第5章

’They’refilingsomething，’whisperedtherobber，’here—shutup，givemethatpistol，andthepoker。Thereisaburglarnow，andnomistake。’ ’It’sonlyatoyoneanditwon’tgooff，’Isaid，’butyoucancockit。’ Thenweheardasnap。’Theregoesthewindowbar，’saidtherobbersoftly。’Jove！whatanadventure！Youkidsstayhere，I’lltackleit。’ ButDickyandIsaidweshouldcome。Soheletusgoasfarasthebottomofthekitchenstairs，andwetookthetongsandshovelwithus。Therewasalightinthekitchen;averylittlelight。Itiscuriousweneverthought，anyofus，thatthismightbeaplantofourrobber’stogetaway。Weneverthoughtofdoubtinghiswordofhonour。Andwewereright。 Thatnoblerobberdashedthekitchendooropen，andrushedinwiththebigtoypistolinonehandandthepokerintheother，shoutingoutjustlikeOswaldhaddone— ’Surrender！Youarediscovered！Surrender，orI’llfire！Throwupyourhands！’AndDickyandIrattledthetongsandshovelsothathemightknowthereweremoreofus，allbristlingwithweapons。 Andweheardahuskyvoiceinthekitchensaying— ’Allright，governor！Stowthatscentsprinkler。I’llgivein。 BlowedifIain’tprettywellsickofthejob，anyway。’ Thenwewentin。Ourrobberwasstandinginthegrandestmannerwithhislegsverywideapart，andthepistolpointingatthecoweringburglar。Theburglarwasalargemanwhodidnotmeantohaveabeard，Ithink，buthehadgotsomeofone，andaredcomforter，andafurcap，andhisfacewasredandhisvoicewasthick。Howdifferentfromourownrobber！Theburglarhadadarklantern，andhewasstandingbytheplate—basket。Whenwehadlitthegasweallthoughthewasverylikewhataburglaroughttobe。 Hedidnotlookasifhecouldeverhavebeenapirateorahighwayman，oranythingreallydashingornoble，andhescowledandshuffledhisfeetandsaid：’Well，goon：whydon’tyerfetchthepleece？’ ’Uponmyword，Idon’tknow，’saidourrobber，rubbinghischin。 ’Oswald，whydon’twefetchthepolice？’ ItisnoteveryrobberthatIwouldstandChristiannamesfrom，I cantellyoubutjustthenIdidn’tthinkofthat。Ijustsaid— ’DoyoumeanI’mtofetchone？’ Ourrobberlookedattheburglarandsaidnothing。 Thentheburglarbegantospeakveryfast，andtolookdifferentwayswithhishard，shinylittleeyes。 ’Lookee’ere，governor，’hesaid，’Iwasstonybroke，sohelpme，Iwas。AndblessedifI’venickedahaporthofyourlittlelot。 Youknowyourselfthereain’tmuchtotemptabloke，’heshooktheplate—basketasifhewasangrywithit，andtheyellowyspoonsandforksrattled。’Iwasjusta—lookingthroughthis’ereBank—ollerdayshow，whenyoucome。Letmeoff，sir。Comenow，I’vegotkidsofmyownathome，strikemeifIain’t—sameasyours—I’vegotanipperjustabout’issize，andwhat’llcomeofthemifI’mlagged？Iain’tbeeninitlong，sir，andIain’t’andyatit。’ ’No，’saidourrobber;’youcertainlyarenot。’Aliceandtheothershadcomedownbynowtoseewhatwashappening。Alicetoldmeafterwardstheythoughtitreallywasthecatthistime。 ’No，Iain’t’andy，asyousay，sir，andifyouletmeoffthisonceI’llchuckthewholebloomingbizz;rakemycivvy，Iwill。 Don’tbehardonacove，mister;thinkofthemissisandthekids。 I’vegotonejustthecutoflittlemissytherebless’erpretty’eart。’ ’Yourfamilycertainlyfitsyourcircumstancesverynicely，’saidourrobber。ThenAlicesaid— ’Oh，dolethimgo！Ifhe’sgotalittlegirllikeme，whateverwillshedo？SupposeitwasFather！’ ’Idon’tthinkhe’sgotalittlegirllikeyou，mydear，’saidourrobber，’andIthinkhe’llbesaferunderlockandkey。’ ’YouaskyerFathertoletmego，miss，’saidtheburglar;\"ewon’t’avethe’arttorefuseyou。’ ’IfIdo，’saidAlice，’willyoupromisenevertocomeback？’ ’Notme，miss，’theburglarsaidveryearnestly，andhelookedattheplate—basketagain，asifthatalonewouldbeenoughtokeephimaway，ourrobbersaidafterwards。 ’Andwillyoubegoodandnotrobanymore？’saidAlice。 ’I’llturnoveranooleaf，miss，sohelpme。’ ThenAlicesaid—’Oh，dolethimgo！I’msurehe’llbegood。’ Butourrobbersaidno，itwouldn’tberight;wemustwaittillFathercamehome。ThenH。O。said，verysuddenlyandplainly： ’Idon’tthinkit’satallfair，whenyou’rearobberyourself。’ Theminutehe’dsaidittheburglarsaid，’Kidded，bygum！’—andthenourrobbermadeasteptowardshimtocatchholdofhim，andbeforeyouhadtimetothink’Hullo！’theburglarknockedthepistolupwithonehandandknockedourrobberdownwiththeother，andwasoffoutofthewindowlikeashot，thoughOswaldandDickydidtrytostophimbyholdingontohislegs。 Andthatburglarhadthecheektoputhisheadinatthewindowandsay，’I’llgiveyerlovetothekidsandthemissis’—andhewasofflikewinking，andtherewereAliceandDoratryingtopickupourrobber，andaskinghimwhetherhewashurt，andwhere。Hewasn’thurtatall，exceptalumpatthebackofhishead。Andhegotup，andwedustedthekitchenflooroffhim。Elizaisadirtygirl。 Thenhesaid，’Let’sputuptheshutters。Itneverrainsbutitpours。Nowyou’vehadtwoburglarsIdaresayyou’llhavetwenty。’ Soweputuptheshutters，whichElizahasstrictorderstodobeforeshegoesout，onlysheneverdoes，andwewentbacktoFather’sstudy，andtherobbersaid，’Whatanightwearehaving！’ andputhisbootsbackinthefendertogoonsteaming，andthenwealltalkedatonce。Itwasthemostwonderfuladventureweeverhad，thoughitwasn’ttreasure—seeking—atleastnotours。I supposeitwastheburglar’streasure—seeking，buthedidn’tgetmuch—andourrobbersaidhedidn’tbelieveawordaboutthosekidsthatweresolikeAliceandme。 Andthentherewastheclickofthegate，andwesaid，’Here’sFather，’andtherobbersaid，’Andnowforthepolice。’ Thenwealljumpedup。Wedidlikehimsomuch，anditseemedsounfairthatheshouldbesenttoprison，andthehorrid，lumpingbigburglarnot。 AndAlicesaid，’Oh，no—run！Dickywillletyououtatthebackdoor。Oh，dogo，gonow。’ Andweallsaid，’Yes，go，’andpulledhimtowardsthedoor，andgavehimhishatandstickandthethingsoutofhispockets。 ButFather’slatchkeywasinthedoor，anditwastoolate。 Fathercameinquickly，purringwiththecold，andbegantosay，’It’sallright，Foulkes，I’vegot—’Andthenhestoppedshortandstaredatus。Thenhesaid，inthevoiceweallhate，’Children，whatisthemeaningofallthis？’Andforaminutenobodyspoke。 ThenmyFathersaid，’Foulkes，Imustreallyapologizefortheseverynaughty—’ Andthenourrobberrubbedhishandsandlaughed，andcriedout： ’You’remistaken，mydearsir，I’mnotFoulkes;I’marobber，capturedbytheseyoungpeopleinthemostgallantmanner。\"Handsup，surrender，orIfire，\"andalltherestofit。Myword，Bastable，butyou’vegotsomekidsworthhaving！IwishmyDennyhadtheirpluck。’ Thenwebegantounderstand，anditwaslikebeingknockeddown，itwassosudden。Andourrobbertoldushewasn’tarobberafterall。HewasonlyanoldcollegefriendofmyFather’s，andhehadcomeafterdinner，whenFatherwasjusttryingtomendthelockH。 O。hadbroken，toaskFathertogethimalettertoadoctorabouthislittleboyDenny，whowasill。