第5章

’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。