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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Peterkin, by Mary Louisa Molesworth
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Peterkin
+
+Author: Mary Louisa Molesworth
+
+Illustrator: H. R. Millar
+
+Release Date: August 15, 2008 [EBook #26322]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETERKIN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, Emmy, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+PETERKIN
+
+[Illustration: MAMMA . . . HUGGED HIM AS IF HE'D BEEN LOST FOR A YEAR.
+
+[_Frontispiece._]
+
+
+
+
+PETERKIN
+
+
+BY
+
+
+MRS. MOLESWORTH
+
+
+AUTHOR OF 'CARROTS,' 'CUCKOO CLOCK,' 'TELL ME A STORY'
+
+
+_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. R. MILLAR_
+
+          =London=
+          MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
+          NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
+          1902
+
+
+          _All rights reserved_
+
+
+
+
+          TO
+
+          "ALEX"
+
+          ALEXANDER DOBREE HERRIES
+
+          I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE STORY
+
+
+          155 SLOANE STREET, S.W.
+          _May Day_ 1902
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAP.                                             PAGE
+
+     I. WHAT _CAN_ HAVE BECOME OF HIM?                 1
+
+    II. FOUND                                         19
+
+   III. AN INVITATION                                 34
+
+    IV. VERY MYSTERIOUS                               50
+
+     V. 'STRATAGEMS'                                  69
+
+    VI. MARGARET                                      84
+
+   VII. THE GREAT PLAN                               101
+
+  VIII. A TERRIBLE IDEA                              118
+
+    IX. IN A FOG                                     135
+
+     X. BERYL                                        149
+
+    XI. DEAR MAMMA                                   165
+
+   XII. NO MYSTERY AFTER ALL                         182
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  MAMMA . . . HUGGED HIM AS IF HE'D BEEN LOST FOR A YEAR  _Frontispiece_
+
+  OUR MISSING PETERKIN                                 _To face page_ 13
+
+  NO SOONER DID HE CATCH SIGHT OF US TWO WITH HIS UGLY
+    ROUND BEADY EYES . . . THAN HE SHUT UP                   "   "    52
+
+  PETE HELD OUT HIS BROWN-PAPER PARCEL. 'THIS IS THE
+    POETRY-BOOK,' HE SAID                                    "   "    97
+
+  WE HAD NO DIFFICULTY IN FINDING HER BATH-CHAIR             "   "   108
+
+  HE LOOKED AT THE TICKETS . . . 'HOW'S THIS?' HE SAID       "   "   145
+
+  'NOW,' SHE BEGAN . . . DRAWING MARGARET TO HER, 'TELL
+    ME ALL ABOUT IT'                                         "   "   159
+
+  THE FRILLS HAD WORKED UP ALL ROUND HIS FACE                "   "   173
+
+
+
+
+PETERKIN
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+WHAT _CAN_ HAVE BECOME OF HIM?
+
+
+WE were all at tea in the nursery. All except him. The door burst open
+and James put his head in.
+
+'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants'
+name for nurse. Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call
+her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin
+here?'
+
+Nurse looked up, rather vexed. She doesn't like burstings in.
+
+'Of course not, James,' she said. 'He is out driving with his mamma. You
+must have seen them start.'
+
+'It's just that,' said James, in his silly way. 'It's his mamma that
+wants to know.'
+
+And then we noticed that James's face was much redder than usual. It may
+have been partly that he had run upstairs very fast, for he is really
+very good-natured, but it looked as if he was rather in a fuss, too.
+
+Nurse sat very bolt up in her chair, and _her_ face began to get queer,
+and her voice to get vexeder. Lots of people get cross when they are
+startled or frightened. I have noticed it.
+
+'What do you mean, James? Please to explain,' she said.
+
+'I can't stop,' he said, 'and I don't rightly understand, myself. His
+mamma sent Master Peterkin home before her, half-an-hour ago or more,
+but he hasn't come in, not as I've seen, nor nobody else, I'm afraid. So
+where he's got to, who can say?'
+
+And James turned to go.
+
+Nurse stopped him, getting up from her place as she spoke.
+
+'Was he in the carriage?' she asked.
+
+'Of course not. Beckett would have seen him in, all right, if he had
+been,' said James, in a very superior tone. 'He was to run home by
+himself a bit of a way, as I take it,' he added, as he hurried off at
+last.
+
+'I must go downstairs to your mamma,' said nurse. 'Miss Blanchie, my
+dear, will you look after Miss Elvira, and see that she doesn't spill
+her tea?'
+
+'_Nursie_,' said Elvira, in a very offended tone, 'you know I never
+spill my tea now.'
+
+'Not since the day before yesterday,' I was beginning to say, but I
+didn't. For I thought to myself, if there was any real trouble about
+Peterkin, it wouldn't be at all a good time to tease each other. I don't
+think Elf--that's Elvira's pet name--had understood about him being
+lost. Indeed, I don't think I had quite taken it in myself, till I saw
+how grave the two eldest ones were looking.
+
+'Clem,' I said, 'do you think there can really be anything the matter?'
+
+Clement is the eldest of us all, and he is always the one we go to first
+if we are in any trouble. But he is sometimes rather slow; he is not as
+quick and clever as Blanche, and she often puts him down at first,
+though she generally comes round to his way in the end. She answered for
+him now, though I hadn't spoken to her.
+
+'How can there not be something the matter?' she said sharply. 'If
+Peterkin has been half-an-hour or an hour, perhaps, wandering about the
+streets, it shows he has at least lost his way, and who knows where he's
+got to. I wish you wouldn't ask such silly questions, Giles.'
+
+Then, all of a sudden, Elf burst out crying. It may have been partly
+Blanche's sharp tone, which had startled her, and made her take more
+notice of it all.
+
+'Oh, Clem, Clem,' she wailed, 'could he have been stolened?'
+
+'No, no, darling,' said Clement, dabbing her face with his
+pocket-handkerchief. 'There are kind policemen in the streets, you know.
+They wouldn't let a little boy like Peterkin be stolen.'
+
+'But they does take little boys to pison,' said Elf. 'I've see'd them.
+It's 'cos of that I'm frightened of them for Peterkin.'
+
+That was not quite true. She had never thought of policemen till,
+unluckily, Clem spoke of them in his wish to comfort her. She did not
+mean to say what was not true, of course, but there never was such a
+child as Elf for arguing, even then when she was only four years old.
+Indeed, she's not half as bad now that she is eight, twice as old, and I
+often tell her so. Perhaps that evening it wasn't a bad thing, for the
+talking about policemen stopped her crying, which was even worse than
+her arguing, once she started a good roar.
+
+'It's just because of that, that I'm so frightened about dear sweet
+little Peterkin,' she repeated.
+
+'Rubbish, Elf,' I began, but Clem looked at me and I stopped.
+
+'You needn't be frightened that Peterkin will be taken to prison,
+Elfie,' he said in his kind, rather slow way. 'It's only naughty little
+boys that the policemen take to prison, and Peterkin isn't naughty,' and
+then he wiped Elf's eyes again, and she forgot to go on crying, for just
+then nurse came upstairs. _She_ was not actually crying, of course, but
+she did look very worried, so Clem and Blanche's faces did not clear up
+at all. Nor did mine, I suppose. I really did not know what to think, I
+was waiting to see what the others thought, for we three younger ones
+looked up to Clement and Blanche a good deal, and we still do. They are
+twins, and they seem to mix together so well. Blanche is quick and
+clever, and Clement is awfully sensible, and they are both very kind,
+though Clem is the gentlest. They are nearly sixteen now, and I am
+thirteen past, so at the time I am writing about they were twelve and I
+was going to be ten my next birthday, and Peterkin was eight and Elvira
+five. I won't say much about what sort of a boy Peterkin was, for as my
+story is mostly about him and the funny things he did and thought, it
+will show of itself.
+
+He _was_ a funny child; a queer child in some ways, I mean, and he still
+is. Mamma says it is stupid to say 'funny' when we mean queer or odd,
+but I think it says it better than any other word, and I am sure other
+children will think so too.
+
+Blanche was the first to speak to nurse.
+
+'Is mamma really frightened about Peterkin, nurse?' she asked. 'Tell us
+what it is.'
+
+But nurse had caught sight of her darling pet baby's red eyes.
+
+'Miss Blanchie,' she said, 'I asked you to look after Miss Elvira, and
+she's been crying.'
+
+'You asked me to see that she didn't spill her tea, and she hasn't spilt
+it. It's some nonsense she has got in her head about policemen taking
+strayed children to prison that she has been crying about,' replied
+Blanche, rather crossly.
+
+'I only wish,' began nurse, but the rest of her sentence she mumbled to
+herself, though I heard part of it. It was wishing that the policemen
+_had_ got Peterkin safely.
+
+'Of course, your poor mamma is upset about it,' she went on, though I
+could see she did not want to say very much for fear of Elf's beginning
+to cry again. 'It was this way. Your mamma had to go round by Belton
+Street, and she did not want to keep Master Peterkin out so late to miss
+his tea, so she dropped him at the corner of Lindsay Square, and told
+him to run home. It's as straight as straight can be, and he's often run
+that far alone. So where he's got to or gone to, there's no guessing.'
+
+'And what is mamma doing?' asked Blanche.
+
+'She has sent Mr. Drew and James off in different directions,' said
+nurse, 'and she has gone herself again in the carriage to the station,
+as it's just time for your papa's train, and he will know what more to
+do.'
+
+We did not live in London then; papa went up and down every day from the
+big town by the sea where our home was. Clement thinks perhaps I had
+better not say what town it is, as some people might remember about us,
+and I _might_ say things that would vex them; so I won't call it
+anything, though I must explain that it is not at all a little place,
+but quite big enough for any one to lose their way in, if they were
+strangers. But Peterkin wasn't a stranger; and the way he had to come
+was, as nurse said, as straight as straight.
+
+We all listened with grave faces to what nurse told us. Suddenly Clement
+got up--I can't say 'jumped up,' for he was always rather slow.
+
+'Nurse,' he said, 'mamma's out, so I can't ask her leave. But I've got
+an idea about Peterkin. Will you give me leave to go out for
+half-an-hour or so? I promise you I won't go far, but I would rather not
+tell you where I want to go, as it may be all nonsense.'
+
+Nurse looked at him doubtfully. She trusted Clem the most of us all, I
+know, and she had good reason to do so, for he was and is very
+trustworthy. And it was nice of him to ask her leave, considering he was
+twelve years old and quite out of the nursery, except that he still
+liked having tea there when he came in from school every evening.
+
+'Well, Master Clement,' said nurse, 'I don't quite know. Supposing you
+go out and don't get back as soon as you expect? It would be just a
+double fright for your poor mamma.'
+
+'Let me go too!' I exclaimed, and I jumped up so suddenly that I made
+all the cups rattle and nearly threw over the table altogether. 'Then if
+anything stops Clem getting back quickly, I can run home and explain.
+Anyway you'd be more comfortable if you knew the two of us were on the
+hunt together. You don't mind my coming, do you, Clem?'
+
+'No,' said Clem, 'but do let's go.'
+
+'And you won't be long?' pleaded nurse.
+
+Clem shook his head.
+
+'I don't think we can be--not if there's anything in my idea', he called
+out, as we ran off.
+
+We didn't take a minute to pull on our coats, which were hanging in the
+hall. I daresay I should never have thought of mine at all, if Clem
+hadn't reminded me, even though it was late in November and a cold
+evening. And as soon as we were outside and had set off at a good pace,
+I begged Clem to tell me what his idea was, and where we were going to
+look for Peterkin.
+
+'It's the parrot,' he replied; 'the parrot in Rock Terrace.'
+
+'I don't know what you mean,' I said. 'I never heard of a parrot, and I
+don't know where Rock Terrace is.'
+
+'Nonsense,' said Clem, stopping for a moment. 'You must have forgotten.'
+
+'I haven't indeed,' I said.
+
+'Not about the parrot that Peterkin has been dreaming of ever since we
+passed it on Saturday, when we were out with mamma--next door to old
+Mrs. Wylie's?' Clem exclaimed.
+
+'No,' I repeated. 'I wasn't with you that day, and----'
+
+'No more you were,' said Clem.
+
+'And,' I went on, 'I don't know where Mrs. Wylie lives, though I've
+often seen her herself at our house. And you know, Clement, that's just
+like Peterkin. If he's got anything very much in his head, he often
+doesn't speak of it, except to any one who knows about it already.'
+
+'He hasn't said very much about it, even to me,' said Clement. 'But, all
+the same, I know he has got it tremendously in his head.'
+
+'How do you mean? Is he making up fairy stories about it?'
+
+'Perhaps! You see he had never heard a parrot speaking. I'm not sure if
+he knew they ever did. But he wanted very much to see it again, and it
+just came into my mind all at once, that if he had a chance he might
+have run round there and lost his way. I don't suppose he _meant_ to
+when mamma told him to go home. It may just have struck him when he got
+to the corner of Lindsay Square.'
+
+I did not answer. We were walking so fast that it was not easy to go on
+speaking. But I did think it was very clever of Clement to have thought
+of it. It was so like Peterkin.
+
+Clement hurried on. It was quite dark by now, but the lamps were
+lighted, and Clem seemed quite sure of his way. In spite of feeling
+rather unhappy about Peterkin, I was enjoying myself a little. I did not
+think it possible that he was really badly lost, and it was very
+exciting to rush along the streets after dark like this, and then I
+could not help fancying how triumphant we should feel if we actually
+found him.
+
+It was not very surprising that I did not know where Rock Terrace was,
+or that I had never even heard of it. It was such a tiny little row of
+such tiny houses, opening out of one corner of Lindsay Square. The
+houses were rather pretty; at least, very neat-looking and
+old-fashioned, with a little bit of garden in front, and small iron
+gates. They looked as if old maids lived in them, and I daresay there
+were a good many.
+
+Clement hurried along till he was close to the farther off end. Then he
+stopped short, and for the first time seemed at a loss.
+
+'I don't know the number,' he said, 'but I'm sure it was almost the end
+house. And--yes--isn't that a big cage on the little balcony, Giles?
+Look well.'
+
+I peeped up. The light of the lamps was not very good in Rock Terrace.
+
+'Yes,' I said. 'It is a big cage, but I can't see if there's a bird in
+it.'
+
+'Perhaps they take him in at night,' said Clement. Then he looked up
+again at the balconies.
+
+'Let me see,' he went on, 'which side is Mrs. Wylie's? Mamma went in at
+the--' but before he had time to finish his sentence his doubts were set
+at rest--his doubts and all our fears about Peterkin. For the door on
+the left of the parrot's home opened slowly, letting out what seemed, in
+contrast with the darkness outside, a flood of light, just within which,
+in the small hall or lobby of the miniature house, stood two
+figures--the one, that of a short thin old lady with white hair, dressed
+all in black; the other, a short fat little boy in a thick coat--our
+missing Peterkin!
+
+[Illustration: OUR MISSING PETERKIN.--p. 13.]
+
+They were speaking to each other most politely.
+
+'So pleased to have seen you, my dear,' said Mrs. Wylie. 'Give my love
+to your dear mamma. I will not forget about the parrot, you may be sure.
+He shall have a proper invitation. And--you are quite certain you can
+find your way home? Oh, dear!--that poor child must have been bemoaning
+herself again! Polly always knows.'
+
+And as we stood there, our minds scarcely made up as to what we should
+do, we heard a queer croaking voice, from inside the house on the right
+of Mrs. Wylie--the parrot's voice, of course, calling out--
+
+'I'm so tired, Nana; I'm so tired. I won't be good; no, I won't.'
+
+Mrs. Wylie and Peterkin both stood silent for a moment, listening. So
+did we. Then Clement opened the gate and ran up the two or three steps,
+I following him.
+
+'Peterkin!' he exclaimed, 'mamma has been so frightened about you.'
+
+And Peterkin turned round and looked up in his face with his big blue
+eyes, apparently quite astonished.
+
+'Has mamma come back?' he said. 'I've only been here for a minute or
+two. I just wanted to look at the parrot.'
+
+Mrs. Wylie was a quick-witted old lady. She took it all in, in a moment.
+
+'Dear, dear!' she said. 'I am afraid it is my fault. I saw the dear boy
+looking up at the parrot next door when I came in from my stroll round
+to the pillar-box with a letter, and he told me he was one of Mrs.
+Lesley's little sons, and then we got talking. But I had no idea his
+mamma would be alarmed. I am afraid it has been much more than a few
+minutes. I _am_ sorry.'
+
+It was impossible to say anything to trouble the poor old lady: she
+looked as if she were going to cry.
+
+'It will be all right now,' said Clement. 'Mamma will be so delighted to
+see him safe and sound. But we had better hurry home. Come along,
+Peterkin.'
+
+But nothing would make Peterkin forget his good manners. He tugged off
+his sailor cap again, which he had just put on, and held out his hand,
+for the second or third time, I daresay, as he and his old lady had
+evidently been hobnobbing over their leave-takings for some minutes
+before we made our appearance.
+
+'Good-bye!' he said; 'and thank you very much. And I'll ask mamma to let
+me come whenever you fix the day for the parrot. And please tell me all
+he tells you about the little girl. And--thank you very much.'
+
+They were the funniest pair. She so tiny and thin and white, with bright
+dark eyes, like some bird's, and Peterkin so short and sturdy and rosy,
+with his big dreamy ones looking up at her. She was just a little taller
+than he. And suddenly I saw his rosy face grow still rosier; crimson or
+scarlet, really. For Mrs. Wylie made a dash at him and kissed him, and
+unluckily Peterkin did not like being kissed, except by mamma and Elf.
+His politeness, however, stood him in good stead. He did not pull away,
+or show that he hated it, as lots of fellows would have done. He stood
+quite still, and then, with another tug at his cap, ran down the steps
+after Clem and me.
+
+Clement waited a moment or two before he spoke. It was his way; but just
+now it was a good thing, as Mrs. Wylie did not shut the door quite at
+once, and everything was so quiet in that little side street, in the
+evening especially, that very likely our voices would have carried back
+to her. I, for my part, was longing to shake Peterkin, though I felt
+very inclined to burst out laughing, too. But I knew it was best to
+leave the 'rowing' to Clem.
+
+'Peterkin,' he began at last, 'I don't know what to say to you.'
+
+Peterkin had got hold of Clem's hand and was holding it tight, and he
+was already rather out of breath, as Clem was walking fast--very fast
+for him--and he has always been a long-legged chap for his age, thin and
+wiry, too; whereas, in those days--though, thank goodness, he is growing
+like a house on fire _now_--Peterkin was as broad as he was long. So to
+keep up with Clement's strides he had to trot, and that sort of pace
+soon makes a kid breathless, of course.
+
+'I--I never thought mamma'd be flightened,' he managed to get out at
+last. He had been a long time of saying his 'r's' clearly, and now they
+still all got into 'l's' if he was bothered or startled. 'I never
+thought she'd be flightened.'
+
+'Then you were a donkey,' I burst out, and Clement interrupted me.
+
+'How could she not have been frightened?' he went on. 'She told you to
+run straight home, which wouldn't have taken you five minutes, and you
+have been at least an hour.'
+
+'I thought it wouldn't be no farther to come this way,' replied
+Peterkin, 'and I only meant to look at the pallot one minute. And it
+would have been very lu--_rude_ not to speak to the old lady, and go
+into her house for a minute when she asked me. Mamma always says we
+mustn't be rude,' said Peterkin, plucking up some spirit.
+
+'Mamma always says we must be _obedient_' replied Clement, severely.
+
+Then he relapsed into silence, and his quick footsteps and Peterkin's
+short trotty ones were the only sounds.
+
+'I believe,' I couldn't help murmuring, half to myself, half to
+Peterkin--'I believe you've got some rubbish in your head about the
+parrot being a fairy. If I were mamma I'd stop your----' but at that I
+stopped _myself_. If Clement had heard me he would have been down upon
+me for disrespectfulness in saying to a baby like Pete what I thought
+mamma should or should not do; and I didn't care to be pulled up by
+Clement before the little ones.
+
+Peterkin was as sharp as needles in some ways. He guessed the end of my
+unfinished sentence.
+
+'No,' he half whispered, 'mamma'd _never_ stop me reading faily
+stolies--you know she wouldn't, Gilly, and it's velly unkind of you to
+say so.'
+
+'I didn't say so,' I replied.
+
+'Be quiet, both of you,' said Clem, 'and hurry on,' for we had slackened
+a little.
+
+But in spite of the breathlessness of the pace, I heard another gasp
+from Peterkin--
+
+'It _is_ velly like the blue-bird,' were the words I distinguished.
+
+And 'I knew I was right,' I thought to myself triumphantly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+FOUND
+
+
+THE carriage was standing waiting at our own house when we got there.
+And there was some bustle going on, for the front door was not shut, and
+we could see into the hall, which of course was brightly lighted up.
+
+Papa was there, speaking to some one; he had his hat on, as if he was
+just coming out again. And--yes--it was Drew he was speaking to, and
+James too, I think--but behind them was poor mamma, looking so
+dreadfully unhappy. It did make me want to shake Peterkin again.
+
+They did not see us as quickly as we saw them, for it was dark outside
+and they were all talking: papa giving directions, I fancy.
+
+So they did jump when Clem--hurrying for once--rushed up the steps,
+dragging Peterkin after him.
+
+'We've found him--we've found him!' he shouted. 'In with you, Pete: show
+yourself, quick.'
+
+For mamma had got quite white, and looked as if she were going to faint
+or tumble down in some kind of a fit; but luckily before she had time
+for anything, there was that fat boy hugging and squeezing her so tight
+that she'd have been clever to move at all, though if she _had_ tumbled
+down he would have made a good buffer.
+
+'Oh, mamma, mamma--oh, mummy,' he said, and by this time he was howling,
+of course, 'I never meant to flighten you. I never did. I thought I'd
+been only five minutes, and I thought it was nearly as quick home that
+way.'
+
+And of course mamma didn't scold him! She hugged him as if he'd been
+lost for a year, and as if he was the prodigal son and the good brother
+mixed up together.
+
+But papa looked rather stern, and I was not altogether sorry to see it.
+
+'Where have you been, Peterkin?' he said. And then he glanced up at us
+two--Clem and me--as Peterkin seemed too busy crying to speak. 'Where
+has he been?' papa repeated. 'It was very clever of you to find him, I
+must say.'
+
+And mamma's curiosity began to awaken, now that she had got old Pete
+safe in her arms again. She looked up with the same question in her
+face.
+
+'Where--' she began.
+
+And I couldn't help answering.
+
+'It was all Clem's idea,' I said, for it really was only fair for Clem
+to get some praise. 'He thought of the parrot.'
+
+'The _parrot_', mamma repeated, growing more puzzled instead of less.
+
+'Yes,' said Clement. 'The parrot next door to Mrs. Wylie's. Perhaps you
+don't remember, mamma. It was the day Peterkin and I were out with
+you--Giles wasn't there--and you went in to Mrs. Wylie's and we waited
+outside, and the parrot was in a cage on the balcony, and we heard it
+talk.'
+
+'Yes,' said Peterkin, 'he _talked_,' as if that was an explanation of
+everything.
+
+Mamma's face cleared.
+
+'I think I do remember something about it,' she said. 'But I have never
+heard you mention it since, Peterkin?'
+
+'No,' said Peterkin, getting rather red.
+
+'He has spoken of it a little to me,' said Clement; 'that's how I knew
+it was in his mind. But Peterkin often doesn't say much about what he's
+thinking a lot about. It's his way.'
+
+'Yes,' said Peterkin, 'it's my way.'
+
+'And have you been planning all these days to run off to see the parrot
+again?' asked mamma. I wasn't quite sure if she was vexed or not, but
+_I_ was; it seemed so queer, queer as Pete often was, for him not to
+have confided in somebody.
+
+But we were mistaken.
+
+'No, no, truly, mamma,' he said, speaking in a much more determined way
+now, and shaking his curly head. 'I didn't ever think of it till after
+I'd got out of the calliage and I saw it was the corner of the big
+square where the little houses are at one end, and then I only meant to
+go for one minute. I thought it was nearly as quick that way, and I ran
+fast. I never meant to flighten you, mamma,' he repeated again, his
+voice growing plaintive. 'I wasn't planning it a bit all these days. I
+only kept thinking it _were_ like the blue-bird.'
+
+The last sentence was almost in a whisper; it was only a sort of honesty
+that forced him to say it. As far as Clement and I were concerned, he
+needn't have said it.
+
+'I knew he'd got some fairy-story rubbish in his head,' I muttered, but
+I don't think Peterkin heard me, though papa and mamma did; for I saw
+them glance at each other, and papa said something under his breath, of
+which I only caught the words 'getting too fanciful,' and 'schoolboy,'
+which made mamma look rather unhappy again.
+
+'I don't yet understand how old Mrs. Wylie got mixed up in it all,' said
+papa.
+
+'She lives next door to the parrot,' said Clem, and we couldn't help
+smiling at the funny way he said it.
+
+'And she saw me when she was coming back from the post, and she was very
+kind,' Peterkin went on, taking up the story again, as the smile had
+encouraged him. 'She 'avited me to go in, up to her drawing-room, so
+that I could hear him talking better. And he said lots of things.'
+
+'Oh yes, by the bye,' I exclaimed, 'there was something about a little
+girl, Mrs. Wylie said. What was it, Pete?'