AndFatherhadgoneovertheHeathtoVanbrughParktoseesomerichpeopleheknowsandgettheletter。AndhehadleftMrFoulkestowaittillhecameback，becauseitwasimportanttoknowatoncewhetherFathercouldgettheletter，andifhecouldn’tMrFoulkeswouldhavehadtotrysomeoneelsedirectly。 Weweredumbwithamazement。 OurrobbertoldmyFatherabouttheotherburglar，andsaidhewassorryhe’dlethimescape，butmyFathersaid，’Oh，it’sallright： poorbeggar;ifhereallyhadkidsathome：younevercantell— forgiveusourdebts，don’tyouknow;buttellmeaboutthefirstbusiness。Itmusthavebeenmoderatelyentertaining。’ ThenourrobbertoldmyFatherhowIhadrushedintotheroomwithapistol，cryingout……butyouknowallaboutthat。Andhelaiditonsothickandfataboutpluckyyoung—uns，andchipsofoldblocks，andthingslikethat，thatIfeltIwaspurplewithshame，evenundertheblanket。SoIswallowedthatthingthattriestopreventyouspeakingwhenyououghtto，andIsaid，’Lookhere，Father，Ididn’treallythinktherewasanyoneinthestudy。Wethoughtitwasacatatfirst，andthenIthoughttherewasnoonethere，andIwasjustlarking。AndwhenIsaidsurrenderandallthat，itwasjustthegame，don’tyouknow？’ Thenourrobbersaid，’Yes，oldchap;butwhenyoufoundtherereallywassomeonethere，youdroppedthepistolandbunked，didn’tyou，eh？’ AndIsaid，’No;Ithought，\"Hullo！here’sarobber！Well，it’sallup，Isuppose，butImayaswellholdonandseewhathappens。\"’ AndIwasgladI’downedup，forFatherslappedmeontheback，andsaidIwasayoungbrick，andourrobbersaidIwasnofunkanyway，andthoughIgotveryhotundertheblanketIlikedit，andI explainedthattheotherswouldhavedonethesameiftheyhadthoughtofit。 ThenFathergotupsomemorebeer，andlaughedaboutDora’sresponsibility，andhegotoutaboxoffigshehadboughtforus，onlyhehadn’tgivenittousbecauseoftheWaterRates，andElizacameinandbroughtupthebreadandcheese，andwhattherewasleftoftheneckofmutton—coldwreckofmutton，Fathercalledit—andwehadafeast—likeapicnic—allsittinganywhere，andeatingwithourfingers。Itwasprime。Wesatuptillpasttwelveo’clock，andIneverfeltsopleasedtothinkIwasnotbornagirl。Itwashardontheothers;theywouldhavedonejustthesameifthey’dthoughtofit。Butitdoesmakeyoufeeljollywhenyourpatersaysyou’reayoungbrick！ WhenMrFoulkeswasgoing，hesaidtoAlice，’Good—bye，Hardy。’ AndAliceunderstood，ofcourse，andkissedhimashardasshecould。 Andshesaid，’Iwantedto，whenyousaidnoonekissedyouwhenyouleftoffbeingapirate。’Andhesaid，’Iknowyoudid，mydear。’AndDorakissedhimtoo，andsaid，’Isupposenoneofthesetalesweretrue？’ Andourrobberjustsaid，’Itriedtoplaythepartproperly，mydear。’ Andhejollywelldidplayit，andnomistake。Wehaveoftenseenhimsince，andhisboyDenny，andhisgirlDaisy，butthatcomesinanotherstory。 Andifanyofyoukidswhoreadthiseverhadtwosuchadventuresinonenightyoucanjustwriteandtellme。That’sall。 CHAPTER14 THEDIVINING—ROD Youhavenoideahowuncomfortablethehousewasonthedaywhenwesoughtforgoldwiththedivining—rod。Itwaslikeaspring—cleaninginthewinter—time。Allthecarpetswereup，becauseFatherhadtoldElizatomaketheplacedecentastherewasagentlemancomingtodinnerthenextday。Soshegotinacharwoman，andtheysloppedwaterabout，andleftbroomsandbrushesonthestairsforpeopletotumbleover。H。O。gotabigbumponhisheadinthatway，andwhenhesaiditwastoobad，Elizasaidheshouldkeepinthenurserythen，andnotbewherehe’dnobusiness。Webandagedhisheadwithatowel，andthenhestoppedcryingandplayedatbeingEngland’swoundedherodyinginthecockpit，whileeverymanwasdoinghisduty，astheherohadtoldthemto，andAlicewasHardy，andIwasthedoctor，andtheotherswerethecrew。PlayingatHardymadeusthinkofourowndearrobber，andwewishedhewasthere，andwonderedifweshouldeverseehimanymore。 WewereratherastonishedatFather’shavinganyonetodinner，becausenowheneverseemstothinkofanythingbutbusiness。 BeforeMotherdiedpeopleoftencametodinner，andFather’sbusinessdidnottakeupsomuchofhistimeandwasnotthebotheritisnow。Andweusedtoseewhocouldgofurthestdowninournightgownsandgetnicethingstoeat，withoutbeingseen，outofthedishesastheycameoutofthedining—room。Elizacan’tcookverynicethings。ShetoldFathershewasagoodplaincook，buthesaysitwasafancyportrait。Westayedinthenurserytillthecharwomancameinandtoldustobeoff—shewasgoingtomakeonejobofit，andhaveourcarpetupaswellasalltheothers，nowthemanwasheretobeatthem。Itcameup，anditwasverydusty—andunderitwefoundmythreepenny—bitthatIlostagesago，whichshowswhatElizais。H。O。hadgottiredofbeingthewoundedhero，andDickywassotiredofdoingnothingthatDorasaidsheknewhe’dbegintoteaseNoelinaminute;thenofcourseDickysaidhewasn’tgoingtoteaseanybody—hewasgoingouttotheHeath。Hesaidhe’dheardthatnaggingwomendroveamanfromhishome，andnowhefounditwasquitetrue。Oswaldalwaystriestobeapeacemaker，sohetoldDickytoshutupandnotmakeanassofhimself。AndAlicesaid，’Well，Dorabegan—AndDoratossedherchinupandsaiditwasn’tanybusinessofOswald’sanyway，andnooneaskedAlice’sopinion。SoweallfeltveryuncomfortabletillNoElsaid，’Don’tlet’squarrelaboutnothing。 Youknowletdogsdelight—andImadeupanotherpiecewhileyouweretalking— Quarrellingisanevilthing，Itfillswithgalllife’scup; ForwhenonceyoubeginIttakessuchalongtimetomakeitup。’ Wealllaughedthenandstoppedjawingateachother。Noelisveryfunnywithhispoetry。Butthatpiecehappenedtocomeoutquitetrue。Youbegintoquarrelandthenyoucan’tstop;often，longbeforetheothersarereadytocryandmakeitup，Iseehowsillyitis，andIwanttolaugh;butitdoesn’tdotosayso—foritonlymakestheotherscrosserthantheywerebefore。Iwonderwhythatis？ AlicesaidNoeloughttobepoetlaureate，andsheactuallywentoutinthecoldandgotsomelaurelleaves—thespottedkind—outofthegarden，andDoramadeacrownandweputitonhim。Hewasquitepleased;buttheleavesmadeamess，andElizasaid，’Don’t。’ Ibelievethat’sawordgrown—upsusemorethananyother。ThensuddenlyAlicethoughtofthatoldideaofhersforfindingtreasure，andshesaid—’Dolet’strythedivining—rod。’ SoOswaldsaid，’Fairpriestess，wedogreatlydesiretofindgoldbeneathourland，thereforewepraytheepractisewiththedivining—rod，andtelluswherewecanfindit。’ ’Doyedesiretofashionofithelmsandhauberks？’saidAlice。 ’Yes，’saidNoel;’andchainsandouches。’ ’Ibetyoudon’tknowwhatan\"ouch\"is，’saidDicky。 ’YesIdo，sothere！’saidNoel。’It’sacarcanet。Ilookeditoutinthedicker，nowthen！’ Weaskedhimwhatacarcanetwas，buthewouldn’tsay。 ’Andwewanttomakefairgobletsofthegold，’saidOswald。 ’Yes，todrinkcoconutmilkoutof，’saidH。O。 ’Andwedesiretobuildfairpalacesofit，’saidDicky。 ’Andtobuythings，’saidDora;’agreatmanythings。NewSundayfrocksandhatsandkidglovesand—’ Shewouldhavegoneonforeversolongonlyweremindedherthatwehadn’tfoundthegoldyet。 BythisAlicehadputonthenurserytablecloth，whichisgreen，andtiedtheoldblueandyellowantimacassaroverherhead，andshesaid— ’Ifyourintentionsarecorrect，fearnothingandfollowme。’ Andshewentdownintothehall。Weallfollowedchanting’Heroes。’ItisagloomythingthegirlslearntattheHighSchool，andwealwaysuseitwhenwewantapriestlychant。 Alicestoppedshortbythehat—stand，andheldupherhandsaswellasshecouldforthetablecloth，andsaid— ’Now，greataltarofthegoldenidol，yieldmethedivining—rodthatImayuseitforthegoodofthesufferingpeople。’ Theumbrella—standwasthealtarofthegoldenidol，andityieldedhertheoldschoolumbrella。Shecarrieditbetweenherpalms。 ’Now，’shesaid，’Ishallsingthemagicchant。Youmustn’tsayanything，butjustfollowwhereverIgo—likefollowmyleader，youknow—andwhenthereisgoldunderneaththemagicrodwilltwistinthehandofthepriestesslikealivethingthatseekstobefree。Thenyouwilldig，andthegoldentreasurewillberevealed。H。O。，ifyoumakethatclatterwithyourbootsthey’llcomeandtellusnotto。Nowcomeonallofyou。’ Soshewentupstairsanddownandintoeveryroom。Wefollowedherontiptoe，andAlicesangasshewent。Whatshesangisnotoutofabook—Noelmadeitupwhileshewasdressingupforthepriestess。 AshenrodcoldThathereIhold，Teachmewheretofindthegold。 WhenwecametowhereElizawas，shesaid，’Getalongwithyou’; butDorasaiditwasonlyagame，andwewouldn’ttouchanything，andourbootswerequiteclean，andElizamightaswellletus。Soshedid。 Itwasallrightforthepriestess，butitwasalittledullfortherestofus，becauseshewouldn’tletussing，too;sowesaidwe’dhadenoughofit，andifshecouldn’tfindthegoldwe’dleaveoffandplaysomethingelse。Thepriestesssaid，’Allright，waitaminute，’andwentonsinging。Thenweallfollowedherbackintothenursery，wherethecarpetwasupandtheboardssmeltofsoftsoap。Thenshesaid，’Itmoves，itmoves！Oncemorethechoralhymn！’Sowesang’Heroes’again，andinthemiddletheumbrelladroppedfromherhands。 ’Themagicrodhasspoken，’saidAlice;’dighere，andthatwithcourageanddespatch。’Wedidn’tquiteseehowtodig，butweallbegantoscratchonthefloorwithourhands，butthepriestesssaid，’Don’tbesosilly！It’stheplacewheretheycometodothegas。Theboard’sloose。Diganyouvalueyourlives，foreresundownthedragonwhoguardsthisspoilwillreturninhisfieryfuryandmakeyouhisunresistingprey。’ Sowedug—thatis，wegotthelooseboardup。AndAlicethrewupherarmsandcried— ’Seetherichtreasure—thegoldinthicklayers，withsilveranddiamondsstuckinit！’ ’Likecurrantsincake，’saidH。O。 ’It’salovelytreasure，’saidDickyyawning。’Let’scomebackandcarryitawayanotherday。’ ButAlicewaskneelingbythehole。 ’Letmefeastmyeyesonthegoldensplendour，’shesaid，’hiddentheselongcenturiesfromthehumaneye。Beholdhowthemagicrodhasledustotreasuresmore—Oswald，don’tpushso！—morebrightthanevermonarch—Isay，thereissomethingdownthere，really。 Isawitshine！’ Wethoughtshewaskidding，butwhenshebegantotrytogetintothehole，whichwasmuchtoosmall，wesawshemeantit，soIsaid，’Let’shaveasquint，’andIlooked，butIcouldn’tseeanything，evenwhenIlaydownonmystomach。Theotherslaydownontheirstomachstooandtriedtosee，allbutNoel，whostoodandlookedatusandsaidwewerethegreatserpentscomedowntodrinkatthemagicpool。Hewantedtobetheknightandslaythegreatserpentswithhisgoodsword—heevendrewtheumbrellaready—butAlicesaid，’Allright，wewillinaminute。Butnow—I’msureIsawit;dogetamatch，Noel，there’sadear。’ ’Whatdidyousee？’askedNoel，beginningtogoforthematchesveryslowly。 ’Somethingbright，awayinthecornerundertheboardagainstthebeam。’ ’Perhapsitwasarat’seye，’Noelsaid，’orasnake’s，’andwedidnotputourheadsquitesoclosetotheholetillhecamebackwiththematches。 ThenIstruckamatch，andAlicecried，’Thereitis！’Andthereitwas，anditwasahalf—sovereign，partlydustyandpartlybright。Wethinkperhapsamouse，disturbedbythecarpetsbeingtakenup，mayhavebrushedthedustofyearsfrompartofthehalf—sovereignwithhistail。Wecan’timaginehowitcamethere，onlyDorathinkssheremembersoncewhenH。O。wasverylittleMothergavehimsomemoneytohold，andhedroppedit，anditrolledalloverthefloor。Sowethinkperhapsthiswaspartofit。Wewereveryglad。H。O。wantedtogooutatonceandbuyamaskhehadseenforfourpence。Ithadbeenashillingmask，butnowitwasgoingverycheapbecauseGuyFawkes’Daywasover，anditwasalittlecrackedatthetop。butDorasaid，’Idon’tknowthatit’sourmoney。Let’swaitandaskFather。’ ButH。O。didnotcareaboutwaiting，andIfeltforhim。Doraisratherlikegrown—upsinthatway;shedoesnotseemtounderstandthatwhenyouwantathingyoudowantit，andthatyoudon’twishtowait，evenaminute。 SowewentandaskedAlbert—next—door’suncle。Hewaspeggingawayatoneoftherottennovelshehastowritetomakehisliving，buthesaidweweren’tinterruptinghimatall。 ’Myhero’sfollyhasinvolvedhiminadifficulty，’hesaid。’Itishisownfault。Iwillleavehimtomeditateontheincrediblefatuity—thehare—brainedrecklessness—whichhavebroughthimtothispass。Itwillbealessontohim。I，meantime，willgivemyselfunreservedlytothepleasuresofyourconversation。’ That’sonethingIlikeAlbert’sunclefor。Healwaystalkslikeabook，andyetyoucanalwaysunderstandwhathemeans。Ithinkheismorelikeus，insideofhismind，thanmostgrown—uppeopleare。Hecanpretendbeautifully。Inevermetanyoneelsesogoodatit，exceptourrobber，andwebeganit，withhim。ButitwasAlbert’sunclewhofirsttaughtushowtomakepeopletalklikebookswhenyou’replayingthings，andhemadeuslearntotellastorystraightfromthebeginning，notstartinginthemiddlelikemostpeopledo。SonowOswaldrememberedwhathehadbeentold，ashegenerallydoes，andbeganatthebeginning，butwhenhecametowhereAlicesaidshewasthepriestess，Albert’sunclesaid— ’Letthepriestessherselfsetforththetaleinfittingspeech。’ SoAlicesaid，’Ohighpriestofthegreatidol，thehumblestofthyslavestooktheschoolumbrellaforadivining—rod，andsangthesongofinver—what’s—it’s—name？’ ’Invocationperhaps？’saidAlbert’suncle。 ’Yes;andthenIwentaboutandaboutandtheothersgottired，sothedivining—rodfellonacertainspot，andIsaid，\"Dig\"，andwedug—itwaswherethelooseboardisforthegasmen—andthentherereallyandtrulywasahalf—sovereignlyingundertheboards，andhereitis。’ Albert’suncletookitandlookedatit。 ’Thegreathighpriestwillbiteittoseeifit’sgood，’hesaid，andhedid。’Icongratulateyou，’hewenton;’youareindeedamongthosefavouredbytheImmortals。