Harding's luck

uite enough of anything, and Dickie's home was in a pleasant cottage from whose windows you could see great green rolling downs, and the smooth silver a

e would see Edred and Elfrida again, and help them to find the h

ht put the crown

od as dreams. And I don't know how Dickie would have managed if Destiny had not kindly come to his help, and arranged that, turning a corner in the lane which leads to the village, he should come face to face with Edred and Elfrida Arden. And they looked exactly like the Edred and Elfrida whom h

f looked round. Perhaps it was his shabby clothes that made them not so sure whether he was the Dickie they had known. If they did not know him it should not be his fault. H

"have you hurt yourself?" And she came u

"but I wanted to

him and at each other, a

he said. "I was wondering whether you'

said the gi

st. If they didn't remember him they'd think he was mad

at him and at each other. "Parrot-nose for short," Dickie hastened to add; "and did

d, it is Dickie! We were saying, could it be you?

" he said, "in Nowadays time. When we met in the

to really and truly find you here! We thought you couldn't be real because we wrote a letter to you

s was it?" D

New Cross," E

d Dickie. "I remember his telling me about it. He's the man I live with;

a, "and sit down, and you tell us all a

t took a long time. And then they reminded each other how they had met in the magic or dream world, and how Dickie had helped them

her back. And now we shall never find the treasure or be able to buy back the old lands and restore the Castle and

and old nurse said I could work it for you, and that's really wh

y jolly of you

lled out Tinkler and the white seal and the moon

dren and the Tinkler and the moon-seeds and the seal, and ther

your frie

kie to get up because of the crutch, and Lord Arden reached his hand down to help him. He must have been a little surprised when the cripple

ou do, Lo

rden. "And where did you spring from? You

came from London with him, to see his father, who

ie a good many questions about where he was born, and who

rld he and Lord Arden's children were friends and cousins. And all the time they were talking Lord Arden's eyes were fixed o

ou get these

handed the seal and Tinkler to hi

k and whispered. "I know it's not manners, but Dick

hispering was over; "it's tea-time. Dickie,

," said Dickie; "he'll

the slope towards Arden Castle, while Edred went back to Beale's cottage to say where Dickie was. When E

ace for Dickie, with a face like that. What could he have meant? What are you doing t

enough how kind she had been to him, Dickie wished he could creep under the table. It was too hard; she must recognize him. And now Edred and Elfrida, and Lord Arden, who was so kind and

him. "And who is your little friend?" she asked Edred, and

ungrateful, I wasn't-I had t

ove her for that-understood. Not a w

kie once, Lord Arden,

back to father

you, Elfrida"-and then sat down and had tea and was as jolly as possible. The only thing which made Dickie at all uncom

ook that people have when they mean: "Not before the childr

and down on the daisied grass, and talked for a long time. Dickie knew they were talking about him, but he did not min

er," said Beale, when a smart little pony cart had brought Dickie b

weren't never kinder to me nor what Lord Arden wa

man, "'e knows how to get ro

he old man asked. "'E can talk like a littl

London way," said Dickie. "I lea

minutes in a bound volume of the Wesleyan Magazine. And he was asleep o

aps Lord Arden might have seen by his face, as old Beale had, that he was an Arden. So n

a-wanting to get money out of him-though what for, goodness knows. An' 'e says you're a Arden by rights, you nipper you, an' 'e wants to take you and bring you up along of his kids-so there's an end of you and me, Dickie, old boy. I didn't understand more than 'arf of wot '

be her boy-and didn't I cut straight back to you? I'll play along o' them kids if Lord Arden'll let me. But I

en had his second talk with

ou ain't the only one. Lord Arden's bought father's cottage an' 'e's goin' to build on to it, and I'm to 'ave a

ia?" said Dickie, "a

pleasant like, man to man; 'ain't there any young woman I could give a trifle to, to set you and her up in housekeeping?' So then I casts about, and I thinks of 'Melia. As well 'er as anybody, and she's used to the dawgs. And the trifle's an hu

e said; what he felt wa

king to things I didn't like so as to help him and get him settled. He was my bit of work, and now some one else comes along and takes my wo