+
+But Peterkin shut up at this.
+
+'I'll tell you the next time I go there. Mummy, you will let me go to
+see that old lady again, won't you?' he begged. 'She was so kind, and I
+only thought I'd been there five minutes. Mayn't I go again to see
+her?'
+
+'_And_ the parrot,' said mamma, smiling. She was sharp enough to take in
+that it was a quarter for Mrs. Wylie and three quarters for the parrot
+that he wanted so to go back to Rock Terrace. 'Well, you must promise
+never to pay visits on your own account again, Peterkin, and then we
+shall see. Now run upstairs to the nursery as fast as you can and get
+some tea. And I'm sure Clem and Giles will be glad of some more. I hope
+poor nurse and Blanche and Elfie know he is all right,' she added,
+glancing round.
+
+'Yes, ma'am. I took the liberty of going up to tell the young ladies and
+Mrs. Brough, when Master Peterkin first returned,' said James in his
+very politest and primmest tone.
+
+'That was very thoughtful of you,' said mamma, approvingly, which made
+James get very red.
+
+We three boys skurried upstairs after that. At least I did. Clement came
+more slowly, but as his legs were long enough to take two steps at a
+time, he got to the top nearly as soon as I did, and Peterkin came
+puffing after us. I was rather surprised that Blanche and Elf had been
+content to stay quietly in the nursery, considering all the excitement
+that had been going on downstairs, and I think it was very good of
+Blanche, for she told me afterwards that she had only done it to keep
+Elvira from getting into one of her endless crying fits. They always say
+Elf is such a nervous child that she can't help it, but _I_ think it's a
+good bit of it cross temper too.
+
+Still she is rather growing out of it, and, after all, that night there
+was something to cry about, and there might have been worse, as nurse
+said. She had been telling the girls stories of people who got lost,
+though she was sensible enough to make them turn up all right at the
+end. She can tell very interesting stories sometimes, but she keeps the
+_best_ ones to amuse us when we are ill, or when mamma's gone away on a
+visit, or something horrid like that has happened.
+
+They all three flew at Peterkin, of course, and hugged him as if he'd
+been shipwrecked, or putting out a fire, or something grand like that.
+And he took it as coolly as anything, and asked for his tea, as if he
+deserved all the petting and fussing.
+
+That was another of his little 'ways,' I suppose.
+
+Then, as we were waiting for the kettle to boil up again to make fresh
+tea, if you please, for his lordship--though Clem and I were to have
+some too, of course, and we did deserve it--all the story had to be
+told over for the third or fourth time, of the parrot, and old Mrs.
+Wylie meeting Pete as she came in, and his thinking he'd only been there
+about five minutes, and all the rest of it.
+
+'And what did the Polly parrot talk about?' asked Elf. She had a picture
+of a parrot in one of her books, and some rhymes about it.
+
+'Oh,' answered Peterkin,' he said, "How d'ye do?" and "Pretty Poll," and
+things like that.'
+
+'He said queerer things than that; you know he--' I began. I saw Pete
+didn't want to tell about the parrot copying the mysterious child that
+Mrs. Wylie had spoken of, so I thought I'd tease him a bit by reminding
+him of it. I felt sure he had got some of his funny ideas out of his
+fairy stories in his head; that the little girl--for Mrs. Wylie had
+spoken of a 'her'--was an enchanted princess or something like that, and
+I wasn't far wrong, as you will see. But I didn't finish my sentence,
+for Peterkin, who was sitting next me, gave me a sort of little kick,
+not to hurt, of course, and whispered, 'I'll tell you afterwards.' So I
+felt it would be ill-natured to tease him, and I didn't say any more,
+and luckily the others hadn't noticed what I had begun. Blanchie was on
+her knees in front of the fire toasting for us, and Elf was putting
+lumps of sugar into the cups, to be ready.
+
+Pete was as hungry as a hunter, and our sharp walk had given Clem and me
+a fresh appetite, so we ate all the toast and a lot of plum-cake as
+well, and felt none the worse for it.
+
+And soon after that, it was time to be tidied up to go down to the
+drawing-room to mamma. Peterkin and Elvira only stayed half-an-hour or
+so, but after they had gone to bed we three big ones went into the
+library to finish our lessons while papa and mamma were at dinner.
+Sometimes we went into the dining-room to dessert, and sometimes we
+worked on till mamma called us into the drawing-room: it all depended on
+how many lessons we'd got to do, or how fast we had got on with them.
+Clement and Blanche were awfully good about that sort of thing, and went
+at it steadily, much better than I, I'm afraid, though I could learn
+pretty quickly if I chose. But I did not like lessons, especially the
+ones we had to do at home, for in these days Clem and I only went to a
+day-school and had to bring books and things back with us every
+afternoon. And besides these lessons we had to do at home for school, we
+had a little extra once or twice a week, as we had French conversation
+and reading on half-holidays with Blanche's teachers, and they sometimes
+gave us poetry to learn by heart or to translate. We were not exactly
+_obliged_ to do it, but of course we didn't want Blanche, who was only a
+girl, to get ahead of us, as she would very likely have done, for she
+did grind at her lessons awfully. I think most girls do.
+
+It sounds as if we were rather hard-worked, but I really don't think we
+were, though I must allow that we worked better in those days, and
+learnt more in comparison, than we do now at--I won't give the name of
+the big school we are at. Clement says it is better not--people who
+write books never do give the real names, he says, and I fancy he's
+right. It is an awfully jolly school, and we are as happy as sand-boys,
+whatever that means, but I can't say that we work as Blanche does,
+though she does it all at home with governesses.
+
+That part of the evening--when we went back to the drawing-room to
+mamma, I mean--was one of the times I shall always like to remember
+about. It is very jolly now, of course, to be at home for the holidays,
+but there was then the sort of 'treat' feeling of having got our lessons
+done, and the little ones comfortably off to bed, and the
+grown-up-ness.
+
+Mamma looked so pretty, as she was always nicely dressed, though I liked
+some of her dresses much better than others--I don't like her in black
+ones at all; and the drawing-room was pretty, and then there was mamma's
+music. Her playing was nice, but her singing was still better, and she
+used to let us choose our favourite songs, each in turn. Blanche plays
+the violin now, very well, they say, and mamma declares she is really
+far cleverer at music than she herself ever was; but for all that, I
+shall never care for her fiddle anything like mamma's singing; if I live
+to be a hundred, I shall never forget it.
+
+It is a great thing to have really jolly times like those evenings to
+think of when you begin to get older, and are a lot away from home, and
+likely to be still less and less there.
+
+But I must not forget that this story is supposed to be principally
+about Peterkin and his adventures, so I'll go on again about the night
+after he'd been lost.
+
+He and I had a room together, and he was nearly always fast asleep, like
+a fat dormouse, when I went up to bed. He had a way of curling himself
+round, like a ball, that really did remind you of a dormouse. I believe
+it kept him from growing; I really do, though I did my best to pull him
+out straight. He didn't like that, ungrateful chap, and used to growl at
+me for it, and I believe he often pretended to be asleep when he wasn't,
+just to stop me doing it; for one night, nurse had come in to know what
+the row was about, and though she agreed with me that it was much better
+for him to lie properly stretched at his full length, she said I wasn't
+to wake him up because of it.
+
+But if he was generally fast asleep at night when I came to bed, he
+certainly made up for it by waking in the morning. I never knew anything
+like him for that. I believe he woke long before the birds, winter as
+well as summer, and then was his time for talking and telling me his
+stories and fancies. Once I myself was well awake I didn't mind, as it
+was generally rather interesting; but I couldn't stand the being
+awakened ages before the time. So we made an agreement, that if I didn't
+wake him up at night, he'd not bother me in the morning till I gave a
+sign that I was on the way to waking of myself. The sign was a sort of
+snort that's easy to make, even while you're still pretty drowsy, and it
+did very well, as I could lie quiet in a dreamy way listening to him.
+He didn't want me to speak, only to snort a little now and then till I
+got quite lively, as I generally did in a few minutes, as his stories
+grew more exciting, and there came something that I wanted him to alter
+in them.
+
+That night, however, when I went up to bed there was no need to think of
+our bargain, for Peterkin was as wide awake as I was.
+
+'Haven't you been to sleep yet?' I asked him.
+
+'Not exactly,' he said. 'Just a sort of half. I'm glad you've come,
+Gilley, for I've got a lot of things in my head.'
+
+'You generally have,' I said, 'but _I'm_ sleepy, if you're not. That
+scamper in the cold after you, my good boy, was rather tiring, I can
+tell you.'
+
+'I'm very sorry,' said he, in a penitent tone of voice, 'but you know,
+Giles, I never meant to----'
+
+'Oh, stop that!' I exclaimed; 'you've said it twenty times too often
+already. Better tell me a bit of the things in your head. Then you can
+go to sleep, and dream them out, and have an interesting story ready for
+me in the morning.'
+
+'Oh, but--' objected Pete, sitting up in bed and clasping his hands
+round his knees, his face very red, and his eyes very blue and bright,
+'they're not dreamy kind of things at all. There's really something
+very misterist--what is the proper word, Gilley?'
+
+'"Mysterious," I suppose you mean,' I said.
+
+'Yes, misterous,' repeated he, 'about what the parrot said, and I'm
+pretty sure that old lady thinks so too.'
+
+'Didn't she explain about it, at all?' I asked him. I began to think
+there _was_ something queer, perhaps, for Peterkin's manner impressed
+me.
+
+'Well, she did a little,' he replied. 'But I'd better tell you all,
+Gilley; just what I first heard, before she came up and spoke to me, you
+know, and----'
+
+Just then, however, there came an interruption.
+
+Mamma put her head in at the door.
+
+'Boys,' she said, 'not asleep yet? At least _you_ should be, Peterkin.
+You didn't wake him, I hope, Giles?'
+
+I had no time for an indignant 'No; of course, not,' before Pete came to
+my defence.
+
+'No, no, mummy! I was awake all of myself. I wanted him to come very
+much, to talk a little.'
+
+'Well, you must both be rather tired with all the excitement there has
+been,' mamma said. 'So go to sleep, now, and do your talking in the
+morning. Promise,--both of you--eh?'
+
+'Yes,' we answered; 'word of honour, mamma,' and she went away, quite
+sure that we would keep our promise, which was sealed by a kiss from
+her.
+
+Dear little mother! She did not often come up to see us in bed, for fear
+of rousing us out of our 'beauty' sleep, but to-night she had felt as if
+she must make sure we were all right after the fuss of Peterkin's being
+lost, you see.
+
+And of course we were as good as our word, and only just said
+'Good-night!' to each other; Pete adding, 'I'll begin at the beginning,
+and tell you everything, as soon as I hear your first snort in the
+morning, Giles.'
+
+'You'd better wait for my second or third,' I replied. 'I'm never very
+clear-headed at the first, and I want to give my attention, as it's
+something real, and not one of your make-ups,' I said. 'So, good-night!'
+
+It is awfully jolly to know that you are trusted, isn't it?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+AN INVITATION
+
+
+I SLEPT on rather later than usual next morning. I suppose I really was
+tired. And when I began to awake, and gradually remembered all that had
+happened the night before, I heartily wished I hadn't promised Peterkin
+to snort at all.
+
+I took care not to open my eyes for a good bit, but I couldn't carry on
+humbugging that I was still asleep for very long. Something made me open
+my eyes, and as soon as I did so I knew what it was. There was
+Pete--bolt upright--as wide awake as if he had never been asleep,
+staring at me with all his might, his eyes as round and blue as could
+be. You know the feeling that some one is looking at you, even when you
+don't see them. I had not given one snort, and I could not help feeling
+rather cross with Peterkin, even when he exclaimed--
+
+'Oh, I am so glad you're awake!'
+
+'You've been staring me awake,' I said, very grumpily. 'I'd like to know
+who could go on sleeping with you wishing them awake?'
+
+'I'm very sorry if you wanted to go on sleeping,' he replied meekly. He
+did not seem at all surprised at my saying he had wakened me. He used to
+understand rather queer things like that so quickly, though we counted
+him stupid in some ways.
+
+'But as I am awake you can start talking,' I said, closing my eyes
+again, and preparing to listen.
+
+Pete was quite ready to obey.
+
+'Well,' he began, 'it was this way. Mamma didn't want me to be late for
+tea, so she stopped at the end of that big street--a little farther away
+than Lindsay Square, you know----'
+
+'Yes, Meredith Place,' I grunted.
+
+'And,' Pete went on, 'told me to run home. It's quite straight, if you
+keep to the front, of course.'
+
+'And you did run straight home, didn't you?' I said teasingly.
+
+'No,' he replied seriously, but not at all offended. 'When I got to the
+corner of the square I looked up it, and I remembered that it led to
+the funny little houses where Clem and I had seen the parrot. So, almost
+without settling it in my mind, I ran along that side of the square till
+I came to Rock Terrace. I ran _very_ fast----'
+
+'I wish I'd been there to see you,' I grunted again.
+
+'And I thought if I kept round by the back, I'd get out again to the
+front nearly as soon--running all the way, you see, to make up. And I'd
+scarcely got to the little houses when I heard the parrot. His cage was
+out on the balcony, you know. And it is very quiet there--scarcely any
+carts or carriages passing--and it was getting dark, and I think you
+hear things plainer in the dark; don't you think so, Gilley?'
+
+I did not answer, so he went on.
+
+'I heard the parrot some way off. His voice is so queer, you know. And
+when I got nearer I could tell every word he said. He kept on every now
+and then talking for himself--real talking--"Getting cold. Polly wants
+to go to bed. Quick, quick." And then he'd stop for a minute, as if he
+was listening and heard something I couldn't. _That_ was the strange
+part that makes me think perhaps he isn't really a parrot at all,
+Giles,' and here Pete dropped his voice and looked very mysterious. I
+had opened my eyes for good now; it was getting exciting.
+
+'What did he say?' I asked.
+
+'What you and Clement heard, and a lot more,' Peterkin replied. 'Over
+and over again the same--"I'm so tired, Nana, I won't be good, no I
+won't."'
+
+'Yes, that's what we heard,' I said, 'but what was the lot more?'
+
+'Oh, perhaps there wasn't so _very_ much more,' said he, consideringly.
+'There was something about "I won't be locked up," and "I'll write a
+letter," and then again and again, "I won't be good, I'm so tired." That
+was what you and Clement heard, wasn't it?'
+
+'Yes,' I said.
+
+'And one funny thing about it was that his voice, the parrot's, sounded
+quite different when he was talking his own talking, do you see?--like
+"Pretty Poll is cold, wants to go to bed"--from when he was copying the
+little girl's. It was always croaky, of course, but _squeakier_,
+somehow, when he was copying her.'
+
+Peterkin sat up still straighter and looked at me, evidently waiting for
+my opinion about it all. I was really very interested, but I wanted
+first to hear all he had in his head, so I did not at once answer.
+
+'Isn't it very queer?' he said at last.
+
+'What do you think about it?' I asked.
+
+He drew a little nearer me and spoke in a lower voice, though there was
+no possibility of any one ever hearing what he said.
+
+'P'raps,' he began, 'it isn't _only_ a parrot, or p'raps some fairy
+makes it say these things. The little girl might be shut up, you see,
+like the princess in the tower, by some _bad_ fairy, and there might be
+a _good_ one who wanted to help her to get out. I wonder if they ever do
+invite fairies to christenings now, and forget some of them,' he went
+on, knitting his brows, 'or not ask them, because they are bad fairies?
+I can't remember about Elf's christening feast; can you, Gilley?'
+
+'I can remember hers, and yours too, for that matter,' I replied. 'You
+forget how much older I am. But of course it's not like that now. There
+are no fairies to invite, as I've often told you, Pete. At least,' for,
+in spite of my love of teasing, I never liked to see the look of
+distress that came over his chubby face when any one talked that sort of
+common sense to him, 'at least, people have got out of the way of seeing
+them or getting into fairy-land.'
+
+'But we _might_ find it again,' said Peterkin, brightening up.
+
+And I didn't like to disappoint him by saying I could not see much
+chance of it.
+
+Then another idea struck me.
+
+'How about Mrs. Wylie?' I said. 'Didn't she explain it at all? You told
+her what you had heard, didn't you? Yes, of course, she heard some of it
+herself, when we were all three standing at the door of her house.'
+
+'Well,' said Peterkin, 'I was going to tell you the rest. I was
+listening to the parrot, and it was much plainer than _you_ heard,
+Gilley, for when you were there you only heard him from down below, and
+I was up near him--well, I was just standing there listening to him,
+when that old lady came up.'
+
+'I know all about that,' I interrupted.
+
+'No, you don't, not nearly all,' Peterkin persisted. He could be as
+obstinate as a little pig sometimes, so I said nothing. 'I was just
+standing there when she came up. She looked at me, and then she went in
+at her own gate, next door to the parrot's, you know, and then she
+looked at me again, and spoke over the railings. She said, "Are you
+talking to the parrot, my dear?" and I said, "No, I'm only listening to
+him, thank you"; and then she looked at me again, and she said, "You
+don't live in this terrace, I think?" And I said, "No, I live on the
+Esplanade, number 59." Then she pulled out her spectacles--long things,
+you know, at the end of a turtle-shell stick.'
+
+'Tortoise-shell,' I corrected.
+
+'Tortoise-shell,' he repeated, 'and then she looked at me again. "If you
+live at 59," she said, "I think you must be one of dear Mrs. Lesley's
+little sons," and I said, "That's just what I am, thank you." And then
+she said, "Won't you come in for a few minutes? You can see the Polly
+from my balcony, and it is getting cold for standing about. Are you on
+your way home from school?" So I thought it wouldn't be polite not to go
+in. She was so kind, you see,' and here his voice grew 'cryey' again, 'I
+never thought about mamma being flightened, and I only meant to stay a
+min----'
+
+'Shut up about all that,' I interrupted. 'We've had it often enough, and
+I want to hear what happened.'
+
+'Well,' he said, quite briskly again, 'she took me in, and up to her
+drawing-room. The window was a tiny bit open, and she made me stand just
+on the ledge between it and the balcony, so that I could see the parrot
+without his seeing me, for she said if he saw me he'd set up screeching
+and not talk sense any more. He knows when people are strangers. The
+cage was close to the old lady's end of the balcony, so that I could
+almost have touched it, and then I heard him say all those queer things.
+I didn't speak for a good while, for fear of stopping him talking. But
+after a bit he got fidgety; I daresay he knew there was somebody there,
+and then he flopped about and went back to his own talking, and said he
+was cold and wanted to go to bed, and all that. And somebody inside
+heard him and took him in. And then--' Pete stopped to rest his voice, I
+suppose. He was always rather fond of resting, whatever he was doing.
+
+'Hurry up,' I said. 'What happened after that?'
+
+'The old lady said I'd better come in, and she shut up the window--I
+suppose she felt cold, like the parrot--and she made me sit down; and
+then I asked her what made him say such queer things in his squeakiest
+voice; and she said he was copying what he heard, for there was a little
+girl in the _next_ house--not in his own house--who cried sometimes and
+seemed very cross and unhappy, so that Mrs. Wylie often is very sorry
+for her, though she has never really seen her. And I said, did she think
+anybody was unkind to the little girl, and she said she hoped not, but
+she didn't know. And then she seemed as if she didn't want to talk about
+the little girl very much, and she began to ask me about if I went to
+school and things like that, and then I said I'd better go home, and she
+came downstairs with me and--I think that's all, till you and Clement
+came and we all heard the parrot again.'
+
+'I wonder what started him copying the little girl again, after he'd
+left off,' I said.
+
+'P'raps he hears her through the wall,' said Pete. 'P'raps he hears
+quicker than people do. Yes,' he went on thoughtfully, 'I think he must,
+for the old lady has never heard exactly what the little girl said. She
+only heard her crying and grumbling. She told me so.'
+
+'I daresay she's just a cross little thing,' I said. 'And I think it was
+rather silly of Mrs. Wylie to let you hear the parrot copying her. It's
+a very bad example. And you said Mrs. Wylie seemed as if she didn't want
+to talk much about her.'
+
+'I think she's got some plan in her head,' said Peterkin, eagerly, 'for
+she said--oh, I forgot that--she said she was going to come to see
+mamma some day very soon, to ask her to let me go to have tea with her.
+And I daresay she'll ask you too, Gilley, if we both go down to the
+drawing-room when she comes.'
+
+'I hope it'll be a half-holiday, then,' I said, 'or, anyway, that she
+will come when I'm here. It is very funny about the crying little girl.
+Has she been there a long time? Did your old lady tell you that?'
+
+Peterkin shook his head.
+
+'Oh no, she's only been there since Mrs. Wylie came back from the
+country. She told me so.'
+
+'And when was that?' I asked, but Pete did not know. He was sometimes
+very stupid, in spite of his quickness and fancies. 'It's been long
+enough for the parrot to learn to copy her grumbling,' I added.
+
+'That wouldn't take him long,' said Peterkin, in his whispering voice
+again, '_if_ he's some sort of a fairy, you know, Gilley.'
+
+This time, perhaps, it was a good thing he spoke in a low voice, for at
+that moment nurse came in to wake us, or rather to make us get up, as we
+were nearly always awake already, and if she had heard the word
+'fairy,' she would have begun about Peterkin's 'fancies' again.
+
+Some days passed without our hearing anything of the parrot or the old
+lady or Rock Terrace. We did not exactly forget about it; indeed, it was
+what we talked about every morning when we awoke. But I did not think
+much about it during the day, although I daresay Pete did.
+
+So it was quite a surprise to me one afternoon, about a week after the
+evening of all the fuss, when, the very moment I had rung the front
+bell, the door was opened by Pete himself, looking very important.
+
+'She's come,' he said. 'I've been watching for you. She's in the
+drawing-room with mamma, and mamma told me to fetch you as soon as you
+came back from school. Is Clem there?'
+
+'No,' I said, 'it's one of the days he stays later than me, you know.'
+
+Peterkin did not seem very sorry.
+
+'Then she's come just to invite you and me,' he said. 'Clement _is_ too
+big, but she might have asked him too, out of polititude, you know.'
+
+He was always fussing about being polite, but I don't think I answered
+her in that way.
+
+'Bother,' I said, for I was cross; my books were heavier than usual,
+and I banged them down; 'bother your politeness. Can't you tell me what
+you're talking about? Who is "she" that's in the drawing-room? I don't
+want to go up to see her, whoever she is.'
+
+'Giles!' said Peterkin, in a very disappointed tone. 'You can't have
+forgotten. It's the old lady next door to the parrot's house, of course.
+I told you she meant to come. And she's going to invite us, I'm sure.'
+
+In my heart I was very anxious to go to Rock Terrace again, to see the
+parrot, and perhaps hear more of the mysterious little girl, but I was
+feeling rather tired and cross.
+
+'I must brush my hair and wash my hands first,' I said, 'and I daresay
+mamma won't want me without Clement. She didn't say me alone, did she?'
+
+'She said "your brothers,"' replied Peterkin, 'but of course you must
+come. And she said she hoped "they" wouldn't be long. So you must come
+as you are. I don't think your hands are very dirty.'
+
+It is one of the queer things about Peterkin that he can nearly always
+make you do what he wants if he's really in earnest. So I had to give
+in, and he went puffing upstairs, with me after him, to the
+drawing-room, when, sure enough, the old lady was sitting talking to
+mamma.
+
+Mamma looked up as we came in, and I saw that her eyes went past me.
+
+'Hasn't Clement come in?' she asked, and it made me wish I hadn't given
+in about it to Pete.
+
+'No, mamma,' I said. 'It's one of his late days, you know. And Peterkin
+made me come up just as I was.'
+
+I felt very ashamed of my hair and crushed collar and altogether. I
+didn't mind so much about my hands; boys' hands _can't_ be like ladies'.
+But Mrs. Wylie was so awfully neat--she might have been a fairy herself,
+or a doll dressed to look like an old lady. I felt as clumsy and messy
+as could be. But she was awfully jolly; she seemed to know exactly how
+uncomfortable it was for me.
+
+'Quite right, quite right,' she said. 'For I must be getting back. It
+looks rather stormy, I'm afraid. It was very thoughtful of you both, my
+dear boys, to hurry. I should have liked to see Mr. Clement again, but
+that must be another time. And may we fix the day now, dear Mrs. Lesley?
+Saturday next we were talking of. Will you come about four o'clock, or
+even earlier, my dears? The parrot stays out till five, generally, and
+indeed his mistress is very good-natured, and so is her maid. They were
+quite pleased when I told them I had some young friends who were very
+interested in the bird and wanted to see him again. So you shall make
+better acquaintance with him on Saturday, and perhaps--' but here the
+old lady stopped at last, without finishing her sentence.
+
+Nevertheless, as each of us told the other afterwards, both Peterkin and
+I finished it for her in our own minds. We glanced at each other, and
+the same thought ran through us--had Mrs. Wylie got some plan in her
+head about the little girl?
+
+'It is very kind indeed of you, Mrs. Wylie,' said mamma. 'Giles and
+Peterkin will be delighted to go to you on Saturday, won't you, boys?'
+
+And we both said, 'Yes, thank you. It will be very jolly,' so heartily,
+that the old lady trotted off, as pleased as pleased.