Firstyoufindhalf—crownsinthegarden，andnowthis。ThehighpriestadvisesyoutotellyourFather，andaskifyoumaykeepit。Myherohasbecomepenitent，butimpatient。Imustpullhimoutofthisscrape。Yehavemyleavetodepart。’ OfcourseweknowfromKiplingthatthatmeans，’You’dbetterbunk，andbesharpaboutit，’sowecameaway。IdolikeAlbert’suncle。 IshallbelikethatwhenI’maman。Hegaveusourjunglebooks，andheisawfullyclever，thoughhedoeshavetowritegrown—uptales。 WetoldFatheraboutitthatnight。Hewasverykind。Hesaidwemightcertainlyhavethehalf—sovereign，andhehopedweshouldenjoyourselveswithourtreasure—trove。 Thenhesaid，’YourdearMother’sIndianUncleiscomingtodinnerhereto—morrownight。Sowillyounotdragthefurnitureaboutoverhead，please，morethanyou’reabsolutelyobliged;andH。O。 mightwearslippersorsomething。IcanalwaysdistinguishthenoteofH。O。’sboots。’ Wesaidwewouldbeveryquiet，andFatherwenton— ’ThisIndianUncleisnotusedtochildren，andheiscomingtotalkbusinesswithme。Itisreallyimportantthatheshouldbequiet。Doyouthink，Dora，thatperhapsbedatsixforH。O。andNoel—’ ButH。O。said，’Father，Ireallyandtrulywon’tmakeanoise。 I’llstandonmyheadalltheeveningsoonerthandisturbtheIndianUnclewithmyboots。’ AndAlicesaidNoelnevermadearowanyhow。SoFatherlaughedandsaid，’Allright。’Andhesaidwemightdoaswelikedwiththehalf—sovereign。’Onlyforgoodness’sakedon’ttrytogoinforbusinesswithit，’hesaid。’It’salwaysamistaketogointobusinesswithaninsufficientcapital。’ Wetalkeditoverallthatevening，andwedecidedthataswewerenottogointobusinesswithourhalf—sovereignitwasnousenotspendingitatonce，andsowemightaswellhavearightroyalfeast。Thenextdaywewentoutandboughtthethings。Wegotfigs，andalmondsandraisins，andarealrawrabbit，andElizapromisedtocookitforusifwewouldwaittilltomorrow，becauseoftheIndianUnclecomingtodinner。Shewasverybusycookingnicethingsforhimtoeat。Wegottherabbitbecausewearesotiredofbeefandmutton，andFatherhasn’tabillatthepoultryshop。Andwegotsomeflowerstogoonthedinner—tableforFather’sparty。Andwegothardbakeandraspberrynoyauandpeppermintrockandorangesandacoconut，withothernicethings。 Weputitallinthetoplongdrawer。ItisH。O。’splaydrawer，andwemadehimturnhisthingsoutandputtheminFather’soldportmanteau。H。O。isgettingoldenoughnowtolearntobeunselfish，andbesides，hisdrawerwantedtidyingverybadly。ThenweallvowedbythehonouroftheancientHouseofBastablethatwewouldnottouchanyofthefeasttillDoragavethewordnextday。 AndwegaveH。O。someofthehardbake，tomakeiteasierforhimtokeephisvow。Thenextdaywasthemostrememorabledayinallourlives，butwedidn’tknowthatthen。Butthatisanotherstory。Ithinkthatissuchausefulwaytoknowwhenyoucan’tthinkhowtoendupachapter。IlearntitfromanotherwriternamedKipling。I’vementionedhimbefore，Ibelieve，buthedeservesit！ CHAPTER15 ’Lo，THEPOORINDIAN！’ ItwasallverywellforFathertoaskusnottomakearowbecausetheIndianUnclewascomingtotalkbusiness，butmyyoungbrother’sbootsarenottheonlythingsthatmakeanoise。WetookhisbootsawayandmadehimwearDora’sbathslippers，whicharesoftandwoolly，andhardlyanysolestothem;andofcoursewewantedtoseetheUncle，sowelookedoverthebanisterswhenhecame，andwewereasquietasmice—butwhenElizahadlethiminshewentstraightdowntothekitchenandmadethemostawfulrowyoueverheard，itsoundedliketheDayofjudgement，orallthesaucepansandcrockeryinthehousebeingkickedaboutthefloor，butshetoldmeafterwardsitwasonlythetea—trayandoneortwocupsandsaucers，thatshehadknockedoverinherflurry。WeheardtheUnclesay，’Godblessmysoul！’andthenhewentintoFather’sstudyandthedoorwasshut—wedidn’tseehimproperlyatallthattime。 Idon’tbelievethedinnerwasverynice。SomethinggotburnedI’msure—forwesmeltit。Itwasanextrasmell，besidesthemutton。 Iknowthatgotburned。Elizawouldn’thaveanyofusinthekitchenexceptDora—tilldinnerwasover。Thenwegotwhatwasleftofthedessert，andhaditonthestairs—justroundthecornerwheretheycan’tseeyoufromthehall，unlessthefirstlandinggasislighted。SuddenlythestudydooropenedandtheUnclecameoutandwentandfeltinhisgreatcoatpocket。Itwashiscigar—casehewanted。Wesawthatafterwards。Wegotamuchbetterviewofhimthen。Hedidn’tlooklikeanIndianbutjustlikeakindofbrown，bigEnglishman，andofcoursehedidn’tseeus，butweheardhimmuttertohimself— ’Shockingbaddinner！Eh！—what？’ Whenhewentbacktothestudyhedidn’tshutthedoorproperly。 ThatdoorhasalwaysbeenalittletiresomesincethedaywetookthelockofftogetoutthepencilsharpenerH。O。hadshovedintothekeyhole。Wedidn’tlisten—reallyandtruly—buttheIndianUnclehasaverybigvoice，andFatherwasnotgoingtobebeatenbyapoorIndianintalkingoranythingelse—sohespokeuptoo，likeaman，andIheardhimsayitwasaverygoodbusiness，andonlywantedalittlecapital—andhesaiditasifitwasanimpositionhehadlearned，andhehatedhavingtosayit。TheUnclesaid，’Pooh，pooh！’tothat，andthenhesaidhewasafraidthatwhatthatsamebusinesswantedwasnotcapitalbutmanagement。 ThenIheardmyFathersay，’Itisnotapleasantsubject：IamsorryIintroducedit。Supposewechangeit，sir。Letmefillyourglass。’ThenthepoorIndiansaidsomethingaboutvintage— andthatapoor，broken—downmanlikehewascouldn’tbetoocareful。AndthenFathersaid，’Well，whiskythen，’andafterwardstheytalkedaboutNativeRacesandImperialsomethingorotheranditgotverydull。 SothenOswaldrememberedthatyoumustnothearwhatpeopledonotintendyoutohear—evenifyouarenotlisteningandhesaid，’Weoughtnottostayhereanylonger。Perhapstheywouldnotlikeustohear。’ Alicesaid，’Oh，doyouthinkitcouldpossiblymatter？’andwentandshutthestudydoorsoftlybutquitetight。Soitwasnousestayingthereanylonger，andwewenttothenursery。 ThenNoelsaid，’NowIunderstand。OfcoursemyFatherismakingabanquetfortheIndian，becauseheisapoor，broken—downman。 Wemighthaveknownthatfrom\"Lo，thepoorIndian！\"youknow。’ Weallagreedwithhim，andweweregladtohavethethingexplained，becausewehadnotunderstoodbeforewhatFatherwantedtohavepeopletodinnerfor—andnotletuscomein。 ’Poorpeopleareveryproud，’saidAlice，’andIexpectFatherthoughttheIndianwouldbeashamed，ifallofuschildrenknewhowpoorhewas。’ ThenDorasaid，’Povertyisnodisgrace。WeshouldhonourhonestPoverty。’ Andweallagreedthatthatwasso。 ’Iwishhisdinnerhadnotbeensonasty，’Dorasaid，whileOswaldputlumpsofcoalonthefirewithhisfingers，soasnottomakeanoise。Heisaverythoughtfulboy，andhedidnotwipehisfingersonhistrouserlegasperhapsNoelorH。O。wouldhavedone，buthejustrubbedthemonDora’shandkerchiefwhileshewastalking。 ’Iamafraidthedinnerwashorrid。’