoyouwantforthatmonkeythat’slostitstail——themangyoldthinginthethirdhutchfromtheend。"
　　Oh——don’tmindMYfeelings——callmeamangymonkey——I’vetriedhardenoughtolooklikeone！Idon’tthinkhe’llputahighpriceonme——I’vebittenhimeleventimessinceIcameherethedaybeforeyesterday。Ifhenamesabiggerpricethanyoucanafford，sayyouwishyouhadthemoney。’
　　’Butyoucan’tgiveuswishes。I’vepromisednevertohaveanotherwishfromyou，’saidthebewilderedCyril。
　　’Don’tbeasillylittleidiot，’saidtheSand—fairyintremblingbutaffectionatetones，’butfindouthowmuchmoneyyou’vegotbetweenyou，anddoexactlywhatItellyou。’
　　Cyril，pointingastiffandunmeaningfingeratthewhiterat，soastopretendthatitscharmsaloneemployedhistongue，explainedmatterstotheothers，whilethePsammeadhuncheditself，andbuncheditself，anddiditsverybesttomakeitselflookuninteresting。Thenthefourchildrenfiledintotheshop。
　　’Howmuchdoyouwantforthatwhiterat？’askedCyril。
　　’Eightpence，’wastheanswer。
　　’Andtheguinea—pigs？’
　　’Eighteenpencetofivebob，accordingtothebreed。’
　　’Andthelizards？’
　　’Ninepenceeach。’
　　’Andtoads？’
　　’Fourpence。Nowlookhere，’saidthegreasyownerofallthiscagedlifewithasuddenferocitywhichmadethewholepartybackhurriedlyontothewainscotingofhutcheswithwhichtheshopwaslined。’Lookeehere。Iain’tagoin’tohaveyouacomin’inhereaturnin’thewholeplaceouterwinder，an’prizingeveryanimileinthestockjustforyourlarks，sodon’tthinkit！Ifyou’reabuyer，BEabuyer——butIneverhadacustomeryetaswantedtobuymice，andlizards，andtoads，andguineasallatonce。Sohoutyougoes。’
　　’Oh！waitaminute，’saidthewretchedCyril，feelinghowfoolishlyyetwell—meaninglyhehadcarriedoutthePsammead’sinstructions。’Justtellmeonething。Whatdoyouwantforthemangyoldmonkeyinthethirdhutchfromtheend？’
　　Theshopmanonlysawinthisanewinsult。
　　’Mangyyoungmonkeyyourself，’saidhe；’getalongwithyourbloomingcheek。Houtyougoes！’
　　’Oh！don’tbesocross，’saidJane，losingherheadaltogether，’don’tyouseehereallyDOESwanttoknowTHAT！’
　　’Ho！does’eindeed，’sneeredthemerchant。Thenhescratchedhisearsuspiciously，forhewasasharpbusinessman，andheknewtheringoftruthwhenheheardit。Hishandwasbandaged，andthreeminutesbeforehewouldhavebeengladtosellthe’mangyoldmonkey’fortenshillings。Now——’Ho！’edoes，does’e，’hesaid，’thentwopunten’smyprice。He’snotgothisfellowthatmonkeyain’t，noryethismatch，notthissideoftheequator，whichhecomesfrom。AndtheonlyoneeverseeninLondon。OughttobeintheZoo。Twopunten，downonthenail，orhoutyougoes！’
　　Thechildrenlookedateachother——twenty—threeshillingsandfivepencewasalltheyhadintheworld，anditwouldhavebeenmerelythreeandfivepence，butforthesovereignwhichFatherhadgiventothem’betweenthem’atparting。’We’veonlytwenty—threeshillingsandfivepence，’saidCyril，rattlingthemoneyinhispocket。
　　’Twenty—threefarthingsandsomebody’sowncheek，’saidthedealer，forhedidnotbelievethatCyrilhadsomuchmoney。
　　Therewasamiserablepause。ThenAnthearemembered，andsaid——
　　’Oh！IWISHIhadtwopoundsten。’
　　’SodoI，Miss，I’msure，’saidthemanwithbitterpoliteness；
　　’Iwishyou’ad，I’msure！’
　　Anthea’shandwasonthecounter，somethingseemedtoslideunderit。Sheliftedit。Therelayfivebrighthalfsovereigns。
　　’Why，IHAVEgotitafterall，’shesaid；’here’sthemoney，nowlet’shavetheSammy，……themonkeyImean。’
　　Thedealerlookedhardatthemoney，buthemadehastetoputitinhispocket。
　　’Ionlyhopeyoucomebyithonest，’hesaid，shrugginghisshoulders。Hescratchedhisearagain。
　　’Well！’hesaid，’IsupposeImustletyouhaveit，butit’sworththribblethemoney，soitis——’
　　Heslowlyledthewayouttothehutch——openedthedoorgingerly，andmadeasuddenfiercegrabatthePsammead，whichthePsammeadacknowledgedinonelastlonglingeringbite。
　　’Here，takethebrute，’saidtheshopman，squeezingthePsammeadsotightthathenearlychokedit。’It’sbitmetothemarrow，ithave。’
　　Theman’seyesopenedasAntheaheldoutherarms。
　　’Don’tblamemeifittearsyourfaceoffitsbones，’hesaid，andthePsammeadmadealeapfromhisdirtyhornyhands，andAntheacaughtitinhers，whichwerenotveryclean，certainly，butatanyrateweresoftandpink，andhelditkindlyandclosely。
　　’Butyoucan’ttakeithomelikethat，’Cyrilsaid，’weshallhaveacrowdafterus，’andindeedtwoerrandboysandapolicemanhadalreadycollected。
　　’Ican’tgiveyounothinkonlyapaper—bag，likewhatweputthetortoisesin，’saidthemangrudgingly。
