’Jimmy，’shecalled，’Jimmy！’andwavedtohim。Heheardher，andbegantocometowardsherthroughthecrowd。Theycouldseefromthebalconythesea—captainedginghiswayoutfromamongthepeople。Andhisfacewasdeadwhite，likepaper。
　　’Tothehills！’hecriedinaloudandterriblevoice。Andabovehisvoicecameanothervoice，louder，moreterrible——thevoiceofthesea。
　　Thegirlslookedseaward。
　　Acrossthesmoothdistanceoftheseasomethinghugeandblackrolledtowardsthetown。Itwasawave，butawaveahundredfeetinheight，awavethatlookedlikeamountain——awaverisinghigherandhighertillsuddenlyitseemedtobreakintwo——onehalfofitrushedouttoseaagain；theother——
　　’Oh！’criedAnthea，’thetown——thepoorpeople！’
　　’It’sallthousandsofyearsago，really，’saidRobertbuthisvoicetrembled。Theyhidtheireyesforamoment。Theycouldnotbeartolookdown，forthewavehadbrokenonthefaceofthetown，sweepingoverthequaysanddocks，overwhelmingthegreatstorehousesandfactories，tearinggiganticstonesfromfortsandbridges，andusingthemasbatteringramsagainstthetemples。
　　Greatshipsweresweptovertheroofsofthehousesanddasheddownhalfwayupthehillamongruinedgardensandbrokenbuildings。Thewatergroundbrownfishing—boatstopowderonthegoldenroofsofPalaces。
　　Thenthewavesweptbacktowardsthesea。
　　’Iwanttogohome，’criedthePsammeadfiercely。
　　’Oh，yes，yes！’saidJane，andtheboyswereready——butthelearnedgentlemanhadnotcome。
　　Thensuddenlytheyheardhimdashuptotheinnergallery，crying——
　　’IMUSTseetheendofthedream。’Herushedupthehigherflight。
　　Theothersfollowedhim。Theyfoundthemselvesinasortofturret——roofed，butopentotheairatthesides。
　　Thelearnedgentlemanwasleaningontheparapet，andastheyrejoinedhimthevastwaverushedbackonthetown。Thistimeitrosehigher——destroyedmore。
　　’Comehome，’criedthePsammead；’THAT’StheLAST，Iknowitis！
　　That’sthelast——overthere。’Itpointedwithaclawthattrembled。
　　’Oh，come！’criedJane，holdinguptheAmulet。
　　’IWILLSEEtheendofthedream，’criedthelearnedgentleman。
　　’You’llneverseeanythingelseifyoudo，’saidCyril。’Oh，JIMMY！’appealedAnthea。’I’llNEVERbringyououtagain！’
　　’You’llneverhavethechanceifyoudon’tgosoon，’saidthePsammead。
　　’IWILLseetheendofthedream，’saidthelearnedgentlemanobstinately。
　　Thehillsaroundwereblackwithpeoplefleeingfromthevillagestothemountains。Andevenastheyfledthinsmokebrokefromthegreatwhitepeak，andthenafaintflashofflame。Thenthevolcanobegantothrowupitsmysteriousfieryinsideparts。Theearthtrembled；ashesandsulphurshowereddown；arainoffinepumice—stonefelllikesnowonallthedryland。Theelephantsfromtheforestrusheduptowardsthepeaks；greatlizardsthirtyyardslongbrokefromthemountainpoolsandrusheddowntowardsthesea。Thesnowsmeltedandrusheddown，firstinavalanches，theninroaringtorrents。Greatrockscastupbythevolcanofellsplashingintheseamilesaway。
　　’Oh，thisishorrible！’criedAnthea。’Comehome，comehome！’
　　’Theendofthedream，’gaspedthelearnedgentleman。
　　’HolduptheAmulet，’criedthePsammeadsuddenly。Theplacewheretheystoodwasnowcrowdedwithmenandwomen，andthechildrenwerestrainedtightagainsttheparapet。Theturretrockedandswayed；thewavehadreachedthegoldenwall。
　　JanehelduptheAmulet。
　　’Now，’criedthePsammead，’saytheword！’
　　AndasJanesaiditthePsammeadleapedfromitsbagandbitthehandofthelearnedgentleman。
　　Atthesamemomenttheboyspushedhimthroughthearchandallfollowedhim。
　　Heturnedtolookback，andthroughthearchhesawnothingbutawasteofwaters，withaboveitthepeakoftheterriblemountainwithfireragingfromit。
　　Hestaggeredbacktohischair。
　　’Whataghastlydream！’hegasped。’Oh，you’rehere，my——er——dears。CanIdoanythingforyou？’
　　’You’vehurtyourhand，’saidAntheagently；’letmebinditup。’
　　Thehandwasindeedbleedingratherbadly。
　　ThePsammeadhadcreptbacktoitsbag。Allthechildrenwereverywhite。
　　’Neveragain，’saidthePsammeadlateron，’willIgointothePastwithagrown—upperson！Iwillsayforyoufour，youdodoasyou’retold。’
　　’Wedidn’tevenfindtheAmulet，’saidAnthealaterstill。
　　’Ofcourseyoudidn’t；itwasn’tthere。Onlythestoneitwasmadeofwasthere。ItfellontoashipmilesawaythatmanagedtoescapeandgottoEgypt。_I_couldhavetoldyouthat。’
　　’Iwishyouhad，’saidAnthea，andhervoicewasstillrathershaky。’Whydidn’tyou？’
　　’Youneveraskedme，’saidthePsammeadverysulkily。’I’mnotthesortofchaptogoshovingmyoarinwhereit’snotwanted。’
　　’MrJi—jimmy’sfriendwillhavesomethingworthhavingtoputinhisarticlenow，’saidCyrilverymuchlaterindeed。
　　’Nothe，’saidRobertsleepily。’ThelearnedJi—jimmywillthinkit’sadream，andit’stentoonehenevertellstheotherchapawordaboutitatall。’
　　Robertwasquiterightonbothpoints。Thelearnedgentlemandid。Andheneverdid。
　　CHAPTER10
　　THELITTLEBLACKGIRLANDJULIUSCAESAR
　　Agreatcitysweptawaybythesea，abeautifulcountrydevastatedbyanactivevolcano——thesearenotthesortofthingsyouseeeverydayoftheweek。Andwhenyoudoseethem，nomatterhowmanyotherwondersyoumayhaveseeninyourtime，suchsightsareratherapttotakeyourbreathaway。AtlantishadcertainlythiseffectonthebreathsofCyril，Robert，Anthea，andJane。
　　Theyremainedinabreathlessstateforsomedays。Thelearnedgentlemanseemedasbreathlessasanyone；hespentagooddealofwhatlittlebreathhehadintellingAntheaaboutawonderfuldreamhehad。’Youwouldhardlybelieve，’hesaid，’thatanyoneCOULDhavesuchadetailedvision。’
　　ButAntheacouldbelieveit，shesaid，quiteeasily。
　　Hehadceasedtotalkaboutthought—transference。Hehadnowseentoomanywonderstobelievethat。
　　InconsequenceoftheirbreathlessconditionnoneofthechildrensuggestedanynewexcursionsthroughtheAmulet。Robertvoicedthemoodoftheotherswhenhesaidthattheywere’fedup’withAmuletforabit。Theyundoubtedlywere。
　　AsforthePsammead，itwenttosandandstayedthere，wornoutbytheterrorofthefloodandtheviolentexerciseithadhadtotakeinobediencetotheinconsideratewishesofthelearnedgentlemanandtheBabylonianqueen。
　　Thechildrenletitsleep。Thedangeroftakingitaboutamongstrangepeoplewhomightatanymomentutterundesirablewisheswasbecomingmoreandmoreplain。