Dorawenton。’Thetablelookedverynicewiththeflowerswegot。Isetitmyself，andElizamademeborrowthesilverspoonsandforksfromAlbert—next—door’sMother。’ ’IhopethepoorIndianishonest，’saidDickygloomily，’whenyouareapoor，broken—downmansilverspoonsmustbeagreattemptation。’ Oswaldtoldhimnottotalksuchtommy—rotbecausetheIndianwasarelation，soofcoursehecouldn’tdoanythingdishonourable。 AndDorasaiditwasallrightanyway，becauseshehadwashedupthespoonsandforksherselfandcountedthem，andtheywereallthere，andshehadputthemintotheirwash—leatherbag，andtakenthembacktoAlbert—next—door’sMother。 ’Andthebrusselssproutswereallwetandswimmy，’shewenton，’andthepotatoeslookedgrey—andtherewerebitsofblackinthegravy—andthemuttonwasbluey—redandsoftinthemiddle。Isawitwhenitcameout。Theapple—pielookedverynice—butitwasn’tquitedoneintheapplypart。Theotherthingthatwasburnt—youmusthavesmeltit，wasthesoup。’ ’Itisapity，’saidOswald;’Idon’tsupposehegetsagooddinnereveryday。’ ’Nomoredowe，’saidH。O。，’butweshallto—morrow。’ Ithoughtofallthethingswehadboughtwithourhalf—sovereign—therabbitandthesweetsandthealmondsandraisinsandfigsandthecoconut：andIthoughtofthenastymuttonandthings，andwhileIwasthinkingaboutitallAlicesaid— ’let’saskthepoorIndiantocometodinnerwithusto—morrow。’ Ishouldhavesaiditmyselfifshehadgivenmetime。 Wegotthelittleonestogotobedbypromisingtoputanoteontheirdressing—tablesayingwhathadhappened，sothattheymightknowthefirstthinginthemorning，orinthemiddleofthenightiftheyhappenedtowakeup，andthenweeldersarrangedeverything。 Iwaitedbythebackdoor，andwhentheUnclewasbeginningtogoDickywastodropamarbledownbetweenthebanistersforasignal，sothatIcouldrunroundandmeettheUncleashecameout。 Thisseemslikedeceit，butifyouareathoughtfulandconsiderateboyyouwillunderstandthatwecouldnotgodownandsaytotheUncleinthehallunderFather’seye，’Fatherhasgivenyouabeastly，nastydinner，butifyouwillcometodinnerwithustomorrow，wewillshowyouourideaofgoodthingstoeat。’Youwillsee，ifyouthinkitover，thatthiswouldnothavebeenatallpolitetoFather。 SowhentheUncleleft，Fathersawhimtothedoorandlethimout，andthenwentbacktothestudy，lookingverysad，Dorasays。 AsthepoorIndiancamedownourstepshesawmethereatthegate。 Ididnotmindhisbeingpoor，andIsaid，’Goodevening，Uncle，’ justaspolitelyasthoughhehadbeenabouttoascendintooneofthegildedchariotsoftherichandaffluent，insteadofhavingtowalktothestationaquarterofamileinthemud，unlesshehadthemoneyforatramfare。 ’Goodevening，Uncle。’Isaiditagain，forhestoodstaringatme。Idon’tsupposehewasusedtopolitenessfromboys—someboysareanythingbut—especiallytotheAgedPoor。 SoIsaid，’Goodevening，Uncle，’yetonceagain。Thenhesaid— ’Timeyouwereinbed，youngman。Eh！—what？’ ThenIsawImustspeakplainlywithhim，mantoman。SoIdid。 Isaid— ’You’vebeendiningwithmyFather，andwecouldn’thelphearingyousaythedinnerwasshocking。Sowethoughtasyou’reanIndian，perhapsyou’reverypoor’—Ididn’tliketotellhimwehadheardthedreadfultruthfromhisownlips，soIwenton，’becauseof\"Lo，thepoorIndian\"—youknow—andyoucan’tgetagooddinnereveryday。Andweareverysorryifyou’repoor;andwon’tyoucomeandhavedinnerwithusto—morrow—withuschildren，Imean？It’savery，verygooddinner—rabbit，andhardbake，andcoconut—andyouneedn’tmindusknowingyourepoor，becauseweknowhonourablepovertyisnodisgrace，and—’I couldhavegoneonmuchlonger，butheinterruptedmetosay— ’Uponmyword！Andwhat’syourname，eh？’ ’OswaldBastable，’Isaid;andIdohopeyoupeoplewhoarereadingthisstoryhavenotguessedbeforethatIwasOswaldallthetime。 ’OswaldBastable，eh？Blessmysoul！’saidthepoorIndian。’Yes，I’lldinewithyou，MrOswaldBastable，withallthepleasureinlife。Verykindandcordialinvitation，I’msure。Goodnight，sir。Atoneo’clock，Ipresume？’ ’Yes，atone，’Isaid。’Goodnight，sir。’ ThenIwentinandtoldtheothers，andwewroteapaperandputitontheboy’sdressing—table，anditsaid— ’ThepoorIndianiscomingatone。Heseemedverygratefultomeformykindness。’ WedidnottellFatherthattheUnclewascomingtodinnerwithus，forthepolitereasonthatIhaveexplainedbefore。ButwehadtotellEliza;sowesaidafriendwascomingtodinnerandwewantedeverythingverynice。IthinkshethoughtitwasAlbert—next—door，butshewasinagoodtemperthatday，andsheagreedtocooktherabbitandtomakeapuddingwithcurrantsinit。Andwhenoneo’clockcametheIndianUnclecametoo。Ilethiminandhelpedhimoffwithhisgreatcoat，whichwasallfurryinside，andtookhimstraighttothenursery。Weweretohavedinnerthereasusual，forwehaddecidedfromthefirstthathewouldenjoyhimselfmoreifhewasnotmadeastrangerof。Weagreedtotreathimasoneofourselves，becauseifweweretoopolite，hemightthinkitwasourpridebecausehewaspoor。 Heshookhandswithusallandaskedourages，andwhatschoolswewentto，andshookhisheadwhenwesaidwewerehavingaholidayjustnow。Ifeltratheruncomfortable—Ialwaysdowhentheytalkaboutschools—andIcouldn’tthinkofanythingtosaytoshowhimwemeanttotreathimasoneofourselves。Ididaskifheplayedcricket。Hesaidhehadnotplayedlately。Andthennoonesaidanythingtilldinnercamein。Wehadallwashedourfacesandhandsandbrushedourhairbeforehecamein，andwealllookedverynice，especiallyOswald，whohadhadhishaircutthatverymorning。WhenElizahadbroughtintherabbitandgoneoutagain，welookedateachotherinsilentdespair，likeinbooks。ItseemedasifitweregoingtobejustadulldinnerliketheonethepoorIndianhadhadthenightbefore;only，ofcourse，thethingstoeatwouldbenicer。DickykickedOswaldunderthetabletomakehimsaysomething—andhehadhisnewbootson，too！—butOswalddidnotkickback;thentheUncleasked— ’Doyoucarve，sir，orshallI？’ SuddenlyAlicesaid— ’Wouldyoulikegrown—updinner，Uncle，orplay—dinner？’ Hedidnothesitateamoment，butsaid，’Play—dinner，byallmeans。 Eh！—what？’andthenweknewitwasallright。 SoweatonceshowedtheUnclehowtobeadauntlesshunter。Therabbitwasthedeerwehadslaininthegreenforestwithourtrustyyewbows，andwetoastedthejointsofit，whentheUnclehadcarvedit，onbitsoffirewoodsharpenedtoapoint。TheUncle’spiecegotalittleburnt，buthesaiditwasdelicious，andhesaidgamewasalwaysnicerwhenyouhadkilledityourself。 WhenElizahadtakenawaytherabbitbonesandbroughtinthepudding，wewaitedtillshehadgoneoutandshutthedoor，andthenweputthedishdownonthefloorandslewthepuddinginthedishinthegoodold—fashionedway。Itwasawildboaratbay，andveryhardindeedtokill，evenwithforks。TheUnclewasveryfierceindeedwiththepudding，andjumpedandhowledwhenhespearedit，butwhenitcametohisturntobehelped，hesaid，’No，thankyou;thinkofmyliver。