　　Sothewholepartywentintotheshop，andtheshopman’seyesnearlycameoutofhisheadwhen，havinggivenAntheathelargestpaper—baghecouldfind，hesawherholditopen，andthePsammeadcarefullycreepintoit。’Well！’hesaid，’ifthattheredon’tbeatcockfighting！Butp’rapsyou’vemetthebruteafore。’
　　’Yes，’saidCyrilaffably，’he’sanoldfriendofours。’
　　’IfI’daknownthat，’themanrejoined，’youshouldn’tahadhimundertwicethemoney。’Owever，’headded，asthechildrendisappeared，’Iain’tdonesobad，seeingasIonlygivefivebobforthebeast。Butthenthere’sthebitestotakeintoaccount！’
　　Thechildrentremblinginagitationandexcitement，carriedhomethePsammead，tremblinginitspaper—bag。
　　Whentheygotithome，Antheanursedit，andstrokedit，andwouldhavecriedoverit，ifshehadn’trememberedhowithatedtobewet。
　　Whenitrecoveredenoughtospeak，itsaid——
　　’Getmesand；silversandfromtheoilandcolourshop。Andgetmeplenty。’
　　Theygotthesand，andtheyputitandthePsammeadintheroundbathtogether，anditrubbeditself，androlleditself，andshookitselfandscrapeditself，andscratcheditself，andpreeneditself，tillitfeltcleanandcomfy，andthenitscrabbledahastyholeinthesand，andwenttosleepinit。
　　Thechildrenhidthebathunderthegirls’bed，andhadsupper。
　　OldNursehadgotthemalovelysupperofbreadandbutterandfriedonions。Shewasfullofkindanddelicatethoughts。
　　WhenAntheawokethenextmorning，thePsammeadwassnugglingdownbetweenhershoulderandJane’s。
　　’Youhavesavedmylife，’itsaid。’Iknowthatmanwouldhavethrowncoldwateronmesoonerorlater，andthenIshouldhavedied。Isawhimwashoutaguinea—pig’shutchyesterdaymorning。
　　I’mstillfrightfullysleepy，IthinkI’llgobacktosandforanothernap。WaketheboysandthisdormouseofaJane，andwhenyou’vehadyourbreakfastswe’llhaveatalk。’
　　’Don’tYOUwantanybreakfast？’askedAnthea。
　　’IdaresayIshallpickabitpresently，’itsaid；’butsandisallIcareabout——it’smeatanddrinktome，andcoalsandfireandwifeandchildren。’Withthesewordsitclambereddownbythebedclothesandscrambledbackintothebath，wheretheyhearditscratchingitselfoutofsight。
　　’Well！’saidAnthea，’anyhowourholidayswon’tbedullNOW。
　　We’vefoundthePsammeadagain。’
　　’No，’saidJane，beginningtoputonherstockings。’Weshan’tbedull——butit’llbeonlylikehavingapetdognowitcan’tgiveuswishes。’
　　’Oh，don’tbesodiscontented，’saidAnthea。’Ifitcan’tdoanythingelseitcantellusaboutMegatheriumsandthings。’
　　CHAPTER2
　　THEHALFAMULET
　　Longago——thatistosaylastsummer——thechildren，findingthemselvesembarrassedbysomewishwhichthePsammeadhadgrantedthem，andwhichtheservantshadnotreceivedinaproperspirit，hadwishedthattheservantsmightnotnoticethegiftswhichthePsammeadgave。AndwhentheypartedfromthePsammeadtheirlastwishhadbeenthattheyshouldmeetitagain。
　　ThereforetheyHADmetit（anditwasjollyluckyforthePsammead，asRobertpointedout）。Now，ofcourse，youseethatthePsammead’sbeingwhereitwas，wastheconsequenceofoneoftheirwishes，andthereforewasaPsammead—wish，andassuchcouldnotbenoticedbytheservants。AnditwassoonplainthatinthePsammead’sopinionoldNursewasstillaservant，althoughshehadnowahouseofherown，forshenevernoticedthePsammeadatall。Andthatwasaswell，forshewouldneverhaveconsentedtoallowthegirlstokeepananimalandabathofsandundertheirbed。
　　Whenbreakfasthadbeenclearedaway——itwasaverynicebreakfastwithhotrollstoit，aluxuryquiteoutofthecommonway——Antheawentanddraggedoutthebath，andwokethePsammead。
　　Itstretchedandshookitself。
　　’Youmusthaveboltedyourbreakfastmostunwholesomely，’itsaid，’youcan’thavebeenfiveminutesoverit。’
　　’We’vebeennearlyanhour，’saidAnthea。’Come——youknowyoupromised。’
　　’Nowlookhere，’saidthePsammead，sittingbackonthesandandshootingoutitslongeyessuddenly，’we’dbetterbeginaswemeantogoon。Itwon’tdotohaveanymisunderstanding，soI
　　tellyouplainlythat——’
　　’Oh，PLEASE，’Antheapleaded，’dowaittillwegettotheothers。
　　They’llthinkitmostawfullysneakishofmetotalktoyouwithoutthem；docomedown，there’sadear。’
　　Shekneltbeforethesand—bathandheldoutherarms。ThePsammeadmusthaverememberedhowgladithadbeentojumpintothosesamelittlearmsonlythedaybefore，foritgavealittlegrudginggrunt，andjumpedoncemore。
　　Antheawrappeditinherpinaforeandcarrieditdownstairs。Itwaswelcomedinathrillingsilence。AtlastAntheasaid，’Nowthen！’
　　’Whatplaceisthis？’askedthePsammead，shootingitseyesoutandturningthemslowlyround。
　　’It’sasitting—room，ofcourse，’saidRobert。
