The Enchanted Castle

with an invisible companion will not need t

w I shall wake up in half a sec!" And this was the case with Gerald, Kathleen, and Jimmy as they sat in the white marble Temple of Flora, looking out through its arches at the sunshiny park and

oice came from an empty-looking space between two pillars;

e do anything for you? Because, if

Jimmy; "I do

you mean to say you'd go off to your teas a

cesses I ever met!" Gerald be

said. "Think how horrid i

She wouldn't let me go to the fair because I'd forgotten to put back some old tru

asked Kathleen

aid Mabel. "I don't believ

my tea!"

o go," said Gerald. "You see, it isn'

ll your aunt," sai

; "take me with you. I'll leave her

't run awa

en the pillars, "as stowaways, if nobody

ughtn't," said

hat am I

know what the girl can do. Let h

," said Jimm

e a good

ea," sai

nt'll find

ould if I

e on," s

think something's

it h

police, and they'll l

" said Gerald. "Talk of

ver get over it; it might kill her-she has spasms as it is. I'll write to her, and we'll put it in

on't write on any other paper except the kind that is in the book, and this is often very annoying when you are in a hurry. Then was seen the strange spectacle of a littl

k over?" as

wer. The pencil

k over?" Kathl

ar the paper. "I nodded, didn't I? Oh,

letters on the page torn out of th

ar has adopted me, and we are going straight to the coast and then in a ship. It is us

ab

l lies," said

el. "If I said I've become invisible

Jimmy; "you can quarrel

re, and Mabel led them by another and very much nearer way out of the park.

ple of Flora, and the first spots of rain fell as t

ut of the window, and came

in lateness!" she cried. "You have

to get home than we expected. I do hope you haven't been a

miling; "you shall have them in the

they

erald's ear, when Mademoiselle had left them alone with the bread and butter and mil

ead and butter. "I was thinking about wh

SEE THE BREAD AND BUTTER

the air, and bite after bite disappearing from it apparently by no human agency; and the spoon rising with apple in it and returning to the plate emp

nd butter had to be fetched. Cook grumbled

" said Jimmy; "I

emoiselle will be here then. She'd have a fit if she saw bits of forks with bacon on them

to eat and feed our poor capt

g," said Jimmy, in gloom.

lk was suspended in the air wi

the reply from near the milk,

"We must just say good-night to Mademoiselle, and then you sh

to-morrow," said

back to g

n to see all sorts of amusing things coming

uddenly showed on the top of the chest of drawers. Then a sleeve of the pinky gown showed, then another, and then the whole gown lay on the floor in a glistening ring as t

said Kathleen, r

ng, and she was just the least bit frightened, but in the dark she found it was not so bad. Mabel's arms went round her neck the momen

od to me, and I sha'n't forget it. I didn't like to say so before the boys, bec

epy when she remembered that the maid who would call them

and hide them," she s

again it was bright morning, and Eliza was standing in front of the chair where Mabel's clot

thleen leaped out of bed as E

h did you get

d Kathleen, on the desperate inspiratio

w me, miss," s

chair in her nightgown. "You shall see us act when we ar

aid Eliza. "But you be sure to let me

go, for it was the postman, and

first stocking, "we shall have to do the

supported stocking waved in the air a

"invisible actresses can't take part

r a petticoat that hung in th

ash about and to drip from nowhere back into itself. "And oh! I do wish you hadn't

truth if nobody believes you?

hleen, "but I'm sure we

from the folds of a towel that waved

. You'll have to wait up here till we can collar something and brin

he further enlivened it by twitching out the corners of

Eliza; "anyone ud think t

d earlier in the morning. But Kathleen had hidden them in a perfect

where in the best regulated houses. Mabel, very hungry and exasperated at the long absenc

eep under

red; "though it's just what mother always used to say. Hope I ain't

fender. So thorough was she, and so pale, that Kathleen, entering wit

Eliza, you do look i

oom a good turn-out," sai

t you?" Kathleen asked. She

d-dreaming of the pearly gates and them little angels with nothing on only th

abel ate the bread and dra

erry tooth-paste rather," s

ed mug; "it's more interesting than water. I shoul

ast bit of bread had vanished, "and Gerald feels like I do abo

't belie

if we speak the truth,

come on-and, I say, do be careful not to shut me i

gerously noticeable. A butcher's boy looked far too earnestly at the extra shadow, and his big

thleen; "then our two sh

's back, and the ostler of the Davenant Arms looke

t with chickens and d

acked yer back neither! What

ad when they got

t was discovered reading a pink novelette at the window of the housekeeper's room, which, framed i

ald, "but I believe y

who was spare and tall, with a dr

u something about

IN'T YOU BLACKED

one, and I am sure no one thinks less than I do of her little pranks. If she's play

her note?" as

rest than before, but she still

witnessed her departure?