Eh！—what？’ Buthehadsomealmondsandraisins—whenwehadclimbedtothetopofthechestofdrawerstopluckthemfromtheboughsofthegreattrees;andhehadafigfromthecargothattherichmerchantsbroughtintheirship—thelongdrawerwastheship— andtherestofushadthesweetsandthecoconut。Itwasaverygloriousandbeautifulfeast，andwhenitwasoverwesaidwehopeditwasbetterthanthedinnerlastnight。Andhesaid： ’Ineverenjoyedadinnermore。’HewastoopolitetosaywhathereallythoughtaboutFather’sdinner。Andwesawthatthoughhemightbepoor，hewasatruegentleman。 Hesmokedacigarwhilewefinishedupwhattherewaslefttoeat，andtoldusabouttigershootingandaboutelephants。Weaskedhimaboutwigwams，andwampum，andmocassins，andbeavers，buthedidnotseemtoknow，orelsehewasshyabouttalkingofthewondersofhisnativeland。 Welikedhimverymuchindeed，andwhenhewasgoingatlast，Alicenudgedme，andIsaid—’There’soneandthreepencefarthingleftoutofourhalf—sovereign。Willyoutakeit，please，becausewedolikeyouverymuchindeed，andwedon’twantit，really;andwewouldratheryouhadit。’AndIputthemoneyintohishand。 ’I’lltakethethreepenny—bit，’hesaid，turningthemoneyoverandlookingatit，’butIcouldn’trobyouoftherest。Bytheway，wheredidyougetthemoneyforthismostroyalspread—halfasovereignyousaid—eh，what？’ Wetoldhimallaboutthedifferentwayswehadlookedfortreasure，andwhenwehadbeentellingsometimehesatdown，tolistenbetterandatlastwetoldhimhowAlicehadplayedatdivining—rod，andhowitreallyhadfoundahalf—sovereign。 Thenhesaidhewouldliketoseeherdoitagain。Butweexplainedthattherodwouldonlyshowgoldandsilver，andthatwewerequitesuretherewasnomoregoldinthehouse，becausewehappenedtohavelookedverycarefully。 ’Well，silver，then，’saidhe;’let’shidetheplate—basket，andlittleAliceshallmakethedivining—rodfindit。Eh！—what？’ ’Thereisn’tanysilverintheplate—basketnow，’Dorasaid。 ’ElizaaskedmetoborrowthesilverspoonsandforksforyourdinnerlastnightfromAlbert—next—door’sMother。Fathernevernotices，butshethoughtitwouldbenicerforyou。Ourownsilverwenttohavethedentstakenout;andIdon’tthinkFathercouldaffordtopaythemanfordoingit，forthesilverhasn’tcomeback。’ ’Blessmysoul！’saidtheUncleagain，lookingattheholeinthebigchairthatweburntwhenwehadGuyFawkes’Dayindoors。’Andhowmuchpocket—moneydoyouget？Eh！—what？’ ’Wedon’thaveanynow，’saidAlice;’butindeedwedon’twanttheothershilling。We’dmuchratheryouhadit，wouldn’twe？’ Andtherestofussaid，’Yes。’TheUnclewouldn’ttakeit，butheaskedalotofquestions，andatlasthewentaway。Andwhenhewenthesaid— ’Well，youngsters，I’veenjoyedmyselfverymuch。Ishan’tforgetyourkindhospitality。PerhapsthepoorIndianmaybeinapositiontoaskyoualltodinnersomeday。’ Oswaldsaidifheevercouldweshouldliketocomeverymuch，buthewasnottotroubletogetsuchanicedinnerasours，becausewecoulddoverywellwithcoldmuttonandricepudding。Wedonotlikethesethings，butOswaldknowshowtobehave。ThenthepoorIndianwentaway。 Wehadnotgotanytreasurebythisparty，butwehadhadaverygoodtime，andIamsuretheUncleenjoyedhimself。 Weweresosorryhewasgonethatwecouldnoneofuseatmuchtea; butwedidnotmind，becausewehadpleasedthepoorIndianandenjoyedourselvestoo。Besides，asDorasaid，’Acontentedmindisacontinualfeast，’soitdidnotmatteraboutnotwantingtea。 OnlyH。O。didnotseemtothinkacontinualfeastwasacontentedmind，andElizagavehimapowderinwhatwasleftofthered—currantjellyFatherhadforthenastydinner。 Buttherestofuswerequitewell，andIthinkitmusthavebeenthecoconutwithH。O。WehopednothinghaddisagreedwiththeUncle，butweneverknew。 CHAPTER16 THEENDOFTHETREASURE—SEEKING Nowitiscomingneartheendofourtreasure—seeking，andtheendwassowonderfulthatnownothingislikeItusedtobe。Itislikeasifourfortuneshadbeeninanearthquake，andafterthose，youknow，everythingcomesoutwrong—wayup。 ThedayaftertheUnclespearedthepuddingwithusopenedingloomandsadness。Butyouneverknow。Itwasdestinedtobeadaywhenthingshappened。Yetnosignofthisappearedintheearlymorning。Thenallwasmiseryandupsetness。Noneofusfeltquitewell;Idon’tknowwhy：andFatherhadoneofhisawfulcolds，soDorapersuadedhimnottogotoLondon，buttostaycosyandwarminthestudy，andshemadehimsomegruel。ShemakesitbetterthanElizadoes;Eliza’sgruelisalllittlelumps，andwhenyousuckthemitisdryoatmealinside。 Wekeptasquietaswecould，andImadeH。O。dosomelessons，liketheG。B。hadadvisedusto。Butitwasverydull。Therearesomedayswhenyouseemtohavegottotheendofallthethingsthatcouldeverpossiblyhappentoyou，andyoufeelyouwillspendalltherestofyourlifedoingdullthingsjustthesameway。 Dayslikethisaregenerallywetdays。But，asIsaid，youneverknow。 ThenDickysaidifthingswentonlikethisheshouldrunawaytosea，andAlicesaidshethoughtitwouldberathernicetogointoaconvent。H。O。wasalittledisagreeablebecauseofthepowderElizahadgivenhim，sohetriedtoreadtwobooksatonce，onewitheacheye，justbecauseNoelwantedoneofthebooks，whichwasveryselfishofhim，soitonlymadehisheadacheworse。H。O。isgettingoldenoughtolearnbyexperiencethatitiswrongtobeselfish，andwhenhecomplainedabouthisheadOswaldtoldhimwhosefaultitwas，becauseIamolderthanheis，anditismydutytoshowhimwhereheiswrong。Buthebegantocry，andthenOswaldhadtocheerhimupbecauseofFatherwantingtobequiet。 SoOswaldsaid— ’They’lleatH。O。ifyoudon’tlookout！’AndDorasaidOswaldwastoobad。 OfcourseOswaldwasnotgoingtointerfereagain，sohewenttolookoutofthewindowandseethetramsgoby，andbyandbyH。O。 cameandlookedouttoo，andOswald，whoknowswhentobegenerousandforgiving，gavehimapieceofbluepencilandtwonibs，asgoodasnew，tokeep。 Astheywerelookingoutattherainsplashingonthestonesinthestreettheysawafour—wheeledcabcomelumberingupfromthewaythestationis。Oswaldcalledout— ’HerecomesthecoachoftheFairyGodmother。It’llstophere，youseeifitdoesn’t！’ Sotheyallcametothewindowtolook。Oswaldhadonlysaidthataboutstoppingandhewasstrickenwithwonderandamazewhenthecabreallydidstop。Ithadboxesonthetopandknobbyparcelsstickingoutofthewindow，anditwassomethinglikegoingawaytotheseasideandsomethinglikethegentlemanwhotakesthingsaboutinacarriagewiththewoodenshuttersup，toselltothedrapers’ shops。Thecabmangotdown，andsomeoneinsidehandedouteversomanyparcelsofdifferentshapesandsizes，andthecabmanstoodholdingtheminhisarmsandgrinningoverthem。 Dorasaid，’Itisapitysomeonedoesn’ttellhimthisisn’tthehouse。’