　　AndtherearepleasantthingstobedoneinLondonwithoutanyaidfromAmuletsorPsammeads。Youcan，forinstancevisittheTowerofLondon，theHousesofParliament，theNationalGallery，theZoologicalGardens，thevariousParks，theMuseumsatSouthKensington，MadameTussaud’sExhibitionofWaxworks，ortheBotanicalGardensatKew。YoucangotoKewbyriversteamer——andthisisthewaythatthechildrenwouldhavegoneiftheyhadgoneatall。Onlytheyneverdid，becauseitwaswhentheywerediscussingthearrangementsforthejourney，andwhattheyshouldtakewiththemtoeatandhowmuchofit，andwhatthewholethingwouldcost，thattheadventureoftheLittleBlackGirlbegantohappen。
　　ThechildrenweresittingonaseatinStJames’sPark。Theyhadbeenwatchingthepelicanrepulsingwithcarefuldignitytheadvancesoftheseagullswhoarealwayssoanxioustoplaygameswithit。Thepelicanthinks，veryproperly，thatithasn’tthefigureforgames，soitspendsmostofitstimepretendingthatthatisnotthereasonwhyitwon’tplay。
　　ThebreathlessnesscausedbyAtlantiswaswearingoffalittle。
　　Cyril，whoalwayswantedtounderstandallabouteverything，wasturningthingsoverinhismind。
　　’I’mnot；I’monlythinking，’heansweredwhenRobertaskedhimwhathewassogrumpyabout。’I’lltellyouwhenI’vethoughtitallout。’
　　’Ifit’sabouttheAmuletIdon’twanttohearit，’saidJane。
　　’Nobodyaskedyouto，’retortedCyrilmildly，’andIhaven’tfinishedmyinsidethinkingaboutityet。Let’sgotoKewinthemeantime。’
　　’I’drathergoinasteamer，’saidRobert；andthegirlslaughed。
　　’That’sright，’saidCyril，’BEfunny。Iwould。’
　　’Well，hewas，rather，’saidAnthea。
　　’Iwouldn’tthink，Squirrel，ifithurtsyouso，’saidRobertkindly。
　　’Oh，shutup，’saidCyril，’orelsetalkaboutKew。’
　　’Iwanttoseethepalmsthere，’saidAntheahastily，’toseeifthey’reanythingliketheonesontheislandwhereweunitedtheCookandtheBurglarbytheReverendHalf—Curate。’
　　Alldisagreeablenesswassweptawayinapleasanttideofrecollections，and’Doyouremember……？’theysaid。’Haveyouforgotten……？’
　　’Myhat！’remarkedCyrilpensively，asthefloodofreminiscenceebbedalittle；’wehavehadsometimes。’
　　’Wehavethat，’saidRobert。
　　’Don’tlet’shaveanymore，’saidJaneanxiously。
　　’That’swhatIwasthinkingabout，’Cyrilreplied；andjustthentheyheardtheLittleBlackGirlsniff。Shewasquiteclosetothem。
　　Shewasnotreallyalittleblackgirl。Shewasshabbyandnotveryclean，andshehadbeencryingsomuchthatyoucouldhardlysee，throughthenarrowchinkbetweenherswollenlids，howverybluehereyeswere。Itwasherdressthatwasblack，anditwastoobigandtoolongforher，andsheworeaspeckledblack—ribbonedsailorhatthatwouldhavefittedamuchbiggerheadthanherlittleflaxenone。Andshestoodlookingatthechildrenandsniffing。
　　’Oh，dear！’saidAnthea，jumpingup。’Whateveristhematter？’
　　Sheputherhandonthelittlegirl’sarm。Itwasrudelyshakenoff。
　　’Youleavemebe，’saidthelittlegirl。’Iain’tdoingnothingtoyou。’
　　’Butwhatisit？’Antheaasked。’Hassomeonebeenhurtingyou？’
　　’What’sthattoyou？’saidthelittlegirlfiercely。’YOU’REallright。’
　　’Comeaway，’saidRobert，pullingatAnthea’ssleeve。’She’sanasty，rudelittlekid。’
　　’Oh，no，’saidAnthea。’She’sonlydreadfullyunhappy。Whatisit？’sheaskedagain。
　　’Oh，YOU’REallright，’thechildrepeated；’YOUain’tagoin’totheUnion。’
　　’Can’twetakeyouhome？’saidAnthea；andJaneadded，’Wheredoesyourmotherlive？’
　　’Shedon’tlivenowheres——she’sdead——sonow！’saidthelittlegirlfiercely，intonesofmiserabletriumph。Thensheopenedherswolleneyeswidely，stampedherfootinfury，andranaway。
　　Sherannofurtherthantothenextbench，flungherselfdownthereandbegantocrywithouteventryingnotto。
　　Anthea，quiteatonce，wenttothelittlegirlandputherarmsastightasshecouldroundthehunched—upblackfigure。
　　’Oh，don’tcryso，dear，don’t，don’t！’shewhisperedunderthebrimofthelargesailorhat，nowverycrookedindeed。’TellAntheaallaboutit；Anthea’llhelpyou。There，there，dear，don’tcry。’
　　Theothersstoodatadistance。Oneortwopassers—bystaredcuriously。
　　Thechildwasnowonlycryingpartofthetime；therestofthetimesheseemedtobetalkingtoAnthea。
　　PresentlyAntheabeckonedCyril。
　　’It’shorrible！’shesaidinafuriouswhisper，’herfatherwasacarpenterandhewasasteadyman，andnevertouchedadropexceptonaSaturday，andhecameuptoLondonforwork，andtherewasn’tany，andthenhedied；andhernameisImogen，andshe’sninecomenextNovember。Andnowhermother’sdead，andshe’stostaytonightwithMrsShrobsall——that’salandladythat’sbeenkind——andtomorrowtheRelievingOfficeriscomingforher，andshe’sgoingintotheUnion；thatmeanstheWorkhouse。It’stooterrible。Whatcanwedo？’
　　’Let’saskthelearnedgentleman，’saidJanebrightly。
　　AndasnooneelsecouldthinkofanythingbetterthewholepartywalkedbacktoFitzroyStreetasfastasitcould，thelittlegirlholdingtighttoAnthea’shandandnownotcryinganymore，onlysniffinggently。
　　Thelearnedgentlemanlookedupfromhiswritingwiththesmilethathadgrownmucheasiertohimthanitusedtobe。Theywerequiteathomeinhisroomnow；itreallyseemedtowelcomethem。
　　Eventhemummy—caseappearedtosmileasifinitsdistantsuperiorancientEgyptianwayitwereratherpleasedtoseethemthannot。
　　AntheasatonthestairswithImogen，whowasninecomenextNovember，whiletheotherswentinandexplainedthedifficulty。
　　Thelearnedgentlemanlistenedwithgraveattention。
　　’Itreallydoesseemratherroughluck，’Cyrilconcluded，’becauseI’veoftenheardaboutrichpeoplewhowantedchildrenmostawfully——thoughIknow_I_nevershould——buttheydo。Theremustbesomebodywho’dbegladtohaveher。’
　　’Gipsiesareawfullyfondofchildren，’Roberthopefullysaid。
　　’They’realwaysstealingthem。Perhapsthey’dhaveher。’
　　’She’squiteanicelittlegirlreally，’Janeadded；’shewasonlyrudeatfirstbecausewelookedjollyandhappy，andshewasn’t。Youunderstandthat，don’tyou？’
　　’Yes，’saidhe，absentlyfingeringalittleblueimagefromEgypt。’Iunderstandthatverywell。Asyousay，theremustbesomehomewhereshewouldbewelcome。’Hescowledthoughtfullyatthelittleblueimage。
　　Antheaoutsidethoughttheexplanationwastakingaverylongtime。
　　ShewassobusytryingtocheerandcomfortthelittleblackgirlthatshenevernoticedthePsammeadwho，rousedfromsleepbyhervoice，hadshakenitselffreeofsand，andwascomingcrookedlyupthestairs。Itwasclosetoherbeforeshesawit。Shepickeditupandsettleditinherlap。
　　’Whatisit？’askedtheblackchild。’Isitacatoraorgan—monkey，orwhat？’
　　AndthenAntheaheardthelearnedgentlemansay——
