The Phoenix and the Carpet

think that their parents were neither kind nor careful. But if you think this you will be wrong. The fact is, mother arranged with Aunt Emma tha

of it again until he and the others had wandered three times up and down the platform at Waterloo-which makes six in all-and had bumped against old gentlemen, and stared in the faces of ladies, and been shoved by people in a hurry, and 'by-your-leaved' by porters with trucks, and were quite, quite sure that Aunt Emma was not there. Then suddenly the true truth of what he had forgotten t

was the matter I think they told

to Croydon,' said Anth

us pleased those Jevonses woul

They were middle-aged and wore very smart blouses, and they were f

pleased to see us if w

ing?' said Cyril. 'Besides, we've no tin. No; we've got enough for a growler among us, but not enough for tickets to the New Forest. We must j

t to go to Croydon

go to the theatre every afternoon, I believe. Besides, there's the P

so was exactly the value of the gold coin grandpapa had given Cyril for Christmas. This cast a gloom; but Cyril would never have stooped to argue about a cab-fare, for fear the cabman should think he was not accustomed

e don't want cook and Eliza asking us before HIM ho

ld be some time before that bell was answered. The sound of a bell is quite different, somehow,

changing their d

t five. I expect Eliza's gone to post a

lly no one human in the house. They rang again and listened intently. The hearts of all sank lo

anywhere,' said Jane

aught blew it out, and they're suffocated in their beds. Fat

a policeman,' said

I heard father read out of the paper about a young man who got into his

be all right, because the servants never clean that out. But if it's gone and got out and been choked by gas-And besides, directly we

the latch inside.' Every one listened with all its ears, and ev

t by the flickering light of the gas-lamp that shone through the leafless lime-tree by the ga

you a

a voice so joyous, and so full of rel

ry-making. The latch of this portal is too stiff for my beak. But at the side

!' said

wish you'd meet us

get one foot on the fence between you and next door, and one on the handle of the gate, you are over before you know where you are. This, at least, was the experience of Cyril

. He dived into the pantry head first, as one dives into water, and his legs waved in the air as he went, just as y

up,' said Rober

utside here with just Anthea, and have something creep up behi

es, and then forgot all about it. He let the others in by the back door. And when it had been bolted again the children went all over the house and lighted every single gas-jet they could find. For they couldn't help feeli

ept the four children, and the Phoenix, and the carpet, and the blackbeetles who lived in the cupboards on each side of the nursery fire-place. These last were very pleased that t

and made it bleed. Then she laid the largest and handsomest cinders in the bottom of the grate. Then she took a sheet of old newspaper (you ought never to light a fire with to-day's newspaper-it will not burn well, and there are other reasons against it), and tore it into four quarters, and screwed each of these into a loose ball, and put them on the cinders; then she got a bundle of wood and broke the string, and stuck the sticks in so that their front ends rested on the bars, and the back ends on the b

ith wood, or black yourself all over; but otherwise, this is a very good way to light

ash your hands and face af

affectionately inviting the kettle to come and sit upon its lap. So the kettle was brought and tea made. But no milk could be found-so every one had six lumps of sugar to each cup instead. The things to eat, on the other hand, were nicer than usual. The boys looked about very carefully, and found in the pantry some cold t

said, 'a banquet fit

ll it about their visit to Lyndhurst, and underneath the table, by just stretching a toe down

f of the cook's stepmother's aunt, who is, I gather, hostess to a large party to-ni

said Anthea, 'however many relations they have, or ho

lear it away; and then we'll go somewhere on the carpet. It's not often we get a chance of being out all night. We can go

ays did want to see the Southern Cro

COULDN'T. I'm SURE mother wouldn't like us to leav

h you,' said

hea gratefully, 'but even wi

d and amiable, 'I don't want you to

this silence sa

t was beginning, whe

think a thing's wrong, and sometimes

olden eyes on her and ope

, there is no more to be said. And you

Cyril rather quickly.

