The Story of the Amulet

told her all about the Queen's talk and the banquet, and the variety entertainmen

' said Jane, 'if you didn't

as lost before that. We'll go to some other jolly friendly place, where every

een's man with the smoot

rduk,' sa

e. And we had supper with the new little Queen from Egypt. She is a dear-not much older than you. She told me heaps about Egypt. And we played ball after

from its sound sleep,

that I could give wishes? I sometimes think you were bor

meaning of rudimentary, but it

we did any harm,'

not! Quite the contrary! Exactly so! Only she happened to wish that she

se you might just as well have made "soon"

meant by "soon". It wasn't my wish. And what SHE meant was the next time the King happens to go out lion hunting. So she'

us. I say, suppose we were to go to St James's Park after dinner and feed those ducks that we never did feed. After all

shes?' asked the Psammead morosely. 'I can't go

hat the bass bag had, in the hurry of dep

hastily. 'You can get them given to you for

nce to the things of this disgusting modern world, to fob me off with a travelling e

ou know, meant to bed. The boys went to St Jame

bag for the Psammead. Each worked at a half of the bag. jane's half had four-leaved shamrocks embroidered on it. They were the only things she could do (because she had been taught how at school, and, fortunately, some of t

TRAV

urse's sewing machine, and the strings of it were Anthea's and Jane's best red hair ribbons. At tea-time, when the boys had come home wi

contemptuously, yet at the same time

ople said nowadays. For a creature that had in its time associated wi

nd of bag that's given away with a pound of pla

taking you or us anywhere,'

ylon. She told me about the larks they have in Egypt. And the cats. Do let's go there. And I

ht of their cleverness in having concealed from Jane the te

e History. I would like to go there when Joseph was dreaming those curiou

ut snakes,' said

abylon was lovely! We had cream and sweet,

to Jane's idea. And next morning directly after breakfast (which was kippers

tance, like that of a cat when you want to nurse it, and

she said, 'are you

re having a lovely time. We're just goi

ademy, I suppose? Don't go wasting

ept up the crumbs and removed the cloth, the Amulet was held up and the o

hea, when Cyril had uttered

was there,

the Amulet grew big, and it was an arch, and throu

and pulled down jane's h

we can't go. We daren't leave home for a single min

sked Jane impatiently, trying t

of Babylon comes,' said Cyr

wed in a very slow, du

King of Babylon would go out lion hunting and leave his Queen free to pay them

rns, two and two, to

ller than they were but for the new inter

to show her a beautiful neck

ike that,' s

tish Museum

e where I saw it Babylon

all out that day. The boys had been going to the Zoo, and Jane had said so plaintively, 'I'm sure I am fonder of rhinoceroses than either of you are,' that

d Anthea. 'I do have such interesting dreams about it-

down and told. And he asked her a lot of questi

nce, but I never thought I had any power of that sort. Yet it must be tha

a cold, thin han

u, not at al

n, and I unconsciously communicate it to you; you've heard of thought-reading, but some of the thin

uringly. 'I understand. And don't w

wn, and before she had had time to ask how they had liked the Zoo, heard a noise

' cried Anthea,

ame through the open window.

's a

ain't no guy. It's a ball

bloomin' loon

lear voice th

slaves!

a dozen voices. 'Some blamed f

the door. A crowd was o

from the top of the steps, were the beautiful

rt, and ran down the

et the lady pass. She's a fri

le house,' snorted a fat wom

Queen met Robert on the pavement, and Cyril

'here's the Psammead

ss, if you HAD to come,' said Robert;

ed-no, I don't-I wish THEY were dressed p

d in that crowd felt that it had not enough clothes on. For, of course, the Queen's idea of proper dress was t

ever could a-took me to come out this figure?' a

y of you-talk of guys,' sai

an next to him. 'Look at your own

aid the bootlace-seller. 'I wasn't quite myself last

nd getting rather angry. But no one

others followed, and the door was shut. 'Blowed if

sed, followed by another crowd of persons who were no

' said Anthea in the tones of despair. '

gainst the arm of

dress I should like to

hings like other p

now I HAVE come. But perhaps it's the surprise that makes you behave like this. Yet you ought to be used to

one and upset all those people, and I expect they'll fetch the

aid loftily. 'Oh, can't you?' said Cyri

room? How frightf

in this room;

disparagingly. 'I thought you'

rls sh

asantly, 'and what horrid, ignorant people. Do you kn

erstand them

e vulgar, Northern dialect. I

derstand other languages than their own so thoroughly, and talk them, too, s

as well go home again?' 'Why, I've seen simply nothing yet,' said the Queen, arranging her sta

'd like to see-anything you CAN see,' she added kindly, because she remembered how nice the Queen had

there are lots of things from your country th

er's old theatre cloak, and there are

ours, but the hat fitted very badly. It had pink roses in it; and there was something

hing is to get her out before Nurse has finished her forty winks

make haste into the Museum. If any of those people you made guys o

ention as the royal costume had done; and the children were uncommonly

to be left here,' sai

cel was the bag containing the Psammead, whi

' said the Psammead softly

Anthea hastily, and went to sit on

fountain,' said the creature c

and waited. The Psammead dropped into an uneasy slumber. Anthea had long ceased to watch the swing-door tha

ck, and that they were not alone. Behind them was quite a crowd of men i

'Take the poor, demented thing home and tell you

we must send for the police,

dded the nice one, who was really very nice

sister a moment f

stood round the Queen, the others forming a sor

s and earrings and things in the glass cases were all hers-would have them out of the cases. Tried to break the glass-she did break one bi