　　’Yes，Iwishwecouldfindahomewheretheywouldbegladtohaveher，’andinstantlyshefeltthePsammeadbegintoblowitselfoutasitsatonherlap。
　　ShejumpedupliftingthePsammeadinherskirt，andholdingImogenbythehand，rushedintothelearnedgentleman’sroom。
　　’Atleastlet’skeeptogether，’shecried。’Allholdhands——quick！’
　　ThecirclewaslikethatformedfortheMulberryBushorRing—o’—Roses。AndAntheawasonlyabletotakepartinitbyholdinginherteeththehemofherfrockwhich，thussupported，formedabagtoholdthePsammead。
　　’Isitagame？’askedthelearnedgentlemanfeebly。Nooneanswered。
　　Therewasamomentofsuspense；thencamethatcuriousupside—down，inside—outsensationwhichonealmostalwaysfeelswhentransportedfromoneplacetoanotherbymagic。Alsotherewasthatdizzydimnessofsightwhichcomesontheseoccasions。
　　Themistcleared，theupside—down，inside—outsensationsubsided，andtherestoodthesixinaring，asbefore，onlytheirtwelvefeet，insteadofstandingonthecarpetofthelearnedgentleman’sroom，stoodongreengrass。Abovethem，insteadoftheduskyceilingoftheFitzroyStreetfloor，wasapalebluesky。Andwherethewallshadbeenandthepaintedmummy—case，weretalldarkgreentrees，oaksandashes，andinbetweenthetreesandunderthemtangledbushesandcreepingivy。Therewerebeech—treestoo，buttherewasnothingunderthembuttheirowndeadreddriftedleaves，andhereandthereadelicategreenfern—frond。
　　Andtheretheystoodinacirclestillholdinghands，asthoughtheywereplayingRing—o’—RosesortheMulberryBush。justsixpeoplehandinhandinawood。Thatsoundssimple，butthenyoumustrememberthattheydidnotknowWHEREthewoodwas，andwhat’smore，theydidn’tknowWHENthenwoodwas。Therewasacurioussortoffeelingthatmadethelearnedgentlemansay——
　　’Anotherdream，dearme！’andmadethechildrenalmostcertainthattheywereinatimeaverylongwhileago。AsforlittleImogen，shesaid，’Oh，my！’andkepthermouthverymuchopenindeed。
　　’Wherearewe？’CyrilaskedthePsammead。
　　’InBritain，’saidthePsammead。
　　’Butwhen？’askedAntheaanxiously。
　　’Abouttheyearfifty—fivebeforetheyearyoureckontimefrom，’
　　saidthePsammeadcrossly。’Isthereanythingelseyouwanttoknow？’itadded，stickingitsheadoutofthebagformedbyAnthea’sbluelinenfrock，andturningitssnail’seyestorightandleft。’I’vebeenherebefore——it’sverylittlechanged。’
　　’Yes，butwhyhere？’askedAnthea。
　　’Yourinconsideratefriend，’thePsammeadreplied，’wishedtofindsomehomewheretheywouldbegladtohavethatunattractiveandimmaturefemalehumanbeingwhomyouhavepickedup——graciousknowshow。InMegatheriumdaysproperlybrought—upchildrendidn’ttalktoshabbystrangersinparks。Yourthoughtlessfriendwantedaplacewheresomeonewouldbegladtohavethisundesirablestranger。Andnowhereyouare！’
　　’Iseeweare，’saidAntheapatiently，lookingroundonthetallgloomoftheforest。’ButwhyHERE？WhyNOW？’
　　’Youdon’tsupposeanyonewouldwantachildlikethatinYOUR
　　times——inYOURtowns？’saidthePsammeadinirritatedtones。
　　’You’vegotyourcountryintosuchamessthatthere’snoroomforhalfyourchildren——andnoonetowantthem。’
　　’That’snotourdoing，youknow，’saidAntheagently。
　　’Andbringingmeherewithoutanywaterprooforanything，’saidthePsammeadstillmorecrossly，’wheneveryoneknowshowdampandfoggyAncientBritainwas。’
　　’Here，takemycoat，’saidRobert，takingitoff。Antheaspreadthecoatonthegroundand，puttingthePsammeadonit，foldeditroundsothatonlytheeyesandfurryearsshowed。
　　’There，’shesaidcomfortingly。’Nowifitdoesbegintolooklikerain，Icancoveryouupinaminute。Nowwhatarewetodo？’
　　Theotherswhohadstoppedholdinghandscrowdedroundtoheartheanswertothisquestion。Imogenwhisperedinanawedtone——
　　’Can’ttheorganmonkeytalkneither！Ithoughtitwasonlyparrots！’
　　’Do？’repliedthePsammead。’Idon’tcarewhatyoudo！’AnditdrewheadandearsintothetweedcoveringofRobert’scoat。
　　Theotherslookedateachother。
　　’It’sonlyadream，’saidthelearnedgentlemanhopefully；
　　’somethingissuretohappenifwecanpreventourselvesfromwakingup。’
　　Andsureenough，somethingdid。
　　Thebroodingsilenceofthedarkforestwasbrokenbythelaughterofchildrenandthesoundofvoices。
　　’Let’sgoandsee，’saidCyril。
　　’It’sonlyadream，’saidthelearnedgentlemantoJane，whohungback；’ifyoudon’tgowiththetideofadream——ifyouresist——youwakeup，youknow。’
　　Therewasasortofbreakintheundergrowththatwaslikeasillyperson’sideaofapath。TheywentalongthisinIndianfile，thelearnedgentlemanleading。
　　Quitesoontheycametoalargeclearingintheforest。Therewereanumberofhouses——hutsperhapsyouwouldhavecalledthem——withasortofmudandwoodfence。
　　’It’sliketheoldEgyptiantown，’whisperedAnthea。
　　Anditwas，rather。
　　Somechildren，withnoclothesonatall，wereplayingwhatlookedlikeRing—o’—RosesorMulberryBush。Thatistosay，theyweredancingroundinaring，holdinghands。Onagrassybankseveralwomen，dressedinblueandwhiterobesandtunicsofbeast—skinssatwatchingtheplayingchildren。
　　ThechildrenfromFitzroyStreetstoodonthefringeoftheforestlookingatthegames。Onewomanwithlong，fairbraidedhairsatalittleapartfromtheothers，andtherewasalookinhereyesasshefollowedtheplayofthechildrenthatmadeAntheafeelsadandsorry。
　　’Noneofthoselittlegirlsisherownlittlegirl，’thoughtAnthea。
　　Thelittleblack—cladLondonchildpulledatAnthea’ssleeve。
　　’Look，’shesaid，’thatonethere——she’spreciouslikemother；
　　mother’s’airwassomethinklovely，whenshe’adtimetocombitout。Motherwouldn’tnevera—beatmeifshe’dlived’ere——I
　　don’tsupposethere’se’erapublicnearerthanEpping，doyou，Miss？’
　　Inhereagernessthechildhadsteppedoutoftheshelteroftheforest。Thesad—eyedwomansawher。Shestoodup，herthinfacelightedupwitharadiancelikesunrise，herlong，leanarmsstretchedtowardstheLondonchild。
　　’Imogen！’shecried——atleastthewordwasmorelikethatthananyotherword——’Imogen！’
　　Therewasamomentofgreatsilence；thenakedchildrenpausedintheirplay，thewomenonthebankstaredanxiously。
　　’Oh，itISmother——itIS！’criedImogen—from—London，andrushedacrosstheclearedspace。Sheandhermotherclungtogether——soclosely，sostronglythattheystoodaninstantlikeastatuecarvedinstone。
　　Thenthewomencrowdedround。’ItISmyImogen！’criedthewoman。
