to
bed yet."

"And you shan't go to bed!" cried Paul, for he too thought he heard
some one. "Never mind nurse, finish the--the game."

--'Papa and Buzzy Dicky back again as--as they were before,' repeated
Roly at last. "What a funny--ow, ow, it'h Papa! it'h Papa! and he told
me it wath Dicky. I'm afwaid! Whereth Dicky gone to? I want Bab, take me
to Bab!"

For the Stone had done its work once more, and this time with happier
results; with a supreme relief and joy, which no one who has read this
book can fail to understand, Mr. Bultitude felt that he actually was his
old self again.

Just when all hope seemed cut off and relief was most unlikely, the
magic spell that had caused him such intolerable misery for one hideous
week was reversed by the hand of his innocent child.

He caught Roly up in his arms and kissed him as he had never been kissed
in his whole life before, at least by his father, and comforting him as
well as he could, for the poor child had naturally received rather a
severe shock, he stepped airily down the staircase, which he had mounted
with such different emotions five minutes before.

On his way he could not resist going into his dressing-room and assuring
himself by a prolonged examination before the cheval-glass that the
Stone had not played him some last piece of jugglery; but he found
everything quite correct; he was the same formal, precise and portly
person, wearing the same morning dress even as on that other Monday
evening, and he went on with greater confidence.

He took care, however, to stop at the first window, when he managed,
after some coaxing, to persuade Roly to give up the Garuda Stone. As
soon as he had it in his hands again, he opened the window wide and
flung the dangerous talisman far out into the darkness. Not till then
did he feel perfectly secure.

He passed the groups of little guests gathered about the conservatory,
and lower down he met Boaler, the nurse, and one or two servants and
waiters, rushing up in a state of great anxiety and flurry; even
Boaler's usual composure seemed shaken. "Please, sir," he asked, "the
schoolmaster gentleman, Master Dick--he've run upstairs, haven't you
seen him?"

Paul had almost forgotten Dick in his new happiness; there would be a
heavy score to settle with him; he had the upper hand once more, and
yet, somehow, he did not feel as much righteous wrath and desire for
revenge as he expected to do.

"Don't be alarmed," he said, w