The Phoenix and the Carpet

hooray

omes hom

omes hom

hooray!

fter breakfast, and the Phoenix shed

' it said, 'is

time, though,' said Robert. 'We

he same time that gladness was rudely contradicted by a quite strong fe

nt to know where we got it,' said Anthea. 'And she'd never, never belie

the carpet to take us somewhere where we could find a

rich silks, and full of money that wasn't money at all here, only foreign curiosities, then we couldn't spend

its leg caught in one of Anthea's darns and ripped a

HAVE done it,

ixture fingering wool and the darning-needle and the thimble and the scissors, and by that time she had been

quirrel, I'll

derstood exactly how she had felt, a

ht be as well, perhaps, to state clearly the amount which you wish to find, as well as the country where you wish to find it, and t

h is an

wopence halfpenny,'

suppose it is only because some one has lost

the Phoenix, 'does indeed

,' said Cyril, 'and every one

lieve THAT,' said m

we could find a purse and give it back to the person it bel

d Anthea, making a knot at the end of a needleful of Scotch heather-mixture fin

Let's chuck it and go to the North Po

ls together, 'ther

dded. 'I've got an ide

used with the darning-needle

we can get the money for mother's present, and-and-and ge

t,' said Cyril. He spoke more heartily and kindly than usual, because he re

are. And you have to remember that if

is remark at the time, but afte

e big darn in the middle of the carpet was all open and webby like a fishing net, not

ed on to the mantelpiece and arranged its golden feathers in

e like to see where we're going.' And then she a

and raftlike, was sailing ov

PITY we aren't higher up,' said Anthea, as

warning tones. 'If you wish when you're on a wish

on in calm magnificence over St Pancras and King's Cro

crossed the streak of rough, tumbled water that was t

he chimney-pots than the children found at all comfortable

Part of them was on the carpet, and part of them

ors and partly like in the nursery at home. I feel as if I was go

xactly the sam

oenix; 'it's not measles wha

and their boots went up, and the heavy heads and bodies of them went down through the hole, and they landed in a position something between

ot rid of their weight, and it rose high in the air. The othe

moment the carpet had sped away, and Jane and Robert were hid

awful!' s

ould have been the sentiments of the survivors if tha

m down, or drop tiles into the front garden to attract attention of passersby. Bobs has got my one-and-fivepenc

would not b

didn't do it. It's all my fault. Let's go home and patch the carpet

cket is stronger than my Etons. We must just

oenix; 'the carpet i

deed i

ly walked off it, and in an instant it had rolled itself up and hidden behind a gate-post. It did this so quickly that not a single person in the

What on earth ar

e with their pet uncl

lking about Nelson,' said Cyril, telling as much

he others?' aske

' Cyril replied, this

g a beastly solicitor. One can't take the chances of life when one gets them. If only I could come

felt in

u shouldn't. Here, divide this by four, and the product ought t

-hatted uncle passed away, leaving Cyril and Anthea to exchange eloque

' said

' said

said the

pet!' said Cy

te and yet so simple,' said th

am a beast. I'd forgotten the others just for

o attract public attention-and the moment their feet were on t

ssary for them to go to such extremes as Cyril's Etons o

nt out and bought a large piece of the marble-patterned American oil-cloth which careful house

and empty without the others, and Cyril did not feel so sure as he had done about their being able

e and more restless. It fluffed up its splendid feathers, and stood

egg to hatch-in the bosom of whose Norfolk raiment I have nest

, 'I wish we'd thought

he Phoenix flapped its sun

taking up his needle and instantl

what Anthea and Cyril did, but what happened to Jane and Robert after they fell throu

the most annoying things about stories, you cannot t

e found himself seated on th

e's

rst act w

tle duffer,' said her brother,

street. He could not find anything. Curiously enough, there were no stones on the leads, not even a loose tile. The roof was of slate, and every single

p-door was n

'Lend a hand to heave this up. If we can get into the house, w

into the hole below, the door fell back with a hollow clang on the leads be

ssed Robert. 'Oh

indeed d

s also a lumber-room. It had boxes and broken chairs, old

eat piles. In the middle of the piles of clothes sat a lady, very fat indeed, with her feet sticking

e, 'please don't!

ng?' asked the lady, stopping

n, on the wishing carpe

carpet?' sa

say 'You shut up!' 'You must have re

es she got to the door and through it. She shut it behind her, and the two chi

ert quickly; 'I

ds and dropped thr

I'll catch you. Oh, there's

dro

inished the breathless roll among the piles of clothe

think we've gone along the roofs. Then, when all is c

only standing room for one foot-but they bore it-and when the lady came back, not with

hings-quite mad, my dear-and at large! We m

o the two ladies dragged a box under the trap-door and put another box on the top of it, and then they both cl

t, getting the bedstea

d out through the door before the two ladies had don

two flights. Then they looked over the banisters. Ho

nsent crept swiftly thro

oidered slippers warming themselves in the fender. The children hid behind the window-curtains. As

pered Jane. 'We shall

the stairs, and next instant the two ladies came into the room. Th

it from the first. The children were not mad. They were sent to

ight,' said Selina; 'a

and sugar-basin and the punch-ladle that was Uncle J

lina. 'Amelia, we must call the police fro

a, rushing to the window, came fac

gang, and we didn't open your missionary-box. We opened our own once, but we didn't have t

ert. The children found themselves held fast by strong,

ina, your captive is smaller than mine. You open the

d of calling 'Murder!' she called 'Septimus!' because at

tairs. As he came into the room Jane and Robert each uttered a shriek of joy so

n clergyman,

Robert. 'You married our burg

n are members of a desperate burgling gang who are robbing the house. T

s passed his hand we

t,' he said, 'running

d the beastly bo

ederates did,'

I found I had not enough small change for the Mothers' Independent Unity

. Search the house

, searched the house, which, of cour

k he sank wearil

ets the blood of a boy boiling in his veins with anger and despair. 'We've never done anything to you. It's all the carpet. It droppe

ad!' said

bert; 'try to be honest and honourable,

pose,' said the Reverend Septimus, wearily, 'bu

police,' sai

doctor,' sai

y ARE mad, then,'

am,' said

he said- 'You aren't now, but perhaps you will be,

ill realize it soon. It has happened to me before. But do not let us be unjust, even in a dream.

k himself and stood in sulky resentment. But Jane ran to the curate

st at first, but you get used to it. Now DO let u

ite real enough for you to be mad in. And if you're mad, there might be a dream-asylum where you'd be kindly treated, and in time restored, cured

nto a dream-asylum, because you might never get into the same dream again and let us out, and so we mi

e could now say w

essness and hopelessness. A really conscienti

the two children suddenly felt that extraordinary shrinking feeling that you always have when you are just go

ething like it before. Did you dream it too, Aunt Selina

m and then at Aunt Ameli

een dreaming anything. You must

heaved a si

'if we'd all dreamed it I could

Selina said to

before my very eyes. He couldn't have stood the strain of three dreams. It WAS odd, wasn't it? All three of us dreaming the same thing at the

ad all about it in one of t

straight off to the Psammead, and had wished Robert and Jane at home. And, of course,

chief, a pair of blue and white vases, a bottle of scent, a packet of Christmas candles, and a cake of soap shaped and coloured like a tomato, and one that was so like an orange that almost any

s stuck up on a plate ready to light the moment mother's cab was

d old Psammead,' and t

old Phoenix,' said Robert. 'Suppose i

perhaps fortunate for you tha

the Phoenix hid and they lighted the candl

d their story of Uncle Reginald and the so

,' were Cyril's

' said the Phoenix, f