　　’Ohitis！Andshewasn’teatenbywolves。She’scomebacktome。Tellme，mydarling，howdidyouescape？Wherehaveyoubeen？Whohasfedandclothedyou？’
　　’Idon’tknownothink，’saidImogen。
　　’Poorchild！’whisperedthewomenwhocrowdedround，’theterrorofthewolveshasturnedherbrain。’
　　’ButyouknowME？’saidthefair—hairedwoman。
　　AndImogen，clingingwithblack—clothedarmstothebareneck，answered——
　　’Oh，yes，mother，IknowYOUright’nough。’
　　’Whatisit？Whatdotheysay？’thelearnedgentlemanaskedanxiously。
　　’Youwishedtocomewheresomeonewantedthechild，’saidthePsammead。’Thechildsaysthisishermother。’
　　’Andthemother？’
　　’Youcansee，’saidthePsammead。
　　’Butisshereally？Herchild，Imean？’
　　’Whoknows？’saidthePsammead；’buteachonefillstheemptyplaceintheother’sheart。Itisenough。’
　　’Oh，’saidthelearnedgentleman，’thisisagooddream。Iwishthechildmightstayinthedream。’
　　ThePsammeadblewitselfoutandgrantedthewish。SoImogen’sfuturewasassured。Shehadfoundsomeonetowanther。
　　’Ifonlyallthechildrenthatnoonewants，’beganthelearnedgentleman——butthewomaninterrupted。Shecametowardsthem。
　　’Welcome，all！’shecried。’IamtheQueen，andmychildtellsmethatyouhavebefriendedher；andthisIwellbelieve，lookingonyourfaces。Yourgarbisstrange，butfacesIcanread。Thechildisbewitched，Iseethatwell，butinthisshespeakstruth。Isitnotso？’
　　Thechildrensaiditwasn’tworthmentioning。
　　IwishyoucouldhaveseenallthehonoursandkindnesseslavishedonthechildrenandthelearnedgentlemanbythoseancientBritons。
　　Youwouldhavethought，toseethem，thatachildwassomethingtomakeafussabout，notabitofrubbishtobehustledaboutthestreetsandhiddenawayintheWorkhouse。Itwasn’tasgrandastheentertainmentatBabylon，butsomehowitwasmoresatisfying。
　　’Ithinkyouchildrenhavesomewonderfulinfluenceonme，’saidthelearnedgentleman。’IneverdreamedsuchdreamsbeforeI
　　knewyou。’
　　ItwaswhentheywerealonethatnightunderthestarswheretheBritonshadspreadaheapOfdriedfernforthemtosleepon，thatCyrilspoke。
　　’Well，’hesaid，’we’vemadeitallrightforImogen，andhadajollygoodtime。Ivotewegethomeagainbeforethefightingbegins。’
　　’Whatfighting？’askedJanesleepily。
　　’Why，JuliusCaesar，youlittlegoat，’repliedherkindbrother。
　　’Don’tyouseethatifthisistheyearfifty—five，JuliusCaesarmayhappenatanymoment。’
　　’IthoughtyoulikedCaesar，’saidRobert。
　　’SoIdo——inthehistory。Butthat’sdifferentfrombeingkilledbyhissoldiers。’
　　’IfwesawCaesarwemightpersuadehimnotto，’saidAnthea。
　　’YOUpersuadeCAESAR，’Robertlaughed。
　　Thelearnedgentleman，beforeanyonecouldstophim，said，’I
　　onlywishwecouldseeCaesarsometime。’
　　And，ofcourse，injustthelittletimethePsammeadtooktoblowitselfoutforwish—giving，thefive，orsixcountingthePsammead，foundthemselvesinCaesar’scamp，justoutsideCaesar’stent。AndtheysawCaesar。ThePsammeadmusthavetakenadvantageoftheloosewordingofthelearnedgentleman’swish，foritwasnotthesametimeofdayasthatonwhichthewishhadbeenutteredamongthedriedferns。Itwassunset，andthegreatmansatonachairoutsidehistentgazingovertheseatowardsBritain——everyoneknewwithoutbeingtoldthatitwastowardsBritain。Twogoldeneaglesonthetopofpostsstoodoneachsideofthetent，andontheflapsofthetentwhichwasverygorgeoustolookatwerethelettersS。P。Q。R。
　　ThegreatmanturnedunchangedonthenewcomerstheaugustglancethathehadturnedonthevioletwatersoftheChannel。Thoughtheyhadsuddenlyappearedoutofnothing，Caesarnevershowedbythefaintestmovementofaneyelid，bytheleasttighteningofthatfirmmouth，thattheywerenotsomelongexpectedembassy。
　　Hewavedacalmhandtowardsthesentinels，whosprangweaponsinhandtowardsthenewcomers。
　　’Back！’hesaidinavoicethatthrilledlikemusic。’SincewhenhasCaesarfearedchildrenandstudents？’
　　Tothechildrenheseemedtospeakintheonlylanguagetheyknew；butthelearnedgentlemanheard——inratherastrangeaccent，butquiteintelligibly——thelipsofCaesarspeakingintheLatintongue，andinthattongue，alittlestiffly，heanswered——
　　’Itisadream，OCaesar。’
　　’Adream？’repeatedCaesar。’Whatisadream？’
　　’This，’saidthelearnedgentleman。
　　’Notit，’saidCyril，’it’sasortofmagic。Wecomeoutofanothertimeandanotherplace。’
　　’AndwewanttoaskyounottotroubleaboutconqueringBritain，’
　　saidAnthea；’it’sapoorlittleplace，notworthbotheringabout。’
　　’AreyoufromBritain？’theGeneralasked。’Yourclothesareuncouth，butwellwoven，andyourhairisshortasthehairofRomancitizens，notlonglikethehairofbarbarians，yetsuchI
　　deemyoutobe。’’We’renot，’saidJanewithangryeagerness；
　　’we’renotbarbariansatall。Wecomefromthecountrywherethesunneversets，andwe’vereadaboutyouinbooks；andourcountry’sfulloffinethings——StPaul’s，andtheTowerofLondon，andMadameTussaud’sExhibition，and——’Thentheothersstoppedher。
　　’Don’ttalknonsense，’saidRobertinabitterundertone。
　　Caesarlookedatthechildrenamomentinsilence。Thenhecalledasoldierandspokewithhimapart。Thenhesaidaloud——
　　’Youthreeelderchildrenmaygowhereyouwillwithinthecamp。
　　FewchildrenareprivilegedtoseethecampofCaesar。Thestudentandthesmallergirl—childwillremainherewithme。’
　　Nobodylikedthis；butwhenCaesarsaidathingthatthingwasso，andtherewasanendtoit。Sothethreewent。
　　LeftalonewithJaneandthelearnedgentleman，thegreatRomanfounditeasyenoughtoturntheminsideout。Butitwasnoteasy，evenforhim，tomakeheadortailoftheinsidesoftheirmindswhenhehadgotatthem。
　　Thelearnedgentlemaninsistedthatthewholethingwasadream，andrefusedtotalkmuch，onthegroundthatifhedidhewouldwakeup。
　　Jane，closelyquestioned，wasfullofinformationaboutrailways，electriclights，balloons，men—of—war，cannons，anddynamite。
　　’Anddotheyfightwithswords？’askedtheGeneral。
　　’Yes，swordsandgunsandcannons。’
　　Caesarwantedtoknowwhatgunswere。
　　’Youfirethem，’saidJane，’andtheygobang，andpeoplefalldowndead。’
　　’Butwhataregunslike？’
　　Janefoundthemhardtodescribe。
　　’ButRoberthasatoyoneinhispocket，’shesaid。Sotheotherswererecalled。
　　TheboysexplainedthepistoltoCaesarveryfully，andhelookedatitwiththegreatestinterest。Itwasatwo—shillingpistol，theonethathaddonesuchgoodserviceintheoldEgyptianvillage。
　　’Ishallcausegunstobemade，’saidCaesar，’andyouwillbedetainedtillIknowwhetheryouhavespokenthetruth。IhadjustdecidedthatBritainwasnotworththebotherofinvading。