+
+Of course, I ran downstairs to see her out, and Pete followed more
+slowly, just behind her. She had a very nice, rather stately way about
+her, though she was so small and thin, and it never suited Pete to hurry
+in those days, either up or down stairs; his legs were so short.
+
+We were very eager for Saturday to come, and we talked a lot about it. I
+had a kind of idea that Mrs. Wylie had said something about the little
+girl to mamma, though mamma said nothing at all to us, except that we
+must behave very nicely and carefully at Rock Terrace, and not forget
+that, though she was so kind, Mrs. Wylie was an old lady, and old ladies
+were sometimes fussy.
+
+We promised we would be all right, and Peterkin said to me that he
+didn't believe Mrs. Wylie was at all 'fussy.'
+
+'She is too fairyish,' he said, 'to be like that.'
+
+That was a very 'Peterkin' speech, but I did not snub him for it, as I
+sometimes did. I was really so interested in all about the parrot and
+the invisible little girl that I was almost ready to join him in making
+up fanciful stories--that there was an ogre who wouldn't let her out, or
+that any one who tried to see her would be turned into a frog, or things
+like that out of the old fairy-tales.
+
+'But Mrs. Wylie _has_ seen her,' said Peterkin, 'and _she_ hasn't turned
+into a frog!'
+
+That was a rather tiresome 'way' of his--if I agreed about fairies and
+began making up, myself, he would get quite common-sensical, and almost
+make fun of my ones.
+
+'How do you know that she doesn't turn into a frog half the day?' I
+said. 'That's often the way in enchantments.'
+
+And then we both went off laughing at the idea of a frog jumping down
+from Mrs. Wylie's drawing-room sofa, and saying, 'How do you do, my
+dears?' instead of the neat little old lady.
+
+So our squabble didn't come to anything that time.
+
+Blanchie and Elf were rather jealous of our invitation, I think, though
+Blanche always said she didn't care to go anywhere without Clement. But
+Elf made us promise that some day we would get leave to take her round
+by the parrot's house for her to see him.
+
+Of course we never said anything to any one but ourselves about the
+shut-up little girl, and Clement had forgotten what he had heard that
+evening. He was very busy just then working extra for some prize he
+hoped to get at school--I forget what it was, but he did get it--and
+Blanche was helping him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+VERY MYSTERIOUS
+
+
+SATURDAY came at last. Of course jolly things and times _do_ come,
+however long the waiting seems. But the worst of it is that they are so
+soon gone again, and then you wish you were back at the looking forward;
+perhaps, after all, it is often the jolliest part of it.
+
+Clement says I mustn't keep saying 'jolly'; he says 'nice' would be
+better in a book. He is looking it over for me, you see. _I_ think
+'nice' is a girl's word, but Clem says you shouldn't write slang in a
+book, so I try not to; though of course I don't really expect this story
+ever to be made into an actual book.
+
+Well, Saturday came, and Peterkin and I set off to Mrs. Wylie's. She was
+a very nice person to go to see; she seemed so really pleased to have
+us. And she hadn't turned into a frog, or anything of the kind. She was
+standing out on the little balcony, watching for us, with a snowy-white,
+fluffy shawl on the top of her black dress, which made her seem more
+fairyish, or fairy-godmotherish, than ever. I never did see any one so
+beautifully neat and spotless as she always was.
+
+As soon as the front door was opened, we heard her voice from upstairs.
+
+'Come up, boys, come up. Polly and I have both been watching for you,
+and he is in great spirits to-day, and so amusing.'
+
+We skurried up, and nearly tumbled over each other into the
+drawing-room. Then, of course, Peterkin's politeness came into force,
+and he walked forward soberly to shake hands with his old lady and give
+her mamma's love and all that sort of thing, which he was much better at
+than I. She had just stepped in from the balcony, but was quite ready to
+step out again at the parrot's invitation.
+
+'Come quick,' he said, 'Polly doesn't like waiting.'
+
+[Illustration: NO SOONER DID HE CATCH SIGHT OF US TWO WITH HIS UGLY
+ROUND BEADY EYES . . . THAN HE SHUT UP.--p. 52.]
+
+Really it did seem wonderful to me, though he wasn't the first parrot I
+had ever seen, and though I had heard him before--it did seem wonderful
+for a bird, only a bird, to talk so sensibly, and I felt as if there
+might be something in Peterkin's idea that he was more than he seemed.
+And to this day parrots, clever ones, still give me that feeling.
+
+They are very like children in some ways. They are so 'contrairy.' You'd
+scarcely believe it, but no sooner did the creature catch sight of us
+two with his ugly, round, painted-bead-looking eyes--I don't like
+parrot's eyes--than he shut up, and wild horses couldn't have made him
+utter another word, much less Mrs. Wylie.
+
+I was quite sorry for her, she seemed so disappointed.
+
+It was just like a tiresome baby, whose mamma and nurse want to show off
+and bring it down to the drawing-room all dressed up, and it won't go to
+anybody, or say 'Dada,' or 'Mam-ma,' or anything, and just screeches. I
+can remember Elvira being like that, and I daresay we all were.
+
+'It is too bad,' said our old lady. 'He has got to know me, and I have
+been teaching him some new words. And his mistress and her maid are out
+this afternoon, so I thought we should have him all to ourselves, and it
+would be so amusing. But'--just then a bright idea struck
+her--'supposing you two go back into the room, so that he can't see
+you, and I will say "Good-bye, my dears," very loud and plainly, to make
+him think you have gone. Then I will come out again, and you shall
+listen from behind the curtain. I believe he will talk then, just as he
+has been doing.'
+
+Pete and I were most willing to try--we were all three quite excited
+about it. It was really quite funny how his talking got the Polly
+treated as if he was a human being. We stalked back into the
+drawing-room, Mrs. Wylie after us, saying in a very clear tone--
+
+'Good-bye, then, my dears. My love to your mamma, and the next time you
+come I hope Poll-parrot will be more friendly.'
+
+And then I shut the door with a bang, to sound as if we had gone,
+though, of course, it was all 'acting,' to trick the parrot. Peterkin
+and I peeped out at him from behind the curtain, and we could scarcely
+help laughing out loud. He looked so queer--his head cocked on one side,
+listening, his eyes blinking; he seemed rather disgusted on the whole, I
+thought.
+
+Then Mrs. Wylie stepped out again.
+
+'Polly,' she said, 'I'm ashamed of you. Why couldn't you be kind and
+friendly to those nice boys who came to see you?'
+
+'Pretty Poll,' he said, in a coaxing tone.
+
+'No,' she replied; 'not pretty Poll at all. Ugly Poll, I should say.'
+
+'Polly's so tired; take Polly in. Polly's cold,' he said, in what we
+called his natural voice; and then it seemed as if the first words had
+reminded him of the little girl, for his tone suddenly changed, and he
+began again: 'I'm so tired, Nana. No, I won't be good; no, I won't. I'll
+write a letter, and I won't be locked up,' in the squeakier sort of
+voice that showed he was copying somebody else.
+
+'Nonsense!' said Mrs. Wylie. 'You are not tired or cold, Polly, and
+nobody is going to lock you up.'
+
+He was silent for a moment, and peeping out again, we saw that he was
+staring hard at the old lady.
+
+Then he said very meekly--I am not sure which voice it was in--
+
+'Polly be good! Polly very sorry!'
+
+Mrs. Wylie nodded approvingly.
+
+'Yes,' she said, 'that's a much prettier way to talk. Now, supposing we
+have a little music,' and she began to sing in a very soft, very thin,
+old voice a few words of 'Home, Sweet Home.'
+
+There was something very piteous about it. I think there is a better
+word than 'piteous'--yes, Clement had just told it me. It is 'pathetic.'
+I felt as if it nearly made me cry, and so did Peterkin. We told each
+other so afterwards, and though we were so interested in the parrot and
+in hearing him, I wished he would be quiet again, and let Mrs. Wylie go
+on with her soft, sad little song. But of course he didn't. He started,
+too, a queer sort of whistle, not very musical, certainly, but yet, no
+doubt, there was a bit of the tune in it, and now and then sounds rather
+like the words 'sweet' and 'home.' I do think, altogether, it was the
+oddest musical performance that ever was heard.
+
+And when it was over, there came another voice. It was the maid next
+door, who had stepped quietly on to the balcony--
+
+'I'm afraid, ma'am, I must take him in now,' she said, very
+respectfully. 'It is getting cold, and it would never do for him to get
+a sore throat just as he's learning to sing so. You are clever with him,
+ma'am; you are, indeed: there's quite a tune in his voice.'
+
+Mrs. Wylie gave a little laugh of pleasure.
+
+'And did the young gentlemen you were speaking of never come, after
+all?' the maid asked, as she was turning away, the big cage in her hand.
+
+'Oh yes,' said Mrs. Wylie, 'they are here still. But Polly was very
+naughty,' and she explained about it.
+
+'He's learnt that "won't be good" from next door,' said the girl, 'and I
+do believe he knows what it means.'
+
+'I very sorry; I be good,' here said the parrot.
+
+They both started.
+
+'Upon my word!' exclaimed the maid.
+
+'Has he learnt _that_ from next door?' said Mrs. Wylie, in a lower
+voice.
+
+'I hope so. It's very clever of him, and it's not unlikely. The child is
+getting better, I believe, and there's not near so much crying and
+complaining.'
+
+'So I have heard,' said the old lady, and we fancied she spoke rather
+mysteriously, 'and I hope,' she went on, but we could not catch her next
+words, as she dropped her voice, evidently not wishing us to hear.
+
+Peterkin squeezed my hand, and I understood. There _was_ a mystery of
+some kind!
+
+Then Mrs. Wylie came in and shut the glass door. She was smiling now
+with pleasure and satisfaction.
+
+'I did get him to talk, did I not?' she said. 'He _is_ a funny bird. By
+degrees I hope he will grow quite friendly with you too.'
+
+I did not feel very sure about it.
+
+'I'm afraid,' I said, 'that he will not see us enough for that. It isn't
+like you, Mrs. Wylie, for I daresay you talk to him every day.'
+
+'Yes,' she replied, 'I do now. I have felt more interested in him
+since--' here she hesitated a little, then she went on again--'since the
+evening I found Peterkin listening to him,' and she smiled very kindly
+at Pete. 'Before that, I had not noticed him very much; at least, I had
+not made friends with him. But he has a wonderful memory; really
+wonderful, you will see. He will not have forgotten you the next time
+you come, and each time he will cock his head and pretend to be shy, and
+gradually it will get less and less.'
+
+This was very interesting, but what Peterkin and I were really longing
+for was some news of the little girl. We did not like to ask about her.
+It would have seemed rather forward and inquisitive, as the old lady did
+not mention her at all. We felt that she had some reason for it, and of
+course, though we could not have helped hearing what she and the
+parrot's maid had said to each other, we had to try to think we _hadn't_
+heard it. Clement says that's what you should do, if you overhear things
+not meant for you, unless, sometimes, when your having heard them might
+really matter. _Then_, he says, it's your duty--you're in honour
+bound--to tell that you've heard, and _what_ you've heard.
+
+'Now,' said our old lady, 'I fancy tea will be quite ready. I thought it
+would be more comfortable in the dining-room. So shall we go
+downstairs?'
+
+We were quite ready, and we followed her very willingly. The dining-room
+was even smaller than the drawing-room, and that was tiny enough. But it
+was all so neat and pretty, and what you'd call 'old-fashioned,' I
+suppose. It reminded me of a doll-house belonging to one of our
+grandmothers--mamma's mother, who had kept it ever since she was a
+little girl, and when we go to stay with her in the country she lets us
+play with it. Even Peterkin and I are very fond of it, or used to be so
+when we were smaller. There's everything you can think of in it, down to
+the tiniest cups and saucers.
+
+The tea was very jolly. There were buns and cakes, and awfully good
+sandwiches. I remember that particular tea, you see, though we went to
+Mrs. Wylie's often after that, because it was the first time. The cups
+_were_ rather small, but it didn't matter, for as soon as ever one was
+empty she offered us more. I would really be almost ashamed to say how
+many times mine was filled.
+
+And Mrs. Wylie was very interesting to talk to. She had never had any
+children of her own, she told us, and her husband had been dead a long
+time. I think he had been a sailor, for she had lots of curiosities:
+queer shells, all beautifully arranged in a cabinet, and a book full of
+pressed and dried seaweed, and stuffed birds in cases. I don't care for
+stuffed birds: they look too alive, and it seems horrid for them not to
+be able to fly about and sing. Peterkin took a great fancy to some of
+the very tiny ones--humming-birds, scarcely bigger than butterflies;
+and, long afterwards, when we went to live in London, Mrs. Wylie gave
+him a present of a branch with three beauties on it, inside a glass
+case. He has it now in his own room. And she gave me four great big
+shells, all coloured like a rainbow, which I still have on my
+mantelpiece.
+
+Once or twice--I'm going back now to that first time we went to have tea
+with her--I tried to get the talk back to the little girl. I asked the
+old lady if she wouldn't like to have a parrot of her own. I thought it
+would be so amusing. But she said No; she didn't think she would care to
+have one. The one next door was almost as good, and gave her no trouble
+or anxiety.
+
+And then Peterkin asked her if there were any children next door. Mrs.
+Wylie shook her head.
+
+'No,' she said. 'The parrot's mistress is an old maid--not nearly as old
+as I am, all the same, but she lives quite alone; and on the other side
+there are two brothers and a sister, quite young, unmarried people.'
+
+'And is the--the little girl the only little girl or boy in _her_
+house?' asked Peterkin.
+
+He did stumble a bit over asking it, for it had been very plain that
+Mrs. Wylie did not want to speak about her; but I got quite hot when I
+heard him, and if we had been on the same side of the table, or if his
+legs had been as long as they are now, I'd have given him a good kick to
+shut him up.
+
+Our old lady was too good-natured to mind; still, there was something in
+her manner when she answered that stopped any more questions from Pete.
+
+'Yes,' she said, 'there are no other children in that house, or in the
+terrace, except some very tiny ones, almost babies, at the other end. I
+see them pass in their perambulators, dear little things.'
+
+It was quite dark by the time we had finished tea, and the lamps were
+lighted upstairs in the drawing-room, where Mrs. Wylie showed us some of
+the curiosities and things that I have already written about.
+
+They were rather interesting, but I think we've got to care more for
+collections and treasures like that, now, than we did then. Perhaps we
+were not quite old enough, and, I daresay, it was a good deal that the
+great reason we liked to go to Mrs. Wylie's was because of the parrot
+and the mysterious little girl. At least, _Peterkin's_ head was full of
+the little girl. I myself was beginning to get rather tired of all his
+talk about her, and I thought the parrot very good fun of himself.
+
+So when the clock struck six, and Mrs. Wylie asked us if mamma had fixed
+any time for us to be home by--it wasn't that she wanted to get rid of
+us, but she was very afraid of keeping us too late--we thought we might
+as well go, for mamma had said, 'soon after six.'
+
+'Is any one coming to fetch you?' Mrs. Wylie said.
+
+I didn't quite like her asking that: it made me seem so babyish. I was
+quite old enough to look after Pete, and the fun of going home by
+ourselves through the lighted-up streets was one of the things we had
+looked forward to.
+
+But I didn't want Master Peterkin to begin at me afterwards about not
+being polite, so I didn't show that I was at all vexed. I just said--
+
+'Oh no, Peterkin will be all right with me!'
+
+And then we said good-bye, and 'thank you very much for inviting us.'
+And Pete actually said--
+
+'May we come again soon, please?'
+
+His ideas of politeness were rather original, weren't they?
+
+But Mrs. Wylie was quite pleased.
+
+'Certainly, my dear. I shall count on your doing so. And I am glad you
+spoke of it, for I wanted to tell you that I am going to London the end
+of this next week for a fortnight. Will you tell your dear mamma so, and
+say that I shall come to see her on my return, and then we must fix on
+another afternoon? I am very pleased to think that you care to come,
+and I hope you feel the same,' she went on, turning to me.
+
+She was so kind that I felt I had been rather horrid, for I _had_
+enjoyed it all very much. And I said as nicely as I could, that I'd like
+to come again, only I hoped we didn't bother her. She beamed all over at
+that, and Peterkin evidently approved of it too, for he grinned in a
+queer patronising way he has sometimes, as if I was a baby compared to
+him.
+
+I was just going to pull him up for it after we had got on our coats and
+caps, and were outside and the door shut, but before I had got farther
+than--'I say, youngster,'--he startled me rather by saying, in a very
+melancholy tone--
+
+'It's too bad, Giles, isn't it? Her going away, and us hearing nothing
+of the little girl. I really thought she'd have asked her to tea too.'
+
+'How you muddle your "her's" and "she's"!' I said. But of course I
+understood him. 'I think you muddle yourself too. If there's a mystery,
+and you know you'd be very disappointed if there wasn't, you couldn't
+expect the little girl to come to tea just as if everything was quite
+like everybody else about her.'
+
+'No, that's true,' said he, consideringly. 'P'raps she's invisible
+sometimes, or p'raps she's like the "Light Princess," that they had to
+tie down for fear she'd float away, or p'raps----'
+
+'She's invisible to us, anyway,' I interrupted, for, as I said, I was
+getting rather tired of Pete's fancies about the little girl, 'and
+so----'
+
+But just as I got so far, we both stopped--we were passing the railing
+of the little girl's house at that moment, and voices talking rather
+loudly caught our ears. Peterkin touched my arm, and we stood quite
+still. No one could see us, it was too dark, and there was no lamp just
+there, though some light was streaming out from the lower windows of the
+house. One of them, the dining-room one, was a little open, even though
+it was a chilly evening.
+
+It was so queer, our hearing the voices and almost seeing into the room,
+_just_ as we had been making up our minds that we'd never know anything
+about the little girl; it seemed so queer, that we didn't, at first,
+think of anything else. It wasn't for some minutes, or moments,
+certainly, that it came into my head that we shouldn't stay there
+peeping and listening. I'm afraid it wasn't a very gentlemanly sort of
+thing to do. As for Peterkin, I'm pretty sure he never had the
+slightest idea that we were doing anything caddish.
+
+What we heard was this--
+
+'No, I don't want any more tea. I'd better go to bed. It's so dull,
+Nana.'
+
+Then another voice replied--it came from some one further back in the
+room, but we could not distinguish the words--
+
+'There aren't any stars. You may as well shut the window. And stars
+aren't much good. I want some one to play with me. Other little--' but
+just then we saw the shadow of some one crossing the room, and the
+window--it was a glass-door kind of window like the ones up above, which
+opened on to the balcony, for there was a little sort of balcony
+downstairs too--was quickly closed. There was no more to be heard or
+seen; not even shadows, for the curtains were now drawn across.
+
+Pete gave a deep sigh, and I felt that he was looking at me, though it
+was too dark to see, and there was no lamp just there. He wanted to know
+what I thought.
+
+'Come along,' I said, and we walked on.
+
+'Did you hear?' asked Peterkin at last. 'She said she wanted somebody to
+play with her.'
+
+'Yes,' I said, 'it is rather queer. You'd think Mrs. Wylie might have
+made friends with her, and invited her to tea. But it's no good our
+bothering about it,' and I walked a little faster, and began to whistle.
+I did not want Pete to go on again talking a lot about his invisible
+princess, for such she seemed likely to remain.
+
+It was far easier, however, to get anything into Peterkin's fancy than
+to get it out again, as I might have known by experience. We had not
+gone far before I felt him tugging at my arm.
+
+'Don't walk so fast, Gilley,' he said--poor, little chap, he was quite
+breathless with trying to keep up with me, so I had to slacken a
+bit,--'and do let me talk to you. When we get home I shan't have a
+chance--not till to-morrow morning in bed, I daresay; for they'll all be
+wanting to hear about Mrs. Wylie, and what we had for tea, and
+everything.'
+
+I did not so much mind about _that_ part of it, but I did not want to be
+awakened before dawn the next morning to listen to all he'd got to say.
+So I thought I might as well let him come out with some of it.
+
+'What do you want to talk about?' I said.
+
+'Oh! of course, you know,' he replied. 'It's about the _poor_ little
+girl. I am so dreffully sorry for her, Gilley, and I want to plan
+something. It's no good asking Mrs. Wylie. We'll have to do something
+ourselves. I'm afraid the people she's with lock her up, or something.
+_P'raps_ they daren't let her go out, if there's some wicked fairy, or a
+witch, or something like that, that wants to run off with her.'
+
+'Well, then, the best thing to do _is_ to lock her up,' I said sensibly.
+
+But that wasn't Peterkin's way of looking at things.
+
+'It's never like that in my stories,' he said--and I know he was shaking
+his curly head,--'and some of them are very, very old--nearly as old as
+Bible stories, I believe; so they must be true, you see. There's always
+somebody that comes to break the--the--I forget the proper word.'
+
+'The enchantment, you mean,' I said.
+
+'No, no; a shorter word. Oh, I know--the spell,' he replied. 'Yes,
+somebody comes to break the _spell_. And that's what we've got to do,
+Gilley. At least, I'm sure I've got to, and you must help me. You see,
+it's all been so funny. The parrot knows, I should think, for I'm sure
+he's partly fairy. But, very likely, he daren't say it right out, for
+fear of the bad fairy, and----'
+
+'Perhaps he's the bad fairy himself,' I interrupted, half joking, but
+rather interested, all the same, in Peterkin's ideas.
+
+'Oh no,' he replied, 'I know he's not, and I'm sure Mrs. Wylie has
+nothing to do with the bad fairy.'
+
+'Then why do you think she won't talk about the little girl, or invite
+her, or anything?' I asked.
+
+Pete seemed puzzled.
+
+'I don't know,' he said. 'There's a lot to find out. P'raps Mrs. Wylie
+doesn't know anything about the spell, and has just got some stupid,
+common reason for not wanting us to play with the little girl, or
+p'raps'--and this was plainly a brilliant idea--'_p'raps_ the spell's
+put on her without her knowing, and stops her when she begins to speak
+about it. Mightn't it very likely be that, Giles?'
+
+But I had not time to answer, for we had got to our own door by now, and
+it was already opened, as some tradesman was giving James a parcel. So
+we ran in.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+'STRATAGEMS'
+
+
+I REALLY don't quite know what made me listen to Peterkin's fancies
+about his invisible princess, as I got into the habit of calling her. It
+was partly, I suppose, because it amused me--we had nothing much to take
+us up just then: there was no skating that winter, and the weather was
+dull and muggy--and partly that somehow he managed to make me feel as if
+there might really be something in it. I suppose when anybody quite
+believes in a thing, it's rather catching; and Peterkin's head was so
+stuffed and crammed with fairy stories that at that time, I think, they
+were almost more real to him than common things.
+
+He went about, dreaming of ogres and magicians, and all the rest, so
+much, that I scarcely think anything marvellous would have surprised
+him. If I had suddenly shot up to the ceiling, and called out that I
+had learnt how to fly, I don't believe he would have been startled; or
+if I had shown him a purse with a piece of gold in it, and told him that
+it was enchanted, and that he'd always find the money in it however
+often he spent it, he'd have taken it quite seriously, and been very
+pleased.
+
+So the idea of an enchanted little girl did not strike us as at all out
+of the way.
+
+We did not talk about her any more that night after we had been at Mrs.
+Wylie's, for we had to hurry up to get neat again to come down to the
+drawing-room to mamma. Blanche and Elf were already there when we came
+in, and they, and mamma too, were full of questions about how we'd
+enjoyed ourselves, and about the parrot, and what we'd had for tea--just
+as I knew they would be; I don't mean that mamma asked what we'd had for
+tea, but the girls did.
+
+And then Pete and Elf went off to bed, and when I went up he was quite
+fast asleep, and if he hadn't been, I could not have spoken to him
+because of my promise, you know.
+
+He made up for it the next morning, however.
+
+I suppose he had had an extra good night, for I felt him looking at me
+long before I was at all inclined to open my eyes, or to snort for him
+to know I was awake. And when at last I did--it's really no good trying
+to go to sleep again when you feel there's somebody fidgeting to talk to
+you--there he was, his eyes as bright and shiny as could be, sitting
+bolt up with his hands round his knees, as if he'd never been asleep in
+his life?
+
+I couldn't help feeling rather cross, and yet I had a contradictory sort
+of interest and almost eagerness to hear what he had to say. I suppose
+it was a kind of love of adventure that made me join him in his fancies
+and plans. I knew that his fancies were only fancies really, but still I
+felt as if we might get some fun out of them.
+
+He was too excited to mind my being grumpy.
+
+'Oh, Gilley!' he exclaimed at my first snort, 'I am so glad you are
+awake at last.'
+
+'I daresay you are,' I said, 'but I'm not. I should have slept another
+half-hour if you hadn't sat there staring me awake.'
+
+'Well, you needn't talk,' he went on, in a 'smoothing-you-down' tone;
+'just listen and grunt sometimes.'
+
+I did grunt there and then. There was one comfortable thing about
+Peterkin even then, and it keeps on with him now that he is getting big
+and sensible. He always understands what you say, however you say it, or
+half say it. He was not the least surprised at my talking of his staring
+me awake, though he had not exactly meant to do so.
+
+'It has come into my mind, Giles,' he began, very importantly, 'how
+queer and lucky it is that the old lady is going away for a fortnight. I
+should not wonder if it had been managed somehow.'