aid Gerald

ic adventures do occur in our family. Lord Yalding selected me out of eleven applicants for the post of houseke

ng to do anything-t

!" sai

ur Mabel's invisible-that's all

, "in all its forms. Will you kindly take that li

aunt and no mistake! But what wil

," said the aunt calmly, and a litt

f. But don't you go saying we didn

unt, "none of you, except that little

t mind our having come through the grounds, do

id the aunt, glancing down at

id Gerald in his best manner. "We're friends

" said t

so you can be sure we wouldn'

fly," said the aunt absently

they got a

"your aunt's as mad as a hatter. Fancy not caring what become

er smell, like boots, and old leather books sort of powdery at the edges. I'll take you there some day. Now your consciences are all right about my aunt, I'll tell you my great idea. Let's get

ld modestly, "I

le the Italian-looking landscape looked more than ever like a steel engravi

ngrateful, but I'm rather hungry. And you can't be always taking things for me through your larder window. If you like, I'll go back and live in th

leen kindly; "you

, really I'm not, but breakfast is

the ring off, yo

last night in bed, and again this morning. And it's like steal

ald, who had carried o

we must do is to

all very well. But Gerald and

ally sure is all for the best, me being invisibl

neer, 'are not always profitable.'

ly you mustn't all go. Look here, if J

Jimmy. And Kathleen told him n

said Jimm

ouble," put in Gerald. "Like La Belle Dame Sans Merci, and he does not want to be

, we're a band of brothers for life, after the way you stood by me y

know any," s

g them and all that. But it wouldn't do for all three of you to go. The more there are of children th

ey should mingle unsuspected with the crowd. "But don't let on that you know me," he said; "and try to look as if you belonged to some of the grown-ups at the fair. If you d

uite used to hearing, coming out of different parts of the

t something to eat, the amount spent to be paid back out of any money they might make by conjuring. The others waited in the shadows of a deep-banked lane, and he came back, quite soon, though long after they had begun to s

id something about extravagance. "We shall all need special no

s were never tired of seeing Mabel eat, or rather of seeing the strange, magic-looking vanishment of food which was all that showed of Mabel's eat

, again and again; "th

d

and when they got to the fair they mingled wit

er and the sticks and straws that always litter the ground of an English fair. It was Gerald, but at first they hardly knew him. He had taken off his tie, and round his head, arranged like a turban, was th

turned to

spered Jimmy. "I don't suppose

door-post a long-faced melancholy woman was lounging, they stopped and tried to look as though they

nt up to

was told, but not harshly, t

f," said Gerald, "I'm

u ain't no nigger. Why, the ba

er of you to see that!" He rubbed

ght. What's yo

ndia. Look here, I owe you one for telling me about my ears. If you like to run the show fo

u're getting at me. Let's see you do a bit o

is apple? Well, I'll make it move slowly through

uth! Get away wit

be so unbelieving," sa

les, and the woman saw it move sl

apple, and it went. "How's that

s shone. "The best I ever see!" she whispered. "I'

woman held it out; and from nowhere, as it seemed, the apple

EE YOU DO A BIT OF CONJURING,

e no one in it but just us two. But not in the tent. You take a pitch

ay if they can see

they will after-you see. And

s a red and black plaid-and he spread it on the ground as he had s

enclosure for him by hanging old sacks to two of the guy-ropes of the tent. "Now I'm ready," he said.

I can do a conjuring entertainment the like of which you've n

bystander; and there were seve

two shillings between you"-there were about thi

the shawl, then a few more, t

get such a nine-pennyworth as you've never had before. I don't wish

owd sn

of you may have in your pocket. If one of you will just step over the rope and s

ed a letter from his pocket and stood plain in the sight of all, in

Then from quite the other side of the enclosure

hand. With regard to the mortgage on

e man, turning thre

t sort in his letter; but nobody believed him, and a buzz of interested

n the shawl, "you keep your eyes on those penn

E MAN, TURNING THRE

hand of Mabel. The crowd clapped loudly. "Brayvo!" "That's something like!" "Show

I can do, but I don't do any more till

threepence lay there and Gera

ely trampled off by the feet of the people who thronged to look at him. There is really hardly any limit to the wonders you can do if you have an invisible accomplice. All sorts of things were made to move about, apparently

begged Gerald to throw in his lot with him; the owner of the rifle gallery offered him free board and lodging and go shares; and

but Gerald? It was getting quite late, long past tea-time, and Gerald, who was getting very tired indeed

om his head by the simple process of taking it off and putting it in her

to his ear: "Divide the money, and give her something for the s

of course, every one would have seen the shadow of the

divide the money, which

crowd pressed closer and closer. "I'

" said the woma

ing his heavy share of the

He handed it to Mabel, who put it on; and, of course, it

nd vanish." He took three steps backward, Mabel wrapped the invisible shawl round him

in the crowd. "Look at 'i

nything might happen-simply anything. Gerald took hold of his hair with both hands, as his way was when he was anxious or discoura

suddenly, "it's loos

ot

the r

ve us summat for our money

whispered to Mabel. "Push the ring under the canvas. Then slip out at the back and joi

the ear of Kathleen. "He's got the ring; c

surprise and annoyance rise from the crowd, and

heard footsteps on the road, and

oice spoke out of clea

it said

jump! Take the ring off. It makes me feel

ou us," s

age, "because you're still black, I suppose, and you might be recognised, and elo

se going about invisible, and people seeing us

"that would be simply silly.

y more than ours,

is," sa

y voice of Gerald beside her

g," said Mabel,

ening air-"want must be your master. You