　　Butwhatyoutellmedecidesmethatitisverymuchworthwhile。’
　　’Butit’sallnonsense，’saidAnthea。’Britainisjustasavagesortofisland——allfogsandtreesandbigrivers。Butthepeoplearekind。WeknowalittlegirltherenamedImogen。Andit’snouseyourmakinggunsbecauseyoucan’tfirethemwithoutgunpowder，andthatwon’tbeinventedforhundredsofyears，andwedon’tknowhowtomakeit，andwecan’ttellyou。Dogostraighthome，dearCaesar，andletpoorlittleBritainalone。’
　　’Butthisothergirl—childsays——’saidCaesar。
　　’AllJane’sbeentellingyouiswhatit’sgoingtobe，’Antheainterrupted，’hundredsandhundredsofyearsfromnow。’
　　’Thelittleoneisaprophetess，eh？’saidCaesar，withawhimsicallook。’Ratheryoungforthebusiness，isn’tshe？’
　　’Youcancallheraprophetessifyoulike，’saidCyril，’butwhatAntheasaysistrue。’
　　’Anthea？’saidCaesar。’That’saGreekname。’
　　’Verylikely，’saidCyril，worriedly。’Isay，Idowishyou’dgiveupthisideaofconqueringBritain。It’snotworthwhile，reallyitisn’t！’
　　’Onthecontrary，’saidCaesar，’whatyou’vetoldmehasdecidedmetogo，ifit’sonlytofindoutwhatBritainisreallylike。
　　Guards，detainthesechildren。’
　　’Quick，’saidRobert，’beforetheguardsbegindetaining。WehadenoughofthatinBabylon。’
　　JanehelduptheAmuletawayfromthesunset，andsaidtheword。
　　Thelearnedgentlemanwaspushedthroughandtheothersmorequicklythaneverbeforepassedthroughthearchbackintotheirowntimesandthequietdustysitting—roomofthelearnedgentleman。
　　ItisacuriousfactthatwhenCaesarwasencampedonthecoastofGaul——somewherenearBoulogneitwas，Ibelieve——hewassittingbeforehistentintheglowofthesunset，lookingoutoverthevioletwatersoftheEnglishChannel。Suddenlyhestarted，rubbedhiseyes，andcalledhissecretary。Theyoungmancamequicklyfromwithinthetent。
　　’Marcus，’saidCaesar。’Ihavedreamedaverywonderfuldream。
　　SomeofitIforget，butIrememberenoughtodecidewhatwasnotbeforedetermined。TomorrowtheshipsthathavebeenbroughtroundfromtheLigerisshallbeprovisioned。Weshallsailforthisthree—corneredisland。First，wewilltakebuttwolegions。
　　This，ifwhatwehaveheardbetrue，shouldsuffice。Butifmydreambetrue，thenahundredlegionswillnotsuffice。ForthedreamIdreamedwasthemostwonderfulthatevertormentedthebrainevenofCaesar。AndCaesarhasdreamedsomestrangethingsinhistime。’
　　’Andifyouhadn’ttoldCaesarallthatabouthowthingsarenow，he’dneverhaveinvadedBritain，’saidRoberttoJaneastheysatdowntotea。
　　’Oh，nonsense，’saidAnthea，pouringout；’itwasallsettledhundredsofyearsago。’
　　’Idon’tknow，’saidCyril。’Jam，please。ThisabouttimebeingonlyathingummyofthoughtisveryconfusIng。Ifeverythinghappensatthesametime——’
　　’ItCAN’T！’saidAntheastoutly，’thepresent’sthepresentandthepast’sthepast。’
　　’Notalways，’saidCyril。
　　’WhenwewereinthePastthepresentwasthefuture。Nowthen！’
　　headdedtriumphantly。
　　AndAntheacouldnotdenyit。
　　’Ishouldhavelikedtoseemoreofthecamp，’saidRobert。
　　’Yes，wedidn’tgetmuchforourmoney——butImogenishappy，that’sonething，’saidAnthea。’WeleftherhappyinthePast。
　　I’veoftenseenaboutpeoplebeinghappyinthePast，inpoetrybooks。Iseewhatitmeansnow。’
　　’It’snotabadidea，’saidthePsammeadsleepily，puttingitsheadoutofitsbagandtakingitinagainsuddenly，’beingleftinthePast。’
　　Everyonerememberedthisafterwards，when——
　　CHAPTER11
　　BEFOREPHARAOH
　　ItwasthedayaftertheadventureofJuliusCaesarandtheLittleBlackGirlthatCyril，burstingintothebathroomtowashhishandsfordinner（youhavenoideahowdirtytheywere，forhehadbeenplayingshipwreckedmarinersallthemorningontheleadsatthebackofthehouse，wherethewater—cisternis），foundAnthealeaningherelbowsontheedgeofthebath，andcryingsteadilyintoit。
　　’Hullo！’hesaid，withbrotherlyconcern，’what’supnow？
　　Dinner’llbecoldbeforeyou’vegotenoughsalt—waterforabath。’
　　’Goaway，’saidAntheafiercely。’Ihateyou！Ihateeverybody！’
　　Therewasastrickenpause。
　　’_I_didn’tknow，’saidCyriltamely。
　　’Nobodyeverdoesknowanything，’sobbedAnthea。
　　’Ididn’tknowyouwerewaxy。Ithoughtyou’djusthurtyourfingerswiththetapagainlikeyoudidlastweek，’Cyrilcarefullyexplained。
　　’Oh——fingers！’sneeredAntheathroughhersniffs。
　　’Here，dropit，Panther，’hesaiduncomfortably。’Youhaven’tbeenhavingaroworanything？’
　　’No，’shesaid。’Washyourhorridhands，forgoodness’sake，ifthat’swhatyoucamefor，orgo。’
　　Antheawassoseldomcrossthatwhenshewascrosstheotherswerealwaysmoresurprisedthanangry。
　　Cyriledgedalongthesideofthebathandstoodbesideher。Heputhishandonherarm。
　　’Dryup，do，’hesaid，rathertenderlyforhim。And，findingthatthoughshedidnotatoncetakehisadviceshedidnotseemtoresentit，heputhisarmawkwardlyacrosshershouldersandrubbedhisheadagainstherear。
　　’There！’hesaid，inthetoneofoneadministeringapricelesscureforallpossiblesorrows。’Now，what’sup？’
　　’Promiseyouwon’tlaugh？’
　　’Idon’tfeellaughishmyself，’saidCyril，dismally。
　　’Well，then，’saidAnthea，leaningherearagainsthishead，’it’sMother。’
　　’What’sthematterwithMother？’askedCyril，withapparentwantofsympathy。’Shewasallrightinherletterthismorning。’
　　’Yes；butIwantherso。’
　　’You’renottheonlyone，’saidCyrilbriefly，andthebrevityofhistoneadmittedagooddeal。
　　’Oh，yes，’saidAnthea，’Iknow。Weallwantherallthetime。
　　ButIwanthernowmostdreadfully，awfullymuch。Ineverwantedanythingsomuch。ThatImogenchild——thewaytheancientBritishQueencuddledherup！AndImogenwasn’tme，andtheQueenwasMother。Andthenherletterthismorning！AndaboutTheLamblikingthesaltbathing！Andshebathedhiminthisverybaththenightbeforeshewentaway——oh，oh，oh！’
　　Cyrilthumpedherontheback。
　　’Cheerup，’hesaid。’YouknowmyinsidethinkingthatIwasdoing？Well，thatwaspartlyaboutMother。We’llsoongetherback。Ifyou’llchuckit，likeasensiblekid，andwashyourface，I’lltellyouaboutit。That’sright。Youletmegettothetap。Can’tyoustopcrying？ShallIputthedoor—keydownyourback？’
　　’That’sfornoses，’saidAnthea，’andI’mnotakidanymorethanyouare，’butshelaughedalittle，andhermouthbegantogetbackintoitspropershape。Youknowwhatanoddshapeyourmouthgetsintowhenyoucryinearnest。