+
+He waited for my grunt, but it turned into--
+
+'What on earth do you mean?'
+
+'I mean, perhaps it's part of the spell, without her knowing, of course,
+that she should have to go to London. For if she was still there, we
+couldn't do anything without her finding out.'
+
+'I don't know what you mean about doing anything,' I said. 'And please
+don't say "we." I haven't promised to join you. Most likely I'll do my
+best to stop whatever it is you've got in that rummy head of yours.'
+
+'Oh no, you won't!' he replied coolly. 'I don't know that you could if
+you tried, without telling the others. And you can't do that, of course,
+as I've trusted you. It's word of honour, you see, though I didn't
+exactly make you say so. And it's nothing naughty or mischievous, else I
+wouldn't plan it.'
+
+'What is it, then? Hurry up and tell me, without such a lot of
+preparation,' I grumbled.
+
+'I can't tell you very much,' he answered, ''cos, you see, I don't know
+myself. It will show as we go on--I'm certain you'll help me, Gilley.
+You remember the prince in the "Sleeping Beauty" did not know exactly
+what he would do--no more did the one in----'
+
+'Never mind all that,' I interrupted.
+
+'Well, then, what we've got to do is to try to talk to her ourselves
+without any one hearing. That's the first thing. We will tell her what
+the parrot says, and then it will be easy to find out if she knows
+herself about the spell.'
+
+'But what do you think the spell is?' I asked, feeling again the strange
+interest and half belief in his fancies that Peterkin managed to put
+into me. 'What do you suppose your bad fairies, or whatever they are,
+have done to her?'
+
+'There are lots of things, it might be,' he replied gravely. 'They may
+have made her not able to walk, or very queer to look at--p'raps turned
+her hair white, so that you couldn't be sure if she was a little girl
+or an old woman; or made her nose so long that it trails on the floor.
+No, I don't think it's that,' he added, after stopping to think a
+minute. 'Her voice sounds as if she was pretty, even if it's rather
+grumbly. P'raps she turns into a mouse at night, and has to run about,
+and that's why she's so tired. It might be that.'
+
+'It would be easy to catch her, then, and bring her home in your pocket,
+if you waited till the magic time came,' I suggested, half joking again,
+of course.
+
+'It might be,' agreed Pete, quite seriously, 'or it might be very, very
+difficult, unless we could make her understand at the mouse time that we
+were friends. We can't settle anything till we see her, and talk to her
+like a little girl, of course.'
+
+'You certainly couldn't talk to her like anything else,' I said; 'but
+I'm sure I don't see how you mean to talk to her at all.'
+
+'I do,' said Peterkin. 'I've been planning it since last night. We can
+go round that way once or twice to look at the parrot, and just stand
+about. Nobody would wonder at us if they saw we were looking at him. And
+very likely we'd see _something_, as she lives in the very next-door
+house. P'raps she comes to the window sometimes, and she might notice
+us if we were looking up at the parrot. It would be easiest if she was
+in the downstairs room.'
+
+'I don't suppose she is there all day,' I said. 'The parrot would not
+have heard her talking so much if she were. I think she must have been
+out on the balcony sometimes when it was warmer.'
+
+'Yes,' Peterkin agreed. 'I thought of that. Very likely she only comes
+downstairs for her dinner and tea. It's the dining-room, like Mrs.
+Wylie's.'
+
+'And if she only comes down there late she wouldn't see us in the dark,
+and, besides, the parrot wouldn't be out by then. And besides that,
+except for going to tea to Mrs. Wylie's, we'd never get leave to be out
+by ourselves so late. At least _you_ wouldn't. Of course, for me, it's
+sometimes nearly dark when I come home from school.'
+
+I really did not see how Pete did mean to manage it. But the
+difficulties I spoke of only seemed to make him more determined. I could
+not help rather admiring him for it: he quite felt, I fancy, as if he
+was one of his favourite fairy-tale princes. And in the queer way I have
+spoken of already, he somehow made me feel with him. I did not go over
+all the difficulties in order to stop him trying, but because I was
+actually interested in seeing how he was going to overcome them.
+
+He was silent for a moment or two after my last speech, staring before
+him with his round blue eyes.
+
+Then he said quietly--
+
+'Yes; I'd thought of most of those things. But you will see. We'll
+manage it somehow. I daresay she comes downstairs in the middle of the
+day, too, for she's sure to have dinner early, and the parrot will be
+out then, if we choose a fine day.'
+
+'But we always have to be in for our own dinner by half-past one,' I
+said.
+
+'Well, p'raps _she_ has hers at one, or even half-past twelve, like we
+used to, till you began going to school,' said he hopefully. 'And a
+_very_ little talking would do at the first beginning. Then we could be
+very polite, and say we'd come again to see the parrot, and p'raps--'
+here Peterkin looked rather shy.
+
+'Perhaps what? Out with it!' I said.
+
+'We might take her a few flowers,' he answered, getting red, 'if--if we
+could--could get any. They're very dear to buy, I'm afraid, and we
+haven't any of our own. The garden is so small; it isn't like if we
+lived in the country,' rather dolefully.
+
+'You wouldn't have known anything about Rock Terrace, or the invisible
+princess, or the parrot, if we lived in the country,' I reminded him.
+
+'No,' said Pete, more cheerfully, 'I hadn't thought of that.'
+
+'And--' I went on, 'I daresay I could help you a bit if it really seemed
+any good,' for I rather liked the idea of giving the little girl some
+flowers. It made it all look less babyish.
+
+Peterkin grinned with delight.
+
+'You _are_ kind, Gilley!' he exclaimed. 'I knew you would be. Oh,
+bother! here's nurse coming, and we haven't begun to settle anything
+properly.'
+
+'There's no hurry,' I said; 'you've forgotten that we certainly can't go
+there again till Mrs. Wylie's out of the way. And she said, "the end of
+the week"; that means Saturday, most likely, and this is--oh dear! I was
+forgetting--it's Sunday, and we'll be late.'
+
+Nurse echoed my words as she came in--
+
+'You'll be late, Master Giles, and Master Peterkin, too,' she said. 'I
+really don't think you should talk so much on Sunday mornings.'
+
+It wasn't that we had to be any earlier on Sundays than any other day,
+but that dressing in your best clothes takes so much longer somehow,
+and we had to have our hair very neat, and all like that, because we
+generally went down to the dining-room, while papa and mamma and Clement
+and Blanche were at breakfast, after we had had our own in the nursery.
+
+There would be no good in trying to remember all our morning talks that
+week about Peterkin's plans. He did not get the least tired of them, and
+I didn't, for a wonder, get tired of listening to him, he was so very
+much in earnest.
+
+He chopped and changed a good bit in little parts of them, but still he
+stuck to the general idea, and I helped him to polish it up. It was
+really more interesting than any of his fairy stories, for he managed to
+make both himself and me feel as if we were going to be _in_ one of them
+ourselves.
+
+So I will skip over that week, and go on to the next. By that time we
+knew that Mrs. Wylie was in London, because mamma said something one day
+about having had a letter from her. Nothing to do with the little girl,
+as far as we knew; I think it was only about somebody who wanted a
+servant, or something stupid like that.
+
+It got on to the Monday of the next week _again_, and by that time Pete
+had got a sort of start of his plans. He had got leave to come to meet
+me at the corner of Lindsay Square, once or twice in the last few days.
+I used to get there about a quarter or twenty minutes to one. We were
+supposed to leave school not later than a quarter past twelve, but you
+know how fellows get fooling about coming out of a day-school, so,
+though it was really quite near, I was often later.
+
+Mamma was pleased for Peterkin to want to come to meet me. She was not
+at all coddling or stupid like that about us boys, though her being in
+such a fuss that evening Pete was lost may have seemed so. And she was
+always awfully glad for us to be fond of each other. She used to say she
+hoped we'd grow up 'friends' as well as brothers, which always reminded
+me of the verse about it in the Bible about 'sticking closer than a
+brother.' And I like to think that dear little mummy's hopes will come
+true for her sons.
+
+It wasn't exactly a fit of affection for me, of course, that made Pete
+want to get into the way of coming to meet me. Still, we _were_ very
+good friends; especially good friends just then, as you know.
+
+So that Monday, which luckily happened to be a very nice bright day, he
+had no difficulty in getting leave for it again. I had promised him to
+hurry over getting off from school, so we counted on having a good bit
+of time to spend in looking at the parrot and talking to him, and in
+'spying the land' generally, including the invisible princess, if we got
+a chance, without risking coming in too late for our dinner. We had
+taken care never to be late, up till now, for fear of Peterkin's coming
+to meet me being put a stop to; but we hadn't pretended that we would
+come straight home, and once or twice we had done a little shopping
+together, and more than once we had spent several minutes in staring in
+at the flower-shop windows, settling what kind of flowers would be best,
+and in asking the prices of hers from a flower-woman who often sat near
+the corner of the square. She was very good-natured about it. We
+shouldn't have liked to go into a regular shop only to ask prices, so it
+was a good thing to know a little about them beforehand.
+
+I remember all about that Monday morning particularly well. I did hurry
+off from school as fast as I could, though of course--I think it nearly
+always happens so--ever so many stupid little things turned up to keep
+me later than I often was.
+
+I skurried along pretty fast, you may be sure, once I did get out, and
+it wasn't long before I caught sight of poor old Pete eagerly watching
+for me at the corner of Lindsay Square. He did not dare to come farther,
+because, you see, he had promised mamma he never would, and that if I
+were ever very late he'd go home again.
+
+I didn't give him time to be doleful about it.
+
+'I've been as quick as I possibly could,' I said, 'and it's not so bad
+after all, Pete. We shall have a quarter of an hour for Rock Terrace at
+least, if we hurry now. Don't speak--it only wastes your breath,' for in
+those days, with being so plump and sturdy and his legs rather short, it
+didn't take much to make him puff or pant. He's in better training now
+by a long way.
+
+He was always very sensible, so he took my advice and we got over the
+ground pretty fast, only pulling up when we got to the end, or
+beginning, of the little row of houses.
+
+'Now,' said I, 'let's first walk right along rather slowly, and if we
+hear the Polly we can stop short, as if we were noticing him for the
+first time, the way people often do, you know.'
+
+Peterkin nodded.
+
+'I believe I see the corner of his cage out on the balcony,' he said,
+half whispering, 'already.'
+
+He was right. The cage was out.
+
+We walked past very slowly, though we took care not to look up as if we
+were expecting to see anything. The parrot was in the front of the cage,
+staring down, and I'm almost certain he saw us, and even remembered us,
+though, out of contradiction, he pretended he didn't.
+
+'Don't speak or turn,' I whispered to Pete. It was so very quiet along
+Rock Terrace, except when some tradesman's cart rattled past--and just
+now there was nothing of the kind in view--that even common talking
+could have been heard. 'Don't speak or seem to see him. They are awfully
+conceited birds, and the way to make them notice you and begin talking
+and screeching is to pretend you don't see them.'
+
+So we walked on silently to the farther end of the terrace, in a very
+matter-of-fact way, turning to come back again just as we had gone. And
+I could be positive that the creature saw us all the time, for the row
+of houses was very short, and he was well to the front of the balcony.
+
+Our 'stratagem'--I have always liked the word, ever since I read _Tales
+of a Grandfather_, which I thought a great take-in, as it's just a
+history book, neither more nor less, and the only exciting part is when
+you come upon stratagems--succeeded. As we got close up to the parrot's
+house, next door to Mother Wylie's, you understand, _and_, of course,
+next door to the invisible princess's, we heard a sound. It was a sort
+of rather angry squeak or croak, but loud enough to be an excuse for our
+stopping short and looking up.
+
+And then, as we still did not speak, Master Poll, his round eyes glaring
+at us, I felt certain, was forced to open the conversation.
+
+'Pretty Poll,' he began, of course. 'Pretty Poll.'
+
+'All right,' I called back. 'Good morning, Pretty Poll. A fine day.'
+
+'Wants his dinner,' he went on. 'I say, wants his dinner.'
+
+'Really, does he?' I said, in a mocking tone, which he understood, and
+beginning to get angry--just what I wanted.
+
+'Naughty boy! naughty boy!' he screeched, very loudly. Pete and I
+grinned with satisfaction!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+MARGARET
+
+
+THERE'S an old proverb that mamma has often quoted to us, for she's
+awfully keen on our all being 'plucky,' and, on the whole, I think we
+are--
+
+'Fortune favours the brave.'
+
+I have sometimes thought it would suit Peterkin to turn it into 'Fortune
+favours the determined.' Not that he's _not_ 'plucky,' but there's
+nothing like him for sticking to a thing, once he has got it into his
+head. And certainly fortune favoured him at the time I am writing about.
+Nothing could have suited us better than the parrot's screeching out to
+us 'naughty boy, naughty boy.'
+
+I suppose he had been taught to say it to errand-boys and boys like that
+who mocked at him. But we did not want to set up a row, so I replied
+gently--
+
+'No, no, Polly, good boys. Polly shall have his dinner soon.'
+
+'Good Polly, good Polly,' he repeated with satisfaction.
+
+And then--what _do_ you think happened? The door-window of the
+drawing-room of the next house, _the_ house, was pushed open a little
+bit, and out peeped a child's head, a small head with smooth short dark
+hair, but a little girl's head. We could tell that at once by the way it
+was combed, or brushed, even if we had not seen, as we did, a white
+muslin pinafore, with lace ruffly things that only a girl would wear. My
+heart really began to beat quite loudly, as if I'd been running fast--we
+had been so excited about her, you see, and afterwards Pete told me his
+did too.
+
+The only pity was, that she was up on the drawing-room floor. We could
+have seen her so much better downstairs. But we had scarcely time to
+feel disappointed.
+
+When she saw us, and saw, I suppose, that we were not errand-boys or
+street-boys, she came out a little farther. I felt sure by her manner
+that she was alone in the room. She looked down at us, looked us well
+over for a moment or two, and then she said--
+
+'Are you talking to the parrot?'
+
+She did not call out or speak loudly at all, but her voice was very
+clear.
+
+'Yes,' Peterkin replied. As he had started the whole business I thought
+it fair to let him speak before me. 'Yes, but he called out to us first.
+He called us "naughty boys."'
+
+'I heard him,' said the little girl, 'and I thought perhaps you _were_
+naughty boys, teasing him, you know, and I was going to call to you to
+run away. But--' and she glanced at us again. I could see that she
+wanted to go on talking, but she did not quite know how to set about it.
+
+So I thought I might help things on a bit.
+
+'Thank you,' I said, taking off my cap. 'My little brother is very
+interested in the parrot. He seems so clever.'
+
+At another time Pete would have been very offended at my calling him
+'little,' but just now he was too eager to mind, or even, I daresay, to
+notice.
+
+'So he is,' said the little girl. 'I could tell you lots about him, but
+it's rather tiresome talking down to you from up here. Wait a minute,'
+she added, 'and I'll come down to the dining-room. I may go downstairs
+now, and nurse is out, and I'm very dull.'
+
+We were so pleased that we scarcely dared look at each other, for fear
+that somehow it should go wrong after all. We did glance along the
+terrace, but nobody was coming. If only her nurse would stay out for ten
+minutes longer, or even less.
+
+We stood there, almost holding our breath. But it was not really--it
+could not have been--more than half a minute, before the dark head and
+white pinafore appeared again, this time, of course, on the ground
+floor; the window there was a little bit open already, to air the room
+perhaps.
+
+We would have liked to go close up to the small balcony where she stood,
+but we dared not, for fear of the nurse coming. And the garden was very
+tiny, we were only two or three yards from the little girl, even outside
+on the pavement.
+
+She looked at us first, looked us well over, before she began to speak
+again. Then she said--
+
+'Have you been to see the parrot already?'
+
+'Oh yes,' said Peterkin, in his very politest tone, 'oh yes, thank you.'
+I did not quite see why he said 'thank you.' I suppose he meant it in
+return for her coming downstairs. 'I've been here two, no, three times,
+and Giles,' he gave a sort of nod towards me, 'has been here two.'
+
+'Is your name Giles?' she asked me. She had a funny, little, rather
+condescending manner of speaking to us, but I didn't mind it somehow.
+
+'Yes,' I replied, 'and his,' and I touched Pete, 'is "Peterkin."'
+
+'They are queer names; don't you think so? At least,' she added quickly,
+as if she was afraid she had said something rude, 'they are very
+uncommon. "Giles" and "Perkin."'
+
+'Not "Perkin,"' I said, "Peterkin."'
+
+'Oh, I thought it was like a man in my history,' she said, 'Perkin
+War--something.'
+
+'No,' said Peterkin, 'it isn't in history, but it's in poetry. About a
+battle. I've got it in a book.'
+
+'I should like to see it,' she said. 'There's lots of _my_ name in
+history. My name is Margaret. There are queens and princesses called
+Margaret.'
+
+Pete opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but shut it up again.
+I know what he had been on the point of saying,--'Are you a princess?'
+'a shut-up princess?' he would have added very likely, but I suppose he
+was sensible enough to see that if she had been 'shut-up,' in the way he
+had been fancying to himself, she would scarcely have been able to come
+downstairs and talk to us as she was doing. And she was not dressed like
+the princesses in his stories, who had always gold crowns on and long
+shiny trains. Still, though she had only a pinafore on, I could see that
+it was rather a grand one, lots of lace about it, like one of Elf's very
+best, and though her hair was short and her face small and pale, there
+was something about her--the way she stood and the way she spoke--which
+was different from many little girls of her age.
+
+Peterkin took advantage very cleverly of what she had said about his
+name.
+
+'I'll bring you my poetry-book, if you like,' he said. 'It's a quite old
+one. I think it belonged to grandmamma, and she's as old as--as old
+as--' he seemed at a loss to find anything to compare poor grandmamma
+to, till suddenly a bright idea struck him--'nearly as old as Mrs.
+Wylie, I should think,' he finished up.
+
+'Oh,' said Margaret, 'do you know Mrs. Wylie? I've never seen her, but I
+think I've heard her talk. Her house is next door to the parrot's.'
+
+'Yes,' said I, 'but I wonder you've never seen her. She often goes out.'
+
+'But--' began the little girl again, 'I've been--oh, I do believe that's
+my dinner clattering in the kitchen, and nurse will be coming in, and
+I've never told you about the parrot. I've lots to tell you. Will you
+come again? Not to-morrow, but on Wednesday nurse is going out to the
+dressmaker's. I heard her settling it. Please come on Wednesday, just
+like this.'
+
+'We could come a little earlier, perhaps,' I said.
+
+Margaret nodded.
+
+'Yes, do,' she replied, 'and I'll be on the look-out for you. I shall
+think of lots of things to say. I want to tell you about the parrot,
+and--about lots of things,' she repeated. 'Good-bye.'
+
+We tugged at our caps, echoing 'good-bye,' and then we walked on towards
+the farther-off end of the terrace, and when we got there we turned and
+walked back again. And then we saw that we had not left the front of
+Margaret's house any too soon, for a short, rather stout little woman
+was coming along, evidently in a hurry. She just glanced at us as she
+passed us, but I don't think she noticed us particularly.
+
+'That's her nurse, I'm sure,' said Peterkin, in a low voice. 'I don't
+think she looks unkind.'
+
+'No, only rather fussy, I should say,' I replied.
+
+We had scarcely spoken to each other before, since bidding Margaret
+good-bye. Pete had been thinking deeply, and I was waiting to hear what
+he had to say.
+
+'I wonder,' he went on, after a moment or two's silence,--'I wonder how
+much she knows?'
+
+'Why?' I exclaimed. 'What do you think there is to know?'
+
+'It's all very misterous, still,' he answered solemnly. 'She--the little
+girl--said she had lots to tell us about the parrot and other things.
+And she didn't want her nurse to see us talking to her. And she said she
+could come downstairs _now_, but, I'm sure, they don't let her go out.
+She wouldn't be so dull if they did.'
+
+'Who's "they"?' I asked.
+
+'I don't quite know,' he replied, shaking his head. 'Some kind of
+fairies. P'raps it's bad ones, or p'raps it's good ones. No, it can't be
+bad ones, for then they wouldn't have planned the parrot telling us
+about her, so that we could help her to get free. The parrot is a sort
+of messenger from the good fairies, I believe.'
+
+He looked up, his eyes very bright and blue, as they always were when he
+thought he had made a discovery, or was on the way to one. And I, half
+in earnest, half in fun, like I'd been about it all the time, let my
+own fancy go on with his.
+
+'Perhaps,' I said. 'We shall find out on Wednesday, I suppose, when we
+talk more to Margaret. We needn't call her the invisible princess any
+more.'
+
+'No, but she is a princess sort of little girl, isn't she?' he said,
+'though her hair isn't as pretty as Blanche's and Elf's, and her face is
+very little.'
+
+'She's all right,' I said.
+
+And then we had to hurry and leave off talking, for we had been walking
+more slowly than we knew, and just then some big clock struck the
+quarter.
+
+I think, perhaps, I had better explain here, that none of us--neither
+Margaret, nor Peterkin, nor I--thought we were doing anything the least
+wrong in keeping our making acquaintance a secret. What Margaret thought
+about it, so far as she did think of that part of it, you will
+understand as I go on; and Pete and I had our minds so filled with his
+fairies that we simply didn't think of anything else.
+
+It was growing more and more interesting, for Margaret had something
+very jolly about her, though she wasn't exactly pretty.
+
+I can't remember if it did come into my mind, a very little, perhaps,
+that we should tell somebody--mamma, perhaps, or Clement--about our
+visits to Rock Terrace even then. But if it did, I think I put it out
+again, by knowing that Margaret meant it to be a secret, and that, till
+we saw her again, and heard what she was going to tell us, it would not
+be fair to mention anything about it.
+
+We were both very glad that Wednesday was only the day after to-morrow.
+It would have been a great nuisance to have had to wait a whole week,
+perhaps. And we were very anxious when Wednesday morning came, to see
+what sort of weather it was, for on Tuesday it rained. Not very badly,
+but enough for nurse to tell Peterkin that it was too showery for him to
+come to meet me, and it would not have been much good if he had, as we
+couldn't have spoken to Margaret.
+
+Nor could we have strolled up and down the terrace or stood looking at
+the parrot, even if he'd been out on the terrace, which he wouldn't have
+been on at all on a bad day--if it was rainy. It would have been sure to
+make some of the people in the houses wonder at us; just what we didn't
+want.
+
+But Wednesday was fine, luckily, and this time I got off from school to
+the minute without any one or anything stopping me.
+
+I ran most of the way to the corner of Lindsay Square, all the same;
+and I was not too early either, for before I got there I saw Master
+Peterkin's sturdy figure steering along towards me, not far off. And
+when he got up to me I saw that he had a small brown-paper parcel under
+his arm, neatly tied up with red string.
+
+He was awfully pleased to see me so early, for his round face was
+grinning all over, and as a rule it was rather solemn.
+
+'What's that you've got there?' I asked.
+
+He looked surprised at my not knowing.
+
+'Why, of course, the poetry-book,' he said. 'I promised it her,
+and I've marked the poetry about "Peterkin." It's the Battle of
+Blen--Blen-hime--mamma said, when I learnt it, that that's the
+right way to say it; but Miss Tucker' ('Miss Tucker' was Blanche's
+and the little ones' governess) 'called it Blen_nem_, and I always
+have to think when I say it. I wish they didn't call him "_little_
+Peterkin," though,' he went on, 'it sounds so babyish.'
+
+'I don't see that it matters, as it isn't about you yourself,' I said.
+'I'd forgotten all about it; I think it's rather sharp of you to have
+remembered.'
+
+'I couldn't never forget anything I'd promised _her_,' said Pete, and
+you might really have thought by his tone that he believed he was the
+prince going to visit the Sleeping Beauty--after she'd come awake, I
+suppose.
+
+We did not need to hurry; we were actually rather too early, so we went
+on talking.
+
+'How about the flowers we meant to get for her?' I said suddenly.
+
+'_I_ didn't forget about them,' he answered, 'but we didn't promise
+them, and I thought it would be better to ask her first. She might like
+chocolates best, you know.'
+
+'All right,' I said, and I thought perhaps it was better to ask her
+first. You see, if she didn't want her nurse to know about our coming to
+see her it would have been tiresome, as, of course, Margaret could not
+have told a story.
+
+There she was, peeping out of the downstairs window already when we got
+there. And when she saw us she came farther out, a little bit on to the
+balcony. It was a sunny day for winter, and besides, she had a red shawl
+on, so she could not very well have caught cold. It was a very pretty
+shawl, with goldy marks or patterns on it. It was like one grandmamma
+had been sent a present of from India, and afterwards Margaret told me
+hers had come from India too. And it suited her, somehow, even though
+she was only a thin, pale little girl.
+
+She smiled when she saw us, though she did not speak till we were near
+enough to hear what she said without her calling out. And when we
+stopped in front of her house, she said--
+
+'I think you might come inside the garden. We could talk better.'
+
+So we did, first glancing up at the next-door balcony, to see if the
+parrot was there.
+
+Yes, he was, but not as far out as usual, and there was a cloth, or
+something, half-down round his cage, to keep him warmer, I suppose.
+
+He was quite silent, but Margaret nodded her head up towards him.
+
+'He told me you were coming,' she cried, 'though it wasn't in a very
+polite way. He croaked out--"Naughty boys! naughty boys!"'