Andthenfrominsidethecabsomeoneputoutafootfeelingforthestep，likeatortoise’sfootcomingoutfromunderhisshellwhenyouareholdinghimofftheground，andthenalegcameandmoreparcels，andthenNoelcried— ’It’sthepoorIndian！’ Anditwas。 Elizaopenedthedoor，andwewereallleaningoverthebanisters。 Fatherheardthenoiseofparcelsandboxesinthehall，andhecameoutwithoutrememberinghowbadhiscoldwas。Ifyoudothatyourselfwhenyouhaveacoldtheycallyoucarelessandnaughty。 ThenweheardthepoorIndiansaytoFather— ’Isay，Dick，Idinedwithyourkidsyesterday—asIdaresaythey’vetoldyou。jolliestlittlecubsIeversaw！Whydidn’tyouletmeseethemtheothernight？TheeldestistheimageofpoorJaney—andastoyoungOswald，he’saman！Ifhe’snotaman，I’manigger！Eh！—what？AndDick，Isay，Ishouldn’twonderifI couldfindafriendtoputabitintothatbusinessofyours—eh？’ ThenheandFatherwentintothestudyandthedoorwasshut—andwewentdownandlookedattheparcels。Someweredoneupinold，dirtynewspapers，andtiedwithbitsofrag，andsomewereinbrownpaperandstringfromtheshops，andtherewereboxes。WewonderediftheUnclehadcometostayandthiswashisluggage，orwhetheritwastosell。Someofitsmeltofspices，likemerchandise—andonebundleAlicefeltcertainwasabale。Weheardahandontheknobofthestudydoorafterabit，andAlicesaid— ’Fly！’andweallgotawaybutH。O。，andtheUnclecaughthimbythelegashewastryingtogetupstairsafterus。 ’Peepingatthebaggage，eh？’saidtheUncle，andtherestofuscamedownbecauseitwouldhavebeendishonourabletoleaveH。O。 aloneinascrape，andwewantedtoseewhatwasintheparcels。 ’Ididn’ttouch，’saidH。O。’Areyoucomingtostay？Ihopeyouare。’ ’Noharmdoneifyoudidtouch，’saidthegood，kind，Indianmantoallofus。’Foralltheseparcelsareforyou。’ Ihaveseveraltimestoldyouaboutourbeingdumbwithamazementandterrorandjoy，andthingslikethat，butIneverrememberusbeingdumberthanwewerewhenhesaidthis。 TheIndianUnclewenton：’ItoldanoldfriendofminewhatapleasantdinnerIhadwithyou，andaboutthethreepenny—bit，andthedivining—rod，andallthat，andhesentalltheseoddsandendsaspresentsforyou。SomeofthethingscamefromIndia。’ ’HaveyoucomefromIndia，Uncle？’Noelasked;andwhenhesaid’Yes’wewereallverymuchsurprised，forweneverthoughtofhisbeingthatsortofIndian。WethoughthewastheRedkind，andofcoursehisnotbeingaccountedforhisignoranceofbeaversandthings。 HegotElizatohelp，andwetookalltheparcelsintothenurseryandheundidthemandundidthemandundidthem，tillthepaperslaythickonthefloor。FathercametooandsatintheGuyFawkeschair。IcannotbegintotellyouallthethingsthatkindfriendofUncle’shadsentus。Hemustbeaveryagreeableperson。 ThereweretoysforthekidsandmodelenginesforDickandme，andalotofbooks，andJapanesechinatea—setsforthegirls，redandwhiteandgold—thereweresweetsbythepoundandbythebox— andlongyardsandyardsofsoftsilkfromIndia，tomakefrocksforthegirls—andarealIndianswordforOswaldandabookofJapanesepicturesforNoel，andsomeivorychessmenforDicky：thecastlesofthechessmenareelephant—and—castles。Thereisarailwaystationcalledthat;Ineverknewwhatitmeantbefore。 Thebrownpaperandstringparcelshadboxesofgamesinthem—andbigcasesofpreservedfruitsandthings。AndtheshabbyoldnewspaperparcelsandtheboxeshadtheIndianthingsin。Ineversawsomanybeautifulthingsbefore。Therewerecarvedfansandsilverbanglesandstringsofamberbeads，andnecklacesofuncutgems—turquoisesandgarnets，theUnclesaidtheywere—andshawlsandscarvesofsilk，andcabinetsofbrownandgold，andivoryboxesandsilvertrays，andbrassthings。TheUnclekeptsaying，’Thisisforyou，youngman，’or’LittleAlicewilllikethisfan，’or’MissDorawouldlookwellinthisgreensilk，I think。Eh！—what？’ AndFatherlookedonasifitwasadream，tilltheUnclesuddenlygavehimanivorypaper—knifeandaboxofcigars，andsaid，’Myoldfriendsentyouthese，Dick;he’sanoldfriendofyourstoo，hesays。’AndhewinkedatmyFather，forH。O。andIsawhim。 AndmyFatherwinkedback，thoughhehasalwaystoldusnotto。 Thatwasawonderfulday。Itwasatreasure，andnomistake！I neversawsuchheapsandheapsofpresents，likethingsoutofafairy—tale—andevenElizahadashawl。Perhapsshedeservedit，forshedidcooktherabbitandthepudding;andOswaldsaysitisnotherfaultifhernoseturnsupandshedoesnotbrushherhair。 IdonotthinkElizalikesbrushingthings。Itisthesamewiththecarpets。ButOswaldtriestomakeallowancesevenforpeoplewhodonotwashtheirears。 TheIndianUnclecametoseeusoftenafterthat，andhisfriendalwayssentussomething。Oncehetippedusasovereigneach—theUnclebroughtit;andoncehesentusmoneytogototheCrystalPalace，andtheUncletookus;andanothertimetoacircus;andwhenChristmaswasneartheUnclesaid— ’YourememberwhenIdinedwithyou，sometimeago，youpromisedtodinewithmesomeday，ifIcouldeveraffordtogiveadinner—party。Well，I’mgoingtohaveone—aChristmasparty。 NotonChristmasDay，becauseeveryonegoeshomethen—butonthedayafter。Coldmuttonandricepudding。You’llcome？Eh！— what？’ Wesaidweshouldbedelighted，ifFatherhadnoobjection，becausethatistheproperthingtosay，andthepoorIndian，ImeantheUncle，said，’No，yourFatherwon’tobject—he’scomingtoo，blessyoursoul！’ WeallgotChristmaspresentsfortheUncle。Thegirlsmadehimahandkerchiefcaseandacombbag，outofsomeofthepiecesofsilkhehadgiventhem。Igothimaknifewiththreeblades;H。O。gotasirenwhistle，averystrongone，andDickyjoinedwithmeintheknife，andNoelwouldgivetheIndianivoryboxthatUncle’sfriendhadsentonthewonderfulFairyCabday。Hesaiditwastheverynicestthinghehad，andhewassureUnclewouldn’tmindhisnothavingboughtitwithhisownmoney。 IthinkFather’sbusinessmusthavegotbetter—perhapsUncle’sfriendputmoneyinitandthatdiditgood，likefeedingthestarving。Anywayweallhadnewsuits，andthegirlshadthegreensilkfromIndiamadeintofrocks，andonBoxingDaywewentintwocabs—Fatherandthegirlsinone，andusboysintheother。 WewonderedverymuchwheretheIndianUnclelived，becausewehadnotbeentold。AndwethoughtwhenthecabbegantogoupthehilltowardstheHeaththatperhapstheUnclelivedinoneofthepokylittlehousesupatthetopofGreenwich。ButthecabwentrightovertheHeathandinatsomebiggates，andthroughashrubberyallwhitewithfrostlikeafairyforest，becauseitwasChristmastime。Andatlastwestoppedbeforeoneofthosejolly，big，uglyredhouseswithalotofwindows，thataresocomfortableinside，andonthestepswastheIndianUncle，lookingverybigandgrand，inablueclothcoatandyellowsealskinwaistcoat，withabunchofsealshangingfromit。 ’Iwonderwhetherhehastakenaplaceasbutlerhere？’saidDicky。 ’Apoor，broken—downman—’ Noelthoughtitwasverylikely，becauseheknewthatinthesebighousestherewerealwaysthousandsofstatelybutlers。 