　　’ThenIdon’tlikeit，’saidthePsammead。
　　’Nevermind，’saidAntheakindly；’we’lltakeyouanywhereyoulikeifyouwantusto。WhatwasityouweregoingtosayupstairswhenIsaidtheotherswouldn’tlikeitifIstayedtalkingtoyouwithoutthem？’
　　Itlookedkeenlyather，andsheblushed。
　　’Don’tbesilly，’itsaidsharply。’Ofcourse，it’squitenaturalthatyoushouldlikeyourbrothersandsisterstoknowexactlyhowgoodandunselfishyouwere。’
　　’Iwishyouwouldn’t，’saidJane。’Antheawasquiteright。Whatwasityouweregoingtosaywhenshestoppedyou？’
　　’I’lltellyou，’saidthePsammead，’sinceyou’resoanxioustoknow。Iwasgoingtosaythis。You’vesavedmylife——andI’mnotungrateful——butitdoesn’tchangeyournatureormine。
　　You’restillveryignorant，andrathersilly，andIamworthathousandofyouanydayoftheweek。’
　　’Ofcourseyouare！’Antheawasbeginningbutitinterruptedher。
　　’It’sveryrudetointerrupt，’itsaid；’whatImeanisthatI’mnotgoingtostandanynonsense，andifyouthinkwhatyou’vedoneistogiveyoutherighttopetmeormakemedemeanmyselfbyplayingwithyou，you’llfindoutthatwhatyouthinkdoesn’tmatterasinglepenny。See？It’swhat_I_thinkthatmatters。’
　　’Iknow，’saidCyril，’italwayswas，ifyouremember。’
　　’Well，’saidthePsammead，’thenthat’ssettled。We’retobetreatedaswedeserve。Iwithrespect，andallofyouwith——butIdon’twishtobeoffensive。DoyouwantmetotellyouhowI
　　gotintothathorribledenyouboughtmeoutof？Oh，I’mnotungrateful！Ihaven’tforgottenitandIshan’tforgetit。’
　　’Dotellus，’saidAnthea。’Iknowyou’reawfullyclever，butevenwithallyourcleverness，Idon’tbelieveyoucanpossiblyknowhow——howrespectfullywedorespectyou。Don’twe？’
　　Theothersallsaidyes——andfidgetedintheirchairs。Robertspokethewishesofallwhenhesaid——
　　’Idowishyou’dgoon。’Soitsatuponthegreen—coveredtableandwenton。
　　’Whenyou’dgoneaway，’itsaid，’Iwenttosandforabit，andslept。Iwastiredoutwithallyoursillywishes，andIfeltasthoughIhadn’treallybeentosandforayear。’
　　’Tosand？’Janerepeated。
　　’WhereIsleep。Yougotobed。Igotosand。’
　　Janeyawned；thementionofbedmadeherfeelsleepy。
　　’Allright，’saidthePsammead，inoffendedtones。’I’msure_I_
　　don’twanttotellyoualongtale。Amancaughtme，andIbithim。Andheputmeinabagwithadeadhareandadeadrabbit。
　　AndhetookmetohishouseandputmeoutofthebagintoabasketwithholesthatIcouldseethrough。AndIbithimagain。
　　Andthenhebroughtmetothiscity，whichIamtoldiscalledtheModernBabylon——thoughit’snotabitliketheoldBabylon——andhesoldmetothemanyouboughtmefrom，andthenI
　　bitthemboth。Now，what’syournews？’
　　’There’snotquitesomuchbitinginourstory，’saidCyrilregretfully；’infact，thereisn’tany。Father’sgonetoManchuria，andMotherandTheLambhavegonetoMadeirabecauseMotherwasill，anddon’tIjustwishthattheywerebothsafehomeagain。’
　　Merelyfromhabit，theSand—fairybegantoblowitselfout，butitstoppedshortsuddenly。
　　’Iforgot，’itsaid；’Ican’tgiveyouanymorewishes。’
　　’No——butlookhere，’saidCyril，’couldn’twecallinoldNurseandgethertosaySHEwishestheyweresafehome。I’msureshedoes。’
　　’Nogo，’saidthePsammead。’It’sjustthesameasyourwishingyourselfifyougetsomeoneelsetowishforyou。Itwon’tact。’
　　’Butitdidyesterday——withthemanintheshop，’saidRobert。
　　’Ahyes，’saidthecreature，’butyoudidn’tASKhimtowish，andyoudidn’tknowwhatwouldhappenifhedid。Thatcan’tbedoneagain。It’splayedout。’
　　’Thenyoucan’thelpusatall，’saidJane；’oh——Ididthinkyoucoulddosomething；I’vebeenthinkingaboutiteversincewesavedyourlifeyesterday。Ithoughtyou’dbecertaintobeabletofetchbackFather，evenifyoucouldn’tmanageMother。’
　　AndJanebegantocry。
　　’NowDON’T，’saidthePsammeadhastily；’youknowhowitalwaysupsetsmeifyoucry。Ican’tfeelsafeamoment。Lookhere；
　　youmusthavesomenewkindofcharm。’
　　’That’seasiersaidthandone。’
　　’Notabitofit，’saidthecreature；’there’soneofthestrongestcharmsintheworldnotastone’sthrowfromwhereyouboughtmeyesterday。ThemanthatIbitso——thefirstone，I
　　mean——wentintoashoptoaskhowmuchsomethingcost——Ithinkhesaiditwasaconcertina——andwhilehewastellingthemanintheshophowmuchtoomuchhewantedforit，Isawthecharminasortoftray，withalotofotherthings。IfyoucanonlybuyTHAT，youwillbeabletohaveyourheart’sdesire。’
　　ThechildrenlookedateachotherandthenatthePsammead。ThenCyrilcoughedawkwardlyandtooksuddencouragetosaywhateveryonewasthinking。