　　’Lookhere，’saidCyril，workingthesoaproundandroundbetweenhishandsinathickslimeofgreysoapsuds。’I’vebeenthinking。We’veonlyjustPLAYEDwiththeAmuletsofar。We’vegottoworkitnow——WORKitforallit’sworth。Anditisn’tonlyMothereither。There’sFatheroutthereallamongthefighting。Idon’thowlaboutit，butITHINK——Oh，botherthesoap！’Thegrey—linedsoaphadsquirtedoutunderthepressureofhisfingers，andhadhitAnthea’schinwithasmuchforceasthoughithadbeenshotfromacatapult。
　　’Therenow，’shesaidregretfully，’nowIshallhavetowashmyface。’
　　’You’dhavehadtodothatanyway，’saidCyrilwithconviction。
　　’Now，myidea’sthis。Youknowmissionaries？’
　　’Yes，’saidAnthea，whodidnotknowasingleone。
　　’Well，theyalwaystakethesavagesbeadsandbrandy，andstays，andhats，andbraces，andreallyusefulthings——thingsthesavageshaven’tgot，andneverheardabout。Andthesavageslovethemfortheirkindgenerousness，andgivethempearls，andshells，andivory，andcassowaries。Andthat’stheway——’
　　’Waitasec，’saidAnthea，splashing。’Ican’thearwhatyou’resaying。Shellsand——’
　　’Shells，andthingslikethat。Thegreatthingistogetpeopletoloveyoubybeinggenerous。Andthat’swhatwe’vegottodo。
　　NexttimewegointothePastwe’llregularlyfitouttheexpedition。YourememberhowtheBabylonianQueenfrozeontothatpocket—book？Well，we’lltakethingslikethat。AndoffertheminexchangeforasightoftheAmulet。’
　　’Asightofitisnotmuchgood。’
　　’No，silly。But，don’tyousee，whenwe’veseenitweshallknowwhereitis，andwecangoandtakeitinthenightwheneverybodyisasleep。’
　　’Itwouldn’tbestealing，wouldit？’saidAntheathoughtfully，’becauseitwillbesuchanawfullylongtimeagowhenwedoit。
　　Oh，there’sthatbellagain。’
　　Assoonasdinnerwaseaten（itwastinnedsalmonandlettuce，andajamtart），andtheclothclearedaway，theideawasexplainedtotheothers，andthePsammeadwasarousedfromsand，andaskedwhatitthoughtwouldbegoodmerchandisewithwhichtobuytheaffectionofsay，theAncientEgyptians，andwhetheritthoughttheAmuletwaslikelytobefoundintheCourtofPharaoh。
　　Butitshookitshead，andshotoutitssnail’seyeshopelessly。
　　’I’mnotallowedtoplayinthisgame，’itsaid。’OfcourseI
　　COULDfindoutinaminutewherethethingwas，onlyImayn’t。
　　ButImaygosofarastoownthatyourideaoftakingthingswithyouisn’tabadone。AndIshouldn’tshowthemallatonce。
　　Takesmallthingsandconcealthemcraftilyaboutyourpersons。’
　　Thisadviceseemedgood。SoonthetablewaslitteredoverwiththingswhichthechildrenthoughtlikelytointeresttheAncientEgyptians。Antheabroughtdolls，puzzleblocks，awoodentea—service，agreenleathercasewithNecessairewrittenonitingoldletters。AuntEmmahadoncegivenittoAnthea，andithadthencontainedscissors，penknife，bodkin，stiletto，thimble，corkscrew，andglove—buttoner。Thescissors，knife，andthimble，andpenknifewere，ofcourse，lost，buttheotherthingswerethereandasgoodasnew。Cyrilcontributedleadsoldiers，acannon，acatapult，atin—opener，atie—clip，andatennisball，andapadlock——nokey。Robertcollectedacandle（’Idon’tsupposetheyeversawaself—fittingparaffinone，’hesaid），apennyJapanesepin—tray，arubberstampwithhisfather’snameandaddressonit，andapieceofputty。
　　Janeaddedakey—ring，thebrasshandleofapoker，apotthathadheldcold—cream，asmokedpearlbuttonoffherwintercoat，andakey——nolock。
　　’Wecan’ttakeallthisrubbish，’saidRobert，withsomescorn。
　　’Wemustjusteachchooseonething。’
　　Theafternoonpassedveryagreeablyintheattempttochoosefromthetablethefourmostsuitableobjects。Butthefourchildrencouldnotagreewhatwassuitable，andatlastCyrilsaid——
　　’Lookhere，let’seachbeblindfoldedandreachout，andthefirstthingyoutouchyoustickto。’
　　Thiswasdone。
　　Cyriltouchedthepadlock。
　　AntheagottheNecessaire。
　　Robertclutchedthecandle。
　　Janepickedupthetie—clip。
　　’It’snotmuch，’shesaid。’Idon’tbelieveAncientEgyptiansworeties。’
　　’Nevermind，’saidAnthea。’Ibelieveit’sluckiernottoreallychoose。Inthestoriesit’salwaysthethingthewood—cutter’ssonpicksupintheforest，andalmostthrowsawaybecausehethinksit’snogood，thatturnsouttobethemagicthingintheend；orelsesomeone’slostit，andheisrewardedwiththehandoftheKing’sdaughterinmarriage。’
　　’Idon’twantanyhandsinmarriage，thankyou。’saidCyrilfirmly。
　　’Noryetme，’saidRobert。’It’salwaystheendoftheadventureswhenitcomestothemarriagehands。’
　　’AREweready？’saidAnthea。
　　’ItISEgyptwe’regoingto，isn’tit？——niceEgypt？’saidJane。
　　’Iwon’tgoanywhereIdon’tknowabout——likethatdreadfulbig—wavyburning—mountaincity，’sheinsisted。
　　ThenthePsammeadwascoaxedintoitsbag。’Isay，’saidCyrilsuddenly，’I’mrathersickofkings。Andpeoplenoticeyousoinpalaces。BesidestheAmulet’ssuretobeinaTemple。Let’sjustgoamongthecommonpeople，andtrytoworkourselvesupbydegrees。WemightgettakenonasTempleassistants。’
　　’Likebeadles，’saidAnthea，’orvergers。TheymusthavesplendidchancesofstealingtheTempletreasures。’
　　’Righto！’wasthegeneralrejoinder。Thecharmwasheldup。Itgrewbigonceagain，andonceagainthewarmgoldenEasternlightglowedsoftlybeyondit。
　　Asthechildrensteppedthroughitloudandfuriousvoicesrangintheirears。TheywentsuddenlyfromthequietofFitzroyStreetdining—roomintoaveryangryEasterncrowd，acrowdmuchtooangrytonoticethem。Theyedgedthroughittothewallofahouseandstoodthere。Thecrowdwasofmen，women，andchildren。Theywereofallsortsofcomplexions，andpicturesofthemmighthavebeencolouredbyanychildwithashillingpaint—box。Thecoloursthatchildwouldhaveusedforcomplexionswouldhavebeenyellowochre，redochre，lightred，sepia，andindianink。Buttheirfaceswerepaintedalready——blackeyebrowsandlashes，andsomeredlips。Thewomenworeasortofpinaforewithshoulderstraps，andloosethingswoundroundtheirheadsandshoulders。Themenworeverylittleclothing——fortheyweretheworkingpeople——andtheEgyptianboysandgirlsworenothingatall，unlessyoucountthelittleornamentshungonchainsroundtheirnecksandwaists。Thechildrensawallthisbeforetheycouldhearanythingdistinctly。
　　Everyonewasshoutingso。
　　Butavoicesoundedabovetheothervoices，andpresentlyitwasspeakinginasilence。