, what a

MMY queens. How do you know they don't cut off mummies' heads to see how the emb

Anthea, and wen

man in our house has a much nicer necklace th

ueen

tiest gentleman, 'she d

lonian, I think,' s

lking is not Babylonian, but nonsense. You just go home a

emen stood on the steps watching them. It was when the little party of disgraced children, with the Queen who had disgra

onian things would come out to me here-slowly, so that those d

,' said the Psammead in its b

eir framework were smashed suddenly and completely. The crowd o

t of the way by an enormous stone bull that was floating steadily through t

es, jugs, saucers, seals, and the round long things, something like rolling pins with marks on them like the print of little bird-feet, neckla

He stood with his hands in his pockets just as though he was quite used to seeing gre

an to close the

t leaving the museum, spo

pose?' he said. '

d Robert r

through the gates just

, and his paper got out a new

NT AND T

RACLE AT THE B

hing better to do went down to the Museum on the tops of omnibuses. But by the time they got there there was nothin

were in y

se, instantl

mead was

re'll be a National Cage built for me at Westminster, and I shall have

he Queen serenely. 'I wish all the things wer

ed and shrank and

s,' it said, 'but I can Bite. And

g ear; 'it's dreadful for us too. Don't YOU desert

he Psammead a lit

e your City,'

n looked at

er about in a cab. People wouldn't no

he Queen, taking a

olen it,' said Cyril bitte

rison with you, it s

id Anthea, and ran up to hi

aid, 'will you buy

nd took the ring into his hand. 'It's my very

eman, 'with pleasure; and I'll take care of the

Anthea carefully, 't

me?' he ask

don't get the money to pay fo

said slowly, 'that I am

I'm not, and you're

's the Queen of Babylo

d Anthea r

ose I have unconsciously influenced HER, too. I never thought my Babylonish studie

And the pound is the thing I wa

ngers through

ing-or it seems so to me. But perhaps I have hypnotized myself. I will

nthea, 'and thank

ereign and ran d

Buckingham Palace she thought uninteresting; Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament littl

hed and poor and neglected they seem,' she sai

s; they're working

aves are. Don't you tell me. Do you suppos

they're better fed and better c

is a little difficult to explain in three words e

your slaves if you're not

tes-that makes them safe not to revolt. It

the Queen. 'Is it a charm

l; 'it's just a vote, that's all! They

wish that all these slaves may have in their hands th

every kind of food, and bottles and cans as well. Roast meat, fowls, red lobsters, great yellowy crabs, fried fish, boiled pork, beef-steak puddings, baked onions, mutton pies; most of the young people

nce, doesn't it?

ou've had yet,' said Ja

Bank the cab

ve you no further,' he

ut rather

he cab was a mound of cabbage, with pork chops and apple sau

teningly, and looked down at the mo

ril with dignity. 'Give me change

ook the sovereign, whipped up his horse, and disappeared in the stream

rowd was collectin

Robert, leadin

reet where many gentlemen in black coats and without hat

n, some of them, if they were dressed decently, especially the ones with the beaut

ourse, i

lown itself out every man in Throgmorton Stre

curled, their garments richly embroidered. They wore rings and armle

silence fe

oke that silence, 'it's only fancy of course-someth

at! And your hair's gone black and you've got a beard. It

was it DONE-that's what I want to know. H

erk; 'all along Bishopsgate I haf seen the gommon people have their h

g down at his legs with an expression of loathing. '

,' said old Mr Levinstein.

ise they made now to express their disgust at the costumes of ancient Babylon was far

te close to the children and they trembled, because they knew that wh

y they did know, and the

n by law. Give her in charge. Fetch the po

een re

nd like caged lions-lions by the t

fly. 'I knew they would sooner or lat

g and trembling, but the Queen's guards in red and green garments, and brass and

Mr Rosenbaum; 'dat

'I always said you were too hard in that matter o

arefully away from the gleaming blades, the m

d the crowd was too thick for them t

ied the Queen.

ards o

Mr Levinstein, cowering in

Henry Hirsh is down now, and Prentice is cut in two-oh, Lord! and Huth, and there goes Lionel Cohen wit

and either side of seven-eights, and Trunks, and Kaffirs, and Steel Common, and Contangoes, and Backwardation

t like it to be known that they have been dreaming in business hours. Especially mad dreams includi

ing. The Psammead crawled out of the embroidered bag, and lay flat on the ta

s over,' said Anthea,

ck, will she?' ask

ut we spent a whole precious pound on her. It'll t

s ALL a dream

u know, Panther; you cut up an

d of her knock into the presence of the learned gentleman, 'I

rarely do, and I dreamed quite distinctly that you brought me a ring that you said belonged to the Queen of Babylon, and that I lent you a sovereign and that you left one

nkful that the Psammead was