Elfrida all day, at play and at lessons, was almost as good as being with them in the beautiful old dream-life. All the things that he had hated in this modern life, when he was

, till they almost forgot that there was any magic, had ever been any. The fact was, the life they were leading was so happy in itself that they needed no magic to make them contented. It was

den presented an enormous wedding cake and a glorious wedding breakfast, and gave away the bride, and made a speech saying he owed a great debt to Mr. Beale for his kindness to his nephew Richard Arden, and how surprised every one was to hear Dickie's new name. How all the dogs wore white favors and had each a crumb of weddi

ront door-so there was no one to hear Beale's compliment to his bride. He came behind her and put his arm round her

ot all our courtin' to do now. See? I might a-picked an' choosed,"

ure at the compliment, an

bout here were like Beale's. It didn't cost so very much. If I could only buy back the rest of the land, I'd show s

That was why, when next he was

. But I am. And I vote we go and look for it. And then your father can buy back the old l

swered, "I don't know." The three children were sitting in the window

ou don't know?" Elf

into the past with our magic. We were always being chased or put in prison or bothered somehow or other. The only really nice thing was when we saw the treasure being hidden, because that looked like a picture an

the spirit of the other

easure in the past. And once a film of a photograph that we'd stuck up beh

that was-mark the spot, co

cellar, with doors, and we've looked all over what's left of the C

e I just worked the magic and wis

ly against the stones of the tower; "not much I won't. I expect the treasure's bricked up. We should

ody's going to get bricked up in vaults." And Dickie added,

thing," Elfrida

e Mouldierwarp? He is stronger than the Mouldiwarp. He might

o away from here,"

the moon-seeds and things o

ie said, "Please can we see the Mouldierwarp?" just as you say, "Please can I see Mr. So-and-s

h that it was light again a disc of light appeared on the curtain of darkne

courtly mann

r you to-day, Ric

d. "I used to be. But even I'm n

r of polite interest. "You interest me gre

old Castle can be built up again, and the old lands bought back, and the

ern picture seemed to scratch his

who sits on the green-and-white checkered field of Ardens' shield of arms. And he can only be awakened by some noble deed. Yet

n't go. You're just like the Greek oracles. Won't

he Mouldierwarp,

Lord no treas

ord is lost an

found again," said Edre

seek it with c

n the most un

there were the three children and Tinkler and the white seal and t

As if it wasn't just as difficult to know

e's telling them what, and to eat roast mutton and plum-pie, and behave as though they were just o

ickie was to go up to spend the afternoon with Beale and 'Melia and the dogs. Still, in the few moments when

to-morrow we'll decide on the unlikeliest and go there. Edred

there was time f

of anybody's head. And besides, there were always so many interesting things to do at the cottage. He helped to wash True, cleaned the knives, and rinsed

way to the crossroads, where the dog-cart returning from Cliffville would pick him up. But the dog-ca

had mistaken the time, or that the clock at the cottage was slow. And when he had waited a little longer, it seemed simply silly to be w

distant-he looked down on Arden Castle and loved it, and felt that he asked no better than to live there all his life with his

dge. Then a dozen twigs rustled and broke, and something like a g

, dark cloak, that some one had thrown over his head and

ce; "if you so much as squea

uted Dickie

there, while two voices whispered above him. The cloak was over his head again now, and he could see nothing, but he could hear. He heard one of the voices say, "Hush! they're coming." And then he heard the sound of hoofs an

d step out sharp-see?-or I'll l'arn you

hey had taken the cloak from his eyes now, and he sa

cloak, and put vegetable marrows and cabbages on

cond voice. "If you stir a inch I'll lick

pair. For neither of these voices was stra