TheUnclecamedownthestepsandopenedthecabdoorhimself，whichIdon’tthinkbutlerswouldexpecttohavetodo。Andhetookusin。Itwasalovelyhall，withbearandtigerskinsonthefloor，andabigclockwiththefacesofthesunandmoondodgingoutwhenitwasdayornight，andFatherTimewithascythecomingoutatthehours，andthenameonitwas’Flint。Ashford。1776’; andtherewasafoxeatingastuffedduckinaglasscase，andhornsofstagsandotheranimalsoverthedoors。 ’We’lljustcomeintomystudyfirst，’saidtheUncle，’andwisheachotheraMerryChristmas。’Sothenweknewhewasn’tthebutler，butitmustbehisownhouse，foronlythemasterofthehousehasastudy。 HisstudywasnotmuchlikeFather’s。Ithadhardlyanybooks，butswordsandgunsandnewspapersandagreatmanyboots，andboxeshalfunpacked，withmoreIndianthingsbulgingoutofthem。 Wegavehimourpresentsandhewasawfullypleased。ThenhegaveushisChristmaspresents。Youmustbetiredofhearingaboutpresents，butImustremarkthatalltheUncle’spresentswerewatches;therewasawatchforeachofus，withournamesengravedinside，allsilverexceptH。O。’s，andthatwasaWaterbury，’Tomatchhisboots，’theUnclesaid。Idon’tknowwhathemeant。 ThentheUnclelookedatFather，andFathersaid，’Youtellthem，sir。’ SotheUnclecoughedandstoodupandmadeaspeech。Hesaid— ’Ladiesandgentlemen，wearemettogethertodiscussanimportantsubjectwhichhasforsomeweeksengrossedtheattentionofthehonourablememberoppositeandmyself。’ Isaid，’Hear，hear，’andAlicewhispered，’Whathappenedtotheguinea—pig？’Ofcourseyouknowtheanswertothat。 TheUnclewenton— ’Iamgoingtoliveinthishouse，andasit’sratherbigforme，yourFatherhasagreedthatheandyoushallcomeandlivewithme。 Andso，ifyou’reagreeable，we’reallgoingtoliveheretogether，and，pleaseGod，it’llbeahappyhomeforusall。Eh！—what？’ Heblewhisnoseandkissedusallround。AsitwasChristmasI didnotmind，thoughIammuchtoooldforitonotherdates。Thenhesaid，’Thankyouallverymuchforyourpresents;butI’vegotapresenthereIvaluemorethananythingelseIhave。’ Ithoughtitwasnotquitepoliteofhimtosayso，tillIsawthatwhathevaluedsomuchwasathreepenny—bitonhiswatch—chain，and，ofcourse，Isawitmustbetheonewehadgivenhim。 Hesaid，’YouchildrengavemethatwhenyouthoughtIwasthepoorIndian，andI’llkeepitaslongasIlive。AndI’veaskedsomefriendstohelpustobejolly，forthisisourhouse—warming。Eh！ —what？’ ThenheshookFatherbythehand，andtheyblewtheirnoses;andthenFathersaid，’YourUnclehasbeenmostkind—most—’ ButUncleinterruptedbysaying，’Now，Dick，nononsense！’ ThenH。O。said，’Thenyou’renotpooratall？’asifhewereverydisappointed。 TheUnclereplied，’Ihaveenoughformysimplewants，thankyou，H。O。;andyourFather’sbusinesswillprovidehimwithenoughforyours。Eh！—what？’ Thenweallwentdownandlookedatthefoxthoroughly，andmadetheUncletaketheglassoffsothatwecouldseeitallroundandthentheUncletookusalloverthehouse，whichisthemostcomfortableoneIhaveeverbeenin。ThereisabeautifulportraitofMotherinFather’ssitting—room。TheUnclemustbeveryrichindeed。ThisendingislikewhathappensinDickens’sbooks;butIthinkitwasmuchjolliertohappenlikeabook，anditshowswhatanicemantheUncleis，thewayhediditall。 ThinkhowflatitwouldhavebeeniftheUnclehadsaid，whenwefirstofferedhimtheoneandthreepencefarthing，’Oh，Idon’twantyourdirtyoneandthree—pence！I’mveryrichindeed。’ InsteadofwhichhesavedupthenewsofhiswealthtillChristmas，andthentoldusallinonegloriousburst。Besides，Ican’thelpitifitislikeDickens，becauseithappensthisway。Reallifeisoftensomethinglikebooks。 Presently，whenwehadseenthehouse，weweretakenintothedrawing—room，andtherewasMrsLeslie，whogaveustheshillingsandwishedusgoodhunting，andLordTottenham，andAlbert—next—door’sUncle—andAlbert—next—door，andhisMother（I’mnotveryfondofher），andbestofallourownRobberandhistwokids，andourRobberhadanewsuiton。TheUncletoldushehadaskedthepeoplewhohadbeenkindtous，andNoelsaid，’WhereismynobleeditorthatIwrotethepoetryto？’ TheUnclesaidhehadnothadthecouragetoaskastrangeeditortodinner;butLordTottenhamwasanoldfriendofUncle’s，andhehadintroducedUncletoMrsLeslie，andthatwashowhehadtheprideandpleasureofwelcominghertoourhouse—warming。AndhemadeherabowlikeyouseeonaChristmascard。 ThenAliceasked，’WhataboutMrRosenbaum？Hewaskind;itwouldhavebeenapleasantsurpriseforhim。’ Buteverybodylaughed，andUnclesaid— ’Yourfatherhaspaidhimthesovereignhelentyou。Idon’tthinkhecouldhaveborneanotherpleasantsurprise。’ AndIsaidtherewasthebutcher，andhewasreallykind;buttheyonlylaughed，andFathersaidyoucouldnotaskallyourbusinessfriendstoaprivatedinner。 Thenitwasdinner—time，andwethoughtofUncle’stalkaboutcoldmuttonandrice。Butitwasabeautifuldinner，andIneversawsuchadessert！Wehadoursonplatestotakeawayintoanothersitting—room，whichwasmuchjollierthansittingroundthetablewiththegrown—ups。ButtheRobber’skidsstayedwiththeirFather。Theywereveryshyandfrightened，andsaidhardlyanything，butlookedallaboutwithverybrighteyes。H。O。 thoughttheywerelikewhitemice;butafterwardswegottoknowthemverywell，andintheendtheywerenotsomousy。Andthereisagooddealofinterestingstufftotellaboutthem;butIshallputallthatinanotherbook，forthereisnoroomforitinthisone。WeplayeddesertislandsalltheafternoonanddrankUncle’shealthingingerwine。ItwasH。O。thatupsethisoverAlice’sgreensilkdress，andsheneverevenrowedhim。Brothersoughtnottohavefavourites，andOswaldwouldneverbesomeanastohaveafavouritesister，or，ifhehad，wildhorsesshouldnotmakehimtellwhoitwas。 AndnowwearetogoonlivinginthebighouseontheHeath，anditisveryjolly。 MrsLeslieoftencomestoseeus，andourownRobberandAlbert—next—door’suncle。TheIndianUnclelikeshimbecausehehasbeeninIndiatooandisbrown;butourUncledoesnotlikeAlbert—next—door。Hesaysheisamuff。AndIamtogotoRugby，andsoareNoelandH。O。，andperhapstoBalliolafterwards。 BalliolismyFather’scollege。Ithastwoseparatecoatsofarms，whichmanyothercollegesarenotallowed。NoelisgoingtobeapoetandDickywantstogointoFather’sbusiness。 TheUncleisarealgoodoldsort;andjustthink，weshouldneverhavefoundhimifwehadn’tmadeupourmindstobeTreasureSeekers！Noelmadeapoemaboutit— Lo！thepoorIndianfromlandsafar，Comeswherethetreasureseekersare; Welookedfortreasure，butwefindThebesttreasureofallistheUnclegoodandkind。 Ithoughtitwasratherrot，butAlicewouldshowittotheUncle，andhelikeditverymuch。HekissedAliceandhesmackedNoelontheback，andhesaid，’Idon’tthinkI’vedonesobadlyeither，ifyoucometothat，thoughIwasneveraregularprofessionaltreasureseeker。Eh！—what？’