　　’Idohopeyouwon’tbewaxy，’hesaid；’butit’slikethis：whenyouusedtogiveusourwishestheyalmostalwaysgotusintosomeroworother，andweusedtothinkyouwouldn’thavebeenpleasediftheyhadn’t。Now，aboutthischarm——wehaven’tgotoverandabovetoomuchtin，andifweblueitallonthischarmanditturnsouttobenotuptomuch——well——youseewhatI’mdrivingat，don’tyou？’
　　’IseethatYOUdon’tseemorethanthelengthofyournose，andTHAT’Snotfar，’saidthePsammeadcrossly。’Lookhere，IHADtogiveyouthewishes，andofcoursetheyturnedoutbadly，inasortofway，becauseyouhadn’tthesensetowishforwhatwasgoodforyou。Butthischarm’squitedifferent。Ihaven’tGOT
　　todothisforyou，it’sjustmyowngenerouskindnessthatmakesmetellyouaboutit。Soit’sboundtobeallright。See？’
　　’Don’tbecross，’saidAnthea，’Please，PLEASEdon’t。Yousee，it’sallwe’vegot；weshan’thaveanymorepocket—moneytillDaddycomeshome——unlesshesendsussomeinaletter。ButweDO
　　trustyou。AndIsayallofyou，’shewenton，’don’tyouthinkit’sworthspendingALLthemoney，ifthere’seventhechanciestchanceofgettingFatherandMotherbacksafeNOW？Justthinkofit！Oh，dolet’s！’
　　’_I_don’tcarewhatyoudo，’saidthePsammead；’I’llgobacktosandagaintillyou’vemadeupyourminds。’
　　’No，don’t！’saideverybody；andJaneadded，’Wearequitemindmade—up——don’tyouseeweare？Let’sgetourhats。Willyoucomewithus？’
　　’Ofcourse，’saidthePsammead；’howelsewouldyoufindtheshop？’
　　Soeverybodygotitshat。ThePsammeadwasputintoaflatbass—bagthathadcomefromFarringdonMarketwithtwopoundsoffilletedplaiceinit。NowitcontainedaboutthreepoundsandaquarterofsolidPsammead，andthechildrentookitinturnstocarryit。
　　’It’snothalftheweightofTheLamb，’Robertsaid，andthegirlssighed。
　　ThePsammeadpokedawaryeyeoutofthetopofthebasketeverynowandthen，andtoldthechildrenwhichturningstotake。
　　’Howonearthdoyouknow？’askedRobert。’Ican’tthinkhowyoudoit。’
　　AndthePsammeadsaidsharply，’No——Idon’tsupposeyoucan。’
　　AtlasttheycametoTHEshop。Ithadallsortsandkindsofthingsinthewindow——concertinas，andsilkhandkerchiefs，chinavasesandtea—cups，blueJapanesejars，pipes，swords，pistols，lacecollars，silverspoonstiedupinhalf—dozens，andwedding—ringsinaredlacqueredbasin。Therewereofficers’
　　epauletsanddoctors’lancets。Thereweretea—caddiesinlaidwithredturtle—shellandbrasscurly—wurlies，platesofdifferentkindsofmoney，andstacksofdifferentkindsofplates。Therewasabeautifulpictureofalittlegirlwashingadog，whichJanelikedverymuch。Andinthemiddleofthewindowtherewasadirtysilvertrayfullofmother—of—pearlcardcounters，oldseals，pastebuckles，snuff—boxes，andallsortsoflittledingyoddsandends。
　　ThePsammeadputitsheadquiteoutofthefish—baskettolookinthewindow，whenCyrilsaid——
　　’There’satraytherewithrubbishinit。’
　　Andthenitslongsnail’seyessawsomethingthatmadethemstretchoutsomuchthattheywereaslongandthinasnewslate—pencils。Itsfurbristledthickly，anditsvoicewasquitehoarsewithexcitementasitwhispered——
　　’That’sit！That’sit！There，underthatblueandyellowbuckle，youcanseeabitstickingout。It’sred。Doyousee？’
　　’Isitthatthingsomethinglikeahorse—shoe？’askedCyril。
　　’Andred，likethecommonsealing—waxyoudoupparcelswith？’
　　’Yes，that’sit，’saidthePsammead。’Now，youdojustasyoudidbefore。Askthepriceofotherthings。Thatbluebucklewoulddo。Thenthemanwillgetthetrayoutofthewindow。I
　　thinkyou’dbetterbetheone，’itsaidtoAnthea。’We’llwaitouthere。’
　　Sotheothersflattenedtheirnosesagainsttheshopwindow，andpresentlyalarge，dirty，short—fingeredhandwithaverybigdiamondringcamestretchingthroughthegreenhalf—curtainsatthebackoftheshopwindowandtookawaythetray。
　　TheycouldnotseewhatwashappeningintheinterviewbetweenAntheaandtheDiamondRing，anditseemedtothemthatshehadhadtime——ifshehadhadmoney——tobuyeverythingintheshopbeforethemomentcamewhenshestoodbeforethem，herfacewreathedingrins，asCyrilsaidlater，andinherhandthecharm。
　　Itwassomethinglikethis：[Drawingomitted。]anditwasmadeofared，smooth，softlyshinystone。
　　’I’vegotit，’Antheawhispered，justopeningherhandtogivetheothersaglimpseofit。’Dolet’sgethome。Wecan’tstandherelikestuck—pigslookingatitinthestreet。’
　　Sohometheywent。TheparlourinFitzroyStreetwasaveryflatbackgroundtomagichappenings。Downinthecountryamongtheflowersandgreenfieldsanythinghadseemed——andindeedhadbeen——possible。ButitwashardtobelievethatanythingreallywonderfulcouldhappensoneartheTottenhamCourtRoad。ButthePsammeadwasthere——anditinitselfwaswonderful。Anditcouldtalk——andithadshownthemwhereacharmcouldbeboughtthatwouldmaketheownerofitperfectlyhappy。Sothefourchildrenhurriedhome，takingverylongsteps，withtheirchinsstuckout，andtheirmouthsshutverytightindeed。TheywentsofastthatthePsammeadwasquiteshakenaboutinitsfish—bag，butitdidnotsayanything——perhapsforfearofattractingpublicnotice。