+
+We all three laughed a little.
+
+'And now,' Margaret went on, 'I daresay he won't talk at all, all the
+time you are here.'
+
+'But will he understand what we say?' asked Peterkin, rather anxiously.
+
+Margaret shook her head.
+
+[Illustration: PETE HELD OUT HIS BROWN-PAPER PARCEL. 'THIS IS THE
+POETRY-BOOK,' HE SAID.--p. 97.]
+
+'I really don't know,' she replied. 'We had better talk in rather low
+voices. I don't _think_,' she went on, almost in a whisper, 'that he is
+fairy enough to hear if we speak very softly.'
+
+Peterkin gave a sort of spring of delight.
+
+'Oh!' he exclaimed, 'I am _so_ glad you think he is fairyish, too.'
+
+'Of course I do,' said she; 'that's partly what I wanted to tell you.'
+
+We came closer to the window. Margaret looked at us again in her
+examining way, without speaking, for a minute, and before she said
+anything, Pete held out his brown-paper parcel.
+
+'This is the poetry-book,' he said, 'and I've put a mark in the place
+where it's about my name.'
+
+He pulled off his cap as he handed the packet to her, and stood with his
+curly wig looking almost red in the sunlight, though it was not very
+bright.
+
+'Put it on again,' said Margaret, in her little queer way, meaning his
+cap. 'And thank you very much, Perkin, for remembering to bring it. I
+think I should like to call you "Perkin," if you don't mind. I like to
+have names of my own for some people, and I really thought yours was
+Perkin.'
+
+I wished to myself she would have a name of her own for _me_, but I
+suppose she thought I was too big.
+
+'I think you are very nice boys,' she went on, 'not "naughty" ones at
+all; and if you will promise not to tell any one what I am going to tell
+_you_, I will explain all I can. I mean you mustn't tell any one till I
+give you leave, and as it's only about my own affairs, of course you can
+promise.'
+
+Of course we did promise.
+
+'Listen, then,' said Margaret, glancing up first of all at the parrot,
+and drawing back a little into the inside of the room. 'You can hear
+what I say, even though I don't speak very loudly, can't you?'
+
+'Oh yes! quite well,' we replied.
+
+'Well, then, listen,' she repeated. 'I have no brothers or sisters, and
+Dads and Mummy are in India. I lived there till about three years ago,
+and then they came here and left me with my grandfather. That's how
+people always have to do who live in India.'
+
+'Didn't you mind awfully?' I said. 'Your father and mother leaving you,
+I mean?'
+
+'Of course I minded,' she replied. 'But I had always known it would have
+to be. And they will come home again for good some day; perhaps before
+very long. And I have always been quite happy till lately. Gran is very
+good to me, and I'm used to being a good deal alone, you see, except for
+big people. I've always had lots of story books, and not _very_ many
+lessons. So, after a bit, it didn't seem so very different from India.
+Only _now_ it's quite different. It's like being shut up in a tower, and
+it's very queer altogether, and I _believe_ she's a sort of a witch,'
+and Margaret nodded her head mysteriously.
+
+'_Who?_' we asked eagerly.
+
+'The person I'm living with--Miss Bogle--isn't her name witchy?' and she
+smiled a little. 'No, no, not nurse,' for I had begun to say the word.
+'_She_ is only rather a goose. No, this house belongs to Miss Bogle, and
+she's quite old--oh, as old as old! And she's got rheumatism, so she
+very seldom goes up and down stairs. And nurse does just exactly what
+Miss Bogle tells her. It was this way. Gran had to go away--a good way,
+though not so far as India, and he is always dreadfully afraid of
+anything happening to me, I suppose. So he sent me here with nurse, and
+he told me I would be very happy. He knew Miss Bogle long ago--I think
+she had a school for little boys once; perhaps that was before she got
+to be a witch. But I've been dreadfully unhappy, and I don't know
+what's going to happen to me if I go on like this much longer.'
+
+She stopped, out of breath almost.
+
+'Do you think she's going to enchanter you?' asked Peterkin, in a
+whisper. 'Do you think she wasn't asked to your christening, or anything
+like that?'
+
+Margaret shook her head again.
+
+'_Something_ like that, I suppose,' she replied. 'She looks at me
+through her spectacles so queerly, you can't think. You see, I was ill
+at Gran's before I came here: not very badly, though he fussed a good
+deal about it. And he thought the sea-air would do me good. But I've
+often had colds, and I never was treated like this before--never. For
+ever so long, _she_,' and Margaret nodded towards somewhere unknown,
+'wouldn't let me come downstairs at all. And then I cried--sometimes I
+_roared_, and luckily the parrot heard, and began to talk about it in
+his way. And you see it's through him that _you_ got to know about me,
+so I'm sure he's on the other side, and knows she's a witch, but----'
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE GREAT PLAN
+
+
+AT that moment the clock--a clock somewhere near--struck. Margaret
+started, and listened,--'One, two, three.' She looked pleased.
+
+'It's only a quarter to one,' she said. 'Half-an-hour still to my
+dinner. What time do you need to get home by?'
+
+'A quarter-past will do for us,' I said.
+
+'Oh, then it's all right,' she replied. 'But I must be quick. I want to
+know all that the parrot told you.'
+
+'It was more what he had said to Mrs. Wylie,' I explained, 'copying you,
+you know. And, at first, she called you "that poor child," and told us
+she was so sorry for you.'
+
+'But now she won't say anything. She pinched up her lips about you the
+other day,' added Peterkin.
+
+Margaret seemed very interested, but not very surprised.
+
+'Oh, then, Miss Bogle is beginning to bewitch her too,' she said. 'Nurse
+is a goose, as I told you. She just does everything Miss Bogle wants.
+And if it wasn't for the parrot and you,' she went on solemnly, 'I
+daresay when Gran comes home he'd find me turned into a pussy-cat.'
+
+'Or a mouse, or even a frog,' said Peterkin, his eyes gleaming; 'only
+then he wouldn't know it was you, unless your nurse told him.'
+
+'She wouldn't,' said Margaret, 'the witch would take care to stop her,
+or to turn her into a big cat herself, or something. There'd be only the
+parrot, and Gran mightn't understand him. It's better not to risk it.
+And that's what I'm planning about. But it will take a great deal of
+planning, though I've been thinking about it ever since you came, and I
+felt sure the good fairies had sent you to rescue me. When can you come
+again?'
+
+'Any day, almost,' said Pete.
+
+'Well, then, I'll tell you what. I'll be on the look-out for you passing
+every fine day about this time, and the first day I'm sure of nurse
+going to London again--and I know she has to go once more at least--I'll
+manage to tell you, and _then_ we'll fix for a long talk here.'
+
+'All right,' I said, 'but we'd better go now.'
+
+There was a sound of footsteps approaching, so with only a hurried
+'good-bye' we ran off.
+
+We did not need to stroll up and down the terrace to-day, as we knew
+Margaret's nurse was away; luckily so, for we only just got home in time
+by the skin of our teeth, running all the way, and not talking.
+
+I wish I could quite explain about myself, here, but it is rather
+difficult. I went on thinking about Margaret a lot, all that day; all
+the more that Pete and I didn't talk much about her. We both seemed to
+be waiting till we saw her again and heard her 'plans.'
+
+And I cannot now feel sure if I really was in earnest at all, as she and
+Peterkin certainly were, about the enchantment and the witch. I remember
+I laughed at it to myself sometimes, and called it 'bosh' in my own
+mind. And yet I did not quite think it only that. After all, I was only
+a little boy myself, and Margaret had such a common-sensical way, even
+in talking of fanciful things, that somehow you couldn't laugh at her,
+and Pete, of course, was quite and entirely in earnest.
+
+I think I really had a strong belief that _some_ risk or danger was
+hanging over her, and I think this was natural, considering the queer
+way our getting to know her had been brought about. And any boy would
+have been 'taken' by the idea of 'coming to the rescue,' as she called
+it.
+
+There was a good deal of rather hard work at lessons just then for me.
+Papa and mamma wanted me to get into a higher class after Christmas, and
+I daresay I had been pretty idle, or at least taking things easy, for I
+was not as well up as I should have been, I know. So Peterkin and I had
+not as much time for private talking as usual. I had often lessons to
+look over first thing in the morning, and as mamma would not allow us to
+have candles in bed, and there was no gas or electric light in our room,
+I had to get up a bit earlier, when I had work to look over or finish.
+And nurse was very good about that sort of thing: there was always a
+jolly bright fire for me in the nursery, however early I was.
+
+Our best time for talking was when Peterkin came to meet me. But we had
+two or three wet days about then. And Margaret did not expect us on
+rainy days, even if Pete had been allowed to come, which he wasn't.
+
+It was, as far as I remember, not till the Monday after that Wednesday
+that we were able to pass along Rock Terrace. And almost before we came
+in real sight of her, I felt certain that the little figure was standing
+there on the look-out.
+
+And so she was--red shawl and white pinafore, and small dark head, as
+usual.
+
+We made a sort of pretence of strolling past her house at first, but we
+found we didn't need to. She beckoned to us at once, and just at that
+moment the parrot, who was out in _his_ balcony, most luckily--or
+cleverly, Peterkin always declares he did it on purpose--screeched out
+in quite a good-humoured tone--
+
+'Good morning! good morning! Pretty Poll! Fine day, boys! Good morning!'
+
+'Good morning, Poll,' we called out as we ran across the tiny plot of
+garden to Margaret.
+
+'I'm so glad you've come,' she said, 'but you mustn't stop a minute.
+I've been out in a bath-chair this morning--I've just come in; and now
+I'm to go every day. It's horrid, and it's all nonsense, when I can
+walk and run quite well. It's all that old witch. I'm going again
+to-morrow and Wednesday; but I'm going to manage to make it later on
+Wednesday, so that you can talk to me on the Parade. Nurse is going to
+London all day on Wednesday, but I'm to go out just the same, for the
+bath-chair man is somebody that Miss Bogle knows quite well. So if you
+watch for me on the Parade, between the street close to here,' and she
+nodded towards the nearest side of Lindsay Square, 'and farther on
+_that_ way,' and now she pointed in the direction of our own house,
+'I'll look out for you, and we can have a good talk.'
+
+'All right,' we replied. 'On Wednesday--day after to-morrow, if it's
+fine, of course.'
+
+'Yes,' she said; 'though I'll _try_ to go, even if it's not _very_ fine,
+and you must try to come. I know now why nurse has to go to London. It's
+to see her sister, who's in an hospital, and Wednesday's the only day,
+and she's a dressmaker--that's why I thought nurse had to go to a
+dressmaker's. I'm going on making up my plans. It's getting worse and
+worse. After I've been out in the bath-chair, Miss Bogle says I'm to lie
+down most of the afternoon! Just fancy--it's so _dreadfully_ dull, for
+she won't let me read. She says it's bad for your eyes, when you're
+lying down. Unless I do something quick, I believe she'll turn me into
+a--oh! I don't know what,' and she stopped, quite out of breath.
+
+'A frog,' said Peterkin. He had enchanted frogs on the brain just then,
+I believe.
+
+'No,' said Margaret, 'that wouldn't be so bad, for I'd be able to jump
+about, and there's nothing I love as much as jumping about, especially
+in water,' and her eyes sparkled with a sort of mischief which I had
+seen in them once or twice before. 'No, it would be something much
+horrider--a dormouse, perhaps. I should hate to be a dormouse.
+
+'You shan't be changed into a dormouse or--or _anything_,' said
+Peterkin, with a burst of indignation.
+
+'Thank you, Perkins,' Margaret replied; 'but please go now and
+remember--Wednesday.'
+
+We ran off, and though we thought we had only been a minute or two at
+Rock Terrace, after all we were not home much too early.
+
+'We must be careful on Wednesday,' I said. 'I'm afraid my watch is
+rather slow.'
+
+[Illustration: WE HAD NO DIFFICULTY IN FINDING HER BATH-CHAIR.--p. 108.]
+
+'Dinner isn't always quite so pumptual on Wednesdays,' said Pete, 'with
+its being a half-holiday, you know.'
+
+It turned out right enough on Wednesday.
+
+Considering what a little girl she was then--only eight and a
+bit--Margaret was very clever with her plans and settlings, as we have
+often told her since. I daresay it was with her having lived so much
+alone, and read so many story-books, and made up stories for herself
+too, as she often did, though we didn't know that then.
+
+We had no difficulty in finding her bath-chair, and the man took it
+quite naturally that she should have some friends, and, of course, made
+no objection to our walking beside her and talking to her. He was a very
+nice kind sort of a man, though he scarcely ever spoke. Perhaps he had
+children of his own, and was glad for Margaret to be amused. He took
+great care of the chair, over the crossing the road and the turnings,
+and no doubt he had been told to be extra careful, but as Miss Bogle had
+no idea that Margaret knew a creature in the place I don't suppose 'the
+witch' had ever thought of telling him that he was not to let any one
+speak to her.
+
+It was a very fine day--a sort of November summer, and when you were in
+the full sunshine it really felt quite hot. There were bath-chairs
+standing still, for the people in them to enjoy the warmth and to stare
+out at the sea.
+
+Margaret did not want to stare at it, and no more did we. But it was
+more comfortable to talk with the chair standing still; for though to
+look at one going it seems to crawl along like a snail, I can tell you
+to keep up with it you have to step out pretty fast, faster than
+Peterkin could manage without a bit of running every minute or so, which
+is certainly _not_ comfortable, and faster than I myself could manage as
+well as talking, without getting short of breath.
+
+So we were very glad to pull up for a few minutes, though we had already
+got through a good deal of business, as I will tell you.
+
+Margaret had made up her mind to run away! Fancy that--a little girl of
+eight!
+
+Pete and I were awfully startled when she burst out with it. She could
+stand Miss Bogle and the dreadful dulness and loneliness of Rock Terrace
+no longer, she declared, not to speak of what might happen to her in the
+way of being turned into a kitten or a mouse or _something_, if the
+witch got really too spiteful.
+
+'And where will you go to?' we asked.
+
+'Home,' she said, 'at least to my nursey's, and that is close to home.'
+
+We were so puzzled at this that we could scarcely speak.
+
+'To your _nurse's_!' we said at last.
+
+'Yes, to my own nurse--my old nurse!' said Margaret, quite surprised
+that we didn't understand. And then she explained what she thought she
+had told us.
+
+'That stupid thing who is my nurse now,' she said, 'isn't my _real_
+nurse. I mean she has only been with me since I came here. She belongs
+to Miss Bogle--I mean Miss Bogle got her. My own darling nursey had to
+leave me. She stayed and stayed because of that bad cold I got, you
+know, but as soon as I was better she _had_ to go, because her mother
+was so old and ill, and hasn't _nobody_ but nursey to take care of her.
+And then when Gran had to go away he settled it all with that witchy
+Miss Bogle, and she got this goosey nurse, and my own nursey brought me
+here. And she cried and cried when she went away, and she said she'd
+come some day to see if I was happy, but the witch said no, she mustn't,
+it would upset me; and so she's never dared to; and now you can fancy
+what my life has been,' Margaret finished up, in quite a triumphant
+tone.
+
+Peterkin was nearly crying by this time. But I knew I must be very
+sensible. It all seemed so very serious.
+
+'But what will your grandfather say when he knows you've run away?' I
+asked, while Peterkin stood listening, with his mouth wide open.
+
+'He'd be very glad to know where I was, _I_ should say,' Margaret
+replied. 'My own nursey will write to him, and I will myself. It'll be a
+good deal better than if I stayed to be turned into something he'd never
+know was me. Then, what would Dads and Mummy say to _him_ for having
+lost me?'
+
+'The parrot'd tell, p'raps,' said Pete.
+
+'As if anybody would believe him!' exclaimed Margaret, 'except people
+who understand about fairies and witches and things like that, that you
+two and I know about.'
+
+She was giving _me_ credit for more believing in 'things like that' than
+I was feeling just then, to tell the truth. But what I did feel rather
+disagreeably sure of, was this queer little girl's determination. She
+sometimes spoke as if she was twenty. Putting it all together, I had a
+sort of instinct that it was best not to laugh at her ideas at all, as
+the next thing would be that she and her devoted 'Perkins' would be
+making plans without me, and really getting lost, or into dreadful
+troubles of some kind. So I contented myself with just saying--
+
+'Why should Miss Bogle want to turn you into anything?'
+
+'Because witches are like that,' said Peterkin, answering for his
+princess.
+
+'And because she hates the bother of having me,' added Margaret. 'She
+has written to Gran that I am very troublesome--nurse told me so; nurse
+can't hold her tongue--and I daresay I am,' she added truly. 'And so, if
+I seemed to be lost, she'd say it wasn't her fault. And as I suppose I'd
+never be found, there'd be an end of it.'
+
+'You couldn't but be found _now_,' said Peterkin, 'as, you see, _we'd_
+know.'
+
+'If she didn't turn _you_ into something too,' said Margaret, with the
+sparkle of mischief in her eyes again.
+
+Pete looked rather startled at this new idea.
+
+'The best thing to do is for me to go away to a safe place while I'm
+still myself,' she added.
+
+'But have you got the exact address? Do you know what station to go to,
+and all that sort of thing?' I asked. 'And have you got money enough?'
+
+'Plenty,' she said, nodding her head; 'plenty for all I've planned. Of
+course I know the station--it's the same as for my own home, and nursey
+lives in the village where the railway comes. Much nearer than _our_
+house, which is two miles off. And I know nursey will have me, even if
+she had to sleep on the floor herself. The only bother is that I'll have
+to change out of the train from _here_, and get into another at a place
+that's called a Junction. Nursey and I had to do that when we came here,
+and I heard Gran explain it all to her, and I know it's the same going
+back, for the nurse I have _now_ told me so. When she goes to London she
+stays in the same railway; but if you're _not_ going to London, you have
+to get into another one. And nursey and I had to wait nearly
+half-an-hour, I should think, and that's the part I mind,' and, for the
+first time, her eager little face looked anxious. 'The railway people
+would ask me who I was, and where I was going, as, you see, I look so
+much littler than I am; so I've planned for you two kind boys to come
+with me to that changing station, and wait till I've got into the train
+that goes to Hill Horton; that's _our_ station. I've plenty of money,'
+she went on hurriedly, for, I suppose, she saw that I was looking very
+grave, and Peterkin's face was pink with excitement.
+
+'It isn't that,' I said; 'it's--it's the whole thing. Supposing you got
+lost after all, it would be----'
+
+'No, no! I won't get lost,' she said, speaking again in her very
+grown-up voice. 'And remember, you're on your word of honour as
+_gentlemen_!--_gentlemen_!' she repeated, 'not to tell any one without
+my leave. If you do, I'll just run away by myself, and very likely get
+lost or stolen, or something. And how would you feel then?'
+
+'We are not going to break our promise,' I said. 'You needn't be
+afraid.'
+
+'I'm not,' she said, and her face grew rather red. 'I always keep _my_
+word, and I expect any one I trust to keep theirs.'
+
+And though she was such a little girl, not much older than Elvira, whom
+we often called a 'baby,' I felt sure she _would_ 'keep hers.' It
+certainly wouldn't mend matters to risk her starting off by herself, as
+I believe she would have done if we had failed her.
+
+It has taken longer to write down all our talking than the talking
+itself did, even though it was a little interrupted by the bath-chair
+man every now and then taking a turn up and down, 'just to keep Missy
+moving a bit,' he said.
+
+Margaret's plans were already so very clear in her head that she had no
+difficulty in getting us to understand them thoroughly, and I don't
+think I need go on about what she said, and what we said. I will tell
+what we fixed to do, and what we did do.
+
+Next Wednesday--a full week on--was the day she had settled for her
+escape from Rock Terrace. It was a long time to wait, but it was the day
+her nurse was pretty sure--really quite sure, Margaret thought--to go to
+London again, for she had said so. She went by a morning train, and did
+not come back till after dark in the evening, so there was no fear of
+our running up against her at the railway station. There was a train
+that would do for Hill Horton, after waiting a little at the Junction,
+at about three o'clock in the afternoon; and as it was my half-holiday,
+Peterkin and I could easily get leave to go out together if it was fine,
+and if it wasn't, we would have to come without! We trusted it would be
+fine; and I settled in my own mind that if we _had_ to come without
+asking, I'd leave a message with James the footman, that they weren't to
+be frightened about us at home, for I didn't want mamma and all the
+others to be in a fuss again, like the evening Peterkin was lost.
+
+Margaret said we needn't be away more than about an hour and a half. I
+don't quite remember how she'd got all she knew about the times of the
+trains. I think it was from the cook or housemaid at Miss Bogle's, for I
+know she said one of them came from near Hill Horton, and that she was
+very good-natured, and liked talking about Margaret's home and her own.
+
+So it was settled.
+
+Just to make it even more fixed, we promised to go round by Rock Terrace
+on Monday at the usual time, and Margaret was either to speak to us from
+the dining-room window, or, if she couldn't, she would hang out a white
+handkerchief somewhere that we should be sure to see, which would mean
+that it was all right.
+
+We were to meet her at the corner of her row of houses nearest Lindsay
+Square, at half-past two on Wednesday. How she meant to do about her
+bath-chair drive, and all the rest of it, she didn't tell us, and,
+really, there wasn't time.
+
+But I felt sure she would manage it, and Peterkin was even surer than I.
+
+The last thing she said was--
+
+'Of course, I shall have very little luggage; not more than you two boys
+can easily carry between you.'
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A TERRIBLE IDEA
+
+
+THAT was on a Wednesday, and the same day the next week was to be _the_
+day. On the Monday, as we had planned, we strolled along Rock Terrace.
+Luckily, it was a fine day, and we could look well about us without
+appearing to have any particular reason for doing so. It would have
+seemed rather funny if we had been holding up umbrellas, or, I should
+say, if _I_ had been, for when it rained Peterkin wasn't allowed to come
+to meet me.
+
+We stood still in front of the parrot's house. He was out on the
+balcony. I wondered if he would notice us, or if he did, if he would
+condescend to speak to us.
+
+Yes, I felt that his ugly round eyes--don't you think all parrots' eyes
+are ugly, however pretty their feathers are?--were fixed on us, and in
+a moment or two came his squeaky, croaky voice--
+
+'Good morning, boys! Good morning! Pretty Poll!'
+
+'He didn't say "naughty boys,"' I remarked.
+
+'No, of course not,' replied Peterkin; 'because he knows all about it
+now, you see.'
+
+'We mustn't stand here long, however,' I said. 'I wond----'
+
+'I wonder why Margaret hasn't hung out a handkerchief if she couldn't
+get to speak to us,' I was going to have said, but just at that moment
+we heard a voice on the upstairs balcony--
+
+'Good Polly,' it said, 'good, good Polly.'
+
+And the parrot repeated with great pride--
+
+'Good, good Polly.'
+
+But when we looked up there was no one to be seen, only I thought one of
+the glass doors of Margaret's dining-room clicked a little. And I was
+right. In another moment there she was herself, on the dining-room
+balcony--half on it, that's to say, and half just inside.
+
+'Isn't he good?' she said, when we came as near as we dared to hear her.
+'I told him to let me know as soon as he saw you, for I couldn't manage
+the handkerchief, and I was afraid you might have gone before I could
+catch you. Nurse has been after me so this morning, for the witch was
+angry with me yesterday for standing at the window without my shawl. But
+you mustn't stay,' and she nodded in her queenly little way. 'It's
+keeping all right--Wednesday at half-past two, at the corner next the
+Square--wet or fine. Good-bye.'
+
+'Good-bye, all right,' we whispered, but she heard us.
+
+So did the parrot.
+
+'Good-bye, boys; good Polly! good, good Polly!' and something else which
+Peterkin declared meant, 'Wednesday at half-past two.'
+
+I felt pretty nervous, I can tell you, that day and the next. At least I
+suppose it's what people call feeling very nervous. I seemed half in a
+dream, and, as if I couldn't settle to anything, all queer and fidgety.
+A little, just a very little perhaps, like what you feel when you know
+you are going to the dentist's, especially if you _haven't_ got
+toothache; for when you have it badly, you don't mind the thought of
+having a tooth out, even a thumping double one.
+
+Yet I should have felt disappointed if the whole thing had been given
+up, and, worse than that, horribly frightened if it had ended in
+Margaret's saying she'd run away by herself without us helping her, as I
+know--I have said so two or three times already, I'm afraid: it's
+difficult to keep from repeating if you're not accustomed to writing and
+feel very anxious to explain things clearly--as I know she really would
+have done.
+
+And then there was the smaller worry of wondering what sort of weather
+there was going to be on Wednesday, which did matter a good deal.
+
+I shall never forget how thankful I felt in the morning when it came,
+and I awoke, and opened my eyes, without any snorting for once, to hear
+Peterkin's first words--
+
+'It's a very fine day, Gilley--couldn't be better.'
+
+'Thank goodness,' I said.
+
+He was sitting up, as usual; but I don't think he had stared me awake
+this morning, for he was gazing out in the direction of the window,
+where up above the short blind a nice show of pale-blue sky was to be
+seen; a wintry sort of blue, with the early mist over it a little, but
+still quite cheering and 'lasting' looking.
+
+'All the same,' I went on, speaking more to myself, perhaps, than to
+him, 'I wish we were well through it, and your princess safe with her
+old nurse.'