　　’Comradesandfellowworkers，’itsaid，anditwasthevoiceofatall，coppery—colouredmanwhohadclimbedintoachariotthathadbeenstoppedbythecrowd。Itsownerhadbolted，mutteringsomethingaboutcallingtheGuards，andnowthemanspokefromit。’Comradesandfellowworkers，howlongarewetoendurethetyrannyofourmasters，wholiveinidlenessandluxuryonthefruitofourtoil？Theyonlygiveusabaresubsistencewage，andtheyliveonthefatoftheland。Welabourallourlivestokeeptheminwantonluxury。Letusmakeanendofit！’
　　Aroarofapplauseansweredhim。
　　’Howareyougoingtodoit？’criedavoice。
　　’Youlookout，’criedanother，’oryou’llgetyourselfintotrouble。’
　　’I’veheardalmosteverysinglewordofthat，’whisperedRobert，’inHydeParklastSunday！’
　　’Letusstrikeformorebreadandonionsandbeer，andalongermid—dayrest，’thespeakerwenton。’Youaretired，youarehungry，youarethirsty。Youarepoor，yourwivesandchildrenarepiningforfood。Thebarnsofthericharefulltoburstingwiththecornwewant，thecornourlabourhasgrown。Tothegranaries！’
　　’Tothegranaries！’criedhalfthecrowd；butanothervoiceshoutedclearabovethetumult，’ToPharaoh！TotheKing！Let’spresentapetitiontotheKing！Hewilllistentothevoiceoftheoppressed！’
　　Foramomentthecrowdswayedonewayandanother——firsttowardsthegranariesandthentowardsthepalace。Then，witharushlikethatofanimprisonedtorrentsuddenlysetfree，itsurgedalongthestreettowardsthepalace，andthechildrenwerecarriedwithit。AntheafounditdifficulttokeepthePsammeadfrombeingsqueezedveryuncomfortably。
　　Thecrowdsweptthroughthestreetsofdull—lookinghouseswithfewwindows，veryhighup，acrossthemarketwherepeoplewerenotbuyingbutexchanginggoods。InamomentarypauseRobertsawabasketofonionsexchangedforahaircombandfivefishforastringofbeads。Thepeopleinthemarketseemedbetteroffthanthoseinthecrowd；theyhadfinerclothes，andmoreofthem。
　　Theywerethekindofpeoplewho，nowadays，wouldhavelivedatBrixtonorBrockley。
　　’What’sthetroublenow？’alanguid，large—eyedladyinacrimped，half—transparentlinendress，withherblackhairverymuchbraidedandpuffedout，askedofadate—seller。
　　’Oh，theworking—men——discontentedasusual，’themananswered。
　　’Listentothem。Anyonewouldthinkitmatteredwhethertheyhadalittlemoreorlesstoeat。Dregsofsociety！’saidthedate—seller。
　　’Scum！’saidthelady。
　　’AndI’veheardTHATbefore，too，’saidRobert。
　　Atthatmomentthevoiceofthecrowdchanged，fromangertodoubt，fromdoubttofear。Therewereothervoicesshouting；
　　theyshouteddefianceandmenace，andtheycamenearerveryquickly。Therewastherattleofwheelsandthepoundingofhoofs。Avoiceshouted，’Guards！’
　　’TheGuards！TheGuards！’shoutedanothervoice，andthecrowdofworkmentookupthecry。’TheGuards！Pharaoh’sGuards！’
　　Andswayingalittleoncemore，thecrowdhungforamomentasitwerebalanced。Thenasthetramplinghoofscamenearertheworkmenfleddispersed，upalleysandintothecourtsofhouses，andtheGuardsintheirembossedleatherchariotssweptdownthestreetatthegallop，theirwheelsclatteringoverthestones，andtheirdark—coloured，bluetunicsblownopenandbackwiththewindoftheirgoing。
　　’SoTHATriot’sover，’saidthecrimped—linen—dressedlady；
　　’that’sablessing！AnddidyounoticetheCaptainoftheGuard？
　　Whataveryhandsomemanhewas，tobesure！’
　　Thefourchildrenhadtakenadvantageofthemoment’spausebeforethecrowdturnedtofly，toedgethemselvesanddrageachotherintoanarcheddoorway。
　　Nowtheyeachdrewalongbreathandlookedattheothers。
　　’We’rewelloutofTHAT，’saidCyril。
　　’Yes，’saidAnthea，’butIdowishthepoormenhadn’tbeendrivenbackbeforetheycouldgettotheKing。Hemighthavedonesomethingforthem。’
　　’NotifhewastheoneintheBiblehewouldn’t，’saidJane。’Hehadahardheart。’’Ah，thatwastheMosesone，’Antheaexplained。’TheJosephonewasquitedifferent。IshouldliketoseePharaoh’shouse。Iwonderwhetherit’sliketheEgyptianCourtintheCrystalPalace。’
　　’IthoughtwedecidedtotrytogettakenoninaTemple，’saidCyrilininjuredtones。
　　’Yes，butwe’vegottoknowsomeonefirst。Couldn’twemakefriendswithaTempledoorkeeper——wemightgivehimthepadlockorsomething。Iwonderwhicharetemplesandwhicharepalaces，’
　　Robertadded，glancingacrossthemarket—placetowhereanenormousgatewaywithhugesidebuildingstoweredtowardsthesky。Torightandleftofitwereotherbuildingsonlyalittlelessmagnificent。
　　’DidyouwishtoseekouttheTempleofAmenRa？’askedasoftvoicebehindthem，’ortheTempleofMut，ortheTempleofKhonsu？’
　　Theyturnedtofindbesidethemayoungman。Hewasshavedcleanfromheadtofoot，andonhisfeetwerelightpapyrussandals。
　　Hewasclothedinalinentunicofwhite，embroideredheavilyincolours。Hewasgaywithanklets，bracelets，andarmletsofgold，richlyinlaid。Heworearingonhisfinger，andhehadashortjacketofgoldembroiderysomethingliketheZouavesoldierswear，andonhisneckwasagoldcollarwithmanyamuletshangingfromit。Butamongtheamuletsthechildrencouldseenoneliketheirs。
　　’Itdoesn’tmatterwhichTemple，’saidCyrilfrankly。
　　’Tellmeyourmission，’saidtheyoungman。’IamadivinefatheroftheTempleofAmenRaandperhapsIcanhelpyou。’
　　’Well，’saidCyril，’we’vecomefromthegreatEmpireonwhichthesunneversets。’
　　’Ithoughtsomehowthatyou’dcomefromsomeodd，out—of—the—wayspot，’saidthepriestwithcourtesy。
　　’Andwe’veseenagoodmanypalaces。WethoughtweshouldliketoseeaTemple，forachange，’saidRobert。
　　ThePsammeadstirreduneasilyinitsembroideredbag。
　　’HaveyoubroughtgiftstotheTemple？’askedthepriestcautiously。
　　’WeHAVEgotsomegifts，’saidCyrilwithequalcaution。’Youseethere’smagicmixedupinit。Sowecan’ttellyoueverything。Butwedon’twanttogiveourgiftsfornothing。’
　　’Bewarehowyouinsultthegod，’saidtheprieststernly。’I
　　alsocandomagic。Icanmakeawaxenimageofyou，andIcansaywordswhich，asthewaximagemeltsbeforethefire，willmakeyoudwindleawayandatlastperishmiserably。’
　　’Pooh！’saidCyrilstoutly，’that’snothing。_I_canmakeFIRE
　　itself！’
　　’Ishouldjollywellliketoseeyoudoit，’saidthepriestunbelievingly。
　　’Well，youshall，’saidCyril，’nothingeasier。Juststandcloseroundme。’
　　’Doyouneednopreparation——nofasting，noincantations？’Thepriest’stonewasincredulous。
　　’Theincantation’squiteshort，’saidCyril，takingthehint；
　　’andasforfasting，it’snotneededinMYsortofmagic。UnionJack，PrintingPress，Gunpowder，RuleBritannia！Come，Fire，attheendofthislittlestick！’