　　Theygothomeatlast，veryhotindeed，andsetthePsammeadonthegreentablecloth。
　　’Nowthen！’saidCyril。
　　ButthePsammeadhadtohaveaplateofsandfetchedforit，foritwasquitefaint。Whenithadrefresheditselfalittleitsaid——
　　’Nowthen！Letmeseethecharm，’andAnthealaiditonthegreentable—cover。ThePsammeadshotouthislongeyestolookatit，thenitturnedthemreproachfullyonAntheaandsaid——
　　’Butthere’sonlyhalfofithere！’
　　Thiswasindeedablow。
　　’Itwasalltherewas，’saidAnthea，withtimidfirmness。Sheknewitwasnotherfault。’Thereshouldbeanotherpiece，’saidthePsammead，’andasortofpintofastenthetwotogether。’
　　’Isn’thalfanygood？’——’Won’titworkwithouttheotherbit？’——’Itcostseven—and—six。’——’Oh，bother，bother，bother！’——’Don’tbesillylittleidiots！’saideveryoneandthePsammeadaltogether。
　　Thentherewasawretchedsilence。Cyrilbrokeit——
　　’Whatshallwedo？’
　　’Gobacktotheshopandseeiftheyhaven’tgottheotherhalf，’
　　saidthePsammead。’I’llgotosandtillyoucomeback。Cheerup！Eventhebityou’vegotisSOMEgood，butit’llbenoendofabotherifyoucan’tfindtheother。’
　　SoCyrilwenttotheshop。AndthePsammeadtosand。Andtheotherthreewenttodinner，whichwasnowready。AndoldNursewasverycrossthatCyrilwasnotreadytoo。
　　ThethreewerewatchingatthewindowswhenCyrilreturned，andevenbeforehewasnearenoughforthemtoseehisfacetherewassomethingabouttheslouchofhisshouldersandsetofhisknickerbockersandthewayhedraggedhisbootsalongthatshowedbuttooplainlythathiserrandhadbeeninvain。
　　’Well？’theyallsaid，hopingagainsthopeonthefront—doorstep。
　　’Nogo，’Cyrilanswered；’themansaidthethingwasperfect。HesaiditwasaRomanlady’slocket，andpeopleshouldn’tbuycuriosiftheydidn’tknowanythingaboutarky——somethingorother，andthatheneverwentbackonabargain，becauseitwasn’tbusiness，andheexpectedhiscustomerstoactthesame。
　　Hewassimplynasty——that’swhathewas，andIwantmydinner。’
　　ItwasplainthatCyrilwasnotpleased。
　　Theunlikelinessofanythingreallyinterestinghappeninginthatparlourlaylikeaweightofleadoneveryone’sspirits。Cyrilhadhisdinner，andjustashewasswallowingthelastmouthfulofapple—puddingtherewasascratchatthedoor。AntheaopeneditandinwalkedthePsammead。
　　’Well，’itsaid，whenithadheardthenews，’thingsmightbeworse。Onlyyouwon’tbesurprisedifyouhaveafewadventuresbeforeyougettheotherhalf。Youwanttogetit，ofcourse。’
　　’Rather，’wasthegeneralreply。’Andwedon’tmindadventures。’
　　’No，’saidthePsammead，’Iseemtorememberthataboutyou。
　　Well，sitdownandlistenwithallyourears。Eight，arethere？
　　Right——Iamgladyouknowarithmetic。Nowpayattention，becauseIdon’tintendtotellyoueverythingtwiceover。’
　　Asthechildrensettledthemselvesonthefloor——itwasfarmorecomfortablethanthechairs，aswellasmorepolitetothePsammead，whowasstrokingitswhiskersonthehearth—rug——asuddencoldpaincaughtatAnthea’sheart。Father——Mother——thedarlingLamb——allfaraway。Thenawarm，comfortablefeelingflowedthroughher。ThePsammeadwashere，andatleasthalfacharm，andthereweretobeadventures。（Ifyoudon’tknowwhatacoldpainis，Iamgladforyoursakes，andIhopeyounevermay。）
　　’Now，’saidthePsammeadcheerily，’youarenotparticularlynice，norparticularlyclever，andyou’renotatallgood—looking。Still，you’vesavedmylife——oh，whenIthinkofthatmanandhispailofwater！——soI’lltellyouallIknow。Atleast，ofcourseIcan’tdothat，becauseIknowfartoomuch。
　　ButI’lltellyouallIknowaboutthisredthing。’
　　’Do！Do！Do！Do！’saideveryone。
　　’Well，then，’saidthePsammead。’ThisthingishalfofanAmuletthatcandoallsortsofthings；itcanmakethecorngrow，andthewatersflow，andthetreesbearfruit，andthelittlenewbeautifulbabiescome。（NotthatbabiesARE
　　beautiful，ofcourse，’itbrokeofftosay，’buttheirmothersthinktheyare——andaslongasyouthinkathing’strueitIS
　　trueasfarasyou’reconcerned。）’
　　Robertyawned。
　　ThePsammeadwenton。
　　’ThecompleteAmuletcankeepoffallthethingsthatmakepeopleunhappy——jealousy，badtemper，pride，disagreeableness，greediness，selfishness，laziness。Evilspirits，peoplecalledthemwhentheAmuletwasmade。Don’tyouthinkitwouldbenicetohaveit？’