+
+For I could not have felt comfortable about her, as I have several times
+said, even if _we_ had not promised to help her. More than that--I do
+believe she was so determined, that supposing mamma or Mrs. Wylie or any
+grown-up person had somehow come to know about it, Margaret would have
+kept to her plan, and perhaps even hurried it on and got into worse
+trouble.
+
+She needed a lesson; though I still do think, and always shall think,
+that old Miss Bogle and her new nurse and everybody were not a bit right
+in the way they tried to manage her.
+
+I hurried home from school double-quick that morning, you may be sure.
+And Peterkin and I were ready for dinner--hands washed, hair brushed,
+and all the rest of it--long before the gong sounded.
+
+Mamma looked at us approvingly, I remember, when she came into the
+dining-room, where we were waiting before the girls and Clement had made
+their appearance.
+
+'Good boys,' she said, smiling, 'that's how I like to see you. How neat
+you both look, and down first, too!'
+
+I felt rather a humbug, but I don't believe Peterkin did; he was so
+completely taken up with the thought of Margaret's escape, and so
+down-to-the-ground sure that he was doing a most necessary piece of
+business if she was to be saved from the witch's 'enchantering,' as he
+would call it.
+
+But as I was older, of course, the mixture of feelings in my mind _was_
+a mixture, and I couldn't stand being altogether a humbug.
+
+So I said to mamma--
+
+'It's mostly that we want to go out as soon as ever we've had our
+dinner; you know you gave us leave to go?'
+
+'Oh yes,' said she. 'Well, it's a very nice day, and you will take good
+care of Peterkin, won't you, Giles? Don't tire him. Are any of your
+schoolfel----'
+
+But at that moment a note was brought to her, which she had to send an
+answer to, and when she sat down at the table again, she was evidently
+still thinking of it, and forgot she had not finished her question,
+which I was very glad of.
+
+So we got off all right, though I had a feeling that Clement looked at
+us _rather_ curiously, as we left the dining-room.
+
+At the _very_ last moment, I did give the message I had thought about
+in my own mind, with James. Just for him to say that mamma and nobody
+was to be frightened if we _were_ rather late of coming back--_even_ if
+it should be after dark; that we should be all right.
+
+And then we ran off without giving James time to say anything, though he
+did open his mouth and begin to stutter out some objection. He was
+rather a donkey, but I knew that he was to be trusted, so I just laughed
+in his face.
+
+We were a little before the time at the corner of the square, but that
+was a good thing. It would never have done to keep _her_ waiting,
+Peterkin said. He always spoke of her as if she was a kind of queen. And
+he was right enough. All the same, my heart did beat in rather a funny
+way, thinking to myself what could or should we do if she didn't come?
+
+But we were not kept waiting long. In another minute or so, a little
+figure appeared round the corner, hastening towards us as fast as it
+could, but evidently a good deal bothered by a large parcel, which at
+the first glance looked nearly as big as itself.
+
+Of course it was Margaret.
+
+'Oh,' she exclaimed, 'I am so glad you are here already. It's this
+package. I had no idea it would seem so heavy.'
+
+'It's nothing,' said Peterkin, valiantly, taking it from her as he
+spoke.
+
+And it really wasn't very much--what had made it seem so conspicuous was
+that the contents were all wrapped up in her red shawl, and naturally it
+looked a queer bundle for a little girl like her to be carrying. She was
+not at all strong either, even for a little girl, and afterwards I was
+not surprised at this, for the illness she had spoken of as a bad cold
+had really been much worse than that.
+
+'Let's hurry on,' she said, 'I shan't feel safe till we've got to the
+station,' for which I certainly thought she had good reason.
+
+I had meant to go by the front way, which was actually the shortest, but
+the scarlet bundle staggered me. Luckily I knew my way about the streets
+pretty well, so I chose rather less public ones. And before long, even
+though the package was not very heavy, Peterkin began to flag, so I had
+to help him a bit with it.
+
+But for that, there would have been nothing about us at all noticeable.
+Margaret was quite nicely and quietly dressed in dark-blue serge,
+something like Blanche and Elvira, and we just looked as if we were a
+little sister and two schoolboy brothers.
+
+'Couldn't you have got something less stary to tie up your things in?' I
+asked her when we had got to some little distance from Rock Terrace, and
+were in a quiet street.
+
+She shook her head.
+
+'No,' she said, 'it was the only thing. I have a nice black bag, as well
+as my trunks, of course, but the witch or nurse has hidden it away. I
+_couldn't_ find it. It's just as if they had thought I might be planning
+to run away. I _nearly_ took nurse's waterproof cape; she didn't take it
+to London to-day, because it is so fine and bright. But I didn't like
+to, after all. It won't matter once we are in the train, and at Hill
+Horton it will be a good thing, as my own nursey will see it some way
+off.'
+
+We were almost at the station by now, and I told Margaret so.
+
+'All right,' she said. 'I have the money all ready. One for me to Hill
+Horton, and two for you to the Junction station,' and she began to pull
+out her purse.
+
+'You needn't get it out just yet,' I said. 'We shall have quite a
+quarter of an hour to wait. If you give me your purse once we're
+inside, I will tell you exactly what I take out. How much is there in
+it?'
+
+'A gold half-sovereign,' she replied, 'and a half-crown, and five
+sixpences, and seven pennies.'
+
+'There won't be very much over,' I said, 'though we are all three under
+twelve; so halves will do, and returns for Pete and me. Second-class, I
+suppose?'
+
+'Second-class!' repeated Margaret, with great scorn; 'of course not.
+I've never travelled anything but first in my life. I don't know what
+Gran would say, or nursey even, if she saw me getting out of a
+_second_-class carriage.'
+
+She made me feel a little cross, though she didn't mean it. _We_ often
+travelled second, and even third, if there were a lot of us and we could
+get a carriage to ourselves. But, after all, it was Margaret's own
+affair, and as she was to be alone from the Junction to Hill Horton,
+perhaps it was best.
+
+'_I_ don't want you to travel second, I'm sure,' I said, 'if only
+there's enough. I'd have brought some of my own, but unluckily I'm very
+short just now.'
+
+'I've--'began Peterkin, but Margaret interrupted him.
+
+'As if I'd let you pay anything!' she said indignantly. 'I'd rather
+travel third than _that_. You are only coming out of kindness to me.'
+
+After all, there was enough, even for first-class, leaving a shilling or
+so over. Hill Horton was not very far away.
+
+A train was standing ready to start, for the station was a terminus. I
+asked a guard standing about if it was the one for Hill Horton, and he
+answered yes, but we must change at the Junction, which I knew already.
+
+So we all got into a first-class carriage, and settled ourselves
+comfortably, feeling safe at last.
+
+'I wish we were going all the way with you,' said Peterkin, with a sigh
+made up of satisfaction, as he wriggled his substantial little person
+into the arm-chair first-class seat, and of regret.
+
+'I'll be all right,' said Margaret, 'once I am in the Hill Horton
+railway.'
+
+For some things I wished too that we were going all the way with her,
+but for others I couldn't help feeling that I should be very glad to be
+safe home again and the adventure well over.
+
+'By the day after to-morrow,' I thought, 'there will be no more reason
+for worrying, if Margaret keeps her promise of writing to us.'
+
+I had made her promise this, and given her an envelope with our address
+on. For otherwise, you see, we should not have heard how she had got on,
+as no one but the parrot knew that she had ever seen us or spoken to us.
+
+Then the train moved slowly out of the station, and Margaret's eyes
+sparkled with triumph. And we felt the infection of her high spirits.
+After all, we were only children, and we laughed and joked about the
+witch, and the fright her new nurse would be in, and how the parrot
+would enjoy it all, of which we felt quite sure.
+
+We were very merry all the way to the Junction. It was only about a
+quarter-of-an-hour off, and just before we got there the guard looked at
+our tickets.
+
+'Change at the Junction,' he said, when he caught sight of the 'Hill
+Horton,' on Margaret's.
+
+'Of course, we know that, thank you,' she said, rather pertly perhaps,
+but it sounded so funny that Pete and I burst out laughing again. I
+suppose we were all really very excited, but the guard laughed too.
+
+'How long will there be to wait for the Hill Horton train?' I had the
+sense to ask.
+
+'Ten minutes, at least,' he replied, glancing at his watch, the way
+guards nearly always do.
+
+I was glad he did not say longer, for the sooner Peterkin and I caught a
+train home again, after seeing Margaret off, the better. And I knew
+there were sure to be several in the course of the afternoon.
+
+As soon as we stopped we got out--red bundle and all. I did not see our
+guard again, he was somewhere at the other end; but I got hold of
+another, not so good-natured, however, and rather in a hurry.
+
+'Which is the train for Hill Horton? Is it in yet?' I asked.
+
+He must have thought, so I explained it to myself afterwards, that we
+had just come in to the station, and were at the beginning of our
+journey.
+
+'Hill Horton,' I _thought_ he said, but, as you will see, my ears must
+have deceived me, 'all right. Any carriage to the front--further back
+are for----.' I did not clearly hear--I think it must have been 'Charing
+Cross,' but I did not care. All that concerned _us_ was 'Hill Horton.'
+
+'Come along,' I called to the two others, who had got a little behind
+me, lugging the bundle between them, and I led the way, as the man had
+pointed out.
+
+It seemed a very long train, and as he had said 'to the front,' I
+thought it best to go pretty close up to the engine. There were two or
+three first-class carriages next to the guard's van, but they were all
+empty, and I had meant to look out for one with nice-looking people in
+it for Margaret to travel with. Farther back there were some ladies and
+children in some first-class, but I was afraid of putting her into a
+wrong carriage.
+
+'I expect you will be alone all the way,' I said to her. 'I suppose
+there are not very many people going to Hill Horton.'
+
+'Not first-class,' said Margaret. 'There are often lots of farmers and
+village people, I daresay. Nursey said it was very crowded on market
+days, but I don't know when it is market days. But it is rather funny,
+Giles, to be getting into the same train again!'
+
+'No,' I replied, 'these carriages will be going to split off from the
+others that go on to London. The man said it would be all right for Hill
+Horton at the front. They often separate trains like that. I daresay we
+shall go a little way out of the station and come back again. You'll
+see. And he said--the _first_ man, I mean--that we should have at least
+ten minutes to wait, and we've scarcely been two, so we may as well get
+in with you for a few minutes.'
+
+'Yes, do,' said Margaret, 'but don't put my package up in the netted
+place, for fear I couldn't get it down again myself. The trains never
+stop long at our station.'
+
+So we contented ourselves with leaving the red bundle on the seat beside
+her. It was lucky, I told her, that the carriage _wasn't_ full,
+otherwise it would have had to go up in the rack, where it wouldn't have
+been very firm.
+
+'It is so fat,' said Peterkin, solemnly.
+
+'Something like you,' I said, at which we all laughed again, as if it
+was something very witty. We were still feeling rather excited, I think,
+and rather proud--at least I was--of having, so far, got on so well.
+
+But before we had finished laughing, there came a startling surprise.
+The train suddenly began to move! We stared at each other. Then I
+remembered my own words a minute or two ago.
+
+'It's all right,' I said, 'we'll back into the station again in a
+moment.'
+
+Margaret and Peterkin laughed again, but rather nervously. At least,
+Margaret's laugh was not quite hearty; though, as for Peterkin, I think
+he was secretly delighted.
+
+On we went--faster and faster, instead of slower. There was certainly no
+sign of 'backing.' I put my head out of the window. We were quite clear
+of the Junction by now, getting every instant more and more into the
+open country. At last I had to give in.
+
+'We're off, I do believe,' I said. 'There's been some mistake about our
+waiting ten minutes. We're clear on the way to Hill Horton.'
+
+'_I'm_ very glad,' said Pete. 'I always wanted to come all the way.'
+
+'But perhaps it needn't be all the way,' I said. 'Do you remember,
+Margaret, how many stations there are between the Junction and yours?'
+
+'Three or four, I think,' she replied.
+
+'Oh well, then,' I said, 'it won't matter. We can get out the first time
+we stop, and I daresay we shall soon get a train back again, and not be
+late home after all.'
+
+Margaret's face cleared. She was thoughtful enough not to want us to get
+into trouble through helping her.
+
+'We shall be stopping soon, I think,' she said, 'for this seems a fast
+train.'
+
+But to me her words brought no satisfaction. For it did indeed seem a
+fast train, and a much more horrible idea than the one of our going all
+the way to Hill Horton suddenly sprang into my mind--
+
+Were we in the Hill Horton train at all?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+IN A FOG
+
+
+I WAITED a minute or two before I said anything to the others. They went
+on laughing and joking, and I kept looking out of the window. At last I
+turned round, and then Margaret started a little.
+
+'What's the matter, Giles?' she said. 'You're quite white and funny
+looking.'
+
+And Peterkin stared at me too.
+
+'It's--'I began, and then I felt as if I really couldn't go on; but I
+had to. 'It's that I am dreadfully afraid,' I said, 'almost quite sure
+now, that we are in the wrong train. I've seen the names of two stations
+that we've passed without stopping already. Do you remember the names of
+any between the Junction and Hill Horton, Margaret?'
+
+She shook her head.
+
+'No,' she said, 'but I know we never pass any without stopping; at
+least I think so. They are quite little stations, and I've never known
+the train go as fast as this till after the Junction, when we were in
+the London train. I've been to London several times with Gran, you see.'
+
+Then it suddenly struck her what I meant.
+
+'Oh!' she exclaimed, with a little scream, 'is it _that_ you are afraid
+of, Giles? Do you think we are in the _London_ train? I did think it was
+funny that we were getting back into the same one, but you said that the
+man said that the carriages at the front were for Hill Horton?'
+
+'Well, I _thought_ he did,' I replied, 'but--' one's mind works quickly
+when you are frightened sometimes--'he _might_ have said "Victoria," for
+the "tor" in "Victoria" and "Horton" sound rather alike.'
+
+'But wouldn't he have said "London"?' asked Peterkin.
+
+'No, I think they generally say the name of the station in London,' I
+explained. 'There are so many, you see.'
+
+Then we all, for a minute or two, gazed at each other without speaking.
+Margaret had got still paler than usual, and I fancied, or feared, I
+heard her choke down something in her throat. Peterkin, on the
+contrary, was as red as a turkey-cock, and his eyes were gleaming. I
+think it was all a part of the fairy-tale to him.
+
+'What shall we do?' said Margaret, at last, and I was forced to answer,
+'I don't know.'
+
+Bit by bit things began to take shape in my mind, and it was no good
+keeping them to myself.
+
+'There'll be the extra money to pay for our tickets to London,' I said
+at last.
+
+'How much will it be? Isn't there enough over?' asked Margaret quietly,
+and I could not help admiring her for it, as she took out her purse and
+gave it to me to count over what was left.
+
+There were only four or five shillings. I shook my head.
+
+'I don't know how much it will be, but I'm quite sure there's not
+enough. You see, though we're only halves, it's first-class.'
+
+'And what will they do to us if we can't pay,' she went on, growing
+still whiter. 'Could we--could we possibly be sent to prison?'
+
+'Oh no, no. I don't think so,' I answered, though I was really not at
+all sure about it; I had so often seen notices stuck up on boards at
+railway stations about the punishments of passengers not paying
+properly, or trying to travel without tickets. 'But--I'm afraid they
+would be very horrid to us somehow--perhaps telegraph to papa or mamma.'
+
+'Oh!' cried Margaret, growing now as red as she had been white, 'and
+that would mean my being shut up again at Rock Terrace--worse than
+before. I don't know _what_ the witch wouldn't do to me,' and she
+clasped her poor little hands in a sort of despair.
+
+Then Peterkin burst out--
+
+'I've got my gold half-pound with me,' he said, in rather a queer voice,
+as if he was proud of being able to help and yet half inclined to cry.
+
+'Goodness!' I exclaimed, 'why on earth didn't you say so before?'
+
+'I--I--wanted it for something else,' said he. 'I don't quite know why I
+brought it.'
+
+He dived into his pocket, and dug out a very grimy little purse, out of
+which, sure enough, he produced a half-sovereign.
+
+The relief of knowing that we should not get into trouble as far as our
+journey _to_ London was concerned, was such a blessing, that just for
+the moment I forgot all the rest of it.
+
+'Anyway we can't be put in prison now,' said Margaret, and a little
+colour came into her face. 'Oh, Perkins, you _are_ a nice boy!'
+
+I did think her praising him was rather rough on _me_, for I had had
+bother enough, goodness knows, about the whole affair, even though I had
+made a stupid mistake.
+
+We whizzed on, for it was an express train, and for a little while we
+didn't speak. Peterkin was still looking rather upset about his money.
+He told me afterwards that he had been keeping it for his Christmas
+presents, especially one for Margaret, as we had never had a chance of
+getting her any flowers. But all that was put right in the end.
+
+After a bit Margaret said to me, in a half-frightened voice--
+
+'What shall we do when we get to London, Giles? Do you think perhaps the
+guard would help us to go back again to the Junction, when he sees it
+was a mistake? As we've got money to pay to London, he'd see we hadn't
+meant to cheat.'
+
+'No,' I said, 'he wouldn't have time, and besides I don't think it'll be
+the same one. And if we said anything, he'd most likely make us give our
+names, or take us to some station-master or somebody, and then there'd
+be no chance of our keeping out of a lot of bother.'
+
+'You mean,' said she, in a shaky voice, 'we should have to go all the
+way back, and I'd be sent to the witch again?'
+
+'Something like it, I'm afraid,' I said. 'If I just explain that we got
+into the wrong train and pay up, they'll have no business to meddle with
+us.'
+
+'But what are we to do, then?' she asked again.
+
+'I don't know,' I replied. I'm afraid I was rather cross. I was so sick
+of it all, you see, and so fearfully bothered.
+
+Margaret at last began to cry. She tried to choke it down, but it was no
+use.
+
+I felt awfully sorry for her, but somehow the very feeling so bad made
+me crosser, and I did not try to comfort her up.
+
+Pete, on the contrary, tugged out his pocket-handkerchief, which was
+quite a decently clean one, and began wiping her eyes. This made her try
+again to stop crying. She pulled out her own handkerchief and said--
+
+'Dear little Perkins, you are so kind.'
+
+I glanced at them, not very amiably, I daresay. And I was on the point
+of saying that, instead of crying and petting each other, they'd better
+try to think what we should do, for I knew we must be getting near
+London by this time, when I saw something white on the floor of the
+carriage.
+
+I stooped to pick it up. It had dropped out of Margaret's pocket when
+she pulled out her handkerchief. It was an envelope, or what had been
+one, and for a moment I thought it was the one I had given her with our
+address on, to use when she wrote to us from Hill Horton, but _that_ one
+couldn't have got so dirty and torn-looking in the time. And when I
+looked at it more closely, I saw that it was jagged and nibbled in a
+queer way, and _then_ I saw that it had the name 'Wylie' on it, and an
+address in London. And when I looked still more closely, I saw that it
+had never been through the post or had a stamp on, and that it had a
+large blot in one corner. Evidently the person who had written on it had
+not liked to use it because of the blot, and the name on it was _Miss_,
+not _Mrs._ Wylie, '19 Enderby Street
+                                 LONDON, S.W.'
+
+I turned it round and round without speaking for a moment or two. I
+couldn't make it out. Then I said--
+
+'What's this, Margaret? It must have dropped out of your pocket.'
+
+She stopped crying--well, really, I think she had stopped already, for
+whatever her faults were she wasn't a babyish child--to look at it. She
+seemed puzzled, and felt in her pocket again.
+
+'No, of course it's not the envelope you gave me,' she said. 'I've got
+it safe, and--oh, I believe I know how this old one got into my pocket.
+I remember a day or two ago when I was trying if it would do to tie my
+handkerchief on to Polly's cage, he was nibbling some paper. He's very
+fond of nibbling paper, and it doesn't hurt him, for he doesn't eat it.
+But he would keep pecking at me when I was tying the handkerchief, and I
+was vexed with him, and so when he dropped this I picked it up and shook
+it at him, and told him he shouldn't have it again, and then I put it
+into my pocket. He was very tiresome that day, not a bit a fairy; he is
+like that sometimes.'
+
+'But how did he come to have an envelope with "Miss Wylie" on?' I said.
+'He doesn't live in Mrs. Wylie's house, but in the one between yours and
+hers, and this must have come from _her_.'
+
+'I daresay she gave it him to play with, or her servant may have given
+it him,' said Margaret, 'You see he's sometimes at the end of the
+balcony nearest her, and sometimes at our end. I think his servants have
+put him more at our end since she's been away; perhaps they've heard me
+talking to him. Anyway, I'm sure this old envelope must have come out of
+his cage.'
+
+I did not speak for a moment. I was gazing at the address.
+
+'Margaret,' I exclaimed, 'look at it.'
+
+She did so, and then stared up at me, with a puzzled expression in her
+eyes, still red with crying.
+
+'I believe,' I went on, 'I believe this is going to help us.'
+
+Peterkin, who had been listening with all his ears, could contain
+himself no longer.
+
+'And the parrot _must_ be a fairy after all,' he said, 'and he must have
+done it on purpose.'
+
+But Margaret did not seem to hear what he said, she was still gazing at
+me and wondering what I was going to say.
+
+'Don't you see,' I went on, touching the envelope, 'this must be the
+house of some of Mrs. Wylie's relations? Very likely she's staying with
+them there, and anyway they'd tell us where she is, as we know she's
+still in London. She told us she was going to be there for a fortnight.
+And she's very kind. We would ask her to lend us money enough to go back
+to the Junction, and then we'd be all right. You have got your ticket
+for Hill Horton, and we have our returns for home.'
+
+'Oh,' cried Margaret, 'how clever you are to have thought of it, Giles!
+But,' and the bright look went out of her face, 'you don't think she'd
+make me go back to the witch, do you? Are you sure she wouldn't?'
+
+'I really don't think she would,' I said. 'I know she has often been
+sorry for you, for she knew you weren't at all happy. And we'd tell her
+more about it. She is awfully kind.'
+
+I meant what I said. Perhaps I saw it rather too favourably; the idea of
+finding a friend in London was such a comfort just then, that I felt as
+if everything else might be left for the time. I never thought about
+catching trains at the Junction or about its getting late and dark for
+Margaret to be travelling alone from there to Hill Horton, or anything,
+except just the hope--the tremendous hope--that we might find our kind
+old lady.
+
+[Illustration: HE LOOKED AT THE TICKETS . . . 'HOW'S THIS?' HE
+SAID.--p. 145.]
+
+The train slackened, and very soon we pulled up. It wasn't the station
+yet, however, but the place where they stop to take tickets, just
+outside. I know it so well now, for we pass it ever so often on our way
+from and to school several times a year. But whenever we pass it, or
+stop at it, I think of that miserable day and all my fears.
+
+The man put his head in at the window. He was a stranger.
+
+'Tickets, please,' he said.
+
+I was ready for him--tickets, Peterkin's half-sovereign, and all. I held
+out the tickets.
+
+'There's been a mistake,' I began. 'I shall have to pay up,' and when he
+heard that, he opened the door and came in.
+
+He looked at the tickets.
+
+'Returns--half-returns to the Junction,' he said, 'and a half to Hill
+Horton. How's this?'
+
+'We got into the wrong train at the Junction,' I replied. 'In fact, we
+got back into the same one we had just got out of. I expect the guard
+thought I said "Victoria" when I said "Hill Horton," for he told us to
+go to the front.'
+
+'And didn't he tell you, you were wrong when he looked at the tickets
+before you started?' the man asked, still holding our tickets in his
+hand and examining us rather queerly.
+
+I began to feel angry, but I didn't want to have any fuss, so instead of
+telling him to mind his own business, as I was ready to pay the
+difference, I answered again quite coolly--
+
+'No one looked at the tickets at the Junction. There were two or three
+empty carriages at the front: perhaps no one noticed us getting in.'
+
+I thought I heard the man murmur to himself something about 'rum go.
+Three kids by themselves, and first-class.'
+
+So, though I was getting angrier every moment, I just said--
+
+'I don't see that it matters. Here we are, anyway, and I'll pay if
+you'll tell me how much.'
+
+He counted up.
+
+'Eight-and-six--no, eight-and-tenpence.'
+
+I held out the half-sovereign. He felt in his pocket and gave me back
+the change--a shilling and twopence, and walked off with the halves of
+Pete's and my return tickets and the half-sovereign.
+
+We all began to breathe more freely; but, as the train slowly moved
+again at last--we had been standing quite a quarter-of-an-hour--a new
+trouble started.
+
+'It's very dark,' said Margaret, 'and it can't be late yet.'
+
+I looked out of the window. Yes, it was very dark. I put my head out. It
+felt awfully chilly too--a horrid sort of chilly feeling. But that
+wasn't the worst of it.
+
+'It's a fog,' I said. 'The horridest kind--I can't see the lights almost
+close to us. It's getting worse every minute. I believe it'll be as dark
+as midnight when we get into the station. What luck, to be sure!'
+
+The other two seemed more excited than frightened.
+
+'I've never seen a really bad fog,' said Margaret, as if she was rather
+pleased to have the chance.
+
+Pete said nothing. I expect he'd have had a fairy-tale all ready about a
+prince lost in a mist, if I'd given him an opening. But I was again
+rather taken aback. How were we to find our way to Enderby Street?