　　Hehadpulledamatchfromhispocket，andasheendedtheincantationwhichcontainednowordsthatitseemedlikelytheEgyptianhadeverheardhestoopedinthelittlecrowdofhisrelationsandthepriestandstruckthematchonhisboot。Hestoodup，shieldingtheflamewithonehand。
　　’See？’hesaid，withmodestpride。’Here，takeitintoyourhand。’
　　’No，thankyou，’saidthepriest，swiftlybacking。’Canyoudothatagain？’
　　’Yes。’
　　’ThencomewithmetothegreatdoublehouseofPharaoh。Helovesgoodmagic，andhewillraiseyoutohonourandglory。
　　There’snoneedofsecretsbetweeninitiates，’hewentonconfidentially。’Thefactis，Iamoutoffavouratpresentowingtoalittlematteroffailureofprophecy。ItoldhimabeautifulprincesswouldbesenttohimfromSyria，and，lo！awomanthirtyyearsoldarrived。ButsheWASabeautifulwomannotsolongago。Timeisonlyamodeofthought，youknow。’
　　Thechildrenthrilledtothefamiliarwords。
　　’Soyouknowthattoo，doyou？’saidCyril。
　　’Itispartofthemysteryofallmagic，isitnot？’saidthepriest。’NowifIbringyoutoPharaohthelittleunpleasantnessIspokeofwillbeforgotten。AndIwillaskPharaoh，theGreatHouse，SonoftheSun，andLordoftheSouthandNorth，todecreethatyoushalllodgeintheTemple。Thenyoucanhaveagoodlookround，andteachmeyourmagic。AndIwillteachyoumine。’
　　Thisideaseemedgood——atleastitwasbetterthananyotherwhichatthatmomentoccurredtoanybody，sotheyfollowedthepriestthroughthecity。
　　Thestreetswereverynarrowanddirty。Thebesthouses，thepriestexplained，werebuiltwithinwallstwentytotwenty—fivefeethigh，andsuchwindowsasshowedinthewallswereveryhighup。Thetopsofpalm—treesshowedabovethewalls。Thepoorpeople’shouseswerelittlesquarehutswithadoorandtwowindows，andsmokecomingoutofaholeintheback。
　　’ThepoorEgyptianshaven’timprovedsoverymuchintheirbuildingsincethefirsttimewecametoEgypt，’whisperedCyriltoAnthea。
　　Thehutswereroofedwithpalmbranches，andeverywheretherewerechickens，andgoats，andlittlenakedchildrenkickingaboutintheyellowdust。Ononeroofwasagoat，whohadclimbedupandwaseatingthedrypalm—leaveswithsnortsandhead—tossingsofdelight。Overeveryhousedoorwassomesortoffigureorshape。
　　’Amulets，’thepriestexplained，’tokeepofftheevileye。’
　　’Idon’tthinkmuchofyour"niceEgypt"，’RobertwhisperedtoJane；’it’ssimplynotapatchonBabylon。’
　　’Ah，youwaittillyouseethepalace，’Janewhisperedback。
　　Thepalacewasindeedmuchmoremagnificentthananythingtheyhadyetseenthatday，thoughitwouldhavemadebutapoorshowbesidethatoftheBabylonianKing。Theycametoitthroughagreatsquarepillareddoorwayofsandstonethatstoodinahighbrickwall。Theshutdoorswereofmassivecedar，withbronzehinges，andwerestuddedwithbronzenails。Atthesidewasalittledoorandawicketgate，andthroughthisthepriestledthechildren。Heseemedtoknowawordthatmadethesentriesmakewayforhim。
　　Insidewasagarden，plantedwithhundredsofdifferentkindsoftreesandfloweringshrubs，alakefulloffish，withbluelotusflowersatthemargin，andducksswimmingaboutcheerfully，andlooking，asJanesaid，quitemodern。
　　’Theguard—chamber，thestore—houses，thequeen’shouse，’saidthepriest，pointingthemout。
　　Theypassedthroughopencourtyards，pavedwithflatstones，andthepriestwhisperedtoaguardatagreatinnergate。
　　’Wearefortunate，’hesaidtothechildren，’PharaohisevennowintheCourtofHonour。Now，don’tforgettobeovercomewithrespectandadmiration。Itwon’tdoanyharmifyoufallflatonyourfaces。Andwhateveryoudo，don’tspeakuntilyou’respokento。’
　　’Thereusedtobethatruleinourcountry，’saidRobert，’whenmyfatherwasalittleboy。’
　　AttheouterendofthegreathallacrowdofpeoplewerearguingwithandevenshovingtheGuards，whoseemedtomakeitarulenottoletanyonethroughunlesstheywerebribedtodoit。Thechildrenheardseveralpromisesoftheutmostrichness，andwonderedwhethertheywouldeverbekept。
　　Allroundthehallwerepillarsofpaintedwood。Theroofwasofcedar，gorgeouslyinlaid。Abouthalf—wayupthehallwasawide，shallowstepthatwentrightacrossthehall；thenalittlefartheronanother；andthenasteepflightofnarrowersteps，leadingrightuptothethroneonwhichPharaohsat。Hesatthereverysplendid，hisredandwhitedoublecrownonhishead，andhissceptreinhishand。Thethronehadacanopyofwoodandwoodenpillarspaintedinbrightcolours。Onalow，broadbenchthatranallroundthehallsatthefriends，relatives，andcourtiersoftheKing，leaningonrichly—coveredcushions。
　　Thepriestledthechildrenupthestepstilltheyallstoodbeforethethrone；andthen，suddenly，hefellonhisfacewithhandsoutstretched。Theothersdidthesame，AntheafallingverycarefullybecauseofthePsammead。
　　’Raisethem，’saidthevoiceofPharaoh，’thattheymayspeaktome。’
　　TheofficersoftheKing’shouseholdraisedthem。
　　’Whoarethesestrangers？’Pharaohasked，andaddedverycrossly，’Andwhatdoyoumean，Rekh—mara，bydaringtocomeintomypresencewhileyourinnocenceisnotestablished？’
　　’Oh，greatKing，’saidtheyoungpriest，’youaretheveryimageofRa，andthelikenessofhissonHorusineveryrespect。Youknowthethoughtsoftheheartsofthegodsandofmen，andyouhavedivinedthatthesestrangersarethechildrenofthechildrenofthevileandconqueredKingsoftheEmpirewherethesunneversets。TheyknowamagicnotknowntotheEgyptians。
　　AndtheycomewithgiftsintheirhandsastributetoPharaoh，inwhoseheartisthewisdomofthegods，andonhislipstheirtruth。’
　　’Thatisallverywell，’saidPharaoh，’butwherearethegifts？’
　　Thechildren，bowingaswellastheycouldintheirembarrassmentatfindingthemselvesthecentreofinterestinacirclemoregrand，moregoldenandmorehighlycolouredthantheycouldhaveimaginedpossible，pulledoutthepadlock，theNecessaire，andthetie—clip。’Butit’snottributeallthesame，’Cyrilmuttered。’Englanddoesn’tpaytribute！’
　　Pharaohexaminedallthethingswithgreatinterestwhenthechiefofthehouseholdhadtakenthemuptohim。’DeliverthemtotheKeeperoftheTreasury，’hesaidtoonenearhim。Andtothechildrenhesaid——
　　’Asmalltribute，truly，butstrange，andnotwithoutworth。Andthemagic，ORekh—mara？’
　　’Theseunworthysonsofaconquerednation……’beganRekh—mara。
　　’Nothingofthekind！’Cyrilwhisperedangrily。
　　’……ofavileandconquerednation，canmakefiretospringfromdrywood——inthesightofall。’
　　’Ishouldjollywellliketoseethemdoit，’saidPharaoh，justasthepriesthaddone。
　　SoCyril，withoutmoreado，didit。
　　’Domoremagic，’saidtheKing，withsimpleappreciation。