　　’Very，’saidthechildren，quitewithoutenthusiasM。
　　’Anditcangiveyoustrengthandcourage。’
　　’That’sbetter，’saidCyril。
　　’Andvirtue。’
　　’Isupposeit’snicetohavethat，’saidJane，butnotwithmuchinterest。
　　’Anditcangiveyouyourheart’sdesire。’
　　’Nowyou’retalking，’saidRobert。
　　’OfcourseIam，’retortedthePsammeadtartly，’sothere’snoneedforyouto。’
　　’Heart’sdesireisgoodenoughforme，’saidCyril。
　　’Yes，but，’Antheaventured，’allthat’swhattheWHOLEcharmcando。There’ssomethingthatthehalfwe’vegotcanwinoffitsownbat——isn’tthere？’SheappealedtothePsammead。Itnodded。
　　’Yes，’itsaid；’thehalfhasthepowertotakeyouanywhereyouliketolookfortheotherhalf。’
　　ThisseemedabrilliantprospecttillRobertasked——
　　’Doesitknowwheretolook？’
　　ThePsammeadshookitsheadandanswered，’Idon’tthinkit’slikely。’
　　’Doyou？’
　　’No。’
　　’Then，’saidRobert，’wemightaswelllookforaneedleinabottleofhay。Yes——itISbottle，andnotbundle，Fathersaidso。’
　　’Notatall，’saidthePsammeadbriskly—，’youthinkyouknoweverything，butyouarequitemistaken。Thefirstthingistogetthethingtotalk。’
　　’Canit？’Janequestioned。Jane’squestiondidnotmeanthatshethoughtitcouldn’t，forinspiteoftheparlourfurniturethefeelingofmagicwasgrowingdeeperandthicker，andseemedtofilltheroomlikeadreamofascentedfog。
　　’Ofcourseitcan。Isupposeyoucanread。’
　　’Ohyes！’Everyonewasratherhurtatthequestion。
　　’Well，then——allyou’vegottodoistoreadthenamethat’swrittenonthepartofthecharmthatyou’vegot。Andassoonasyousaythenameoutloudthethingwillhavepowertodo——well，severalthings。’
　　Therewasasilence。Theredcharmwaspassedfromhandtohand。
　　’There’snonameonit，’saidCyrilatlast。
　　’Nonsense，’saidthePsammead；’what’sthat？’
　　’Oh，THAT！’saidCyril，’it’snotreading。Itlookslikepicturesofchickensandsnakesandthings。’
　　Thiswaswhatwasonthecharm：[Hieroglyphicsomitted。]
　　’I’venopatiencewithyou，’saidthePsammead；’ifyoucan’treadyoumustfindsomeonewhocan。Apriestnow？’
　　’Wedon’tknowanypriests，’saidAnthea；’weknowaclergyman——he’scalledapriestintheprayer—book，youknow——butheonlyknowsGreekandLatinandHebrew，andthisisn’tanyofthose——Iknow。’
　　ThePsammeadstampedafurryfootangrily。
　　’IwishI’dneverseenyou，’itsaid；’youaren’tanymoregoodthansomanystoneimages。Notsomuch，ifI’mtotellthetruth。IstherenowisemaninyourBabylonwhocanpronouncethenamesoftheGreatOnes？’
　　’There’sapoorlearnedgentlemanupstairs，’saidAnthea，’wemighttryhim。Hehasalotofstoneimagesinhisroom，andiron—lookingonestoo——wepeepedinoncewhenhewasout。OldNursesayshedoesn’teatenoughtokeepacanaryalive。Hespendsitallonstonesandthings。’
　　’Tryhim，’saidthePsammead，’onlybecareful。Ifheknowsagreaternamethanthisandusesitagainstyou，yourcharmwillbeofnouse。Bindhimfirstwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing。Andthenaskhisaid——oh，yes，you’dbetterallgo；youcanputmetosandasyougoupstairs。Imusthaveafewminutes’peaceandquietness。’
　　Sothefourchildrenhastilywashedtheirhandsandbrushedtheirhair——thiswasAnthea’sidea——andwentuptoknockatthedoorofthe’poorlearnedgentleman’，andto’bindhimwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing’。
　　CHAPTER3
　　THEPAST
　　Thelearnedgentlemanhadlethisdinnergetquitecold。Itwasmuttonchop，andasitlayontheplateitlookedlikeabrownislandinthemiddleofafrozenpond，becausethegreaseofthegravyhadbecomecold，andconsequentlywhite。Itlookedverynasty，anditwasthefirstthingthechildrensawwhen，afterknockingthreetimesandreceivingnoreply，oneofthemventuredtoturnthehandleandsoftlytoopenthedoor。Thechopwasontheendofalongtablethatrandownonesideoftheroom。Thetablehadimagesonitandqueer—shapedstones，andbooks。Andtherewereglasscasesfixedagainstthewallbehind，withlittlestrangethingsinthem。Thecaseswereratherliketheonesyouseeinjewellers’shops。
　　The’poorlearnedgentleman’wassittingatatableinthewindow，lookingatsomethingverysmallwhichheheldinapairoffinepincers。Hehadaroundspy—glasssortofthinginoneeye——whichremindedthechildrenofwatchmakers，andalsoofthelongsnail’seyesofthePsammead。Thegentlemanwasverylongandthin，andhislong，thinbootsstuckoutundertheothersideofhistable。Hedidnothearthedooropen，andthechildrenstoodhesitating。AtlastRobertgavethedoorapush，andtheyallstartedback，forinthemiddleofthewallthatthedoorhadhiddenwasamummy—case——very，very，verybig——paintedinredandyellowandgreenandblack，andthefaceofitseemedtolookatthemquiteangrily。