+
+I had meant to walk, you see, in spite of the red bundle! For I was
+afraid of being cheated by the cabman; and I was afraid too of running
+quite short of money, in case we _didn't_ find Mrs. Wylie, or that she
+had left, and that, if the worst came to the worst, I might have to go
+to a hotel with the two children, and telegraph to mamma to say where we
+were. Papa, unluckily, was not in London just then. He had gone away on
+business somewhere--I forget where--for a day or two, and besides, I was
+not at all sure of the exact address of his chambers, otherwise I might
+have telegraphed _there_. I only knew it was a long way from Victoria.
+
+Indeed, I don't think I thought about that at all at the time, though
+afterwards mamma said to me I might have done so, _had_ the worst come
+to the worst.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+BERYL
+
+
+YES, the fog _was_ a fog, and no mistake. I don't think I have ever seen
+so bad a one since we came to live in London, or else it seemed to me
+terribly bad that day because I was not used to it, and because I was so
+anxious.
+
+I felt half provoked and yet in a way glad that Margaret and Peterkin
+were not at all frightened, but rather pleased. They followed me along
+the platform after we got out of the carriage, lugging the bundle
+between them. It was not really heavy, and I had to go first, as the
+station was pretty full in that part, in spite of the fog. The lamps
+were all lighted, but till you got within a few yards of one you
+scarcely saw it.
+
+I went on, staring about me for some one to ask advice from. At last,
+close to a book-stall, where several lights together made it a little
+clearer, I saw a railway man of some kind, standing, as if he was not in
+a hurry.
+
+'Can you tell me where Enderby Street is, if you please?' I asked as
+civilly as I knew how.
+
+'Enderby Street,' he repeated, in surprise. 'Of course; it's no distance
+off.'
+
+Wasn't I thankful?
+
+'How far?' I said.
+
+'Well--it depends upon which part of it you want. It's a long street.
+But if you're a stranger you'll never find your way in this fog. Better
+take a hansom.'
+
+'Thank you,' I said. 'It's only a shilling, I suppose?'
+
+He glanced at me again; he had been turning away. By this time the two
+children were close beside me. He saw that we belonged to each other.
+
+'A shilling for two--one-and-six for three,' he replied. 'Hansom or
+four-wheeler,' and then he moved off.
+
+Just then Margaret began to cough, and a new fear struck me. She looked
+very delicate, and she had had a bad cold. Supposing the fog made her
+very ill? I was glad the man had spoken of a four-wheeler.
+
+'Stuff your handkerchief or something into your mouth,' I said, 'so as
+not to get the fog down your throat. I'm going to call a four-wheeler.'
+
+In some ways that dreadful day was not as bad as it might have been.
+There were scarcely any cabs about, but just then one stopped close to
+the end of the platform.
+
+'Jump in,' I said, and before the driver had time to make any objection,
+for I know they do sometimes make a great favour of taking you anywhere
+in a fog, we were all inside.
+
+I heard him growling a little, but when I put my head out of the window
+again, and said '19 Enderby Street,' he smoothed down.
+
+We drove off, slowly enough, but that was to be expected. I pulled up
+both windows, for Margaret kept on coughing, in spite of having her
+handkerchief, and Peterkin's too, for all I knew, stuffed over her mouth
+and throat. They were both very quiet, but I _think_ they were rather
+enjoying themselves. I suppose my taking the lead, as I had had to,
+since our troubles began, and managing things, made them feel 'safe,' as
+children like to do, at the bottom of their hearts, however they start
+by talking big.
+
+It _was_ a horrid fog, but the lights made it not quite so bad outside,
+for the shops had got all their lamps on, and we could see them now and
+then. There was a lot of shouting going on, and yet every sound was
+muffled. There were not many carts or omnibuses or anything on wheels
+passing, and what there were, were moving slowly like ourselves.
+
+After a few minutes it got darker again; it must have been when we got
+into Enderby Street, I suppose, for there are no shops, or scarcely any,
+there. I've often and often passed along it since, but I never do
+without thinking of that evening, or afternoon, for it was really not
+yet four o'clock.
+
+And then we stopped.
+
+'Nineteen, didn't you say?' asked the driver as I jumped out.
+
+'Yes, nineteen,' I said. 'Stop here for a moment or two, till I see if
+we go in.'
+
+For it suddenly struck me that _if_ we had the awful bad luck not to
+find Mrs. Wylie, we had better keep the cab, to take us to some hotel,
+otherwise it might be almost impossible to get another. And then we
+should be out in the street, with Margaret and her bundle, and worse
+still, her cough.
+
+I made my way, more by feeling than seeing, up the steps, and fumbled
+till I found the bell. I had not actually told the others to stay in
+the cab, though I had taken care to keep the window shut when I got out,
+and I never dreamt but what they'd stay where they were till I had found
+out if Mrs. Wylie was there.
+
+But just as the door opened--the servant came in double-quick time
+luckily, the reason for which was explained--I heard a rustling behind
+me, and lo and behold, there they both were, and the terrible red bundle
+too, looking huger and queerer than ever, as the light from inside fell
+on it.
+
+We must have looked a funny lot, as the servant opened the door. She--it
+was a parlour-maid--did start a little, but I didn't give her time to
+speak, though I daresay she thought we were beggars, thanks to those
+silly children.
+
+'Mrs. Wylie is staying here,' I said. I thought it best to speak
+decidedly. 'Is she at home?'
+
+I suppose my way of speaking made her see we were not beggars, and
+perhaps she caught sight of the four-wheeler, looming faintly through
+the fog, for she answered quite civilly.
+
+'She is not exactly staying here. She is in rooms a little way from
+here, but she comes round most afternoons. I thought it was her when you
+rang, but I don't think she'll be coming now--not in this fog.'
+
+My heart had gone down like lead at the first words--'she is not,' but
+as the servant went on I got more hopeful again.
+
+'Can you--' I began--I was going to have asked for Mrs. Wylie's address,
+but just then Margaret coughed; the worst cough I had heard yet from
+her. 'Why couldn't you have stayed in the cab?' I said sharply, and
+perhaps it was a good thing, to show that we _had_ a cab waiting for us.
+'Please,' I went on, 'let this little girl come inside for a minute. The
+fog makes her cough so.'
+
+The parlour-maid stepped back, opening the door a little wider, but
+there was something doubtful in her manner, as if she was not quite sure
+if she was not running a risk in letting us in. I pushed Margaret
+forward, and not Margaret only! She was holding fast to her precious
+bundle, and Peterkin was holding fast to _his_ side of it, so they
+tumbled in together in a way that was enough to make the servant stare,
+and I stayed half on the steps, half inside, but from where I was I
+could see into the hall quite well. It looked so nice and comfortable,
+compared with the horribleness outside. It was a square sort of hall.
+The house was not a big one, not nearly as big as ours at home, but lots
+bigger than the Rock Terrace ones, of course.
+
+'Can you give me Mrs. Wylie's address?' I said. 'I think the best thing
+we can do is to--' but I was interrupted again.
+
+A girl--a grown-up girl, a lady, I mean--came forward from the inner
+part of the hall.
+
+'Browner,' she said, 'do shut the door. You are letting the fog get all
+over the house, and it is bitterly cold.'
+
+She was blinking her eyes a little as she spoke: either the light or the
+fog, or both, hurt them. Perhaps she had been sitting over the fire in a
+darkish room. 'Blinking her eyes' doesn't sound very pretty, but it was,
+I found afterwards, a sort of trick of hers, and somehow it suited her.
+_She_ was very pretty. I didn't often notice girls' looks, but I
+couldn't help noticing hers. Everything about her was pretty; her voice
+too, though she spoke a little crossly. She was rather tall, and her
+hair was wavy, almost as wavy as Elf's, and the colour of her dress,
+which was pinky-red, and everything about her, seemed to suit, and I
+just stood--we all did--staring at her.
+
+And as soon as she caught sight of us--I daresay we seemed quite a
+little crowd at the door--she stared too!
+
+Then she came forward quickly, her voice growing anxious, and almost
+frightened.
+
+'What is the matter?' she exclaimed. 'Has there been an accident? Who
+are these--children?'
+
+Browner moved towards her.
+
+'Indeed, Miss,' she began, but the girl stopped her.
+
+'Shut the door first,' she said decidedly. 'No, no, come in, please,'
+this was to me; I suppose I seemed to hesitate, 'and tell me what you
+want, and who you are?'
+
+Her voice grew more hesitating as she went on, and it must have been
+very difficult to make out what sort of beings we were. Margaret's
+colourless face and dark eyes and hair, and the bright red of the
+bundle, at the first hasty glance, might almost have made you think of a
+little Italian wandering musician; but the moment I spoke I think the
+girl saw we were not that class.
+
+'We are friends of Mrs. Wylie's--Mrs. Wylie who lives at Rock Terrace,'
+I said, 'and--and we've come to her because--oh! because we've got into
+a lot of trouble, and the fog's made it worse, and we don't know
+anybody else in London.'
+
+Then, all of a sudden--I'm almost ashamed to tell it, even though it's a
+good while ago now, and I really was scarcely more than a little boy
+myself--something seemed to get into my throat, and I felt as if in
+another moment it would turn into a sob.
+
+Margaret is awfully quick in some ways. She heard the choke in my voice
+and darted to me, leaving the bundle to Pete's tender mercies; so half
+of it dropped on to the floor and half stuck to him, as he stood there
+staring with his round blue eyes.
+
+Margaret stretched up and flung her arms round my neck.
+
+'Giles, Giles,' she cried, 'don't, oh don't!' Then she burst out--
+
+'It's all my fault; at least it's all for me, and Giles and Perkins have
+been so good to me. Oh dear, oh dear, what shall I do?' and she began
+coughing again in a miserable way. I think it was partly that she was
+trying not to cry.
+
+Seeing her so unhappy, made me pull myself together. I was just going to
+explain things a little to the girl, when she spoke first. She looked
+very kind and sorry.
+
+'I'll tell you what's the first thing to do,' she said, 'and that's to
+get this child out of the cold,' and she opened a door a little farther
+back in the hall, and got us all in, the maid following.
+
+It was a very nice, rather small dining-room; a bright fire was burning,
+and the girl turned on an electric lamp over the table. There were
+pretty ferns and things on it, ready for dinner, just like mamma has
+them at home.
+
+'Now,' she began again, but there seemed nothing but interruptions, for
+just at that moment another door was heard to open, and as the one of
+the room where we were was not shut, we could hear some one calling--
+
+'Beryl, Beryl, is there anything the matter? Has your aunt come?'
+
+It was a man's voice--quite a kind one, but rather fussy.
+
+'Wait a moment or two, I'll be back directly,' said the girl, and as she
+ran out of the room we heard her calling, 'I'm coming, daddy.'
+
+The parlour-maid drew back nearer the door, not seeming sure if she
+should leave us alone or not, and _we_ drew a little nearer the fire. So
+that we could talk without her hearing us.
+
+[Illustration: 'NOW,' SHE BEGAN . . . DRAWING MARGARET TO HER, 'TELL ME
+ALL ABOUT IT.'--p. 159.]
+
+'Isn't she a kind lady?' said Margaret, glancing up at me. 'I think she
+looks very kind. You don't think she'll send me back to the witch, do
+you, Giles?'
+
+'Bother the witch,' I was on the point of saying, for I would have given
+anything by this time to be back in our homes again, witch or no witch.
+But I thought better of it. It wouldn't have been kind, with Margaret
+looking up at me, with tears in her big dark eyes, so white and anxious.
+
+'I shouldn't think so,' I replied. 'She must be Mrs. Wylie's niece, and
+we'll go on to Mrs. Wylie, and she will tell us what to do.'
+
+The girl--perhaps I'd better call her 'Beryl' now. We always do, though
+she is no longer Beryl Wylie. Beryl was back almost at once.
+
+'Now,' she began again, sitting down in an arm-chair by the fire, and
+drawing Margaret to her, 'tell me all about it. In the first place, who
+are you? What are your names?'
+
+'Lesley,' I said. 'At least _ours_ is,' and I touched Peterkin. 'I'm
+Giles and he's Peterkin. We know Mrs. Wylie, and we live on the Marine
+Parade.'
+
+Beryl nodded.
+
+'Yes,' she said, 'I've heard of you. And,' she touched Margaret gently,
+'this small maiden? What is her name--she is not your sister?'
+
+'No,' I replied. 'She is Margaret----' I stopped short. For the first
+time it struck me that I had never heard her last name!
+
+'Margaret Fothergill,' she said quickly. 'I live next door but one to
+Mrs. Wylie, and next door to the parrot. Do you know the parrot in Rock
+Terrace?'
+
+Beryl nodded again.
+
+'I have heard of him too,' she said.
+
+But suddenly a new idea--I should rather say the old one--struck
+Margaret again. Her voice changed, and she clasped her hands piteously.
+
+'You won't, oh, you won't send me back to the witch? Say you won't.'
+
+'What does she mean?' asked Beryl, turning to me, as if she thought
+Margaret was half out of her mind, though, all the same, she drew her
+still closer.
+
+'She--we--' I began, and Peterkin opened his mouth too. But I suppose I
+must have glanced at the servant, for Beryl turned towards her, as if to
+tell her not to wait. Then she changed and said instead--
+
+'Bring tea in here, Browner, as quickly as you can. You can put it on
+the side table.'
+
+Browner went off at once; she seemed a very good-natured girl. And then,
+as quickly as I could, helped here and there by Margaret and by Peterkin
+(though to any one less 'understanding' than Beryl, his funny way of
+muddling up real and fancy would certainly not have 'helped'), I told
+our story. It was really wonderful how Beryl took it all in. When I
+stopped at last, almost out of breath, she nodded her head quietly.
+
+'We won't talk it over just yet,' she said. 'The first thing to do is to
+see my auntie. You three stay here while I run round to her, and try to
+enjoy your tea. I shall not be long. It is very near.'
+
+The idea of tea did seem awfully tempting, but a new thought struck me.
+
+'The cab!' I exclaimed, 'the four-wheeler! It's waiting all this time,
+and if we send it away, most likely we shan't be able to get another in
+the fog. There'll be such a lot to pay, too. Don't you think we'd better
+go with you in it to Mrs. Wylie, and perhaps she'd lend us money to go
+to the Junction by the first train? I don't think we should stay to
+have tea, thank you,' though, as I said it, a glance at Margaret's poor
+little white face made me wish I needn't say it. She was clinging to
+Beryl so by this time as if she felt safe.
+
+And Peterkin looked almost as piteous as she did.
+
+Beryl gently loosened Margaret's hold of her, and got up from the big
+leather arm-chair where she had been sitting.
+
+'Never mind about the cab,' she said. 'I will go round in it to my aunt,
+and perhaps bring her back in it. I will settle with the man. I may be a
+quarter-of-an-hour or twenty minutes away. So all you three have got to
+do in the meantime is to have a good tea, and trust me. And don't think
+about witches, or bad fairies, or anything disagreeable till you see me
+again,' she added, nodding to the two children. 'Browner, you will see
+that they have everything they want.'
+
+Browner smiled, and Beryl ran off, and in a minute or two we heard her
+come downstairs again, with her cloak and hat on, no doubt, and the
+front door shut, and I heard the cab drive away.
+
+Talking of fairies, I can't imagine anything more like the best of good
+ones than Beryl Wylie seemed to us that afternoon.
+
+Browner was very kind and sensible. For after she had poured out our
+tea, and handed us a plateful of bread-and-butter and another of little
+cakes, she left the room, showing us the bell, in case we wanted more
+milk or anything.
+
+And then--perhaps it may seem very thoughtless of us, but, as I have
+said before, even I, the eldest, wasn't very old--we really enjoyed
+ourselves! It was so jolly to feel warm and to have a good tea, and,
+above all, to know that we had found kind friends, who would tell us
+what to do.
+
+Margaret seemed perfectly happy, and to have got rid of all her fears of
+being sent back to the witch. And Peterkin, in those days, was never
+very surprised at anything, for nothing that could happen was as
+wonderful as the wonders of the fairy-land he lived in. So he was quite
+able to enjoy himself without any trying to do so.
+
+I do feel, however, rather ashamed of one bit of it all. You'd scarcely
+believe that it never came into my head to think that mamma might be
+frightened about us, even though the afternoon was getting on into
+evening, and the darkness outside made it seem later than it really was!
+
+I can't understand it of myself, considering that I had seen with my
+own eyes how frightened she had been the evening Peterkin got lost. I
+suppose my head had got tired and confused with all the fears and things
+it had been full of, but it is rather horrid to remember, all the same.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+DEAR MAMMA
+
+
+BERYL must have been away longer than she had expected, for when we
+heard the front bell ring and a minute later she hurried in, her first
+words were--
+
+'Did you think I was never coming back? I will explain to you what I
+have been doing.'
+
+When her eyes fell on us, however, her expression changed. She looked
+pleased, but a little surprised, as she took in that we had not been, by
+any means, sitting worrying ourselves, but quite the contrary. Margaret
+was actually in the middle of a laugh, which did not seem as if she was
+feeling very bad, even though it turned into a cough. Peterkin was
+placidly content, and I was--well, feeling considerably the better for
+the jolly good tea we had had.
+
+'We've been awfully comfortable, thank you,' I said, getting up,
+'and--will you please tell us what you think we'd better do?
+And--please--how much was the cab?'
+
+'Never mind about that,' she said. 'Here is my aunt,' and then I heard a
+little rustle at the door, and in came Mrs. Wylie, who had been taking
+off her wraps in the hall, looking as neat and white-lacy and like
+herself as if she had never come within a hundred miles of a fog in her
+life.
+
+'She _would_ come,' Beryl went on, smiling at the old lady as if she
+loved her very much. 'Auntie is always so kind.'
+
+I began to feel very ashamed of all the trouble we were giving, and I'm
+sure my face got very red.
+
+'I'm so sorry,' I said, as Mrs. Wylie shook hands with us, 'I never
+thought of you coming out in the fog.'
+
+'It will not hurt me,' she replied; 'but I feel rather anxious about
+this little person,' and she laid her hand on Margaret's shoulder, for
+just then Margaret coughed again.
+
+'Oh,' I exclaimed, 'you don't think it will make her cough worse, do
+you?' and I felt horribly frightened. 'We'll wrap her up much more, and
+once we are clear of London, there won't be any fog. I daresay it's
+quite light still, in the country. It can't be late. But hadn't we
+better go at once? Will you be so very good as to lend us money to go
+back to the Junction? I know mamma will send it you at once.'
+
+All my fears seemed to awaken again as I hurried on, and the children's
+faces grew grave and anxious.
+
+Mrs. Wylie sat down quietly.
+
+'My dear boy,' she said, 'there can be no question of any of you,
+Margaret especially, going back to-night. The fog is very bad, and it is
+very cold besides. My niece has told me the whole story, and----'
+
+'I suppose you think we've all been dreadfully naughty,' I interrupted.
+'I did not mean to be, and _they_ didn't,' glancing at the others. 'But
+of course I'm older, only----'
+
+Mrs. Wylie laid her hand on my arm.
+
+'There will be a good deal to talk over,' she said, speaking still very
+quietly, but rather gravely. 'And I feel that your dear mamma is the
+right person to--to explain things--your mistakes, and all about it. I
+believe certainly you did not _mean_ to do wrong.'
+
+Her mention of mamma startled me into remembering at last how
+frightened she and all of them would be at home.
+
+'Oh!' I exclaimed, 'if we stay away all night, what _will_ mamma do?'
+
+'I was just going to tell you what we have done,' said Mrs. Wylie. 'That
+was what kept us--Beryl and me. We have telegraphed to your mamma. She
+will not be frightened now. Indeed, I hope she may have got the telegram
+in time to prevent her beginning to be anxious. And we also--' but here
+she stopped, for a glance at Margaret, as she told me afterwards,
+reminded her of Margaret's fears lest she should be sent back to Rock
+Terrace and Miss Bogle. And what she had been on the point of saying
+was, that they had also telegraphed to 'the witch.'
+
+'It was awfully good of you,' I said, feeling more and more ashamed of
+the trouble we were causing.
+
+I would have given anything to go home that night, even if it had been
+to find papa and mamma more displeased with me than they had ever been
+in their life, and, as I was beginning to see, as they had a right to
+be. But in the face of all Mrs. Wylie and Beryl were doing, I could not
+possibly have gone against what they thought best.
+
+'I shall also write to your mamma to-night,' Mrs. Wylie went on. 'There
+is plenty of time. It is not really as late as the fog makes it seem.
+And the first thing we now have to do,' for just then Margaret had
+another bad fit of coughing, 'is to put this child to bed. If you are
+not better in the morning, or rather if you are any worse, we must send
+for the doctor.'
+
+'Oh, _please_ don't!' said Margaret, as soon as she could speak. 'It's
+only the fog got into my throat. It doesn't hurt me at all, as it did
+when I had that very bad cold at home. I don't like strange doctors,
+_please_, Mrs. Wylie. And to-morrow nursey can send for our own doctor
+at home at Hill Horton, if I'm not quite well. I may go home to my
+nursey quite early, mayn't I? And you will tell their mamma not to be
+vexed with them, won't you? They only wanted to help me.'
+
+She looked such a shrimp of a creature, with her tiny face, so pale too,
+that nobody could have found it in their heart to scold her. Mrs. Wylie
+just patted her hand and said something about putting it all right, but
+that she must go to bed now and have a good long sleep.
+
+And just then Beryl, who had left us with Mrs. Wylie, came back to say
+that everything was ready for Margaret upstairs, and then she walked
+her and the red bundle off--to put her to bed.
+
+I really think that by this time Margaret was so tired that she scarcely
+knew where she was: she did not make the least objection, but was as
+meek as a mouse. You would never have thought her the same child as the
+determined little 'ordering-about' sort of child I knew she could be,
+and I, rather suspected, generally _had_ been till she came under
+stricter management.
+
+When she was alone with us--with Peterkin and me--Mrs. Wylie spoke a
+little more about the whole affair. But not very much. She had evidently
+made up her mind to leave things in mamma's hands. And she did not at
+all explain any of the sort of mystery there seemed about Margaret.
+
+She rang the bell and told Browner to take us upstairs to the little
+room that had been got ready for us, and where we were to sleep, saying,
+that she herself was now going to write to mamma.
+
+'_And_ to Miss Bogle,' she added, 'though I thought it better not to say
+so to Margaret.'
+
+She looked at us rather curiously as she spoke; I think she most likely
+wanted to find out what we really believed about 'the witch.' Peterkin
+started, and grew very red.
+
+'You won't let her go back there?' he exclaimed. 'I'm sure she'll run
+away again if you do.'
+
+It sounded rather rude, but Mrs. Wylie knew that he did not mean it for
+rudeness. She only looked at him gravely.
+
+'I am very anxious to see how your little friend is to-morrow morning,'
+she replied. 'I earnestly hope she has not caught any serious cold.'
+
+The way she said it frightened me a little somehow, though we children
+often caught cold and didn't think much about it. But then we were all
+strong. None of us ever coughed the way Margaret used to about that
+time, except when we had hooping-cough, and it wasn't that that she had
+got, I knew.
+
+'You don't think she is going to be badly ill?' I said, feeling as if it
+would be all my fault if she was.
+
+Mrs. Wylie only repeated that she hoped not.
+
+We couldn't do much in the way of dressing or tidying ourselves up, as
+we had nothing with us, not even a red bundle. We could only wash our
+faces and hands, which were _black_ with the fog, so having them clean
+was an improvement. And there was a very pretty brush and comb put out
+for us--Beryl's own. I think it was awfully good of her to lend us her
+nice things like that. I don't believe Blanchie would have done it,
+though I daresay mamma would. So we made ourselves as decent-looking as
+we could, and our collars didn't look as bad that evening as in the
+daylight the next morning.
+
+And then Beryl put her head in at the door and told us to come down to
+the drawing-room, where her father was.
+
+'He is not able to go up and down stairs just now,' she said. 'His
+rheumatism is very bad. So he stays in the drawing-room, and we dine
+earlier than usual for his sake--at seven.'
+
+She went on talking, partly to make us more comfortable, for I knew we
+were both looking very shy. And just outside the drawing-room door she
+smiled and said, 'Don't be frightened of him, he is the kindest person
+in the world.'
+
+[Illustration: THE FRILLS HAD WORKED UP ALL ROUND HIS FACE.--p. 173.]
+
+So he was, I am sure. He had white hair and a thin white face, and he
+was sitting in a big arm-chair, and he shook hands kindly, and didn't
+seem to mind our being there a bit. Of course, Beryl had explained it
+all to him, and it was easy to see that he was most awfully fond of
+her, and pleased with everything she did. All the same, I was very glad,
+though it sounds horrid, that he couldn't come downstairs. It didn't
+seem half so frightening with only Mrs. Wylie and Beryl.
+
+Peterkin got very sleepy before dinner was really over. I think he
+nodded once or twice at dessert, though he was very offended when I said
+so afterwards. I began to feel jolly tired too, and we were both very
+glad to go to bed. There was a fire in our room. 'Miss Wylie had ordered
+it because of the fog,' the servant said. Wasn't it kind of her?