on the wing-and fetch you anything you can think of to amuse you during the evening. In order to waste no time I

nless you began at the bottom and went up feet first as

'I should hate the look of her

ix. 'Come, decide what I shall fetch fo

ly to the player, unless he has learned to play it really well; books are not sociable, bicycles cannot be ridden without going out of doors, and the same is true of motor-cars and elephants. Only two people can play chess at once with one s

home, where it was born and brought up, and it will return within the hour lade

its nat

ee, and time is passing, and the tea-thin

anyway. And it's not bad to have surprises. Perhaps it's

sh patrol,'

sh bath,' s

ish towel,

baths aren't THAT, however good they may be for you. Let it go. I suppose

you? Don't trample on its feeling

rt. He spoke with a rising hope that it MIGHT be necessary for one to go and w

ur wish on a paper, and

ithmetic book, and on it Cyril wrot

ing back the most beautiful and delightful product

ed) C

BE

TH

A

er was laid

'the carpet can't read a paper whose bac

ly and suddenly vanished, rather like a patch of water on a hearth under a fier

autiful and delightful things,' said the Ph

ng was nicely washed up, and dried, and put in its proper place, and the dish-cloth washed and hung on the edge of the copper to dry, and the tea-cloth was hung on the line that goes across the scullery. (If you are a duchess's child, or a king's, or a person of high social position's child, you will perhaps not know the difference between a dish-cloth and a tea-cloth; but in that case your nurse has been better instructed than you, and

said Robert; and the oth

it?' asked Jane. 'It sounds li

s? Even baby ones would be rather awful in that room,' said Cyr

oenix, being the eldest by some thousands o

hers and sneezing softly; 'looking through key

ril l

ing grey movi

when he had taken his turn. And the soft rustling, bustling,

ng,' said Anthea, '

me, and she put her

' she said; 'and it's as

re tigers-fat

gers were giant cats. It's

r you if you're afraid to look at them when they come,' sai

and turned

at the door. At least, not everything, for though the carpet was there it was invisible, because it was co

'I never thought about i

close as they could get to each other. But the moment the children entered the room the cats rose and stretched, and spread and overflowed from the carpet to the floor, and in an instant the floor was a sea of movi

,' said Cyril. 'What's the

ungry,' said the Phoenix.

n despair, and she stroked the nearest Persian back. '

s were growing deafening, 'and it would tak

ake them away,' said Rober

soft and puss

hastily. 'We can sell them

and its golden voice came harsh and cracked with the effort it had to b

bring food for 199 Persian cats, and the

cats dropped off it, as raindrops do from your mack

ht up. They seemed to have no idea of its being a mistake in manners to ask for meals in a strange house-let alone to howl for them-and they mewed, and they mewed, and they mewed, and they mewed, till the children poked their fingers into their ears and waited in silent agony, wondering w

s in and out and unfolded their Persian tails, and the

rt noticed sudden

not know I was the Phoenix. These acciden

of which the child

ed Robert, open

s Robert buttoned his coat he disappeared to the waist in a wave of eager grey Persian fur. And on the instant the good carpet sl

ried Anthea. 'Oh,

way,' said the P

had a carpet,' sa

it, and locked it. Cyril, with great presence of mi

a better chance in

at cats eat rats-it is one of the first things we read in our little brown read

e dark kitchen, where the only candle was bur

nny scent!

light through the window of the kitch

is row about?

voice of

le cracked since Cyril accidentally knocked it with a walking-stick when he wa

s no row. You listen; everything's a

grew stronger, and the P

ceman he

s eat them-but never Persian ones. What a mistake for a we

t going to bed-that's our bedroom candle; there

mingled the shrieks of the musk-rats. What had happened? Had the

the policeman. 'You've g

yril. 'Oh, my o

ur own look out. I advise you not. Wai

he mewing and the screaming going like a dozen steam sirens, twenty waiting on motor-cars, and half a hundred squeaking pumps, fo

explain the simplest