　　Youknowwhatamummy—caseislike，ofcourse？Ifyoudon’tyouhadbettergototheBritishMuseumatonceandfindout。
　　Anyway，itisnotatallthesortofthingthatyouexpecttomeetinatop—floorfrontinBloomsbury，lookingasthoughitwouldliketoknowwhatbusinessYOUhadthere。
　　Soeveryonesaid，’Oh！’ratherloud，andtheirbootsclatteredastheystumbledback。
　　Thelearnedgentlemantooktheglassoutofhiseyeandsaid——’I
　　begyourpardon，’inaverysoft，quietpleasantvoice——thevoiceofagentlemanwhohasbeentoOxford。
　　’It’susthatbegyours，’saidCyrilpolitely。’Wearesorrytodisturbyou。’
　　’Comein，’saidthegentleman，rising——withthemostdistinguishedcourtesy，Antheatoldherself。’Iamdelightedtoseeyou。Won’tyousitdown？No，notthere；allowmetomovethatpapyrus。’
　　Heclearedachair，andstoodsmilingandlookingkindlythroughhislarge，roundspectacles。
　　’Hetreatsuslikegrown—ups，’whisperedRobert，’andhedoesn’tseemtoknowhowmanyofusthereare。’
　　’Hush，’saidAnthea，’itisn’tmannerstowhisper。Yousay，Cyril——goahead。’
　　’We’reverysorrytodisturbyou，’saidCyrilpolitely，’butwedidknockthreetimes，andyoudidn’tsay"Comein"，or"Runawaynow"，orthatyoucouldn’tbebotheredjustnow，ortocomewhenyouweren’tsobusy，oranyofthethingspeopledosaywhenyouknockatdoors，soweopenedit。Weknewyouwereinbecauseweheardyousneezewhilewewerewaiting。’
　　’Notatall，’saidthegentleman；’dositdown。’
　　’Hehasfoundouttherearefourofus，’saidRobert，asthegentlemanclearedthreemorechairs。Heputthethingsoffthemcarefullyonthefloor。Thefirstchairhadthingslikebricksthattiny，tinybirds’feethavewalkedoverwhenthebricksweresoft，onlythemarkswereinregularlines。Thesecondchairhadroundthingsonitlikeverylarge，fat，long，palebeads。Andthelastchairhadapileofdustypapersonit。Thechildrensatdown。
　　’Weknowyouarevery，verylearned，’saidCyril，’andwehavegotacharm，andwewantyoutoreadthenameonit，becauseitisn’tinLatinorGreek，orHebrew，oranyofthelanguagesWE
　　know——’
　　’Athoroughknowledgeofeventhoselanguagesisaveryfairfoundationonwhichtobuildaneducation，’saidthegentlemanpolitely。
　　’Oh！’saidCyrilblushing，’butweonlyknowthemtolookat，exceptLatin——andI’monlyinCaesarwiththat。’Thegentlemantookoffhisspectaclesandlaughed。Hislaughsoundedrusty，Cyrilthought，asthoughitwasn’toftenused。
　　’Ofcourse！’hesaid。’I’msureIbegyourpardon。IthinkI
　　musthavebeeninadream。Youarethechildrenwholivedownstairs，areyounot？Yes。IhaveseenyouasIhavepassedinandout。Andyouhavefoundsomethingthatyouthinktobeanantiquity，andyou’vebroughtittoshowme？Thatwasverykind。
　　Ishouldliketoinspectit。"
　　’I’mafraidwedidn’tthinkaboutyourlikingtoinspectit，’
　　saidthetruthfulAnthea。’ItwasjustforUSbecausewewantedtoknowthenameonit——’
　　’Oh，yes——and，Isay，’Robertinterjected，’youwon’tthinkitrudeofusifweaskyoufirst，beforeweshowit，tobeboundinthewhat—do—you—call—itof——’
　　’Inthebondsofhonouranduprightdealing，’saidAnthea。
　　’I’mafraidIdon’tquitefollowyou，’saidthegentleman，withgentlenervousness。
　　’Well，it’sthisway，’saidCyril。’We’vegotpartofacharm。
　　AndtheSammy——Imean，somethingtoldusitwouldwork，thoughit’sonlyhalfaone；butitwon’tworkunlesswecansaythenamethat’sonit。But，ofcourse，ifyou’vegotanothernamethatcanlickours，ourcharmwillbenogo；sowewantyoutogiveusyourwordofhonourasagentleman——thoughI’msure，nowI’veseenyou，thatit’snotnecessary；butstillI’vepromisedtoaskyou，sowemust。Willyoupleasegiveusyourhonourablewordnottosayanynamestrongerthanthenameonourcharm？’
　　ThegentlemanhadputonhisspectaclesagainandwaslookingatCyrilthroughthem。Henowsaid：’Blessme！’morethanonce，adding，’Whotoldyouallthis？’
　　’Ican’ttellyou，’saidCyril。’I’mverysorry，butIcan’t。’
　　Somefaintmemoryofafar—offchildhoodmusthavecometothelearnedgentlemanjustthen，forhesmiled。’Isee，’hesaid。
　　’Itissomesortofgamethatyouareengagedin？Ofcourse！
　　Yes！Well，Iwillcertainlypromise。YetIwonderhowyouheardofthenamesofpower？’
　　’Wecan’ttellyouthateither，’saidCyril；andAntheasaid，’Hereisourcharm，’andhelditout。
　　Withpoliteness，butwithoutinterest，thegentlemantookit。
　　Butafterthefirstglanceallhisbodysuddenlystiffened，asapointer’sdoeswhenheseesapartridge。
　　’Excuseme，’hesaidinquiteachangedvoice，andcarriedthecharmtothewindow。Helookedatit；heturneditover。Hefixedhisspy—glassinhiseyeandlookedagain。Noonesaidanything。OnlyRobertmadeashufflingnoisewithhisfeettillAntheanudgedhimtoshutup。Atlastthelearnedgentlemandrewalongbreath。