+
+We couldn't help laughing at the things they had tried to find for us
+instead of proper night things--jackety sort of affairs, with lots of
+frills and fuss. I don't know if they belonged to mother Wylie or to
+Beryl. But we were too sleepy to mind, though next morning Pete was
+awfully offended when I said he looked like Red-Riding Hood's
+grandmother, as the frills had worked up all round his face, and he
+looked still queerer when he got out of bed, as his robe trailed on the
+floor, with his being so short.
+
+He did not wake as early as usual, but I did. And for a minute or two I
+_couldn't_ think where I was. And I didn't feel very happy when I did
+remember.
+
+The fog had gone, but it still looked gloomy, compared with home. Still
+I was glad it was clear, both because I wanted so to go home, and also
+because of Margaret's cold. I think that was what I first thought of. If
+only she didn't get ill, I thought I wouldn't mind how angry they were
+with me. As to Peterkin, I would stand up for him, if he needed it,
+though I didn't think he would. They'd be sure to remind me how much
+older I was, and pleasant things like that. And yet when I went over and
+over it in my own mind, I couldn't get it clear what else I could have
+done. There _are_ puzzles like that sometimes, and anyway it was better
+than if Margaret had run away alone, and perhaps got really lost.
+
+And, after all, as you will hear, I hadn't much blame to bear. The name
+of this chapter will show thanks to whom _that_ was.
+
+When we were dressed--and oh, how we longed for clean collars!--we made
+our way down to the dining-room. Beryl was there already, and I saw that
+she looked even prettier by daylight, such as it was than the evening
+before. She smiled kindly, and said she hoped we had managed to sleep
+well.
+
+'Oh yes, thank you,' we said, 'but--' and we both looked round the room.
+'How is Margaret?'
+
+'None the worse, I am glad to say,' Beryl answered, and then I thought
+to myself I might have guessed it, by Beryl's bright face. 'I really
+think it was only the fog that made her cough so last night. She looks a
+very delicate little girl, however, and she speaks of having had a very
+bad cold not long ago, which may have been something worse than a cold.
+So I made her stay in bed for breakfast, till----'
+
+At that moment the parlour-maid brought in a telegram. Beryl opened it,
+and then handed it to me. It was from mamma.
+
+'A thousand thanks for telegram and letter. Coming myself by earliest
+train possible.'
+
+'It's very good of mamma,' I said, and in my heart I was glad she was
+coming before we--or I--saw papa. For though he is very kind too, he is
+not quite so 'understanding,' and a good deal sharper, especially with
+us boys. I suppose fathers need to be, and I suppose boys need it more
+than girls.
+
+'Yes,' said Beryl, and though she had been so awfully jolly about the
+whole affair, I could tell by her tone that she was glad that some one
+belonging to us was coming to look after us all. 'It is very
+satisfactory. My aunt said she would come round early too. I think it
+will be quite safe for Margaret to get up now, so I will go and tell her
+she may. You will find some magazines and picture-papers in my little
+sitting-room, behind this room, if you can amuse yourselves there till
+auntie comes.'
+
+I stopped her a moment as she was leaving the room, to ask what I knew
+Peterkin was longing to hear.
+
+'Mamma will take us home, of course,' I said, 'but what do you think
+will be done about Margaret?'
+
+'They--' whom he meant by 'they' I don't know, and I don't think he knew
+himself--'they won't send her back to the witch, you don't think, do
+you?' he burst out, growing very red.
+
+Beryl hesitated. Then she said quietly--
+
+'No, I _don't_ think so,' and Peterkin gave a great sigh of relief. If
+she had answered that she _did_ think so, I believe he would have broken
+into a howl. I really do.
+
+It seemed rather a long time that we had to wait in Beryl's room before
+anything else happened. Peterkin said it felt a good deal like waiting
+at the dentist's, and I agreed with him. It was the looking at the
+picture-papers that put it into his head, I think.
+
+We heard the front-door bell ring several times, and once I was sure I
+caught Beryl's voice calling, 'Auntie, is it you?' but it must have been
+nearly twelve o'clock--breakfast had been a good deal later than at
+home--before the door of the room where we were, opened, and some one
+came in. I was standing staring out of the window, which looked into a
+very small sort of fernery or conservatory, and wishing Beryl had told
+me to water the plants, when I heard a voice behind me.
+
+'Boys!' it said; 'Giles?' and turning round, I saw that it was mamma. I
+forgot all about being found fault with and everything else, and just
+flew to her, and so did poor old Pete, and then--I am almost ashamed to
+tell it, though perhaps I should not be--I broke out crying!
+
+Mamma put her arms round me. I don't know what she had been meaning to
+say to us, or to me, perhaps, in the way of blame, but it ended in her
+hugging me, and saying 'poor old Gilley.' She hugged Peterkin too,
+though he wasn't crying, and had no intention of it, _unless_ his
+beloved Margaret was to be sent back to Miss Bogle, and then, I have no
+doubt, he would have howled loudly enough. His whole mind was fixed on
+this point, and he had hardly patience even to be hugged, before he
+burst out with it.
+
+'Mummy, mummy,' he said,'they're not going to send her back to the
+witch, are they?'
+
+Mamma understood. She knew Peterkin's little ways so well,--how he got
+his head full of a thing, and could take in nothing else,--and she saw
+that it was best to satisfy him at once if we were to have any peace.
+
+'No,' she said. 'The little girl is not to go back to Miss Bogle.'
+
+Peterkin gave a great sigh of comfort. After all, he _had_ rescued his
+princess, I suppose he said to himself. _I_ thought it very
+extraordinary that mamma should be able to speak so decidedly about it,
+and I daresay she saw this, for she went on almost at once--
+
+'I have a good deal to explain. Some unexpected things happened
+yesterday and this morning. But for this, I should have come by an
+earlier train.'
+
+Here, I think, before I go on to say what these unexpected things were,
+is a good place for telling what mamma said to me afterwards, when we
+were by ourselves, about the whole affair, and my part in it. She quite
+allowed that I had not meant to do wrong or to be deceitful, or anything
+like that, and that I had been rather in a hole. But she made me see
+that, to start with, I should not have promised Margaret to keep it a
+secret, and she said she was sure that Margaret would have given in to
+our telling _her_--mamma, I mean--of her troubles, if I had spoken to
+her sensibly and seriously about it. And now that I know Margaret so
+well, I think so too. For she is particularly sensible for her age,
+especially since she has got her head clearer of fairy-tales and witches
+and enchantments and ogres and all the rest of it; and even then, there
+was a good deal of sense and reasonableness below her self-will and
+impatience.
+
+Now, I can go on with what mamma told us. The first she heard of it all
+was the telegram from Mrs. Wylie, for she had been out till rather late
+and found it lying on the hall-table when she came in, before she had
+even heard that Pete and I had not turned up at the nursery tea. That
+was what Beryl had hoped--that the news of our being all right would
+come before mamma had had a chance of being anxious. At first she was
+completely puzzled, but James, who was faithful to his promise, though
+rather stupid, helped to throw a little light on it by giving her my
+message.
+
+And then, as she was still standing in the hall, talking to him and
+trying to think what in the world had made us dream of going to London
+to Mrs. Wylie's, all by ourselves, there came a great ring at the bell,
+and when James opened, a startled-looking maid-servant's voice was heard
+asking for Mrs. Lesley.
+
+'I am Mrs. Wylie's parlour-maid,' she said, 'and I offered to run round,
+for the old lady next door to us, Miss Bogle, to ask if Mrs. Lesley
+would have the charity--I was to say--to come to see her. The little
+young lady, Miss Fothergill, who lives with her, has been missing all
+the afternoon. Miss Bogle did not know it till an hour or two ago, as
+she always rests in her own room till four o'clock. But I was to say she
+would explain it all to Mrs. Lesley, if she could possibly come to see
+Miss Bogle at once.'
+
+Mamma had gone forward and heard this all herself, though the maid had
+begun by giving the message to James. And she said immediately that she
+would come. She still had her going-out things on, you see, so no time
+was lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+NO MYSTERY AFTER ALL
+
+
+WE listened with all our ears, you may be sure, to what mamma told us;
+she did so, very quickly. It takes me much longer to write it.
+
+'And did you see Miss Bogle?' I asked. 'And what _is_ she like?'
+
+'The witch herself,' said Peterkin, his eyes nearly starting out of his
+head.
+
+'No, Peterkin,' said mamma, 'you are not to call her that any more. You
+must help me to explain to little Margaret, that Miss Bogle is a good
+old lady, who has meant nothing but kindness, though she made a great
+mistake in undertaking the charge of the child, for she is old and
+infirm and suffers sadly. Yes, of course, I saw her. She was terribly
+upset, the tears streaming down her poor face, though she had scarcely
+had time to be actually terrified about Margaret, thanks to Mrs.
+Wylie's telegram. She was afraid of the child having got cold, and she
+was altogether puzzled and miserable. And I was not able to explain very
+much myself, till I got Mrs. Wylie's _letter_ this morning, fully
+telling all. Still, I comforted her by saying I knew Mrs. Wylie was
+goodness itself, and would take every care of all the three of you for
+the night. Miss Bogle had not missed Margaret, as she always rests in
+the afternoon, till about four. And, strange to say, the servants had
+not missed her either. The nurse was away for the day, and I suppose
+that the others, not being used to think about the child, had not given
+a thought to her, though it seems strangely careless, till it got near
+her tea-time, and then they ran to Miss Bogle and startled her terribly.
+The first thing she did was to send in to the next-door house'--('The
+parrot's house?' interrupted Pete)--'and to Mrs. Wylie's,' mamma went
+on, 'where the parlour-maid knew that you boys and Margaret had made
+friends, and she offered to speak to Miss Bogle, thinking that perhaps
+you had all gone a walk together, and would soon be coming in. And
+_while_ she was telling Miss Bogle this, came the telegram, showing that
+indeed you had gone a walk, and more than a walk,'--here mamma turned
+away for a moment, and I _think_ it was to hide a smile that she could
+not help. I suppose to grown-up people there was a comical side to the
+story,--'together. And then the poor old lady sent for me.'
+
+'And was that all that happened?' I asked.
+
+Mamma shook her head.
+
+'No,' she said. 'While I was still talking to Miss Bogle, came another
+telegram, from the little girl's nurse, her present nurse, to say that
+her sister was so ill that she could not leave her, and that she was
+writing to explain. Poor Miss Bogle! Her cup of troubles did seem full;
+I felt very sorry for her, and I promised to go back to see her, first
+thing this morning, which I did, before starting to fetch you boys. The
+nurse's letter had come, saying she did not know _when_ she could
+return. And so--' mamma stopped for a moment--'it all ended--papa came
+back last night, so he was with me, and it was his idea first of all--in
+a way which I don't think you will be very sorry for,'--and again mamma
+smiled,--'in our settling that Margaret is to come home with _us_, and
+stay with us till there is time to hear from her grandfather, General
+Fothergill, what he wishes. How do you like the idea?'
+
+'I'm awfully glad of it,' I said. And so I was. Not so much for the sake
+of having Margaret as a companion, as because it quite took away all
+responsibility and fears about her. For I felt sure she would never have
+settled down happily or contentedly in Miss Bogle's house.
+
+But as for Peterkin! You never saw anything like his delight. He took
+all the credit of it to himself, and was more certain than ever that the
+parrot was a fairy, Miss Bogle a witch, and himself a hero who had
+rescued a lovely princess. His eyes sparkled like--I don't know what to
+compare them to; and his cheeks got so red and fat that I thought they'd
+burst.
+
+And when I said quietly--I thought it a good thing to sober him down a
+bit, but I really meant it too--that I hoped Blanchie and Elf would like
+Margaret, he really looked as if he wanted to knock me down--ungrateful
+little donkey, after all I'd done and gone through for him and his
+princess! But mamma glanced at me, and I understood that she meant that
+it was better to say nothing much to him. He would grow out of his
+fancies by degrees. And she just said, quietly too, that she was sure
+the little girls would get on all right together, and that Blanche and
+Elvira would do all they could to make Margaret happy.
+
+'And I am so thankful,' mamma went on, 'that the poor child is none the
+worse for her adventures, and able to travel back with us to-day. And I
+can never, never be grateful enough to Mrs. Wylie and her niece for
+their goodness to you. Miss Wylie is perfectly sweet.'
+
+Just as she said this the door opened and Beryl came in, leading
+Margaret with her. Mamma, of course, had already seen them upstairs,
+before she saw us.
+
+Margaret looked pale, naturally, paler than usual, I thought, and she
+never was rosy in those days, though she is now. But she seemed very
+happy and smiling, and she was not coughing at all. And another thing
+that pleased me, was that she came round and stood by mamma's chair, as
+if she already felt quite at home with her.
+
+Beryl drew a chair close to them and sat down.
+
+'I was just saying,' said mamma, 'that we shall never be able to thank
+you enough, dear Miss Wylie, for your goodness to these three.'
+
+'I am so glad, so _very_ glad,' said Beryl, in her nice hearty sort of
+way, 'to have been of use. It was really quite a pleasant excitement
+last night--when it all turned out well, and Margaret was clever enough
+not to get ill. But please don't call me Miss Wylie. You have known dear
+old auntie so long--and she counts me almost like her own child. Do call
+me "Beryl."'
+
+And from that time she has always been 'Beryl' to us all.
+
+They, the Wylies, made us stay to luncheon. It was just about time for
+it by this. We did not see Mr. Wylie again, though he sent polite
+messages to mamma, and was very kind about it all.
+
+And Mrs. Wylie came in to luncheon, and petted us all round, and said
+that we must _all_--Blanche and Elvira, and Clement too, if he wasn't
+too big, come to have tea with her, as soon as she got back to Rock
+Terrace.
+
+We thanked her, of course. At least Peterkin and I did, but I noticed
+that Margaret got rather red and did not say anything except 'thank you'
+very faintly. She was still half afraid of finding herself again where
+she had been so unhappy, and indeed it took a good while, and a good
+deal of quiet talking too, to get it _quite_ out of her head about Miss
+Bogle being a witch who was trying to 'enchanter' her, as her dear
+'Perkins' (she calls him 'Perkins' to this day) would persist in saying.
+
+Mrs. Wylie noticed her manner too, I fancy. For she went on to say, with
+a funny sort of twinkle in her eyes--
+
+'There will be a great deal to tell the parrot. And I don't expect that
+he will feel quite happy in his mind about you, little Margaret, till he
+has seen you again. He will miss you sadly, I am afraid.'
+
+And at this, Margaret brightened up.
+
+'Yes,' she said, 'I _must_ come to see dear Poll. But I may talk to him
+from your side of the balcony, mayn't I, Mrs. Wylie?'
+
+'Certainly,' said the kind old lady, 'and you must introduce your new
+friends to him. Mrs. Lesley's little girls, I mean.'
+
+Margaret liked the idea of this, I could see. She is not at all shy, and
+she still is very fond of planning, or managing things, and people too,
+for that matter, though of course she is much more sensible now, and not
+so impatient and self-willed as she used to be. Still, on the whole, she
+gets on better with Peterkin than with any of us, though she is fond of
+us, I know, and so are we of her. But Peterkin is just a sort of slave
+to her, and does everything she asks, and I expect it will always be
+like that.
+
+What a different journey it was that day to the miserable one the day
+before! To _me_, at least; for though I wasn't feeling particularly
+happy, as I will explain, in some ways, the horrible responsibility
+about the others had gone. _They_ were as jolly as could be, but then I
+knew they hadn't felt half as bad as I had done. They sat in a corner,
+whispering, and I overheard that they were making plans for all sorts of
+things they would do while Margaret stayed with us. And Pete was telling
+her all about Blanche and Elf, especially about Elf, and about the lots
+of fairy story-books he had got, and how they three would act some of
+them together, till Margaret got quite pink with pleasure.
+
+I saw mamma looking at me now and then, as if she was wondering what I
+was thinking about. I _was_ thinking a good deal. There were some things
+I couldn't yet quite understand about it all--why there should have been
+a sort of mystery, and why Mrs. Wylie had pinched up her lips when we
+had asked her about Margaret the day we went to tea with her. And
+besides this, I was feeling, in a kind of a way, rather ashamed of being
+taken home like a baby, even though mamma--and all of them, I must
+say--had been so very good, not to make a regular row and fuss, after
+the fright we had given them, or had _nearly_ given them.
+
+But I didn't say anything more to mamma just then. For one thing, I saw
+that she was looking very tired, and no wonder, poor dear little mamma,
+when you think what a day of it she had had, and all the bother with the
+witch the night before, too.
+
+I never saw Miss Bogle, and I've never wanted to. I shall always
+consider that she was nearly as bad as if she _had_ been a witch, and it
+was no thanks to her that poor little Margaret didn't get really lost,
+or badly ill, or something of that kind.
+
+They were expecting us when we got home. Blanche and Elf were in the
+hall, looking rather excited and very shy. But there was not much fear
+of shyness with Margaret and Peterkin, as neither of them was ever
+troubled with such a thing.
+
+I left Pete to do the honours, so to say, helped by mamma, of course.
+They all went off together upstairs to show Margaret her room and the
+nursery, and to introduce her to nurse and all the rest of it, and I
+went into the schoolroom--a small sort of study behind the dining-room,
+and sat down by myself, feeling rather 'out of it' and 'flat,' and
+almost a little ashamed of myself and the whole affair somehow.
+
+And the fire was low and the room looked dull and chilly, and I began
+thinking how horrid it would be to go to school the next morning without
+having done my lessons properly, and not knowing what to say about
+having missed a day, without the excuse, or good reason, of having been
+ill.
+
+I had sat there some time, a quarter-of-an-hour or so, I daresay, when I
+heard the front-door bell ring. Then I heard James opening and the door
+shutting, and, a moment after, the door of the room where I was opened,
+and some one came in, and banged something down on to the table. By that
+I knew who it was. It was Clement, with his school-books.
+
+It was nearly dark by this time, and the room was not lighted up at all.
+So he did not see me at first, till I moved a little, which made him
+start.
+
+'Good gracious!' he exclaimed, 'is that you, Gilley? What are you doing
+all alone in the dark? James told me you had all come--the kid from Rock
+Terrace too. By jove--' and he began to laugh a little to himself.
+
+It seemed a sort of last straw. I was tired and ashamed, and all wrong
+somehow. I did not speak till I was at the door, for I got up to leave
+the room at once. Then I said--
+
+'You needn't go at me like that. You might let me sit here if I want to.
+You don't suppose I've been enjoying myself these two days, do you?'
+
+He seemed to understand all about it at once. He caught hold of my arm
+and pulled me back again.
+
+'Poor old Gilley!' he said.
+
+Then he took up the poker and gave a good banging to the coals. There
+was plenty on the fire, but it had got black for want of stirring up. In
+a moment or two there was a cheery blaze. Clement pushed me into a seat
+and sat down near me on the table, his legs dangling.
+
+I have not said very much about Clem in this story--if it's worth
+calling a story--except just at the beginning, for it has really been
+meant to be about Peterkin and his princess. But I can't finish it
+without a little more about him--Clem, I mean. Some day, possibly, I may
+write about him especially, about our real school-life and all he has
+been to me, and how tremendously lucky I always think it has been for me
+to have such a brother. He is just as good as gold, without any pretence
+about it, and jolly too. And I can never forget how kind he was that
+afternoon.
+
+'Poor old Gilley!' he repeated. 'It must have been rather horrid for
+you--much worse than for those two young imps. Mamma told me all about
+it, as soon as she got the letter--she told me a good deal last night
+about what Miss Bogie, or whatever the old thing's name is, had told
+her.'
+
+I looked up at this.
+
+'Yes?' I said. 'I don't understand it at all, yet. But, Clem, what shall
+I do about school to-morrow? I've no lessons ready or anything.'
+
+'Is it that that you are worrying about?' he said.
+
+'Partly, and----'
+
+'Well, you can put _that_ out of your head. It's all right. Mamma told
+me what to say--that there'd been a mistake about the trains, and you'd
+had to stay the night in London. It wasn't necessary to say more, and
+you'll find it all right, I promise you.'
+
+I was very glad of this, and I said so, and thanked Clem.
+
+He sat still for a minute or two as if he was expecting me to speak.
+
+'Well?' he said at last.
+
+'Mamma's been very good, _very_ good about it altogether,' I said at
+last, 'and so has papa, by what she says. But still--' and then I
+hesitated.
+
+'Well?' said Clement again. 'What? I don't see that there's much to be
+down in the mouth about.'
+
+'It's just that--I feel rather a fool,' I said. 'Anybody would laugh so
+at the whole affair if they heard it. I daresay Blanche will think I've
+no more sense than Pete. She has a horrid superior way sometimes, you
+know.'
+
+'You needn't bother about that, either,' said he. 'She and Elf have got
+their heads perfectly full of Margaret. I don't suppose Blanche will
+ever speak of your part of it, or think of it even. As long as papa and
+mamma are all right--and I'm sure they are--you may count it a case of
+all's well that ends well.'
+
+I did begin to feel rather cheered up.
+
+'You're sure I'm not going to get a talking to, after all?' I said,
+still doubtfully. 'I saw mamma looking at me rather funnily in the
+train.'
+
+'Did you, my boy?' said another voice, and glancing round, I saw mamma,
+who had come into the room so quietly that neither of us had heard her.
+
+She sat down beside us. And then it was that she explained to me what I
+had done wrong, and been foolish about. I have already told what she
+said, and I felt that it was all true and sensible. And she was so
+kind--not laughing at me a bit, even for having a little believed about
+the witch and all that--that I lost the horrid, mortified, ashamed
+feelings I had been having.
+
+Just then the nursery tea-bell rang. I got up--slowly--I still felt a
+little funny and uncomfortable about Blanche, and even nurse. You see
+nurse made such a pet of Peterkin that she never scarcely could see that
+he should be found fault with, and of course he was a very good little
+chap, though not exactly an angel without wings--and certainly rather a
+queer child, with all his fairy-tale fancies.
+
+But mamma put her hand on my arm.
+
+'No,' she said. 'Clem and you are going to have tea in the drawing-room
+with me. The nursery party will be better left to itself to-day, and
+little Margaret is not accustomed to so many.'
+
+'I don't believe anything would make her feel shy, though,' I said. 'She
+is just as funny in her way as Peterkin in his. And, mamma, there are
+some things I don't understand still. Is there any sort of mystery? Why
+did Mrs. Wylie leave off talking about Margaret, and you too, I think,
+all of a sudden? I'm sure it was Mrs. Wylie's way of pinching up her
+lips about her, that made Pete surer than ever about the enchantment and
+the parrot and the witch and everything.'
+
+Mamma smiled.
+
+'No,' she said, 'there is no mystery at all. I will explain about it
+while we are having tea. It must be ready for us.'
+
+And she went into the drawing-room, Clement and I following her. It
+looked so nice and comfortable--I was jolly glad, I know, to be at home
+again!
+
+Then mamma told us--or me; I think Clem had heard it already--about
+Margaret.
+
+Her father and mother were in India, as I have said, have I not? And her
+grandfather was taking care of her. He was not a very old man, though he
+was a General. He had vineyards or something--yes, I am sure it was
+vineyards, in the south of France, and he had had to go, suddenly, to
+look after some business to do with them. And just when he was starting,
+Margaret got ill. It was the illness she had spoken of several times,
+which she called a very bad cold. But it was much worse than that,
+though she didn't know.
+
+Her grandfather put off going till she was getting better, and the
+doctors said she must have change of air. He couldn't take her with him,
+and he had to go, so the only thing he could think of was to ask old
+Miss Bogle, who had been Margaret's father's governess once--or General
+Fothergill's own governess when he was a little boy; I am not sure
+which--to take charge of her. He had forgotten how old, Miss Bogle was,
+and I think she must have forgotten it herself! She wasn't fit to look
+after a child, especially as Margaret's nurse had to leave just then.
+
+So you can pretty well understand how dull and lonely Margaret was. And
+General Fothergill was in such a fuss about her, and so terrified of her
+getting any other illness, that he forbade her making friends with any
+one out of Miss Bogle's house, unless he was asked about it, and wrote
+to give leave.
+
+And when Mrs. Wylie found out about her, she--or Miss Bogle--_did_ write
+to ask leave for her to know _us_, explaining how good and sensible
+mamma was about children every way. But till the leave came Mrs. Wylie
+and mamma settled that it was better to say nothing about it to us. And
+in this, _I_ think, they made a mistake.
+
+That was all. The leave _did_ come, while Margaret was with us. Of
+course, all that had happened was written to her grandfather, but she
+wasn't a bit scolded!
+
+Neither was her 'Perkins'; the big people only said that they must not
+be given so many fairy-stories to read.
+
+_I_ wasn't scolded either, though, so I should not complain. And several
+nice things came of it: the knowing Beryl Wylie, and the going to stay
+at General Fothergill's country house, and the having Margaret with us
+sometimes.
+
+I don't know what the parrot thought of it all. I believe he is still
+there, as clever and 'uncanny' as ever; at least so Mrs. Wylie said, the
+last time she came to see us.
+
+THE END
+
+          _Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_
+
+
+
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+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
+
+Page 62, "little's girl" changed to "little girl's" (little girl's
+house)
+
+Page 81, "eagly" changed to "eagerly" (old Pete eagerly)
+
+Page 83, "get" changed to "got" (we got close)
+
+Page 121, italics removed from the word "the" (thankful I felt in the)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peterkin, by Mary Louisa Molesworth
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