　　’Wheredidyoufindthis？’heasked。
　　’Wedidn’tfindit。Weboughtitatashop。JacobAbsalomthenameis——notfarfromCharingCross，’saidCyril。
　　’Wegaveseven—and—sixpenceforit，’addedJane。
　　’Itisnotforsale，Isuppose？Youdonotwishtopartwithit？
　　Ioughttotellyouthatitisextremelyvaluable——extraordinarilyvaluable，Imaysay。’
　　’Yes，’saidCyril，’weknowthat，soofcoursewewanttokeepit。’
　　’Keepitcarefully，then，’saidthegentlemanimpressively；’andifeveryoushouldwishtopartwithit，mayIaskyoutogivemetherefusalofit？’
　　’Therefusal？’
　　’Imean，donotsellittoanyoneelseuntilyouhavegivenmetheopportunityofbuyingit。’
　　’Allright，’saidCyril，’wewon’t。Butwedon’twanttosellit。Wewanttomakeitdothings。’
　　’Isupposeyoucanplayatthataswellasatanythingelse，’
　　saidthegentleman；’butI’mafraidthedaysofmagicareover。’
　　’Theyaren’tREALLY，’saidAntheaearnestly。’You’dseetheyaren’tifIcouldtellyouaboutourlastsummerholidays。OnlyImustn’t。Thankyouverymuch。Andcanyoureadthename？’
　　’Yes，Icanreadit。’
　　’Willyoutellitus？’’Thename，’saidthegentleman，’isUrHekauSetcheh。’
　　’UrHekauSetcheh，’repeatedCyril。’Thanksawfully。Idohopewehaven’ttakenuptoomuchofyourtime。’
　　’Notatall，’saidthegentleman。’Anddoletmeentreatyoutobevery，verycarefulofthatmostvaluablespecimen。’
　　Theysaid’Thankyou’inallthedifferentpolitewaystheycouldthinkof，andfiledoutofthedooranddownthestairs。Antheawaslast。Half—waydowntothefirstlandingsheturnedandranupagain。
　　Thedoorwasstillopen，andthelearnedgentlemanandthemummy—casewerestandingoppositetoeachother，andbothlookedasthoughtheyhadstoodlikethatforyears。
　　ThegentlemanstartedwhenAntheaputherhandonhisarm。
　　’Ihopeyouwon’tbecrossandsayit’snotmybusiness，’shesaid，’butdolookatyourchop！Don’tyouthinkyououghttoeatit？Fatherforgetshisdinnersometimeswhenhe’swriting，andMotheralwayssaysIoughttoremindhimifshe’snotathometodoitherself，becauseit’ssobadtomissyourregularmeals。
　　SoIthoughtperhapsyouwouldn’tmindmyremindingyou，becauseyoudon’tseemtohaveanyoneelsetodoit。’
　　Sheglancedatthemummy—case；ITcertainlydidnotlookasthoughitwouldeverthinkofremindingpeopleoftheirmeals。
　　Thelearnedgentlemanlookedatherforamomentbeforehesaid——
　　’Thankyou，mydear。Itwasakindlythought。No，Ihaven’tanyonetoremindmeaboutthingslikethat。’
　　Hesighed，andlookedatthechop。
　　’Itlooksverynasty，’saidAnthea。
　　’Yes，’hesaid，’itdoes。I’lleatitimmediately，beforeI
　　forget。’
　　Asheateithesighedmorethanonce。Perhapsbecausethechopwasnasty，perhapsbecausehelongedforthecharmwhichthechildrendidnotwanttosell，perhapsbecauseitwassolongsinceanyonecaredwhetherheatehischopsorforgotthem。
　　Antheacaughttheothersatthestair—foot。TheywokethePsammead，andittaughtthemexactlyhowtousethewordofpower，andtomakethecharmspeak。Iamnotgoingtotellyouhowthisisdone，becauseyoumighttrytodoit。Andforyouanysuchtryingwouldbealmostsuretoendindisappointment。
　　Becauseinthefirstplaceitisathousandmilliontooneagainstyourevergettingholdoftherightsortofcharm，andifyoudid，therewouldbehardlyanychanceatallofyourfindingalearnedgentlemancleverenoughandkindenoughtoreadthewordforyou。
　　ThechildrenandthePsammeadcrouchedinacircleonthefloor——inthegirls’bedroom，becauseintheparlourtheymighthavebeeninterruptedbyoldNurse’scomingintolaytheclothfortea——andthecharmwasputinthemiddleofthecircle。
　　Thesunshonesplendidlyoutside，andtheroomwasverylight。
　　ThroughtheopenwindowcamethehumandrattleofLondon，andinthestreetbelowtheycouldhearthevoiceofthemilkman。
　　Whenallwasready，thePsammeadsignedtoAntheatosaytheword。Andshesaidit。Instantlythewholelightofalltheworldseemedtogoout。Theroomwasdark。Theworldoutsidewasdark——darkerthanthedarkestnightthateverwas。Andallthesoundswentouttoo，sothattherewasasilencedeeperthananysilenceyouhaveeverevendreamedofimagining。Itwaslikebeingsuddenlydeafandblind，onlydarkerandquietereventhanthat。
　　Butbeforethechildrenhadgotoverthesuddenshockofitenoughtobefrightened，afaint，beautifullightbegantoshowinthemiddleofthecircle，andatthesamemomentafaint，beautifulvoicebegantospeak。Thelightwastoosmallforonetoseeanythingby，andthevoicewastoosmallforyoutohearwhatitsaid。Youcouldjustseethelightandjusthearthevoice。